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Archive for January 2010
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January 28th 2010
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Don't Take Photos. ..
–MAKE THEM
Editorial stock photography opens up a vast field of interpretive art. But many photographers first should break away from their early conditioning, where they were trained to "take" photographs, following the lead of the photojournalist or documentary photographer community.
The prevailing approach to photography was to capture images,(and still is) somewhat like a mirror does. Editorial stock photography, however, gives the photographer opportunity to make photographs.
Historians will look back on the turn of the 21st century as a time when photographers became more creative with their medium.
The editorial stock photographer can often create a situation as it could be, or as it should be. His or her photograph can become a springboard for the viewer to see through and beyond what is being photographed.
In effect, the photo allows the viewer to become a collaborator in the photo, and extract his or her own meaning from the image. To limit photography simply to mirror-like documentation would be to limit knowledge and understanding and expression of ideas.
NO LIMITATIONS
Creating fresh insights and deeper understanding is not limited to photography. Painters, for example, as we all know, rarely paint their landscapes "true to nature." To limit their illustrations to an exact duplication of nature would be to limit and confine the expression of the painter and the enjoyment of his/her viewers. Artists rearrange the elements [even the lighting] of their paintings, to give wholeness and meaning to a composition that otherwise did not exist. Jazz musicians, for another example, improvise in the melody and rhythm of a basic theme not because they wish to be cute or "different," but because they wish to discover for themselves and their listeners, new meanings inherent in the music.
All of this, of course, does not apply to news photography or photojournalism. It would be dishonest to juggle anything in a news photograph or documentation photo, to misrepresent or lead to misunderstanding of a scene or subject.
Want to read more?
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/makethem.html
The company (YMax Corp) behind the popular magicJack thinks so. The magicJack is a small device that allows you to make free calls in the U.S. and Canada using your high-speed Internet connection.
You plug your phone into the magicJack, and the magicJack into a USB port on your computer. More info, including pricing and hardware requirements, is available at magicJack.com.
That's the background. YMax will soon be marketing a similar device that works with your cell phone.
The idea is that you plug their device into your computer with a broadband Internet connection, and it connects wirelessly with your cell phone. As long as you are in range of their device, your phone stays connected to the device instead of connecting to your carrier's cell towers.
You get to make free calls using your cell phone routed over the Internet.
But there are some gotchas.
First, it only works with phones using the GSM standard (like AT&T and T-Mobile) and won=t work with phones from Verizon or Sprint/Nextel.
Second, since the device is essentially a mini-cellular tower in your home, it is using the same frequencies that the cellular companies have paid big bucks to use.
The cellular carriers aren't saying much right now, and the FCC also had no comment but is looking into the issue. YMax says it's legal because cellular licenses do not extend into the home. Wonder who will win that one.
Portable File Cabinet
Not the kind on two (or four) wheels, but the electronic kind.
There's a free service called Evernote (yeah, the free version has some limits and includes ads, but it's free) that lets you store stuff in the "cloud" and retrieve them seamlessly. You organize your stuff in a digital file cabinet containing notebooks, just like files and folders on your computer. It works with a variety of electronic devices, including PCs, Macs, and smart phones like iPhone and Blackberry and others.
Use it to manage your photos, texts, documents, notes, web page snapshots, and more and have it all available on all your connected devices.
Evernote includes an email address, and anything you send to that email will go into your digital file cabinet. Twitter can also be used. Unlimited access without ads and more features, including up to 500 Mb per month upload costs $45 per year. Check it out at evernote.com. There's also an on-line video tutorial.
Bill Hopkins is the Webmaster of PhotoSourceFolio, where photographers
display photos and a regular contributor to PhotoStockNotes. Send comments to Bill via email. Fax: 1 818 831-0916. For on-line questions, contact Bill on the Kracker Barrel.
- Company - - - BOATING LIFE
Name: Arlyn Hernandez
Title: Managing Editor
- Address: 460 North Orlando Ave. Ste 200
- City: Winter Park
- State/Province:FL 32789
- Phone: 407 571 4819
- E-mail: arlynhernandez[at]bonniercorp[dot]com
Replaces: Sue Whitney
Sue has moved to:
- Company --PARENTING MAGAZINE
Name: Sue Whitney
Title: Managing Editor
-
- Phone: 407 571 4594
e-mail: sue.whitney[at]bonniercorp[dot]com
– - - - - - - - - - -
New email address for:
Maria Miller
Photo Manager
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT
Former: maria.miller[at]harcourt[dot]com
New: maria.miller[at]hmhpub[dot]com
2010 PHOTOGRAPHER’S MARKET, 31st Annual Edition.
The new edition includes: complete, up-to-date contact information for more than 1,600 photography markets; interviews with working photographers; articles and information on the business of photography, business tips and practices as well as new markets to explore. Good read! $29.99. The latest edition of Photographer's Market is available at.
http://www.photosourcefolio.com/bookstoreone.htm
FREE ADVICE -- New Online Marketing Help - Aquent has launched a free Web site called internetonlinewebsite.com that teaches marketers and designers what and how they need to create Web sites. http://www.creativepro.com/article/new-online-marketing-help
GETTING IN TOUCH -- Stillman: “Why I Chose an E-Mail Marketing Service to Boost My Photography Business - To help market Gordon Stillman’s photography business in 2010, he decided to try an e-mail database and distribution service called Adbase. This post shares his reasons for choosing a service like Adbase along with his initial experiences. SOURCE: BlackStar Rising
http://rising.blackstar.com/why-i-chose-an-e-mail-marketing-service-to-boost-my-photography-business.html
BOOK COVERS -- Covers are always a point of pride for photographers. They have a shelf life longer than a magazine inside photo and can sometimes lend themselves more to the photographer’s own creativity. Example: the new cover of Viva Vegan, shot by Miha Matei! http://stone-thrower.com/2010/01/12/viva-vegan/
How much can a stock photographer
make in today's economy?....
Brian Yarvin, James Cook-- give their thoughts.
http://board.photosource.com/
COMPARE & SHOP -- All About Microstock Comparison Websites - Microstock comparison websites do a simple but useful task. They help buyers search multiple microstock agencies at once. http://www.microstockdiaries.com/all-about-microstock-comparison-websites.html
TAKEAWAY -- Has the gold rush ended already? The digital revolution gave birth to microstock images, but the same phenomenon can easily erode what remains of pricing.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE ADVERTISERS GONE? -- Readers aren’t ditching magazines, Advertisers are ditching magazines. The common perception is that readers have abandoned magazines and newspapers. This perception is mostly wrong. The advertisers are the real culprit. They’ve been abandoning magazines like frightened buffalo. SOURCE: Marion Maneker www.thebigmoney.com/blogs/goodnight-gutenberg/2010/01/14/readers-arent-ditching-magazines-advertisers-are-ditching-magazines
Would you like to camp, travel and live
anywhere in the United States you want for $20 a day?
My wife and I have been doing just that for years now so I decided to write a book so others could see how we do it. The book entitled Vanabode™ - how to happily camp, travel and live forever on $20 a day has been a runaway success!
Oh and you don't need your current job to do it either.
Vanabode shows you how to earn money from wherever you choose to live from hundreds of jobs available only to campers.
Imagine what you would do and where you would go if I PROMISED to show you how to live a complete life with all your needs met for $20 a day? Would you head straight for a national park like Yellowstone or Glacier and hike and photograph wildlife for a month? Would you just take it easy on the fresh powder sands of Florida's pristine beach's sipping cold refreshing Mojito's? Would you hit the tables in Vegas for some exciting poker or slots followed by a mind blowing world class show? Would you dine out every night for a week on the pier in San Francisco? Would you go hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, biking, boating, surfing, skiing, or otherwise get off the grid and out of the grind for a month or two at a time?
Click Here!
WHERE HAVE ALL THE RIGHTS GONE? -- National Archives to ban photography in exhibit. Tourists will soon be banned from taking photographs or video at the National Archives main exhibit hall to help protect the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100125/ap_on_re_us/us_national_archives_no_photographs_1
TAKEAWAY: Hmmmmm, doesn’t the Bill of Rights (includes Freedom of the Press) protect our right to photograph in public – especially when the document provides the very right to freely photograph in public (the Bill of Rights)? Surely, this heavy-handed outright ban on picture-taking approach to photographing archival documents could be handled better than this. Here's an idea:: Have the bureaucrats, require tourists to apply for an (in-house) "pass" to photograph the Bill of Rights. The so-called deterioration of camera flash effect would be lessened 99% if the tourists (and pros, for that matter) are reminded not to use flash. -RE
TIME RUNNIN’ OUT? When Does the Time Start for Your Copyright Infringment Claim? - You have the limited time of three years to make your claim when someone infringes your copyright. But sometimes you don’t find out about the infringement until after it has occurred. So when does the three years start? SOURCE: Carolyn E. Wright, Esq. http://www.photoattorney.com/?p=1040
FAIR USE? -- Court Requires That You Consider Fair Use Before Sending A DMCA Takedown Notice - A judge has ordered in the Lenz v. Universal Music case that copyright owners must consider whether an unauthorized use of a copyrighted work qualifies as fair use before sending a “DMCA takedown notice.” SOURCE: Carolyn E. Wright, Esq.
http://www.naturescapes.net/docs/index.php/category-business/33-business/370-carolyn-e-wright-esq
SIX FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHY PODCASTS - Over the past few months Aaron Lindberg has immersed himself in photography podcasts. He found them a great way to catch up on industry trends, get reviews on the latest camera gear, and find out what other photographers are shooting. http://rising.blackstar.com/my-six-favorite-photography-podcasts.html
PHOTOGRAPHER PROTEST -- Photographers turn out in force to fight anti terror law abuse - Thousands of amateur and professional photographers packed Trafalgar Square (UK) at a lunchtime in protest about heavy-handed treatment by police officers under anti-terrorism laws. http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/In_pictures_Photographers_turn_out_in_force_to_fight_anti_terror_law_abuse_update_615pm_news_294157.html
YA’LL COME AND JOIN -- Benefits that photography clubs can bring. You can find indispensable facts about photography clubs. If there is one fact that you didn’t know before, imagine what a difference it might make to you. Photography clubs or organizations can provide many possibilities of enhancing your skill and knowledge.
http://diet-tablets.net/?p=834
FIGURING THE FEE -- Cutcaster’s Photo Pricing Algorithm – How to price stock photography? - Ever wonder how much one of your photos or illustrations is worth? Cutcaster introduced it’s ‘photo pricing algorithm‘ and ‘bidding for content‘ features to help sellers use get the most revenue in return per image and buyers find the best deals for stock photography. http://blog.cutcaster.com/2010/01/22/cutcasters-photo-pricing-algorithm-how-to-price-stock-photography/
ANSWERS -- Ask anything with Amanda and Suzanne – How Much Money Do Commercial Photographers Make? - Rob Haggart is excited about a great new column he is kicking off today called “Ask Anything.” Former Art Buyers and current photography consultants Amanda Sosa Stone and Suzanne Sease have agreed to take anonymous questions from photographers and not only give their expert advice but put it out to a wide range of photographers, reps and art buyers to gather a variety of opinions. http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2010/01/21/ask-anything-with-amanda-and-suzanne-how-much-money-do-commercial-photographers-make/
ADDED REVENUE – Rockford photographer to share her craft. Photographers
says she has gotten over the fear of future competition by teaching her craft.
Instead of being scared of change, in the industry, she's decided to embrace it. She has started This week to offer classes to the public. She says , "I overcame the fear that if I teach someone else, I will lose business from it."
She has also found an affordable way to advertise her work through social networking sites like Facebook. It allows her to keep in touch with former clients and attract new ones.
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_story.aspx?storyid=117710&catid=14
BRIGHT OUTLOOK FOR DIGITAL -- The Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA) has released a marketing survey based on questions asked in the final quarter of 2009. As the somber undertones of 2009 fade away, we move excitedly forward towards a year of promise, opportunity and rapid change. If the fiscal stars align, we’ll leave behind the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and move into a new decade filled with anticipation of a stronger global job market that will inevitably be fueled by new and innovative business models. Digital will surely be at the core of this evolution.View the full report online for free. http://www.creativepro.com/article/2010-digital-marketing-outlook
"The eCourse is one of the best investments I've made. I am a former working magician. In magic, there is the phrase "The Real Work." This is when a magic effect is truly entertaining. It is not just the secret, but the entire presentation. The eCourse is truly the "REAL WORK" when it comes to editorial stock photography."
-Dennis Carroll, Photographer, Las Vegas, NV
Wildlife photographer of the year stripped of his award. Judges say they are convinced José Luis Rodriguez staged prizewinning picture of wolf
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jan/20/wolf-wildlife-photographer-award-stripped
TAKEAWAY: Animal photography is like documentary photography - what you see is "what was there."
photo: José Luis Rodriguez
OLYMPIC SHOOTING– The upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada will likely provide some fierce competition and dramatic photo opportunities. Whether you plan to visit as a spectator, or enjoy photographing sports in your own hometown, you'll find good tips on taking photos of sporting events like the Olympics in this article.Read more at NYIP - Olympic Photos | Olympic Pics | NYIP http://www.nyip.com/ezine/sports/olympic-sports.html#ixzz0doeG83ia
The first question with most winter sports is this: How should you handle your camera to minimize the effect of freezing cold on its operation? We have devoted an entire article to Cold Weather Photography and we recommend that you read it.So too with downhill skiing and cross-country skiing. If you're unfamiliar with our How to Take Great Photos of Skiing and Snowboarding article, you'll find it on our Sports Photography Page. In cross-country skiing, don't overlook the opportunity for a picture of the mob start, like this picture.Read more at NYIP - Olympic Photos | Olympic Pics | NYIP
http://www.nyip.com/ezine/sports/olympic-sports.html#ixzz0dodr2JoA
http://www.nyip.com/ezine/sports/olympic-sports.html SOURCE:New YorkInstituteofPhotography
Copyright NYIPStudent IgorJurse
NOTE: Its up to you if you want to enter any of the contests we list on this page. Its well known that some photo contest sponsors ask for free commercial use of the winning entries (or sometimes all of the entries!). You dont have to guess who the winner of that contest is. Dont give up any of your rights. If your photo is good enough to win a national contest, its good enough to earn many dollars for you in the future. So, enter photo contests keeping this in mind.
* Adorama just launched a contest for photos taken with your iPhone, and, though the contest is a little specialized, the prizes are spectacular. One $1,000 Adorama Gift Certificate ($1000.00), Ten Wacom Tablets ($129.95), Fifteen Canon Wireless Printers ($129.95), Thirty $100 Adorama Gift Certificates ($100.00) and Twenty-Five $50 Apple App Store Gift Cards ($50.00). Photos must be taken using an iPhone and only iPhone apps can be used in editing. Deadline for entries is 7:00 PM PST on Feb 16, 2010. For more details:
http://contest.adorama.com/rules#requirements
* Next we have a Business Card Photo Contest that runs through to Thursday, March 18, 2010. It’s based in Great Britain, but seems to be open to anyone worldwide. Grand Prize wins a choice of £1000 or a Canon EOS digital SLR camera and 500 free business cards. Second Place wins £100 and 250 free business cards. And the first 15 contestants to submit their photos will get 200 free business cards. For terms and conditions see:
http://www.optimalprint.co.uk/businesscard-photo-contest-rules
* As of September 2009 Leica Camera AG announced the world’s first digital rangefinder camera with a full-frame 24 x 36mm sensor. As the world’s smallest full-frame system camera, the LEICA M9 continues the long heritage of the Leica rangefinder system, and unites more than 50 years of continuous technical improvements to the M System with cutting-edge digital technology. You’d love one, wouldn’t you? If only you could afford one, right? No problem! Win one in Leica’s Oskar Barnack Award and the Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award contest which are open for entries until 15 March. The award is given by an international jury “to photographers whose unerring powers of observation capture and express the relationship between man and the environment in the most graphic form in a sequence of a minimum of 10 up to a maximum of 12 images”. The winner of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award will receive 5,000 euros or, alternatively, Leica camera equipment to the same value. Also, the Newcomers Award is open to all (prospective) pros who are aged 25 years and under. The winner of the Newcomer Award will receive 2,500 euros. For details see:
http://www.leica-oskar-barnack-award.com/#/en/home
* New Images of Age and Aging What circumstances and opportunities do we hope for in old age? Do we have models from today’s perspective to go by? How do we imagine our lives from 65 on? How can the potential of the “old” in society be meaningfully utilized? Submitted photos should deal with civil or personal conceptions and ideas of aging. We cordially invite all photographers regardless of age, whether professional, amateur, artist, student, or hobbyist, to participate. The Joint Academy Initiative on Aging – German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and German Academy of Science and Engineering acatech is sponsoring a photo contest focussing on New Images of Age and Aging with a deadline of March 12, 2010. The three winning pictures will be awarded € 500 (winner), € 300 (second), € 200 (third). The English version of the rules are at the bottom of the page. For more information see:
http://www.artae.de/popup/fotowettbewerb.html
-Jim McCue
www.jgmccue.com
When I was 26, and living in Maryland, USA, I made a wanderlust trip through Europe, Africa, USA, Mexico and Central America that lasted over 35 months, almost three years. That was in 1957-60. When I returned home I began writing a memoir during 1960 and ’61. When I finished, I put it away in a closet and forgot it. I really didn’t forget it. I just didn’t think I should publish it because there were so many episodes and descriptions in there that would be awkward to people like my relatives and my friends along the way. So I left it all alone. It’s now 2010, almost 40 years later. . I’ll dust off the manuscript and publish it here for the first time. I thought you would like to know how me and my family came to living on a farm here in western Wisconsin -RE
My Story
3
Click on photo to enlarge
We sold our trip across Europe and Africa story to the then popular Saturday Evening POST. Rudi is steering our raft on the Niger River. That's me coming out of the water. By the way, the first publisher of the SatEvePost was Benjamin Franklin.
Click on photo to enlarge
WUERZBURG,WEST GERMANY, WAS IN THE PROCESS OF REBUILDING IN 1955
Click on photo to enlarge
IN POST-WAR WEST GERMANY, IT WAS NOT UNCOMMON TO SEE HOMELESS PEOPLE
-Rohn Engh - - - - - - 1957
It’s funny how like when you get sent to a foreign country, as the U.S. Army sent us to Germany, it’s like a vacation, and you act different than you did back in your hometown. You develop a different character that sometimes you really don’t recognize. You’re not as responsible as when you were at home
So that’s why when you get back home, you know that those characters that were in your unit won’t be the same as you knew them back then, they’ll be a different character, and you’ll be a different character, so I guess that’s why I probably won’t be contacting them, or them me.
But there’s one guy I think I’ll be contacting.
I think he’ll pretty much be the same as when we were in Wuerzburg.
His name was Rick Tolman.. The guys called him, ol’ Rickety Rickshaw Rick.
One day we were eating a snack in the commissary, and Rick said, “Hey, Engh, I got an idea I wanna tell you about at the Gasthaus tonight.”
Rick was a swarthy lady’s man type who grew up in Hoboken. Like a lot of the young men in our CIC unit, he was a recent graduate from an east coast law school. He had failed the bar exam in New Jersey and wasn’t looking forward to another exam and a future lifetime of law practice.
Germany had opened his eyes to the delights and pleasures of freedom of not having to attend college classes anymore. Girls were his main focus now.
His German speaking skills were not too bad. At least in the area of picking up girls. His favorite maneuver was the ‘bottle of wine’ technique.
“You see, Engh, it’s a lot different in this country,“ he said. “Girls here are always fishing. They want you to marry them and take them back to the states. The nice girls don’t want to look too eager, so you have to figure out an excuse for them to approach you. Otherwise you’d consider them a slut.”
Tolmann’s best technique (he told me) was to go to a grocery store, one of those larger kind, and stroll around with a single bottle of wine in the wheel cart basket. That’s all, just a bottle of wine. Pretty soon a girl would come up and say something like, “Looks like there’s a party tonight!” or, “Are you going to drink that all alone?” Or other stuff like that.
Depending on what the girl looked like, Rick and the girl would end up in his apartment that he rented in Wuerzburg. One time he said he had to buy a second bottle of wine because the young fraulein he picked up had a twin sister who insisted she come along as sort of a chaperone. Well you know what happened there.
So, back to Rick’s idea he wanted to tell me about. I met him after work at the bierstube and he laid it out to me. “We’re going to Monaco this weekend.. You and me.”
Want to read more?
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/mystory2.html
“You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.”
Wayne Gretzky, Hockey Player
HONORING PHOTOGRAPHERS -- Army chief (UK) praises 'brave' photographers. Chief of the General Staff Sir David Richards today praised the army's amateur and professional photographers, telling them their pictures are more important today than ever. SOURCE: Chris Cheesman http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/Army_chief_praises_brave_photographers_news_294102.html
P.H. POLK -- Photography of P.H. Polk - A collection of photos from African American photographer P.H. Polk taken during the 1930-40s while at the Tuskegee Institute, and featuring subjects ranging from rural life to historical figures. Beach Institute, 502 E. Harris St. Savannah GA
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60814-d107736-Reviews-The_Beach_Institute-Savannah_Georgia.html
1928 – January 17th – A patent was issued to Anatol M. Josepho for the “Photomation,” a fully-automated apparatus for developing photographic filmstrips. It is said that the inventor received $1 million for his invention, that he developed in a loft building on 125th St, New York City, and put into operation at 1659 Broadway, NYC
TO SPEED UP YOUR PHOTO SALES
SLIM DOWN
Here at PhotoSource International we often get the question: "How can I become successful at publishing my pictures especially during these somber economic times?"
