Chapel of Christ the Servant in the new Cathedral, Coventry, UK.

I sold this image recently – to a church in the US.  They wanted to use it in a service. They wanted to display it on a screen during their time of prayer.  It was to act as a focus and aid to their prayer time.

When they approached me about the use of the image, it was because they had seen the image in a photographic library.  That library doesn’t reveal the names of the photographers to potential buyers until they ask for a price.  Because of this they had no idea that I am a Christian.  They simply asked how much I would charge for them to use the image in their service.

I was greatly encourged that the church in question had gone to the trouble of making sure they had permission to use the image, and that they were willing to pay for the use of it.  I was able to offer the chuch the use of this image (and another image) for just a nominal fee. 

There are those who think that as a Christian, it is wrong for me to charge churches to use my photographs or to use my drama scripts.  Photography and writing is how I make my living.  And the Bible is quite clear: “A workman deserves his wages”.

I do want to use my photography in God’s service.  The church in the US wanted to make sure that they could use the image legally and with a clear conscience.  That is the reason why I only charged a nominal fee in this case.  In other cases I have offered to work for Churches and Christian Organisations free of charge, in return for permission to market some of the images through the photographic libraries.  If there are any Churches or Christian Organisations who want to work with me on that basis, please let me know.