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Archive for September 2009
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September 30th 2009
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The World Is
Your Market
The author of books including Double Your Income Through Foreign Sales, Michael Sedge, has been selling his photos and articles to foreign markets for more than two decades. His book (THE WRITER’S AND PHOTOGRAPHER’S GUIDE TO GLOBAL MARKETS) can open the door to these markets for other photographers. I talked with Michael and asked him about marketing to foreign buyers.
“I first began selling images to foreign publications in 1983,” Michael says. “Today, more than eighty percent of my photographs sell in places outside of North America -- in Africa, Asia, and Europe. It is not difficult to sell overseas. In fact, today’s technology today has made marketing to foreign publications as easy as selling to your Chamber of Commerce.”
“How do you get started?” I asked.
“Start first with an email query letter. It's the best way to approach international publications for the first time. It saves on expensive overseas postage and often will bring a faster reply than will an unsolicited submission of photos on CD or a lite-box. Include examples of your stock images for the photobuyer or art director.
Initially, concentrate your efforts towards publications printed in English. Australia, England, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa. All have English language periodicals, as do nearly all other countries in the world. In England, Off Duty; in Singapore, Her World; in Italy, Neural; in Sweden, Scanorama; in Germany, Visuel; in Spain, Lookout; in Costa Rica, FIPP Magazine World. If you speak other languages, it’s a plus.
“How do you locate these and other markets?” I asked.
“Finding foreign markets is not as difficult as you might think. One good source, of course, is Google. Start there, or try other specialized search engines.
Your local library might have the International Writer's and Artist’s Yearbook www.writersandartists.co.uk This 600-plus page book is published in England and lists more than 4,500 overseas markets. It is available in major bookstores in the United States,.
“The Willings Press Guide, www.willingspress.com also published in the UK, is found in many libraries, though it does not list rates or specific editorial needs.”
When Mike sends selections of his images, he says, “I prefer to send sample thumb-nails to foreign publications. For most editorial needs, these are sufficient.
“Opportunities to display your photo story, essay, or individual images on your (or a photobuyer’s) web page now present an effective marketing tool, and as more and more international photobuyers are becoming Web-savvy, you’re able to get your work in front of increasing numbers of buyers.”
I asked Michael what reception he gets if he submits digital submissions.
“Foreign buyers who are accustomed to dealing with English-speaking photographers, are at the forefront when it comes to Internet literacy. You have advantage dealing overseas with buyers who are Internet-ready. They can view thumbnail submissions and make their decisions in a matter of hours. You then have the opportunity to submit a high-resolution image on-line, or send a disk to them overnight. The digital “evolution” has transformed the possibilities of foreign marketing. If you speak and write a foreign language, it, of course, increases your success rate.”
NO CROSS-READERSHIP CONFLICT
“Like periodicals in the United States, nearly all overseas magazines use one-time publication righ ts,” reports Mike. “This means you are free to sell and re-sell your package and images as many times as you wish. Because there is no cross-readership conflict among foreign publications, international photobuyers welcome the opportunity to buy their material this way.
Want to read more?
http://photosource.com/psn-article/worldmarket.html
Note that we don't include North American travelers because many of our members live in North America. Only travelers going abroad will be listed. Thanks -Rohn Engh
Name : Reggie D. Millette
Email: info[at]millettephotomedia[dot]com
Itinerary Dates: Oct 23 to Nov 14th 2009
Destination: Tunisia.
Comments: http://www.millettephotomedia
THREE RULES -- For Your Photography Business, Earning Good Word of Mouth. Sean Cayton: “At the heart of marketing for any small business is word of mouth. Creating an experience that gets people talking about your photography business is the single best way to attract new customers. But what too few businesses seem to realize is that it's a double-edged sword.” http://bit.ly/6PVvU
Information moves fast, so do the transporters.
Encarta To
Be Dismantled
Remember “Encarta?”
On October 31, 2009 the Encarta Web site will be discontinued. Microsoft stopped selling Encarta products in June. Now the place for reference information is Wikipedia.org.
In the 1980s and early ’90s, among the biggest users for stock images were encyclopedias, with Encyclopedia Britannica the leader in the field. New editions came out every year and articles were updated on a regular basis. They needed lots of pictures. Prices for use of an image ranged from $200 and up.
In 1993, Microsoft launched Encarta, first on CD and later on the Web. By the late ’90s, it had replaced book-based encyclopedias; it was more convenient and available for a fraction of the price. Initially, Encarta purchased pictures for prices less that what the printed encyclopedias paid.
In 2001, Wikipedia, the free Web-based encyclopedia was launched and Encarta’s popularity began to die. Wikipedia is updated by a community of users from around the world, rather than an in-house group of professional editors. Some complain that the quality of research for the articles doesn’t match Encyclopedia Britannica, but more topics are covered. Customers seem satisfied with the availability and the free price.
It’s common knowledge that there is no remuneration for the pictures that appear with Wikipedia articles. Thus, progress has resulted in millions of dollars in lost photo sales.
According to its FAQ, Encarta’s Web sites will be discontinued on Oct. 31. (Except for Japan, which has until Dec. 31, 2009). From the FAQ:
Encarta has been a popular product around the world for many years. However, the category of traditional encyclopedias and reference material has changed. People today seek and consume information in considerably different ways than in years past. As part of Microsoft’s goal to deliver the most effective and engaging resources for today’s consumer, it has made the decision to exit the Encarta business.
Microsoft’s vision is that everyone around the world needs to have access to quality education, and we believe that we can use what we’ve learned and assets we’ve accrued with offerings like Encarta to develop future technology solutions.
In 2005, Encarta tried to take the middle ground by allowing users to submit suggestions for Wikipedia article updates, but these were not integrated into articles until they had been approved by Encarta editors.
For a full history of Encarta, be sure to check out its comprehensive Wikipedia entry, which has already been updated to reflect Encarta’s shutdown. Encarta’s entry on itself doesn’t mention anything about its demise, and actually seems to have less information than the Wikipedia article.
ON MAKING THE MATCH. -- As much as you strive to make your images an art form, so should be your selling technique: Making the match.
The process need not be cumbersome or terrifying if you understand the simple technique of making the right match: your work with the photobuyer's need.
Photobuyers most often work in a specified subject area - because the publishing houses they are employed by… appeal to a particular reading audience.
If that audience matches the subject area of your photography enthusiasm, you’ve made the match.
Once mastered, you can repeat the process over and over, gaining new buyers and shooting within the framework of subject matter that has great interest for you. -RE
SAVING THE CENTER -- The Charleston Center for Photography is on the brink of closure. Seven years ago, local photographer Jack Alterman started what became the Charleston Center for Photography. Former war photographer Stacy Pearsall, who purchased the facility from Alterman in April 2009, is asking patrons to sign up for a class or to join the center as a member.
http://bit.ly/VqIwR
This week's topic:
The perils of placing your photos on FACEBOOK
Join in
http://board.photosource.com/read.php?1,10315
Coming up:
ASPP New England Presentation on New Business Models for Stock licensing and Pricing
Getting the Right Image for the Right Price.
New England chapter of ASPP. (Boston) Program on licensing .
October 8th And it's FREE for members!
Details: Cathy D-P Sachs www.aspp.com
When: Thursday October 8, 2009
Where: Pearson Education 9th Floor Cafeteria, 501 Boylston Street - Boston, MA 02116
Panelists: Pat Hunt (huntstock.com); Rob Sylvan (www.istockphoto.com); Christopher Kenneally (www.ozmo.com); Jean Howard (www.auroraphotos.com); John Griffin (www.cutcaster.com)
Moderator: Mark Ippolito (www.shabustation.com)
Free for ASPP members
$5.00 for non-members and students
via Evite at http://tinyurl.com/m9abx2
RSVP required by Oct. 6 due to building security
ASPP members: RSVP via Evite or www.aspp.com
A PICTURE, IS A PICTURE, IS A PICTURE. - – Cahse Jarvis said that, although he has some of the best equipment at his disposal, the iPhone "gave me total freedom," despite the embedded camera's constraints and parameters. “We think we want more choice, but we really want less.” Does having a 2- or 3-megapixel camera on your cellphone make you an artist or a photographer? Chase Jarvis would argue it does. The 38-year-old commercial photographer is a kind of platform-agnostic photo-evangelist.
http://bit.ly/ynZmB
GOOD GUYS -- Photographers Making a Difference. From PdNEWS: “This month we celebrate photographers who are not just documenting problems, but actively working to solve them….” http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/features/featured-in-print/e3i96d4521eedf15d13145737d9f71655e6?imw=Y
GETTING BETTER -- Shutterstock has just announced its acquisition of BigStockPhoto, a credit-based stock photo agency headquartered in Davis, California. http://bit.ly/36sMSJ
IS IT ART OR NOT -- Open to Everything? 170 Years After Its Birth, Photography Must Refocus on Its Identity for the Future. Of all media, only photography would get an art critic talking about someone from the commercial side of the tracks. Only a photographer would make a fortune from pictures in magazines, but also see the same images on museum walls. http://bit.ly/3o3ntb
RIGHT TURN -- How One Man Changed The World Of Photography. With only 83 photographs, this Robert Frank, a Swiss immigrant and Guggenheim fellow, single-handedly altered the course of photography in 1958 when his book was published. To photography pundits, Frank's photographs were offensively imbalanced, unfocused, even drunken. His style was a total departure. SOURCE: Claire O'Neill; NPR. http://bit.ly/16VBi1
Three New Magazines
Health and Medicine
Healthier You
Motocross:
MXI
Young male Christian audience
PASSAGE
For info:
http://www.mrmagazine.com/WH-sept22.html
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Will you be traveling to Germany? France? Spain...?
If you speak the language, you'll be well-received by the people.
...and, if you sell to magazine and book publishers in those countries.. you'll be appreciated if you speak their language.
read more. . . <<<<<----
The Latest. . .
CREATIVE COMMONS PHOTO Can I use one without a Model Release? Question:
“Am I at legal risk in the U.S. if I use a photo with a Creative Commons license where a recognizable face is in the photo and the photographer did not acquire a model release? This would not be for commercial use, just the cover of a free ebook.” The Photo Attorney explains 4 kids of PrivacyRights. That said, when you use a person’s likeness editorially, rather than commercially, a model release is typically not required. This is because, in the case of the editorial use of photographs, a person’s rights are evaluated in light of constitutional interests. Additionally, “What is the definition of an editorial use? Courts traditionally have defined public interest or newsworthiness in liberal and far-reaching terms, not limiting it to the dissemination of news in the sense of current events. They have extended it well beyond that to include all types of factual, educational and historical data, even including entertainment and amusement and other interesting phases of human activity in general. ..” SOURCE: Carolyn E. Wright, Esq. In Black Star Rising. http://bit.ly/ROgl3
DON’T SHOOT FIRST. -- Photographers sue for $1m over wedding shoot-out. Two photographers are suing a supermodel and a football star, accusing their bodyguards of shooting at them after they had taken pictures at the couple's 'after-wedding party'. http://bit.ly/15wUDe
SOLVING THE PROBLEM -- Policeman deletes his own photos of footballing grandson (UK). According to the Daily Mail, a retired senior policeman deleted his own photos after being banned from photographing his grandson playing football. [Unfortunately the reasons for the patently insane policies of the Football Association are not explained, but they derive from the Rights of the Child embodied in the Children Act 1990. For which we must blame patently insane (UK) government.] http://bit.ly/15N8sG
Some Printing Tips
Printing is a challenge with computers...., especially because there's a tremendous difference between screen-based graphics and what you see on paper. This section offers tips that you can use for your home or office printer and provides additional information in case you choose to use an imaging professional.
1. RGB to CMYK
Colors that work in the RGB color space are often out of gamut in the CMYK color space; meaning that what you see on the screen cannot be printed using color inks. Other print issues are different RGB spaces among scanners or monitors, a different CMYK space among printers and printing presses and your monitor going through color shifts as it ages.
2. Use a Commercial Printer
If you choose to use a high-end commercial printer, do all of your work in RGB. DO NOT convert your print files to CMYK. If you're doing high-end art repro, you can send your RGB files and they'll do the conversion for you but expect to pay big bucks.
If you're going to a local copy center, you'll need to convert your files to CMYK yourself. If you send them RGB files the results are likely to be unpredictable.
It's important to realize that converting your files to CMYK will cause you to lose a great deal of color data. Worse, if you manipulate the images after converting to CMYK, the color data loss could posterize your image.
Ask your printer for their color profile and a print that you can use to calibrate your system to theirs. Also, be sure to ask them what file format they use and guidelines for output. This information varies from printer to printer.
3. More Control
If you want more control over the CMYK process, check out: "." This volume explains how we see color, what the differences are between human and camera perception, and how to work with a color wheel. You'll learn about display issues, including monitor calibration and resolution, color palettes, and consistency across varying platforms, operating systems, software and more.
4. Page Layout
Check your layouts and make sure electronic documents match the printed page size otherwise you could get an unpleasant surprise later.
5. About Graphics
When manipulating graphics, I recommend the use of an image-editing application such as Corel Photo-Paint. Don't use these functions in Corel Draw because this will add to processing times when you send your files to a commercial printer. Instead use Corel Draw for page layout only.
6. Screen vs. Print Resolutions
You will need to use different resolutions depending on the final output. As an example, screen resolutions, gives you an image size of 72dpi; whereas for printing, you need to use a resolution of 125 - 400dpi, depending on the final output.
Note: Don't use screen images as they are only 72dpi. They might look great on the monitor but the printed result will be highly pixelated and will lack sharpness and depth.
Nathan Segal, from Victoria, BC, Canada, is a writer/photographer who has also been active as a digital artist for well over a decade. For the past 9+ years, he has written numerous articles for computer and photographic magazines and has provided his own illustrations and photographs for the articles. His articles have covered : software reviews, tutorials, computer tips and tricks, profiles and investigative reporting. visualartist49[at]gmail[dot]com; 1 408 844-4851 (Cell).
Get more done in less time and make more money at DigitalArtistU.com Check ou t our samples page to improve your photography and your results. http://www.digitalartistu.com/public/main.cfm
What’s happening
with Google’s Book Search?
Google Book Search is a service from Google that searches the full text of books. Google scans and converts the books to text using optical character recognition, and stores the book in its digital database.
Clicking a result from Google Book Search opens an interface in which the user may view pages from the book as well as content-related advertisements and links to the publisher's website and booksellers.
Through a variety of access limitations and security measures, some based on user-tracking, Google limits the number of viewable pages and attempts to prevent page printing and text copying of material under copyright.
The Google Book Search database continues to grow. Google Book Search allows public-domain works and other out-of-copyright material to be downloaded in PDF format.
According to a member of the Google Book Search Support Team, "Since whether a book is in the public domain can often be a tricky legal question, we err on the side of caution and display at most a few snippets until we have determined that the book has entered the public domain.
Many of the books are scanned using the Elphel 323 camera[3][4] at a rate of 1,000 pages per hour.[5]
The initiative has been hailed for its potential to offer unprecedented access to what may become the largest online corpus of human knowledge[6][7] and promoting the democratization of knowledge[8], but it has also been criticized for potential copyright violations.[8][9
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Important Update: On September 24, 2009 the Court issued an Order stating that the Final Fairness Hearing will not take place on October 7, 2009, and will be rescheduled for a later date in light of the parties' plans to modify the Settlement Agreement.
More on the situation:
http://www.authorsguild.org/advocacy/articles/settlement-resources.html
Google Book Search Settlement Notice to Rights-holders - Books ...
For more information about the proposed Settlement of a class action lawsuit brought by authors and publishers: www.googlebooksettlement.com
It’s coming!
A Halloween bolt from
the pumkin patch…
A special price on your PhotoDaily and/or Photoletter subscription . . .
(Next week it arrives. . . just in time to celebrate…)
HOST DETECTIVE -- Photoshelter has partnered with TinEye, a reverse image search engine. You can search the web for your images and determine how they're being used online. TinEye will begin indexing the PhotoShelter-hosted images that are marked as "publicly searchable". When fully indexed, TinEye search results will contain PhotoShelter-hosted images plus any other online usage that TinEye finds. Images you upload and make publicly searchable in the future will be automatically indexed by TinEye, too. It's a way for you to monitor image usage, and also, another way for customers to find you and your work. TinEye began indexing PhotoShelter-hosted images in October 7, 2009. http://bit.ly/2jA5pg
DO-IT-YOURSELF ASTRONOMY -- Homemade Astro-Photography: Look Out, Hubble a selection of reader-submitted space photos, and they’re more impressive than a person could have imagined. This one is a shot of the Pelican Nebula, 2000 light years away, with a 114-minute exposure. Awesome. http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2009/09/homemade-astro-photography-look-out-hubble/
FACEBOOK PHOTO GRAB -- Interesting reading for anyone placing photos on Facebook! by David Crockett
From FACEBOOK:
I read additional (unsubstantiated) stories where Facebook did sell someone's photos in Europe only to have them end up on thye side of a bus! Hope this is helpfull ...David Crockett ,
www.god-alive.davidcrockettphoto.com
Posted by: dcphoto (IP Logged)
Date: September 27, 2009 05:41PM
GOOD FOR YOUR BUSINESS -- It's smart business to have a social media policy. Big business such as Intel, Kodak, and IBM are in the forefront. They have published policies that you can emulate. http://bit.ly/3q8XKY
NIKON IS HAPPY -- Nikon Camera Earnings to Beat Forecast, Kimura Says
the second-biggest maker of cameras used by professionals, will probably earn more from its photography unit than the company had forecast, led by higher-than-expected exports.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aFW1OmsOc_Ro
MORE MONEY -- Kodak turns to KKR for injection of finance. KKR is buying up to $400m of senior secured notes in Eastman Kodak as the troubled photography company seeks to bolster its balance sheet.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6ab4cbc8-a323-11de-ba74-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1
REPRIEVE-- Annie Leibovitz buys back her copyright - Don't gamble with your IP assets. Steve Kuncewicz, IP and media lawyer at law firm Ralli, had this comment on the settlement: 'If Annie Leibovitz had been unable to get an extension on the deadline to repay her loan, she would have lost everything. Losing her properties would be bad enough, but if she lost her portfolio copyright, she'd lose the right to make any income from the huge amount of images she's taken over the years..." http://bit.ly/16o9S5
MUCHO -- Stock Photo Site Owner Claims Infringement Costs The Industry - a lot of money...Rose M. Welch points out that the CEO of a stock photo site is claiming that infringement costs the industry $10 billion per year. ... SOURCE: TECHDIRT.COM
http://techdirt.com/articles/20090921/0328456266.shtml
"My first sale in the USA was because of Rohn's 'PhotoLetter' in 1979. He has been a constant source of encouragement and advice. Anything he does is for the benefit of his subscribers. "
-Jagdish Agarwal, Dinodia Photo Library, Bombay, India
"I want to thank you for your PhotoLetter marketletter. It has already started paying dividends!! Keep up the excellent job!!"
-Victor Perez de Lara, Photographer, Colonia Condesa MEXICO
Wired Contest. . .
The 10 highest-ranked photos will appear in a gallery on the Wired.com homepage.
“Topic: SLEEP.....Somber sleepwalkers stumbling in their slippers. Show us people passed out on pillows, drooling puddles on their periwinkle pajamas. We want to see dozing motorists in parking lots and napping dogs in dusty fields. Make attention-grabbing snaps that make us yawn from their sleepiness. Sleep . . .
http://www.wired.com/culture/art/news/2009/09/submissions_sleep
“I do not object to retouching, dodging. or accentuation as long as they do not interfere with the natural qualities of photographic technique”.
- Alfred Stieglitz
1963 - Photograph (authorized) of Senate in session to vote on the nuclear test ban treaty, was taken September 24th, by National Geographic Society photographers for the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, Washington DC.
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September 24th 2009
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Does your stock photography qualify for Décor Art?
Put Pets In
Your Pictures
In addition to the publishing industry, your stock photography can appeal to buyers of what’s generally called, “Décor Art.” One of these subject areas may be easy for you to include as one of your specializations.
If you are a pet owner, you know that pets offer companionship, love, company and affection. Recent figures show that pet ownership in the USA is currently at its highest level, with 73 percent of all U.S. households owning a pet which means more than 69 million households have a pet. Americans own approximately 73 million dogs and 90 million cats.
If your stock photography focus is on pets, and you have an understanding of how to relate to animals, -you have a vast stock photography market to work with.
With pet photography, a major thrust is to make viewers “wish they were there.” The viewer might recall a photo of a similar cat or dog they had as a child. Keep in mind that most buyers of Décor Art enjoy pictures of pleasant subjects because they find in your pictures an 'escape' from their daily routine.
That's why for this purpose it's important to take pet photos without people in them. They consider recognizable 'people' in your picture as an intrusion of their own memories of a particular pet. In addition, if people are included in Décor Art pictures, this can 'date' the picture due to the style of clothes, hairstyle, etc.
.
Keep your Art Décor simplified by isolating your subjects. Feature only one pet at a time...rather than a group of pets.
When photographing pets, keep to the standard variety that most people have as their pets. Most people buy photos of recognizable brand pets rather than exotic brands.
Pet pictures are popular not only with homeowners. They also find favor for use in waiting rooms, attorneys' offices, professional buildings -- as well as individual homes.
It goes without saying -- your pictures should be well composed, visually exciting, and of high technical quality.
SOME POINTERS:
Prices depend on whether you sell by volume, individually, or large format, to corporate clients. At art fairs, individual buyers will pay about $45 (11x14) and $30 (8x10). Before you decide on your own price, see what local stores such as a Wal-Mart are getting.
Limited editions of prints are another issue. You can demand a higher fee. And, of course, if you keep a couple such prints for the grandchildren, your grandchildren just might become heirs to a very valuable print.
What to charge for limited editions? Keep the professional artist in mind who once said, "If you are going to price your watercolor at $15, you'll find a $15 buyer. If you price it at $75 dollars, you'll find a $75 buyer. And if you price it at $850 -- you'll find a $850 buyer. It just takes time." Current going rate for a 16x20 (color) décor photograph is between $75 and $150. PRINTLETTER (Zurich) lists international going rates for print sales as reported by galleries. Some samples: Eugene Smith: $750; Ben Shahn: $1500; George Silk: $1500; Aaron Siskin: $1200; Howard Sochurek: $950. Nice tidy sums?
B&W or Color? B&W prints sell well as Décor Art too, and particularly so if they are sepia toned. Color, however, has the edge over B&W
As a stock photographer you'll also want to market your color through regular publishing channels --and most publishing markets require high-resolution digital images.
Size - If you sell your prints on a single sales basis, you'll find the larger print (16x20 ) with higher fees will result in more year-end profit than trying to market larger numbers of the smaller prints (11x14 or 8x10) with the lower fees. On the other hand, if you go to multiple sales with smaller prints, and aim for the volume market in high traffic areas such as art and craft fairs or shopping malls, you will be equally successful with the smaller-sized prints.
Production. -- Resin-coated papers make B&W production on your own very easy. Unless you have a super-quality printer, color production is usually best accomplished by a lab such as www.reedphoto.com Shop around. In New York, for example, an 11x14 costs $56 and a 16x20, $105. Quality is superb and the delivery is one day.
Frames -- Framing or matting your prints definitely enhances appearance and sale ability. Dry mounting materials and hinge mats are available everywhere. And finally, try making frames on your own. How-to series are featured on the Internet.