Oddly enough, the answer is quite simple -- but it's not an answer most photographers expect. And that might be one reason why the answer is so elusive to many people. We might expect the answer to be: "Be born with TALENT." or, "Work hard!"
Yes, talent and working hard of course, are important, but we all know photographers with a lot of talent who are going nowhere. We also know a lot of "hard workers," who are going the same place. But to get to the point -- the prime answer is simply this: if your desire to become a published photographer is so strong that your personal constitution will allow you to "put up with and do without," then success is just around the corner for you.
Put up with? Do without? Sounds simplistic. And it is. Whenever we follow up photographers who have come to us in the past with dreams, goals, and aspirations of publishing their pictures -- we find that years later, the ones who have met with success are the ones who have persisted and persisted, and endured.
First of all these photographers have "put up with" the inherent drudgery jobs, the rejections from art directors, the unpleasant tasks, the necessary non-glamorous chores one faces daily in this business.
As they face their day, they don't avoid the tedious chores. They have True Grit. They know that if they neglect the irksome task it won't go away, but will grow into a larger problem the next day, and by the end of the month, could create a complicated, time-consuming, catch-up mess or even an insurmountable barrier.
And what are these unpleasantries? As a stock photographer you face many daily tasks: refining e-mails or queries to prospective photobuyers; photoshopping; Googling for prospects; making phone calls for everything from research to clarifying assignments; texting a prospect or supplyer; cataloging, cross-referencing, applying metadata to your images; researching for keywords; sending off light boxes to prospects; and answering emails and twitter responses.
If you are new to the field of stock photography, you'll nevertheless recognize these drudgery jobs as parallel to those in operating your household… every uncleaned paint brush or tool unreturned to its shelf, every unanswered letter in that pile of important letters, or that unbalanced check book are examples of the 'things we don't like to do,' that pile up until it becomes a habit with us not to get them done. Once this procrastination becomes habit, it becomes our "style" -- or, us. "Wishing away" those drudgery jobs never works.
Want to read more?
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/slimdown.html
NOT COMPLICATED -- The 6 Elements of a Successful Photo Website - The secret to a wildly successful photo website isn't complicated at all. It's actually SIMPLE.
http://blog.photoshelter.com/2010/01/the-6-elements-of-a-successful-photo-website.html
THUMBS UP! -- From the “aphotoeditor” blog. Good News In Photography - The outlook for photographers is not all bad. In fact, I run into photographers (online) all the time who are doing well and their business is growing. One photographer I spoke with recently said his business was up 20% this year and has been up 30% on average each of the last 5 years. How is that possible? SOURCE: Jason LINDSEY
http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2010/01/13/good-news-in-photography/
TAKEAWAY: Turn that rejection into a challenge for next time.
Are you using a LightBOX to respond to photo requests? If not, as a subscriber to one of our marketletters, you have Free access to our PhotoSource LightBOX. A tutorial can be found at http://www.photosource.com/account/lightbox/tutorial/
BE PREPARED -- The 10 Things All Staff Photographers Must Do Right Now - With all the layoffs we've seen in the industry in the past few years, what surprises me most, however, is how common it is for a staff photographer to be "surprised" with the news of their own layoff. They are very often leaving themselves totally unprepared for life as a freelancer.
http://blog.photoshelter.com/2010/01/10-things-all-staff-photographers-must-do-right-now.html?utm_campaign=misc%20blog&utm_medium=link&utm_source=harrington&utm_content=staffphotogs
MIRACLE-GROW FOR THE STUDIO -- 26 Ways To Generate Business Into Your Photography Studio - Want to grow your business? Take action. And if something hasn't worked in the past, try something new. Here's 26 things you can do to start taking action today, and start bringing in the leads.
http://virtualphotographystudio.com/photographyblog/2010/01/14/photography-26-ways-to-generate-leads/
LOST & FOUND -- How to creatively recover a lost camera - Australian writer Andrew McDonald has a humorous way of getting a lost camera back should someone find it. He records a series of images in his shooter's memory card with messages scrawled on a whiteboard and his contact details. http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10433216-1.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=Crave
TWITTER CAN CUT TRAVEL COSTS – From: MichelleHiggins An increasing number of travel companies are using Twitter to market their brands, often by tweeting exclusive deals to followers. JetBlue calls out last-minute discounts at JetBlueCheeps on Tuesday mornings. A recent example: “$89 BOS to LAS this Sat. LAS to BOS this Mon. or Tues. 25 seats avail or til 6 pm ET.” Fairmont Hotels offers its Twitter followers special discounts before anyone else. Farecompare’s “flyfrom” Twitter feed offers location-specific fare sales when you plug in your home airport’s three-letter code, as in flyfromNYC. All you need to do is sign up for a free account at Twitter.com and start following the companies you like or travel experts who do the work for you. (You can find me at MichelleHiggins.)SOURCE: MICHELLE HIGGINS NYTimes.
Note:
We will be making some changes
to our Kracker Barrel format.
In order to allow more marketing questions (and answers) from photographers, we have re-designed the Kracker Barrel so that you can freely navigate our site in the future.
--Rohn
ASPP AWARD GOES TO DELIMONT -- Jane Kinne Picture Professional of the Year Goes to: Danita Delimont.
From Cathy Sachs, Executive Director. (American Society of Picture Professionals.) :
“ASPP has been presenting the Picture Professional of the Year Award since 2003. The inaugural award went to the much loved Jane Kinne, who passed away in November 2007, and last year it was renamed in her memory. Jane and all the recipients since her have been exceptional picture professionals, and this year is no different. It was with great pleasure to see Danita Delimont named the 2009 Jane Kinne Picture Professional of the Year by her colleagues. She is a professional in every sense of the word and totally dedicated to the well-being of our industry. “PHOTO: Savannha Stewert
http://www.danitadelimont.com/images/newsletter/delimont.pdf
NOT SO FAST -- The dangers of digital content . With budgets tight and social media the hot trend, a virtually endless stream of businesses large and small are turning to crowdsourcing to generate digital content on the cheap. The result? The likelihood that unimaginable numbers of copyrights are being infringed on daily basis without the copyright holder or the person using the images realizing that there’s a problem. SOURCE: Martin Bryant The Next Web
http://thenextweb.com/uk/2010/01/18/flickr-independent-dangers-digital-content/
SCIENCE -- Supply Science Pictures for Photo Researchers - Photo Researchers is a highly specialized niche stock site that has been offering scientific photos for more than 50 years. Today, about 80 percent of contributors are photographers. PS: This agency has been mine for 45 years.
http://rising.blackstar.com/supply-science-pictures-for-photo-researchers.html#more-8039
SOLELY FEMALE – (UK) The Format ethos aimed to encourage its members to develop their creativity and careers, while remaining sensitive to the context in which their images were used and distributed. It portrayed people and issues that were under-represented in the mainstream media of the time. By photographing women and men in non-traditional roles, its members aimed to break down gender stereotypes, and change the way women and other marginalized groups were perceived.
A new photographic display will celebrate the work of Format Photography Agency, the only solely female agency in British photographic history. The seventeen portraits on display will reflect the scope and achievement of this agency and this will be the first display devoted to Format at the National Portrait Gallery. SOURCE: ©Maggie Murray/Format ArtDaily UK
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=35701
BEST WAY -- As a stock photographer, is “microstock” the best way to sell your pictures?
It’s not the best way, but it certainly is one way.
The problem with microstock is traffic.
In the real world, you can sign up to put your photos in a gallery downtown, but if no one comes in the gallery door except the owners, -well, this is not good business. If the owner charges you a fee to exhibit your photos.. guess who the winner is?
The same with microstock. The microstock gallery owner makes money on membership (subscriptions) or splitting any sales with you. The owners' goals are to get more members. Ironically, the more microstock members they get, the less chance you have of being seen.
Business schools tell us to stay out of a marketing module that inherently increases in size and therefore inherently increases your competition. You are forced to either improve your product or select a different marketing method.
Sure, put your photos up on several microstock sites. You can always refer a customer to your section on the microstock site(s). But remember, you are referring that long term potential client to view other photographers who are also on the same site. This is not good business wisdom.
The answer to the “best way” is to establish yourself on the Internet as a specialist in a certain area(s) of photography. You can make several websites or blogs (they’re inexpensive!) -- one specialty could be for your interest in rose gardening, another for model railroads, another for cactus plants, --whatever your interest area is, -but don’t spread yourself too thin, or you’ll be back where you started, a “Jack of all Trades, and Master of None.”.
The web search engines will pick up your key words swiftly, in a week or two, and as long as you keep adding new photos and new key words and alt tags, you’ll consider saying goodbye to microstock galleries.
Best of all, since buyers are coming to you, (not the other way around) it’s natural they NEED your pictures and you can charge a healthy fee, not $1 to $5.
Now that’s good business practice! -RE
PS: And don't forget, because you are a specialist in your area of stock photography, photobuyers will come to you when they're ready to give out assignments.
BACK IN TOWN -- - Editor & Publisher, "America's oldest journal covering newspapers", has risen from the dead, following its acquisition by BOATING Magazine chief. http://www.photoattorney.com/?p=1034E&P
http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/01/ep_is_back_in_business.php
Energy - Guide To Building Home Wind Turbines And Home Solar Power.
This Is Going To Be A Hot Product For Many Years To Come. It Is A Thorough, Honest And Complete Guide To Generating Electricity At Home And Written At A Level Designed To Be Used By The Average Handyman. Click Here!
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The latest from B&H . . . .
MISSING PHOTOS -- Prison term for N.J. wedding photographer Burlington County prosecutors say the 62-year-old Holton failed to deliver photographs, albums and other products to 88 couples between September 2002 and May 2009. The thefts range in amount from $800 to $6,600, and the victims came from several counties across New Jersey.
http://www.app.com/article/20100109/NEWS03/100109072/0/BUSINESS&source=rss
How to Buy a Monitor
Tips for Buying a CRT Monitor
Generally, the best overall purchase is with a 19 inch flat
screen monitor, with a dot pitch of .26 or less (the
distance between two dots on the screen) and power saving
options. Be aware that if you decide to go to a 21 inch
monitor the size and cost jump considerably.
CRT resolution is adjustable and can go as high as 1600x1200
or more, but in order to take full advantage of these
resolutions your video card needs to have that capability as
well. An anti-glare coating is recommended as it makes
images clearer, reduces eyestrain and is a must for a CRT
monitor.
When considering a monitor, the viewing area (measured
diagonally) is important. As a case in point, a 17 inch
monitor refers to the entire screen and frame, but the
actual viewing area might only be 15-16 inches across. If in
doubt, take a tape measure with you. Also, measure your desk
space in advance. It will save you the hassle of having to
return a monitor later.
Warranties vary from 1-3 years. Additional warranties that
you can purchase onsite are another option and may be a good
idea. When your monitor warranty expires it's a good idea to
find out who will service it.
Tips for Buying an LCD Monitor
LCD monitors use a fixed matrix of cells for image display
and this is the resolution that offers the best result. If
you reduce the resolution, only a portion of the pixels are
used, resulting in a blurry image. Make sure that the native
resolution matches the one you use regularly.
Dead pixels are a problem with LCD screens. To see if your
screen has them, look at a completely white screen and see
if you can spot any black dots, then change the screen to
black and see if any white or colored dots appear. Having
two or three might not be much of an issue, unless their
placement is in a critical location. If that's the case,
take the monitor back. The worst part about dead pixels is
that they're not easily fixed. Before you plunk down your
hard earned dollars, check the warranty and see what it
offers/excludes. Find out how many dead pixels your screen
has to have before it can be replaced. In some case that's
eight; which is too much, in my opinion. If necessary,
consider purchasing an extended warranty.
As mentioned earlier, the contrast ratio is an important
issue. If the contrast is too low, the screen could produce
dull, flat colors and darker color shades could appear as
black. Look for a contrast ratio 400:1 or better. If it's
lower than that, colors may wash out at higher brightness
settings. Be aware that higher contrast ratios are good only
so far. Anything over 600:1 isn't likely to offer an
advantage.
Note: These days most LCD monitors have a contrast ration of
700:1 or better. If in doubt, check the specifications.
Want to read more?
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/monitor.html
OUCH! -- Carolyn E. Wright, a/k/a the Photo Attorney®, has come up with more ways to surrender your copyrights inadvertently. An easy way is to win certain photo contests. The More Rights Grabs Photo Contest is back in business.
http://www.photoattorney.com/?p=1034
You know the satisfaction you feel at capturing aspects of the world around us through the magic of your camera. Imagine adding the excitement and gratification of having others able to see and enjoy what you say through your pictures.
THE WEEKLY
PHOTOSTOCKNOTES/PLUS
If you are just starting out in stock photography, PhotoStockNOTES can be the starting place. Go here to learn more.
http://www.photosource.com/psnplus.html
PS: Are you a PHOTOLETTER subscriber? Look for this weekend's SPECIAL https://www.photosource.com/cart/plsale.php
If you don't find it, give us a call 1 800 624 0266
FROM THE PAST -- Find Unusual Shooting Locations with "Abandoned" - Whether you're travelling to a new location or you want to go beyond the ordinary in your own area, the iPhone app Abandoned identifies modern-day ruins, such as submerged cities, forgotten hotels, and ghost towns.
http://www.creativepro.com/article/find-unusual-shooting-locations-abandoned
BETTER THAN SUPER GLUE -- Objects of Desire: Nasty Clamps - Designed by Portland, Oregon-based photographer Matthew Monroe, Nasty Clamps are designed to let you attach your off-camera strobes and other light modifiers to trees, fences,telephone polls and other outcroppings for additional illumination in a scene.
http://www.pdngearguide.com/gearguide/content_display/reviews/e3ia2c2f303f03d144b80242966462365d3
DITCH YOUR DLSR? There’s a new camera category in town and it’s not a DSLR. Will Nikon and Cannon come aboard? DSLRs are bulky. Their design comes from the film days when the only way to see the exact image that would hit the film was to divert the light coming through the lens with a mirror and send it to a viewfinder. This mirror meant the body needed to be deep, and the lenses — further away from the film than those in a mirrorless rangefinder — ere also bigger. With a smaller camera, you can blend in. With an EVIL camera, you can blend in and still get great shots. This combination of size and quality was the reason the Leica M series was the camera of choice for both street shooters and war reporters, from Henri Cartier Bresson to Sebastião Salgado. And because there is no mirror to flip, they’re quiet, too. As a new category, the EVIL is still relatively expensive, and you’ll pay as much for a body and lens as you would for a prosumer level DSLR. For many, even pros, the size difference alone is enough to justify this. For everyone else, you could wait until the likes of Canon and Nikon inevitably enter this sector. Then prices will start to fall, and things will get really interesting SOURCE: Charlie Sorrel. Wired.com
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/01/five-reasons-you-should-ditch-your-dslr/#ixzz0cvlHcVVJ
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/01/five-reasons-you-should-ditch-your-dslr/#ixzz0cvk6QC2d
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/01/five-reasons-you-should-ditch-your-dslr/#ixzz0cvjb6XOz
USING TWITTER -- An increasing number of travel companies are using Twitter to market their brands, often by tweeting exclusive deals to followers. JetBlue calls out last-minute discounts at JetBlueCheeps on Tuesday mornings. A recent example: “$89 BOS to LAS this Sat. LAS to BOS this Mon. or Tues. 25 seats avail or til 6 pm ET.” Fairmont Hotels offers its Twitter followers special discounts before anyone else. Farecompare’s “flyfrom” Twitter feed offers location-specific fare sales when you plug in your home airport’s three-letter code, as in flyfromNYC.
All you need to do is sign up for a free account at Twitter.com and start following the companies you like or travel experts who do the work for you. SOURCE: http://timespeople.nytimes.com/getstarted/twitter?return_url=http%3A%2F%2Ftravel.nytimes.com%2F2010%2F01%2F10%2Ftravel%2F10pracsave.html%3Fpartner%3Drss%26emc%3Drss
"Thanks for the video clip on getting people in my pictures in your eCourse; I learned some important new tips."
- Bob Sena, Robert Sena Photography, ASMP, San Anselmo, CA
NOTE: It’s up to you if you want to enter any of the contests we list on this page. It’s well known that some photo contest sponsors ask for free commercial use of the winning entries (or sometimes all of the entries!). You don’t have to guess who the winner of that contest is. Don’t give up any of your rights. If your photo is good enough to win a national contest, it’s good enough to earn many dollars for you in the future. So, enter photo contests keeping this in mind.
* Have you been thinking of learning more about HDR photography? Here’s a contest that could inspire you as well as win you some help with the project. But before you look, this is not for the full-time pros among us. You have to be an amateur photographer—essentially not claiming photography as your main profession, which should leave it open to many. The ThirstyPhoto Group (and their Facebook App) was created with a few simple goals : To create a fun way to get your photography out there and critiqued by other users. To have enough contributors that marketing folks at big companies with stuff to sell - will give it away to their contests for free. To showcase Contest winners who deserve our continued praise for their excellent work. Their current contest, which is open until February 26, has a great bunch of prizes: A copy of Adobe Photoshop CS4, a copy of Adobe Lightroom 2, two copies of Photomatix Pro, a copy of The HDRI Handbook: High Dynamic Range Imaging for Photographers and CG Artists and a copy of Complete Guide to High Dynamic Range Digital Photography. Go join The ThirstyPhoto Group on Facebook to find out more about it.
http://apps.facebook.com/thirstyphoto/about/about.php
* Photographers and photojournalists have until March 1 to submit their photos to a contest in Medellín, Colombia, that will focus on labor and the environment. The competition aims to highlight labor and social conditions in Latin America from the perspective of photographers, according to the organizer, Escuela Nacional Sindical (ENS). Works may be submitted in four categories: women workers, children workers, men workers, and migrant workers. The winner of each category will receive a cash prize of US$1,300. Among the requirements: photos must be digital and sent via e-mail as a JPG file; and each photo must include a title and a 100-word description. The widest side of the image must measure 800 pixels. For more information go to:
http://ijnet.org/ijnet/training_opportunities/registration_open_for_latin_american_photo_contest_on_labor
* The Worldwide Photography Gala Awards ( WPGA) is sponsoring a juried competition for students and recent graduates of photography, fine art and design attending institutes, colleges, schools and universities worldwide: The Nadar Award for Students. Students from art-related schools and faculties such as architecture, as well as students from other careers, who are amateur photographers (i.e. members of photographic associations and photo clubs) may also qualify to submit images to The Nadar Award. The deadline for submissions has been extended to February 28th. There are several categories: - Portrait, People and Figure.
- Documentary, Editorial and Current Affairs
- Digital enhanced and alternative processes
- Fine Art
- Citiscapes and Architecture
- Landscape and Nature
The Best of Show winner will earn a free attendance to one of the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, including round trip, lodging and tuition. The winner and Reid Callanan will choose together the workshop which best fits for the student. The winner will also receive a cash prize of 1,000 US$. Nadar Award Second and Third prize will also be awarded. Second Prize Winners will receive a cash prize of 600 US$ and Third Prize a cash prize of 40 0 US$. The winners in each category will receive cash prizes 300 US$ each.
For more details: http://www.thegalaawards.com/prizes_and_awards.html
* If I understand this one correctly, you submit up to 4 of your best “Glamour” photos through talenthouse.com from now to February 12 and folks vote on which ones they like best. But then Naomi Campbell chooses which photographer she wants to have shoot a project under her direction with a model chosen also by her for Glamour magazine. This one could be amazing, or…
Check it out at:
http://talenthouse.com/creativeinvites/show/detail/81
* Here is a contest for all U.S. and international freelance, amateur and professional photographers and students, 18 to 35 years of age. Applicants may apply as individuals, or as collaborators. The Hearst 8x10 Photography Biennial is a competition to identify and promote new and emerging talent among photographers in the United States and abroad. Eight (8) winners, chosen every other year, will have selected works showcased in an exhibition under the title, "8x10" in the Alexey Brodovitch Gallery and the Hearst Gallery at Hearst Tower in New York City and will be published in the accompanying "8x10" catalog and on www.hearst.com and www.hearst8x10.com All entries must be emailed before May 31, 2010. For more details see:
http://www.hearst8x10.com/contest.php
* And from our Friends Over There: The Royal Photographic Society invites amateur and professional photographers worldwide to submit their work for consideration for The Society’s 153rd International Print Exhibition. There is a reduced entry fee for Society members, and entries from photographers under 25 years of age are also encouraged, with a reduced entry fee and eligibility for individual awards.
Great prizes:
• 1 Gold Society Medal and a prize of £2,000
• 2 Silver Society Medals and prizes of £1,000 each
• 3 Bronze Society Medals and prizes of £500 each
• RPS/Allen & Overy international award of £750 on the theme ‘Cities of the World’
(an individual interpretation of global cities), this award reflecting the international nature
of The Society
• RPS/Allen & Overy award of £750 on the theme ‘Industry and Commerce’ (looking at the oil/gas/energy/banking or legal sector for dynamic visual interpretations of the
world of industry and commerce)
• Under 25 - Gold Society Medal and a prize of an Olympus PEN Camera
(www.olympus.co.uk/pen) for the best image by an entrant under 25 years of age.
