Archive for December 2008

23 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn


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Happy Holidays !


The next edition of

PhotoStockNOTES comes out on

January 8th 2009

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23 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




Portraiture in 2058…

Is That

Really Grandpa?



WHAT’S REAL IN PORTRAITURE? Digital photos may be pretty, but will vanity airbrush our memories too? “Those are not your dad’s hands!” she shrieked. And she was right. They, most definitely, were not. It seemed that our overeager photographer had taken the art of doctoring his photos a little too far.
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081217/OPINION/832378618/1080
TAKEAWAY: 100 years from now, will our great-grandchildren be able to trust that the portrait of us is really a portrait of us? What are your thoughts on this?

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The above news item printed in PhotoStockNOTES in December brought a lot of attention to the way the commercial portraiture industry is evolving. Like the add-ons to your computer or new car, the digital era has brought a new profit center to portrait photographers: PhotoShop

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Digital magic can take out wrinkles, slim you down, un-bald you, fatten you up, and best of all – make you look twenty years younger.

Are we victims of phoniness in a world of slim-down artists, or, as other responders to the blog PhotoStockNOTES put it, “Let’s face it, Abraham Lincoln wasn’t a pretty guy. Painters depicted him the way the public wished him to be, and the reverse happened to Italy’s Mussolini.”

My thoughts: The present is more important to us than the future.
Photojournalism of the 50’s established an “ethic” that is no longer viable today.

Most 'baby-boomers' see photography as a method of depicting reality. However, if photography is to be art, it has to be subject to the magic of imagination.

Photography in the 1880’s first tried to be ‘paintings,’ but then with perfection of cameras like the LEICA, evolved to photojournalism.

Photojournalism still remains (although somewhat bruised and battered) as “real” in the minds of most people who grew up in the 40’s to the 80’s.

However, before photography in the 1800’s, we had drawing/art/painting that knew none of the limitations and constrictions that the photojournalism of the 50’s introduced.

The portraits of George Washington, Henry the VIII, Louis the 16th – did they really look like that? The busts of Plato, Aristotle, or Socrates – were those real likenesses?

And to take it a step further, what would a portrait of Adolph look like (or the statue at the Reichstag) if the Nazis had won the war? Probably not much of a faithful likeness.

Ask the question: “Who’s paying for this portrait?” The son, daughter, wife, husband? The taxpayers, foundation director, the Republican Party?

And what about instances such as school portraits – should the student be ‘helped’ to look his/her best? What if the child has a disfigurement, or a birthmark? What about teen-age zits? Where do we draw the line?

"Real" does not work when it comes to depicting people you love, or admire and hold up as hero.


Photojournalism can be tweaked somewhat, but it’s a truth that few want to view, when it comes to portraiture.


Rohn Engh is the best-selling author of “Sell & ReSell Your Photos” and “sellphotos.com.” He has produced several eBooks incl uding, “How to Make the Marketable Photo.” For more information on how to sell stock pictures and to receive a free eReport: “8 Steps to Becoming a Published Photographer,” visit his website, PhotoSource International, 800 624-0266.






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23 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn





When the Defendent declares Bankruptcy . . .


Wilful Copyright

Infringement


By Joel Hecker, Esq.



We all know that these are uncertain economic times. Photographers may be faced with clients, or others, who fail to pay outstanding bills or who just use photographs without consent.

When the photographer pursues the matter, there is a good possibility that some of these entities will wind up in Bankruptcy Court. A recent case has clarified when the debtor will not be discharged in Bankruptcy Court when the photographer has a claim for wilful copyright infringement.

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“To prove wilful infringement, the Plaintiff must
prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the
Defendants knew that they were infringing the
Plaintiff’s copyrights or that they acted with reckless
disregard as to whether they were doing so…”
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The case, In the Matter Barboza, was decided by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on appeal. The case involved the distribution of Spanish language films. After a trial, a jury found the defendants guilty of wilful copyright infringement, awarding statutory damages of $75,000 for each of ten videos, plus costs and attorney’s fees, in all totaling $893,077.

The jury returned a guilty verdict after the judge instructed the jury that the following was the test to determine liability for wilful copyright infringement:

IT PAYS TO BE DUMB

“To prove wilful infringement, the Plaintiff must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the Defendants knew that they were infringing the Plaintiff’s copyrights or that they acted with reckless disregard as to whether they were doing so. If you conclude that the Defendants were reasonable and in good faith believed that they were not infringing the Plaintiff’s copyrights, then you may not find that they wilfully infringed those copyrights.”

This instruction is a customary one in a copyright infringement law suit. The Plaintiff must prove either that the defendant knew that they were infringing, or that the defendant acted with reckless disregard as to whether they were doing so. The jury in this case did not indicate which of the two grounds led to its verdict since either ground was sufficient.

After judgment was entered, the defendant filed for bankruptcy. The plaintiffs requested that the bankruptcy court have the judgment declared nondischargeable in bankruptcy since they claimed it was a debt resulting from a “wilful and malicious” injury under the statute.

The Circuit Court of Appeals analyzed the difference between the tests to determine wilful copyright infringement under the Copyright Act and for nondischargeability under the Bankruptcy Code. Under the Copyright Act, the test is the one set forth above (knowing acts or wilful disregard). The Bankruptcy Code test, however, is more stringent. It prohibits discharge of a debt for “wilful and malicious injury by the debtor.” Accordingly, there must be a finding of both wilfulness and “malicious injury.”

Want to register as a member?
http://photosource.com/psn-article/wilful.html






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23 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



LET IT SNOW! Winter Photography, 8 Great Tips - Winter is a wonderful time for photography. Here are a few tips to make photography in the cold more successful. http://www.my-photo-blog.com/winter-photography-8-great-tips

IMPRESS YOUR VISITORS. Make a slide show to present to prospective photobuyers who visit your site. Here’s an example. Night and Winter Landscapes. Click on the picture to watch an audio slideshow of night and winter landscapes by photographer Tony Prower, an Englishman who became interested in photography after moving to Iceland and seeing the Northern Lights for the first time.
http://icelandreview.com/icelandreview/feat/?cat_id=16539&ew_0_a_id=317289

STOP ME IF YOU’VE HEARD THIS ONE. Pogue says, “I keep coming across these important tips and saying to myself, "Man, this is what people REALLY need to know.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/technology/personaltech/18pogue-email.html?em


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23 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



PEOPLE LOVE PICTURES. -- from the Honolulu Advertiser.. -- Newspaper Online photo galleries are a big hit - Readers love online photo galleries, as evidenced by the spectacular increase in page views on our newspaper Web site, from 361,789 hits in July to 3.1 million in November. "Why have galleries become so popular. An easy answer is that more and more people are looking at our online edition. Also, we know that people like to look at images to get their news and entertainment. It's easier than reading."
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081221/OPINION05/812210305/1114/OPINIONFRONT

CAMERA HELPS. Photography project captures images of young patients. Photography project captures moments of struggle and triumph in children's battle with life-threatening illnesses.
http://www.indystar.com/article/20081215/LOCAL/812150371


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23 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



ETHNIC EMPHASIS. California Stock Photography Company Specializes in Ethnic and Minority Pictures. With the current economic landscape affecting nearly every aspect of the stock photography world---and forcing some companies into total bankruptcy---there are still independent businesses staying afloat, and even implementing improvements during the worldwide monetary crisis. PhotoEdit Inc. is one such company. A leader in ethnic, minority, and educational imagery since the 1980's, PhotoEdit continually strives to offer the best photos to its clients, portraying people from all walks of life. You can find PhotoEdit's images in almost any textbook. http://www.pr.com/press-release/122516



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23 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



SEARCHING FOR MARKETS? Attend the publishers’ Trade Shows when they come to your city. Publishers, and sometimes Art Directors, are on hand. Let them know about your stock photography service. Take along your business cards to distribute plus a portfolio or tear sheets of your published pictures.

FOREIGN PHOTOGRAPHERS: When mailing your CD’s or promotional materials (calendars, books, etc.) to USA editors, mark the outside of your package: `No Commercial Value. Photos On Loan Only.'



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23 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



Hello from
Rohn and Jeri ENGH.