Promotion is the key to your selling success. If you've sold a series of prints to one bank in town, let the other banks know about your Décor Art.
Work for ways and places to exhibit your pictures often. Offer your services as a guest speaker or local TV talk show guest. Produce a website displaying your work; sell prints on e-Bay, produce brochures, flyers, or catalogs of your work.
Government agencies often buy groups of Décor Art. Check out the “Art for Buildings” program in your state.
If you are fond of animals, Decor Art may be a fruitful specialization for you.
Rohn Engh, veteran stock photographer and best-selling author of “Sell & ReSell Your Photos” and “sellphotos.com,” has helped scores of photographers launch their careers. For access to great information on making money from pictures you like to take, and to receive this free report: “8 Steps to Publishing Photos,” visit his website at PhotoSource International www.photosource.com or call 800 624-0266.
Cell Phones More Powerful Than a Locomotive
Well, not quite (at least not yet). But they can do amazing things. Like turning on your oven. Of course, it was an unintended consequence, but a guy in Brooklyn had his oven turn on "all by itself" and melt a thermometer that was inside.
Further sleuthing determined that his ringing cell phone activated his Maytag oven in his apartment. Additional testing by the New York Times confirmed that different brands of cell phones can activate multiple models of Maytag ovens, which seem to prefer the high setting when turned on this way. If it's still up, you can read the full story and watch the video here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/nyregion/23about.html?_r=3
As our appliances get more advanced and wireless, and start communicating with each other, we can expect a whole lot more of these kinds of happenings.
One can only hope that each abode of the future will be equipped with an easily accessible master OFF switch for all our "communicating" appliances, regardless of which room they are in. But you know, I'd bet it would be wireless.
Snap and Buy
Amazon.com recently purchased a start-up company, SnapTell, which makes a popular app for the iPhone. The app allows you to take a photo of a book's cover, DVD, or other product, and then be connected to an online store to buy it.
True, there are similar such search engines out there, and even Amazon has one, but it relies on humans to match the snapped photo with the store catalog. The SnapTell does the matching (or tries to) via software. If you've downloaded the app and purchased something (or tried to) using the snap and buy method, let us know how it worked for you.
Bill Hopkins is the Webmaster of PhotoSourceFolio* ( www.photosourcefolio.com ) and a regular contributor to PhotoStockNotes. Send comments via e-mail to wh[at]photosourcefolio[dot]com Fax: 1 818 831-0916. (*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 www.photosource.com/board
Name: Henry Westheim
Phone: +886 9 3140 4211
Email: henry[at]asiaphotoconnection[dot]com
dates#1: Sept. 15, 2009 - Jan. 3, 1010
destination#1: Taiwan
Comments: Available to travel outside of Taiwan between these dates.
––––––––––-=================–––––––––––––––
Name: Steve Lunetta
Dates: Sept 24 to Sept 30th 2009
destination: Paris, Giverny, Venice & Florence.
http://www.pagetopage.net
http://gallery.mac.com/slunetta
ON ASSIGNMENT -- Watch over my shoulder. An Inside Look at Preparing for an On Location Commercial Photo Shoot September 15th, 2009 - The incredible opportunity of shooting a Fall Ad for Tamron USA using their award winning travel lens (the 18-270mm) on my Canon 40D. http://mcpactions.com/blog/2009/09/15/an-inside-look-at-preparing-for-an-on-location-commercial-photo-shoot/
PHOTO BOOK CONTEST – Blurb(R), the creative publishing platform that enables anyone to design, publish, market and sell professional-quality books, seeks entries for the first-ever Best Blurb Books Contest. Photo books can be entered at http://www.blurb.com/photo-book-contest in one of three categories - family, pets, or travel - for a shot at one of three $3,000 grand prizes or one of three $1,000 runner-up prizes. http://bit.ly/snvD8
MAGAZINES NEEDING HELP -- As management consultants from McKinsey & Co. troll through the magazine company Condé Nast looking for cost savings, observers are asking if its two food magazines, Bon Appétit and Gourmet, can survive. http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2009/08/10/food-magazine-fight-bon-appetit-vs-gourmet/?mod=rss_WSJBlog
We find markets for you
Get a powerful boost for your photo operation with the PhotoDaily market letter. Find out what photos buyers want at hundreds of major book publishers and magazines. and ad agencies, design houses, multi-media, PR firms, corporations.
With the PhotoDaily you get lists of these photo needs every day – day after day – all sent directly to you at 2pm CT.
· Deal directly with the buyers and receive 100% of each sale
· Benefit from an immediate list of photobuyer contacts – all the research is done for you!
· You get an inside track to markets that pay $100-$250 and up per photo (inside use), $300-$500+ for covers
· Photo listings are fresh each day – no repeats
BUILD YOUR LIST OF CONTACTS!
In addition to direct sales leads, PhotoDaily gives you names of photobuyers with photo needs that match the kind of photos you like to take.
You get access and direct contact with markets and photo requests that otherwise would take you years of market research on your own.
Subscription to PhotoDaily is by application. Photographers qualify by either : 1) sending three tearsheets of published photos, or 2) having their website reviewed by our application review board to determine eligibility.
Recommended: Your stock file number 2000 photos or more.
Subscription Information: http://www.photosourcepix.com
The discussion this week is “adding metadata to your photos” – and how to do it. James Cook and Mikael Karlsson help out with some advice.
You can join in at:
http://board.photosource.com/read.php?1,10309
KIOSKS -- Kodak Makes Consumer Photo Experience At Retail Faster, Greener, Better -
The Kodak people have introduced two new photo center retail store products that provide consumers with a more environmentally friendly experience. The two products deliver photo processing and allow customers to create their own photo creations faster and with more choices than older kiosk models.
http://www.imaginginsider.com/?p=102447
REGULATING US – Photography: a model of lost liberty (UK). There is no overarching ban on photography, nor is their likely to be. Yet, as a new Manifesto Club report by gallery director Pauline Hadaway outlines, there is growing regulation of citizen photography, with touchy subjects now ranging from policemen to transport facilities, from children's nativity plays to football matches. http://bit.ly/32Zo4Z
TAKEAWAY: Is our Right of Freedom of the Press slipping away from us?
YOU’RE PROTECTED – Istockphoto Has Become The First Major Microstock Photography Agency To Legally Guarantee All Imagery. The microstock company has announced an interesting new twist to their stock photography offerings. All all purchases at the microstock agency will be guaranteed up to $10,000 in damages at no additional cost to the image buyer. iStockphoto is a wholly owned subsidiary of Getty Images.
http://thomashawk.com/2009/09/istockphoto-becomes-the-first-major-microstock-photography-agency-to-legally-guarantee-all-imagery.html http://bit.ly/jMxJL
related: http://bit.ly/2RQowX
TAKEAWAY: Getty Images is a long-time user of this appraoch. It removes anxiety on the part of first-time buyers who wonder what kind of legal mess they are going to get into if they use a stock photo from an unknown photographer without a track record. It puts the onus on photographers to submit accurate captions and keywords, plus images with iron-clad releases when required.
PHOTOGRAPHY: WHERE HAVE YOU GONE? Video game corrupts digital photography. Daniel Kronovet : “Most people laugh when I tell them that the N64 game "Pokemon Snap" singlehandedly corrupted a generation of photographers. How could a game about taking pictures of dancing Pokemon be so sinister? But I'm being somewhat serious. What I've realized is that since the advent of digital photography and cheap memory, the term ‘photography’ has come to apply to two separate, almost completely distinct activities.” http://bit.ly/12xNWL
DOWN AT CITY HALL. NYC Street Photography - City Council Hearing. New York City has updated its photo rules for pros and amateurs who shoot on the streets of New York City. Concerned photographers and film producers will meet with NYC Council members on the subject.(Sept 24, for more info: ) If you can't attend but have a compelling story to tell, write it up! Post in the comments section at < www.PictureNY.org > Excerpt from announcement: PLEASE NOTE: It is an open hearing. You will sign up when you arrive. The Sergeant of Arms will have slips for you to fill out. Please give yourself ample time because of security checks before entering City Hall. SOURCE: The Photo Attorney. http://photoattorney.wordpress.com/2009/09/12/nyc-street-photography-city-council-hearing-on-92409/ - PictureNY.org http://bit.ly/1nS60t
THE PRICE OF INFRINGEMENT: Sean Locke: “Keep an Eye on your Content Sources - There was an article in the LA Times yesterday on ‘Controlling Illegal use of Copyrighted Material on the Web’. The question the article brings up is ‘Are the fines too excessive for the crime?’. The point of a fine or punishment is not only to dissuade the person receiving it from committing the act again, but to also scare off others from doing the same, out of fear they will be caught as
well.” http://seanlockedigitalimagery.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/keep-an-eye-on-your-content-sources/
WHEN IS IT FAIR USE? Maria Piscopo, “I spoke with intellectual property attorney Nancy E. Wolff, who is a partner at Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP (www.cdas.com),located in New York. The fair use statute provides guidelines for a defense of an infringement rather than rules. It is generally not meant for commercial use of copyright-protected work without permission.
http://shutterbug.com/columns/business_trends/0909business/ SOURCE: SHUTTERBUG
No true pet owner and animal lover would ever want to abandon their pet but it is a difficult choice to make when it comes to looking after oneself, ones family or ones pet.
Of course it is recognized that to some people their pets are their family so what follows in this article should be of even more interest to them.
read more. . .
Your Choice
The discovery and implementation of digital photography is one of the great advancements of our era. No longer do photographers have to wait for hours or days to see their results. Digital photography saves you time, money and effort.
How to Buy a Digital Camera
If you're new to using a digital camera , here are a few tips to keep in mind:
· Consider the amount of megapixels. Generally the more megapixels you have, the better the quality of your image. This is especially important if you want to make enlargements. The reality is that a 3 megapixel camera will do the job for an 8x10 print, assuming that the optics, processor and firmware are of good quality. If you're printing at 11x14, a 6 megapixel camera will do the job, again, assuming the optics, processor and firmware are of good quality. It's not necessary to spend a lot of money for a camera with 10 megapixels or more. Shooting at that image size will eat up a lot of disk space quickly. Unless you're shooting for a high-end result, such as stock photography, the higher megapixel count isn't necessary.
· Buy a camera with an optical zoom as this produces the best picture quality. While digital zoom is available, it reduces the size of your image (and resolution). If you want to create a digital zoom, you can easily do so after the fact using image editing software.
· Make sure that the camera uses removable memory cards. You don't want to get stuck with a fixed amount of memory.
· Make sure the camera has a large LCD and rangefinder option. In addition, make sure the LCD doesn't wash out in the bright glare of sunlight).
· Choose a camera that uses rechargeable batteries (preferably lithium ion, not nicads)
· Consider the size of your camera and that it fits comfortably in your hands. If it's too small you run the risk of dropping it.
· Make sure your computer can match the system requirements of the camera. If in doubt, check your computer manual for more information.
· Consider purchasing two cameras, one a point-and-shoot that fits in your pocket, the other, a higher quality camera (DSLR) with interchangeable lenses and a high quality chip for studio and location photography. DSLR cameras also perform better in low light situations. This is one area where point-and-shoot cameras don't fare very well.
· Make sure that the camera has an optical viewfinder. LCD's don't display well in sunlight and they consume batttery power quickly.
Nathan Segal, from Victoria, BC, Canada, is a writer/photographer who has also been active as a digital artist for well over a decade. For the past 9+ years, he has written numerous articles for computer and photographic magazines and has provided his own illustrations and photographs for the articles. His articles have covered : software reviews, tutorials, computer tips and tricks, profiles and investigative reporting. visualartist49[at]gmail[dot]com; 1 408 844-4851 (Cell).
Get more done in less time and make more money at DigitalArtistU.com Check out our samples page to improve your photography and your results. http://www.digitalartistu.com/public/main.cfm
THE RELIABILTY FACTOR. Your photography may have consistently won top prizes in contests and exhibits. As fine as this achievement is, it is only one part of gaining success in the field of stock photography sales. An even more important factor is your “Reliability Factor.” Photobuyers are basically interested in photography, not photographers.
Their job is tofind and receive the right photograph in the least amount of time in a hassle-free business situation. You might be able to supply the buyer with the perfect photo for the situation, but if it arrives a day late, you’ve lost a sale.
Do your best to match your excellent photography with an excellent delivery system – and you’re well on your way to total success in stock photography.
DISCREET ADVERTISING – Aaron Lindberg: “My Twitter Strategy: Business in the Front, Party in the Back - Having spent the past several months on Twitter tweeting and reading the tweets of the people I follow, I've gradually evolved a strategy for using this service to market my photography business without being too obvious about it.”
http://rising.blackstar.com/my-twitter-strategy-business-in-the-front-party-in-the-back.html
BIG DEAL, TINY PICTURES – The Online photo service Shutterfly Inc. has acquired startup Tiny Pictures, a picture and video sharing startup, for an undisclosed amount. Tiny Pictures' Radar service lets people share cell phone photos and videos on its Web site, and it connects to sites like Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. http://bit.ly/RAnvu
ANTI-PAPARAZZI SHIELD. -- Russian Billionaire Installs Anti-Photo Shield on Giant Yacht. Ambramovich has installed an anti-paparazzi “shield”. Lasers sweep the surroundings and when they detect a CCD, they fire a bolt of light right at the camera to obliterate any photograph. http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/09/russian-billionaire-installs-anti-photo-shield-on-giant-yacht/
CAMERA NON GRATA -- New iPod Nano, equipped with video camera, might not be welcome at gyms Compact camera-equipped devices, such as cell phones, have been gadgets non grata at health clubs for years. The Life Time chain, for instance, has long forbidden their use in locker rooms because of the potential for compromising photos or video footage to be distributed online. http://www.denverpost.com/preps/ci_13370880?source=rss
RAW WORKFLOW -- ColorChecker Passport Introduced for Digital Photography Raw Workflows. The new hardware/software solution provides Adobe users with integration of DNG profiling. http://bit.ly/eLNoY
EXPANSION – SanDisk has announced a range of new compact flash memory cards with storage capacities from 16 to 64GB, with read and write speeds of up to 90MB per second. http://bit.ly/45IQH0
FASTER, BETTER SEARCH? -- IBM, working with researchers in Europe, claims to have developed a better way to search online for photos and videos than current methods used by Google and Yahoo. The developers call their multimedia technology SAPIR, for Search in Audio-Visual Content Using Peer-to-Peer Information Retrieval.
http://bit.ly/6mh8u
3D AGAIN? – Some gadgets just hit the "awesome" button in the deep, lizard part of your brain. At an Nvidia meeting Friday, my "awesome" button got smacked hard by the Fujifilm FinePix REAL 3D W1, the world's first point-and-shoot, consumer 3D digital camera. It's expensive, somewhat awkward, and probably impractical. But it's really cool.
http://bit.ly/fhzPx SOURCE: Sascha Segan - PC Magazine
BEFORE & AFTER – The 4D PhotoStation System eliminates the costs and complexities of digital photography in the medical practice while increasing photo-imaging revenue opportunities. Photographic documentation is well known for melanoma, cosmetic procedure before and afters and documenting effects of procedures. http://bit.ly/asheZ
RETHINKING TAKING PHOTOS IN MUSEUMS. – Like many museums, EMP/SFM (Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum) has had a strict no-photograph rule since it opened in 2000. Museums are starting to rethink their “no-photos” policy. But as more people take pictures from cell phones and small digital cameras and share them online, that rule has become almost impossible to enforce. http://bit.ly/1Hc4Yi
MAKE-OVER -- Kodak says interest widens in its debt refinancing. Eastman Kodak Co. expects to draw $400 million of its $700 million in debt refinancing from qualified institutional buyers rather than from private equity fund Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. The photography pioneer, battling to remodel itself in the digital age, said pension funds, hedge funds and other institutional investors have showed stronger-than-expected interest in buying convertible senior notes, or unsecured debt, that will bear interest at 7 percent a year. http://bit.ly/reYUB
"I am truly enjoying your periodic video/chat e-mails. They are fun!
I am so glad that I had the chance to get to meet and know you and Jeri so many years ago. Keep going strong!"
- James Cronk, Photographer, Michigan
The PhotoAttorney < http://www.photoattorney.com/ > reports: Rights Grabs from Infinity and Beyond! Here are more copyright grabs that are out of this world! If you enter your print in the 2009 Chicago Zoological Society Photo Contest, then you give the Society your copyright, too! http://bit.ly/kS5Ry
TAKEAWAY: Guess who the winner of these contests is.
“Life is Fun” Photo Contest
· Copyright: The copyright for submitted photos rests with the submitter.
· Eligibility: Anyone over 13 years of age and with a lifeblob account can enter this competition.
· Entry fee: Free
· Entry deadline: 15 October 2009
http://www.photocompete.com/2009/09/17/life-is-fun-photo-contest/
PHOTOS THAT TALK BACK – Diego Valdez and Graham Ohmer are skateboarders who merge their passions of photography and skateboarding into a combination of artistic expression. The two forms parallel each other because "there are no rules in photography and skateboarding. Both allow you to be creative. By shooting images that make the viewer want to step into the picture and wonder, 'What is going on here, how is that there, what is this person doing?”
http://bit.ly/33sQ4M
To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place.... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.
- Elliott Erwitt
1978 – September 11 – Janet Parker was a medical photographer, and she was the last person in the world to die of smallpox; she was exposed in a laboratory mishap.
Jack Kightlinger was a retired White House photographer who worked for five U.S. presidents.
He died, Sept. 14th 2009. He was 77. http://bit.ly/uvEr7
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September 9th 2009
- - - - - - - - - - -
Move to the Head of the Line…
Three Cheers
For Computers
The digital age has brought a kind of democracy to the world of photography. If you have a sensitive eye for pictures and are willing to work at marketing them, you don't need to be a "name" photographer or member of an elite group, to shout, “I just published another of my images.”
And, no longer is it necessary to go through years of schooling, be honored with awards, recognized in the press, or have an uncle who is a publisher, to get your photos in print – and get paid for it.
"Successful photography," for many years, used to be the domain of cameramen who owned extensive equipment, expensive studios, special lenses, and a large ad in the local Yellow Pages, or national trade publications. They joined elite organizations and were showered with ribbons and awards for their work.
That age has passed. The automatic controls on cameras and computers these days make it very possible for a person with a sensitive and creative eye for the visual, to also produce high technical quality and jump to the head of the publishing line.
This might seem upside-down to some readers. “Photographers should work their way, pay their dues, the same way I did,” a veteran photographer might say.
Things are changing, and changing fast. Our publication, PhotoStockNOTES, focuses on catching you up with photo publishing opportunities you might be missing out on, because you thought you couldn't compete with "the big guns," the established photo entrepreneurs; because you thought it would take you too much time, too much effort, to get yourself prepared for professional results, establish the right contacts, and to enter the stock photo industry of eCommerce, web sites, on-line galleries, email, Photography Chat Groups, Search Engines, laptops, Blackberries, and more.
What if you have no track record, no history of publishing? In the new economy of the Digital Age a track record is no longer a prerequisite for success at selling your photos. In fact, in some cases, if an enterprise nowadays boasts that it has been in business since 1975, red flags go up.
“Who cares?” many art directors will say. They suspect a generation gap and might even be apprehensive of dealing with your company for fear you are resistant to change and not up to digital speed in your digital knowledge and computer equipment.
Want to read more?
http://photosource.com/psn-article/cheers.html
CAN YOUR POINT & SHOOT QUALIFY ? -- Stock photographers can get by with a small investment in camera equipment. Unlike the (commercial) service photographer who must be "versatile", the stock photo guy can get by easily with a Point & Shoot camera. Yes, that’s right, “point & shoot” -a marvelous tool –and getting better.
Right now, you don’t need a super expensive high-meg camera since your pictures will be used most of the time at quarter-page size in books and magazines. An 8-meg point and shoot camera will do very well for the publishing industry.
Lesson learned. You don’t have to make a big investment. It’s the same for a beginning artist, - just starting out. You wouldn’t buy an easel, several dozen drawing pads, multiple oil tubes, and brushes, even a smock. At first you would start with minimum equipment to discover if buyers like you work, -- and more important if YOU like the work.
As a stock photographer, if you find you fit in well working with book and magazine editors, it’s then that you can start investing in a more expensive camera with higher resolution and multiple lenses. Check out eBay for some bargains. Once you upgrade to new equipment, put your trusted Pont&Shoot up for sale on eBay Your stock in trade are your pictures, not your equipment. –RE
JUST FOOLIN’ AROUND -- Six New Interesting and Fun Web sites for Photographers - Here are six new tools available for photographers on the web: http://www.dslrphoto.com/dslr/six-new-interesting-and-fun-web-sites-for-photography,7783.html
KEEPING SCORE -- Google Analytics 'Missing Manual' - Google Analytics is one of the best things since sliced bread. The folks at PhotoShelter have unlocked the
secrets of Google Analytics with their free eBook explaining how to maximize the GA tools at your disposal. http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2009/09/google-analytics-missing-manual.html
GOOD PRINTS–CHEAP – How to Make Exhibition-Quality Prints on a Budget - You can spend your life savings printing photographs. But put that print behind glass, in a frame, in a dimly lit gallery and how much of that beauty really shines through? And are potential buyers even aware of what you've spent? As more people go digital and discover that even Wal-Mart can do just as good a job, there is less need for trained lab techs, less volume at pro labs, and less inclination to refresh chemicals. http://rising.blackstar.com/how-to-make-exhibition-quality-prints-on-a-budget.html
TAKEAWAY: If the digital print process can be automated, it stands to reason (like with a digital camera) human error is less the problem for getting your printing jobs right.
GETTIN’ DOWN TO BUSINESS -- An Easy Way for Photographers to Bid and Bill - Lou Lesko started looking for a way to spend more time behind the camera creating and earning.. He created BlinkBid that allows photographers to click and choose their way through a huge range of different options, making creating invoices and detailed bids simple and automatic.
http://blogs.photopreneur.com/an-easy-way-for-photographers-to-bid-and-bill
How Do I Speed Up My Computer?
Your computer is a complex machine made up of both electronic and mechanical parts. Many novices to computers think that once they've bought a computer that it should work consistently thereafter.
The reality is this: You could have the best hardware in the world and have a computer that runs so slowly as to be next to worthless.
The number one determining factor (hardware issues and failures aside) that will slow your computer down is: "YOU!!!"
Have I shocked you ?
Good!!
Let me put this into perspective. A case in point was a computer I was asked to look at recently. The user was really frustrated. He was thinking of chucking the laptop out a window because it was so slow. Granted, it was an old computer, but what really got my attention was what happened when the machine booted up (which took a long time).
He had 6 different anti-spyware programs all in competition with each other, about 5 different registry editors and numerous browser toolbars.
I was flabbergasted!!
I told him I was amazed his machine would even boot up at all. Cleaning it out was even worse. Some of the programs fought me (with threats of dire consequences to the integrity of his machine) as I tried to remove them. It was a real mess, but over time, it got better and the computer sped up considerably.
The whole point of this story is this: "If you have poor software habits, such as downloading tons of files on the Internet or every program your friends give to you, you're likely to overload your system and it won't be long before your computer will begin to slow down again."
To elaborate, let's use the analogy of a new car. If you buy it with all the bells and whistles, such as air conditioning, power everything, etc. and you don’t maintain it, it will begin to perform poorly. One such impact will be high gas consumption.