Deadline for entries is Monday 29 March 2010.
For more info go to:
http://www.rps.org/international-print-exhibition/The-153rd-International-Print-Exhibition-2010
* In case you missed this one before, here’s a contest that should appeal to many PhotoLetter readers. Frommer’s, the travel guidebook company, is awarding the winner of its first Cover Photo Contest the photo credit of a lifetime—placement of the winning photo on the cover of a forthcoming travel guide—and $5,000. Four second-place winners will receive a prize pack containing three Frommer’s Day by Day travel guides and a selection of Frommer’s Lug travel accessories, worth more than $300. Deadline for entries is March 31st. Contestants can visit
http://www.frommers.com/go/photocontest/ to enter the contest and upload their best travel photos.
Jim McCue
When I was 26, and living in Maryland, USA, I made a wanderlust trip through Europe, Africa, USA, Mexico and Central America that lasted over 35 months, almost three years. That was in 1957-60. When I returned home I began writing a memoir during 1960 and ’61. When I finished, I put it away in a closet and forgot it. I really didn’t forget it. I just didn’t think I should publish it because there were so many episodes and descriptions in there that would be awkward to people like my relatives and my friends along the way. So I left it all alone. It’s now 2010, almost 40 years later. . I’ll dust off the manuscript and publish it here for the first time. I thought you would like to know how me and my family came to living on a farm here in western Wisconsin -RE
My Story
Wuerzburg, Germany 1956 Rohn Engh
IT WAS NOT UNCOMMON TO SEE A MULATTO CHILD
PLAYING IN STREETS WITH FELLOW GERMAN CHILDREN
Wuerzburg, Germany 1957 -Rohn Engh
TWIN GIRLS ATTEMPT TO OPEN THE CATHEDRAL DOOR
2
The photographs you see were developed and printed by my German friend, Hans Bartsch.
All through my journey across Europe and Africa I would send rolls of film from my Rollieflex back to him. I arranged for him to periodically send a batch of finished 8x10’s to my parent’s home, in Ocean City, Maryland.
Here’s how I met Hans Bartsch.
During my Army time in Wuerzburg, I continued my interest in painting. After several months I had accumulated 3 dozen pieces or so. They were in tempera color, sort of abstract with buildings and people. More about my artwork later. I arranged to have an exhibit in a small gallery called the “Turm” in the nearby village of Summerhausen along the river. After the opening, Hans approached me and said he would like to own two of them. I was honored that someone from a foreign country was interested in my work.
“I can’t pay for them,” he said, “but I’m a photographer and I’d be willing to come to your studio to make a portrait of you in trade for these two paintings.” He pointed out an 11x14 and a 14 x 28.
Hans was a rugged-looking man, about 5’10”, brown hair and could have easily been recruited for a German Army poster.
I took him up on his barter offer. I didn’t have a studio, so I arranged to accomplish the session at his place. Over the following months I got to know Hans pretty well. His English was not too bad and my fluency in German was improving. I hadn’t taken any courses in photography back at Maryland Institute. It sparked my interest in this art form. I asked if I could watch him in his darkroom.
“Sure,” He said. “I’m going to make a professional photographer out of you. Then you’ll always have money to support your artwork.”
I bought my first camera and began taking photos during off-duty time and eventually began paying him for the use of his darkroom to print and develop my pictures.
Another thing that sparked my interest in visiting Hans was his darkroom assistant, Maria, a freshman at a local college who worked for him after classes and weekends. She spoke few English words. She was slim, and full-breasted. She had blue eyes but with the red light of the darkroom they appeared purple.
Working close together in the confines of a darkroom meant that eventually we would brush against one another, giggle at our mistake, and while reaching for the tongs, touch each other. It was a secret of ours. Outside the darkroom, she was a different person. Very business-like. If I asked her out for coffee later she would respond, “Nein, ich habe zu meinem classes an der Schule gehen.” I walked her to the street car.
Then one time I saw her downtown and invited her to coffee. I learned she wanted to become a photographer and be a correspondent for international newspapers. She was living with her mother in a nearby apartment. Her father had been killed near the end of the war. The two personalities she presented to me soon merged into one loving person when eventually our physical relationship was brought to fruition in the darkroom one weekend when Hans was away on assignment.
In the spring I had a two-week’s leave coming to me and I decided to spend it in France to practice the French I had learned back in Army Language School in California.
I asked Maria to come with me. She let me know she didn’t think her mother would approve.
“It’s time for me to meet your mother.”
Wuerzburg had been nearly demolished during the war. Across the street from her mother’s apartment was a half shelled-out building. Some vagrants were living in one of the downstairs room. In Maria’s building, the second-floor stairs creaked as I went up. An unlighted chandelier was hanging lopsided at the top of the hallway.
Maria’s mother was sitting in a rocking chair next to a pre-war kitchen stove. Her words came out in a stern fashion. She didn’t speak English. “My daughter cannot go to France. I will not allow it. The French hate us. We’ve had two wars with them. My husband’s father was killed in the first war with them. They are despicable. They will kill my daughter if they found out she is German. She didn’t mention her husband lost his life in the recent war. She spoke quietly, not in a vengeful way. Just matter of fact.
Want to read more?
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/mystory.html
Jane Kinne Picture Professional of the Year Goes to: Danita Delimont
From: Cathy Sachs, Executive Director. (American Society of Picture Professionals.) “ASPP has been presenting the Picture Professional of the Year Award since 2003. The inaugural award went to the much loved Jane Kinne, who passed away in November 2007, and last year it was renamed in her memory. Jane and all the recipients since her have been exceptional picture professionals, and this year is no different. It was with great pleasure to see Danita Delimont named the 2009 Jane Kinne Picture Professional of the Year by her colleagues. She is a professional in every sense of the word and totally dedicated to the well-being of our industry."
http://www.danitadelimont.com/images/newsletter/delimont.pdf
FOUR DAYS OF "REINVENTION" -- From ASPP: Reinvent, Reimagine, and Reinvigorate your career—renew your entire approach to the image business at our four-day event for ASPP and PACA members and picture professional colleagues. Our conferences bring together the key people engaged with keeping the essential elements of our image community humming: stock agents, researchers, editors, publishers, art buyers, photographers and consultants. Expect spirited dialogues with your photo contemporaries from around the world! April 15th to April 18th. 2010 for complete details. http://www.aspp.com/index.php/education/2010-conference
Note: ASPP is an organization for you, the editorial stock photographer. Both photobuyers and photographers are members - so you can get the straight story when you attend a conference or subscribe to the quarterly newsletter. I've been a member for a long time -RE
For info: http://www.aspp.com Ask for Cathy Sachs.Executive Director
ALT TAGS HELP -- Use alt tags to sell your photos. Visitors won’t find your blog or web page unless you coax them. Be sure to include alt tags with each photo. Photos are pretty much ignored by the search engines except for Alt text that accompanies your images. Find out about Alt tags here: http://www.marketingterms.com/dictionary/alt_tag/
http://www.tipsfromthetlist.com/15324.html
Note: Need more info on how key words can help invite potential clients to your blog or website? Go to...
http://HSLtd.us/metamachine
THANK YOU, BUT -- Flickr Photographer Says No to Getty - Vanessa Dualib, an artist from Sao Paolo, Brazil, did a series of images that turn vegetables into animals, and the serious business of eating into the not-quite-serious business of funny food photography. Vanessa turned Getty down, agreeing to license only four of her food photographs. "I declined because of the two-year contract to
manage all the rights that they impose," she told us.
http://blogs.photopreneur.com/flickr-photographer-says-no-to-getty?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PhotopreneurBlog+%28Photopreneur+Blog%29
“Our job is to record, each in his own way, this world of light and shadow and time that will never come again exactly as it is today.” - Edward Abbey
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January 13th 2010
- - - - - - - - - - -
WHEN IT COMES TO THE INTERNET -
We’ve Come
A Short Way
For the last decade or so, photo researchers and editors as well as individual stock photographers have been experiencing the improved picture- search and purchase capabilities of the Internet. Electronic photo buying has almost totally replaced traditional transaction methods.
I didn't always feel the Internet was a viable delivery method for researchers and stock photographers. At first, the Internet wasn’t ready. In fact I spent almost four years, starting in 1992, sending out warning signals to readers of my newsletters and columns, about the dangers of the Internet for editorial photographers.
In the beginning, those who didn't heed my advice found themselves saddled with expensive, inoperable equipment, inappropriate software, and a weak bank balance.
I advised our readers not to jump onto the Internet bandwagon. The wagon had wobbly wheels and the band was playing off-tune. The road was dusty and had no service stations. Internet travelers were in effect expected to volunteer as pioneers and test the road out, at their own expense.
And, thank you, --they did that.
But isn’t that always the way with those who break new ground? They stick their head out, cross their fingers, and go by their gut feeling. We should all be grateful to those who forged ahead, both photobuyers and photographers.
This being said, I have always had a warm place in my heart for the concept of the Internet, even before the advance of blogs and websites. I put our own marketletters on-line back in 1984. However, over those years, we saw “electronic inertia” on the part of photobuyers at editorial markets. And we saw software and hardware suppliers fail, trying to figure out where the market would go. Ruefully, I dubbed the Internet the "Imposternet."
Eventually, we all knew, somewhere along this grand scheme, the Internet would survive its birth pangs and mature.
You’re familiar now with Google, Yahoo!, Bing , and perhaps a dozen other search engines that have been around for a few years, but recently they’ve been refined to where they have become real tools for the stock photo industry. If you don’t have DSL, they don't solve the speed problems for picture review, but they facilitate speedy access to picture description (text) and retrieval. Search engines are now a bright light at the end of the mountain tunnel for stock photographers and photobuyers.
In essence, search engines locate specific information for you on the Web. You can find out how many trail bikes are manufactured monthly in South Korea, or the hometown zip code of a long lost cousin, or former boyfriend.
Because search engines inquire by text (ciphers made up of zeros and ones), it's easy for them to locate specific subject matter on someone's Web page in a matter of seconds.
And how do these search engines get this information? Two ways: Anyone can fill out the information form that all search engines provide, for inclusion in the search engine's evolving database. Also, search engines scan (webcrawl) millions of websites daily, and collect information from these blogs and websites into their massive databases.
r
Just how do the improved search engines affect the stock photography business?
During my three decades of providing market information for editorial stock photographers, I’ve seen first-hand the consistency of the work methods of editorial photobuyers. These buyers want content-specific pictures, not generic cliches, and to find these pictures, photo editors and researchers first search by entering text key words,.They don’t view images themselves. Once they find a source for their target images through a text search, then they begin looking at actual pictures.
Want to read more?
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/shortway.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
Name: Bryan Alexander
Phone: 44+ (O) 1258-473006
Email: arcticphoto_away[at]hotmail[dot]com
Itinerary Date: 1st Feb. to Middle March
Destination: Chukotka, Eastern Siberia
Comments: I will be working in native Yupik and Chukchi communities on the Bering Strait.
Travelwriter Marketletter
for writers and photojournalists.
Travelwriter Marketletter is a monthly publication available online
( http://www.travelwriterml.com ) and in hard copy format. Travelwriter Marketletter is in its 29th year.
If you’re a travel writer or photographer, TWM tells you about new markets, pay scales, editors, specs and trips.
Contact Mimi Backhausen Phone: 571/214-9086
Fax: 208-988-7672 mimi[at]travelwriterml[dot]com
Fax: 208-988-7672 mimi[at]travelwriterml[dot]com
mimi[at]travelwriterml[dot]com Request a sample copy of TWML: 571-214- 9086 (Mention PhotoStockNOTES)
GETTING RECOGNIZED From the Photo Attorney: When people see your trademark, they will know where the product came from or who is providing the service. Rights to use a trademark come from using the mark in commerce with the product or service. You may use the TM symbol immediately with your trademark, but you may only use the ® symbol after federally registering the trademark. SOURCE: Carolyn E. Wright, Esq. http://www.naturescapes.net/docs/index.php/category-business/33-business/369-carolyn-e-wright-esq
TAKEAWAY: Trademarks are helpful but an inexpensive Domain Name or using the TM symbol usually serves the same purpose in our corner of commerce. But, to be super sure in case you become another Bill Gates - go for it. The cost will surprise you.
ORIENT EXPRESSIONS. -- Is trouble brewing with the Chinese version of Google? Whisperings of human rights violations are inferred in this recent Google BLOG. China can be a lucrative market for stock photographers. What's in the wind?
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-approach-to-china.html
INSURANCE: -- A Business Insurance Primer for Photographers, Part 1 - John Harrington can't conceive that it would be acceptable to operate a business without some level of business insurance, yet friends and colleagues do it all the time.
http://rising.blackstar.com/a-business-insurance-primer-for-photographers.html
A Business Insurance Primer for Photographers, Part 2 is at
http://rising.blackstar.com/a-business-insurance-primer-for-photographers-part-2.html
Are you using a LightBOX to respond to photo requests? If not, as a subscriber to one of our marketletters, PhotoDaily, PhotoLetter, or PhotoStockNOTES/Plus, you have Free access to our PhotoSource LightBOX. A tutorial can be found at http://www.photosource.com/account/lightbox/tutorial/
http://www.photosource.com/ecourse
WHERE DO YOU RANK? -- SOURCE: Derrick Story. The profession, "Photographer" Ranks 126 on 200 Best/Worst Jobs List - Of course things could be worse: You might want to be a photojournalist that ranks #189.
http://thedigitalstory.com/2010/01/photographer_ranks_1.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheDigitalStory+%28The+Digital+Story%29
TAKEAWAY: Are we talking about, "How do you want to spend your life?"
TWO GOOD PHOTOBLOG SPOTS -- John Harrington – Photo Business News & Forum – This blogs focuses more on the common and not-so-common experiences that photography professionals share. Read on for occasional musings and news about the business of being a photographer. http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/
Bert Stephani – Confessions of a Photographer – This guy doesn’t play by the rules…add that he’s from Belgium, and we’ve got a great recipe for a good read…let’s hear what he has to say. “When I set myself the goal to become a successful professional photographer, I started a blog. I did it because writing always made me see things more clearly. The goal of the blog was to push myself and at the same time share technical and business stuff with photographers in a similar position. This may have gotten a bit out of hand but I strongly believe in sharing whatever I know and do this through many different channels.” http://bertstephani.com/blog/
Mikael Karlsson . Our Kracker Barrel adminstrator, Mike, is featured this month on the PhotoNet website in a lengthy interview about his specialization: law enforcement. Mike is also author of many sections on our homepage, www.photosource.com
His most recent production here at PSI is a new report called “A Savings Guide For Stock Photographers”.
In these tight economic times the Guide is going to be well worth the generous price, only $7.95. You can check it out here. https://www.photosource.com/cart/savings.php
http://photo.net/featured-member/2010/january/mikael-karlsson-law-enforcement-stock-photographer
PAID CONTENT -- Does "paid content" work? - More than 1,300 publishers have now partnered with Journalism Online, and the paid content network will begin testing in coming weeks, Steve Brill, the group's founder, told minonline today. SOURCE: Emma Heald
http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/01/journalism_online_exchanges_paywalls_for.php
THE CUP OVERFLOWETH -- Crowdsourcing In 2010: Will We Keep Supplying The Media Free Content? Usually when we think of crowdsourcing, it's with an eye towards corporations like Pepsi or McDonald's, who hold contests for viral content and reward the winners with a prize that is less than the cost of actually getting a development team together. But news sites like Digg, Reddit, and Wikipedia all run off of the power of its users. The Democratic Party used crowdsourcing to get young people off their butts and voting for the first time. Non-profit media groups to use the technique to both engage audiences and save money. SOURCE: FISHBOWL ; Drew Grant.
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/media_events/crowdsourcing_in_2010_will_we_keep_supplying_the_media_free_content_147534.asp
SHOULD YOU SAY THANK YOU? -- There’s an old rejoinder in theater that says, “Don’t say ‘I thought your performance was good” to the actor, --unless you are a theater critic. Instead say, “I enjoyed your performance.”
A similar situation exists in nature photography: Should you steal the thunder from Mother Nature when an admirer says, “I like this photo you took,” of the picture of the early morning light of a frosty marsh flower you produced.
Is a “Thank You” from you warranted?
Well, you did slosh through knee-high freezing swamp water to get to the scene you recognized as beautiful. But your admirer isn’t congratulating you for your diligence or athletecism. Or your technical know-how. The compliment is for the picture itself that only Mother Nature can render.
Saying, “Thank you” would be inappropriate. –Rohn Engh
WHAT'S YOUR CUP OF TEA?
Gulf Coast Wine+Dine: This is a very doable experience for me since it is closer to home than any of the aforementioned magazines. This new launch aims to cover “coastal Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.” It is a “celebration of our passion for living (and if I may add loving) life.” And in a typical Southern hospitality the magazine’s editor Tim McNally welcomes the reader to the neighborhood and asks “Can I fix you a drink?” A refreshing experience indeed. www.gulfcoastwineanddine.com
METAMACHINE
James Cook software engineer (HindSight Ltd.) and a stock photographer himself has designed a program, "METAmachine"
that will speedily add metadata (essential details such as
your profile, captions, keywords/tags, copyright,licensing
particulars, geographic location, and any other information you choose to include.)
With this information imbedded in each of your photos (it's transparent, you can't see it) you'll feel safer when you ship out your images for consideration to photobuyers that might be unfamiliar to you. It will also be helpful to you in an "orphan" situation where potential clients can't swipe your photo because they found it floating on the Internet and they didn't know whom it belonged to.
The best thing about the METAmachine is this process can all be automated. You can drop data about your individual photos into a compatible database of your choice. This makes for a "history" of each of your photos. Once the process it set up, you'll know that when you get a call for a sale, each of your photos can be found and supplied with more than enough detail about the photo being considered for negotiation.
With such an efficient sales process in place, you're sure
to be added to the photobuyer's "available photographer's
list."
What does METAmachine cost? $49. Online delivery.
Good news, -- Now, for PhotoStockNOTES subscribers and on to January 30th, 2010, he is offering the program at $25 to photographers on our PhotoSource International mailing list.
METAmachine is compatible with Macintosh or Windows.
Here's the link for the Order Form.
http://HSLtd.us/metamachine To benefit from this generous
offer, when checking out... click on the "coupon code" link,
type in "photosource" (without the quotes). You'll save yourself $24.
Complete information on METAmachine, along with free demos, videos, ...is at
http://HSLtd.us/metamachine.
Check out the FORUMS section to see the excellent Customer Support.
-Rohn Engh
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The latest from B&H on SALE
White Mailers
Sending off a CD-ROM? Look like a pro. Stiff white cardboard mailers are available at: MAILERS, 575 Bennett Rd, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007, Attn: Pat Pulver; http://www.mailerco.com . Phone: 1 800 872-6670. Fax: 1 847 731-2603.
NO EXCUSES -- If you don’t know the law, you’ll find it here. "Photographer's Legal Guide" And it’s .. Now Available for Kindle - The Guide also is available as an E-book and paperback. It has been slightly updated with new links and information current for 2010. http://www.photoattorney.com/?p=1019
LOST APPEAL -- Photographer Loses Bid to Refuse Same-Sex Wedding Jobs - A New Mexico
wedding photographer who refused on freedom of speech and religion grounds to photograph a same-sex commitment ceremony in 2006 has lost her anti-discrimination appeal.
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/features/pdn-online/e3i7d41666c039b61afca226786f0011fd9
Business and Legal Forms For Photographers
As a stock photographer just starting out, or starting over, you will be dealing on an ongoing basis with selected magazine and book publishers. Why not get off on a clear, unmistakable, basis with them. “Get it in writing” and what better way is to back up your position with them with unambiguous forms, designed by a legend in the business, Tad Crawford from Allworth Press.
You’ll find in this new fourth edition legal and business for for model and property releases, copyright transfer forms, publishing contracts and stock photography forms. Want to trademark your logo? There’s even a form to get you started in that dept.
And the book comes with a CD containing 34 Word documents of all of the forms. This makes it unnecessary to photocopy anything. There’s a detailed explanation for each form, and the situations where each form might be needed. This will be an indespenable guide for you.429.95 208 pages. ISBN 978-158115-669-0. 212-777-8395 x15 www.allworth.com 10 East 23rd St NY NY 10010.
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Photographing Children – Photo Workshop by Ginny Felch and Allison Tyler Jones, published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.
This is a workshop “how to” book about photographing children. It begins (Chapter 1) with a comment about being inspired when photographing children and I was inspired. These two very professional photographers have put together a book that was definitely inspired by their own children as well as their clients’ children.
In Chapter 2 there’s a brief explanation of “The Look of A Photograph” and its technical side – brief, but enough, with such subjects as shutter speed, aperture, ISO, Depth of Field, and using the different modes on the digital camera to get what you want.
Chapters 3 and 4 deal with Light – Seeing the Light and Manipulating the Light. Here we learn quite a bit about available light (“Sweet Light, Reflections and Shadows, and Soft Light) and artificial lighting (Flash, Bouncing Flash, Reflectors, Light Temperature, and Basic Studio Lighting (one-light setup, metering, etc.)