Here’s a message. . .

http://www.photosource.com/xmascard/


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23 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



UNESCAPABLE? -- A blurry picture - There is not one photo agency or publication that will not be tremendously affected by this economy. Not one. The ones that will survive will do so by pure brilliant instinct, by being ingenious and street-smart. There are ways to navigate.
http://blog.melchersystem.com/2008/12/17/a-blurry-picture/

WANT AD. Breaking In At Red Bull Photofiles - The Photofiles team considers
photographers' portfolios on a rolling basis. Any photographer who is interested in being considered can submit work and a résumé to the main Photofiles office in Fuschl am See, Austria.
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/photo-news/photojournalism/e3iaa83ea53feec69593089ce785d31d526

SNEAKY. JupiterImages accused of shaving commissions in Europe. The good ol’ days of being able to charge clients administrative fees for image research and delivery on top of the reproduction charges are a thing of the past within the stock photo industry. But Jupiterimages has recently found a way to re-introduce this fee with all rights managed sales, albeit secretly. With this new variation it is not the clients but the contributing photographers and agencies that pay the fee.
This process takes place after the client has paid the reproduction fee and before the fee is split according to the contract between Jupiter and the contributor. Jupiter simply deducts 20% from the reproduction fee they receive and then splits the remaining 80% with the photographer. The client is unaware of any change in the reproduction fee. But the contributor has just had his share of the reproduction fee secretly reduced. For example, contributing agencies and photographers with a 50/50 split contract with Jupiter have been secretly reduced to a 40% margin without their knowledge. http://www.abouttheimage.com/4012/jupiter_accused_of_shaving_commissions_in_europe/author25


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23 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




PREDICTIONS: Barclays: Ad Decline Twice as Bad as We Thought - Magazines: We estimate magazine advertising revenue to decrease 15.0% in 2009 (vs. our prior down 12.5% estimate) and decline a further 5.0% in 2010.
http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20081218/barclays-internet-ad-decline-twice-as-bad-as-we-thought/


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23 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



ILLEGAL PHOTOS. Website photos of Phil Spector critic is illegal, judge says. A site is linked to the music producer's wife and shows a blogger attending his murder trial critical of his defense. Photography in the court is generally prohibited. The judge presiding over Phil Spector's murder trial said today that photographs on a website linked to the music producer's wife are in violation of court rules. Pictures posted on a site bearing the name of Spector's wife, Rachelle, show a blogger critical of Spector's defense attending the trial. Two of the pictures on www.rachellespector.com seem to have been taken from inside the courtroom where Spector's trial is taking place. A third appears to have been shot in the courthouse hallway. Court rules prohibit photography in the courthouse except with permission from a judge or in specially designated areas for the media. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-spector18-2008dec18,0,7377935.story

FRAUD CASE leads Polaroid to bankruptcy protection. Polaroid filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December 2008, but no, it's not because almost nobody wants its self-developing film anymore. Instead, the company said that its filing, which permits the company to undertake a financial restructuring, is related to a fraud matter involving Petters Group Worldwide, owner of Polaroid since 2005. "Polaroid's financial condition was compromised by the apparent fraudulent acts perpetrated by the founder of Petters Group Worldwide, Polaroid's parent company, and certain of his associates," the Minnetonka, Minn.-based company. "The Chapter 11 process will provide Polaroid with the opportunity to restructure its balance sheet and reduce its debt to ensure the future health and sustainability of the business."
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13580_3-10127289-39.html

NON-DEEP POCKETS. Lawsuits Claim Annie Leibovitz Owes $778K For Photo Services - The renowned photographer is the subject of two lawsuits over unpaid bills totaling more than $778,000 for photography-related services. The suits offer a rare glimpse into the big budgets behind Leibovitz's celebrity portraits.
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/photo-news/legal-news/e3i967fdb11c5e1e82685c6fe37846946f2

Is It OK to Copy Contracts from the Web? - It's always risky to copy
verbatim another's work and it's always best to ask your attorney to prepare
contracts that fit your specific needs.
http://rising.blackstar.com/is-it-ok-to-copy-contracts-from-the-web.html

GOTTCHA! --Millions of green card holders will be fingerprinted and photographed every time they enter the United States as part of an expansion of a controversial biometric program, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced on Thursday. It takes effect on January 18, 2009. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10126625-

GETTING SERIOUS. Forest Service clamps down on ski photography in wake of snowboarding death. The Forest Service's Aspen-Sopris Ranger District recently tightened up its rules for commercial photo shoots within ski-area boundaries on Forest Service land, reacting in part to the death of an Aspen man who was snowboarding for a film company in steep terrain just outside Aspen.
http://coloradoindependent.com/17570/forest-service-clamps-down-on-ski-photography-in-wake-of-snowboarding-death


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23 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



BIG SENSOR -- DALSA develops 48 Megapixel Image Sensor. This new device delivers even more of the performance professional photographers demand: higher throughput, exceptionally low noise, unmatched dynamic range, and better color.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/DALSA-Presents-New-48-Megapixel/story.aspx?guid={B07B7493-20BF-421A-90B6-2B3E18FF15B5}

CORRECTIONS COMING. Canon has acknowledged the "black dot" problem that mars some shots taken with its new 5D Mark II camera and is preparing "correction firmware" designed to deal with the problem, the company said.
"We are currently investigating ways to improve and/or mitigate these phenomena. An announcement will be made on the Canon Web site when measures to address these phenomena have been decided," according to a statement dated December 17 that appeared on Canon's Australian support and service Web site.
A later Canon USA service announcement was largely identical, but also said Canon is "examining measures to reduce or eliminate these phenomena by providing correction firmware."
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13580_3-10126868-39.html?tag=mncol


WHITE KNIGHT -- to get your lower-end SLR to stand out in the crowd of options these days, which is doubtless why Pentax on Tuesday announced a white version of its entry-level K2000 SLR and two bundled lenses.
The "very limited edition" model comes with white versions of the smc DA L 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL and smc DA L 50-200mm F4-5.6 AL lenses beginning in February, Pentax said. The company won't announce prices until later, but the ordinary versions of those products cost about $800 today.
In the compact camera market, distinctive colors have proved a useful marketing tool, but I'm a crotchety curmudgeon who's generally scorns such superficial gimmicks. So why do I find myself actually liking the look a little?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13580_3-10124531-39.html?tag=mncol


CONCORD GONE. Concord Camera Corp. (digital cameras) Shareholders Approve Plan of Dissolution and Liquidation. The Plan of Liquidation contemplates an orderly wind down of the Company's business and operations, the monetization of the Company's non-cash assets, the satisfaction or settlement of its remaining liabilities and obligations and one or more distributions to its shareholders. Pending the shareholders' vote on the Plan of Liquidation, the Company ceased manufacturing, except as necessary to complete the manufacture of materials and products remaining in inventory, and terminated certain of its employees.
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/hpad/index.cfm?purl=/.site/news/Stock%20News/2097129/


NEW IMAGE SEARCH technology dubbed "Endless Media" now available. Masterfile, a stock photography company based in Toronto with offices in France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, has announced that it has launched a new online image search user interface called Endless Media. The company is touting that it spent more than a year re-thinking how to search for images and waiting for international patents on the unique methodology and its underlying logic. John McDonald, Masterfile's Vice-President of Product Development and the technology's creator, says "Think of it as visual logic for designers with the extreme speed of a desktop application. It's a 'type less and see more' paradigm where users follow their own visual instincts to direct the search. There is nothing out there with its speed and simplicity... and this is just the beginning."
http://www.abouttheimage.com/4009/masterfile_launches_new_image_search_technology_dubbed_endless_media/aut hor2


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23 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




THE FUTURE OF PHOTOGRAPHY. The days of darkrooms and negatives are mostly behind us, according to Ritchin's exploration of how digital technologies are changing the landscape of news photography.
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1867320,00.html?xid=rss-arts


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23 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



PHOTOSHOP-UGH! Leibovitz Picture Declared "Worst Photograph Ever Made" We swear this isn't supposed to be pick-on-Annie week, but we have to share this: Mike Johnston, on his site The Online Photographer, has written a critique of what he calls "The Worst Photograph Ever Made." It's an image shot by Annie Leibovitz for the 2009 Lavazza espresso calendar. How bad is it? We'll let the picture speak for itself:
http://www.pdnpulse.com/2008/12/leibovitz-picture-declared-worst-photograph-ever-made.html



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23 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



VISIONARY. "The rich have their own photographers," he liked to say. "I photograph the forgotten ones." Milton Rogovin had optometry for his day job. He loved photography. His ambition with a camera was to “correct vision, too.” In 1957, Rogovin (roh-GO-vin) appeared before the House Committee on Un-American Activities as an unfriendly witness. "Buffalo's Number One Red" a headline in the local paper called him. Thirty-nine years later the city gave him its Citizen of Distinction Award. Apparently, righteousness is good for the body as well as the soul: Rogovin turns 100 on Dec. 30.
http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2008/12/20/of_the_people_for_the_people/

FINE ARTIST. A one-time aspiring film director who lost an eye in a car accident has found new inspiration and has launched a career in fine-art photography. In one corner of the four-by-four-foot canvas, green and orange blend and swirl like tie-dye. In another, San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts floats on a cloud. The old Key West Bridge stretches across blue bay waters. Its vanishing point lies behind Rome's historic Fountain of Triton: a half-man, half-fish blowing into a conch.
Called The Reason Travel Inspires Me to Create, it's the singular artistic expression of a photographer who sees the world in a singular way -- literally.
Lorraine Boogich was 17 when a car wreck all but sheared off the right side of her face.
The one-time aspiring film director, a 2007 Barry University graduate, is launching a career in fine-art and commercial photography while working at Gallery Art in Aventura.
''Sharing the way I see the world has been a desire of mine,'' said Boogich, who especially likes travel and architectural photography. ``Do I see things differently? I always have.''
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/health/top-story/story/819066.html

FROM NEGATIVE TO POSITIVE. Aida Muluneh: Reshaping our global image through photography. Photographer Aida Muluneh's ambitious new project to reform the African continent's long history with negative imagery. Through photography, Muluneh has found a medium of transformation.
Incorporating natural light from a crisp, dawn Ethiopian morning, or that of a sentimental sunny afternoon, http://www.tadias.com/2008/12/18/aida-muluneh-reshaping-our-global-image-through-photography/


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23 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn


“People with drive get more done than people with talent…” – H.T. White


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23 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn


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Happy Holidays !