Conversely, if you buy a car that only has what you need, a leaner version of the same vehicle and you do regular maintenance, this will tend to reduce your gas consumption.
It's a similar thing with your computer. If you get the best hardware but you overload your system with unnecessary programs and clog up your hard drive, your system will begin to slow down.
It's that simple. The solution is to run a lean machine and only install what's necessary for your business or hobby.
A new machine or upgrades will give you a faster machine, but its long term performance will largely be determined by your computing habits.
I would need 10 minutes of your time and I'll show you how to speed up your computer, rid yourself of viruses and protect yourself online.
Nathan Segal, from Victoria, BC, Canada, is a writer/photographer who has also been active as a digital artist for well over a decade. For the past 9+ years, he has written numerous articles for computer and photographic magazines and has provided his own illustrations and photographs for the articles. His articles have covered : software reviews, tutorials, computer tips and tricks, profiles and investigative reporting. visualartist49[at]gmail[dot]com; 1 408 844-4851 (Cell).
Retiring? Getting out of stock?
What do you do with your hundreds, thousands of slides?
Join the discussion in this week’s Kracker Barrel
SPOT JOURNALISM -- Twitpic is a service that makes it easy to post images to Twitter, and to view and comment on photos from your Twitter account. It is also emergining as the trendy new candidate to kill old-school spot photojournalism once and for all. Will Twitpic Succeed Where Scoopt Failed? http://bit.ly/X3TtL
TAKEAWAY: Getting a "scoop" for TV and newspaper journalists has always been the benchmark and goal. It looks like the demise of classic TV and newspaper news (both photos and print) is about to unfold.
WHICH ROAD? -- Are You a Quality Microstocker Or a Quantity Microstocker? - Success in microstock requires that you learn how to consistently create high quality (high selling) stock photos before you increase your volume of production. http://www.microstockdiaries.com/are-you-a-quality-microstocker-or-a-quantity-microstocker.html
REAL EDITORIAL PICS -- Getty Images’ iStock Exclusives invited to shoot editorial photos. The iStock shooters will contribute images to Getty’s editorial collection starting this fall. This will be progressive and addressed in several phases. Shooting editorial is a world away from conventional iStock photography. Forget everything you know about the iStockalypses in the past. There will be no props, models, stylists, lighting, and fancy studio locations. He photos, for most part, wil be on location.
http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=113501
=================================================
And now... Computers
Like most of the "conveniences" in your
kitchen ... you don't plug it in and
forget it. They take regular maintenance
on your part or you'll soon lose their
"convenience."
Keeping your computer in top shape will keep your stock photography business in top form.
read more. . .
SIGN RIGHT HERE -- From iStockphoto Photography Standards: Model Releases – The two major questions that come up about model releases: . When does a person in an image need to sign a release? . What's the proper way to fill out the release?
http://www.istockphoto.com/article_view.php?ID=648
TAKEAWAY: Quick answer: You’ll most always need a release, if you wish to sell your pictures in the corporate world (ads, endorsements, posters,billboards). Almost never if your photo is used to inform and/or educate in the editorial world (books, newspapers, magazines, and some websites).
http://www.photostocknotes.com/psnbugs/legalstuff.jpg
PICSCOUT TO THE RESCUE -- Getty sues, and wins - Getty has won a case for copyright infringement against a removal company, JA Coles. Although Coles took down the image when approached for payment by Getty, they did not pay the fee. Most companies that Getty has sued have not paid. In some cases debt collectors have allegedly been used to pursue the "debt" - which is dubious, since no contract exists - but no court action had been forthcoming, until now. This will set a prescedence. http://copyrightaction.com/forum/getty-finally-sues-and-wins
DIGITAL COMPACT CAMERA: Great Photos Every Time, by Arnold Wilson. The digital compact camera has revolutionized photography: no reel to wind, no running out of film, no waiting for development. But it’s not quite that easy: how do you set the exposure, turn the flash on and off, download the pictures to your computer, and get the high-quality prints you want? This book answers all these questions, plus provides an inspiring guide to the art of taking better photographs. It explains the principles of composition and offers tips on shooting everything from landscapes to weddings, vacations, and pets. A good guide for digital newcomers on how to get the most out of their new cameras. (ISBN: 978-1-86108-527-6; 144 pgs; $17.95) Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 387 Park Ave. So, New York, NY 10016-8810. Contact: Krista Margies, 646-688-2510; kmargies[at]sterlingpublishing[dot]com
...been thinking about starting to sell your stock photos on the Internet...?
my 21-unit program on CD is the answer for you.
Each unit is about 8 to 15 minutes long. It's on a compact disk and can reach your postal mail address in 5 to 7 days. (We're quick!)
There's a guarantee... can't benefit from it? Send it back and you receive a full refund..
Advanced stock photographers as well as newcomers to the marketplace will find new ideas, new strategies, in this marketing guide, to keep pace with the ever-evolving Internet environment.
---Rohn Engh
“The Rohn Engh ‘How to Market Your Photos’ eCourse is nothing short of excellent and is very informative and educational. If you have the ability to take photographs, this course will help you make photographs and sell them.”- Jim Olive, Stock Photo Agency Director, The STOCKYARD, Houston TX
Here's where you go to order it now:
http://www.photosource.com/ecourse
PHOTOS AS EVIDENCE -- Investigators looking into accusations of police misconduct following Hurricane Katrina have filed a subpoena seeking photographs shot by New Orleans photographer Alex Brandon, who was then working for The Times-Picayune. Brandon now works for the Associated Press. http://bit.ly/1GMxN
IT’S NOT FLAT -- Two Students Explain How to Photograph Space for $150. On September 2, Justin Lee and Oliver Yeh successfully took photos of Earth's curvature and the blackness of space using only a weather balloon and off-the-shelf components. http://gizmodo.com/5358667/mit-students-explain-how-to-photograph-space-for-150
JAZZ UP YOUR IMAGE -- FotoMuse is a place where you can import any photo from your album and make it look like a work of art . Kris Gebhardt, entrepreneur and photographer sys, “Anyone with an iPhone can infuse snapshots with artistic depth in just a few simple steps. Publishers are weary of using the tired images found on stock photography sites. Online editors and webmasters are embracing FotoMuse’s filters, borders, and fine art effects to create eye-catching images that pop off of a web page and differentiate their sites from those of their competitors,” he said. “They can literally snap a picture, edit it, and upload it in about five minutes.”
http://news.topwirenews.com/2009/09/02/FotoMuse-IPhone-App-Inspires-Publishers-And-Photography-Hobbyists_200909023130.html
GOOD NEWS REPRIEVE -- Art Capital Dropping Lawsuit Against Annie Leibovitz - Four days after the deadline expired for Annie Leibovitz to repay her $24 million loan to Art Capital Group, the two parties announced a resolution. Leibovitz gets to keep control of her photos and has more time to repay the money.
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/photo-news/legal-news/e3id4e011604f3ec5829edbcaaddc080f82
"Thank you for the fantastic service you offer and the great advice available on your website - it has been a superb help to get started!"
- Terri Petrie, Photographer, U.K.
TWO DECADES -- Corbis Celebrates 20 years of Stock Photography. A look behind the scenes of notable images and a Twitter contest mark the anniversary of one of the oldest major online stock photography company. http://bit.ly/bXeNd
Mahaffey White is still adding color to the world An artist who has reinvented herself in many media, White recently took on digital color photography as a method to express her vibrant photography and personality featured in a new DSCC exhibit . The energetic 98-year-old has not stopped reinventing herself as an artist since the Great Depression. "The camera, available to everyone, makes us all 'picture takers.'... The artist uses the camera differently, as a
tool - like a brush, a chisel, a torch or a metal plate - a tool that has its own limitations and creative possibilities. http://bit.ly/NHkks http://www.stategazette.com/story/1569959.html
FREE WORLD EXPO PASS -- Each year at Photoshop World the company opens the Exhibit Floor to the public for just two days, and if you'd like a free Expo-only pass (so you can see all the exhibitors, including Adobe), and catch the free expo floor classes and presentations, go here to get yours. http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2009/archives/6507
INSIDE LOOK -- Photography Exhibit Working To End Homelessness. "These are eye-opening photos and they really humanize the face of homelessness."
http://cbs11tv.com/local/fort.worth.homelessness.2.1180533.html
“Within every man and woman a secret is hidden, and as a photographer it is my task to reveal it if I can.”
- Yousuf Karsh
1925 – September 5 – Lt George Goddard, director of photography of the Air Corps Technical School, US Army, took photographs of the Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, area from a plane – the “Flying Laboratory.” The pictures were developed and finished in the air, and dropped to the ground within eight minutes from time of exposure. One picture was then sent by a photographic transmitting set to Governors Island, 1,700 miles away, arriving 27 minutes after it had been taken, constituting the first demonstration of rapid aerial photography.
Willy Ronis, French photographer dead at 99. He was the last of France's postwar greats of photography who captured the essence of Paris in black and white scenes of everyday life, died Saturday. Lovers, nudes and scenes from Paris streets were the mainstay of Ronis' photographs, which reflect the so-called humanist school of photography in an award-winning career that began in the 1930s and reaped honors for him in France and abroad.
http://bit.ly/42avvW
- - - - - - - - - -
9/9/9/
- - - - - - - - - -
The Advantages Of
A Home Office
At every recession, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us there is an increase in the number of persons who start up a home business. A stock photography business lends itself well to operating out of your home.
And if you are attentive to general business practices you are going to discover quickly that working from home (rather than at a studio that we usually associate with a photography business) that you are going to reduce your expenses. Whenever you can reduce your expenses, you increase your net profit.
There are plenty of books and articles written on the subject of setting up a home business.
You can Google them for specifics. Here are some favorable highlights you’ll discover.
Your deductions (write-offs…) for home-office expenses include a percentage of your rent if you rent your home or apartment, or a percentage of the depreciation if you own your home; and according to percent of spaced used, an appropriate percentage of home utilities, property tax, mortgage interest and insurance. You can determine the percentage based on any reasonable allocation. Most people use either square footage or number of rooms in the house.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
A “home” office can be in a house, apartment, loft, condominium, trailer, mobile home, or boat. The term also includes any separate structure that is part of your residence, such as a garage or barn. You can deduct the expenses directly related to your home office, such as utilities, insurance, property taxes, etc. You must, however, meet certain requirements for your home work space to qualify as a “home office,” and be eligible for these deductions.
The home-office rules apply to sole proprietors the home-office rules do not apply to regular corporations.
Here are some details:
1.) Your Principal Place of Business: The home-office rules changed in January 1999. Until 1999, you were not able to deduct any expenses for a home office unless it was used exclusively and on a regular basis as your “principal place of business,” or a place of business used regularly by your patients, clients or customers in the normal course of business.
Up to 1999, the Supreme Court defined principal place of business as, “the most important, consequential, or influential location,” with the main emphasis on where you do the work that produces the income. This meant that consultants, contractors, plumbers, caterers, musicians, independent traveling salespeople and others who do their income-producing work at customers’ and clients’ homes and offices, were not, in most cases, eligible for a home office deduction.
The fact that your home office was essential to your business, or that you did all of your paperwork there, or even that it was the sole base of operations, according to the past law this was not enough to make it deductible. However, a law change in 1997, put into effect in 1999, made it possible for you to deduct home-office “space” expenses that previously were not recognized by the IRS. The law now eliminates the “principal place of business” requirement.
This is often referred to as the Soliman Decision. You will be allowed a home office deduction if your home office is the only place (“the sole fixed location”) where the business owner conducts “substantial” administrative or management activities for that business.
2..) Regular and Exclusive Use: To be eligible for the home office deduction, a specific part of your home must be used regularly and exclusively for business. It can be a separate room or even part of a room, as long as the space is used for the business and nothing else. A TV set can be in the office if it is used in connection with stock photography. Your office cannot double as a guestroom, poolroom, kids’ playroom, or anything else, even when you are not working in the room.
(An exception to the exclusive rule: If the home is the sole fixed location for a retail sales business, such as a display room for your photos or a place to store your inventory in the home, the expense of maintaining the storage area is deductible even if storage isn’t the exclusive use of the space.
MORE DEDUCTIONS
You are allowed a deduction for your home office even if you have another business location, and even if you earn the major portion of your income away from the home office, as long as you do a substantial amount of your paperwork, research, ordering supplies, scheduling, or appointments at your home office. Note that you don’t have to do all of your administrative or management work at home. The key word here is “substantial.” (Using the home office to do only occasional or minor paperwork will not qualify it for the deduction.)
3.) Separate structure: If your home business is located not in the home, but in a freestanding structure such as a studio, garage or barn, you don’t have to meet the principal-place-of-business test. You are allowed deductions for upkeep of the space even if it is not your principal place of business. But the space still must be used regularly and exclusively for business, to qualify.
Home repairs, such as a new roof or furnace, are also partly deductible (though if they are major, they must be depreciated).
The IRS specifically prohibits deductions for landscaping and lawn care, but if a greenhouse or botanical garden is necessary for a photo specialization you are noted for, then this would, naturally, be a write-off for you.
Want to read more?
http://photosource.com/psn-article/advantage.html
How To Surf The Web Anywhere
Find a wireless service to connect to the internet.. Cell phone coverage in the United States and Europe are pretty complete, but the title of this article is “How to Surf the Web from Anywhere.” So for maximum service also look into a satellite phone and internet service.
Satellite phone service takes some getting used to but is unmatched in its ability to connect you to the rest of the world in what you swore was a mile past the middle of nowhere.
http://www.ehow.com/how_4832530_surf-internet-anywhere.html
GET “META” SMART. -- Are you meta-smart? If you create, distribute or use digital photos, you’d better be!,” says SAA. To protect your copyrights … To make money licensing photography … To smooth your workflow … To track image use … To find images you need … To find them again … You need to understand and use photo metadata. We can help.” www.photometadata.org/
PICK A WINNER - When you're searching for a niche in which to
specialize, there's often one ideal place to look. Pick a subject that
genuinely interests you, something that you've been shooting anyway just for
fun and you'll not only be earning a little extra cash, you'll also have
that unbeatable feeling that you're being paid to do something you find
immensely satisfying.
http://blogs.photopreneur.com/finding-a-fascinating-photography-project-that-pays
RAINY DAYS -- Bad Weather Doesn't Have to Ruin Your Photo Shoot - The danger of
preconceptions. SOURCE: Rising Black Star
http://rising.blackstar.com/bad-weather-doesnt-have-to-ruin-your-photo-shoot.html#more-5906
REVENUE IS UP FOR MICROSTOCK -- Microstock Earnings Report August 2009 - August is typically one of the slower months of the microstock calendar.
But this year a lot of microstockers are reporting a very solid month, particularly a few iStockphoto exclusive contributors.
http://www.microstockdiaries.com/microstock-earnings-report-august-2009.html
CAN’T TAKE THE HEAT? Golf-McIlroy annoyed as photographer spoils his last hole. Last year's runner-up in Switzerland hit an eagle and eight birdies to tie for seventh with a total of 12-under 272 but was annoyed not to finish better after being upset by a photographer on the last hole. http://bit.ly/ZNjW1
TAKEAWAY: What baseball pitcher, football quarterback, hockey player, basketball player at the foul line would not love to blame a missed goal on a photographer? How did we golfers ever evolve to the exclusivity of having no distractions by the spectators as we perform?
WE OWE HER -- Photography's debt to Annie Leibovitz. As celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz's financial woes threaten to eclipse her career, it's important to remember
how much we owe to her pioneering work
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/sep/08/annie-leibovitz-debts?commentpage=1
OLD FAITHFUL GONE? -- The United States Bankruptcy Court of New York has announced that case number 09-235299 (the Readers Digest Association) has been filed on August 24th 2009 and the creditors meeting will be held on October 2, 2009 in New York.
Rumors of the Reader’s Diget Association’s dire finances had been floating in publishing circles for months. In January 2009, the company laid off 300 employees, 8% of its staff. In June, the company announced it would cut its circulation from 8 million to 5.5 million and decrease the number of issues published per year from 12 to 10.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/17/readers-digest-bankruptcy-business-media-readers-digest.html
Whether you are retired or
looking for a way to gain
extra income, or to cut
back on rent or the costs
of operating a studio ...
One answer can be to work at home..
read more. . .
Take the Test! - How much do you know about copyright law? Check your
knowledge on Bryan Cave's Art Law blog.
SOURCE: http://www.photoattorney.com/2009/09/take-test.html
If you’ve been questioned by security guards, uniformed policemen, pranksters, off-duty policemen; detectives, or vigilantes, -- here’s where you can go for a review of your First Amendment Rights:
Commercial Photography Handbook
by Kirk Tuck
The topics in this book begin with determining what kind of commercial photography to pursue and how to get the training needed to carve out a niche in the market. Targeting new and experienced commercial photographers alike, the guide explores the different aspects and challenges of succeeding in the industry. The topics also include marketing techniques, negotiation skills, estimating and charging for work, maximizing profits while minimizing expenses, and ethical business behavior.
Commercial photographers who are developing or expanding their businesses will know how to evolve and grow during up and down economic times.
Kirk Tuck is an award-winning advertising photographer whose clients include Dell, Elle magazine, IBM, Motorola, Pharmaco, and Time Warner lives in Austin, Texas.
Amherst Media $34.95 ISBN-13: 978-1-58428-260-0 Order #: 1890>
If you are a photographer seeking exposure
for your photography…whether you are an
unknown photographer or a veteran freelancer,
the PhotoSourceBANK places you in the front of the line.
Editorial photobuyers need specific-content
pictures for their specialized projects. If
you have what they need, they’re interested
in working with you.
Major photobuyers search the PhotoSourceBANK daily for their picture needs. The PhotoSource International website gets 43,000 hits per day, ten times more than any similar site on the web.
For More Information on how to supply 3,000 of your descriptive words (tags) to our PhotoSourceBANK: https://www.photosource.com/cart/psb.php
What others are saying about the PhotoSourceBANK…
http://www.photosource.com/talk/psb_talk.php
WHEN A FLICKR PIC VANISHES -- Flickr Changes Its DMCA TakeDown Policy for Copyright Infringement Claims. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) states that while an Internet Service Provider (ISP) is not liable for transmitting information that may infringe a copyright, the ISP must remove materials from users' websites that appear to constitute copyright infringement after it receives proper notice. Flickr will send a message to the member about the claim, remove the questionable image, but leave the metadata and comments posted. http://bit.ly/gwE5r
YES/NO, YOU CAN’T -- In the UK: Illegal to delete photographers' pics, confess Met Police. The Metropolitan Police revised its anti-terrorism guidance in a bid to clear up confusion surrounding the powers police officers have over amateur and professional photographers. http://bit.ly/2qgbfd
WHO’S RUNNING THE SHIP ANYWAY ? -- Flickr Will No Longer Nuke Your Metadata When They Comply With DMCA Takedown. Notices - Flickr still needs to go further. A lot of controversy around the most recent Joker/Obama image was over how seriously Flickr examines their
takedown notices. Can any crackpot simply file a DMCA takedown notice and get an image killed? As it turns out, probably.
http://thomashawk.com/2009/09/flickr-will-no-longer-nuke-your-metadata-when-they-comply-with-dmca-takedown-notices.html
ANTIQUE DIGITAL – The PhotoHistory Symposium Features World's First Digital Camera - The Photographic Historical Society, founded in 1966, is the oldest such group in the world. It will sponsor PhotoHistory XIV in Rochester, NY on Oct. 16-18, 2009. The symposium speakers hail from Canada, England, Belgium and the US. http://shutterbug.com/news/083109history/
Educate Yourself
For Tax Planning
By Julian Block Esq.
Are you a stock photographer who doesn't want to pay
any more to the IRS than you have to, legally?
Keeping good records is the key to mapping out strategies that you can use year after year to trim taxes. But organizing that ever-growing accumulation of records in your desk drawers, closets, and other storage spaces is just the first step for effective tax planning.
Educating yourself on the current tax opportunities and pitfalls can be an important second step. Ideally, you should be equipped to weigh the tax consequences before you make decisions on whether to invest, borrow or spend.
In these increasingly tough times, it is more vital than ever that stock photographers assume greater responsibility for their financial future. They ought not to rely exclusively on paid advisers to keep on top of tax-law changes or other legislation that might make it necessary to revise their plans. At the very least, photographers should be knowledgeable enough to raise good questions and evaluate answers when they deal with a professional tax advisor. Keep up with the times. The informed client gets the best advice.
COMMUNITY TAX HELP
On a personal note, JFK was president when I first passed a bar exam. Eight presidents later, I still am constantly contacted by individuals seeking to disentangle themselves from problems created by their blind reliance on flawed advice from highly paid professionals. That is why I recommend photographers sign up for low-cost adult education courses on taxes, investing and other aspects of personal finance.
Photographers can pick from an array of continuing education courses tailored to their interest, that are available at high schools, community colleges and the like. These courses are typically taught by attorneys, CPAs and financial planners — individuals with hands-on experience who are able to provide helpful, unbiased advice.
What is particularly advantageous is that the courses make it possible for photographers to pick the brains of qualified instructors at a fraction of what it would otherwise cost to meet them on a one-to-one basis.
An example: In my near-New-York-City neck of the woods, the going hourly rate for tax lawyers commonly is several hundred dollars and up, whereas students generally pay about $40 at the adult ed places that offer my two-hour sessions on narrowly focused topics.
Another decided advantage is that you and other attendees get to ask questions about significant events in your financial lives. Some of the queries regularly fielded by me and my fellow instructors: the tax-right way to open, operate, or close business ventures; the tax and other legal consequences of getting hitched or unhitched; when and how much to remove from traditional IRAs or other tax-deferred retirement plans; and whether to make lifetime gifts of money and other kinds of property to family members, or to leave the assets to them.
Also, you learn money-saving techniques that you can apply yourself, or, should you decide to seek professional help, test out on your advisers. And, conceivably, those advisers might turn out to be your instructors, whom you’ve had an excellent chance to evaluate.
The adage that there is no free lunch is particularly apt when it comes to no-charge seminars sponsored by brokerage houses, insurance companies, etc. Far too often, these outf its use the talks mainly as marketing tools to promote (1) themselves, (2) dubious investment vehicles and other products designed to generate lucrative commissions for themselves and dismal returns for their clients, or (3) all of the above.
Julian Block, a former IRS agent and a tax attorney, is the author of "The 2009 Stock Photographer's Tax Guide." For details on how to purchase this important 32-page publication: http://www.photosource.com/taxtips.php . For Julian’s tax saving and tax planning reports, go to http://www.photosource.com/products and click on “2009 Tax Tip Guides.” Julian can be reached at julianblock[at]yahoo[dot]com .
MULTI-TASKING CAMERA – Open-source camera could revolutionize photography - Stanford computer science professor Marc Levoy and graduate student Andrew Adams with their open-source source camera. Anyone will be able to create new features for the camera by writing aps that control all the camera's functions - focus, exposure, shutter speed, flash, etc.
http://www.echenique.com/index.php/2009/09/05/open-source-camera-could-revolutionize-photography-w-video/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=open-source-camera-could-revolutionize-photography-w-video
ANOTHER TOOL -- David Bailey's Nokia experiment and the future of photography. Until recently, camera phones have been the snapshot camera's poor relation, but some have reached the point where they can take serious pictures, even at night. To wit: Nokia's N86. http://bit.ly/rnrKJ
“This CD eCourse, "Rohn Engh's How To Market Your Photos", in the market place of selling your photos, is the bible for getting your photos sold. Rohn Engh, along with a few of his very knowledgeable stock photographer friends, show you how to sell the photos you love to take – using real world technology.
