I was dreaming deeply of my adventurous summer tour of Quebec’s picturesque National Parks and charming cobblestone cities. Cascading waterfalls and crystalline alpine lakes contrasted with town square pageantry and marketplace mayhem… that was my vision for an upcoming Nat Geo essay. 

Instantly, I was transported to my studio, meticulously sorting and arranging my gear — mindful of the bulk of a tripod and a view camera supported by a case of prime lenses — and dreading the uneven hiking terrain across the Laurentian foothills.

The stream was running fast, occasionally lapping the fallen spruce log that was still the best chance for crossing to the other side. I climbed the rooted abutment and planted both feet on the trunk’s wet scaly bark. I scanned the other side and plotted a course of least resistance. I centered my pack and cinched both shoulder straps, but the right side was stuck and wouldn’t budge regardless of how hard I pulled. 

With my frustration mounting, I refocused my energy on the stretch of spruce I still had to cross, only to realize that the distance to the other side had magically doubled. It had to be an illusion.

I closed my eyes, counted to 5, and woke up in a redwood forest, standing on a fallen Goliath tree with no end in sight.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning hits the tree in the distance, launching a glowing ember that creeps closer and closer, getting brighter and brighter. I try to shield my eyes, but I can’t raise my arm no matter how hard I try; and the light is closing in and getting brighter… 

That’s when the Propofol wore off and I discovered that my arm was numb and firmly strapped to my chest. The doc gushed over his handiwork in a drop-by that I have no memory of, although I have a slim recollection of “Everything went great”.

Not so great was an arm too limp to lift a camera and complicated by a summer recovery of triple-digit heat and humidity. In a drug-induced wash of anxiety, I had an unusual moment of clarity — to use my downtime as an opportunity to time-travel through 25 years of digital archives in search of hidden gems.

Photography could still be an outlet, albeit a passive one. Perhaps I would “shape” them if I couldn’t “take” them.

Photographers long for exposure. To satisfy their snap decisions, they’ve focused on a collection of photography contests to share their vision with others, and maybe even capture a prize of sorts should a jury of peers and/or experts deem their efforts worthy of recognition.

With so many shutterbugs passionate for recognition, it’s little wonder that photography contests seem to be omnipresent. Whether a beginner, hobbyist, or professional, there’s bound to be a competition that’s suitable for almost any level, style or subject. Entry requirements also vary, with prestigious contests demanding hefty fees, while other casual contests are available for a small fee or free.

I chose free! It allowed me to leverage dozens of individualized contests for free as I considered all my submission options.

Luckily, I discovered a popular photography app that offered hours of distraction. Software engineers at PULSEpx designed an elaborate platform for shutterbugs of all skill levels who climb the ranks of content-specific “Quests” by competing in a series of image duels against photographers with compatible talents and skills.

Peers decide between dueling photographs delivered by an online interface and determines whether a submission’s popularity rises or falls in the rankings over the course of the Quest. Voting is required for revealing the rankings.

When addressing the fairness of community voting, critics have expressed distrust and cited suspicions of cheating or voting manipulation. Without sounding judgmental, it was obvious to me that low-quality or irrelevant images were periodically overrated, while strong images were sometimes mistakenly underrated. While a community-driven platform can attract a variety of serious players, not everyone is committed to the same standards of excellence.

But on October 11, it all went awry after I attempted to log in to the app and discovered a surprising notification:

NOT OK! STEALING? REALLY?

I promptly penned an email to PULSEpx support team to address my “crime.”

Hi Y’all,

I woke up to the announcement of my account being permanently banned, and I demand to know why!

Your accusation has no merit, so if there is proof, then I demand to see it immediately.

Their response was nearly instantaneous:

My head was spinning, and I could feel my blood beginning to boil. I was accused of being a cheat! There was no way I was going to allow them to discredit me and my work. These were my photos, and I was determined to protect my good name.

Over the past few months, I entered dozens of competitive Quests across all categories (landscapes, portraits, animals, architecture, street scenes, macro, minimalism, abstract, etc.) and enjoyed a fair measure of success pitting my photos against other seasoned photographers with similar A Class and Master rankings.

But which of my “suspicious” photos crossed the line? I inquired for clarification:

Please provide the image(s) that you deem “unworthy” and in violation, and I will respond with the appropriate files to defend ownership.

It turns out they were questioning the authorship of the following 5 images from 5 separate Quest submissions:

Their selection of photos spanned the better part of a decade, with 4 of the 5 appearing in my travel blog, StreamingThruAmerica.com with appropriate copyright attribution.

To comply with PULSEpx, and hopefully expedite their investigation, I emailed StreamingThruAmerica.com hyperlinks featuring the “infringed content,” and invited their team to consider an AI check of my submissions against an internet that would certify my claim and provide useful provenance. (Often times, authenticity can be judged by the photographic reel — shots taken before and after the image in question.)