The next edition of

PhotoStockNOTES comes out on

January 8th 2009

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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




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December 18th 2008


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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




An open letter to fellow stock photographers…


Does An Economy In


Down-Turn Mode Affect


Stock Photographers?



by Rohn Engh




Read on for comments from a stock photo marketer who has survived handily through four recessions. And yes, this is the big one we’ll all tell our grandchildren about.
That’s for sure.

But – this one also could be the biggest boon to your independent stock photo services that you have ever experienced.

Here’s why:

FACT: Companies that employ staff photographers to produce the many images they constantly need, are starting to cut employees. They attempt to reduce costs where they can. In the case of their photography department, they cut the in-house staff (the pros), and delegate picture-taking to the remaining staff member who has a point ‘n’ shoot and is known as a good “picture-taker.”

FACT: The company limps along for awhile with inadequate images, missed deadlines, embarrassing situations (like a copyright suit), improper captions on images, even wrong images, and not least of all, when the picture-taker soon loses his/her job they have to recruit another in-house volunteer.

FACT: Photography seems to the layman such an easy task to perform that volunteers are always happy to offer to help. Even the boss’s wife. Reality: If you’ve ever worked with volunteers, you know their staying power is usually in inverse proportion to their enthusiasm.

FACT: In the absence of a staff photographer, a knowledgeable photo editor will turn to a professional stock agency. Two problems here: 1.) the fees of a major stock agency don’t fit the budget of the company. 2.) A general stock agency does well in supplying ‘exquisite-cliché’ images, but many times falls far short when targeted, specific-content pictures and knowledge about the content area are needed.

FACT: During a downturn in the economy – a smart picture editor looks for images from an independent stock photographer, or specialty stock agency, that focuses on the subject area that the editor’s company deals in. Only a decade ago, this kind of accelerated research into outsource services would not have been possible. Today, thanks to Google and other search engines, the smart editor/photo researcher knows where to look.

A TURN OF EVENTS


This is why it’s important, more than ever, to focus your marketing on companies that you can be sure are going to be looking for you for two reasons:

Want to read more of this article?
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/economy.html







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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




Firefox Add-Ons
If you’re using Firefox ( http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/ ) as your Internet browser, you probably already know that there are a host of add-ons available. If you, like me, use lots of tabs while browsing, Colorful Tabs is a nice addition, as is the Undo Closed Tabs button, for when you accidentally close out the wrong tab. Installing Showcase converts the AList all tabs@ feature into a windowed feature that shows all your open tabs as small versions of the viewable webpage. For those websites that seem to only work in Microsoft Internet Explorer, installing IE Tab makes it simple to open a tab using Firefox’s built-in IE engine, or to switch between Firefox and MSIE rendering of a webpage.
Another one that’s fun is Flagfox. It puts a little flag representing the country where the website is based, and it will alert you if a website is hosted in a country that does not match the website’s domain name. Useful to help detect possible phishing schemes.
And for those bargain hunters out there (and aren’t we all–- in these times?), there’s an add-on called RetailMeNot, which will alert you when you’ve landed on a site that has online coupons, and tells you about them. It uses a weekly downloaded database to help track all those coupon codes. And we can’t forget the eBay Sidebar Add-on, useful for you eBayers out there. There is also an Add-On to emulate Netscape 4.8!
To see the available add-ons in Firefox, click on Tools, Add-Ons, and then the link for Browse All Add-ons.

Another Reason To Use A Different Browser
Recently, another serious security flaw has been observed in Internet Explorer, allowing crooks to gain control of your computer. Read more here: http://tinyurl.com/6mprb4 Apparently this zero-day flaw has been around a little bit and Microsoft is considering fixing it via an emergency patch outside their regular monthly updates. So, maybe it’ll be resolved by the time you’re reading this, IF you keep your system patched.

Digital Fingerprints In Your Digital Photos
Digital cameras have built-in demosaicing software which translates each pixel into a usable color and brightness signal. Nasiar Memon of the Polytechnic University in Brooklyn has discovered how to work backward and identify the camera model used to create the image. In early tests, he and his team were able to identify the camera model with 90 percent accuracy. While they can’t identify an individual camera, narrowing it down to a particular model can have great forensic benefits, especially given that the typical digital camera has a shelf life of about 18 months.

More On Phishing
Phishing: The art of getting someone to give you their confidential financial information. Just a reminder, during this recession, to be even more alert to phony email and websites that purport to be from Ayour@ bank or financial institution and requesting confidential info like passwords and account numbers. Due to the great many mergers and acquisitions happening lately, this warning is especially critical. And remember, most of these bad guys and gals are very good at creating email and websites that look exactly like the real thing. Best advice: Always contact your bank using known good sources, like the website and phone numbers on your statements, rather than clicking on a link in an email. Same applies if you received an unsolicited phone call from your bank and/or credit card company.
Happy Holidays!




Bill Hopkins is the Webmaster of PhotoSourceFolio* ( http://ww w.photosourcefolio.com ) and a regular contributor to PhotoStockNotes. Send comments via e-mail to wh[at]photosourcefolio[dot]com. (*Display 6 of your own images for photobuyers to view on your own page on the PhotoSource website.) For on-line questions, contact Bill on the Kracker Barrel at http://www.photosource.com/board

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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




“What Photobuyers Expect From You.”


Thanks for becoming a sustaining member* of PhotoStockNOTES. . .


Just as each photographer you know is different, each photobuyer you work with in stock photography will be different.

Their work styles will be different as well as their requirements for submitting your work to them. Here’s an excellent opportunity to hear the thoughts of 2 photobuyers, one in Oregon, and the second in California.

Once you hear the interviews by our publisher, Rohn Engh, you’ll know more of the “business etiquette” you can expect when you deal with a photobuyer. Some of their ‘rules’ are different, some are the same. Good listening!

Bruce Swenson, Operations Manager, PhotoSource International.

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Diane Austin is a 20-year veteran in photo research. She started her career in New York City and eventually migrated to Oregon. She works mainly with textbooks.
http://www.photosource.com/ecourse/interview1

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Gary Crabbe is a photographer, but he is also a photo researcher. (He used to work for the Galen Rowell team in California in research). Because Gary is a photographer he also shares some good points with you about dealing with a photo researcher.

http://www.photosource.com/ecourse/interview2



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Want to register as a member?
http://photostocknotes.com/psn/createaccount.html



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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




Planning on traveling abroad in 2009?

LET US KNOW YOUR DATES AND THE ITINERARY AND WE'LL BROADCAST YOUR TRAVELS TO OUR AUDIENCE OF PHOTOBYERS.

Kindly let us know your itinerary at least two months in advance of your departure.


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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



Building Your Network Through Volunteering - Too many individuals allow themselves to become isolated in their jobs. Volunteer. Networking builds communication skills. Volunteering improves skills in service roles and leadership positions.
http://rising.blackstar.com/building-your-network-through-volunteering.html#more-1518

TAKEAWAY: Volunteering = networking.


LESS THAN $40. Top 10 DIY Photography Tools. As productivity thinker Merlin Mann recently wrote, getting better at photography can be a long-haul test of willpower and humility. It doesn't have to be expensive, though. Whether you're rocking a digital single-lens reflex model or a reliable point-and-shoot, there are a lot of different shots and gear you can experiment with, and important lessons to learn, that cost less than $40, if anything. Read on for our roundup of ten cheap or free DIY projects and lessons for aspiring photographers.
http://lifehacker.com/5108706/top-10-diy-photography-tools


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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



A PHOTO COMMUNITY. -- The Mindful Eye . “We are here to help and inspire each other in the pursuit of our passions, happiness and the unlimited potential of our dreams as photographers and as human beings. The contributors to The Mindful Eye believe that the simple act of sharing your joy with your camera can change the world for the better. On the TME home page you will always find links to the three most recently released articles and/or videos. http://www.tmelive.com/index.php/pages/index.html

THEY ARE WATCHING. -- iLOOKABOUT Corp. today announced a trial Services Agreement with Westminster City Council, London, U.K. to provide iLOOKABOUT StreetScape ("StreetScape"), street-level view, location-aware, digital images, of all properties, parcels and lots within the City Borough of Westminster and iLOOKABOUT Virtual Tour photography of the Marble Arch tunnels. Financial terms were not disclosed.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Westminster-City-Council-Pictures-Their/story.aspx?guid={FA417F90-E191-476C-9517-867899AA0D37}




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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




ASK THE BOSS FOR A RAISE. If you’ve contributed images to a publication or client on a fairly regular basis, it is suitable to ask for an increase in fees based on your consistent dependability. Your reliable service to a photobuyer saves them expense and time consuming search tasks and administration.

A Good Living from selling stock photos? As a result of the sales and market contacts from PHOTOLETTER and PHOTODAILY, will you have a Rolls Royce in your driveway? No, you might have two. Or you might have a Moped. It's up to you. As a stock photographer, aim not for a good living, but a good life.



