Tough Love, it seems. I hope you both can look back on this time and, eventually laugh.

I love your honesty Gary. Honesty is definitely part of godliness.

The postcard is hilarious! I love it!

See you in Vegas!

I agree completely with you Gary. I don't know DJ personally but I have watched from the sideline and can not agree with you more. It is too bad, I interviewed him once while I was in school and knew that he was a great genuine guy. Actions speak loader than words and his actions are telling me that his ego has grown too big for his britches.

Thank you for sharing this with us. I know it must have been a hard decision to make but it was a good one.

I DISAGREE, and I think he is a very nice guy who genuinely cares about people...

What a low blow, Gary. So much bad logic in here (needing to CURRENTLY be a full time wedding photographer in order to promote wedding printing/workflow company, for example).

I was at DJ's place for the roundtable discussion and there were several names from Pictage. Your company might not be going down, sure, but they sure as hell aren't making their photographers happy. But I'm probably just lying for DJ, right...

Fix your company and the all evil DJ's and Smugmug's won't be a problem. And if you think you don't need some serious fixing? Well then you can be the the supposed "mature, experience, modest" business man that goes down.

I'm starting to think two things about you. 1. You think really highly of yourself. 2. You're kind of a dick. DJ talks about business and you try and slander his name.

You keep talking about how you're a much better person since abolishing Christianity from your life - but you sure don't seem like it.

Bobby

Hey Bobby, I am not involved in Pictage in any way.

DJ-

I thought we were done with these kinds of blog posts? What happened
to starting over this year?

The last time you went on a temper tantrum you got such negative
feedback from so many people. You even deleted many
comments that didn't line up with your story, including mine. Now we
are back here again???

DJ, I was rooting for you from the very beginning. The humble beginning
when you strived to be the new POSITIVE leader
in this industry. Putting the name Jesus Christ as your
headline, while acting like a person with no morals at all. It makes
me so sad.

Why all the soul searching if nothing changes? We are back to this
name bashing, door slamming, "kiss my ass" attitude. For the sake of
what? For financial rewards for you from this new sponsor? To stir
things up a bit? Are you bored?

This is a poem you wrote not to long ago. Maybe you should take a
gander at what it says.

"I've learned so many lessons through my usual route trial and error -
then prayer seriously devout!"

REALLY?

What lessons are those? "Seriously devout?" to what?

I expected more from you and I used to believe in your words.

DJ, I am so disappointed in you today.

While I don't know DJ personally as a business person I found his blog post extremely disappointing. If you're going to endorse a company go for it but don't take down the other one in flames that helped build your business.

I mean wouldn't we as business people prefer that our clients share with us their concerns before they go ruining our reputations...our name is our business. Each company offers something for each client and they both sound as if they are listening to their clients and making changes. It seems as if the energy spent in getting SMUGMUG going was spent and shared with PICTAGE there would be a different outcome.

With that said, I find it more disappointing this ROCK STAR image that is on display - I went to DJ's seminar in October and was thrilled that it was a smaller seminar and that it would be a bit more intimate but was disappointed that the speech was the same as Imaging in Jan. As I get more involved in the industry I find myself weary of the 'rock stars' that have to put on the show....The tour bus, the hype, save the show and speak from your heart. And those that talk the talk but don't walk the walk. Why go to hear a wedding photographer share about the industry when they aren't shooting?! I'm very perplexed why everyone gets caught up in it....

It seems clear to me that Pictage knows they are going down; they sure are acting like it. If they were really a good company and had nothing to lose, they wouldn't need to care what anyone else says about them. Nor would they need to make posts about an individual such as DJ.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the writing is on the wall for Pictage.

Sad day indeed...not sure what to think really. DJ has obviously been such an inspiration to so many people in the community. Those of us that have been around for a while are really perplexed right now. Pictage helped to make DJ who he is today and to take such a swipe at Jason is really uncalled for and in poor taste. Yes, many people who have just gotten into shooting weddings in the last 4 years and have followed DJ from their start will certainly come running in to defend... I guess lines are being drawn to some degree and obviously DJ wanted to be the person that drew the line!

You both are SO grasping at straws here.

DJ simply said Pictage isn't what it used to be. Wow. How terrible! And you guys respond with saying ALL this about him? Way to go you two. I'm sure Gary will get some needed traffic to his blog after telling the world "hey! I just wrote a blog about David Jay!!!" It's no coincidence that you keep posting controversial things as your normal blog stuff - that has to do with YOU instead of controversy - doesn't seem to keep you in as many people's minds.