From the Internet, to Google, to creating websites, to business cards and letterhead,legal forms, and pricing your photos – this is hands down, the best out there.
This CD is like sitting down and chatting with a good friend, about how to do something you love, and then, getting paid for it. Rohn is the best of the best at helping you get your photos to the marketplace.
Rohn takes you through it all step by step in "How To Market Your Photos"
– hands down, the best a friend can give to a friend."
Joe Stanski, Photo Illustrator, Morning Star Photography, Fairfield, Iowa
For info: www.prweb.com/releases/2009/08/prweb2709904.htm
Fourteen photography contests for all skill levels - Prizes include over $15,000
in cash prizes, new cameras and lenses, gift cards, computers, photo
enlargements, travel, exclusive memberships and more. Six contests have
September entry deadline dates. Note: Remember to always read the official rules
very carefully.
http://www.examiner.com/x-6227-Louisville-Photography-Examiner~y2009m9d5-14-photography-contests-for-all-skill-levels
MOVING UP -- Janet Reeves is now the Washington Times Photo Editor - Janet Reeves, who was the top photo editor at the Rocky Mountain News when it folded in February, has been named assistant managing editor for photography at The Washington Times. Under Reeves' direction, the Rocky won Pulitzer Prizes for photography in 2000, 2003 and 2006.
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/features/pdn-online/e3ie0fe1e4b8826bd9390c3092f7cb81030
ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY. -- Waruna Gomis: The question is, when faced with a structure with so many outstanding aesthetics, what governs his decision on angles? “There are basics in architectural photography which are closely connected with architectural graphics and perspective drawings,” Gomis explained. “When you’re trained first as an architect it’s easy to see the elements of a complex structure in it’s pure or basic form. “And pacing gently through and around the building that you find the ideal place to set up your tripod.”
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/articles/20090905084720/Article
“In photography, the smallest thing can become a big subject, an insignificant human detail can become a leitmotiv. We see and we make seen as a witness to the world around us; the event, in its natural activity, generates an organic rhythm of forms.”
- Henri Cartier Bresson
1873 – August 26th – The birthday of physicist and inventor Lee De Forest, Council Bluffs, Iowa. He patented the Audion vacuum tube in 1907. It was the key component of the first radios. Lee went on to patent hundreds more inventions, things like the radio knife for surgery, and the photoelectric cell, but he was proudest of the Audion tube, and titled his 1950 autobiography, Father of Radio.
- - - - - - - - -
September 3, 2009
- - - - - - - - -
Is Your Stock Collection Healthy?
Healthy living comes from healthy eating. Selecting fresh produce can lead to good nutrition.
Have you ever shopped at a Farmer’s Market? Hundreds of choices of fruits, vegetables, canned pickles, dried beans and so on.
Shoppers can spend a lot of time, roaming, looking and selecting the items for sale.
People who visit Farmer’s Markets usually arrive with a $20 bill and leave with garden fresh goods. Farmer’s Markets are a good example of what on-line Internet stock photo shopping has become.
The community Farmer’s Markets are growing. And unlike a 65,000 square foot Wal-Mart where merchandise is segmented by signs (“Household”, “Canned fruit”, “Auto”, “Toys”), Farmer’s Markets on the other hand are an ocean of unregulated produce. .
DO-IT-YOURSELF
Is your website an ocean of unregulated images?
More people are discovering their digital camera can match and reproduce the same visual quality of the images they see in magazines and books. These folks (we can rightly call them photographers) are discovering they can gain recognition for their art – plus make a few dollars.
And like farmer’s markets, on-line galleries are expanding. And more and more photographers are loading them with more and more images.
It’s true that you can find quality farm fresh vegetables and fruits at a farmer’s market. You can also find photo treasures on the Internet.
But will your photos in an on-line photo gallery find themselves being purchased by a photobuyer? Probably not. The reason is simple. In an ever-expanding supply of pictures, your chances of being discovered by a photobuyer become less.
What to do?
Want to read more?
http://photosource.com/psn-article/healthy.html
by Bill Hopkins
Taxes Affecting Associates
As more and more states pass or update laws to tax Internet sales shipped to their states, more and more Internet merchants are pulling the plug. At least for their associates. Amazon has now terminated their associate program in several states. Among the latest to receive word are North Carolina, Rhode Island and Hawaii. States are trying to close budget gaps by finding new (and sometimes novel) ways to collect additional sales taxes. Previously, if a state collected sales taxes (some don=t) it would only collect if the business had a physical presence in the stateBthe "brick and mortar" approach. Now laws are being passed/proposed to collect sales taxes if the merchant has any affiliates in their state, a decidedly different tack.
KUTGW, NSFW, KWIM?
I suppose you could always ask your (or another=s) kid to decipher this for you, but when that resource is unavailable (or you suspect the shorthand is inappropriate) you can always go here: http://www.netlingo.com/acronyms.php Another site is dtxtr.com, which offers translations of "teen speak" to "english" (4col, they can't even capitalize "English.") I kinda like this one, 404. I'm sure your Internet browsing has shown this to you more than once. What does it mean in texting? "I haven't got a clue." How true. And watch out for these: 9, 99. CUOL.
12 Outdated Tech Terms
With a nod to George Carlin, here are twelve outdated technology terms, at least according to Business Week (there are dissenting points of view). Intranet, extranet, web surfing, push technology, Application Service Provider (ASP), Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), Internet telephony, weblog, thin client, RBOC, long-distance call, World Wide Web. To understand why these terms are considered outdated, please visit http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2009/tc20090824_902851.htm
Bill Hopkins is the Webmaster of PhotoSourceFolio* ( www.photosourcefolio.com ) and a regular contributor to PhotoStockNotes. Send comments via e-mail to wh[at]photosourcefolio[dot]com Fax: 1 818 831-0916. For on-line questions, contact Bill on the Kracker Barrel at http://www.photosource.com/board
*Display 6 of your own images for photobuyers to view, on your page on the PhotoSource website.
Name: Dan Holden Bailey
Phone: 513-425-0538
Email: dholdenb[at]aol[dot]com
dates#1: 8-28-09/9-5-09
destination#1: Maldives
Comments: Will be shooting land and underwater
Name: Steve Lunetta
Phone: 1 520 579 8121
Email: steve[at]pagetopage[dot]net
Dates: Sept 22-30, 2009
destination: Paris, Venice
Comments: http://www.pagetopage.net http://gallery.mac.com/slunetta
BE PREPARED -- Tips From a Pulitzer Prize Winning Photojournalist - Deanne Fitzmaurice is a multi-award wining photographer, including Microsoft's Icons of Imaging and
the big kahuna, Pulitzer Prize. She passed along some very pragmatic advice
about always checking your equipment, your cards, batteries, always being
aware of exactly where you stand so you're ready for that next shot.
http://www.silberstudios.tv/blog/2009/08/25/tips-from-a-pulitzer-prize-winning-photojournalist/308/
Video: http://www.silberstudios.tv/previous-shows/deane-fitzmaurice/
WORKFLOW -- Datacolor Uses Its Heritage, Flagship Calibration Kit To Create Ultimate Workflow Solution With New Spyder3Studio SR. The new system is built on the solid foundation of Datacolor's extremely popular and highly revered Spyder3Studio Kit. The Spyder3Studio SR represents a true breakthrough in performance and price.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/NEWS/1251329781.html
ESCAPING MEDIOCRITY -- Eighteen Tips for Being a Photography Original - It's clear that you don't want to be playing in that end of the pool. So, in today's market, how can you position yourself as a photography original - and reclaim the value of your
ideas? Here are 18 do's and don'ts:
http://rising.blackstar.com/18-tips-for-being-a-photography-original.html
NUDES FOR YOU -- Nude Model Arrested.
(Did We Mention She Was Nude?)
Photographer Zach Hyman has found a fool-proof strategy for promoting his art: public nudity.
http://bit.ly/30620F
WHAT DOWN ECONOMY? -- Recession? What Recession? First Leica Store on East Coast in West Palm Beach, FL At least that seems to be the thinking of German camera manufacturer Leica which is set to open the first Leica store on the East Coast in West Palm Beach, Florida.
http://bit.ly/cThAj
MARKETING TIP -- If you can prove a client has lost, misappropriated, or outright stolen your image(s), you have the right to take that client to small claims court (in cases under $2500 in most cases). Seek help from the national organization… A “Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts” attorney may reside or your local area . The headquarters for this organization is: VLA, The Paley Building 1 East 53rd Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10022 212·319·ARTS (2787)
Who is winning the battle between microstock and Rights-managed stock photography?
Check out the Kracker Barrel this week to get some opinions. Or maybe there isn’t a battle.
http://board.photosource.com/
NEW CREDENTIALS POLICY -- SEC Eases Photo Restrictions In College Football Media Policy. The Southeastern Conference, which had drawn complaints and potential boycott from some media organizations over a new restrictive credential policy, has revised the rules to allow more use of photos, video, and blogging by news outlets. http://bit.ly/3s4USk
WANTED: TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PHOTOJOURNALISM BUSINESS MODEL. -- PDN recently sat down with VII Photo Agency managing director Stephen Mayes to discuss how the agency's business is evolving and to get his take on photojournalism in the new millennium. Stephen Mayes: “The most telling comment I’ve heard in recent months is that journalism in the twenty-first century is yet to be invented, and that what we’re all struggling to do is to maintain an old model in a new system, and it’s incompatible in many ways.”
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/features/pdn-online/e3i8b95ac51de67e196d15ec26cbd94da1b
ULTIMATE MICROSTOCK UTILITY - When the service, iSyndica first launched, it simply provided a faster way to upload photos to many different microstock agencies. You could upload your photos once to iSyndica and they would then send them to various agencies of your choice. In the short time since their launch, they've built some very appealing functionality on top of that basic service.
http://www.microstockdiaries.com/isyndica.html
GETTIN’ DOWN TO BUSINESS -- The Business of Microstock Panel Discussion - As the microstock market moves farther away from its hobbyist origins, the traditional sector of the stock photo market is adapting to microstock as a business. But getting people experienced with both sectors of the market is not easy. Mediabistro and Microstock Diaries are bringing an informal industry festival in New York City this October.
http://www.microstockdiaries.com/the-business-of-microstock-panel-discussion.html
THEY SAID IT CAN’T BE DONE -- Facebook censors documentary photography project (UK)Facebook has defended its ban of images forming part of a photography project on the struggle of a woman battling breast cancer. http://bit.ly/47yTWd
ROYAL FOLKS WIN CASE -- The Dutch monarchy won their case against the Associated Press (UK). The judge found against the Associated Press, ruling that images of the Dutch royal family lacked news value and invaded their privacy. http://bit.ly/2NVNve
TAKEAWAY: Hmmmmm….. Is this the same “most liberal, free-loving country in the world” that appears to take a very conservative view when it comes to Freedom of the Press?
PHOENIX. Vibe Magazine To Return, New Editor Named - The new owners of Vibe have named publishing veteran Jermaine Hall as editor-in-chief of the dormant hip-hop magazine and plan to resume publication in November.
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/photo-news/editorial/e3i793637a126d62172ee5129f659a6d77a
UNLESS YOU ARE A PAP EXTRODINAIRE - THEY SAID IT CAN’T BE DONE -- The Photo Attorney (http://www.photoattorney.com ) advises: Lesson #1 - don't trespass to take a photo. Lesson #2 - don't take a photo of a person who has an expectation of privacy. George Clooney is suing a paparazzi who "climbed over the villa garden wall on Clooney's property in Italy and took pictures of a 13-year-old girl changing in one of his guest rooms." If true, then the photographer may be found liable for trespass, invasion of privacy, and/or intentional infliction of emotional distress, among other claims.
http://www.hollyscoop.com/george-clooney/george-clooney-suing-paparazzi-over-underage-pictures_21217.aspx
YES, I CAN – Bert P. Krages, article-writer, book author, and all-‘round photo attorney, provides a mini-placard you can show to security guards, detectives, vigilantes, law enforcement people(in uniform or otherwise)who attempt to prevent you from taking pictures in public. Know your rights. http://www.krages.com/phoright.htm
In Britain you can use a similar card: http://www.highton-ridley.co.uk/blog/2009/08/photographers-bust-card-uk-only.html
In Australia: http://www.artslaw.com.au/legalinformation/StreetPhotographersRights.asp
5 Things You Should Know About Photo Copyrights
We break down the laws that protect your photos.
By Kathleen Davis
1. Copyright exists from the moment you create your work and fix it in tangible form.
But while you don’t have to, registering your photos with the U.S. Copyright Office gives you the full protection of the law.
According to Michelle Bogre, an attorney and associate professor of photography at Parsons The New School for Design, if you register before your copyright is infringed (or within 90 days of publication), you can sue for statutory damages ($750 to $150,000) and legal fees. Didn’t register? You can only claim what your work might have sold for, which is hard to prove, Bogre warns.
2. Registering isn’t hard.
Go to the U.S. Copyright Office’s website (www.copyright.gov), where you can register online or download an application, and submit your work. It costs $35 online, or $50– $65 through the mail.
On a single application, you can register unpublished work from the same year as a collection, so you only have to pay the fee once for a big batch of photos. (Already published? Your photos are a collection only if they were originally published that way.)
It takes from two to six months to get your certificate of registration—unless you pay $760 to expedite.
3. You can permit broad usage without losing copyright.
Applying a Creative Commons (CC) license lets you share photos for more exposure while specifying clearly how they can be used. You keep your copyright, but others can copy and distribute your work, provided they credit you—and only under the terms you set (such as prohibiting commercial use). A CC license doesn’t give you the same protection, so apply it only after you’ve registered copyright. For more information, visit creativecommons.org.
4. Some kinds of unauthorized use don’t violate copyright.
Before you cry foul, make sure it wasn’t allowed under the fair-use doctrine or an implied contract, such as the rules you agree to by submitting your photo to a contest.
Copyrighted images can be used without permission or payment “for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research,” according to The Law (In Plain English) for Photographers by attorney Leonard D. Duboff (Allworth Press, 2002; $20). Exceptions have also been made for parodies and library use. Unsure? Contact a copyright lawyer.
Many photo contests (ours included) have rules that allow the sponsor to use entries for promotional and other purposes. You retain copyright, but you may not get paid.
Shot a photo for your employer, or under a work-for-hire contract? Your employer owns the copyright.
5. Copyright doesn’t last forever.
Photos taken after January 1, 1978—when the current law went into effect—are protected for 70 years after your death (ownership goes to your heirs).
SOURCE: Popular Photography Magazine www.popphoto.com
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SHOW ME THE MONEY -- Virgin puts unauthorized picture in brochure… photographers says “They should know better.”
http://mobilesyrup.com/2009/08/27/virgin-puts-unauthorized-picture-in-brochures-photographers-says-they-should-know-better/
OBAMA HOPE POSTER LITIGATION -
AP RESPONDS TO PHOTOGRAPHER’S INTERVENTION
by Joel Hecker, Esq.
In my prior July column I reported on July 8, 2009 a motion by photographer Mannie Garcia to intervene in the action concerning the use of an illustration by poster artist Shepard Fairey which copied a photograph of then Presidential candidate Obama on posters, t-shirts and other material.
Garcia now claims in his court papers that in fact he was always the copyright owner of the images, that he was never an employee of AP, and that he never agreed to transfer his copyright to AP. Specifically Garcia now states that he never signed AP’s freelancer contract because he did not agree to its terms. The Court granted his motion to intervene.
AP has now responded to Garcia’s allegations in specific detail. AP claims, insofar as copyright ownership of the Obama photos, that Garcia was indeed an employee of AP. In support of its position, AP alleges in its cross-claim against Garcia that:
- In early March, 2006 Garcia became a freelance photographer for AP, at which time he signed a written agreement whereby he transferred to AP all copyrights to the assigned work.
- On March 29, 2006 Garcia submitted a written application for employment, seeking to be hired as an AP staff photographer on a full-time basis.
- In connection with this application, Garcia completed certain documentation that are only completed by employees, including that, if hired, he would be an employee-at-will.
- Garcia also completed other employee related documents.
- He also signed an agreement acknowledging that his employment as a staff photographer for AP would commence on April 3, 2006 at a stated salary which was to be based on a 40 hour work week.
- Garcia also became eligible to join the News Media Guild and became subject to the Guild’s collective bargaining agreement which covered AP employees (but not freelancers).
- Garcia was given photo assignments and listed as a staff photographer.
Want to read more?
http://photosource.com/psn-article/ap.html
Stock photographers know a top priority for their success is to stay healthy.
read more. . .
PHOTO CRIMINALS -- 'Not A Crime' campaign hits the broadsheets (UK)
British Journal of Photography "Not A Crime" campaign has been taken on by The Independent, a newspaper which published a long-ranging video report about the increasing restrictions on photography in public places. http://bit.ly/wXuNC
BEFORE YOU WERE BORN. Bell Labs has been pumping out innovations in Internet technology for a long time, starting with the fax machine in 1925. Will we see a hiatus in innovations in this ‘down’ economy?
Consider a few of the crown jewels from Bell Labs alone:
• The first public demonstration of fax transmission (1925)
• First long-distance TV transmission (1927)
• Invention of the transistor (1947)
• Invention of photovoltaic cell (1954)
• Creation of the UNIX operating system (1969)
• Technology for cellular telephony (1978)
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_36/b4145036681619.htm?chan=rss_topStories_ssi_5
EARLY PHOTOS -- In an exhibition, the Detroit museum shows off rare, early photographs. Sir John Herschel made important contributions to the nascent field of photography more than a century and a half ago, inventing a chemical process that allowed an image to be fixed onto
photosensitive paper. And in a first for a photographic exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts, attendees will be invited to fill out a comment card and give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down on what they've seen.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090831/ap_on_re_us/art_early_photography_2
LEICA STEPS FORWARD -- The Leica company is such a big, historic player in the camera game that anything it does is important. It just announced via a YouTube video that it will introduce new Leica cameras on September 9.
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kit-eaton/technomix/leica-forgets-about-apple-new-camera-event-collision-ipods
YouTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBcZ1jaWXRw
DOES IT WORK? Eastman Kodak Company today issued a statement in response to a news release issued by the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus regarding Kodak's printer advertising claims. Kodak is quoted as saying, “it would be more meaningful to consumers for HP to simply begin offering reasonably priced ink….”
http://bit.ly/vHi36
NEW FOR SOCIAL MEDIA Cerevo Debuts Digital Camera That Automatically Uploads Pictures To Multiple Social Media Sites - Cerevo, currently one of the most ambitious tech start-ups in Japan, showed its self-developed digital camera aimed at heavy social media users for the first time.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/29/live-from-tokyo-cerevo-debuts-digital-camera-that-automatically-uploads-pictures-to-multiple-social-media-sites/
IT’S OFFICIAL -- It’s pretty clear that the Canon 7D is all but official and that it is slotted between the Canon 50D and 5D Mark II. While it retains the 1.6x crop sensor format of the 50D and its predecessors, the 7D is definitely geared more toward serious amateurs and pro wildlife and sports photographers. http://tinyurl.com/lmh4ya
REVEALING! -- New wedding photography trend: The Boudoir Photo Shoot. There is a new wedding photo trend going around town, have you heard about it? A clue: It involves the bride wearing a lot less than her wedding gown. http://bit.ly/WYCgJ
VIDEO IS NEXT. Photographers Who Do Video - With all the modern technology floating around (video on your phone? really?) photographers are forced to be at the forefront of it all in order to stay competitive. Be prepared. Being on top of new trends mean photographers must now make the leap to video.
http://stone-thrower.com/2009/08/25/qampa-photographers-video/
"I want to thank you for your PhotoLetter marketletter. It has already started paying dividends!! Keep up the excellent job!!"
-Victor Perez de Lara, Photographer, Colonia Condesa MEXICO
"This is a great website. I like the Kracker Barrel ! Thanks for publishing PHOTOLETTER. Although the fees may be modest from many regional publishers, the photobuyers frequently buy in volume and often lead to other projects. One recent sale added up to nearly $3,000!"
- Russ Poole, Photographer, Frederick, Maryland
MYSTERY: -- Who Asked Flickr to Delete the Obama Joker? (Updated). Flickr managers are drawing criticism from some of their users after deleting a satirical photo that showed President Obama on the cover of Time made to look like the Joker. Flickr says it had to delete the image after receiving a takedown notice from a copyright holder. http://bit.ly/84FK6
SENSITIVE ALTERING -- Swift Apology From Microsoft Over Racial Photoshopping Microsoft has apologized for a photograph on the Polish version of its web site that was altered to put a white man's head on a black man's body. (Screen grabs below.)
http://bit.ly/38CUVo
http://www.techtree.com/India/News/Microsoft_Apologizes_for_Photo_Goof-up/551-105870-643.html
(see center person...)
Do photographers see differently than other people?
Or do they simply know how to anticipate?
Here are the winners of National Wildlife’s photo contest.
http://www.nwf.org/NationalWildlife/article.cfm?issueID=79&articleID=1158
DODGING SHRAPNEL, LAND MINES, and BULLETS -- Ask a Pro: How to Shoot (and Not Get Shot) In a War Zone. Ever wonder how war photographers survive out there? Gizmodo has enlisted Teru Kuwayama—a photographer who has covered conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and other hotspots for Time, Newsweek and...
http://gizmodo.com/5330715/ask-a-pro-how-to-shoot-and-not-get-shot-in-a-war-zone
“There is no comparison between that which is lost by not succeeding and that which is lost by not trying.”
Francis Bacon {1561-1626 English Philosopher}
1928 - September 19th - Walt Disney introduced "Mickey Mouse" in his first animated cartoon, "Steamboat Willy."
1963 - September 24th - Photograph (authorized) of Senate in session to vote on the nuclear test ban treaty, was taken by National Geographic Society photographers for the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, Washington DC.
Mary Morris Lawrence, First Female AP Photographer, Dies at 95. Mary Morris Lawrence, believed to be the first female photographer hired by the Associated Press, died August 12 at her home in Oakland, California, at age 95. http://bit.ly/15wTrD
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
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September 30th 2009
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30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
The World Is
Your Market
The author of books including Double Your Income Through Foreign Sales, Michael Sedge, has been selling his photos and articles to foreign markets for more than two decades. His book (THE WRITER’S AND PHOTOGRAPHER’S GUIDE TO GLOBAL MARKETS) can open the door to these markets for other photographers. I talked with Michael and asked him about marketing to foreign buyers.
“I first began selling images to foreign publications in 1983,” Michael says. “Today, more than eighty percent of my photographs sell in places outside of North America -- in Africa, Asia, and Europe. It is not difficult to sell overseas. In fact, today’s technology today has made marketing to foreign publications as easy as selling to your Chamber of Commerce.”
“How do you get started?” I asked.
“Start first with an email query letter. It's the best way to approach international publications for the first time. It saves on expensive overseas postage and often will bring a faster reply than will an unsolicited submission of photos on CD or a lite-box. Include examples of your stock images for the photobuyer or art director.