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Information in PhotoStockNOTES is obtained from sources considered reliable, and we do our best to insure accuracy. Be advised that no statement or listing is to be construed as a recommendation or endorsement for a particular firm, product, or periodical. PhotoStockNOTES welcomes your constructive comments and suggestions that can contribute to smooth working relationships between photobuyers and photographers.



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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



WATERMARKS, er uh, FINGERPRINTS. - The PhotoshopDisasters blog has a collection of actual ads made from images that are overlayed with the iStockphoto watermark.
http://www.pdnpulse.com/2008/12/are-people-scoffing-at-your-watermark.html
TAKEAWAY: Who knows, in the future, maybe watermarks will become designer symbols like an NIKE check mark or “AS SEEN ON CNN.”.


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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




YES OR NO? -- From the Seattle Times. Travel essay - A tourist on the horns of a dilemma. Reader Ed Peters on balancing the desire to take photos and respecting a stranger's privacy.
“My wife had noticed a man following us about 25 feet back. He seemed nice enough and was wearing a suit jacket; occasionally he spoke into a radio. We asked our Moroccan guide who he was. He said a policeman who was a friend of his, hired to watch our backs for pickpockets and keep the more aggressive street vendors from swarming us.
The tiny alleys were impossibly narrow and dark and I imagined that, if we had no escort, this whole thing might have gone quite differently. At one point, I went to take a picture of a man in a shoe-repair shop that could have been inherited from his great-grandfather. It was a crevice, maybe six feet wide, and filled with old leather and tools, the man's lined face barely visible in back. The shoe repair man saw me photographing him. Hemade an angry noise, and came after me.
Should I have shot that photograph? Sometimes I wonder. Am I being rude, am I intruding, do I have any photographic rights in this interlude that I traveled so far and paid so much money to achieve?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/2008504787_tressay14.html
TAKEAWAY. Next time you see a handsome coffee table book about Morocco, ask whether the photographer should have taken the pictures –or not.




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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




NEW FOR GETTY. -- Getty has announced the acquisition of the London-Based Redferns Music Picture Library. Founded by British photographer David Redfern in the early 1960's, the Redferns music picture library offers music imagery ranging from 18th century classical composers to the headliners of today. The collection of more than 30,000 images will be incorporated into the Getty Images site under the respected Redferns brand name as soon as February 2009.
http://www.abouttheimage.com/4004/redferns_music_picture_library_acquired_by_getty_images/author2

CHARACTER RULES. NordicPhotos acquires Spegla image agency. “Character over popularity, and self-made more than ready-made. A collection that sticks out rather than fits in.” That’s how Eva Lindblad and designer Niklas Lindblad describe their collection of up north photos from more than 20 photographers.
With offices in Stockholm, Reykjavik and Oslo, they have announced the acquisition of the Swedish image agency Spegla. http://www.abouttheimage.com/4002/nordicphotos_acquires_spegla_image_agency/author2






CHINA -- TAO Images launches RM Collection featuring lifestyle imagery of China. TAO Images Limited, a stock photography production company from Beijing, has announce the launch of a new rights-managed (RM) image collection entitled 'Silk' featuring more than 4,000 images of Chinese culture and travel. Tao Images was founded by by industry veterans Risong Na and Jenny Hu in 2008 "With combined experience in media/publishing industry for over twenty years, we have appreciation in clients' expectations," says Jenny Hu.
http://www.abouttheimage.com/4005/tao_images_launches_rm_collection_featuring_lifestyle_imagery_of_china/author2

GOBBLING THE COMPETITION. -- Getty-Jupiter Deal Moving Ahead - Despite bad economic conditions that saw one stock agency file for bankruptcy last week, Jupitermedia says it still expects the proposed sale of Jupiterimages to Getty Images to go forward next year. The deal is expected to close in early 2009. http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/photo-news/stock-and-syndication/e3iea59cb79796a9dff614763ddde0d4622
TAKEAWAY – A Lesson in “Sticking to your Knitting.”


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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



iStockphoto: New pricing, a new premiere collection of "best exclusive content" and more changes - Changes at iStockphoto with a new three-tier offering

http://www.stockphototalk.com/phototalk/2008/12/istockphoto-new-pricing-and-more-changes-premiere-collection-of-best-exclusive-content.html#more




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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




GOOD QUESTION. Photography captures spirit of the spirit world. It's a question that's intrigued scientists and theologians -- and nearly everyone else who's ever walked the Earth. That question: Is there life after death? A Minneapolis photographer constantly searches for signs of an afterlife. Instead of looking to science or religion for evidence, though, he turns to his camera.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/12/08/paranormal_photo/


TELL IT LIKE YOU SEE IT. Everyone's Job Is a Visual Story - Everyone has a story to tell. As a photographer, it's your job to help them tell it visually. http://rising.blackstar.com/everyones-job-is-a-visual-story.html#more-1605
TAKEAWAY: The test of real editorial photography is to approach the story as a storyteller – not as a photojournalist who is handcuffed by news reportage ethics.


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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




QUICK READ. Google Is Scanning Magazines Into Their Database - From Google: "Today, we're announcing an initiative to help bring more magazine archives and current magazines online, partnering with publishers to begin digitizing millions of articles from titles as diverse as New York Magazine, Popular Mechanics, and Ebony."
http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2008/12/10/google-is-scanning-magazines-into-their-database/


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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




DOUBLE OUCH. Iranian Woman photographer Blinded by Spurned Suitor Persuades Court to Punish Him Similarly. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/13/AR2008121302147.html?wprss=rss_world


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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn





Have you subscribed to the PhotoSourceBANK?



As the Internet grows, so does the amount of images being added to it.
It’s only natural that photobuyers have turned to text searches to find specific photos they need for their books, brochures, newsletters and magazines.

They turn to the PhotoSourceBANK ( http://www.hard-to-locate-photos.com )

The photo editors tell us, “Why should I hurt my eyesight on looking for a specific photo when I can turn to the PhotoSourceBANK, find out who has it, contact the photographer, and receive overnight delivery of just the picture(s) I needed for my deadline."

Because of your specialty, you just might be the one they contact – IF you have listed them in the PhotoSourceBANK.

When you list your photos, be sure to list a specific description. (Because that’s how photobuyers search on Google or their favorite search engine). Example: pink gladiola in post blossom stage. Just listing the word gladiola will put you in competition with dozens of other photographers.

For only $4.95 per month, here are your benefits:


* Photobuyers contact you directly
* No need to send our unsolicited promotions.
* You are allowed 3,000 words and phrases on your page(s)
* When you return from a trip or assignment, you add items immediately yourself
* You can make changes to your pages immediately: email address, website, phone/fax


More info: http://www.hard-to-locate-photos.com 1 800 624 0266

We started the PhotoSourceBANK in 1999 and are now up to nearly 2 million entires. Hope you will come aboard. The industry in moving swiftly toward text (keyword) searches.

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http://photostocknotes.com/psn/createaccount.html




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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



WORKSHOP

UNUSUAL CHINA April 10-30, 2009, with Michele Burgess. An adventure filled with extraordinary photographic opportunities, jumping off from Shanghai to many of China’s little-known but most phenomenal landscapes. Includes visits to historic towns, ancient villages, and small isolated communities of minority ethnic groups still living and farming as they have for generations. Longsheng, Dazu, Guilin and the Li River, Xishuangbanna, Lijiang, and Shangri-La (Zhongdian) are some of the highlights. Cost: $5,395 from Los Angeles. Tour price includes: air transportation, hotel accommodations, meals (breakfast daily, 16 lunches and 14 dinners), sightseeing motorcoaches, fees, guides, transfers, service charges, taxes. Contact: In Focus with Michele Burgess, 20741 Catamaran Lane, Huntington Beach, CA 92646-5513. Phone: 714/536-6104. Email: maburg5820[at]aol[dot]com Web: http://www.infocustravel.com

DIRECTORY
2009 PHOTOGRAPHER’S MARKET, 32nd Annual Edition.
If you want to sell your photos or digital images, this is the reference book you need. It includes: complete, up-to-date contact information for more than 1,700 photography markets; inspirational interviews with working photographers; articles and information on the business of photography; business tips and practices; as well as new markets to explore. ($29.99) Check it out at Amazon.com. Contact: Writer’s Digest Books, F & W Publications, Inc., 4700 E. Galbraith Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45236. Phone: 513 531-2690. Email: photomarket[at]fwpubs[dot]com.