Gary, I don't mind if you are or are not affiliated with Pictage. Not my point. My point is that talking bad about DJ certainly doesn't change that I was in a room full of Pictage users (big names) who were all talking about what they wanted from a different company. I was dropping my jaw at people telling me they wonder where their money is going...

DJ said NOTHING that isn't true. And he HARDLY took it to this pathetic level. You're being oversensitive because he's dead on about Pictage and you don't want people to know about Pictage's downfall. Stocks maybe? Your friends? I don't know. But you are denying what I know to be true.

Bobby

I smell blog war...I need to do something like this to increase traffic on my blog...and Bobby...I would be honored to hang-out with you one day...I totally dig your work and vibes....

With that said...who cares...I think McDonald's sucks...and they need a surgeon general warning on their food like cigarettes....oooohhhh....

peace...

Frankly, I'm a bit disappointed in both sides.  Why couldn't you guys just contact each other on the phone or email to hash this out?  Why publicly?  Is it too late to salvage this?

Oh and AWESOME move by defriending me on facebook but still countering my statements. Let me go defend them... oh wait. I can't ;)

Couldn't agree more with the below post...

"It seems clear to me that Pictage knows they are going down; they sure are acting like it. If they were really a good company and had nothing to lose, they wouldn't need to care what anyone else says about them. Nor would they need to make posts about an individual such as DJ.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the writing is on the wall for Pictage."

Oh Bobby, who cares! why dont you go and give DJ a big sloppy kiss and call it a day! ;)

gary - here's what i just posted on dj's blog. i would love for you to comment on it.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

lol - this is so weird.

i didn't pick up ANYTHING negative about this post at all. as a matter of fact, there's literally only ONE PARAGRAPH about pictage (about 4 sentences) and i didn't think a thing about it until everyone started FREAKKKKKKKKKKING OUT! lol. it's kinda hilarious.

let's break this down, shall we?

"The sad part of this is that I was very involved with Pictage so the "breakup" was painful."

/// ummm, okay...so what??? that's fine to say.

"They worked great for me when they first started but year after year I felt that they got more out of date and more expensive for what they were offering and eventually I felt like they crossed a point where I couldn't feel good referring people to them and so I moved on."

/// they worked fine, dj *FELT* they "year after year" they got more out of date, *FELT* they charged more for their service than what it was worth and *FELT* that because of those things (or any other combination of things he *FELT*) that he couldn't *FEEL* good referring people to them. again, i have to ask...so what???

"About that same time many people left Pictage who I felt were the ones trying to create positive changes there and I felt like things went downhill fast."

/// there's the *FELT* word again. twice! a group (who cares how many) were leaving pictage and dj perceived.................himself.....................that things were going south.

"One of the last people I know there is their CEO but I just heard that they are looking to replace him in the next few months too so it's a different place now."

/// okay, so here's the ONLY part that MIGHT be need to be addressed, and that's ONLY if the CEO of pictage is NOT being replaced. the question here is "is the CEO being replaced?" if so, why would the statement "it's a different place" be wrong? is a company who changes it's CEO not a different "place"? is the CEO staying on as chairman of the board? WHO CARES? if the CEO is being replaced, even if he's staying on the team, the place is changing. i knew nothing about this, but if it's true - it's true nonetheless.

this just amazes me. all this fuss over those 4 sentences, and only ONE is even questionable - and that's ONLY IF the CEO of pictage is NOT being replaced.............let's say it again, REGARDLESS of whether he's staying on or just "changing roles".

really?

we're questioning integrity over this? we're saying on our own blogs that dj is "far from Godly"?

incredible.

integrity indeed.
ethics indeed.

let's reread this post. everyone. let's see if we aren't just FLIPPING OUT because we have a relationship with pictage, or have had in the past. anyone looking at this post objectively and especially those who have nothing to do with pictage or any other company like them wouldn't think the FIRST THING about this post.

i'm seriously beside myself about the fuss that's being made.

i don't know what else to say. it's.............astounding.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is very interesting...Here is how I see it - from my point of view.

I cannot afford Pictage Pricing, I dont shoot enough weddings while I still have a 9-5 that pays the bills.
I've always liked their workflow, but could never really get a pricing plan that worked for me.