Then we come in the real meat & potatoes of this book with Chapters 5 Composing, Chapter 6 What’s Your Style, Chapter 7 Evoking Expression and Emotion, Chapter 8 Ages, Stages, and Groups and Chapter 9 Equipment for the children’s Photographer. With these chapters, both authors show and tell us with examples, illustrations, tips, notes and quotes from other professional photographers, just how to get the best children’s photographs, while optimizing both their equipment and their environment. If all you do is buy this book for the photos, you’ll have gotten a deal.
These are professional photographers, and they did it right by not only showing us what the images should look like, but giving us (teaching us) assignments at the end of each chapter to help us, get it right. ( Assignments Website: www.pwassignments.com)
The final chapter Post-Production and Presentation illustrates a general workflow within a image-editing software with basic retouching, color, black and white, cropping tips and some storyboarding with different presentation options of the images.
I was impressed with the photographs in this book because, the authors found the formula for capturing the spirit and innocence of their subject, whether they were, mother and child, just child, just babies, or dad and child as well as family. They got it, and you’ll have it, if you purchase this wonderful book about photographing children.
I highly recommend this book to any stock photographer or their family. Photographing Children – Photo Workshop by Ginny Felch and Allison Tyler Jones, published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.,http://support.wiley.com - ISBN-13: 978-0470114322, Book price: $29.99 – Amazon Price: $18.89
Joseph Stanski has been an agricultural stock photographer for
the last twenty-five years. He has published in many
ag-oriented magazines as well as national publications. He retired as a
schoolteacher and is currently teaching photography and running his stock
photography business in Southeast Iowa. browncow108[at]lisco[dot]com
NO LAW BROKEN -- NUJ (National Union of Journalists) (U.K.) wins apology and damages for photojournalist - A photographer who was handcuffed, arrested and detained for eight hours for trying to take pictures has had his police record torn up after help from the NUJ.
http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=1454
GETTING A BOOST -- Polaroid – The company best known for its line of instant cameras has forged a relationship with a pop superstar who will influence future products. Will Polaroid be able to keep up with this rising star? There’s no denying that Lady Gaga has unique style all her own, and that her prodigious output of catchy dance/pop songs has created a large and enthusiastic fan base. But can this larger-than-life personality breathe new life into a company that until last year was struggling to figure out what it wanted to be in the 21st century?
http://tinyurl.com/whereispolaroid
Social Media Marketing: It's Not The Boogeyman - Social media marketing does not generate revenue overnight. It takes time. It takes effort. It places demands on you that are nearly impossible to anticipate. But it is do-able. That's right, even you can do it.
http://bretedge.wordpress.com/2010/01/02/social-media-marketing-its-not-the-boogeyman/
ARE THEY DISAPPEARING? -- From Jiml: “Your friends and followers are very vital to your success with social media marketing. Without them, you’re basically talking to an empty room. You know that feeling you get when you log in to your Facebook fan page and your once 200 friends have suddenly diminished 197, a feeling of disappointment and slight loneliness that leaves that burning question deep in your gut “was it something I said?” Well let’s see if we can stop that feeling from occurring too often.” SOURCE: Author: Jimi
image:
SOCIALisBETTER.
http://tinyurl.com/keepingfriendsfollowers
PRICING DEBATE: -- Usage Fees vs. Hourly Rates - A PDNews reader voices a counterpoint to advice we published on estimating assignments, and two industry experts on artists' rights offer their views.
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/features/featured-in-print/e3ia146767973020e6f75bbf4f403791768
NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY ON A BUDGET - Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them - whether you're struggling through this recession or simply making your 2010 budget for photography and want to direct your resources towards achieving
the greatest results, try to evaluate the productivity of your photo location before going forward. SOURCE: Matthew Studebaker http://www.naturescapes.net/docs/index.php/articles/382
"You have been very useful and your newsletter has been an awesome resource!"
-Alexia Retallack, Photo Researcher, Sacramento CA
by Rohn Engh
When I was 26, and living in Maryland, USA, I made a wanderlust trip through Europe, Africa, USA, Mexico and Central America that lasted over 35 months, almost three years. That was in 1957-60. When I returned home I began writing a memoir during 1960 and ’61. When I finished, I put it away in a closet and forgot it. I really didn’t forget it. I just didn’t think I should publish it because there were so many episodes and descriptions in there that would be awkward to people like my relatives and my friends along the way. So I left it all alone. It’s now 2010, almost 40 years later. . I’ll dust off the manuscript and publish it here for the first time. I thought you would like to know how me and my family came to living on a farm in western Wisconsin -RE
My Story
1
Afton, Minnesota, USA 1960. When I was young, I used to get pretty ugly thoughts. I mean they weren’t violent or sadistic or anything like that. They were more like brief bad dreams that popped into my head. Not important, just bothersome. They were confusing me, just like the sentence I wrote above. How can something be pretty ugly?
Well, anyway, here goes. This story starts when I was in the U.S. Army, stationed in Wuerzburg, Germany. It was 10 years after WWII. I thought when I went over there in 1955 that the experience of going to Europe would clean out my brain and turn me around in the right direction. Maybe I would be able to understand how a nation could condone the mass murder of millions. That question really bothered me.
France 1956
(To view larger image, click on picture)
I was 26. My hometown buddies back in Maryland had all graduated from college and had jobs, the kind where you wear a suit and tie. I was still a student. I had just graduated from art school in Baltimore.
During the two years I was over there in Germany, I got to meet and talk with foreigners who invited me into their lives. And how could I do that -?
You probably thought I was one of those G.I.'s that arrives at a foreign Army base and stays for a year or two and then returns to their home without even venturing downtown.
Well, it so happens that before going to Europe, I took a test and the U.S. Army sent me to French Language School for 6 months in Monterey, California. But I didn’t end up in France. Through some kind of bureaucratic SNAFU, the Army sent me to German Language School in Oberammergau, up in the Alps.
I got pretty good at speaking both languages, especially since the Army gave me the job of interviewing people from East Germany and Russia and other places who were in refugee camps from WWII. These people were trying to immigrate to the USA.
It also turned out that my Army tests said I would be eligible to sign up for the CIC (Counter Intelligence Corps) and they sent me off to another school. My job was to make background interviews and inspect records of certain refugees to determine if they were good guys or bad guys. With the cold war brewing, we didn’t want any communists slipping into the USA.
But funny thing, my superior officer in charge of our section,Capt. Henderson, looked the other way if a refugee happened to be a former Nazi. Turns out, the U.S. government considered the Nazis good guys. They were enemies of the communists, so that was a plus for us Americans. Crazy, isn’t it. ? And later on, when I returned to the USA, I saw Japanese cars everywhere on the highways. I guess the Japanese won that battle too.
And even funnier, the U.S. Army was letting me, a country boy from the Eastern Shore of Maryland do the selection of these refugees. So, as far as going overseas and hoping to clear my brain about the world I lived in –the U.S. Army confused me even more. . .
But as I say, some of the people I met outside the army barracks, in my excursions to interview refugees at the camp, I had the good chance to enter into a different world that I had not known back on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. On one of those occasions I met a Gypsy, Alonzo, who was originally from Romania. He could speak German. We would have coffee together when I made my visits to the displaced persons camp.
He spoke softly. He was in his 50’s and would recount his life back in Romania. And he told me about the time he and his brother were nearly caught by German SS troopers during the war. The gypsies were the next largest group, after the Jews, who died in concentration camps at the hands of the Nazis.
Alonzo taught me how to play the guitar and a few of his folk songs. He also taught me a method he used to quickly “replace unwanted thoughts” in his head. This was something that was attractive to me and it came in handy on my trip. Especially when I got into Africa. Later on I’ll explain how his method works. It’s good I sensed there would be more to learn from foreigners who lived in a different culture than me.
As it turned out there was a lot more to learn. -from Arabs, Africans, Americans, Mexicans, Guatemalans, and even from my traveling companion, Rudi Thurau, a German fellow troubadour from Hamburg, Germany.
Wuerzburg, Germany 1956 (To view larger image, click on picture)
NEXT WEEK: Saying Farewell to my German Friends.
TIGHT NICHE PHOTOGRAPHY -- Tight Nicheing Works in Professional Sports Photography - Philip Brown's website makes very clear who he is and what he offers. He is a "specialist cricket photographer." SOURCE: Photopreneur. Photo: Philip Brown
http://blogs.photopreneur.com/tight-nicheing-works-in-professional-sports-photography?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PhotopreneurBlog+%28Photopreneur+Blog%29
FIRST PLACE -- Colorado Scenic Byways, Taking the Other Road, Photography by Jim Steinberg, essays by Susan J. Tweit, is Winner. Of the 2009 Colorado Book Award-Pictorial
Portfolio Publications, Inc.
CRITIQUE -- Portfolio Review: Michelle Dunn Marsh on Jennifer Zdon's "Swamp Queens" - During the PhotoNOLA portfolio reviews, held in New Orleans , we asked reviewers to share their thoughts on promising portfolios they saw. Michelle Dunn Marsh of Dunn Design, who is also editor-at-large at Chronicle Books and works with Aperture, gives her critique of a project by Jennifer Zdon, a New Orleans-based photojournalist. SOURCE: Holly Stuart Hughes PHOTO: Jennifer Zdon,
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/features/pdn-online/e3ieb1af40f51f12663a6f9d75603731a6c
"When words become unclear, I shall focus on photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence." - Ansel Adams
1927 - Photographs taken under the sea in natural colors were made for National Geographic Magazine off the Tortugas of the Florida Keys, and were published in the January issue of the magazine. The work was carried out by Dr. William Harding Longley of Goucher College and Charles Martin, Chief of the National Geographic Society's photographic laboratory.
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January 6th 2010
- - - - - - - - - - -
HOW MUCH IS A WORD WORTH?
IT'S WORTH A
THOUSAND PICTURES
Photo researchers are discovering that computers are emerging from their teen-age years. They are leaving behind their shortcomings of the last decade, and are redefining themselves and emerging as mature adults.
Photo researchers everywhere are learning that computers have shed their pesky ways, have become fast, responsible and friendly machines. The new Internet technology is convincing photo researchers that a computer can be an important.
At the same time, photo researchers are discovering that they, too, must shed some archaic working ways in order to capitalize on the new electronic researching systems that have become available to us all.
I could outline numerous methods of research that are now available utilizing the new technology. You may be familiar with some of them, but I'll leave that to your own discovery, and jump ahead to methods of research coming in the near future that you'll want to become aware of and be prepared to capitalize on.
The Internet offers two basic ways of searching for a specialized image: by text or image review. Most researchers who have a track record in the field of researching have opted to use the method they are most familiar with: the image review method. They type in a generic subject word in an online gallery and then it's business as usual. They look at dozens, even hundreds, of images from a number of sources, and eventually select a small number of images for their client to consider.
But this kind of "image search" can be exhausting, and time-consuming, especially when the researcher is attempting to highlight a story with that just-right photo.
The "image review search" method would seem acceptable if it were not for a new approach that is beginning to make itself known: Text.
Researchers need no longer be satisfied with "good enuf" pictures. Much deeper selections and more targeted images are now becoming more available for the asking, thanks to the simplified and speedier capabilities of searching for images through electronic text search.
As the viewing public has become more sophisticated in their viewing habits, it is becoming ever more demanding. We have only to look at a textbook or magazine article from fifty years ago to discern the shallow nature of the photos that were deemed acceptable for publication in those days.
I believe the "text-centric" system will win over the "image-review" system in electronic photo research of the future. Currently, both electronic systems are admittedly in their early stages.
We have seen that when TV, movie, and other media want to do a story on a particular subject, they do extensive searching for details. In the past, these facts were hidden in places that were not readily available to the average researcher. The general public accepted whatever thesis the producer came up with -- because it was good enough, based on the research resources available at the time, combined with the deadline the producer was facing.
Research involves a series of levels. We usually give credibility to an erudite report from a college professor or in a textbook, a little less credibility to a newspaper article, and much less to a TV show or radio interview.
The constraints of a time deadline are an influencing factor.
This is beginning to change. We have experienced, for example, the results of the extensive research don e by Ken Burns in his PBS TV productions. Professionals working in other media now have equal access to the research methods and materials that were formerly the province of college lecturers and authors, who weren't constricted by the tight deadlines of newspaper and magazine writers.
And how is that material accessed?
Want to read more?
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/thousand.html
Cloud Storage
Nope, we’re not talking about storing clouds somewhere, though in some cases, that could be an advantage. Instead, we’re talking about storing your files (documents, music, photos, etc.) in "the cloud," otherwise known as the Internet.
You know, out there somewhere.
There are many vendors and products that let you do this, with the idea that you can access your cloud files from any Internet-connected device.
A recent addition to that collection is a service called ZumaDrive. Basically, the program installs software and an icon on your desktop (Mac, Windows, or Linux) that operates exactly like a physically attached hard drive, so you can copy files from your computer (or Internet-capable phone, etc.) to the ZumaDrive and then access those files from basically anywhere, anytime.
You get up to 2 Gb of free online storage. After that, you’ll pay for additional storage. Example: 10 Gb is $2.99/mo.
If this might fit your needs, check it out at www.zumadrive.com
Bill Hopkins is the Webmaster of PhotoSourceFolio, where photographers
display photos and a regular contributor to PhotoStockNotes. Send comments to Bill via email.
SPARKLE -- Zap Some Neon Life Into Your Old Photographs. The Kirlian Photography Device uses high voltage discharges to capture beautiful, luminescent images directly from ordinary film. It is not a machine I'd recommend using in the darkroom. http://gizmodo.com/5438853/zap-some-neon-life-into-your-old-photographs?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+gizmodo%2Ffull+%28Gizmodo%29
FINDING CUSTOMERS -- Put Your Images in Hotels with Farmboy Fine Arts. Stock companies serve newspapers and magazines, ad companies and Web sites. But they aren’t the only people who need images. The hospitality industry uses photography to decorate its walls, and interior designers can sometimes use photography, too. http://rising.blackstar.com/put-your-images-in-hotels-with-farmboy-fine-arts.html
REPRINTS NOW AVAILABLE -- Wedding negatives found after 32 years. A northeast Missouri woman who gave up the search for photo negatives from her 1967 wedding got a surprise gift when they were discovered in a condemned building. Judy Smith's late husband's cousin stumbled upon them in November in the wall of a downtown Hannibal building he was tearing down. http://www.news-leader.com/article/20100102/NEWS01/1020379/1007/Wedding-negatives-found-after-32-years
Want To Invite Google to Index Your Web Page?
Popular search engines, such as Google, add and update new websites and blogs to their index each time it “crawls” the web. For example, Google invites you to submit your blog or website's URL. They don’t add all submitted URLs to their index, and they cannot make any predictions or guarantees about when your website will be indexed. Depending on how Google, for example, consider your page's popularity, it mightr get 'crawled' once a week or once a month.
But it’s worth giving it a try. To add your website to Google: http://www.google.com/addurl/?continue=/addurl
Also (for free) submit your site to the Open Directory: http://dmoz.org/add.html
Note: Here at PhotoSource we have added our PhotoSourceBANK to all of the major search engines. Depending which search engine is your favorite, if you are a PhotoSourceBANK member, type in a keyword or key phrase in the search bar of your favorite search engine, a space, then the word Photosource.
If your page reference does not come up, try another search engine. There are many besides Google: Alta Vista, DogPile, BING, Yahoo! Etc.
TIP: Set up a blog on www.blogger.com and post to it regularly. Mention various pages and keywords on your site from time to time. Create links to them too. Blogger is owned by Google and the links in your blog will get indexed quickly. Also - do the same for WordPress, another blogging site to be aware of. -re
http://www.photosource.com/ecourse
GOOD TIMING – Sean Locke: “Sometimes, when creating content and putting it up for sale, you just get lucky when it comes to timing. In the last several weeks I uploaded some content of plastic airport security bins filled with various objects, like the one below. SOURCE: SEAN LOCKE
http://seanlockedigitalimagery.wordpress.com/2009/12/29/good-timing/
AIM HIGH -- Want to Achieve Your Photography Goals for 2010? Start By Writing Them down - If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail. Write out your vision for whom you want to be as a photographer in 2010. Write down what you want to be shooting, who you want to be shooting for, and how you're going to make his happen.
http://rising.blackstar.com/want-to-achieve-your-photography-goals-for-2010-start-by-writing-them-down.html26
NOT: -- Handy Excuses for Missing the Shot - Every photographer has their favorite excuses for not coming back with the goods on a shoot. SOURCE: PETER PHUN http://rising.blackstar.com/26-handy-excuses-for-missing-the-shot.html
SNAPSHOTS -- Street Photography with High Dynamic Range – The HDR images I have seen don’t strike me as editorial in nature, but, according to this article, it is possible to co-mingle your creative juices with documentary composition. Read on for tips and advice from a seasoned professional.
http://tinyurl.com/streetHDR
INVENTIVE PHOTOGRAPHERS -- For the street photographers who work the crowds around the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree money does grow on trees. With digital cameras and ink-jet printers powered by car batteries, they churn out images at about $10 a pop. Mr. Mendes works the same crowds, cradling like a piece of sculpture a vintage Speed Graphic camera outfitted with two flash units and a Polaroid back. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/nyregion/03polaroid.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
PORTRAITS BIG-TIME -- See your photo displayed on a Times Square screen courtesy of Kodak. Going to be in Times Square in New York City sometime soon? Want to see one of your photos displayed on a giant screen for everyone to see? Kodak is here to help you with that. SOURCE: Sean P. Aune http://photo.blorge.com/2009/12/31/see-your-photo-displayed-on-a-times-square-screen-courtesy-of-kodak/
MOVING FORWARD -- Ten Years of Microstock - As 2009 comes to an end, rather than look back on just one year, let's have a look at some of the major developments that have shaped the microstock industry over the past decade.
http://www.microstockdiaries.com/10-years-of-microstock.htmlAdobe
WATCH OUT ! - What Will Be The Top Hacker Target in 2010 ? - Security vendor McAfee has issued a report predicting that hackers spreading malware will focus on AcrobatReader and Flash.
http://www.creativepro.com/article/adobe-will-be-top-hacker-target-2010
QUICK -- What a difference a decade makes – A look back on the past decade and the advances made in telling a news story – from the transition to a 24-hour news cycle to online photo-sharing. TAKEAWAY: So you often think , “Where did the last 10 years of my life go?” This writer reminds us. http://tinyurl.com/decadenews
THEY STILL NEED PIX – From www.photopreneur.com : Magazines that Take Pictures from Amateurs - There are more than 20,000 magazines available in the US and many of them have significant readerships, are willing to look at the pictures, not the photographer, and pay for the photos they use - even when they come from people who usually shoot for fun. http://blogs.photopreneur.com/magazines-that-take-pictures-from-amateurs?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PhotopreneurBlog+%28Photopreneur+Blog%29
GET MARRIED -- Announces a New National Wedding Magazine Solidifying Its Position As The Most Comprehensive, Integrated Wedding Resource For Brides. Tagged as a "new shopping & trend guide for the savvy bride," Get Married magazine extends the brand loyalty of Get Married’s Lifetime Television show viewers and GetMarried.com users who crave unique and integrated content. http://www.getmarried.com
METAMACHINE
James Cook software engineer (HindSight Ltd.) and a stock photographer himself has designed a program, "METAmachine"
that will speedily add metadata (essential details such as
your profile, captions, keywords/tags, copyright,licensing
particulars, geographic location, and any other information you choose to include.)
With this information imbedded in each of your photos (it's transparent, you can't see it) you'll feel safer when you ship out your images for consideration to photobuyers that might be unfamiliar to you. It will also be helpful to you in an "orphan" situation where potential clients can't swipe your photo because they found it floating on the Internet and they didn't know whom it belonged to.
The best thing about the METAmachine is this process can all be automated. You can drop data about your individual photos into a compatible database of your choice. This makes for a "history" of each of your photos. Once the process it set up, you'll know that when you get a call for a sale, each of your photos can be found and supplied with more than enough detail about the photo being considered for negotiation.
With such an efficient sales process in place, you're sure
to be added to the photobuyer's "available photographer's
list."
What does METAmachine cost? $49. Online delivery.
Good news, -- Now, for PhotoStockNOTES subscribers and on to January 30th, 2010, he is offering the program at $25 to photographers on our PhotoSource International mailing list.
METAmachine is compatible with Macintosh or Windows.
Here's the link for the Order Form.
http://HSLtd.us/metamachine To benefit from this generous
offer, when checking out... click on the "coupon code" link,
type in "photosource" (without the quotes). You'll save yourself $24.
Complete information on METAmachine, along with free demos, videos, ...is at
http://HSLtd.us/metamachine.
Check out the FORUMS section to see the excellent Customer Support.