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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn





FASTER THAN A.. -- Twelve-Strobe Camera Rig Smites the Sun, Shoots at 1/8000 Seconds. Photographer Syl Arena created an impressive array of twelve strobes to help him take ultra-clear high speed shots, and possibly to incite God's wrath by one-upping the sun. All twelve strobes are Canon 580 EX II, and all are controlled by Radio Popper wireless triggers. The intensity of the light allows him to reduce the shutter speed to 1/8000 seconds, in broad daylight no less, and still have plenty of light. But the real advantage here is high speed photography, and Arena claims to be able to see "the individual links on the motorcycle's chain" while that motorcycle flies 40 miles per hour through the air. http://gizmodo.com/5109415/twelve+strobe-camera-rig-smites-the-sun-shoots-at-18000-seconds


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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




ON THE SIDE. -- Paul Paletti is a Louisville lawyer with a photography gallery in the front lobby of his firm's building. He knows all about having two loves. That is part of why he organized "The Affordable Art Show," on view through Feb. 27 at 713 E. Market St. He wants to sell photos, too, of course. Many of the works are well under the $300 ceiling and are eminently affordable and of good quality. They just happen to be by people whose names may be unfamiliar -- in this context. The three featured artists out of the 13 regional artists selected for the show all have other day jobs. Daniel Lin is a neurobiologist in Zionsville, Ind. Gayle Moore is business manager for the Indianapolis Symphonic Band. Bruce Cook is a Louisville dentist.
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20081214/SCENE05/812140337

KODAK FALLS SHORT Photography company Eastman Kodak Co said its 2008 revenue and earnings will fall short of expectations, because of a dramatic slowdown in consumer spending, and its shares fell more than 10 percent before recouping some losses.
Citing the "deepening global recession" and the stronger dollar, Kodak said on Wednesday its 2008 revenue growth, digital revenue growth, earnings from continuing operations, and cash generation would all fall short of its forecast.
Since late 2003, Kodak has focused on the expanding market for digital devices and services, hoping to outpace declining demand for film.

http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN1030947820081210


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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



WHAT’S REAL IN PORTRAITURE? Digital photos may be pretty, but will vanity airbrush our memories too? “Those are not your dad’s hands!”, she shrieked. And she was right. They, most definitely, were not. It seemed that our over eager photographer had taken the art of doctoring his photos a little too far.
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081217/OPINION/832378618/1080
TAKEAWAY: 100 years from now. Can our great grandchildren trust that the portrait of us is really a portrait of us? What are your thoughts on this?




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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



WHO IS THE WINNER ? Win a Trip For Two to Maui - By just entering this contest Popular Photography takes exclusive license of your photo. Read the contest rules, "exclusive" license means 'you' can't use your photo.
http://www.photoattorney.com/

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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn





Marco Pérez: An Interview with a Boxing Photographer, a professional who does not throw punches, but flashes. Virtually ignored by everybody in the sport, boxing photographers are as important as writers and commentators. Believing that photographers deserve a portion of the punching bag, I thought it would be interesting to interview Marco Pérez, a boxing photographer who describes himself as a "sincere person who loves boxing."
http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=18128&more=1

CAMERAS HELP. -- Couple's efforts take photography to new level. Nathaniel and Susan Tileston were professional photographers in New York City for 20 years. When the couple moved to Annapolis County in 1982, they took up innkeeping for 16 years.
For the last three winters, the Tilestons have been working with Burmese refugees on the Thai/Burma border, giving small groups digital cameras and basic photo instruction.
http://www.novanewsnow.com/article-282416-Couples-efforts-take-photography-to-whole-new-level.html


GETTY MUSEUM. Photo Curator to Retire. Weston Naef, a curator who over the last two decades helped build the J. Paul Getty Museum's photography collection into one of the most significant in the world, has said he will retire in January, the museum said Monday. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/arts/design/09arts-PHOTOCURATOR_BRF.html?_r=1 . http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2008/12/gettys-top-phot.html



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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn





JUST FOLLOWING INTUITION. No one has had a greater influence on photography in the last half-century than the Swiss-born Robert Frank, though his reputation rests almost entirely on a single book published five decades ago. While he has produced other volumes over the years and made 31 films and videos, all roads in his career lead back to this masterpiece, "The Americans," an intimate visual chronicle of common people in ordinary situations drawn from several trips he made through his adopted country in the mid-1950s.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/arts/design/14geft.html


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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




'THE COLOR OF LOSS' photo exhibit finds unexpected beauty in post-Katrina New Orleans Dan Burkholder's vision of a ravaged New Orleans forcefully engages viewers. Eight months after Hurricane Katrina tore apart New Orleans, photographer Dan Burkholder decided to explore what was left - room by ravaged room. His ultra-detailed interior shots of smashed-up churches, homes and schools deliver a one-two punch of shock and fascination. He calls these photos, now on exhibit at Artisan Works, "portraits without people." Still, you can piece together the former residents' lives from the ruins. The floodwaters dredged up their underwear, prayer books and Cuisinarts to create a kind of archaeology of devastation.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008812140321


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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




Bil Zelman Shoots Pro Bono, But Not For Free - I don't have any steadfast rules except that they have to be non-profit and preferably a charity. The positives to taking on these types of projects are endless.
http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2008/12/08/bil-zelman-shoots-pro-bono-but-not-for-free/


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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




"If we worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true really is true, then there would be little hope for advance." — Orville Wright

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17 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn


1893: December 12th; the first aerial photography patent was awarded to Cornele Berrien Adams for his "photogrammetry" method, which is a photo of the same tract taken from different points to obtain a topographic effect.


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10 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




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December 11th 2008

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10 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn






Your Own

Mini-mini Photo Agency

Advance Notes: When it comes to agencies, most of us think in terms of thousands of photos and hundreds of markets. However, if you follow the principles outlined below, you can become a mini-stock agency with your own photos and with a client of one.


Photographers breaking into the field of stock photography oftentimes arrive at the gates with misconceptions. And to make matters worse, they compound them by tailoring their path to follow those misconceptions.
The struggle that ensues can erode motivation, ideas, and –yes, cash.
In my consultations with people just starting out in stock photography, I’ve seen over the years that many entry-level photographers make the same mistake in their marketing strategy. They produce bundles and bundles of photos. When they think they are ready to tackle the stock photo industry, they attempt to find markets for their pictures.

WRONG WAY STREET


This of course, is the wrong way to go about it. The marketing secret is to reverse the process. Before you take a picture, ask yourself if it will be on a specific photo editor’s desk tomorrow.
You’re asking how can a picture be on an editor’s desk 24 hours after you’ve taken it? How do you know if the photo editor will find the picture acceptable? How do you even know the editor’s name or email address?
You know the answer to the first question: thanks to today’s electronic delivery capabilities, transmission of images can be immediate.
The answer to the next two questions takes some preliminary homework on your part.
1.) Single out one of your prime photographic interest areas.
2.) There’s bound to be magazines, periodicals, possibly book publishers, committed to your choice of subject matter. They need photos.
3.) Because you are a devotee to this special area of interest, you won’t mind the initial chore of finding your markets.

Want to read more of this article?
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/mini.html



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10 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



SAFETY GARB FOR PHOTOGS -- New Federal Law For Highway Safety Vests Now In Effect - A new federal law that also affects working photojournalists who are there to cover news, requires all workers on federal highways including photographers on assignment, to wear high visibility safety apparel, went into effect November 24, 2008.
http://www.nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2008/11/safety01.html


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10 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



BELT-TIGHTENING Publishers Hurting, Hundreds of Layoffs Likely - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, one of the largest publishers of textbooks and a big buyer of stock photography, announced a streamlining of its educational division and is laying off employees.
http://www.pdnpulse.com/2008/12/book-publishers-hurting-hundreds-of-layoffs-likely.html
TAKEAWAY: Like the auto industry, book publishing will have to adjust to the new times. Like cars, books will always be needed, but at a price consumers can afford.


A GIANT IS IN BANKRUPTCY -- In perhaps the starkest sign yet of trouble in the news business, media giant Tribune Co. -- owner of the Los Angeles Times, KTLA-TV Channel 5 and other newspapers and TV stations -- filed Monday for bankruptcy protection from creditors. Tribune's woes stem from a combination of plunging advertising revenue and a heavy debt load of $12.9 billion, much of it incurred a year ago when it was taken private by Chicago real estate entrepreneur Sam Zell.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tribune9-2008dec09,0,5273854.story
TAKEAWAY: As in other past recessions, media wishing to cut budgets will cut staff and rely on freelancers for their text and stock photos.


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10 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




LOOKING FOR MARKETS? Joshua Wolfe: “ There are always plenty of smaller design firms and independent designers who hire photographers only once or twice a year. Reach 20-30 independent designers and you have a career. Too few photographers seek growth areas in the economy. Avoid cars, insurance, financial and pretty much anything else that is tanking. But why not look at the second stimulus package Congress is putting together and target organizations getting the money?
Is there a major infrastructure project in your backyard that just got a big earmark? Where are venture capital firms putting their money? Add the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal to Advertising Age when looking for potential clients to target. For editorial, new media is still fairly unexplored territory for photographers.
The New York Times recently ran a story on small Internet publications. They may not have huge budgets but they also represent a potential market for photographers.
Many of these publications haven't traditionally used photography but that doesn't mean you can't convince them of its value. I just added one of these publications as a client.
http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0812/notes-for-aspiring-photographers.html
TAKEAWAY: If “persistence” is part of your makeup, you’ll probably gobble up these ideas and add even more to them in your pursuit of new markets for your work.


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TIP #1: Because editors often work on several publishing projects at one time, it is advisable that you include the project title, if possible, along with your submission of images. Often a photobuyer will include a project number; include that also. Photobuyers will accept several jpeg attachments but most prefer a Light Box.