Initially, concentrate your efforts towards publications printed in English. Australia, England, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa. All have English language periodicals, as do nearly all other countries in the world. In England, Off Duty; in Singapore, Her World; in Italy, Neural; in Sweden, Scanorama; in Germany, Visuel; in Spain, Lookout; in Costa Rica, FIPP Magazine World. If you speak other languages, it’s a plus.
“How do you locate these and other markets?” I asked.
“Finding foreign markets is not as difficult as you might think. One good source, of course, is Google. Start there, or try other specialized search engines.
Your local library might have the International Writer's and Artist’s Yearbook www.writersandartists.co.uk This 600-plus page book is published in England and lists more than 4,500 overseas markets. It is available in major bookstores in the United States,.
“The Willings Press Guide, www.willingspress.com also published in the UK, is found in many libraries, though it does not list rates or specific editorial needs.”
THUMBNAILS WILL DO
When Mike sends selections of his images, he says, “I prefer to send sample thumb-nails to foreign publications. For most editorial needs, these are sufficient.
“Opportunities to display your photo story, essay, or individual images on your (or a photobuyer’s) web page now present an effective marketing tool, and as more and more international photobuyers are becoming Web-savvy, you’re able to get your work in front of increasing numbers of buyers.”
I asked Michael what reception he gets if he submits digital submissions.
“Foreign buyers who are accustomed to dealing with English-speaking photographers, are at the forefront when it comes to Internet literacy. You have advantage dealing overseas with buyers who are Internet-ready. They can view thumbnail submissions and make their decisions in a matter of hours. You then have the opportunity to submit a high-resolution image on-line, or send a disk to them overnight. The digital “evolution” has transformed the possibilities of foreign marketing. If you speak and write a foreign language, it, of course, increases your success rate.”
NO CROSS-READERSHIP CONFLICT
“Like periodicals in the United States, nearly all overseas magazines use one-time publication righ ts,” reports Mike. “This means you are free to sell and re-sell your package and images as many times as you wish. Because there is no cross-readership conflict among foreign publications, international photobuyers welcome the opportunity to buy their material this way.
Want to read more?
http://photosource.com/psn-article/worldmarket.html
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Note that we don't include North American travelers because many of our members live in North America. Only travelers going abroad will be listed. Thanks -Rohn Engh
Name : Reggie D. Millette
Email: info[at]millettephotomedia[dot]com
Itinerary Dates: Oct 23 to Nov 14th 2009
Destination: Tunisia.
Comments: http://www.millettephotomedia
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
THREE RULES -- For Your Photography Business, Earning Good Word of Mouth. Sean Cayton: “At the heart of marketing for any small business is word of mouth. Creating an experience that gets people talking about your photography business is the single best way to attract new customers. But what too few businesses seem to realize is that it's a double-edged sword.” http://bit.ly/6PVvU
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Information moves fast, so do the transporters.
Encarta To
Be Dismantled
Remember “Encarta?”
On October 31, 2009 the Encarta Web site will be discontinued. Microsoft stopped selling Encarta products in June. Now the place for reference information is Wikipedia.org.
In the 1980s and early ’90s, among the biggest users for stock images were encyclopedias, with Encyclopedia Britannica the leader in the field. New editions came out every year and articles were updated on a regular basis. They needed lots of pictures. Prices for use of an image ranged from $200 and up.
In 1993, Microsoft launched Encarta, first on CD and later on the Web. By the late ’90s, it had replaced book-based encyclopedias; it was more convenient and available for a fraction of the price. Initially, Encarta purchased pictures for prices less that what the printed encyclopedias paid.
In 2001, Wikipedia, the free Web-based encyclopedia was launched and Encarta’s popularity began to die. Wikipedia is updated by a community of users from around the world, rather than an in-house group of professional editors. Some complain that the quality of research for the articles doesn’t match Encyclopedia Britannica, but more topics are covered. Customers seem satisfied with the availability and the free price.
It’s common knowledge that there is no remuneration for the pictures that appear with Wikipedia articles. Thus, progress has resulted in millions of dollars in lost photo sales.
According to its FAQ, Encarta’s Web sites will be discontinued on Oct. 31. (Except for Japan, which has until Dec. 31, 2009). From the FAQ:
Encarta has been a popular product around the world for many years. However, the category of traditional encyclopedias and reference material has changed. People today seek and consume information in considerably different ways than in years past. As part of Microsoft’s goal to deliver the most effective and engaging resources for today’s consumer, it has made the decision to exit the Encarta business.
Microsoft’s vision is that everyone around the world needs to have access to quality education, and we believe that we can use what we’ve learned and assets we’ve accrued with offerings like Encarta to develop future technology solutions.
In 2005, Encarta tried to take the middle ground by allowing users to submit suggestions for Wikipedia article updates, but these were not integrated into articles until they had been approved by Encarta editors.
For a full history of Encarta, be sure to check out its comprehensive Wikipedia entry, which has already been updated to reflect Encarta’s shutdown. Encarta’s entry on itself doesn’t mention anything about its demise, and actually seems to have less information than the Wikipedia article.
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
ON MAKING THE MATCH. -- As much as you strive to make your images an art form, so should be your selling technique: Making the match.
The process need not be cumbersome or terrifying if you understand the simple technique of making the right match: your work with the photobuyer's need.
Photobuyers most often work in a specified subject area - because the publishing houses they are employed by… appeal to a particular reading audience.
If that audience matches the subject area of your photography enthusiasm, you’ve made the match.
Once mastered, you can repeat the process over and over, gaining new buyers and shooting within the framework of subject matter that has great interest for you. -RE
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
SAVING THE CENTER -- The Charleston Center for Photography is on the brink of closure. Seven years ago, local photographer Jack Alterman started what became the Charleston Center for Photography. Former war photographer Stacy Pearsall, who purchased the facility from Alterman in April 2009, is asking patrons to sign up for a class or to join the center as a member.
http://bit.ly/VqIwR
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
This week's topic:
The perils of placing your photos on FACEBOOK
Join in
http://board.photosource.com/read.php?1,10315
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Coming up:
ASPP New England Presentation on New Business Models for Stock licensing and Pricing
Getting the Right Image for the Right Price.
New England chapter of ASPP. (Boston) Program on licensing .
October 8th And it's FREE for members!
Details: Cathy D-P Sachs www.aspp.com
When: Thursday October 8, 2009
Where: Pearson Education 9th Floor Cafeteria, 501 Boylston Street - Boston, MA 02116
Panelists: Pat Hunt (huntstock.com); Rob Sylvan (www.istockphoto.com); Christopher Kenneally (www.ozmo.com); Jean Howard (www.auroraphotos.com); John Griffin (www.cutcaster.com)
Moderator: Mark Ippolito (www.shabustation.com)
Free for ASPP members
$5.00 for non-members and students
via Evite at http://tinyurl.com/m9abx2
RSVP required by Oct. 6 due to building security
ASPP members: RSVP via Evite or www.aspp.com
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
A PICTURE, IS A PICTURE, IS A PICTURE. - – Cahse Jarvis said that, although he has some of the best equipment at his disposal, the iPhone "gave me total freedom," despite the embedded camera's constraints and parameters. “We think we want more choice, but we really want less.” Does having a 2- or 3-megapixel camera on your cellphone make you an artist or a photographer? Chase Jarvis would argue it does. The 38-year-old commercial photographer is a kind of platform-agnostic photo-evangelist.
http://bit.ly/ynZmB
GOOD GUYS -- Photographers Making a Difference. From PdNEWS: “This month we celebrate photographers who are not just documenting problems, but actively working to solve them….” http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/features/featured-in-print/e3i96d4521eedf15d13145737d9f71655e6?imw=Y
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
GETTING BETTER -- Shutterstock has just announced its acquisition of BigStockPhoto, a credit-based stock photo agency headquartered in Davis, California. http://bit.ly/36sMSJ
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
IS IT ART OR NOT -- Open to Everything? 170 Years After Its Birth, Photography Must Refocus on Its Identity for the Future. Of all media, only photography would get an art critic talking about someone from the commercial side of the tracks. Only a photographer would make a fortune from pictures in magazines, but also see the same images on museum walls. http://bit.ly/3o3ntb
RIGHT TURN -- How One Man Changed The World Of Photography. With only 83 photographs, this Robert Frank, a Swiss immigrant and Guggenheim fellow, single-handedly altered the course of photography in 1958 when his book was published. To photography pundits, Frank's photographs were offensively imbalanced, unfocused, even drunken. His style was a total departure. SOURCE: Claire O'Neill; NPR. http://bit.ly/16VBi1
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Three New Magazines
Health and Medicine
Healthier You
Motocross:
MXI
Young male Christian audience
PASSAGE
For info:
http://www.mrmagazine.com/WH-sept22.html
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30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Will you be traveling to Germany? France? Spain...?
If you speak the language, you'll be well-received by the people.
...and, if you sell to magazine and book publishers in those countries.. you'll be appreciated if you speak their language.
read more. . . <<<<<----
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The Latest. . .
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
CREATIVE COMMONS PHOTO Can I use one without a Model Release? Question:
“Am I at legal risk in the U.S. if I use a photo with a Creative Commons license where a recognizable face is in the photo and the photographer did not acquire a model release? This would not be for commercial use, just the cover of a free ebook.” The Photo Attorney explains 4 kids of PrivacyRights. That said, when you use a person’s likeness editorially, rather than commercially, a model release is typically not required. This is because, in the case of the editorial use of photographs, a person’s rights are evaluated in light of constitutional interests. Additionally, “What is the definition of an editorial use? Courts traditionally have defined public interest or newsworthiness in liberal and far-reaching terms, not limiting it to the dissemination of news in the sense of current events. They have extended it well beyond that to include all types of factual, educational and historical data, even including entertainment and amusement and other interesting phases of human activity in general. ..” SOURCE: Carolyn E. Wright, Esq. In Black Star Rising. http://bit.ly/ROgl3
DON’T SHOOT FIRST. -- Photographers sue for $1m over wedding shoot-out. Two photographers are suing a supermodel and a football star, accusing their bodyguards of shooting at them after they had taken pictures at the couple's 'after-wedding party'. http://bit.ly/15wUDe
SOLVING THE PROBLEM -- Policeman deletes his own photos of footballing grandson (UK). According to the Daily Mail, a retired senior policeman deleted his own photos after being banned from photographing his grandson playing football. [Unfortunately the reasons for the patently insane policies of the Football Association are not explained, but they derive from the Rights of the Child embodied in the Children Act 1990. For which we must blame patently insane (UK) government.] http://bit.ly/15N8sG
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Some Printing Tips
Printing is a challenge with computers...., especially because there's a tremendous difference between screen-based graphics and what you see on paper. This section offers tips that you can use for your home or office printer and provides additional information in case you choose to use an imaging professional.
1. RGB to CMYK
Colors that work in the RGB color space are often out of gamut in the CMYK color space; meaning that what you see on the screen cannot be printed using color inks. Other print issues are different RGB spaces among scanners or monitors, a different CMYK space among printers and printing presses and your monitor going through color shifts as it ages.
2. Use a Commercial Printer
If you choose to use a high-end commercial printer, do all of your work in RGB. DO NOT convert your print files to CMYK. If you're doing high-end art repro, you can send your RGB files and they'll do the conversion for you but expect to pay big bucks.
If you're going to a local copy center, you'll need to convert your files to CMYK yourself. If you send them RGB files the results are likely to be unpredictable.
It's important to realize that converting your files to CMYK will cause you to lose a great deal of color data. Worse, if you manipulate the images after converting to CMYK, the color data loss could posterize your image.
Ask your printer for their color profile and a print that you can use to calibrate your system to theirs. Also, be sure to ask them what file format they use and guidelines for output. This information varies from printer to printer.
3. More Control
If you want more control over the CMYK process, check out: "." This volume explains how we see color, what the differences are between human and camera perception, and how to work with a color wheel. You'll learn about display issues, including monitor calibration and resolution, color palettes, and consistency across varying platforms, operating systems, software and more.
4. Page Layout
Check your layouts and make sure electronic documents match the printed page size otherwise you could get an unpleasant surprise later.
5. About Graphics
When manipulating graphics, I recommend the use of an image-editing application such as Corel Photo-Paint. Don't use these functions in Corel Draw because this will add to processing times when you send your files to a commercial printer. Instead use Corel Draw for page layout only.
6. Screen vs. Print Resolutions
You will need to use different resolutions depending on the final output. As an example, screen resolutions, gives you an image size of 72dpi; whereas for printing, you need to use a resolution of 125 - 400dpi, depending on the final output.
Note: Don't use screen images as they are only 72dpi. They might look great on the monitor but the printed result will be highly pixelated and will lack sharpness and depth.
Nathan Segal, from Victoria, BC, Canada, is a writer/photographer who has also been active as a digital artist for well over a decade. For the past 9+ years, he has written numerous articles for computer and photographic magazines and has provided his own illustrations and photographs for the articles. His articles have covered : software reviews, tutorials, computer tips and tricks, profiles and investigative reporting. visualartist49[at]gmail[dot]com; 1 408 844-4851 (Cell).
Get more done in less time and make more money at DigitalArtistU.com Check ou t our samples page to improve your photography and your results. http://www.digitalartistu.com/public/main.cfm
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
What’s happening
with Google’s Book Search?
Google Book Search is a service from Google that searches the full text of books. Google scans and converts the books to text using optical character recognition, and stores the book in its digital database.
Clicking a result from Google Book Search opens an interface in which the user may view pages from the book as well as content-related advertisements and links to the publisher's website and booksellers.
Through a variety of access limitations and security measures, some based on user-tracking, Google limits the number of viewable pages and attempts to prevent page printing and text copying of material under copyright.
The Google Book Search database continues to grow. Google Book Search allows public-domain works and other out-of-copyright material to be downloaded in PDF format.
According to a member of the Google Book Search Support Team, "Since whether a book is in the public domain can often be a tricky legal question, we err on the side of caution and display at most a few snippets until we have determined that the book has entered the public domain.
Many of the books are scanned using the Elphel 323 camera[3][4] at a rate of 1,000 pages per hour.[5]
The initiative has been hailed for its potential to offer unprecedented access to what may become the largest online corpus of human knowledge[6][7] and promoting the democratization of knowledge[8], but it has also been criticized for potential copyright violations.[8][9
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Important Update: On September 24, 2009 the Court issued an Order stating that the Final Fairness Hearing will not take place on October 7, 2009, and will be rescheduled for a later date in light of the parties' plans to modify the Settlement Agreement.
More on the situation:
http://www.authorsguild.org/advocacy/articles/settlement-resources.html
Google Book Search Settlement Notice to Rights-holders - Books ...
For more information about the proposed Settlement of a class action lawsuit brought by authors and publishers: www.googlebooksettlement.com
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
It’s coming!
A Halloween bolt from
the pumkin patch…
A special price on your PhotoDaily and/or Photoletter subscription . . .
(Next week it arrives. . . just in time to celebrate…)
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
HOST DETECTIVE -- Photoshelter has partnered with TinEye, a reverse image search engine. You can search the web for your images and determine how they're being used online. TinEye will begin indexing the PhotoShelter-hosted images that are marked as "publicly searchable". When fully indexed, TinEye search results will contain PhotoShelter-hosted images plus any other online usage that TinEye finds. Images you upload and make publicly searchable in the future will be automatically indexed by TinEye, too. It's a way for you to monitor image usage, and also, another way for customers to find you and your work. TinEye began indexing PhotoShelter-hosted images in October 7, 2009. http://bit.ly/2jA5pg
DO-IT-YOURSELF ASTRONOMY -- Homemade Astro-Photography: Look Out, Hubble a selection of reader-submitted space photos, and they’re more impressive than a person could have imagined. This one is a shot of the Pelican Nebula, 2000 light years away, with a 114-minute exposure. Awesome. http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2009/09/homemade-astro-photography-look-out-hubble/
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
FACEBOOK PHOTO GRAB -- Interesting reading for anyone placing photos on Facebook! by David Crockett
From FACEBOOK:
"When you post User Content to the Site, you authorize and direct us to make such copies thereof as we deem necessary in order to facilitate the posting and storage of the User Content on the Site.
By posting User Content to any part of the Site, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to the Company an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, excerpt (in whole or in part) and distribute such User Content for any purpose, commercial, advertising, or otherwise, on or in connection with the Site or the promotion thereof, to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such User Content, and to grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing. You may remove your User Content from the Site at any time. If you choose to remove your User Content, the license granted above will automatically expire, however you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content. Facebook does not assert any ownership over your User Content; rather, as between us and you, subject to the rights granted to us in these Terms, you retain full ownership of all of your User Content and any intellectual property rights or other proprietary rights associated with your User Content. - Facebook Terms of Use as of today 2/26/08
By posting User Content to any part of the Site, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to the Company an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, excerpt (in whole or in part) and distribute such User Content for any purpose, commercial, advertising, or otherwise, on or in connection with the Site or the promotion thereof, to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such User Content, and to grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing. You may remove your User Content from the Site at any time. If you choose to remove your User Content, the license granted above will automatically expire, however you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content. Facebook does not assert any ownership over your User Content; rather, as between us and you, subject to the rights granted to us in these Terms, you retain full ownership of all of your User Content and any intellectual property rights or other proprietary rights associated with your User Content. - Facebook Terms of Use as of today 2/26/08
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I read additional (unsubstantiated) stories where Facebook did sell someone's photos in Europe only to have them end up on thye side of a bus! Hope this is helpfull ...David Crockett ,
www.god-alive.davidcrockettphoto.com
Posted by: dcphoto (IP Logged)
Date: September 27, 2009 05:41PM
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GOOD FOR YOUR BUSINESS -- It's smart business to have a social media policy. Big business such as Intel, Kodak, and IBM are in the forefront. They have published policies that you can emulate. http://bit.ly/3q8XKY
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
NIKON IS HAPPY -- Nikon Camera Earnings to Beat Forecast, Kimura Says
the second-biggest maker of cameras used by professionals, will probably earn more from its photography unit than the company had forecast, led by higher-than-expected exports.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aFW1OmsOc_Ro
MORE MONEY -- Kodak turns to KKR for injection of finance. KKR is buying up to $400m of senior secured notes in Eastman Kodak as the troubled photography company seeks to bolster its balance sheet.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6ab4cbc8-a323-11de-ba74-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1
REPRIEVE-- Annie Leibovitz buys back her copyright - Don't gamble with your IP assets. Steve Kuncewicz, IP and media lawyer at law firm Ralli, had this comment on the settlement: 'If Annie Leibovitz had been unable to get an extension on the deadline to repay her loan, she would have lost everything. Losing her properties would be bad enough, but if she lost her portfolio copyright, she'd lose the right to make any income from the huge amount of images she's taken over the years..." http://bit.ly/16o9S5
MUCHO -- Stock Photo Site Owner Claims Infringement Costs The Industry - a lot of money...Rose M. Welch points out that the CEO of a stock photo site is claiming that infringement costs the industry $10 billion per year. ... SOURCE: TECHDIRT.COM
http://techdirt.com/articles/20090921/0328456266.shtml
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
"My first sale in the USA was because of Rohn's 'PhotoLetter' in 1979. He has been a constant source of encouragement and advice. Anything he does is for the benefit of his subscribers. "
-Jagdish Agarwal, Dinodia Photo Library, Bombay, India
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"I want to thank you for your PhotoLetter marketletter. It has already started paying dividends!! Keep up the excellent job!!"
-Victor Perez de Lara, Photographer, Colonia Condesa MEXICO
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Wired Contest. . .
The 10 highest-ranked photos will appear in a gallery on the Wired.com homepage.
“Topic: SLEEP.....Somber sleepwalkers stumbling in their slippers. Show us people passed out on pillows, drooling puddles on their periwinkle pajamas. We want to see dozing motorists in parking lots and napping dogs in dusty fields. Make attention-grabbing snaps that make us yawn from their sleepiness. Sleep . . .
http://www.wired.com/culture/art/news/2009/09/submissions_sleep
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
“I do not object to retouching, dodging. or accentuation as long as they do not interfere with the natural qualities of photographic technique”.
- Alfred Stieglitz
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
1963 - Photograph (authorized) of Senate in session to vote on the nuclear test ban treaty, was taken September 24th, by National Geographic Society photographers for the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, Washington DC.
30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
25 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
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September 24th 2009
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25 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Does your stock photography qualify for Décor Art?
Put Pets In
Your Pictures
In addition to the publishing industry, your stock photography can appeal to buyers of what’s generally called, “Décor Art.” One of these subject areas may be easy for you to include as one of your specializations.
If you are a pet owner, you know that pets offer companionship, love, company and affection. Recent figures show that pet ownership in the USA is currently at its highest level, with 73 percent of all U.S. households owning a pet which means more than 69 million households have a pet. Americans own approximately 73 million dogs and 90 million cats.
If your stock photography focus is on pets, and you have an understanding of how to relate to animals, -you have a vast stock photography market to work with.
With pet photography, a major thrust is to make viewers “wish they were there.” The viewer might recall a photo of a similar cat or dog they had as a child. Keep in mind that most buyers of Décor Art enjoy pictures of pleasant subjects because they find in your pictures an 'escape' from their daily routine.
That's why for this purpose it's important to take pet photos without people in them. They consider recognizable 'people' in your picture as an intrusion of their own memories of a particular pet. In addition, if people are included in Décor Art pictures, this can 'date' the picture due to the style of clothes, hairstyle, etc.
.
Keep your Art Décor simplified by isolating your subjects. Feature only one pet at a time...rather than a group of pets.
When photographing pets, keep to the standard variety that most people have as their pets. Most people buy photos of recognizable brand pets rather than exotic brands.
Pet pictures are popular not only with homeowners. They also find favor for use in waiting rooms, attorneys' offices, professional buildings -- as well as individual homes.
It goes without saying -- your pictures should be well composed, visually exciting, and of high technical quality.
SOME POINTERS:
Prices depend on whether you sell by volume, individually, or large format, to corporate clients. At art fairs, individual buyers will pay about $45 (11x14) and $30 (8x10). Before you decide on your own price, see what local stores such as a Wal-Mart are getting.
Limited editions of prints are another issue. You can demand a higher fee. And, of course, if you keep a couple such prints for the grandchildren, your grandchildren just might become heirs to a very valuable print.
What to charge for limited editions? Keep the professional artist in mind who once said, "If you are going to price your watercolor at $15, you'll find a $15 buyer. If you price it at $75 dollars, you'll find a $75 buyer. And if you price it at $850 -- you'll find a $850 buyer. It just takes time." Current going rate for a 16x20 (color) décor photograph is between $75 and $150. PRINTLETTER (Zurich) lists international going rates for print sales as reported by galleries. Some samples: Eugene Smith: $750; Ben Shahn: $1500; George Silk: $1500; Aaron Siskin: $1200; Howard Sochurek: $950. Nice tidy sums?
B&W or Color? B&W prints sell well as Décor Art too, and particularly so if they are sepia toned. Color, however, has the edge over B&W
As a stock photographer you'll also want to market your color through regular publishing channels --and most publishing markets require high-resolution digital images.
Size - If you sell your prints on a single sales basis, you'll find the larger print (16x20 ) with higher fees will result in more year-end profit than trying to market larger numbers of the smaller prints (11x14 or 8x10) with the lower fees. On the other hand, if you go to multiple sales with smaller prints, and aim for the volume market in high traffic areas such as art and craft fairs or shopping malls, you will be equally successful with the smaller-sized prints.