-Rohn Engh
DON’T SHOOT US! -- Paparazzi law in California: Restricting photography of stars. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed a bill that will make it easier for stars to sue the media for taking and using photographs of them when they have a reasonable expectation of privacy. What exactly does that mean? http://www.examiner.com/x-33792-Kardashian-Examiner~y2010m1d2-Paparazzi-law-in-California-Restricting-photography-of-stars
DONUT TIME -- Police Car Photography Suit Filed. Taking a picture of a police and/or security officer in Charleston has led to a Kanawha Circuit Court complaint against the West Virginia State Police. http://www.huntingtonnews.net/local/091221-rutherford-locallitigationroundup.html
FIND THAT IMAGE – Using Reverse Image Search Tools For Copyright Protection of your Photographs - TinEye is a new entry into the world of reverse image searches. TinEye allows you to submit an image and find out where it came from, how it is being used, if modified versions of the image exist, or find higher resolution versions.
http://virtualphotographystudio.com/photographyblog/2009/12/28/using-reverse-image-search-tools-for-copyright-protection-of-your-photographs/
It's a new year . . .
Are you still at the starting gate?
(One for the money...
Two For the Show...
Three to get ready...
Four to get ready...
Five to get ready...)
Give yourself a jump start...
Sign up for our weekly PhotoStockNOTES...
If you are just starting out in stock photography, this one's for you.
For more info:
http://www.choicestockphotos.com
PARTNERS -- Photobucket and Ontela announce merger. Photobucket, one of the leading photo sharing Web sites with over 22 million unique visitors each month, will be merging its operations with Ontela, a leader in mobile photo sharing software with contracts with 30 major wireless carriers.
http://photo.blorge.com/2009/12/17/photobucket-and-ontela-announce-merger/
SOLID STORAGE -- SnapHaven promises 99 years of photo storage. SnapHaven is a new photo storage site that is making the rather bold claim that it will backup your digital images for 99 years. While it is easy to laugh off such a claim, the site has partnered with the Foundation for Data Permanence, an organization dedicated to maintaining data continuity even if a company should go out of business after making such a claim. http://photo.blorge.com/2009/12/10/snaphaven-promises-99-years-of-photo-storage/
GET A GRANT – What It Takes To Win An Aftermath Project Grant - Aftermath Project founder Sara Terry discusses the judging process and what stood out about the 2010 grant winners and finalists. SOURCE: PDNEWS
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/features/pdn-online/e3i4045046a22fd32ff72a5536b36dc7e18A
PRICING -- How I price a photographic assignment - A photograph is a one-of-a-kind individual object of art and should be priced according to its value to the end user ie how much money it will make them. Yet many recent photography pricing models would have you believe that you can buy them by or you can pay a photographer for a day's work and take every single photo he/she manages to produce. http://pauldymond.blogspot.com/2009/12/how-i-price-photographic-assignment.html
"The PhotoStockNotes has always given me great original ideas and news items for saving money and making it as well."
- David Nacol, Photographer, St. Petersburg FL
SUPER SLIM -- Photographer refuses to apologize for Moore airbrush comments. Moore - who is alleged to have had multiple cosmetic surgery procedures in the past - posed for Anthony Citrano in November (09) and she graced the cover of America's W magazine this month (Dec09).
But the photo, which depicts the star looking super-slim in a revealing, skintight green dress, became the subject of controversy when Citrano claimed the picture had been heavily edited to make her hips and thighs appear smaller. Magazine editors denied the photo had been airbrushed and Moore posted a copy of what she claimed to be the original picture on her Twitter.com page. Her lawyer, Marty Singer, has since written to Citrano demanding a retraction and a public apology.
http://www.new-magazine.co.uk/latestnews/view/16643/Photographer-refuses-to-apologise-for-Moore-airbrush-comments/
A Story
A raft down the Niger River in Africa? Crossing the Sahara Desert on an Italian motor scooter? Guitar-ing my way across Europe with a German troubadour?
My post in last week’s PhotoStockNOTES (see Reminisces) brought out a lot of questions and curiosity. For example, “Did you start your voyage in France?”
Yes, I was stationed in the U.S. Army in Weurzburg, Germany and took my discharge there, and started out.
The most frequently asked question: “Did you take any pictures?”
Although I wasn’t an editorial stock photographer at the time, I did carry a 2 ¼
X 2 ¼ Roleiflex and got enough good pictures to publish 12 of them in the Saturday Evening POST, December 21, 1958, a popular newsstand magazine back then.
The guy coming out of the water is me, and the other is my friend, Rudi Thurau from Hamburg, Germany. He is testing the rudders of our homemade raft on the Niger River, in West Africa.
In 1959-'60, I wrote recollections about my trip through Europe and Africa - about 380 pages. When I was finished, I put my manuscript up on a shelf and got to the business of keeping promises to my family.
Now in this new year, 2010, I have resolved to dust off those fading pages where they were put aside in our granary here at the farm. Except for nibbling by squirrels over the years, most of the pages are in tact.
As I review the pages now, I realize they were written by a wild, (by my mother’s standards) sometimes observant, 26-year-old in the late 1950's.
Next week, I’ll begin sharing those pages and photos with you.
–re
Below is one of the pictures.
http://www.photosource.com/france.html
PHOTOJOURNALISM – The Decade in Pictures - Boston Globe's Big Picture put together a collection of "The Decade in News Photos." It's 50 images; 49 compelling and remarkable images, and (scratching head) one picture of Paris Hilton.
http://www.enlightphoto.com/views/2009/12/19/the-decade-in-pictures.htm
“Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter.”
- Ansel Adams
1823 – Matthew Brady was born near Lake George, New York.
1911 – Photograph from an airplane was taken by Major H.A. (“Jimmie”) Erickson on January 10th in a Curtiss biplane piloted by Charles Hamilton, over San Diego, CA.
Ralph B. White -- National Geographic photographer's ashes scattered around world – It is good to pay respects as a professional community when one is made aware of the loss of a colleague. Although most of us never met Ralph B. White, we’ve surely set our eyes on his work in National Geographic. Friends of Ralph B. White are making sure his last wish comes true by scattering his ashes in places near and far around the world. http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/284947
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
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January 28th 2010
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27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
Don't Take Photos. ..
–MAKE THEM
Editorial stock photography opens up a vast field of interpretive art. But many photographers first should break away from their early conditioning, where they were trained to "take" photographs, following the lead of the photojournalist or documentary photographer community.
The prevailing approach to photography was to capture images,(and still is) somewhat like a mirror does. Editorial stock photography, however, gives the photographer opportunity to make photographs.
Historians will look back on the turn of the 21st century as a time when photographers became more creative with their medium.
The editorial stock photographer can often create a situation as it could be, or as it should be. His or her photograph can become a springboard for the viewer to see through and beyond what is being photographed.
In effect, the photo allows the viewer to become a collaborator in the photo, and extract his or her own meaning from the image. To limit photography simply to mirror-like documentation would be to limit knowledge and understanding and expression of ideas.
NO LIMITATIONS
Creating fresh insights and deeper understanding is not limited to photography. Painters, for example, as we all know, rarely paint their landscapes "true to nature." To limit their illustrations to an exact duplication of nature would be to limit and confine the expression of the painter and the enjoyment of his/her viewers. Artists rearrange the elements [even the lighting] of their paintings, to give wholeness and meaning to a composition that otherwise did not exist. Jazz musicians, for another example, improvise in the melody and rhythm of a basic theme not because they wish to be cute or "different," but because they wish to discover for themselves and their listeners, new meanings inherent in the music.
All of this, of course, does not apply to news photography or photojournalism. It would be dishonest to juggle anything in a news photograph or documentation photo, to misrepresent or lead to misunderstanding of a scene or subject.
Want to read more?
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/makethem.html
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
Do You Own The Airwaves In Your House?
The company (YMax Corp) behind the popular magicJack thinks so. The magicJack is a small device that allows you to make free calls in the U.S. and Canada using your high-speed Internet connection.
You plug your phone into the magicJack, and the magicJack into a USB port on your computer. More info, including pricing and hardware requirements, is available at magicJack.com.
That's the background. YMax will soon be marketing a similar device that works with your cell phone.
The idea is that you plug their device into your computer with a broadband Internet connection, and it connects wirelessly with your cell phone. As long as you are in range of their device, your phone stays connected to the device instead of connecting to your carrier's cell towers.
You get to make free calls using your cell phone routed over the Internet.
But there are some gotchas.
First, it only works with phones using the GSM standard (like AT&T and T-Mobile) and won=t work with phones from Verizon or Sprint/Nextel.
Second, since the device is essentially a mini-cellular tower in your home, it is using the same frequencies that the cellular companies have paid big bucks to use.
The cellular carriers aren't saying much right now, and the FCC also had no comment but is looking into the issue. YMax says it's legal because cellular licenses do not extend into the home. Wonder who will win that one.
Portable File Cabinet
Not the kind on two (or four) wheels, but the electronic kind.
There's a free service called Evernote (yeah, the free version has some limits and includes ads, but it's free) that lets you store stuff in the "cloud" and retrieve them seamlessly. You organize your stuff in a digital file cabinet containing notebooks, just like files and folders on your computer. It works with a variety of electronic devices, including PCs, Macs, and smart phones like iPhone and Blackberry and others.
Use it to manage your photos, texts, documents, notes, web page snapshots, and more and have it all available on all your connected devices.
Evernote includes an email address, and anything you send to that email will go into your digital file cabinet. Twitter can also be used. Unlimited access without ads and more features, including up to 500 Mb per month upload costs $45 per year. Check it out at evernote.com. There's also an on-line video tutorial.
Bill Hopkins is the Webmaster of PhotoSourceFolio, where photographers
display photos and a regular contributor to PhotoStockNotes. Send comments to Bill via email. Fax: 1 818 831-0916. For on-line questions, contact Bill on the Kracker Barrel.
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
- Company - - - BOATING LIFE
Name: Arlyn Hernandez
Title: Managing Editor
- Address: 460 North Orlando Ave. Ste 200
- City: Winter Park
- State/Province:FL 32789
- Phone: 407 571 4819
- E-mail: arlynhernandez[at]bonniercorp[dot]com
Replaces: Sue Whitney
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Sue has moved to:
- Company --PARENTING MAGAZINE
Name: Sue Whitney
Title: Managing Editor
-
- Phone: 407 571 4594
e-mail: sue.whitney[at]bonniercorp[dot]com
– - - - - - - - - - -
New email address for:
Maria Miller
Photo Manager
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT
Former: maria.miller[at]harcourt[dot]com
New: maria.miller[at]hmhpub[dot]com
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
2010 PHOTOGRAPHER’S MARKET, 31st Annual Edition.
The new edition includes: complete, up-to-date contact information for more than 1,600 photography markets; interviews with working photographers; articles and information on the business of photography, business tips and practices as well as new markets to explore. Good read! $29.99. The latest edition of Photographer's Market is available at.
http://www.photosourcefolio.com/bookstoreone.htm
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
FREE ADVICE -- New Online Marketing Help - Aquent has launched a free Web site called internetonlinewebsite.com that teaches marketers and designers what and how they need to create Web sites. http://www.creativepro.com/article/new-online-marketing-help
GETTING IN TOUCH -- Stillman: “Why I Chose an E-Mail Marketing Service to Boost My Photography Business - To help market Gordon Stillman’s photography business in 2010, he decided to try an e-mail database and distribution service called Adbase. This post shares his reasons for choosing a service like Adbase along with his initial experiences. SOURCE: BlackStar Rising
http://rising.blackstar.com/why-i-chose-an-e-mail-marketing-service-to-boost-my-photography-business.html
BOOK COVERS -- Covers are always a point of pride for photographers. They have a shelf life longer than a magazine inside photo and can sometimes lend themselves more to the photographer’s own creativity. Example: the new cover of Viva Vegan, shot by Miha Matei! http://stone-thrower.com/2010/01/12/viva-vegan/
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
How much can a stock photographer
make in today's economy?....
Brian Yarvin, James Cook-- give their thoughts.
http://board.photosource.com/
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
COMPARE & SHOP -- All About Microstock Comparison Websites - Microstock comparison websites do a simple but useful task. They help buyers search multiple microstock agencies at once. http://www.microstockdiaries.com/all-about-microstock-comparison-websites.html
TAKEAWAY -- Has the gold rush ended already? The digital revolution gave birth to microstock images, but the same phenomenon can easily erode what remains of pricing.
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
WHERE HAVE ALL THE ADVERTISERS GONE? -- Readers aren’t ditching magazines, Advertisers are ditching magazines. The common perception is that readers have abandoned magazines and newspapers. This perception is mostly wrong. The advertisers are the real culprit. They’ve been abandoning magazines like frightened buffalo. SOURCE: Marion Maneker www.thebigmoney.com/blogs/goodnight-gutenberg/2010/01/14/readers-arent-ditching-magazines-advertisers-are-ditching-magazines
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
Would you like to camp, travel and live
anywhere in the United States you want for $20 a day?
by Jason Odom
My wife and I have been doing just that for years now so I decided to write a book so others could see how we do it. The book entitled Vanabode™ - how to happily camp, travel and live forever on $20 a day has been a runaway success!
Oh and you don't need your current job to do it either.
Vanabode shows you how to earn money from wherever you choose to live from hundreds of jobs available only to campers.
Imagine what you would do and where you would go if I PROMISED to show you how to live a complete life with all your needs met for $20 a day? Would you head straight for a national park like Yellowstone or Glacier and hike and photograph wildlife for a month? Would you just take it easy on the fresh powder sands of Florida's pristine beach's sipping cold refreshing Mojito's? Would you hit the tables in Vegas for some exciting poker or slots followed by a mind blowing world class show? Would you dine out every night for a week on the pier in San Francisco? Would you go hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, biking, boating, surfing, skiing, or otherwise get off the grid and out of the grind for a month or two at a time?
Click Here!
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
WHERE HAVE ALL THE RIGHTS GONE? -- National Archives to ban photography in exhibit. Tourists will soon be banned from taking photographs or video at the National Archives main exhibit hall to help protect the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100125/ap_on_re_us/us_national_archives_no_photographs_1
TAKEAWAY: Hmmmmm, doesn’t the Bill of Rights (includes Freedom of the Press) protect our right to photograph in public – especially when the document provides the very right to freely photograph in public (the Bill of Rights)? Surely, this heavy-handed outright ban on picture-taking approach to photographing archival documents could be handled better than this. Here's an idea:: Have the bureaucrats, require tourists to apply for an (in-house) "pass" to photograph the Bill of Rights. The so-called deterioration of camera flash effect would be lessened 99% if the tourists (and pros, for that matter) are reminded not to use flash. -RE
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
TIME RUNNIN’ OUT? When Does the Time Start for Your Copyright Infringment Claim? - You have the limited time of three years to make your claim when someone infringes your copyright. But sometimes you don’t find out about the infringement until after it has occurred. So when does the three years start? SOURCE: Carolyn E. Wright, Esq. http://www.photoattorney.com/?p=1040
FAIR USE? -- Court Requires That You Consider Fair Use Before Sending A DMCA Takedown Notice - A judge has ordered in the Lenz v. Universal Music case that copyright owners must consider whether an unauthorized use of a copyrighted work qualifies as fair use before sending a “DMCA takedown notice.” SOURCE: Carolyn E. Wright, Esq.
http://www.naturescapes.net/docs/index.php/category-business/33-business/370-carolyn-e-wright-esq
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
SIX FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHY PODCASTS - Over the past few months Aaron Lindberg has immersed himself in photography podcasts. He found them a great way to catch up on industry trends, get reviews on the latest camera gear, and find out what other photographers are shooting. http://rising.blackstar.com/my-six-favorite-photography-podcasts.html
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
PHOTOGRAPHER PROTEST -- Photographers turn out in force to fight anti terror law abuse - Thousands of amateur and professional photographers packed Trafalgar Square (UK) at a lunchtime in protest about heavy-handed treatment by police officers under anti-terrorism laws. http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/In_pictures_Photographers_turn_out_in_force_to_fight_anti_terror_law_abuse_update_615pm_news_294157.html
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
YA’LL COME AND JOIN -- Benefits that photography clubs can bring. You can find indispensable facts about photography clubs. If there is one fact that you didn’t know before, imagine what a difference it might make to you. Photography clubs or organizations can provide many possibilities of enhancing your skill and knowledge.
http://diet-tablets.net/?p=834
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
FIGURING THE FEE -- Cutcaster’s Photo Pricing Algorithm – How to price stock photography? - Ever wonder how much one of your photos or illustrations is worth? Cutcaster introduced it’s ‘photo pricing algorithm‘ and ‘bidding for content‘ features to help sellers use get the most revenue in return per image and buyers find the best deals for stock photography. http://blog.cutcaster.com/2010/01/22/cutcasters-photo-pricing-algorithm-how-to-price-stock-photography/
ANSWERS -- Ask anything with Amanda and Suzanne – How Much Money Do Commercial Photographers Make? - Rob Haggart is excited about a great new column he is kicking off today called “Ask Anything.” Former Art Buyers and current photography consultants Amanda Sosa Stone and Suzanne Sease have agreed to take anonymous questions from photographers and not only give their expert advice but put it out to a wide range of photographers, reps and art buyers to gather a variety of opinions. http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2010/01/21/ask-anything-with-amanda-and-suzanne-how-much-money-do-commercial-photographers-make/
ADDED REVENUE – Rockford photographer to share her craft. Photographers
says she has gotten over the fear of future competition by teaching her craft.
Instead of being scared of change, in the industry, she's decided to embrace it. She has started This week to offer classes to the public. She says , "I overcame the fear that if I teach someone else, I will lose business from it."
She has also found an affordable way to advertise her work through social networking sites like Facebook. It allows her to keep in touch with former clients and attract new ones.
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_story.aspx?storyid=117710&catid=14
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
BRIGHT OUTLOOK FOR DIGITAL -- The Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA) has released a marketing survey based on questions asked in the final quarter of 2009. As the somber undertones of 2009 fade away, we move excitedly forward towards a year of promise, opportunity and rapid change. If the fiscal stars align, we’ll leave behind the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and move into a new decade filled with anticipation of a stronger global job market that will inevitably be fueled by new and innovative business models. Digital will surely be at the core of this evolution.View the full report online for free. http://www.creativepro.com/article/2010-digital-marketing-outlook
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
"The eCourse is one of the best investments I've made. I am a former working magician. In magic, there is the phrase "The Real Work." This is when a magic effect is truly entertaining. It is not just the secret, but the entire presentation. The eCourse is truly the "REAL WORK" when it comes to editorial stock photography."
-Dennis Carroll, Photographer, Las Vegas, NV
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
Wildlife photographer of the year stripped of his award. Judges say they are convinced José Luis Rodriguez staged prizewinning picture of wolf
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jan/20/wolf-wildlife-photographer-award-stripped
TAKEAWAY: Animal photography is like documentary photography - what you see is "what was there."
photo: José Luis Rodriguez
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
OLYMPIC SHOOTING– The upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada will likely provide some fierce competition and dramatic photo opportunities. Whether you plan to visit as a spectator, or enjoy photographing sports in your own hometown, you'll find good tips on taking photos of sporting events like the Olympics in this article.Read more at NYIP - Olympic Photos | Olympic Pics | NYIP http://www.nyip.com/ezine/sports/olympic-sports.html#ixzz0doeG83ia
The first question with most winter sports is this: How should you handle your camera to minimize the effect of freezing cold on its operation? We have devoted an entire article to Cold Weather Photography and we recommend that you read it.So too with downhill skiing and cross-country skiing. If you're unfamiliar with our How to Take Great Photos of Skiing and Snowboarding article, you'll find it on our Sports Photography Page. In cross-country skiing, don't overlook the opportunity for a picture of the mob start, like this picture.Read more at NYIP - Olympic Photos | Olympic Pics | NYIP
http://www.nyip.com/ezine/sports/olympic-sports.html#ixzz0dodr2JoA
http://www.nyip.com/ezine/sports/olympic-sports.html SOURCE:New YorkInstituteofPhotography
Copyright NYIPStudent IgorJurse
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
NOTE: Its up to you if you want to enter any of the contests we list on this page. Its well known that some photo contest sponsors ask for free commercial use of the winning entries (or sometimes all of the entries!). You dont have to guess who the winner of that contest is. Dont give up any of your rights. If your photo is good enough to win a national contest, its good enough to earn many dollars for you in the future. So, enter photo contests keeping this in mind.