But the support team was tone deaf and unimpressed. Any notion I had of being reinstated was quickly slipping away. 

Hi there,

Could you please provide the original RAW files (including full EXIF data) for the 5 images we previously requested? The links you provided are not the original files.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Best regards,

The PULSEpx Team

That got me thinking about their nagging demand for RAW files.

Photographers know that releasing raw files means risking control over how their final image is used and that it can be sold to others, which can impact future revenue. I revisited PULSEpx Terms and Conditions for clarification and the ramifications for submitting my original files.

Copyright, Submitting Content to PULSEpx & Grant of Rights

By submitting your Content and/or participating in Quests on PULSEpx, you retain all ownership and copyright in your Content (including any Content uploaded or transferred from your 500px library), but grant us a fully paid, non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free, sub-licensable and transferable license:

1. to display your Content to other Users and visitors to our Services;

2. to use, distribute, reproduce, modify, adapt, publicly perform and publicly display your Content on our Services, third-party websites and social media and other applications and/or platforms for the purposes of promoting and/or providing our Services; and

3. to use your Content in a commercial manner in our sole discretion (collectively, the “User License”).

This User License allows us to use all submitted Content for promotional and other purposes at our sole discretion, without compensation. 

After reading the rules more carefully, PULSEpx policy seemed more and more one-sided. While I retain full rights over my images, PULSEpx has wrung out the value of everything else. And by surrendering my original files, I’ve handed over the keys to my images with little else to gain except a demonstration of innocence.

I hesitated to send the original files. Instead, I decided to send screenshots of the original files supported by the EXIF data. Surely, their support personnel would be understanding enough to concede that these images belong to me.

The following is a representative sample of one of my submissions with an emailed intro:

Hi There;

Per your evidentiary request, I’m providing you with metadata corresponding to the alleged “stolen” files. Since these images were captured in JPEG, I hope this satisfies your inquiry:

Also, you never answered questions from my last correspondence:
 1. Why did you flag these images? 
 2. What sets them apart from my other submissions? 
 3. What’s your true impression of these images?

BTW, thank you for your vigilance in protecting creative expression, and thank you for recognizing when you got the wrong guy! Apologies are always appreciated.

No apology was forthcoming — just more of the same, except for a tiny glimmer of their endgame — disguised as an inquiry — and possibly the rationale behind for request.

Hi there,

Thank you for your response.

However, the files you provided are screenshots, not original files. Screenshots cannot be used to verify the authenticity of the images. Regarding the suspicion of your work’s authenticity, this is based on our routine checks, including system and manual detection.

Additionally, please provide the original file for the image with the moon and antelope so we can continue with the review process.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Best regards, 

The PULSEpx Team

We were running in circles. I became increasingly suspicious of their true motive after identifying an image of mine that they covet!

It became clear that nothing was going to interfere with their pursuit of my original files… except me!

Hey PULSEpx Support;

Your request for RAW files has been denied. After careful consideration of your exigent demands for metadata — which I supplied in my last correspondence with corresponding screenshots of the original JPEG files — I have determined that your ask for RAW files is nothing more than overreach.

Your allegations of cheating and stealing are unfounded and have been addressed by my subsequent denials and offerings of evidence, which you have deemed insufficient.

However, if verification is your true concern and motivator, then consider that each contested image has already been published within my blog, which on its own merits has already been protected by copyright law.

Also, consider that a review of your site’s Terms and Conditions details that RAW files can be requested for verification of “Quest-winning” imagery, with NO provisions for suspected infringed content short of account termination.

I have continually asked for clarification on this matter of infringed content, yet my questions have gone unanswered, which calls into question your negligent level of cooperation.

If your mission is to protect photographers’ creativity and ownership, you have failed me miserably. Your insistence on procuring my original work (with no real explanation or compensation) flies in the face of your hypocritical concern for the protection of your followers.

If sharing my RAW files is conditioned upon restoring my account, then I surrender my account under protest, knowing my work is safe from your greedy hands and predilections. 

Thanks for nothing.

After emailing my correspondence, I waited a couple of days for a telling response, but I knew in my heart that nothing was coming. I weighed my disappointment against knowing that my images were safe from being poached and monetized by PULSEpx.

While I stop short of calling it a scam, perhaps PULSEpx is more about photographers authenticating their work to benefit an app’s business mode and less about a competition for prizes and bragging rights.

Update: I am now 4 months post-op, and after completing rigorous PT, full range-of-motion has returned to my right shoulder, making it possible to capture new memories with my newly purchased Fujifilm X-E5 mirrorless camera.