SOME MARKETING IDEAS
Production. -- Resin-coated papers make B&W production on your own very easy. Unless you have a super-quality printer, color production is usually best accomplished by a lab such as www.reedphoto.com Shop around. In New York, for example, an 11x14 costs $56 and a 16x20, $105. Quality is superb and the delivery is one day.
Frames -- Framing or matting your prints definitely enhances appearance and sale ability. Dry mounting materials and hinge mats are available everywhere. And finally, try making frames on your own. How-to series are featured on the Internet.
Promotion is the key to your selling success. If you've sold a series of prints to one bank in town, let the other banks know about your Décor Art.
Work for ways and places to exhibit your pictures often. Offer your services as a guest speaker or local TV talk show guest. Produce a website displaying your work; sell prints on e-Bay, produce brochures, flyers, or catalogs of your work.
Government agencies often buy groups of Décor Art. Check out the “Art for Buildings” program in your state.
If you are fond of animals, Decor Art may be a fruitful specialization for you.
Rohn Engh, veteran stock photographer and best-selling author of “Sell & ReSell Your Photos” and “sellphotos.com,” has helped scores of photographers launch their careers. For access to great information on making money from pictures you like to take, and to receive this free report: “8 Steps to Publishing Photos,” visit his website at PhotoSource International www.photosource.com or call 800 624-0266.
25 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Cell Phones More Powerful Than a Locomotive
Well, not quite (at least not yet). But they can do amazing things. Like turning on your oven. Of course, it was an unintended consequence, but a guy in Brooklyn had his oven turn on "all by itself" and melt a thermometer that was inside.
Further sleuthing determined that his ringing cell phone activated his Maytag oven in his apartment. Additional testing by the New York Times confirmed that different brands of cell phones can activate multiple models of Maytag ovens, which seem to prefer the high setting when turned on this way. If it's still up, you can read the full story and watch the video here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/nyregion/23about.html?_r=3
As our appliances get more advanced and wireless, and start communicating with each other, we can expect a whole lot more of these kinds of happenings.
One can only hope that each abode of the future will be equipped with an easily accessible master OFF switch for all our "communicating" appliances, regardless of which room they are in. But you know, I'd bet it would be wireless.
Snap and Buy
Amazon.com recently purchased a start-up company, SnapTell, which makes a popular app for the iPhone. The app allows you to take a photo of a book's cover, DVD, or other product, and then be connected to an online store to buy it.
True, there are similar such search engines out there, and even Amazon has one, but it relies on humans to match the snapped photo with the store catalog. The SnapTell does the matching (or tries to) via software. If you've downloaded the app and purchased something (or tried to) using the snap and buy method, let us know how it worked for you.
Bill Hopkins is the Webmaster of PhotoSourceFolio* ( www.photosourcefolio.com ) and a regular contributor to PhotoStockNotes. Send comments via e-mail to wh[at]photosourcefolio[dot]com Fax: 1 818 831-0916. (*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 www.photosource.com/board
25 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Name: Henry Westheim
Phone: +886 9 3140 4211
Email: henry[at]asiaphotoconnection[dot]com
dates#1: Sept. 15, 2009 - Jan. 3, 1010
destination#1: Taiwan
Comments: Available to travel outside of Taiwan between these dates.
––––––––––-=================–––––––––––––––
Name: Steve Lunetta
Dates: Sept 24 to Sept 30th 2009
destination: Paris, Giverny, Venice & Florence.
http://www.pagetopage.net
http://gallery.mac.com/slunetta
25 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
ON ASSIGNMENT -- Watch over my shoulder. An Inside Look at Preparing for an On Location Commercial Photo Shoot September 15th, 2009 - The incredible opportunity of shooting a Fall Ad for Tamron USA using their award winning travel lens (the 18-270mm) on my Canon 40D. http://mcpactions.com/blog/2009/09/15/an-inside-look-at-preparing-for-an-on-location-commercial-photo-shoot/
25 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
PHOTO BOOK CONTEST – Blurb(R), the creative publishing platform that enables anyone to design, publish, market and sell professional-quality books, seeks entries for the first-ever Best Blurb Books Contest. Photo books can be entered at http://www.blurb.com/photo-book-contest in one of three categories - family, pets, or travel - for a shot at one of three $3,000 grand prizes or one of three $1,000 runner-up prizes. http://bit.ly/snvD8
25 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
MAGAZINES NEEDING HELP -- As management consultants from McKinsey & Co. troll through the magazine company Condé Nast looking for cost savings, observers are asking if its two food magazines, Bon Appétit and Gourmet, can survive. http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2009/08/10/food-magazine-fight-bon-appetit-vs-gourmet/?mod=rss_WSJBlog
25 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
We find markets for you
Get a powerful boost for your photo operation with the PhotoDaily market letter. Find out what photos buyers want at hundreds of major book publishers and magazines. and ad agencies, design houses, multi-media, PR firms, corporations.
With the PhotoDaily you get lists of these photo needs every day – day after day – all sent directly to you at 2pm CT.
· Deal directly with the buyers and receive 100% of each sale
· Benefit from an immediate list of photobuyer contacts – all the research is done for you!
· You get an inside track to markets that pay $100-$250 and up per photo (inside use), $300-$500+ for covers
· Photo listings are fresh each day – no repeats
BUILD YOUR LIST OF CONTACTS!
In addition to direct sales leads, PhotoDaily gives you names of photobuyers with photo needs that match the kind of photos you like to take.
You get access and direct contact with markets and photo requests that otherwise would take you years of market research on your own.
Subscription to PhotoDaily is by application. Photographers qualify by either : 1) sending three tearsheets of published photos, or 2) having their website reviewed by our application review board to determine eligibility.
Recommended: Your stock file number 2000 photos or more.
Subscription Information: http://www.photosourcepix.com
25 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
The discussion this week is “adding metadata to your photos” – and how to do it. James Cook and Mikael Karlsson help out with some advice.
You can join in at:
http://board.photosource.com/read.php?1,10309
25 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
KIOSKS -- Kodak Makes Consumer Photo Experience At Retail Faster, Greener, Better -
The Kodak people have introduced two new photo center retail store products that provide consumers with a more environmentally friendly experience. The two products deliver photo processing and allow customers to create their own photo creations faster and with more choices than older kiosk models.
http://www.imaginginsider.com/?p=102447
25 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
REGULATING US – Photography: a model of lost liberty (UK). There is no overarching ban on photography, nor is their likely to be. Yet, as a new Manifesto Club report by gallery director Pauline Hadaway outlines, there is growing regulation of citizen photography, with touchy subjects now ranging from policemen to transport facilities, from children's nativity plays to football matches. http://bit.ly/32Zo4Z
TAKEAWAY: Is our Right of Freedom of the Press slipping away from us?
25 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
YOU’RE PROTECTED – Istockphoto Has Become The First Major Microstock Photography Agency To Legally Guarantee All Imagery. The microstock company has announced an interesting new twist to their stock photography offerings. All all purchases at the microstock agency will be guaranteed up to $10,000 in damages at no additional cost to the image buyer. iStockphoto is a wholly owned subsidiary of Getty Images.
http://thomashawk.com/2009/09/istockphoto-becomes-the-first-major-microstock-photography-agency-to-legally-guarantee-all-imagery.html http://bit.ly/jMxJL
related: http://bit.ly/2RQowX
TAKEAWAY: Getty Images is a long-time user of this appraoch. It removes anxiety on the part of first-time buyers who wonder what kind of legal mess they are going to get into if they use a stock photo from an unknown photographer without a track record. It puts the onus on photographers to submit accurate captions and keywords, plus images with iron-clad releases when required.
25 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
PHOTOGRAPHY: WHERE HAVE YOU GONE? Video game corrupts digital photography. Daniel Kronovet : “Most people laugh when I tell them that the N64 game "Pokemon Snap" singlehandedly corrupted a generation of photographers. How could a game about taking pictures of dancing Pokemon be so sinister? But I'm being somewhat serious. What I've realized is that since the advent of digital photography and cheap memory, the term ‘photography’ has come to apply to two separate, almost completely distinct activities.” http://bit.ly/12xNWL
25 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
DOWN AT CITY HALL. NYC Street Photography - City Council Hearing. New York City has updated its photo rules for pros and amateurs who shoot on the streets of New York City. Concerned photographers and film producers will meet with NYC Council members on the subject.(Sept 24, for more info: ) If you can't attend but have a compelling story to tell, write it up! Post in the comments section at < www.PictureNY.org > Excerpt from announcement: PLEASE NOTE: It is an open hearing. You will sign up when you arrive. The Sergeant of Arms will have slips for you to fill out. Please give yourself ample time because of security checks before entering City Hall. SOURCE: The Photo Attorney. http://photoattorney.wordpress.com/2009/09/12/nyc-street-photography-city-council-hearing-on-92409/ - PictureNY.org http://bit.ly/1nS60t
25 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
THE PRICE OF INFRINGEMENT: Sean Locke: “Keep an Eye on your Content Sources - There was an article in the LA Times yesterday on ‘Controlling Illegal use of Copyrighted Material on the Web’. The question the article brings up is ‘Are the fines too excessive for the crime?’. The point of a fine or punishment is not only to dissuade the person receiving it from committing the act again, but to also scare off others from doing the same, out of fear they will be caught as
well.” http://seanlockedigitalimagery.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/keep-an-eye-on-your-content-sources/
WHEN IS IT FAIR USE? Maria Piscopo, “I spoke with intellectual property attorney Nancy E. Wolff, who is a partner at Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP (www.cdas.com),located in New York. The fair use statute provides guidelines for a defense of an infringement rather than rules. It is generally not meant for commercial use of copyright-protected work without permission.
http://shutterbug.com/columns/business_trends/0909business/ SOURCE: SHUTTERBUG
23 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
No true pet owner and animal lover would ever want to abandon their pet but it is a difficult choice to make when it comes to looking after oneself, ones family or ones pet.
Of course it is recognized that to some people their pets are their family so what follows in this article should be of even more interest to them.
read more. . .
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Your Choice
23 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
The discovery and implementation of digital photography is one of the great advancements of our era. No longer do photographers have to wait for hours or days to see their results. Digital photography saves you time, money and effort.
How to Buy a Digital Camera
If you're new to using a digital camera , here are a few tips to keep in mind:
· Consider the amount of megapixels. Generally the more megapixels you have, the better the quality of your image. This is especially important if you want to make enlargements. The reality is that a 3 megapixel camera will do the job for an 8x10 print, assuming that the optics, processor and firmware are of good quality. If you're printing at 11x14, a 6 megapixel camera will do the job, again, assuming the optics, processor and firmware are of good quality. It's not necessary to spend a lot of money for a camera with 10 megapixels or more. Shooting at that image size will eat up a lot of disk space quickly. Unless you're shooting for a high-end result, such as stock photography, the higher megapixel count isn't necessary.
· Buy a camera with an optical zoom as this produces the best picture quality. While digital zoom is available, it reduces the size of your image (and resolution). If you want to create a digital zoom, you can easily do so after the fact using image editing software.
· Make sure that the camera uses removable memory cards. You don't want to get stuck with a fixed amount of memory.
· Make sure the camera has a large LCD and rangefinder option. In addition, make sure the LCD doesn't wash out in the bright glare of sunlight).
· Choose a camera that uses rechargeable batteries (preferably lithium ion, not nicads)
· Consider the size of your camera and that it fits comfortably in your hands. If it's too small you run the risk of dropping it.
· Make sure your computer can match the system requirements of the camera. If in doubt, check your computer manual for more information.
· Consider purchasing two cameras, one a point-and-shoot that fits in your pocket, the other, a higher quality camera (DSLR) with interchangeable lenses and a high quality chip for studio and location photography. DSLR cameras also perform better in low light situations. This is one area where point-and-shoot cameras don't fare very well.
· Make sure that the camera has an optical viewfinder. LCD's don't display well in sunlight and they consume batttery power quickly.
Nathan Segal, from Victoria, BC, Canada, is a writer/photographer who has also been active as a digital artist for well over a decade. For the past 9+ years, he has written numerous articles for computer and photographic magazines and has provided his own illustrations and photographs for the articles. His articles have covered : software reviews, tutorials, computer tips and tricks, profiles and investigative reporting. visualartist49[at]gmail[dot]com; 1 408 844-4851 (Cell).
Get more done in less time and make more money at DigitalArtistU.com Check out our samples page to improve your photography and your results. http://www.digitalartistu.com/public/main.cfm
23 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
THE RELIABILTY FACTOR. Your photography may have consistently won top prizes in contests and exhibits. As fine as this achievement is, it is only one part of gaining success in the field of stock photography sales. An even more important factor is your “Reliability Factor.” Photobuyers are basically interested in photography, not photographers.
Their job is tofind and receive the right photograph in the least amount of time in a hassle-free business situation. You might be able to supply the buyer with the perfect photo for the situation, but if it arrives a day late, you’ve lost a sale.
Do your best to match your excellent photography with an excellent delivery system – and you’re well on your way to total success in stock photography.
22 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
DISCREET ADVERTISING – Aaron Lindberg: “My Twitter Strategy: Business in the Front, Party in the Back - Having spent the past several months on Twitter tweeting and reading the tweets of the people I follow, I've gradually evolved a strategy for using this service to market my photography business without being too obvious about it.”
http://rising.blackstar.com/my-twitter-strategy-business-in-the-front-party-in-the-back.html
BIG DEAL, TINY PICTURES – The Online photo service Shutterfly Inc. has acquired startup Tiny Pictures, a picture and video sharing startup, for an undisclosed amount. Tiny Pictures' Radar service lets people share cell phone photos and videos on its Web site, and it connects to sites like Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. http://bit.ly/RAnvu
22 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
ANTI-PAPARAZZI SHIELD. -- Russian Billionaire Installs Anti-Photo Shield on Giant Yacht. Ambramovich has installed an anti-paparazzi “shield”. Lasers sweep the surroundings and when they detect a CCD, they fire a bolt of light right at the camera to obliterate any photograph. http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/09/russian-billionaire-installs-anti-photo-shield-on-giant-yacht/
CAMERA NON GRATA -- New iPod Nano, equipped with video camera, might not be welcome at gyms Compact camera-equipped devices, such as cell phones, have been gadgets non grata at health clubs for years. The Life Time chain, for instance, has long forbidden their use in locker rooms because of the potential for compromising photos or video footage to be distributed online. http://www.denverpost.com/preps/ci_13370880?source=rss
RAW WORKFLOW -- ColorChecker Passport Introduced for Digital Photography Raw Workflows. The new hardware/software solution provides Adobe users with integration of DNG profiling. http://bit.ly/eLNoY
EXPANSION – SanDisk has announced a range of new compact flash memory cards with storage capacities from 16 to 64GB, with read and write speeds of up to 90MB per second. http://bit.ly/45IQH0
FASTER, BETTER SEARCH? -- IBM, working with researchers in Europe, claims to have developed a better way to search online for photos and videos than current methods used by Google and Yahoo. The developers call their multimedia technology SAPIR, for Search in Audio-Visual Content Using Peer-to-Peer Information Retrieval.
http://bit.ly/6mh8u
3D AGAIN? – Some gadgets just hit the "awesome" button in the deep, lizard part of your brain. At an Nvidia meeting Friday, my "awesome" button got smacked hard by the Fujifilm FinePix REAL 3D W1, the world's first point-and-shoot, consumer 3D digital camera. It's expensive, somewhat awkward, and probably impractical. But it's really cool.
http://bit.ly/fhzPx SOURCE: Sascha Segan - PC Magazine
BEFORE & AFTER – The 4D PhotoStation System eliminates the costs and complexities of digital photography in the medical practice while increasing photo-imaging revenue opportunities. Photographic documentation is well known for melanoma, cosmetic procedure before and afters and documenting effects of procedures. http://bit.ly/asheZ
22 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
RETHINKING TAKING PHOTOS IN MUSEUMS. – Like many museums, EMP/SFM (Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum) has had a strict no-photograph rule since it opened in 2000. Museums are starting to rethink their “no-photos” policy. But as more people take pictures from cell phones and small digital cameras and share them online, that rule has become almost impossible to enforce. http://bit.ly/1Hc4Yi
22 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
MAKE-OVER -- Kodak says interest widens in its debt refinancing. Eastman Kodak Co. expects to draw $400 million of its $700 million in debt refinancing from qualified institutional buyers rather than from private equity fund Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. The photography pioneer, battling to remodel itself in the digital age, said pension funds, hedge funds and other institutional investors have showed stronger-than-expected interest in buying convertible senior notes, or unsecured debt, that will bear interest at 7 percent a year. http://bit.ly/reYUB
22 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
"I am truly enjoying your periodic video/chat e-mails. They are fun!
I am so glad that I had the chance to get to meet and know you and Jeri so many years ago. Keep going strong!"
- James Cronk, Photographer, Michigan
22 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
The PhotoAttorney < http://www.photoattorney.com/ > reports: Rights Grabs from Infinity and Beyond! Here are more copyright grabs that are out of this world! If you enter your print in the 2009 Chicago Zoological Society Photo Contest, then you give the Society your copyright, too! http://bit.ly/kS5Ry
TAKEAWAY: Guess who the winner of these contests is.
“Life is Fun” Photo Contest
· Copyright: The copyright for submitted photos rests with the submitter.
· Eligibility: Anyone over 13 years of age and with a lifeblob account can enter this competition.
· Entry fee: Free
· Entry deadline: 15 October 2009
http://www.photocompete.com/2009/09/17/life-is-fun-photo-contest/
21 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
PHOTOS THAT TALK BACK – Diego Valdez and Graham Ohmer are skateboarders who merge their passions of photography and skateboarding into a combination of artistic expression. The two forms parallel each other because "there are no rules in photography and skateboarding. Both allow you to be creative. By shooting images that make the viewer want to step into the picture and wonder, 'What is going on here, how is that there, what is this person doing?”
http://bit.ly/33sQ4M
21 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place.... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.
- Elliott Erwitt
21 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
1978 – September 11 – Janet Parker was a medical photographer, and she was the last person in the world to die of smallpox; she was exposed in a laboratory mishap.
21 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Jack Kightlinger was a retired White House photographer who worked for five U.S. presidents.
He died, Sept. 14th 2009. He was 77. http://bit.ly/uvEr7
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September 9th 2009
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16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Move to the Head of the Line…
Three Cheers
For Computers
The digital age has brought a kind of democracy to the world of photography. If you have a sensitive eye for pictures and are willing to work at marketing them, you don't need to be a "name" photographer or member of an elite group, to shout, “I just published another of my images.”
And, no longer is it necessary to go through years of schooling, be honored with awards, recognized in the press, or have an uncle who is a publisher, to get your photos in print – and get paid for it.
"Successful photography," for many years, used to be the domain of cameramen who owned extensive equipment, expensive studios, special lenses, and a large ad in the local Yellow Pages, or national trade publications. They joined elite organizations and were showered with ribbons and awards for their work.
ADIOS
That age has passed. The automatic controls on cameras and computers these days make it very possible for a person with a sensitive and creative eye for the visual, to also produce high technical quality and jump to the head of the publishing line.
This might seem upside-down to some readers. “Photographers should work their way, pay their dues, the same way I did,” a veteran photographer might say.
Things are changing, and changing fast. Our publication, PhotoStockNOTES, focuses on catching you up with photo publishing opportunities you might be missing out on, because you thought you couldn't compete with "the big guns," the established photo entrepreneurs; because you thought it would take you too much time, too much effort, to get yourself prepared for professional results, establish the right contacts, and to enter the stock photo industry of eCommerce, web sites, on-line galleries, email, Photography Chat Groups, Search Engines, laptops, Blackberries, and more.
A TRACK RECORD
What if you have no track record, no history of publishing? In the new economy of the Digital Age a track record is no longer a prerequisite for success at selling your photos. In fact, in some cases, if an enterprise nowadays boasts that it has been in business since 1975, red flags go up.
“Who cares?” many art directors will say. They suspect a generation gap and might even be apprehensive of dealing with your company for fear you are resistant to change and not up to digital speed in your digital knowledge and computer equipment.
Want to read more?
http://photosource.com/psn-article/cheers.html
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
CAN YOUR POINT & SHOOT QUALIFY ? -- Stock photographers can get by with a small investment in camera equipment. Unlike the (commercial) service photographer who must be "versatile", the stock photo guy can get by easily with a Point & Shoot camera. Yes, that’s right, “point & shoot” -a marvelous tool –and getting better.
Right now, you don’t need a super expensive high-meg camera since your pictures will be used most of the time at quarter-page size in books and magazines. An 8-meg point and shoot camera will do very well for the publishing industry.
Lesson learned. You don’t have to make a big investment. It’s the same for a beginning artist, - just starting out. You wouldn’t buy an easel, several dozen drawing pads, multiple oil tubes, and brushes, even a smock. At first you would start with minimum equipment to discover if buyers like you work, -- and more important if YOU like the work.
As a stock photographer, if you find you fit in well working with book and magazine editors, it’s then that you can start investing in a more expensive camera with higher resolution and multiple lenses. Check out eBay for some bargains. Once you upgrade to new equipment, put your trusted Pont&Shoot up for sale on eBay Your stock in trade are your pictures, not your equipment. –RE
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
JUST FOOLIN’ AROUND -- Six New Interesting and Fun Web sites for Photographers - Here are six new tools available for photographers on the web: http://www.dslrphoto.com/dslr/six-new-interesting-and-fun-web-sites-for-photography,7783.html
KEEPING SCORE -- Google Analytics 'Missing Manual' - Google Analytics is one of the best things since sliced bread. The folks at PhotoShelter have unlocked the
secrets of Google Analytics with their free eBook explaining how to maximize the GA tools at your disposal. http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2009/09/google-analytics-missing-manual.html
GOOD PRINTS–CHEAP – How to Make Exhibition-Quality Prints on a Budget - You can spend your life savings printing photographs. But put that print behind glass, in a frame, in a dimly lit gallery and how much of that beauty really shines through? And are potential buyers even aware of what you've spent? As more people go digital and discover that even Wal-Mart can do just as good a job, there is less need for trained lab techs, less volume at pro labs, and less inclination to refresh chemicals. http://rising.blackstar.com/how-to-make-exhibition-quality-prints-on-a-budget.html
TAKEAWAY: If the digital print process can be automated, it stands to reason (like with a digital camera) human error is less the problem for getting your printing jobs right.
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
GETTIN’ DOWN TO BUSINESS -- An Easy Way for Photographers to Bid and Bill - Lou Lesko started looking for a way to spend more time behind the camera creating and earning.. He created BlinkBid that allows photographers to click and choose their way through a huge range of different options, making creating invoices and detailed bids simple and automatic.
http://blogs.photopreneur.com/an-easy-way-for-photographers-to-bid-and-bill
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
How Do I Speed Up My Computer?
Your computer is a complex machine made up of both electronic and mechanical parts. Many novices to computers think that once they've bought a computer that it should work consistently thereafter.
The reality is this: You could have the best hardware in the world and have a computer that runs so slowly as to be next to worthless.
The number one determining factor (hardware issues and failures aside) that will slow your computer down is: "YOU!!!"
Have I shocked you ?
Good!!
Let me put this into perspective. A case in point was a computer I was asked to look at recently. The user was really frustrated. He was thinking of chucking the laptop out a window because it was so slow. Granted, it was an old computer, but what really got my attention was what happened when the machine booted up (which took a long time).