* Adorama just launched a contest for photos taken with your iPhone, and, though the contest is a little specialized, the prizes are spectacular. One $1,000 Adorama Gift Certificate ($1000.00), Ten Wacom Tablets ($129.95), Fifteen Canon Wireless Printers ($129.95), Thirty $100 Adorama Gift Certificates ($100.00) and Twenty-Five $50 Apple App Store Gift Cards ($50.00). Photos must be taken using an iPhone and only iPhone apps can be used in editing. Deadline for entries is 7:00 PM PST on Feb 16, 2010. For more details:
http://contest.adorama.com/rules#requirements
* Next we have a Business Card Photo Contest that runs through to Thursday, March 18, 2010. It’s based in Great Britain, but seems to be open to anyone worldwide. Grand Prize wins a choice of £1000 or a Canon EOS digital SLR camera and 500 free business cards. Second Place wins £100 and 250 free business cards. And the first 15 contestants to submit their photos will get 200 free business cards. For terms and conditions see:
http://www.optimalprint.co.uk/businesscard-photo-contest-rules
* As of September 2009 Leica Camera AG announced the world’s first digital rangefinder camera with a full-frame 24 x 36mm sensor. As the world’s smallest full-frame system camera, the LEICA M9 continues the long heritage of the Leica rangefinder system, and unites more than 50 years of continuous technical improvements to the M System with cutting-edge digital technology. You’d love one, wouldn’t you? If only you could afford one, right? No problem! Win one in Leica’s Oskar Barnack Award and the Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award contest which are open for entries until 15 March. The award is given by an international jury “to photographers whose unerring powers of observation capture and express the relationship between man and the environment in the most graphic form in a sequence of a minimum of 10 up to a maximum of 12 images”. The winner of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award will receive 5,000 euros or, alternatively, Leica camera equipment to the same value. Also, the Newcomers Award is open to all (prospective) pros who are aged 25 years and under. The winner of the Newcomer Award will receive 2,500 euros. For details see:
http://www.leica-oskar-barnack-award.com/#/en/home
* New Images of Age and Aging What circumstances and opportunities do we hope for in old age? Do we have models from today’s perspective to go by? How do we imagine our lives from 65 on? How can the potential of the “old” in society be meaningfully utilized? Submitted photos should deal with civil or personal conceptions and ideas of aging. We cordially invite all photographers regardless of age, whether professional, amateur, artist, student, or hobbyist, to participate. The Joint Academy Initiative on Aging – German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and German Academy of Science and Engineering acatech is sponsoring a photo contest focussing on New Images of Age and Aging with a deadline of March 12, 2010. The three winning pictures will be awarded € 500 (winner), € 300 (second), € 200 (third). The English version of the rules are at the bottom of the page. For more information see:
http://www.artae.de/popup/fotowettbewerb.html
-Jim McCue
www.jgmccue.com
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
When I was 26, and living in Maryland, USA, I made a wanderlust trip through Europe, Africa, USA, Mexico and Central America that lasted over 35 months, almost three years. That was in 1957-60. When I returned home I began writing a memoir during 1960 and ’61. When I finished, I put it away in a closet and forgot it. I really didn’t forget it. I just didn’t think I should publish it because there were so many episodes and descriptions in there that would be awkward to people like my relatives and my friends along the way. So I left it all alone. It’s now 2010, almost 40 years later. . I’ll dust off the manuscript and publish it here for the first time. I thought you would like to know how me and my family came to living on a farm here in western Wisconsin -RE
My Story
3
Click on photo to enlarge
We sold our trip across Europe and Africa story to the then popular Saturday Evening POST. Rudi is steering our raft on the Niger River. That's me coming out of the water. By the way, the first publisher of the SatEvePost was Benjamin Franklin.
Click on photo to enlarge
WUERZBURG,WEST GERMANY, WAS IN THE PROCESS OF REBUILDING IN 1955
Click on photo to enlarge
IN POST-WAR WEST GERMANY, IT WAS NOT UNCOMMON TO SEE HOMELESS PEOPLE
-Rohn Engh - - - - - - 1957
It’s funny how like when you get sent to a foreign country, as the U.S. Army sent us to Germany, it’s like a vacation, and you act different than you did back in your hometown. You develop a different character that sometimes you really don’t recognize. You’re not as responsible as when you were at home
So that’s why when you get back home, you know that those characters that were in your unit won’t be the same as you knew them back then, they’ll be a different character, and you’ll be a different character, so I guess that’s why I probably won’t be contacting them, or them me.
But there’s one guy I think I’ll be contacting.
I think he’ll pretty much be the same as when we were in Wuerzburg.
His name was Rick Tolman.. The guys called him, ol’ Rickety Rickshaw Rick.
One day we were eating a snack in the commissary, and Rick said, “Hey, Engh, I got an idea I wanna tell you about at the Gasthaus tonight.”
Rick was a swarthy lady’s man type who grew up in Hoboken. Like a lot of the young men in our CIC unit, he was a recent graduate from an east coast law school. He had failed the bar exam in New Jersey and wasn’t looking forward to another exam and a future lifetime of law practice.
Germany had opened his eyes to the delights and pleasures of freedom of not having to attend college classes anymore. Girls were his main focus now.
His German speaking skills were not too bad. At least in the area of picking up girls. His favorite maneuver was the ‘bottle of wine’ technique.
“You see, Engh, it’s a lot different in this country,“ he said. “Girls here are always fishing. They want you to marry them and take them back to the states. The nice girls don’t want to look too eager, so you have to figure out an excuse for them to approach you. Otherwise you’d consider them a slut.”
Tolmann’s best technique (he told me) was to go to a grocery store, one of those larger kind, and stroll around with a single bottle of wine in the wheel cart basket. That’s all, just a bottle of wine. Pretty soon a girl would come up and say something like, “Looks like there’s a party tonight!” or, “Are you going to drink that all alone?” Or other stuff like that.
Depending on what the girl looked like, Rick and the girl would end up in his apartment that he rented in Wuerzburg. One time he said he had to buy a second bottle of wine because the young fraulein he picked up had a twin sister who insisted she come along as sort of a chaperone. Well you know what happened there.
So, back to Rick’s idea he wanted to tell me about. I met him after work at the bierstube and he laid it out to me. “We’re going to Monaco this weekend.. You and me.”
Want to read more?
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/mystory2.html
27 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
“You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.”
Wayne Gretzky, Hockey Player
26 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
HONORING PHOTOGRAPHERS -- Army chief (UK) praises 'brave' photographers. Chief of the General Staff Sir David Richards today praised the army's amateur and professional photographers, telling them their pictures are more important today than ever. SOURCE: Chris Cheesman http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/Army_chief_praises_brave_photographers_news_294102.html
26 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
P.H. POLK -- Photography of P.H. Polk - A collection of photos from African American photographer P.H. Polk taken during the 1930-40s while at the Tuskegee Institute, and featuring subjects ranging from rural life to historical figures. Beach Institute, 502 E. Harris St. Savannah GA
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60814-d107736-Reviews-The_Beach_Institute-Savannah_Georgia.html
26 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
1928 – January 17th – A patent was issued to Anatol M. Josepho for the “Photomation,” a fully-automated apparatus for developing photographic filmstrips. It is said that the inventor received $1 million for his invention, that he developed in a loft building on 125th St, New York City, and put into operation at 1659 Broadway, NYC
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
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20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
TO SPEED UP YOUR PHOTO SALES
SLIM DOWN
Here at PhotoSource International we often get the question: "How can I become successful at publishing my pictures especially during these somber economic times?"
Oddly enough, the answer is quite simple -- but it's not an answer most photographers expect. And that might be one reason why the answer is so elusive to many people. We might expect the answer to be: "Be born with TALENT." or, "Work hard!"
Yes, talent and working hard of course, are important, but we all know photographers with a lot of talent who are going nowhere. We also know a lot of "hard workers," who are going the same place. But to get to the point -- the prime answer is simply this: if your desire to become a published photographer is so strong that your personal constitution will allow you to "put up with and do without," then success is just around the corner for you.
Put up with? Do without? Sounds simplistic. And it is. Whenever we follow up photographers who have come to us in the past with dreams, goals, and aspirations of publishing their pictures -- we find that years later, the ones who have met with success are the ones who have persisted and persisted, and endured.
First of all these photographers have "put up with" the inherent drudgery jobs, the rejections from art directors, the unpleasant tasks, the necessary non-glamorous chores one faces daily in this business.
As they face their day, they don't avoid the tedious chores. They have True Grit. They know that if they neglect the irksome task it won't go away, but will grow into a larger problem the next day, and by the end of the month, could create a complicated, time-consuming, catch-up mess or even an insurmountable barrier.
And what are these unpleasantries? As a stock photographer you face many daily tasks: refining e-mails or queries to prospective photobuyers; photoshopping; Googling for prospects; making phone calls for everything from research to clarifying assignments; texting a prospect or supplyer; cataloging, cross-referencing, applying metadata to your images; researching for keywords; sending off light boxes to prospects; and answering emails and twitter responses.
If you are new to the field of stock photography, you'll nevertheless recognize these drudgery jobs as parallel to those in operating your household… every uncleaned paint brush or tool unreturned to its shelf, every unanswered letter in that pile of important letters, or that unbalanced check book are examples of the 'things we don't like to do,' that pile up until it becomes a habit with us not to get them done. Once this procrastination becomes habit, it becomes our "style" -- or, us. "Wishing away" those drudgery jobs never works.
Want to read more?
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/slimdown.html
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
NOT COMPLICATED -- The 6 Elements of a Successful Photo Website - The secret to a wildly successful photo website isn't complicated at all. It's actually SIMPLE.
http://blog.photoshelter.com/2010/01/the-6-elements-of-a-successful-photo-website.html
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
THUMBS UP! -- From the “aphotoeditor” blog. Good News In Photography - The outlook for photographers is not all bad. In fact, I run into photographers (online) all the time who are doing well and their business is growing. One photographer I spoke with recently said his business was up 20% this year and has been up 30% on average each of the last 5 years. How is that possible? SOURCE: Jason LINDSEY
http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2010/01/13/good-news-in-photography/
TAKEAWAY: Turn that rejection into a challenge for next time.
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Are you using a LightBOX to respond to photo requests? If not, as a subscriber to one of our marketletters, you have Free access to our PhotoSource LightBOX. A tutorial can be found at http://www.photosource.com/account/lightbox/tutorial/
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
BE PREPARED -- The 10 Things All Staff Photographers Must Do Right Now - With all the layoffs we've seen in the industry in the past few years, what surprises me most, however, is how common it is for a staff photographer to be "surprised" with the news of their own layoff. They are very often leaving themselves totally unprepared for life as a freelancer.
http://blog.photoshelter.com/2010/01/10-things-all-staff-photographers-must-do-right-now.html?utm_campaign=misc%20blog&utm_medium=link&utm_source=harrington&utm_content=staffphotogs
MIRACLE-GROW FOR THE STUDIO -- 26 Ways To Generate Business Into Your Photography Studio - Want to grow your business? Take action. And if something hasn't worked in the past, try something new. Here's 26 things you can do to start taking action today, and start bringing in the leads.
http://virtualphotographystudio.com/photographyblog/2010/01/14/photography-26-ways-to-generate-leads/
LOST & FOUND -- How to creatively recover a lost camera - Australian writer Andrew McDonald has a humorous way of getting a lost camera back should someone find it. He records a series of images in his shooter's memory card with messages scrawled on a whiteboard and his contact details. http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10433216-1.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=Crave
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
TWITTER CAN CUT TRAVEL COSTS – From: MichelleHiggins An increasing number of travel companies are using Twitter to market their brands, often by tweeting exclusive deals to followers. JetBlue calls out last-minute discounts at JetBlueCheeps on Tuesday mornings. A recent example: “$89 BOS to LAS this Sat. LAS to BOS this Mon. or Tues. 25 seats avail or til 6 pm ET.” Fairmont Hotels offers its Twitter followers special discounts before anyone else. Farecompare’s “flyfrom” Twitter feed offers location-specific fare sales when you plug in your home airport’s three-letter code, as in flyfromNYC. All you need to do is sign up for a free account at Twitter.com and start following the companies you like or travel experts who do the work for you. (You can find me at MichelleHiggins.)SOURCE: MICHELLE HIGGINS NYTimes.
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
Note:
We will be making some changes
to our Kracker Barrel format.
In order to allow more marketing questions (and answers) from photographers, we have re-designed the Kracker Barrel so that you can freely navigate our site in the future.
No registration will be necessary.
Expect to see the improvements
in place by next week.
in place by next week.
--Rohn
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
ASPP AWARD GOES TO DELIMONT -- Jane Kinne Picture Professional of the Year Goes to: Danita Delimont.
From Cathy Sachs, Executive Director. (American Society of Picture Professionals.) :
“ASPP has been presenting the Picture Professional of the Year Award since 2003. The inaugural award went to the much loved Jane Kinne, who passed away in November 2007, and last year it was renamed in her memory. Jane and all the recipients since her have been exceptional picture professionals, and this year is no different. It was with great pleasure to see Danita Delimont named the 2009 Jane Kinne Picture Professional of the Year by her colleagues. She is a professional in every sense of the word and totally dedicated to the well-being of our industry. “PHOTO: Savannha Stewert
http://www.danitadelimont.com/images/newsletter/delimont.pdf
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
NOT SO FAST -- The dangers of digital content . With budgets tight and social media the hot trend, a virtually endless stream of businesses large and small are turning to crowdsourcing to generate digital content on the cheap. The result? The likelihood that unimaginable numbers of copyrights are being infringed on daily basis without the copyright holder or the person using the images realizing that there’s a problem. SOURCE: Martin Bryant The Next Web
http://thenextweb.com/uk/2010/01/18/flickr-independent-dangers-digital-content/
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
SCIENCE -- Supply Science Pictures for Photo Researchers - Photo Researchers is a highly specialized niche stock site that has been offering scientific photos for more than 50 years. Today, about 80 percent of contributors are photographers. PS: This agency has been mine for 45 years.
http://rising.blackstar.com/supply-science-pictures-for-photo-researchers.html#more-8039
SOLELY FEMALE – (UK) The Format ethos aimed to encourage its members to develop their creativity and careers, while remaining sensitive to the context in which their images were used and distributed. It portrayed people and issues that were under-represented in the mainstream media of the time. By photographing women and men in non-traditional roles, its members aimed to break down gender stereotypes, and change the way women and other marginalized groups were perceived.
A new photographic display will celebrate the work of Format Photography Agency, the only solely female agency in British photographic history. The seventeen portraits on display will reflect the scope and achievement of this agency and this will be the first display devoted to Format at the National Portrait Gallery. SOURCE: ©Maggie Murray/Format ArtDaily UK
http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=35701
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
BEST WAY -- As a stock photographer, is “microstock” the best way to sell your pictures?
It’s not the best way, but it certainly is one way.
The problem with microstock is traffic.
In the real world, you can sign up to put your photos in a gallery downtown, but if no one comes in the gallery door except the owners, -well, this is not good business. If the owner charges you a fee to exhibit your photos.. guess who the winner is?
The same with microstock. The microstock gallery owner makes money on membership (subscriptions) or splitting any sales with you. The owners' goals are to get more members. Ironically, the more microstock members they get, the less chance you have of being seen.
Business schools tell us to stay out of a marketing module that inherently increases in size and therefore inherently increases your competition. You are forced to either improve your product or select a different marketing method.
Sure, put your photos up on several microstock sites. You can always refer a customer to your section on the microstock site(s). But remember, you are referring that long term potential client to view other photographers who are also on the same site. This is not good business wisdom.
The answer to the “best way” is to establish yourself on the Internet as a specialist in a certain area(s) of photography. You can make several websites or blogs (they’re inexpensive!) -- one specialty could be for your interest in rose gardening, another for model railroads, another for cactus plants, --whatever your interest area is, -but don’t spread yourself too thin, or you’ll be back where you started, a “Jack of all Trades, and Master of None.”.
The web search engines will pick up your key words swiftly, in a week or two, and as long as you keep adding new photos and new key words and alt tags, you’ll consider saying goodbye to microstock galleries.
Best of all, since buyers are coming to you, (not the other way around) it’s natural they NEED your pictures and you can charge a healthy fee, not $1 to $5.
Now that’s good business practice! -RE
PS: And don't forget, because you are a specialist in your area of stock photography, photobuyers will come to you when they're ready to give out assignments.
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
BACK IN TOWN -- - Editor & Publisher, "America's oldest journal covering newspapers", has risen from the dead, following its acquisition by BOATING Magazine chief. http://www.photoattorney.com/?p=1034E&P
http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/01/ep_is_back_in_business.php
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
Energy - Guide To Building Home Wind Turbines And Home Solar Power.
This Is Going To Be A Hot Product For Many Years To Come. It Is A Thorough, Honest And Complete Guide To Generating Electricity At Home And Written At A Level Designed To Be Used By The Average Handyman. Click Here!
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The latest from B&H . . . .
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
MISSING PHOTOS -- Prison term for N.J. wedding photographer Burlington County prosecutors say the 62-year-old Holton failed to deliver photographs, albums and other products to 88 couples between September 2002 and May 2009. The thefts range in amount from $800 to $6,600, and the victims came from several counties across New Jersey.
http://www.app.com/article/20100109/NEWS03/100109072/0/BUSINESS&source=rss
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
How to Buy a Monitor
Tips for Buying a CRT Monitor
Generally, the best overall purchase is with a 19 inch flat
screen monitor, with a dot pitch of .26 or less (the
distance between two dots on the screen) and power saving
options. Be aware that if you decide to go to a 21 inch
monitor the size and cost jump considerably.
CRT resolution is adjustable and can go as high as 1600x1200
or more, but in order to take full advantage of these
resolutions your video card needs to have that capability as
well. An anti-glare coating is recommended as it makes
images clearer, reduces eyestrain and is a must for a CRT
monitor.
When considering a monitor, the viewing area (measured
diagonally) is important. As a case in point, a 17 inch
monitor refers to the entire screen and frame, but the
actual viewing area might only be 15-16 inches across. If in
doubt, take a tape measure with you. Also, measure your desk
space in advance. It will save you the hassle of having to
return a monitor later.
Warranties vary from 1-3 years. Additional warranties that
you can purchase onsite are another option and may be a good
idea. When your monitor warranty expires it's a good idea to
find out who will service it.
Tips for Buying an LCD Monitor
LCD monitors use a fixed matrix of cells for image display
and this is the resolution that offers the best result. If
you reduce the resolution, only a portion of the pixels are
used, resulting in a blurry image. Make sure that the native
resolution matches the one you use regularly.
Dead pixels are a problem with LCD screens. To see if your
screen has them, look at a completely white screen and see
if you can spot any black dots, then change the screen to
black and see if any white or colored dots appear. Having
two or three might not be much of an issue, unless their
placement is in a critical location. If that's the case,
take the monitor back. The worst part about dead pixels is
that they're not easily fixed. Before you plunk down your
hard earned dollars, check the warranty and see what it
offers/excludes. Find out how many dead pixels your screen
has to have before it can be replaced. In some case that's
eight; which is too much, in my opinion. If necessary,
consider purchasing an extended warranty.
As mentioned earlier, the contrast ratio is an important
issue. If the contrast is too low, the screen could produce
dull, flat colors and darker color shades could appear as
black. Look for a contrast ratio 400:1 or better. If it's
lower than that, colors may wash out at higher brightness
settings. Be aware that higher contrast ratios are good only
so far. Anything over 600:1 isn't likely to offer an
advantage.
Note: These days most LCD monitors have a contrast ration of
700:1 or better. If in doubt, check the specifications.
Want to read more?
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/monitor.html
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
OUCH! -- Carolyn E. Wright, a/k/a the Photo Attorney®, has come up with more ways to surrender your copyrights inadvertently. An easy way is to win certain photo contests. The More Rights Grabs Photo Contest is back in business.
http://www.photoattorney.com/?p=1034
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
You know the satisfaction you feel at capturing aspects of the world around us through the magic of your camera. Imagine adding the excitement and gratification of having others able to see and enjoy what you say through your pictures.
THE WEEKLY
PHOTOSTOCKNOTES/PLUS
If you are just starting out in stock photography, PhotoStockNOTES can be the starting place. Go here to learn more.
http://www.photosource.com/psnplus.html
PS: Are you a PHOTOLETTER subscriber? Look for this weekend's SPECIAL https://www.photosource.com/cart/plsale.php
If you don't find it, give us a call 1 800 624 0266
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
FROM THE PAST -- Find Unusual Shooting Locations with "Abandoned" - Whether you're travelling to a new location or you want to go beyond the ordinary in your own area, the iPhone app Abandoned identifies modern-day ruins, such as submerged cities, forgotten hotels, and ghost towns.
http://www.creativepro.com/article/find-unusual-shooting-locations-abandoned
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
BETTER THAN SUPER GLUE -- Objects of Desire: Nasty Clamps - Designed by Portland, Oregon-based photographer Matthew Monroe, Nasty Clamps are designed to let you attach your off-camera strobes and other light modifiers to trees, fences,telephone polls and other outcroppings for additional illumination in a scene.
http://www.pdngearguide.com/gearguide/content_display/reviews/e3ia2c2f303f03d144b80242966462365d3
DITCH YOUR DLSR? There’s a new camera category in town and it’s not a DSLR. Will Nikon and Cannon come aboard? DSLRs are bulky. Their design comes from the film days when the only way to see the exact image that would hit the film was to divert the light coming through the lens with a mirror and send it to a viewfinder. This mirror meant the body needed to be deep, and the lenses — further away from the film than those in a mirrorless rangefinder — ere also bigger. With a smaller camera, you can blend in. With an EVIL camera, you can blend in and still get great shots. This combination of size and quality was the reason the Leica M series was the camera of choice for both street shooters and war reporters, from Henri Cartier Bresson to Sebastião Salgado. And because there is no mirror to flip, they’re quiet, too. As a new category, the EVIL is still relatively expensive, and you’ll pay as much for a body and lens as you would for a prosumer level DSLR. For many, even pros, the size difference alone is enough to justify this. For everyone else, you could wait until the likes of Canon and Nikon inevitably enter this sector. Then prices will start to fall, and things will get really interesting SOURCE: Charlie Sorrel. Wired.com
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/01/five-reasons-you-should-ditch-your-dslr/#ixzz0cvlHcVVJ
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/01/five-reasons-you-should-ditch-your-dslr/#ixzz0cvk6QC2d
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/01/five-reasons-you-should-ditch-your-dslr/#ixzz0cvjb6XOz
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
USING TWITTER -- An increasing number of travel companies are using Twitter to market their brands, often by tweeting exclusive deals to followers. JetBlue calls out last-minute discounts at JetBlueCheeps on Tuesday mornings. A recent example: “$89 BOS to LAS this Sat. LAS to BOS this Mon. or Tues. 25 seats avail or til 6 pm ET.” Fairmont Hotels offers its Twitter followers special discounts before anyone else. Farecompare’s “flyfrom” Twitter feed offers location-specific fare sales when you plug in your home airport’s three-letter code, as in flyfromNYC.