TIP #2: Advanced digital stock photographers often shoot in "raw"and modify the image later. Once you have a relationship with a photobuyer, work out a delivery method ('raw' or jpeg) that the photobuyer wishes to receive.






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10 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




BEAN COUNTING An examination of the Digital Photography Market - The Digital Photography Market Report will include market sizing and information on major market segments for both products and applications: Products covered include digital cameras, interchangeable lenses, photo-quality printers, image sensors. Applications include stock photography (including microstock), professional photography and photographers, image editing and management software,
http://photoshop.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=595611


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10 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



BUDGET PROBLEMS. a21 has filed for bankruptcy court protection on behalf of both its subsidiaries, the on-line wall art business, ArtSelect, and the stock photo division, SuperStock. Under the proposed terms of the filing, Masterfile Corporation will purchase the assets of SuperStock, excluding cash and accounts receivable, for US$1.5MM. Another company, Metaverse, will purchase ArtSelect for US$700K.
http://www.abouttheimage.com/3998/a21

_parent_company_superstock_artselect_

files_chapter_11_bankruptcy/author3


CHURCH MEETS SCROUGE -- Is a picture really worth £1,000? - A church and several small businesses accuse picture agencies in general of using heavy-handed tactics when pursuing payment.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology

/2008/nov/27/internet-photography

SUPERSTOCK BANKRUPT. Masterfile In Deal To Acquire U.S. Assets. Long-suffering stock photo distributor SuperStock has filed for bankruptcy,
leaving its contributors in the lurch and opening the way for rival
Masterfile to acquire the agency's U.S. assets for $1.5 million.
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/photo-news/stock-and-syndication/e3i9292a5081d36be07181e79b4fbbba84a


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10 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




LOWER FEES. New Source for Royalty-Free Images - Creative minds often ask themselves: "Why do high resolution images often cost more than £50 for commercial use?" At agodia.com, communication professionals will find images in print quality with a maximum price of £14,99 including all usage rights.
http://www.creativepro.com/article/new-source-royalty-free-images

DREAMSTIME EXPANDING -- Dreamstime Expands to Welcome Russian Market. In partnership with Phototimes.ru, Dreamstime will extend its global reach to offer stock photography to customers in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia and surrounding areas. http://www.centredaily.com/business/technology/story/1003575.html


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10 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn


ETHICAL VIEWS. -- Can photographers inject their own political views into the way they make(or take) a photograph of a public person? Ethics And Photography Discussion - Interesting viewpoints on the NPR radio show ,
On The Media where host Bob Garfield talks with Martin Schoeller, Jill Greenberg, Platon and former DOP of Time Magazine Maryanne Golon about the ethics of portrait photography.
http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2008/12/02/ethics-and-photography-discussion/


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10 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




RIGHTS GRAB -- Photographers unsatisfied with Heineken's offer of EUR15 for misuse of their images on one of the company's websites have now been threatened with a counter action.
http://www.bjp-online.com/public/showPage.html?page=827910

CLAIMS DEPT. SuperStock Plan: Destroy Unclaimed Slides - If SuperStock has any of your slides or other original work, you might need to request them back or risk having them destroyed. Under the liquidation plan, if the court can't find a buyer (Masterfile or somebody else) to take over your account, your work
"will be destroyed" if it isn't claimed.
http://www.pdnpulse.com/2008/12/superstock-plan-destroy-unclaimed-slides.html

CAMERA CATCHES NURSING HOME WRONGDOING. Deb Hamilton suspected her grandmother Armeda Thomas was being mistreated at the facility, so she set up a hidden camera that captured some disturbing evidence, such as an aide walking in with a meal then eating the food herself as Thomas laid in bed. http://www.lex18.com/Global/story.asp?S=9466418&nav=EQlp


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10 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




I was talking to a photo the other day, -- yes, a photo,... and it said to me not to pay attention to all the news about the down turn in the economy.

"Why?" I asked.

In addition to reminding me that a photo is "worth a thousand words," it said that it had experienced many recessions and even survived the Great Depression back in the early 30's.

The photo responded, (all photos, one way or another, respond to their viewers,) that photographers who did not jump ship, and continued in their careers and capitalized on their knowledge and skills were able to weather the economic storm and continue in their profession. The alternative (of learning a new skill) did not seem smart.

Yes, these photographers did lose some accounts, but gained other accounts that sprung up as a result of the economic situation. Economic situations and changes always present new opportunities.

And, the photo reminded me that many pictures were produced of the 35% of the work force that was out of work, but it also meant that 65% of the work force still had jobs and were earning a living.

Finally, the photo reminded me “Photos themselves do not know a recession. Photos are always used, whether the economy is up or down.”
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If it’s going to be to your tax advantage – sign up for your marketletter Before December 30th 2008.
If you pay by check or charge card,
you can date your payment in 2008
and pay for it in 2009.

Now that’s a recession-proof idea!

Watch for our Holiday Special Sale announcement. . . coming next week.


---Rohn Engh



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10 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn





BEING PROPER IN BRITAIN . U.K. Internet users have been blocked from editing Wikipedia, and they're unable to access an article about an album by the German rock group, the Scorpions. The U.K. regulatory agency, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), blacklisted the site Saturday, saying a user reported child sexual abuse and its hotline analysts determined that a photo of a nude girl on the album cover, included in the article, was a potentially illegal indecent image of a child under 18. Wikipedia has been censored or restricted in other countries, including China. It also resisted a petition of more than 100,000 signatures requesting that it delete a picture of Muhammad. The Wikimedia Foundation noted that external studies have ranked Wikipedia equal to, or better in quality, than conventional encyclopedias. The nonprofit group also said its editors monitor the site for fairness and independence.
TAKEAWAY: Picky,picky. Will your photo one day be banned by the “cultural police”?


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10 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




Before the End-Of-The-Year
It’s the time of the year you want to take a magnifying glass to your business records to see if you can (legally) reduce your taxes by taking your rightful deductions, paying for business expensesin 2008 by December 31st in order to offset your 2008 revenue.
As a citizen/stock photographer here are some of the places where you can look to spend money before the end of the year, that can help reduce your taxes. Your tax advisor can help you with the list.

Automobile: (It’s your business vehicle.) Have you included all of your expenses? Repairs, rentals, mileage on assignments, toll fees, parking fees, 44.5 cents for each recorded business mile driven.
Home office. If 1/5 of your home is used for your business, 1/5 of the costs of heating, cooling, roof repairs, etc. are eligible for deductions. Your tax adviser will educate you on the benefits.

Charitable Donations. Taxpayers are entitled to deduct an item's fair market value, which is typically what an item can be sold for in a thrift shop. Any film cameras, lenses, darkroom equipment, etc. that you no longer use. Donate them and get a receipt for the value received. Can you donate a photograph? Usually not at the price you feel it’s worth. The IRS has strict rules on this for photo artists. If you’ve previously sold a similar picture for $1,000, and have proof of the amount of the sale, you might get away with it. But generally the IRS says it’s worth what the cost of the printing would normally be.

Subscriptions. Your photography and business/computer magazines and newsletters that accept credit card payments: you can charge your subscriptions before December 31 and take the deduction for the amounts, even if you don't actually pay the bill until the next year.
In addition, if you belong to a synagogue or church that collects yearly membership dues, send in your 2009 payment before the end of 2008. These membership dues are eligible for the charitable deduction.

And then there are the areas of your personal life: prepay your mortgage payment, add to your retirement accounts, prepay medical expenses.

Accelerating expenses before year-end can add many dollars to your refund check from the IRS.
As for all tax issues, contact your tax advisor for more information on these write-offs, or visit the IRS Web site at http://www.irs.gov.

--Rohn Engh

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10 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




SEARCHING VIA IMAGES. Imprezzeo, a start-up based in London, has launched a new visual search product that allows users to search for images with an image-based search. Typically users search for images based on text information (keywords and descriptions) that are associated with an image but Imprezzeo is hoping that their technology can help change or enhance how images are found. With their new technology users can enhance their search experience by matching visual results with an example image or even upload their own image to find something that is visually similar.
http://www.abouttheimage.com/3999/imprezzeo_launches_visual_image_search_product/author2
TAKEAWAY: As the Internet grows with thousands of images added each day, will this make searching easier? Itsdoubtful. It would be like taking a walk through the Library of Congress to visually search for a book cover/spine in the stacks, rather than using a handy card file/or database. Programs like this one are usally designed by non-photo researchers who have little experience in searching for specific images.