He had 6 different anti-spyware programs all in competition with each other, about 5 different registry editors and numerous browser toolbars.
I was flabbergasted!!
I told him I was amazed his machine would even boot up at all. Cleaning it out was even worse. Some of the programs fought me (with threats of dire consequences to the integrity of his machine) as I tried to remove them. It was a real mess, but over time, it got better and the computer sped up considerably.
The whole point of this story is this: "If you have poor software habits, such as downloading tons of files on the Internet or every program your friends give to you, you're likely to overload your system and it won't be long before your computer will begin to slow down again."
To elaborate, let's use the analogy of a new car. If you buy it with all the bells and whistles, such as air conditioning, power everything, etc. and you don’t maintain it, it will begin to perform poorly. One such impact will be high gas consumption.
Conversely, if you buy a car that only has what you need, a leaner version of the same vehicle and you do regular maintenance, this will tend to reduce your gas consumption.
It's a similar thing with your computer. If you get the best hardware but you overload your system with unnecessary programs and clog up your hard drive, your system will begin to slow down.
It's that simple. The solution is to run a lean machine and only install what's necessary for your business or hobby.
A new machine or upgrades will give you a faster machine, but its long term performance will largely be determined by your computing habits.
I would need 10 minutes of your time and I'll show you how to speed up your computer, rid yourself of viruses and protect yourself online.
Nathan Segal, from Victoria, BC, Canada, is a writer/photographer who has also been active as a digital artist for well over a decade. For the past 9+ years, he has written numerous articles for computer and photographic magazines and has provided his own illustrations and photographs for the articles. His articles have covered : software reviews, tutorials, computer tips and tricks, profiles and investigative reporting. visualartist49[at]gmail[dot]com; 1 408 844-4851 (Cell).
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Retiring? Getting out of stock?
What do you do with your hundreds, thousands of slides?
Join the discussion in this week’s Kracker Barrel
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
SPOT JOURNALISM -- Twitpic is a service that makes it easy to post images to Twitter, and to view and comment on photos from your Twitter account. It is also emergining as the trendy new candidate to kill old-school spot photojournalism once and for all. Will Twitpic Succeed Where Scoopt Failed? http://bit.ly/X3TtL
TAKEAWAY: Getting a "scoop" for TV and newspaper journalists has always been the benchmark and goal. It looks like the demise of classic TV and newspaper news (both photos and print) is about to unfold.
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
WHICH ROAD? -- Are You a Quality Microstocker Or a Quantity Microstocker? - Success in microstock requires that you learn how to consistently create high quality (high selling) stock photos before you increase your volume of production. http://www.microstockdiaries.com/are-you-a-quality-microstocker-or-a-quantity-microstocker.html
REAL EDITORIAL PICS -- Getty Images’ iStock Exclusives invited to shoot editorial photos. The iStock shooters will contribute images to Getty’s editorial collection starting this fall. This will be progressive and addressed in several phases. Shooting editorial is a world away from conventional iStock photography. Forget everything you know about the iStockalypses in the past. There will be no props, models, stylists, lighting, and fancy studio locations. He photos, for most part, wil be on location.
http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=113501
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
=================================================
And now... Computers
Like most of the "conveniences" in your
kitchen ... you don't plug it in and
forget it. They take regular maintenance
on your part or you'll soon lose their
"convenience."
Keeping your computer in top shape will keep your stock photography business in top form.
read more. . .
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
SIGN RIGHT HERE -- From iStockphoto Photography Standards: Model Releases – The two major questions that come up about model releases: . When does a person in an image need to sign a release? . What's the proper way to fill out the release?
http://www.istockphoto.com/article_view.php?ID=648
TAKEAWAY: Quick answer: You’ll most always need a release, if you wish to sell your pictures in the corporate world (ads, endorsements, posters,billboards). Almost never if your photo is used to inform and/or educate in the editorial world (books, newspapers, magazines, and some websites).
http://www.photostocknotes.com/psnbugs/legalstuff.jpg
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
PICSCOUT TO THE RESCUE -- Getty sues, and wins - Getty has won a case for copyright infringement against a removal company, JA Coles. Although Coles took down the image when approached for payment by Getty, they did not pay the fee. Most companies that Getty has sued have not paid. In some cases debt collectors have allegedly been used to pursue the "debt" - which is dubious, since no contract exists - but no court action had been forthcoming, until now. This will set a prescedence. http://copyrightaction.com/forum/getty-finally-sues-and-wins
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
DIGITAL COMPACT CAMERA: Great Photos Every Time, by Arnold Wilson. The digital compact camera has revolutionized photography: no reel to wind, no running out of film, no waiting for development. But it’s not quite that easy: how do you set the exposure, turn the flash on and off, download the pictures to your computer, and get the high-quality prints you want? This book answers all these questions, plus provides an inspiring guide to the art of taking better photographs. It explains the principles of composition and offers tips on shooting everything from landscapes to weddings, vacations, and pets. A good guide for digital newcomers on how to get the most out of their new cameras. (ISBN: 978-1-86108-527-6; 144 pgs; $17.95) Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 387 Park Ave. So, New York, NY 10016-8810. Contact: Krista Margies, 646-688-2510; kmargies[at]sterlingpublishing[dot]com
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
...been thinking about starting to sell your stock photos on the Internet...?
my 21-unit program on CD is the answer for you.
Each unit is about 8 to 15 minutes long. It's on a compact disk and can reach your postal mail address in 5 to 7 days. (We're quick!)
There's a guarantee... can't benefit from it? Send it back and you receive a full refund..
Advanced stock photographers as well as newcomers to the marketplace will find new ideas, new strategies, in this marketing guide, to keep pace with the ever-evolving Internet environment.
---Rohn Engh
“The Rohn Engh ‘How to Market Your Photos’ eCourse is nothing short of excellent and is very informative and educational. If you have the ability to take photographs, this course will help you make photographs and sell them.”- Jim Olive, Stock Photo Agency Director, The STOCKYARD, Houston TX
Here's where you go to order it now:
http://www.photosource.com/ecourse
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
PHOTOS AS EVIDENCE -- Investigators looking into accusations of police misconduct following Hurricane Katrina have filed a subpoena seeking photographs shot by New Orleans photographer Alex Brandon, who was then working for The Times-Picayune. Brandon now works for the Associated Press. http://bit.ly/1GMxN
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
IT’S NOT FLAT -- Two Students Explain How to Photograph Space for $150. On September 2, Justin Lee and Oliver Yeh successfully took photos of Earth's curvature and the blackness of space using only a weather balloon and off-the-shelf components. http://gizmodo.com/5358667/mit-students-explain-how-to-photograph-space-for-150
JAZZ UP YOUR IMAGE -- FotoMuse is a place where you can import any photo from your album and make it look like a work of art . Kris Gebhardt, entrepreneur and photographer sys, “Anyone with an iPhone can infuse snapshots with artistic depth in just a few simple steps. Publishers are weary of using the tired images found on stock photography sites. Online editors and webmasters are embracing FotoMuse’s filters, borders, and fine art effects to create eye-catching images that pop off of a web page and differentiate their sites from those of their competitors,” he said. “They can literally snap a picture, edit it, and upload it in about five minutes.”
http://news.topwirenews.com/2009/09/02/FotoMuse-IPhone-App-Inspires-Publishers-And-Photography-Hobbyists_200909023130.html
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
GOOD NEWS REPRIEVE -- Art Capital Dropping Lawsuit Against Annie Leibovitz - Four days after the deadline expired for Annie Leibovitz to repay her $24 million loan to Art Capital Group, the two parties announced a resolution. Leibovitz gets to keep control of her photos and has more time to repay the money.
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/photo-news/legal-news/e3id4e011604f3ec5829edbcaaddc080f82
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
"Thank you for the fantastic service you offer and the great advice available on your website - it has been a superb help to get started!"
- Terri Petrie, Photographer, U.K.
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
TWO DECADES -- Corbis Celebrates 20 years of Stock Photography. A look behind the scenes of notable images and a Twitter contest mark the anniversary of one of the oldest major online stock photography company. http://bit.ly/bXeNd
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Mahaffey White is still adding color to the world An artist who has reinvented herself in many media, White recently took on digital color photography as a method to express her vibrant photography and personality featured in a new DSCC exhibit . The energetic 98-year-old has not stopped reinventing herself as an artist since the Great Depression. "The camera, available to everyone, makes us all 'picture takers.'... The artist uses the camera differently, as a
tool - like a brush, a chisel, a torch or a metal plate - a tool that has its own limitations and creative possibilities. http://bit.ly/NHkks http://www.stategazette.com/story/1569959.html
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
FREE WORLD EXPO PASS -- Each year at Photoshop World the company opens the Exhibit Floor to the public for just two days, and if you'd like a free Expo-only pass (so you can see all the exhibitors, including Adobe), and catch the free expo floor classes and presentations, go here to get yours. http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2009/archives/6507
INSIDE LOOK -- Photography Exhibit Working To End Homelessness. "These are eye-opening photos and they really humanize the face of homelessness."
http://cbs11tv.com/local/fort.worth.homelessness.2.1180533.html
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
“Within every man and woman a secret is hidden, and as a photographer it is my task to reveal it if I can.”
- Yousuf Karsh
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
1925 – September 5 – Lt George Goddard, director of photography of the Air Corps Technical School, US Army, took photographs of the Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, area from a plane – the “Flying Laboratory.” The pictures were developed and finished in the air, and dropped to the ground within eight minutes from time of exposure. One picture was then sent by a photographic transmitting set to Governors Island, 1,700 miles away, arriving 27 minutes after it had been taken, constituting the first demonstration of rapid aerial photography.
16 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Willy Ronis, French photographer dead at 99. He was the last of France's postwar greats of photography who captured the essence of Paris in black and white scenes of everyday life, died Saturday. Lovers, nudes and scenes from Paris streets were the mainstay of Ronis' photographs, which reflect the so-called humanist school of photography in an award-winning career that began in the 1930s and reaped honors for him in France and abroad.
http://bit.ly/42avvW
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
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9/9/9/
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09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
The Advantages Of
A Home Office
At every recession, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us there is an increase in the number of persons who start up a home business. A stock photography business lends itself well to operating out of your home.
And if you are attentive to general business practices you are going to discover quickly that working from home (rather than at a studio that we usually associate with a photography business) that you are going to reduce your expenses. Whenever you can reduce your expenses, you increase your net profit.
There are plenty of books and articles written on the subject of setting up a home business.
You can Google them for specifics. Here are some favorable highlights you’ll discover.
Your deductions (write-offs…) for home-office expenses include a percentage of your rent if you rent your home or apartment, or a percentage of the depreciation if you own your home; and according to percent of spaced used, an appropriate percentage of home utilities, property tax, mortgage interest and insurance. You can determine the percentage based on any reasonable allocation. Most people use either square footage or number of rooms in the house.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
A “home” office can be in a house, apartment, loft, condominium, trailer, mobile home, or boat. The term also includes any separate structure that is part of your residence, such as a garage or barn. You can deduct the expenses directly related to your home office, such as utilities, insurance, property taxes, etc. You must, however, meet certain requirements for your home work space to qualify as a “home office,” and be eligible for these deductions.
The home-office rules apply to sole proprietors the home-office rules do not apply to regular corporations.
Here are some details:
1.) Your Principal Place of Business: The home-office rules changed in January 1999. Until 1999, you were not able to deduct any expenses for a home office unless it was used exclusively and on a regular basis as your “principal place of business,” or a place of business used regularly by your patients, clients or customers in the normal course of business.
Up to 1999, the Supreme Court defined principal place of business as, “the most important, consequential, or influential location,” with the main emphasis on where you do the work that produces the income. This meant that consultants, contractors, plumbers, caterers, musicians, independent traveling salespeople and others who do their income-producing work at customers’ and clients’ homes and offices, were not, in most cases, eligible for a home office deduction.
The fact that your home office was essential to your business, or that you did all of your paperwork there, or even that it was the sole base of operations, according to the past law this was not enough to make it deductible. However, a law change in 1997, put into effect in 1999, made it possible for you to deduct home-office “space” expenses that previously were not recognized by the IRS. The law now eliminates the “principal place of business” requirement.
This is often referred to as the Soliman Decision. You will be allowed a home office deduction if your home office is the only place (“the sole fixed location”) where the business owner conducts “substantial” administrative or management activities for that business.
2..) Regular and Exclusive Use: To be eligible for the home office deduction, a specific part of your home must be used regularly and exclusively for business. It can be a separate room or even part of a room, as long as the space is used for the business and nothing else. A TV set can be in the office if it is used in connection with stock photography. Your office cannot double as a guestroom, poolroom, kids’ playroom, or anything else, even when you are not working in the room.
(An exception to the exclusive rule: If the home is the sole fixed location for a retail sales business, such as a display room for your photos or a place to store your inventory in the home, the expense of maintaining the storage area is deductible even if storage isn’t the exclusive use of the space.
MORE DEDUCTIONS
You are allowed a deduction for your home office even if you have another business location, and even if you earn the major portion of your income away from the home office, as long as you do a substantial amount of your paperwork, research, ordering supplies, scheduling, or appointments at your home office. Note that you don’t have to do all of your administrative or management work at home. The key word here is “substantial.” (Using the home office to do only occasional or minor paperwork will not qualify it for the deduction.)
3.) Separate structure: If your home business is located not in the home, but in a freestanding structure such as a studio, garage or barn, you don’t have to meet the principal-place-of-business test. You are allowed deductions for upkeep of the space even if it is not your principal place of business. But the space still must be used regularly and exclusively for business, to qualify.
Home repairs, such as a new roof or furnace, are also partly deductible (though if they are major, they must be depreciated).
The IRS specifically prohibits deductions for landscaping and lawn care, but if a greenhouse or botanical garden is necessary for a photo specialization you are noted for, then this would, naturally, be a write-off for you.
Want to read more?
http://photosource.com/psn-article/advantage.html
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
How To Surf The Web Anywhere
Find a wireless service to connect to the internet.. Cell phone coverage in the United States and Europe are pretty complete, but the title of this article is “How to Surf the Web from Anywhere.” So for maximum service also look into a satellite phone and internet service.
Satellite phone service takes some getting used to but is unmatched in its ability to connect you to the rest of the world in what you swore was a mile past the middle of nowhere.
http://www.ehow.com/how_4832530_surf-internet-anywhere.html
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
GET “META” SMART. -- Are you meta-smart? If you create, distribute or use digital photos, you’d better be!,” says SAA. To protect your copyrights … To make money licensing photography … To smooth your workflow … To track image use … To find images you need … To find them again … You need to understand and use photo metadata. We can help.” www.photometadata.org/
PICK A WINNER - When you're searching for a niche in which to
specialize, there's often one ideal place to look. Pick a subject that
genuinely interests you, something that you've been shooting anyway just for
fun and you'll not only be earning a little extra cash, you'll also have
that unbeatable feeling that you're being paid to do something you find
immensely satisfying.
http://blogs.photopreneur.com/finding-a-fascinating-photography-project-that-pays
RAINY DAYS -- Bad Weather Doesn't Have to Ruin Your Photo Shoot - The danger of
preconceptions. SOURCE: Rising Black Star
http://rising.blackstar.com/bad-weather-doesnt-have-to-ruin-your-photo-shoot.html#more-5906
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
REVENUE IS UP FOR MICROSTOCK -- Microstock Earnings Report August 2009 - August is typically one of the slower months of the microstock calendar.
But this year a lot of microstockers are reporting a very solid month, particularly a few iStockphoto exclusive contributors.
http://www.microstockdiaries.com/microstock-earnings-report-august-2009.html
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
CAN’T TAKE THE HEAT? Golf-McIlroy annoyed as photographer spoils his last hole. Last year's runner-up in Switzerland hit an eagle and eight birdies to tie for seventh with a total of 12-under 272 but was annoyed not to finish better after being upset by a photographer on the last hole. http://bit.ly/ZNjW1
TAKEAWAY: What baseball pitcher, football quarterback, hockey player, basketball player at the foul line would not love to blame a missed goal on a photographer? How did we golfers ever evolve to the exclusivity of having no distractions by the spectators as we perform?
WE OWE HER -- Photography's debt to Annie Leibovitz. As celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz's financial woes threaten to eclipse her career, it's important to remember
how much we owe to her pioneering work
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/sep/08/annie-leibovitz-debts?commentpage=1
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
OLD FAITHFUL GONE? -- The United States Bankruptcy Court of New York has announced that case number 09-235299 (the Readers Digest Association) has been filed on August 24th 2009 and the creditors meeting will be held on October 2, 2009 in New York.
Rumors of the Reader’s Diget Association’s dire finances had been floating in publishing circles for months. In January 2009, the company laid off 300 employees, 8% of its staff. In June, the company announced it would cut its circulation from 8 million to 5.5 million and decrease the number of issues published per year from 12 to 10.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/17/readers-digest-bankruptcy-business-media-readers-digest.html
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Whether you are retired or
looking for a way to gain
extra income, or to cut
back on rent or the costs
of operating a studio ...
One answer can be to work at home..
read more. . .
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Take the Test! - How much do you know about copyright law? Check your
knowledge on Bryan Cave's Art Law blog.
SOURCE: http://www.photoattorney.com/2009/09/take-test.html
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
For photographers:
If you’ve been questioned by security guards, uniformed policemen, pranksters, off-duty policemen; detectives, or vigilantes, -- here’s where you can go for a review of your First Amendment Rights:
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Commercial Photography Handbook
by Kirk Tuck
The topics in this book begin with determining what kind of commercial photography to pursue and how to get the training needed to carve out a niche in the market. Targeting new and experienced commercial photographers alike, the guide explores the different aspects and challenges of succeeding in the industry. The topics also include marketing techniques, negotiation skills, estimating and charging for work, maximizing profits while minimizing expenses, and ethical business behavior.
Commercial photographers who are developing or expanding their businesses will know how to evolve and grow during up and down economic times.
Kirk Tuck is an award-winning advertising photographer whose clients include Dell, Elle magazine, IBM, Motorola, Pharmaco, and Time Warner lives in Austin, Texas.
Amherst Media $34.95 ISBN-13: 978-1-58428-260-0 Order #: 1890>
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
If you are a photographer seeking exposure
for your photography…whether you are an
unknown photographer or a veteran freelancer,
the PhotoSourceBANK places you in the front of the line.
Editorial photobuyers need specific-content
pictures for their specialized projects. If
you have what they need, they’re interested
in working with you.
Major photobuyers search the PhotoSourceBANK daily for their picture needs. The PhotoSource International website gets 43,000 hits per day, ten times more than any similar site on the web.
For More Information on how to supply 3,000 of your descriptive words (tags) to our PhotoSourceBANK: https://www.photosource.com/cart/psb.php
What others are saying about the PhotoSourceBANK…
http://www.photosource.com/talk/psb_talk.php
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
WHEN A FLICKR PIC VANISHES -- Flickr Changes Its DMCA TakeDown Policy for Copyright Infringement Claims. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) states that while an Internet Service Provider (ISP) is not liable for transmitting information that may infringe a copyright, the ISP must remove materials from users' websites that appear to constitute copyright infringement after it receives proper notice. Flickr will send a message to the member about the claim, remove the questionable image, but leave the metadata and comments posted. http://bit.ly/gwE5r
YES/NO, YOU CAN’T -- In the UK: Illegal to delete photographers' pics, confess Met Police. The Metropolitan Police revised its anti-terrorism guidance in a bid to clear up confusion surrounding the powers police officers have over amateur and professional photographers. http://bit.ly/2qgbfd
WHO’S RUNNING THE SHIP ANYWAY ? -- Flickr Will No Longer Nuke Your Metadata When They Comply With DMCA Takedown. Notices - Flickr still needs to go further. A lot of controversy around the most recent Joker/Obama image was over how seriously Flickr examines their
takedown notices. Can any crackpot simply file a DMCA takedown notice and get an image killed? As it turns out, probably.
http://thomashawk.com/2009/09/flickr-will-no-longer-nuke-your-metadata-when-they-comply-with-dmca-takedown-notices.html
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
ANTIQUE DIGITAL – The PhotoHistory Symposium Features World's First Digital Camera - The Photographic Historical Society, founded in 1966, is the oldest such group in the world. It will sponsor PhotoHistory XIV in Rochester, NY on Oct. 16-18, 2009. The symposium speakers hail from Canada, England, Belgium and the US. http://shutterbug.com/news/083109history/
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Educate Yourself
For Tax Planning
By Julian Block Esq.
Are you a stock photographer who doesn't want to pay
any more to the IRS than you have to, legally?
Keeping good records is the key to mapping out strategies that you can use year after year to trim taxes. But organizing that ever-growing accumulation of records in your desk drawers, closets, and other storage spaces is just the first step for effective tax planning.
Educating yourself on the current tax opportunities and pitfalls can be an important second step. Ideally, you should be equipped to weigh the tax consequences before you make decisions on whether to invest, borrow or spend.
In these increasingly tough times, it is more vital than ever that stock photographers assume greater responsibility for their financial future. They ought not to rely exclusively on paid advisers to keep on top of tax-law changes or other legislation that might make it necessary to revise their plans. At the very least, photographers should be knowledgeable enough to raise good questions and evaluate answers when they deal with a professional tax advisor. Keep up with the times. The informed client gets the best advice.
COMMUNITY TAX HELP
On a personal note, JFK was president when I first passed a bar exam. Eight presidents later, I still am constantly contacted by individuals seeking to disentangle themselves from problems created by their blind reliance on flawed advice from highly paid professionals. That is why I recommend photographers sign up for low-cost adult education courses on taxes, investing and other aspects of personal finance.
Photographers can pick from an array of continuing education courses tailored to their interest, that are available at high schools, community colleges and the like. These courses are typically taught by attorneys, CPAs and financial planners — individuals with hands-on experience who are able to provide helpful, unbiased advice.
What is particularly advantageous is that the courses make it possible for photographers to pick the brains of qualified instructors at a fraction of what it would otherwise cost to meet them on a one-to-one basis.
An example: In my near-New-York-City neck of the woods, the going hourly rate for tax lawyers commonly is several hundred dollars and up, whereas students generally pay about $40 at the adult ed places that offer my two-hour sessions on narrowly focused topics.
Another decided advantage is that you and other attendees get to ask questions about significant events in your financial lives. Some of the queries regularly fielded by me and my fellow instructors: the tax-right way to open, operate, or close business ventures; the tax and other legal consequences of getting hitched or unhitched; when and how much to remove from traditional IRAs or other tax-deferred retirement plans; and whether to make lifetime gifts of money and other kinds of property to family members, or to leave the assets to them.
Also, you learn money-saving techniques that you can apply yourself, or, should you decide to seek professional help, test out on your advisers. And, conceivably, those advisers might turn out to be your instructors, whom you’ve had an excellent chance to evaluate.
Should some kinds of courses be shunned? Unquestionably, in my experience.
The adage that there is no free lunch is particularly apt when it comes to no-charge seminars sponsored by brokerage houses, insurance companies, etc. Far too often, these outf its use the talks mainly as marketing tools to promote (1) themselves, (2) dubious investment vehicles and other products designed to generate lucrative commissions for themselves and dismal returns for their clients, or (3) all of the above.