All you need to do is sign up for a free account at Twitter.com and start following the companies you like or travel experts who do the work for you. SOURCE: http://timespeople.nytimes.com/getstarted/twitter?return_url=http%3A%2F%2Ftravel.nytimes.com%2F2010%2F01%2F10%2Ftravel%2F10pracsave.html%3Fpartner%3Drss%26emc%3Drss
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
"Thanks for the video clip on getting people in my pictures in your eCourse; I learned some important new tips."
- Bob Sena, Robert Sena Photography, ASMP, San Anselmo, CA
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
NOTE: It’s up to you if you want to enter any of the contests we list on this page. It’s well known that some photo contest sponsors ask for free commercial use of the winning entries (or sometimes all of the entries!). You don’t have to guess who the winner of that contest is. Don’t give up any of your rights. If your photo is good enough to win a national contest, it’s good enough to earn many dollars for you in the future. So, enter photo contests keeping this in mind.
* Have you been thinking of learning more about HDR photography? Here’s a contest that could inspire you as well as win you some help with the project. But before you look, this is not for the full-time pros among us. You have to be an amateur photographer—essentially not claiming photography as your main profession, which should leave it open to many. The ThirstyPhoto Group (and their Facebook App) was created with a few simple goals : To create a fun way to get your photography out there and critiqued by other users. To have enough contributors that marketing folks at big companies with stuff to sell - will give it away to their contests for free. To showcase Contest winners who deserve our continued praise for their excellent work. Their current contest, which is open until February 26, has a great bunch of prizes: A copy of Adobe Photoshop CS4, a copy of Adobe Lightroom 2, two copies of Photomatix Pro, a copy of The HDRI Handbook: High Dynamic Range Imaging for Photographers and CG Artists and a copy of Complete Guide to High Dynamic Range Digital Photography. Go join The ThirstyPhoto Group on Facebook to find out more about it.
http://apps.facebook.com/thirstyphoto/about/about.php
* Photographers and photojournalists have until March 1 to submit their photos to a contest in Medellín, Colombia, that will focus on labor and the environment. The competition aims to highlight labor and social conditions in Latin America from the perspective of photographers, according to the organizer, Escuela Nacional Sindical (ENS). Works may be submitted in four categories: women workers, children workers, men workers, and migrant workers. The winner of each category will receive a cash prize of US$1,300. Among the requirements: photos must be digital and sent via e-mail as a JPG file; and each photo must include a title and a 100-word description. The widest side of the image must measure 800 pixels. For more information go to:
http://ijnet.org/ijnet/training_opportunities/registration_open_for_latin_american_photo_contest_on_labor
* The Worldwide Photography Gala Awards ( WPGA) is sponsoring a juried competition for students and recent graduates of photography, fine art and design attending institutes, colleges, schools and universities worldwide: The Nadar Award for Students. Students from art-related schools and faculties such as architecture, as well as students from other careers, who are amateur photographers (i.e. members of photographic associations and photo clubs) may also qualify to submit images to The Nadar Award. The deadline for submissions has been extended to February 28th. There are several categories: - Portrait, People and Figure.
- Documentary, Editorial and Current Affairs
- Digital enhanced and alternative processes
- Fine Art
- Citiscapes and Architecture
- Landscape and Nature
The Best of Show winner will earn a free attendance to one of the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, including round trip, lodging and tuition. The winner and Reid Callanan will choose together the workshop which best fits for the student. The winner will also receive a cash prize of 1,000 US$. Nadar Award Second and Third prize will also be awarded. Second Prize Winners will receive a cash prize of 600 US$ and Third Prize a cash prize of 40 0 US$. The winners in each category will receive cash prizes 300 US$ each.
For more details: http://www.thegalaawards.com/prizes_and_awards.html
* If I understand this one correctly, you submit up to 4 of your best “Glamour” photos through talenthouse.com from now to February 12 and folks vote on which ones they like best. But then Naomi Campbell chooses which photographer she wants to have shoot a project under her direction with a model chosen also by her for Glamour magazine. This one could be amazing, or…
Check it out at:
http://talenthouse.com/creativeinvites/show/detail/81
* Here is a contest for all U.S. and international freelance, amateur and professional photographers and students, 18 to 35 years of age. Applicants may apply as individuals, or as collaborators. The Hearst 8x10 Photography Biennial is a competition to identify and promote new and emerging talent among photographers in the United States and abroad. Eight (8) winners, chosen every other year, will have selected works showcased in an exhibition under the title, "8x10" in the Alexey Brodovitch Gallery and the Hearst Gallery at Hearst Tower in New York City and will be published in the accompanying "8x10" catalog and on www.hearst.com and www.hearst8x10.com All entries must be emailed before May 31, 2010. For more details see:
http://www.hearst8x10.com/contest.php
* And from our Friends Over There: The Royal Photographic Society invites amateur and professional photographers worldwide to submit their work for consideration for The Society’s 153rd International Print Exhibition. There is a reduced entry fee for Society members, and entries from photographers under 25 years of age are also encouraged, with a reduced entry fee and eligibility for individual awards.
Great prizes:
• 1 Gold Society Medal and a prize of £2,000
• 2 Silver Society Medals and prizes of £1,000 each
• 3 Bronze Society Medals and prizes of £500 each
• RPS/Allen & Overy international award of £750 on the theme ‘Cities of the World’
(an individual interpretation of global cities), this award reflecting the international nature
of The Society
• RPS/Allen & Overy award of £750 on the theme ‘Industry and Commerce’ (looking at the oil/gas/energy/banking or legal sector for dynamic visual interpretations of the
world of industry and commerce)
• Under 25 - Gold Society Medal and a prize of an Olympus PEN Camera
(www.olympus.co.uk/pen) for the best image by an entrant under 25 years of age.
Deadline for entries is Monday 29 March 2010.
For more info go to:
http://www.rps.org/international-print-exhibition/The-153rd-International-Print-Exhibition-2010
* In case you missed this one before, here’s a contest that should appeal to many PhotoLetter readers. Frommer’s, the travel guidebook company, is awarding the winner of its first Cover Photo Contest the photo credit of a lifetime—placement of the winning photo on the cover of a forthcoming travel guide—and $5,000. Four second-place winners will receive a prize pack containing three Frommer’s Day by Day travel guides and a selection of Frommer’s Lug travel accessories, worth more than $300. Deadline for entries is March 31st. Contestants can visit
http://www.frommers.com/go/photocontest/ to enter the contest and upload their best travel photos.
Jim McCue
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
When I was 26, and living in Maryland, USA, I made a wanderlust trip through Europe, Africa, USA, Mexico and Central America that lasted over 35 months, almost three years. That was in 1957-60. When I returned home I began writing a memoir during 1960 and ’61. When I finished, I put it away in a closet and forgot it. I really didn’t forget it. I just didn’t think I should publish it because there were so many episodes and descriptions in there that would be awkward to people like my relatives and my friends along the way. So I left it all alone. It’s now 2010, almost 40 years later. . I’ll dust off the manuscript and publish it here for the first time. I thought you would like to know how me and my family came to living on a farm here in western Wisconsin -RE
My Story
Wuerzburg, Germany 1956 Rohn Engh
IT WAS NOT UNCOMMON TO SEE A MULATTO CHILD
PLAYING IN STREETS WITH FELLOW GERMAN CHILDREN
Wuerzburg, Germany 1957 -Rohn Engh
TWIN GIRLS ATTEMPT TO OPEN THE CATHEDRAL DOOR
2
The photographs you see were developed and printed by my German friend, Hans Bartsch.
All through my journey across Europe and Africa I would send rolls of film from my Rollieflex back to him. I arranged for him to periodically send a batch of finished 8x10’s to my parent’s home, in Ocean City, Maryland.
Here’s how I met Hans Bartsch.
During my Army time in Wuerzburg, I continued my interest in painting. After several months I had accumulated 3 dozen pieces or so. They were in tempera color, sort of abstract with buildings and people. More about my artwork later. I arranged to have an exhibit in a small gallery called the “Turm” in the nearby village of Summerhausen along the river. After the opening, Hans approached me and said he would like to own two of them. I was honored that someone from a foreign country was interested in my work.
“I can’t pay for them,” he said, “but I’m a photographer and I’d be willing to come to your studio to make a portrait of you in trade for these two paintings.” He pointed out an 11x14 and a 14 x 28.
Hans was a rugged-looking man, about 5’10”, brown hair and could have easily been recruited for a German Army poster.
I took him up on his barter offer. I didn’t have a studio, so I arranged to accomplish the session at his place. Over the following months I got to know Hans pretty well. His English was not too bad and my fluency in German was improving. I hadn’t taken any courses in photography back at Maryland Institute. It sparked my interest in this art form. I asked if I could watch him in his darkroom.
“Sure,” He said. “I’m going to make a professional photographer out of you. Then you’ll always have money to support your artwork.”
I bought my first camera and began taking photos during off-duty time and eventually began paying him for the use of his darkroom to print and develop my pictures.
Another thing that sparked my interest in visiting Hans was his darkroom assistant, Maria, a freshman at a local college who worked for him after classes and weekends. She spoke few English words. She was slim, and full-breasted. She had blue eyes but with the red light of the darkroom they appeared purple.
Working close together in the confines of a darkroom meant that eventually we would brush against one another, giggle at our mistake, and while reaching for the tongs, touch each other. It was a secret of ours. Outside the darkroom, she was a different person. Very business-like. If I asked her out for coffee later she would respond, “Nein, ich habe zu meinem classes an der Schule gehen.” I walked her to the street car.
Then one time I saw her downtown and invited her to coffee. I learned she wanted to become a photographer and be a correspondent for international newspapers. She was living with her mother in a nearby apartment. Her father had been killed near the end of the war. The two personalities she presented to me soon merged into one loving person when eventually our physical relationship was brought to fruition in the darkroom one weekend when Hans was away on assignment.
In the spring I had a two-week’s leave coming to me and I decided to spend it in France to practice the French I had learned back in Army Language School in California.
I asked Maria to come with me. She let me know she didn’t think her mother would approve.
“It’s time for me to meet your mother.”
Wuerzburg had been nearly demolished during the war. Across the street from her mother’s apartment was a half shelled-out building. Some vagrants were living in one of the downstairs room. In Maria’s building, the second-floor stairs creaked as I went up. An unlighted chandelier was hanging lopsided at the top of the hallway.
Maria’s mother was sitting in a rocking chair next to a pre-war kitchen stove. Her words came out in a stern fashion. She didn’t speak English. “My daughter cannot go to France. I will not allow it. The French hate us. We’ve had two wars with them. My husband’s father was killed in the first war with them. They are despicable. They will kill my daughter if they found out she is German. She didn’t mention her husband lost his life in the recent war. She spoke quietly, not in a vengeful way. Just matter of fact.
Want to read more?
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/mystory.html
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
Jane Kinne Picture Professional of the Year Goes to: Danita Delimont
From: Cathy Sachs, Executive Director. (American Society of Picture Professionals.) “ASPP has been presenting the Picture Professional of the Year Award since 2003. The inaugural award went to the much loved Jane Kinne, who passed away in November 2007, and last year it was renamed in her memory. Jane and all the recipients since her have been exceptional picture professionals, and this year is no different. It was with great pleasure to see Danita Delimont named the 2009 Jane Kinne Picture Professional of the Year by her colleagues. She is a professional in every sense of the word and totally dedicated to the well-being of our industry."
http://www.danitadelimont.com/images/newsletter/delimont.pdf
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
FOUR DAYS OF "REINVENTION" -- From ASPP: Reinvent, Reimagine, and Reinvigorate your career—renew your entire approach to the image business at our four-day event for ASPP and PACA members and picture professional colleagues. Our conferences bring together the key people engaged with keeping the essential elements of our image community humming: stock agents, researchers, editors, publishers, art buyers, photographers and consultants. Expect spirited dialogues with your photo contemporaries from around the world! April 15th to April 18th. 2010 for complete details. http://www.aspp.com/index.php/education/2010-conference
Note: ASPP is an organization for you, the editorial stock photographer. Both photobuyers and photographers are members - so you can get the straight story when you attend a conference or subscribe to the quarterly newsletter. I've been a member for a long time -RE
For info: http://www.aspp.com Ask for Cathy Sachs.Executive Director
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
ALT TAGS HELP -- Use alt tags to sell your photos. Visitors won’t find your blog or web page unless you coax them. Be sure to include alt tags with each photo. Photos are pretty much ignored by the search engines except for Alt text that accompanies your images. Find out about Alt tags here: http://www.marketingterms.com/dictionary/alt_tag/
http://www.tipsfromthetlist.com/15324.html
Note: Need more info on how key words can help invite potential clients to your blog or website? Go to...
http://HSLtd.us/metamachine
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
THANK YOU, BUT -- Flickr Photographer Says No to Getty - Vanessa Dualib, an artist from Sao Paolo, Brazil, did a series of images that turn vegetables into animals, and the serious business of eating into the not-quite-serious business of funny food photography. Vanessa turned Getty down, agreeing to license only four of her food photographs. "I declined because of the two-year contract to
manage all the rights that they impose," she told us.
http://blogs.photopreneur.com/flickr-photographer-says-no-to-getty?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PhotopreneurBlog+%28Photopreneur+Blog%29
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
“Our job is to record, each in his own way, this world of light and shadow and time that will never come again exactly as it is today.” - Edward Abbey
20 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
1832 – January 27 – The birthday of mathematician and writer Lewis Carroll (Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), born in Daresbury Cheshire, England, the oldest of eleven children. The former Oxford don is chiefly remembered for his fantasy novels Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking Glass (1871). A shy man afficted by a stammer, more confident with children than adults, he invented games and puzzles and also developed new techniques of portrait photography.15 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
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January 13th 2010
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13 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
WHEN IT COMES TO THE INTERNET -
We’ve Come
A Short Way
For the last decade or so, photo researchers and editors as well as individual stock photographers have been experiencing the improved picture- search and purchase capabilities of the Internet. Electronic photo buying has almost totally replaced traditional transaction methods.
I didn't always feel the Internet was a viable delivery method for researchers and stock photographers. At first, the Internet wasn’t ready. In fact I spent almost four years, starting in 1992, sending out warning signals to readers of my newsletters and columns, about the dangers of the Internet for editorial photographers.
In the beginning, those who didn't heed my advice found themselves saddled with expensive, inoperable equipment, inappropriate software, and a weak bank balance.
I advised our readers not to jump onto the Internet bandwagon. The wagon had wobbly wheels and the band was playing off-tune. The road was dusty and had no service stations. Internet travelers were in effect expected to volunteer as pioneers and test the road out, at their own expense.
And, thank you, --they did that.
But isn’t that always the way with those who break new ground? They stick their head out, cross their fingers, and go by their gut feeling. We should all be grateful to those who forged ahead, both photobuyers and photographers.
This being said, I have always had a warm place in my heart for the concept of the Internet, even before the advance of blogs and websites. I put our own marketletters on-line back in 1984. However, over those years, we saw “electronic inertia” on the part of photobuyers at editorial markets. And we saw software and hardware suppliers fail, trying to figure out where the market would go. Ruefully, I dubbed the Internet the "Imposternet."
Eventually, we all knew, somewhere along this grand scheme, the Internet would survive its birth pangs and mature.
NOW THERE'S A BRIGHT ROAD AHEAD
You’re familiar now with Google, Yahoo!, Bing , and perhaps a dozen other search engines that have been around for a few years, but recently they’ve been refined to where they have become real tools for the stock photo industry. If you don’t have DSL, they don't solve the speed problems for picture review, but they facilitate speedy access to picture description (text) and retrieval. Search engines are now a bright light at the end of the mountain tunnel for stock photographers and photobuyers.
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A PRIMER ON SEARCH ENGINES
A PRIMER ON SEARCH ENGINES
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In essence, search engines locate specific information for you on the Web. You can find out how many trail bikes are manufactured monthly in South Korea, or the hometown zip code of a long lost cousin, or former boyfriend.
Because search engines inquire by text (ciphers made up of zeros and ones), it's easy for them to locate specific subject matter on someone's Web page in a matter of seconds.
And how do these search engines get this information? Two ways: Anyone can fill out the information form that all search engines provide, for inclusion in the search engine's evolving database. Also, search engines scan (webcrawl) millions of websites daily, and collect information from these blogs and websites into their massive databases.
r
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WHERE THE ROAD LEADS
WHERE THE ROAD LEADS
Just how do the improved search engines affect the stock photography business?
During my three decades of providing market information for editorial stock photographers, I’ve seen first-hand the consistency of the work methods of editorial photobuyers. These buyers want content-specific pictures, not generic cliches, and to find these pictures, photo editors and researchers first search by entering text key words,.They don’t view images themselves. Once they find a source for their target images through a text search, then they begin looking at actual pictures.
Want to read more?
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/shortway.html
13 Jan, 2010 | 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
Name: Bryan Alexander
Phone: 44+ (O) 1258-473006
Email: arcticphoto_away[at]hotmail[dot]com
Itinerary Date: 1st Feb. to Middle March
Destination: Chukotka, Eastern Siberia
Comments: I will be working in native Yupik and Chukchi communities on the Bering Strait.
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Travelwriter Marketletter
for writers and photojournalists.
Travelwriter Marketletter is a monthly publication available online
( http://www.travelwriterml.com ) and in hard copy format. Travelwriter Marketletter is in its 29th year.
If you’re a travel writer or photographer, TWM tells you about new markets, pay scales, editors, specs and trips.
Contact Mimi Backhausen Phone: 571/214-9086
Fax: 208-988-7672 mimi[at]travelwriterml[dot]com
Fax: 208-988-7672 mimi[at]travelwriterml[dot]com
If you're a photographer, TWML will provide you with contact info about photobuyers.
If you’re in travel PR, TWML tells you which publications are likely targets.
If you’re a travel editor, TWML tells you about trips, and about your competitors.
If you’re a photo researcher TWML will direct you to travel photographers.
If you’re in travel PR, TWML tells you which publications are likely targets.
If you’re a travel editor, TWML tells you about trips, and about your competitors.
If you’re a photo researcher TWML will direct you to travel photographers.
mimi[at]travelwriterml[dot]com Request a sample copy of TWML: 571-214- 9086 (Mention PhotoStockNOTES)
13 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
GETTING RECOGNIZED From the Photo Attorney: When people see your trademark, they will know where the product came from or who is providing the service. Rights to use a trademark come from using the mark in commerce with the product or service. You may use the TM symbol immediately with your trademark, but you may only use the ® symbol after federally registering the trademark. SOURCE: Carolyn E. Wright, Esq. http://www.naturescapes.net/docs/index.php/category-business/33-business/369-carolyn-e-wright-esq
TAKEAWAY: Trademarks are helpful but an inexpensive Domain Name or using the TM symbol usually serves the same purpose in our corner of commerce. But, to be super sure in case you become another Bill Gates - go for it. The cost will surprise you.
13 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
ORIENT EXPRESSIONS. -- Is trouble brewing with the Chinese version of Google? Whisperings of human rights violations are inferred in this recent Google BLOG. China can be a lucrative market for stock photographers. What's in the wind?
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-approach-to-china.html
INSURANCE: -- A Business Insurance Primer for Photographers, Part 1 - John Harrington can't conceive that it would be acceptable to operate a business without some level of business insurance, yet friends and colleagues do it all the time.
http://rising.blackstar.com/a-business-insurance-primer-for-photographers.html
A Business Insurance Primer for Photographers, Part 2 is at
http://rising.blackstar.com/a-business-insurance-primer-for-photographers-part-2.html
13 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
Are you using a LightBOX to respond to photo requests? If not, as a subscriber to one of our marketletters, PhotoDaily, PhotoLetter, or PhotoStockNOTES/Plus, you have Free access to our PhotoSource LightBOX. A tutorial can be found at http://www.photosource.com/account/lightbox/tutorial/
13 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
http://www.photosource.com/ecourse
13 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
WHERE DO YOU RANK? -- SOURCE: Derrick Story. The profession, "Photographer" Ranks 126 on 200 Best/Worst Jobs List - Of course things could be worse: You might want to be a photojournalist that ranks #189.
http://thedigitalstory.com/2010/01/photographer_ranks_1.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheDigitalStory+%28The+Digital+Story%29
TAKEAWAY: Are we talking about, "How do you want to spend your life?"