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10 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



IT’S MARILYN AGAIN -- Marilyn Monroe photos chronicle star's rise - More than 100 images being auctioned expected to fetch up to $1.1 million Before the world knew her as Marilyn Monroe, Norma Jeane Baker so captivated photographer Andre de Dienes at her first modeling assignment that he later recorded their meeting in his diary: "An earthly sexy-looking angel! Sent expressly to me!" De Dienes simultaneously captured the innocent exuberance and seductiveness of the young model in a series of photos that day in 1949 as she frolicked on a Long Island beach.
They are among more than 100 Monroe images being offered for sale in three sessions on Dec. 16-17 at Christie's auction house. They are expected to bring from $811,000 to $1.1 million.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28074670/



WORK FOR FREE? You bet! Five Reasons to Photograph for Free -
http://rising.blackstar.com/five-reasons-to-photograph-for-free.html#more-1513



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10 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




LONG LENS. -- Unleash Your Inner Voyeur With a Super-Secret Spy Lens. If hiding in the bushes to stalk your ex is cramping your style (and ruining all your black outfits), then perhaps this Super-Secret Spy Lens extension is just what you need.
http://gizmodo.com/5103704/unleash-your-inner-voyeur-with-a-super+secret-spy-lens

WAY OF THE FUTURE. Photo world begins grappling with video SLRs. The photography world is beginning to adapt to a new phase in the marriage of cameras and computing technology: the arrival of SLRs that can shoot not just still images, but video too.
The change began with the arrival of image sensors, the light-sensitive microchips that replaced film. Now, two new SLRs--Nikon's D90 and Canon's EOS 5D Mark II--are taking another step away from the film paradigm, following in the footsteps of point-and-shoot cameras by recording continuous video and not just still images. Hardware, software, Web sites, and perhaps most of all, technique all must catch up to the new technology. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13580_3-10111474-39.html


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09 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



From The Outside In.The Erotic Photography by Alexandra Gibson @ La Luz De Jesus. Described as a "cross-fertilization of social realism and erotica," Gibson's photographs are mysterious and provocative.
http://www.laweekly.com/slideshow/view/201699

PHOTO EXHIBIT promotes program to Stop Child Exploitation. A thought-provoking exhibition of photography by noted photojournalist Carolyn Cole. Imagine a little 9-year-old girl, being abducted and sold into slavery, stripped of her innocence and name and then reduced to a number. It is the reality for 1.2 million children a year - two children every minute, according to UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund).
Baume & Mercier teamed up with the charitable organization LOVE146 to hold a benefit called "INTO THE LIGHT: Sexually Exploited Children On The Path To Restoration" at the Helen Mills Event Space in New York City. The benefit, which was hosted by actor and author Stephen Baldwin included a silent auction.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/01/entertainment/main4640707.shtml


The Grand Canyon is wild and unforgiving. But it is also one of the most stunning landscapes on Earth-a place for recreation, reflection and reverence. A new Smithsonian exhibition allows us to marvel at this natural wonder without camping equipment, emergency rations or rappelling ropes.
Featuring 60 color photographs, "Lasting Light: 125 Years of Grand Canyon Photography" is a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and the Grand Canyon Association. The exhibition will be on view at the Phoenix Public Library in Phoenix, Ariz., Jan. 10, 2009, through March 29, 2009, and will continue on a national tour through 2013.
http://www.huliq.com/13/74175/spectacular-grand-canyon-photography-explored-exhibition


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09 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn





“Fashion fades, but style is eternal.” -Andy Warhol





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09 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn


1839 - December 18th - Celestial photograph was a daguerreotype of the moon taken by John William Draper, professor of chemistry at New York University, NY City. He exposed the plate 20 minutes. The image was one inch in diameter. He presented the photographs on March 23rd, 1840 to the Lyceum of Natural History of New York City.


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03 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn

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December 4th 2008

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03 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn





Can You

Relate?


Advance Notes: We are in times of emerging technologies. It's more important than ever to communicate with the photobuyers you have worked with over the years. You may be able to help guide them on some sticky Internet or search engine questions, like how to choose keywords for a search in Google.
Because you specialize in an area of great interest to your client (that’s why they contacted you) be prepared to advise, but not to lecture, and your consulting will eventually be rewarded.



Know the special interest areas of your photobuyers. Do your homework to pinpoint what content they need and see what their website and print publications look like. Use a major search engine to research the publishing house(s), magazines, and special interest(s) they represent.

Here are nine suggestions on how to build a good relationship with your photobuyer contacts.

1. Present a “give” list. Don’t be a “gimmie." Don't contact photobuyers to ask questions to help yourself -- help them. Let them know you can provide them with photos in such and such areas (the areas you've found out are the focus of that particular buyer) and that you are in a position to be a regular supplier of such photos. In the course of your conversations, you draw out what specific current needs the particular buyer has, all the while emphasizing what experience or qualifications put you in a position to be an important resource for the photobuyer and his/her publication(s).

2. Introduce yourself cheerfully. The way you open the conversation will set the tone for the entire exchange and impression.

3. Be open. Be candid. Evasiveness or ambiguity won’t work. Beforehand, clarify to yourself your purpose for the call, the points you want to provide to the photobuyer, and then straightforwardly go for it. For example, don’t use the excuse, “I am updating my database.”

4. Be enthusiastic. Exude a sense of confidence. A positive attitude will encourage your buyers to want to see various ways they can use your services. Yet don’t be overbearing or confident to the point of arrogance.

5. Be complimentary. A well-paced, well-meaning compliment about the photobuyer’s publication, a recent layout, insightful coverage, etc., will serve you well.

6. Interest. Briefly bring up one or two current topics related to the photobuyer’s area of concern. The more social you are, the more likely you'll elicit a favorable response. Of course, don’t overdo it! The photobuyer will appreciate your awareness that he/she is busy and has deadlines.

7. You might share with the photobuyer some bits of information you have learned from other sources in the field. However, be certain not to betray anyone’s trust.

8. Be charitable. Allow that 75 percent of photobuyers don’t have time to return phone calls from unknown (to them) prospects, especially after a deadline has passed. Solution: It’s nothing personal. Maintain equanimity and sail on. Persevere with new submissions for new needs, and you’ll score at some point.

9. Understand model releases. Even though model releases are not required 99 percent of the time for editorial usage (illustration purposes in books and magazines), this subject strikes fear in the heart of many photobuyers. Some seem to think they need model releases to protect themselves and their jobs. They’re not fully aware of their or your first amendment rights. When photos are used to inform and educate and entertain, model releas es are not required. If the magazine or book photobuyer you’re speaking with requires releases, it’s a signal to you to politely end the conversation and move on to the many markets who know their first amendment rights; that is, who are aware that for 99% of their needs they don't need model releases.


Rohn Engh is director of PhotoSource International and publisher of PhotoStockNotes. Pine Lake Farm, 1910 35th Avenue, Osceola, WI 54020 USA. Telephone: 1 800 624 0266. He publishes an eCourse, “How To Make Money In The Stock [Photography!] Market. Fax: 1 715 248 7394 for more information on how to sell photos.









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03 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn

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Have you missed receiving a PhotoStockNOTES issue? Check your SPAM/BULK folders for an email from info[at]photosource[dot]com or psi2[at]photosource[dot]com.

AOL members – if email from us stops coming to you, request to AOL that our address (above) should be included in their “O.K.” list. –Thank you.
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03 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



This is the time of the year you will want to consult with your tax person to make sure you are not paying more taxes than you should. Assigning income and expenses can be made up to December 31st.

“To evade taxes is illegal, to avoid taxes is your legal right…”
-Supreme Court Justice, Oliver Wendell Holmes. -


Many stock photographers do not take advantage of small business write-offs that are their right to take.

The best way to find a tax person who advises on intellectual properties (that’s the area of tax reporting that stock photography falls into) is to ask around. In your town, city or village, ask other creative people, writers, musicians, photographers, artists who they use for tax assistance. Usually, the same name will come up. Consult this person.

Become aware of your tax rights. Our tax report by tax attorney Julian Block, TAX SECRETS for Stock Photographers is ready-made for you. Give us a call (1 800 624 0266) and we will send out information to you about this tax report. . . .




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03 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




ON A COMMERCIAL ASSIGNMENT? Can you sell the "extras"? Yes, the Copyright Law says that unless you've signed a "Work for Hire" agreement, you own the pictures. You can sell whatever and whenever.
Another perspective: Let’s say the client will not pay your regular day rate. Make a concession. “O.K. I’ll do it for a lesser fee, but I will have all selling rights to the photos exactly one year after I deliver them to you. If you need them for extra projects, reprints etc, you’ll have to come to me for licensing.”

THE PHOTO REQUEST -- is it specific? Don't send a photobuyer unrelated non-target pictures. Maintain a high Reliability Factor with your photobuyer when sending a Light-Box and edit out unrelated pictures. Save your editor unnecessary work and earn points.

SPARE-TIME PHOTOGRAPHER? If you are salaried elsewhere, your withholding dollars can come back to you in the form of a tax "rebate," if you take a few simple steps. Ask for information on our report: "Reducing Your Taxes."