Julian Block, a former IRS agent and a tax attorney, is the author of "The 2009 Stock Photographer's Tax Guide." For details on how to purchase this important 32-page publication: http://www.photosource.com/taxtips.php . For Julian’s tax saving and tax planning reports, go to http://www.photosource.com/products and click on “2009 Tax Tip Guides.” Julian can be reached at julianblock[at]yahoo[dot]com .
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
MULTI-TASKING CAMERA – Open-source camera could revolutionize photography - Stanford computer science professor Marc Levoy and graduate student Andrew Adams with their open-source source camera. Anyone will be able to create new features for the camera by writing aps that control all the camera's functions - focus, exposure, shutter speed, flash, etc.
http://www.echenique.com/index.php/2009/09/05/open-source-camera-could-revolutionize-photography-w-video/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=open-source-camera-could-revolutionize-photography-w-video
ANOTHER TOOL -- David Bailey's Nokia experiment and the future of photography. Until recently, camera phones have been the snapshot camera's poor relation, but some have reached the point where they can take serious pictures, even at night. To wit: Nokia's N86. http://bit.ly/rnrKJ
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
“This CD eCourse, "Rohn Engh's How To Market Your Photos", in the market place of selling your photos, is the bible for getting your photos sold. Rohn Engh, along with a few of his very knowledgeable stock photographer friends, show you how to sell the photos you love to take – using real world technology.
From the Internet, to Google, to creating websites, to business cards and letterhead,legal forms, and pricing your photos – this is hands down, the best out there.
This CD is like sitting down and chatting with a good friend, about how to do something you love, and then, getting paid for it. Rohn is the best of the best at helping you get your photos to the marketplace.
Rohn takes you through it all step by step in "How To Market Your Photos"
– hands down, the best a friend can give to a friend."
Joe Stanski, Photo Illustrator, Morning Star Photography, Fairfield, Iowa
For info: www.prweb.com/releases/2009/08/prweb2709904.htm
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Fourteen photography contests for all skill levels - Prizes include over $15,000
in cash prizes, new cameras and lenses, gift cards, computers, photo
enlargements, travel, exclusive memberships and more. Six contests have
September entry deadline dates. Note: Remember to always read the official rules
very carefully.
http://www.examiner.com/x-6227-Louisville-Photography-Examiner~y2009m9d5-14-photography-contests-for-all-skill-levels
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
MOVING UP -- Janet Reeves is now the Washington Times Photo Editor - Janet Reeves, who was the top photo editor at the Rocky Mountain News when it folded in February, has been named assistant managing editor for photography at The Washington Times. Under Reeves' direction, the Rocky won Pulitzer Prizes for photography in 2000, 2003 and 2006.
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/features/pdn-online/e3ie0fe1e4b8826bd9390c3092f7cb81030
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY. -- Waruna Gomis: The question is, when faced with a structure with so many outstanding aesthetics, what governs his decision on angles? “There are basics in architectural photography which are closely connected with architectural graphics and perspective drawings,” Gomis explained. “When you’re trained first as an architect it’s easy to see the elements of a complex structure in it’s pure or basic form. “And pacing gently through and around the building that you find the ideal place to set up your tripod.”
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/articles/20090905084720/Article
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
“In photography, the smallest thing can become a big subject, an insignificant human detail can become a leitmotiv. We see and we make seen as a witness to the world around us; the event, in its natural activity, generates an organic rhythm of forms.”
- Henri Cartier Bresson
09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
1873 – August 26th – The birthday of physicist and inventor Lee De Forest, Council Bluffs, Iowa. He patented the Audion vacuum tube in 1907. It was the key component of the first radios. Lee went on to patent hundreds more inventions, things like the radio knife for surgery, and the photoelectric cell, but he was proudest of the Audion tube, and titled his 1950 autobiography, Father of Radio.
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
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September 3, 2009
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02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Is Your Stock Collection Healthy?
Healthy living comes from healthy eating. Selecting fresh produce can lead to good nutrition.
Have you ever shopped at a Farmer’s Market? Hundreds of choices of fruits, vegetables, canned pickles, dried beans and so on.
Shoppers can spend a lot of time, roaming, looking and selecting the items for sale.
People who visit Farmer’s Markets usually arrive with a $20 bill and leave with garden fresh goods. Farmer’s Markets are a good example of what on-line Internet stock photo shopping has become.
The community Farmer’s Markets are growing. And unlike a 65,000 square foot Wal-Mart where merchandise is segmented by signs (“Household”, “Canned fruit”, “Auto”, “Toys”), Farmer’s Markets on the other hand are an ocean of unregulated produce. .
DO-IT-YOURSELF
Is your website an ocean of unregulated images?
More people are discovering their digital camera can match and reproduce the same visual quality of the images they see in magazines and books. These folks (we can rightly call them photographers) are discovering they can gain recognition for their art – plus make a few dollars.
And like farmer’s markets, on-line galleries are expanding. And more and more photographers are loading them with more and more images.
It’s true that you can find quality farm fresh vegetables and fruits at a farmer’s market. You can also find photo treasures on the Internet.
But will your photos in an on-line photo gallery find themselves being purchased by a photobuyer? Probably not. The reason is simple. In an ever-expanding supply of pictures, your chances of being discovered by a photobuyer become less.
What to do?
Want to read more?
http://photosource.com/psn-article/healthy.html
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
by Bill Hopkins
Taxes Affecting Associates
As more and more states pass or update laws to tax Internet sales shipped to their states, more and more Internet merchants are pulling the plug. At least for their associates. Amazon has now terminated their associate program in several states. Among the latest to receive word are North Carolina, Rhode Island and Hawaii. States are trying to close budget gaps by finding new (and sometimes novel) ways to collect additional sales taxes. Previously, if a state collected sales taxes (some don=t) it would only collect if the business had a physical presence in the stateBthe "brick and mortar" approach. Now laws are being passed/proposed to collect sales taxes if the merchant has any affiliates in their state, a decidedly different tack.
KUTGW, NSFW, KWIM?
I suppose you could always ask your (or another=s) kid to decipher this for you, but when that resource is unavailable (or you suspect the shorthand is inappropriate) you can always go here: http://www.netlingo.com/acronyms.php Another site is dtxtr.com, which offers translations of "teen speak" to "english" (4col, they can't even capitalize "English.") I kinda like this one, 404. I'm sure your Internet browsing has shown this to you more than once. What does it mean in texting? "I haven't got a clue." How true. And watch out for these: 9, 99. CUOL.
12 Outdated Tech Terms
With a nod to George Carlin, here are twelve outdated technology terms, at least according to Business Week (there are dissenting points of view). Intranet, extranet, web surfing, push technology, Application Service Provider (ASP), Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), Internet telephony, weblog, thin client, RBOC, long-distance call, World Wide Web. To understand why these terms are considered outdated, please visit http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2009/tc20090824_902851.htm
Bill Hopkins is the Webmaster of PhotoSourceFolio* ( www.photosourcefolio.com ) and a regular contributor to PhotoStockNotes. Send comments via e-mail to wh[at]photosourcefolio[dot]com Fax: 1 818 831-0916. For on-line questions, contact Bill on the Kracker Barrel at http://www.photosource.com/board
*Display 6 of your own images for photobuyers to view, on your page on the PhotoSource website.
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Name: Dan Holden Bailey
Phone: 513-425-0538
Email: dholdenb[at]aol[dot]com
dates#1: 8-28-09/9-5-09
destination#1: Maldives
Comments: Will be shooting land and underwater
- - - - - - - - - - -
Name: Steve Lunetta
Phone: 1 520 579 8121
Email: steve[at]pagetopage[dot]net
Dates: Sept 22-30, 2009
destination: Paris, Venice
Comments: http://www.pagetopage.net http://gallery.mac.com/slunetta
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
BE PREPARED -- Tips From a Pulitzer Prize Winning Photojournalist - Deanne Fitzmaurice is a multi-award wining photographer, including Microsoft's Icons of Imaging and
the big kahuna, Pulitzer Prize. She passed along some very pragmatic advice
about always checking your equipment, your cards, batteries, always being
aware of exactly where you stand so you're ready for that next shot.
http://www.silberstudios.tv/blog/2009/08/25/tips-from-a-pulitzer-prize-winning-photojournalist/308/
Video: http://www.silberstudios.tv/previous-shows/deane-fitzmaurice/
WORKFLOW -- Datacolor Uses Its Heritage, Flagship Calibration Kit To Create Ultimate Workflow Solution With New Spyder3Studio SR. The new system is built on the solid foundation of Datacolor's extremely popular and highly revered Spyder3Studio Kit. The Spyder3Studio SR represents a true breakthrough in performance and price.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/NEWS/1251329781.html
ESCAPING MEDIOCRITY -- Eighteen Tips for Being a Photography Original - It's clear that you don't want to be playing in that end of the pool. So, in today's market, how can you position yourself as a photography original - and reclaim the value of your
ideas? Here are 18 do's and don'ts:
http://rising.blackstar.com/18-tips-for-being-a-photography-original.html
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
NUDES FOR YOU -- Nude Model Arrested.
(Did We Mention She Was Nude?)
Photographer Zach Hyman has found a fool-proof strategy for promoting his art: public nudity.
http://bit.ly/30620F
WHAT DOWN ECONOMY? -- Recession? What Recession? First Leica Store on East Coast in West Palm Beach, FL At least that seems to be the thinking of German camera manufacturer Leica which is set to open the first Leica store on the East Coast in West Palm Beach, Florida.
http://bit.ly/cThAj
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
MARKETING TIP -- If you can prove a client has lost, misappropriated, or outright stolen your image(s), you have the right to take that client to small claims court (in cases under $2500 in most cases). Seek help from the national organization… A “Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts” attorney may reside or your local area . The headquarters for this organization is: VLA, The Paley Building 1 East 53rd Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10022 212·319·ARTS (2787)
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Who is winning the battle between microstock and Rights-managed stock photography?
Check out the Kracker Barrel this week to get some opinions. Or maybe there isn’t a battle.
http://board.photosource.com/
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
NEW CREDENTIALS POLICY -- SEC Eases Photo Restrictions In College Football Media Policy. The Southeastern Conference, which had drawn complaints and potential boycott from some media organizations over a new restrictive credential policy, has revised the rules to allow more use of photos, video, and blogging by news outlets. http://bit.ly/3s4USk
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
WANTED: TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PHOTOJOURNALISM BUSINESS MODEL. -- PDN recently sat down with VII Photo Agency managing director Stephen Mayes to discuss how the agency's business is evolving and to get his take on photojournalism in the new millennium. Stephen Mayes: “The most telling comment I’ve heard in recent months is that journalism in the twenty-first century is yet to be invented, and that what we’re all struggling to do is to maintain an old model in a new system, and it’s incompatible in many ways.”
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/features/pdn-online/e3i8b95ac51de67e196d15ec26cbd94da1b
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
ULTIMATE MICROSTOCK UTILITY - When the service, iSyndica first launched, it simply provided a faster way to upload photos to many different microstock agencies. You could upload your photos once to iSyndica and they would then send them to various agencies of your choice. In the short time since their launch, they've built some very appealing functionality on top of that basic service.
http://www.microstockdiaries.com/isyndica.html
GETTIN’ DOWN TO BUSINESS -- The Business of Microstock Panel Discussion - As the microstock market moves farther away from its hobbyist origins, the traditional sector of the stock photo market is adapting to microstock as a business. But getting people experienced with both sectors of the market is not easy. Mediabistro and Microstock Diaries are bringing an informal industry festival in New York City this October.
http://www.microstockdiaries.com/the-business-of-microstock-panel-discussion.html
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
THEY SAID IT CAN’T BE DONE -- Facebook censors documentary photography project (UK)Facebook has defended its ban of images forming part of a photography project on the struggle of a woman battling breast cancer. http://bit.ly/47yTWd
ROYAL FOLKS WIN CASE -- The Dutch monarchy won their case against the Associated Press (UK). The judge found against the Associated Press, ruling that images of the Dutch royal family lacked news value and invaded their privacy. http://bit.ly/2NVNve
TAKEAWAY: Hmmmmm….. Is this the same “most liberal, free-loving country in the world” that appears to take a very conservative view when it comes to Freedom of the Press?
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
PHOENIX. Vibe Magazine To Return, New Editor Named - The new owners of Vibe have named publishing veteran Jermaine Hall as editor-in-chief of the dormant hip-hop magazine and plan to resume publication in November.
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/photo-news/editorial/e3i793637a126d62172ee5129f659a6d77a
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
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02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
UNLESS YOU ARE A PAP EXTRODINAIRE - THEY SAID IT CAN’T BE DONE -- The Photo Attorney (http://www.photoattorney.com ) advises: Lesson #1 - don't trespass to take a photo. Lesson #2 - don't take a photo of a person who has an expectation of privacy. George Clooney is suing a paparazzi who "climbed over the villa garden wall on Clooney's property in Italy and took pictures of a 13-year-old girl changing in one of his guest rooms." If true, then the photographer may be found liable for trespass, invasion of privacy, and/or intentional infliction of emotional distress, among other claims.
http://www.hollyscoop.com/george-clooney/george-clooney-suing-paparazzi-over-underage-pictures_21217.aspx
YES, I CAN – Bert P. Krages, article-writer, book author, and all-‘round photo attorney, provides a mini-placard you can show to security guards, detectives, vigilantes, law enforcement people(in uniform or otherwise)who attempt to prevent you from taking pictures in public. Know your rights. http://www.krages.com/phoright.htm
In Britain you can use a similar card: http://www.highton-ridley.co.uk/blog/2009/08/photographers-bust-card-uk-only.html
In Australia: http://www.artslaw.com.au/legalinformation/StreetPhotographersRights.asp
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
5 Things You Should Know About Photo Copyrights
We break down the laws that protect your photos.
By Kathleen Davis
1. Copyright exists from the moment you create your work and fix it in tangible form.
But while you don’t have to, registering your photos with the U.S. Copyright Office gives you the full protection of the law.
According to Michelle Bogre, an attorney and associate professor of photography at Parsons The New School for Design, if you register before your copyright is infringed (or within 90 days of publication), you can sue for statutory damages ($750 to $150,000) and legal fees. Didn’t register? You can only claim what your work might have sold for, which is hard to prove, Bogre warns.
2. Registering isn’t hard.
Go to the U.S. Copyright Office’s website (www.copyright.gov), where you can register online or download an application, and submit your work. It costs $35 online, or $50– $65 through the mail.
On a single application, you can register unpublished work from the same year as a collection, so you only have to pay the fee once for a big batch of photos. (Already published? Your photos are a collection only if they were originally published that way.)
It takes from two to six months to get your certificate of registration—unless you pay $760 to expedite.
3. You can permit broad usage without losing copyright.
Applying a Creative Commons (CC) license lets you share photos for more exposure while specifying clearly how they can be used. You keep your copyright, but others can copy and distribute your work, provided they credit you—and only under the terms you set (such as prohibiting commercial use). A CC license doesn’t give you the same protection, so apply it only after you’ve registered copyright. For more information, visit creativecommons.org.
4. Some kinds of unauthorized use don’t violate copyright.
Before you cry foul, make sure it wasn’t allowed under the fair-use doctrine or an implied contract, such as the rules you agree to by submitting your photo to a contest.
Copyrighted images can be used without permission or payment “for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research,” according to The Law (In Plain English) for Photographers by attorney Leonard D. Duboff (Allworth Press, 2002; $20). Exceptions have also been made for parodies and library use. Unsure? Contact a copyright lawyer.
Many photo contests (ours included) have rules that allow the sponsor to use entries for promotional and other purposes. You retain copyright, but you may not get paid.
Shot a photo for your employer, or under a work-for-hire contract? Your employer owns the copyright.
5. Copyright doesn’t last forever.
Photos taken after January 1, 1978—when the current law went into effect—are protected for 70 years after your death (ownership goes to your heirs).
SOURCE: Popular Photography Magazine www.popphoto.com
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SHOW ME THE MONEY -- Virgin puts unauthorized picture in brochure… photographers says “They should know better.”
http://mobilesyrup.com/2009/08/27/virgin-puts-unauthorized-picture-in-brochures-photographers-says-they-should-know-better/
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
OBAMA HOPE POSTER LITIGATION -
AP RESPONDS TO PHOTOGRAPHER’S INTERVENTION
by Joel Hecker, Esq.
In my prior July column I reported on July 8, 2009 a motion by photographer Mannie Garcia to intervene in the action concerning the use of an illustration by poster artist Shepard Fairey which copied a photograph of then Presidential candidate Obama on posters, t-shirts and other material.
Garcia now claims in his court papers that in fact he was always the copyright owner of the images, that he was never an employee of AP, and that he never agreed to transfer his copyright to AP. Specifically Garcia now states that he never signed AP’s freelancer contract because he did not agree to its terms. The Court granted his motion to intervene.
AP has now responded to Garcia’s allegations in specific detail. AP claims, insofar as copyright ownership of the Obama photos, that Garcia was indeed an employee of AP. In support of its position, AP alleges in its cross-claim against Garcia that:
- In early March, 2006 Garcia became a freelance photographer for AP, at which time he signed a written agreement whereby he transferred to AP all copyrights to the assigned work.
- On March 29, 2006 Garcia submitted a written application for employment, seeking to be hired as an AP staff photographer on a full-time basis.
- In connection with this application, Garcia completed certain documentation that are only completed by employees, including that, if hired, he would be an employee-at-will.
- Garcia also completed other employee related documents.
- He also signed an agreement acknowledging that his employment as a staff photographer for AP would commence on April 3, 2006 at a stated salary which was to be based on a 40 hour work week.
- Garcia also became eligible to join the News Media Guild and became subject to the Guild’s collective bargaining agreement which covered AP employees (but not freelancers).
- Garcia was given photo assignments and listed as a staff photographer.
Want to read more?
http://photosource.com/psn-article/ap.html
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Stock photographers know a top priority for their success is to stay healthy.
Missing a deadline or missing an assignment date could mean missing a check.
read more. . .
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
PHOTO CRIMINALS -- 'Not A Crime' campaign hits the broadsheets (UK)
British Journal of Photography "Not A Crime" campaign has been taken on by The Independent, a newspaper which published a long-ranging video report about the increasing restrictions on photography in public places. http://bit.ly/wXuNC
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
BEFORE YOU WERE BORN. Bell Labs has been pumping out innovations in Internet technology for a long time, starting with the fax machine in 1925. Will we see a hiatus in innovations in this ‘down’ economy?
Consider a few of the crown jewels from Bell Labs alone:
• The first public demonstration of fax transmission (1925)
• First long-distance TV transmission (1927)
• Invention of the transistor (1947)
• Invention of photovoltaic cell (1954)
• Creation of the UNIX operating system (1969)
• Technology for cellular telephony (1978)
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_36/b4145036681619.htm?chan=rss_topStories_ssi_5
EARLY PHOTOS -- In an exhibition, the Detroit museum shows off rare, early photographs. Sir John Herschel made important contributions to the nascent field of photography more than a century and a half ago, inventing a chemical process that allowed an image to be fixed onto
photosensitive paper. And in a first for a photographic exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts, attendees will be invited to fill out a comment card and give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down on what they've seen.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090831/ap_on_re_us/art_early_photography_2
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
LEICA STEPS FORWARD -- The Leica company is such a big, historic player in the camera game that anything it does is important. It just announced via a YouTube video that it will introduce new Leica cameras on September 9.
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kit-eaton/technomix/leica-forgets-about-apple-new-camera-event-collision-ipods
YouTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBcZ1jaWXRw
DOES IT WORK? Eastman Kodak Company today issued a statement in response to a news release issued by the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus regarding Kodak's printer advertising claims. Kodak is quoted as saying, “it would be more meaningful to consumers for HP to simply begin offering reasonably priced ink….”
http://bit.ly/vHi36
NEW FOR SOCIAL MEDIA Cerevo Debuts Digital Camera That Automatically Uploads Pictures To Multiple Social Media Sites - Cerevo, currently one of the most ambitious tech start-ups in Japan, showed its self-developed digital camera aimed at heavy social media users for the first time.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/29/live-from-tokyo-cerevo-debuts-digital-camera-that-automatically-uploads-pictures-to-multiple-social-media-sites/
IT’S OFFICIAL -- It’s pretty clear that the Canon 7D is all but official and that it is slotted between the Canon 50D and 5D Mark II. While it retains the 1.6x crop sensor format of the 50D and its predecessors, the 7D is definitely geared more toward serious amateurs and pro wildlife and sports photographers. http://tinyurl.com/lmh4ya
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
REVEALING! -- New wedding photography trend: The Boudoir Photo Shoot. There is a new wedding photo trend going around town, have you heard about it? A clue: It involves the bride wearing a lot less than her wedding gown. http://bit.ly/WYCgJ
VIDEO IS NEXT. Photographers Who Do Video - With all the modern technology floating around (video on your phone? really?) photographers are forced to be at the forefront of it all in order to stay competitive. Be prepared. Being on top of new trends mean photographers must now make the leap to video.
http://stone-thrower.com/2009/08/25/qampa-photographers-video/
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
"I want to thank you for your PhotoLetter marketletter. It has already started paying dividends!! Keep up the excellent job!!"
-Victor Perez de Lara, Photographer, Colonia Condesa MEXICO
"This is a great website. I like the Kracker Barrel ! Thanks for publishing PHOTOLETTER. Although the fees may be modest from many regional publishers, the photobuyers frequently buy in volume and often lead to other projects. One recent sale added up to nearly $3,000!"
- Russ Poole, Photographer, Frederick, Maryland
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
MYSTERY: -- Who Asked Flickr to Delete the Obama Joker? (Updated). Flickr managers are drawing criticism from some of their users after deleting a satirical photo that showed President Obama on the cover of Time made to look like the Joker. Flickr says it had to delete the image after receiving a takedown notice from a copyright holder. http://bit.ly/84FK6
SENSITIVE ALTERING -- Swift Apology From Microsoft Over Racial Photoshopping Microsoft has apologized for a photograph on the Polish version of its web site that was altered to put a white man's head on a black man's body. (Screen grabs below.)
http://bit.ly/38CUVo
http://www.techtree.com/India/News/Microsoft_Apologizes_for_Photo_Goof-up/551-105870-643.html
(see center person...)
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Do photographers see differently than other people?
Or do they simply know how to anticipate?
Here are the winners of National Wildlife’s photo contest.
http://www.nwf.org/NationalWildlife/article.cfm?issueID=79&articleID=1158
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
DODGING SHRAPNEL, LAND MINES, and BULLETS -- Ask a Pro: How to Shoot (and Not Get Shot) In a War Zone. Ever wonder how war photographers survive out there? Gizmodo has enlisted Teru Kuwayama—a photographer who has covered conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and other hotspots for Time, Newsweek and...
http://gizmodo.com/5330715/ask-a-pro-how-to-shoot-and-not-get-shot-in-a-war-zone
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
“There is no comparison between that which is lost by not succeeding and that which is lost by not trying.”
Francis Bacon {1561-1626 English Philosopher}
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
1928 - September 19th - Walt Disney introduced "Mickey Mouse" in his first animated cartoon, "Steamboat Willy."
1963 - September 24th - Photograph (authorized) of Senate in session to vote on the nuclear test ban treaty, was taken by National Geographic Society photographers for the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, Washington DC.
02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Mary Morris Lawrence, First Female AP Photographer, Dies at 95. Mary Morris Lawrence, believed to be the first female photographer hired by the Associated Press, died August 12 at her home in Oakland, California, at age 95. http://bit.ly/15wTrD
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