Then I found SmugMug. Granted, they are just my sales or shopping cart. however, for the price, its right for me, I think the PRo Pricing is 150$ a year for as many galleries, as much data as I want and lots of bandwidth... For my budget its just perfect.

I wouldn't think to trust anyone on the "cloud" with my a data as a single back up solution, being a geek in IT I have that covered with multiple off sites.

So I look at it like this:

I'm someone who needs to sell "something", this something is to people who are starting out in the digital revolution, I get a following, I have a lot of people liking me, I am spreading...

But I have a crashing economy to deal with, how do " I " still get paid if I don't "sell out" events?

How do " I " get paid if people don't create accounts with my vendor that pushing my stuff ?

I find a vendor, that pays me, regardless...

BAM... new vendor.

How do I explain this, without sounding like I am making a boat load of money...

Oh yeah, " I don't like them " and "their direction"....

DONE... Followers, keep following.

Finally, if this isn't long enough, its about to get longer...

People like a " pile on " - so now you have something like Pictage, which people were possibly thinking, wow thats expensive... you then have this guy say something about some other place, it doesn't seem to expensive, and, " Whew, glad I didn't sign up with the other place... " Attitude.

I think this is about knowing your audience... who is going to David Jay seminars ? Seriously ? people with less than 5 years in the business looking for help, these same people also might fall into the "I need to be really budget conscious" too...

So I don't condone the actions, if I could shoot more, earn more, and sell more, I would totally use Pictage.. but knowing both sides of the cost and then being a customer somtimes when a friend gets married, paying 20$ for a 4x6 is frustrating sometimes...

There are exceptions to all of this I am sure...

I wrote that 10 times, I still don't feel I am getting my point across...

@shotshot - 

EXACTLY my thoughts.

@nicolepeach - 

Fair enough. He's got a smooch coming his way! :P

@ezrafreewise - 

Where are you at? If in SoCal, let's get some food!!!

Folks - I did this post for two reasons: 1) everybody was asking me WTF is going on with DJ and 2) because he lied (again) about Jason Kiefer. Now - why would so many people come to ME and ask me what's up with DJ and Pictage? The reason is 1) DJ was a friend of mine and 2) because I helped start Pictage. So it makes sense that when he posts something about Pictage I would be asked about it. I am not in Pictage management, nor involved in any way other than friends with the Kiefers and proud of what it became. Bobbe, I pulled you from my FB friend list because I'm at 5k and I need to make room for more people, and I looked at your profile and photos, and was not interested in keeping you on.

No Gary, he didn't lie about Jason. You yourself acknowledge above that Pictage is actively seeking someone else for the CEO position and that Jason will be 'chairman' like Bill Gates (whatever).

yeah....hahahahahahhaa....

how did he lie about jason in his post? you HAD TO have read him saying "they looking to replace" their CEO as saying "the CEO is leaving the company".

did he say that? nooooooooooooooo. that's why this is so funny!!!! everyone's assuming they know what DJ was doing instead of asking him. call the guy up dude. talk to him on the phone or something. lol.

he didn't say ANYONE was leaving the company.

@bobbyearle....

I wish I was in SoCal...I'm in North FLA....one cold @ss place to be tonite....but if I ever make it out west, I dig Thai Food...specifically, Panang w/tofu...and Thai Tea w/soy milk, instead of cream....peace....


Sorry Gary...I just hi-jacked the topic here.......uhm...I like Smugmug a lot...they are friendly to me...I have never dealt with Pictage...

here's the real question...are you going to leave this post and it's comments stating that "dj lied"...even though it's obvious that he didn't? lol.

history says you will, but only time will tell!

In all honesty, I thought long & hard about this post before deciding to commit to an answer. Here's my answer - I think people (DR, GF, etc) are confusing "DJ said something he shouldn't have, ie. anything Pictage-negative" for "DJ lied" (which he didn't, as far as I can tell).

I think the entire Pictage paragraph is inappropriate FOR THIS TOPIC about smugmug and how great it is for DJ to be the artist-in-residence for weddings. That all has nothing to do with Pictage and I think if DJ had an editor, he'd have left that one on the cutting room floor.

However, don't confused "DJ said something he probably shouldn't have" with "DJ lied" - because again, where's the lie? Point it out, word for word. Read what is there without reading into it your own thoughts.