Interesting what can happen to images on the Internet: A look at my photos of Kiss at Madison Square Garden
Every once in a while it’s fun to run a Google image search on “Kiss Madison Square Garden” to see how my photos rank in the search results.
The Kiss photos I posted in my blog about their debut concert at Madison Square garden in 1977 have all ranked very highly. One of the photos would typically occupy the top result, and four or five others would show up in the top fifty. However, when Kiss embarked on their “End of the Road Tour” in 2023, my images got pushed down in favor of ticket sales ads – their last show was going to be at Madison Square Garden – and then later for articles covering the last tour and, in particular, their last gig.
So, as of today, a Kiss photo of mine occupies around the tenth slot in the Google search results. This is outstanding when you consider all the imagery there is of the band. However, if the search is modified by adding “1977,” then my photo occupies the top result which is absolutely amazing.
It is also interesting to see where else my photos have ended up on the Internet.
One of the unique situations is how two of my photos were used to create a DVD cover for selling a video of the 2/18/77 Kiss concert at Madison Square Garden. Someone took the time to properly colorize the original black and white photograph. I think they did an excellent job.
I am not condoning the use of my photos without my permission, but I can certainly appreciate the foresight and skill to turn the black an white image into a believable color rendition.
A creative application of my photos
Something called “Fanpop Kiss club” put together a collage of four of my photos. Again, I do not want condone the use of my photos without permission, but it is sweet to know that someone liked them enough to put this collage together. I have no idea whether this is being sold or is just fan art.
YouTube Thumbnail
Another photo was used as the thumbnail for a video of Kiss performing “Detroit Rock City,” the opening song from their 2/18/77 concert.
This wasn’t the first time one of my photos was used as a YouTube thumbnail. A Led Zeppelin photo of mine from their concert at Madison Square Garden in June 1977 was used for the posting of an audio recording of the concert. Since it isn’t a video, my photo displays for the entire 2 hours and 52 minutes.
Another image of mine shows up predominantly in the search results from its use in the Kiss Army Spain book “Kiss Destroys Madison Square Garden 1977-2019.” Kiss Army Spain contacted me many years ago about their project, and asked if they could use some of my photos in the book. I wholeheartedly agreed. They did a magnificent job documenting Kiss’s concerts at Madison Square Garden over the years, and they were gracious with adorning one of my photos across a two-page spread. If you are a Kiss fan, it’s a great read. Since the image is an eye-catcher, it is used often to publicize the book.
Another notable use of one of my photos is a picture of Ann Wilson of Heart. This was used again as a thumbnail for a YouTube video, but the cool thing was how the person enhanced the image. Here’s a comparison. The updated image is quite fun and interesting.