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02 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




FIND YOUR IMAGES -- Ever have trouble finding all your photos when you want to back them up? Vebatim PhotoSave DVDs just might be the answer. Load the DVD into your computer's DVD burner drive and wait a few moments.
http://photography.about.com/od/organizingyourphotos/gr/verbatimphotosa.htm


GETTING ASSIGNMENTS -- Want More Assignments? Make the Buyer's Job Easier - What you really need to do is to ask yourselves two questions: "Why should a customer buy from me?" & "Why should that customer buy from me right now?"
http://rising.blackstar.com/want-more-assignments-make-the-buyers-job-easier.html#more-1433


BUSINESS GUIDANCE. The price is right. A Free Read: Looking for specific guidance on a particular point? Check out this one at AmazonOnlineReader -Best Business Practices for Photographers. No charge!
http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2008/11/free-read-best-business-practices-for.html

A PHOTO A DAY -- for a year. In its simplest form, Project 365 involves taking a photo every day and publishing it online for a year. Thanks to digital photography and the Internet, capturing a year in images has never been more possible. For Valentine's Day, I chose to shoot a bank of cards at the local card shop. For a trip to Fenway, a standing room only sign and, not all that shockingly, my feet.
http://www.boston.com/community/photos/raw/2008/11/photographer_of_the_week_pat_g.html#/1


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02 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




EDITOR’S CHOICE -- Editing And Impact In "Big" Photography Blogs - PDN asked WSJ director of photography Jack Van Antwerp, "The Big Picture" editor Alan Taylor, and "Captured" editor Meghan Lynden to describe their editing processes.
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/photo-news/photojournalism/e3iebd6a39896504e502f7089059b5ff50b


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02 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




PHOTO GALLERY MAKES OFFER. Calling all Digital Railroad Users! - Put yourself in control of your images with Lightbox PhotoT - In the light of the unfortunate demise of Digital Railroad, Canadian Based Lightbox Photo is stepping forward to offer its photo gallery software as the alternative solution. Visit http://www.lightboxphoto.com http://www.stockphotographer.info/content/view/711/


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02 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



HOLA! Amigo! Dreamstime Partners with Other Images, to Become first Latin American Microstock Agency.
http://www.centredaily.com/business/technology/story/993279.html


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02 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




WHAT’S WITH MAGAZINES? Q&A: Gregory Garry, Former Radar Magazine DOP - Radar magazine's top photo editor talks about the magazine's demise, and the hard times that are affecting the entire business. "I think the magazine industry needs a bailout," he says.
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/photo-news/editorial/e3iebf7dfcfc5f9bee973b2d8e709b0dbe1


ARE WE IN TRANSITION? Hey, Magazines, Are You in or Are You out? - Time to Step Up and Declare Whether You Still Believe in Publishing. Simoan Dumenco says, “Looking around at some of America's largest magazine publishers, I see something similar: publishers who are anti-publishing. “
http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=132782
TAKEAWAY: The bean counters usually win out before we hear the interesting arguments.


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02 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




POLICE DISASTER: PUBLIC RELATIONS. New terror guidelines on photography No change - but British police continue to bend the law... police continue to demonstrate an uncanny knack for own goals and the occasional public relations disaster as individual officers overreact and apply the U.K. law on photography inaccurately and possibly unlawfully.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/01/photo_police_rules/


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02 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn




SAVE THOSE ARTIFACTS. -- A rare photograph of Florence Nightingale has sold for over 10 times its top estimate in Newbury - The photograph of the famous nurse, which was taken just before she died in 1910, was bought for £5,500 by a "London gentleman". http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article.aspx?articleID=8549


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02 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



BRIGHT STUFF -- High-Brightness LEDs are optimized for flash photography. New Ceramos and Oslux LEDs for Flash Photography Provide Great Pictures in Any Light. The new generation of CERAMOS and OSLUX LED flash products from OSRAM Opto Semiconductors are twice as bright as their predecessors. They now meet even the high brightness requirements demanded by modern digital cameras with higher pixel resolutions. http://news.thomasnet.com/fullstory/552165


MEASURING RAW PERFORMANCE - DxO (French specialist of noise reduction software) came out with a new raw format benchmark. They are not really measuring the performance of the sensor, but rather the raw format the cameras produce.
http://blog.nikonians.org/archives/2008/11/measuring_raw_p.html#more

HELPING SOFTWARE Microstock Mash - The growing functionality that enables websites to interact with each other - sharing information and services - is producing some exciting and creative tools. The microstock market is no exception. Here's a quick summary of some of the tools we've seen emerge so far.
http://www.microstockdiaries.com/microstock-mash.html

SIFTING THROUGH MILLIONS You can surf through an enormous image library (free software) for a specific photo with Photology. It’s a simple interface based on Microsoft's .NET framework and features a dark gray background and large buttons. Images are displayed as thumbnails. You flip through pages to browse. Some editing tools are available for red-eye correction and image rotation, and you can sort photos into groups made accessible on the bottom of the interface. Photology's strength is its capability to quickly sort through giant photo libraries and find images fitting a general criterion. You can sort by date, time of day, indoor or outdoor location, and content such as faces, flowers, and sunsets. One good point for researching your own file is you can also search by name for previously-labeled images. But photo researchers looking for a highly specific image (which they always do) at book and magazine publishing houses, would find it frustraiting to sift through so many images.
http://www.download.com/8301-2007_4-10108503-12.html?tag=mncol
TAKEAWAY: It’s like trying to find that needle in a haystack. Only organic keywords written by the author (photographer) of the photo can solve the search, and they must be specific keywords entered by the photographer not by an automated machine that spits out general descriptions that, naturally, every other photographer is going to use. . .

PLAYIN’ WITH VIDEO Two very cool photography techniques come together here to create something amazing. The first is tilt-shift, a technique often used by architectural photographers to make large objects look like miniatures by taking photos through a lens that's not parallel to the film or digital sensor, which creates a shallow depth of field. The second is time-lapse, which is essentially stringing together a series of photos to create an animation. You’ll witness a miniature demolition derby.
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-10108873-48.html?tag=mncol


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02 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



ONLINE PHOTO RATES. How do the rates you are paid as a stock photographer vary with the the size of the image on the screen? What period do you license a picture for? How much do clients pay to extend that period? You can help determine online photo rates, at the Freelance Fees Guide for 2009. To do this, they need you, the photographers, to report rates you have been paid and the deals you have struck. http://www.londonfreelance.org/fl/0812ffg.html?i=flindex&d=2008_12


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02 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



RUSH TO COMPETE. Chinese International Photography Competition Receives Deluge of Entries - were narrowed down to 120 outstanding photos during the preliminary round. http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/arts-entertainment/chinese-international-photography-competition-7967.html


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02 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



SHE CAPTURES SPECIAL MOMENTS. -- As a mother of three, Shannon Campbell knows how to capture on camera some of the sweetest moments in a child's life. It was Campbell's autistic son who served as the inspiration for starting her own photography company in which she specializes in photographing special needs children. Campbell opened Captured Images Photography in October 2007 to help families avoid the struggle she went through to get photos of her son Colin. http://www.bradenton.com/business/story/1051961.html



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02 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



Carleton Watkins, whose images of 19th-century California are the stars of an exhibition at the Getty Museum, had a simple motto: to stand "where the view looks best." Weston Naef, the Getty's senior photography curator, calls Watkins "the greatest American photographer before Alfred Stieglitz....He was an artist in the very strictest sense of the word. He was probably the first American to show a purely photographic imagination - as opposed to a painterly imagination...."
Watkins was probably the first to photograph Yosemite and his astounding images of the valley and the Mariposa Grove of big trees propelled the first federal protection of the Sierra Nevada wilderness.
http://www.laobserved.com/intell/2008/11/photography_of_carleton_watkin_1.php


DEPRESSION. New Orleans Museum of Art presents Photography and Depression, an examination of depression in all its forms, including mental and financial, through 82 works from the Museum’s permanent collection.
http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=27489

TOP DESIGN FIRM IS HOST -- Saatchi & Saatchi, the London design firm that is renowned for unleashing ideas and inspiring action, recently hosted a unique photography exhibition of photographs from the World's Largest Charity Hospital Ship. A series of exclusive images from onboard the charity hospital was part of the celebrations to mark the 30th Anniversary of Mercy Ships.
Tim Cole, Head of Photography at Saatchi and Saatchi Design, visited the ship last month where he captured life-changing moments of patients being treated onboard, as well as the daily life of the volunteer crew living on the Africa Mercy. The specially-converted ship is staffed by more than 400 volunteer crew from around the world and is currently providing free medical and humanitarian services in war-torn Liberia.
http://www.shippingtimes.co.uk/item_10131.html


THE WAY IT WAS. . At the Griffin Museum of Photography . Visiting an abandoned state hospital, photographer John Wesley Mannion finds beauty in musty decay and memories of former patients in empty rooms. He conjures back forgotten lives of patients once warehoused in the now defunct Pennhurst State School and Hospital. Describing the exhibit, he said his photos "convey the subtle texture and beauty of decay while simultaneously confronting us with the reality of this time in our history."
http://www.dailynewstranscript.com/arts/x297200894/Up-close-Two-emerging-photographers-forge-new-styles


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02 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



“Success doesn’t come to talented people because of their brilliance. It comes to them either from luck or experience. It’s better to go out and get some experience rather than wait for some luck. “ – H.T. White


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02 Dec, 2008 | Posted by: psn



1792 – The inventor of the first calculating machine, Charles Babbage, was born in London, England. He was obsessed with the notion of mathematical accuracy in his work and surroundings. He invented and built the Difference Engine, which could perform large calculations with the turn of a crank.

1901 - December 6th - Photographer Eliot Porter, famous for his pictures of people, birds and natural landscapes, was born in Winnetka, Illinois.

1947 – The transistor was invented, leading to a revolution in communications and electronics.



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