TWO GOOD PHOTOBLOG SPOTS -- John Harrington – Photo Business News & Forum – This blogs focuses more on the common and not-so-common experiences that photography professionals share. Read on for occasional musings and news about the business of being a photographer. http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/
Bert Stephani – Confessions of a Photographer – This guy doesn’t play by the rules…add that he’s from Belgium, and we’ve got a great recipe for a good read…let’s hear what he has to say. “When I set myself the goal to become a successful professional photographer, I started a blog. I did it because writing always made me see things more clearly. The goal of the blog was to push myself and at the same time share technical and business stuff with photographers in a similar position. This may have gotten a bit out of hand but I strongly believe in sharing whatever I know and do this through many different channels.” http://bertstephani.com/blog/
13 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
Mikael Karlsson . Our Kracker Barrel adminstrator, Mike, is featured this month on the PhotoNet website in a lengthy interview about his specialization: law enforcement. Mike is also author of many sections on our homepage, www.photosource.com
His most recent production here at PSI is a new report called “A Savings Guide For Stock Photographers”.
In these tight economic times the Guide is going to be well worth the generous price, only $7.95. You can check it out here. https://www.photosource.com/cart/savings.php
http://photo.net/featured-member/2010/january/mikael-karlsson-law-enforcement-stock-photographer
13 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
PAID CONTENT -- Does "paid content" work? - More than 1,300 publishers have now partnered with Journalism Online, and the paid content network will begin testing in coming weeks, Steve Brill, the group's founder, told minonline today. SOURCE: Emma Heald
http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/01/journalism_online_exchanges_paywalls_for.php
13 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
THE CUP OVERFLOWETH -- Crowdsourcing In 2010: Will We Keep Supplying The Media Free Content? Usually when we think of crowdsourcing, it's with an eye towards corporations like Pepsi or McDonald's, who hold contests for viral content and reward the winners with a prize that is less than the cost of actually getting a development team together. But news sites like Digg, Reddit, and Wikipedia all run off of the power of its users. The Democratic Party used crowdsourcing to get young people off their butts and voting for the first time. Non-profit media groups to use the technique to both engage audiences and save money. SOURCE: FISHBOWL ; Drew Grant.
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/media_events/crowdsourcing_in_2010_will_we_keep_supplying_the_media_free_content_147534.asp
13 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
SHOULD YOU SAY THANK YOU? -- There’s an old rejoinder in theater that says, “Don’t say ‘I thought your performance was good” to the actor, --unless you are a theater critic. Instead say, “I enjoyed your performance.”
A similar situation exists in nature photography: Should you steal the thunder from Mother Nature when an admirer says, “I like this photo you took,” of the picture of the early morning light of a frosty marsh flower you produced.
Is a “Thank You” from you warranted?
Well, you did slosh through knee-high freezing swamp water to get to the scene you recognized as beautiful. But your admirer isn’t congratulating you for your diligence or athletecism. Or your technical know-how. The compliment is for the picture itself that only Mother Nature can render.
Saying, “Thank you” would be inappropriate. –Rohn Engh
13 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
WHAT'S YOUR CUP OF TEA?
Gulf Coast Wine+Dine: This is a very doable experience for me since it is closer to home than any of the aforementioned magazines. This new launch aims to cover “coastal Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.” It is a “celebration of our passion for living (and if I may add loving) life.” And in a typical Southern hospitality the magazine’s editor Tim McNally welcomes the reader to the neighborhood and asks “Can I fix you a drink?” A refreshing experience indeed. www.gulfcoastwineanddine.com
13 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
METAMACHINE
James Cook software engineer (HindSight Ltd.) and a stock photographer himself has designed a program, "METAmachine"
that will speedily add metadata (essential details such as
your profile, captions, keywords/tags, copyright,licensing
particulars, geographic location, and any other information you choose to include.)
With this information imbedded in each of your photos (it's transparent, you can't see it) you'll feel safer when you ship out your images for consideration to photobuyers that might be unfamiliar to you. It will also be helpful to you in an "orphan" situation where potential clients can't swipe your photo because they found it floating on the Internet and they didn't know whom it belonged to.
The best thing about the METAmachine is this process can all be automated. You can drop data about your individual photos into a compatible database of your choice. This makes for a "history" of each of your photos. Once the process it set up, you'll know that when you get a call for a sale, each of your photos can be found and supplied with more than enough detail about the photo being considered for negotiation.
With such an efficient sales process in place, you're sure
to be added to the photobuyer's "available photographer's
list."
Need "how-to" or technical information about the program?
James Cook offers a customer's Forum and personally answers customers.
James Cook offers a customer's Forum and personally answers customers.
What does METAmachine cost? $49. Online delivery.
Good news, -- Now, for PhotoStockNOTES subscribers and on to January 30th, 2010, he is offering the program at $25 to photographers on our PhotoSource International mailing list.
METAmachine is compatible with Macintosh or Windows.
Here's the link for the Order Form.
http://HSLtd.us/metamachine To benefit from this generous
offer, when checking out... click on the "coupon code" link,
type in "photosource" (without the quotes). You'll save yourself $24.
Complete information on METAmachine, along with free demos, videos, ...is at
http://HSLtd.us/metamachine.
Check out the FORUMS section to see the excellent Customer Support.
-Rohn Engh
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The latest from B&H on SALE
White Mailers
Sending off a CD-ROM? Look like a pro. Stiff white cardboard mailers are available at: MAILERS, 575 Bennett Rd, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007, Attn: Pat Pulver; http://www.mailerco.com . Phone: 1 800 872-6670. Fax: 1 847 731-2603.
13 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
NO EXCUSES -- If you don’t know the law, you’ll find it here. "Photographer's Legal Guide" And it’s .. Now Available for Kindle - The Guide also is available as an E-book and paperback. It has been slightly updated with new links and information current for 2010. http://www.photoattorney.com/?p=1019
LOST APPEAL -- Photographer Loses Bid to Refuse Same-Sex Wedding Jobs - A New Mexico
wedding photographer who refused on freedom of speech and religion grounds to photograph a same-sex commitment ceremony in 2006 has lost her anti-discrimination appeal.
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/features/pdn-online/e3i7d41666c039b61afca226786f0011fd9
13 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
Business and Legal Forms For Photographers
As a stock photographer just starting out, or starting over, you will be dealing on an ongoing basis with selected magazine and book publishers. Why not get off on a clear, unmistakable, basis with them. “Get it in writing” and what better way is to back up your position with them with unambiguous forms, designed by a legend in the business, Tad Crawford from Allworth Press.
You’ll find in this new fourth edition legal and business for for model and property releases, copyright transfer forms, publishing contracts and stock photography forms. Want to trademark your logo? There’s even a form to get you started in that dept.
And the book comes with a CD containing 34 Word documents of all of the forms. This makes it unnecessary to photocopy anything. There’s a detailed explanation for each form, and the situations where each form might be needed. This will be an indespenable guide for you.429.95 208 pages. ISBN 978-158115-669-0. 212-777-8395 x15 www.allworth.com 10 East 23rd St NY NY 10010.
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Photographing Children – Photo Workshop by Ginny Felch and Allison Tyler Jones, published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.
This is a workshop “how to” book about photographing children. It begins (Chapter 1) with a comment about being inspired when photographing children and I was inspired. These two very professional photographers have put together a book that was definitely inspired by their own children as well as their clients’ children.
In Chapter 2 there’s a brief explanation of “The Look of A Photograph” and its technical side – brief, but enough, with such subjects as shutter speed, aperture, ISO, Depth of Field, and using the different modes on the digital camera to get what you want.
Chapters 3 and 4 deal with Light – Seeing the Light and Manipulating the Light. Here we learn quite a bit about available light (“Sweet Light, Reflections and Shadows, and Soft Light) and artificial lighting (Flash, Bouncing Flash, Reflectors, Light Temperature, and Basic Studio Lighting (one-light setup, metering, etc.)
Then we come in the real meat & potatoes of this book with Chapters 5 Composing, Chapter 6 What’s Your Style, Chapter 7 Evoking Expression and Emotion, Chapter 8 Ages, Stages, and Groups and Chapter 9 Equipment for the children’s Photographer. With these chapters, both authors show and tell us with examples, illustrations, tips, notes and quotes from other professional photographers, just how to get the best children’s photographs, while optimizing both their equipment and their environment. If all you do is buy this book for the photos, you’ll have gotten a deal.
These are professional photographers, and they did it right by not only showing us what the images should look like, but giving us (teaching us) assignments at the end of each chapter to help us, get it right. ( Assignments Website: www.pwassignments.com)
The final chapter Post-Production and Presentation illustrates a general workflow within a image-editing software with basic retouching, color, black and white, cropping tips and some storyboarding with different presentation options of the images.
I was impressed with the photographs in this book because, the authors found the formula for capturing the spirit and innocence of their subject, whether they were, mother and child, just child, just babies, or dad and child as well as family. They got it, and you’ll have it, if you purchase this wonderful book about photographing children.
I highly recommend this book to any stock photographer or their family. Photographing Children – Photo Workshop by Ginny Felch and Allison Tyler Jones, published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.,http://support.wiley.com - ISBN-13: 978-0470114322, Book price: $29.99 – Amazon Price: $18.89
Joseph Stanski has been an agricultural stock photographer for
the last twenty-five years. He has published in many
ag-oriented magazines as well as national publications. He retired as a
schoolteacher and is currently teaching photography and running his stock
photography business in Southeast Iowa. browncow108[at]lisco[dot]com
13 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
NO LAW BROKEN -- NUJ (National Union of Journalists) (U.K.) wins apology and damages for photojournalist - A photographer who was handcuffed, arrested and detained for eight hours for trying to take pictures has had his police record torn up after help from the NUJ.
http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=1454
13 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
GETTING A BOOST -- Polaroid – The company best known for its line of instant cameras has forged a relationship with a pop superstar who will influence future products. Will Polaroid be able to keep up with this rising star? There’s no denying that Lady Gaga has unique style all her own, and that her prodigious output of catchy dance/pop songs has created a large and enthusiastic fan base. But can this larger-than-life personality breathe new life into a company that until last year was struggling to figure out what it wanted to be in the 21st century?
http://tinyurl.com/whereispolaroid
12 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
Social Media Marketing: It's Not The Boogeyman - Social media marketing does not generate revenue overnight. It takes time. It takes effort. It places demands on you that are nearly impossible to anticipate. But it is do-able. That's right, even you can do it.
http://bretedge.wordpress.com/2010/01/02/social-media-marketing-its-not-the-boogeyman/
ARE THEY DISAPPEARING? -- From Jiml: “Your friends and followers are very vital to your success with social media marketing. Without them, you’re basically talking to an empty room. You know that feeling you get when you log in to your Facebook fan page and your once 200 friends have suddenly diminished 197, a feeling of disappointment and slight loneliness that leaves that burning question deep in your gut “was it something I said?” Well let’s see if we can stop that feeling from occurring too often.” SOURCE: Author: Jimi
image:
SOCIALisBETTER.
http://tinyurl.com/keepingfriendsfollowers
12 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
PRICING DEBATE: -- Usage Fees vs. Hourly Rates - A PDNews reader voices a counterpoint to advice we published on estimating assignments, and two industry experts on artists' rights offer their views.
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/features/featured-in-print/e3ia146767973020e6f75bbf4f403791768
NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY ON A BUDGET - Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them - whether you're struggling through this recession or simply making your 2010 budget for photography and want to direct your resources towards achieving
the greatest results, try to evaluate the productivity of your photo location before going forward. SOURCE: Matthew Studebaker http://www.naturescapes.net/docs/index.php/articles/382
12 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
"You have been very useful and your newsletter has been an awesome resource!"
-Alexia Retallack, Photo Researcher, Sacramento CA
12 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
by Rohn Engh
When I was 26, and living in Maryland, USA, I made a wanderlust trip through Europe, Africa, USA, Mexico and Central America that lasted over 35 months, almost three years. That was in 1957-60. When I returned home I began writing a memoir during 1960 and ’61. When I finished, I put it away in a closet and forgot it. I really didn’t forget it. I just didn’t think I should publish it because there were so many episodes and descriptions in there that would be awkward to people like my relatives and my friends along the way. So I left it all alone. It’s now 2010, almost 40 years later. . I’ll dust off the manuscript and publish it here for the first time. I thought you would like to know how me and my family came to living on a farm in western Wisconsin -RE
My Story
1
Afton, Minnesota, USA 1960. When I was young, I used to get pretty ugly thoughts. I mean they weren’t violent or sadistic or anything like that. They were more like brief bad dreams that popped into my head. Not important, just bothersome. They were confusing me, just like the sentence I wrote above. How can something be pretty ugly?
Well, anyway, here goes. This story starts when I was in the U.S. Army, stationed in Wuerzburg, Germany. It was 10 years after WWII. I thought when I went over there in 1955 that the experience of going to Europe would clean out my brain and turn me around in the right direction. Maybe I would be able to understand how a nation could condone the mass murder of millions. That question really bothered me.
France 1956
(To view larger image, click on picture)
I was 26. My hometown buddies back in Maryland had all graduated from college and had jobs, the kind where you wear a suit and tie. I was still a student. I had just graduated from art school in Baltimore.
During the two years I was over there in Germany, I got to meet and talk with foreigners who invited me into their lives. And how could I do that -?
You probably thought I was one of those G.I.'s that arrives at a foreign Army base and stays for a year or two and then returns to their home without even venturing downtown.
Well, it so happens that before going to Europe, I took a test and the U.S. Army sent me to French Language School for 6 months in Monterey, California. But I didn’t end up in France. Through some kind of bureaucratic SNAFU, the Army sent me to German Language School in Oberammergau, up in the Alps.
I got pretty good at speaking both languages, especially since the Army gave me the job of interviewing people from East Germany and Russia and other places who were in refugee camps from WWII. These people were trying to immigrate to the USA.
It also turned out that my Army tests said I would be eligible to sign up for the CIC (Counter Intelligence Corps) and they sent me off to another school. My job was to make background interviews and inspect records of certain refugees to determine if they were good guys or bad guys. With the cold war brewing, we didn’t want any communists slipping into the USA.
But funny thing, my superior officer in charge of our section,Capt. Henderson, looked the other way if a refugee happened to be a former Nazi. Turns out, the U.S. government considered the Nazis good guys. They were enemies of the communists, so that was a plus for us Americans. Crazy, isn’t it. ? And later on, when I returned to the USA, I saw Japanese cars everywhere on the highways. I guess the Japanese won that battle too.
And even funnier, the U.S. Army was letting me, a country boy from the Eastern Shore of Maryland do the selection of these refugees. So, as far as going overseas and hoping to clear my brain about the world I lived in –the U.S. Army confused me even more. . .
But as I say, some of the people I met outside the army barracks, in my excursions to interview refugees at the camp, I had the good chance to enter into a different world that I had not known back on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. On one of those occasions I met a Gypsy, Alonzo, who was originally from Romania. He could speak German. We would have coffee together when I made my visits to the displaced persons camp.
He spoke softly. He was in his 50’s and would recount his life back in Romania. And he told me about the time he and his brother were nearly caught by German SS troopers during the war. The gypsies were the next largest group, after the Jews, who died in concentration camps at the hands of the Nazis.
Alonzo taught me how to play the guitar and a few of his folk songs. He also taught me a method he used to quickly “replace unwanted thoughts” in his head. This was something that was attractive to me and it came in handy on my trip. Especially when I got into Africa. Later on I’ll explain how his method works. It’s good I sensed there would be more to learn from foreigners who lived in a different culture than me.
As it turned out there was a lot more to learn. -from Arabs, Africans, Americans, Mexicans, Guatemalans, and even from my traveling companion, Rudi Thurau, a German fellow troubadour from Hamburg, Germany.
Wuerzburg, Germany 1956 (To view larger image, click on picture)
NEXT WEEK: Saying Farewell to my German Friends.
12 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
TIGHT NICHE PHOTOGRAPHY -- Tight Nicheing Works in Professional Sports Photography - Philip Brown's website makes very clear who he is and what he offers. He is a "specialist cricket photographer." SOURCE: Photopreneur. Photo: Philip Brown
http://blogs.photopreneur.com/tight-nicheing-works-in-professional-sports-photography?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PhotopreneurBlog+%28Photopreneur+Blog%29
FIRST PLACE -- Colorado Scenic Byways, Taking the Other Road, Photography by Jim Steinberg, essays by Susan J. Tweit, is Winner. Of the 2009 Colorado Book Award-Pictorial
Portfolio Publications, Inc.
12 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
CRITIQUE -- Portfolio Review: Michelle Dunn Marsh on Jennifer Zdon's "Swamp Queens" - During the PhotoNOLA portfolio reviews, held in New Orleans , we asked reviewers to share their thoughts on promising portfolios they saw. Michelle Dunn Marsh of Dunn Design, who is also editor-at-large at Chronicle Books and works with Aperture, gives her critique of a project by Jennifer Zdon, a New Orleans-based photojournalist. SOURCE: Holly Stuart Hughes PHOTO: Jennifer Zdon,
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/features/pdn-online/e3ieb1af40f51f12663a6f9d75603731a6c
12 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
"When words become unclear, I shall focus on photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence." - Ansel Adams
12 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
1927 - Photographs taken under the sea in natural colors were made for National Geographic Magazine off the Tortugas of the Florida Keys, and were published in the January issue of the magazine. The work was carried out by Dr. William Harding Longley of Goucher College and Charles Martin, Chief of the National Geographic Society's photographic laboratory.
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
- - - - - - - - - - -
January 6th 2010
- - - - - - - - - - -
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
My post in last week’s PhotoStockNOTES (see Reminisces) brought out a lot of questions and curiosity.
A raft down the Niger River in Africa? Crossing the Sahara Desert on an Italian motor scooter? Guitar-ing my way across Europe with a German troubadour?
Check out our new "Stories" section (it's below) .
A raft down the Niger River in Africa? Crossing the Sahara Desert on an Italian motor scooter? Guitar-ing my way across Europe with a German troubadour?
Check out our new "Stories" section (it's below) .
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
HOW MUCH IS A WORD WORTH?
IT'S WORTH A
THOUSAND PICTURES
Photo researchers are discovering that computers are emerging from their teen-age years. They are leaving behind their shortcomings of the last decade, and are redefining themselves and emerging as mature adults.
Photo researchers everywhere are learning that computers have shed their pesky ways, have become fast, responsible and friendly machines. The new Internet technology is convincing photo researchers that a computer can be an important.
At the same time, photo researchers are discovering that they, too, must shed some archaic working ways in order to capitalize on the new electronic researching systems that have become available to us all.
I could outline numerous methods of research that are now available utilizing the new technology. You may be familiar with some of them, but I'll leave that to your own discovery, and jump ahead to methods of research coming in the near future that you'll want to become aware of and be prepared to capitalize on.
The Internet offers two basic ways of searching for a specialized image: by text or image review. Most researchers who have a track record in the field of researching have opted to use the method they are most familiar with: the image review method. They type in a generic subject word in an online gallery and then it's business as usual. They look at dozens, even hundreds, of images from a number of sources, and eventually select a small number of images for their client to consider.
But this kind of "image search" can be exhausting, and time-consuming, especially when the researcher is attempting to highlight a story with that just-right photo.
THE NEW APPROACH
The "image review search" method would seem acceptable if it were not for a new approach that is beginning to make itself known: Text.
Researchers need no longer be satisfied with "good enuf" pictures. Much deeper selections and more targeted images are now becoming more available for the asking, thanks to the simplified and speedier capabilities of searching for images through electronic text search.
As the viewing public has become more sophisticated in their viewing habits, it is becoming ever more demanding. We have only to look at a textbook or magazine article from fifty years ago to discern the shallow nature of the photos that were deemed acceptable for publication in those days.
I believe the "text-centric" system will win over the "image-review" system in electronic photo research of the future. Currently, both electronic systems are admittedly in their early stages.
We have seen that when TV, movie, and other media want to do a story on a particular subject, they do extensive searching for details. In the past, these facts were hidden in places that were not readily available to the average researcher. The general public accepted whatever thesis the producer came up with -- because it was good enough, based on the research resources available at the time, combined with the deadline the producer was facing.
Research involves a series of levels. We usually give credibility to an erudite report from a college professor or in a textbook, a little less credibility to a newspaper article, and much less to a TV show or radio interview.
The constraints of a time deadline are an influencing factor.
This is beginning to change. We have experienced, for example, the results of the extensive research don e by Ken Burns in his PBS TV productions. Professionals working in other media now have equal access to the research methods and materials that were formerly the province of college lecturers and authors, who weren't constricted by the tight deadlines of newspaper and magazine writers.
And how is that material accessed?
Want to read more?
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/thousand.html
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
Cloud Storage
Nope, we’re not talking about storing clouds somewhere, though in some cases, that could be an advantage. Instead, we’re talking about storing your files (documents, music, photos, etc.) in "the cloud," otherwise known as the Internet.
You know, out there somewhere.
There are many vendors and products that let you do this, with the idea that you can access your cloud files from any Internet-connected device.
A recent addition to that collection is a service called ZumaDrive. Basically, the program installs software and an icon on your desktop (Mac, Windows, or Linux) that operates exactly like a physically attached hard drive, so you can copy files from your computer (or Internet-capable phone, etc.) to the ZumaDrive and then access those files from basically anywhere, anytime.
You get up to 2 Gb of free online storage. After that, you’ll pay for additional storage. Example: 10 Gb is $2.99/mo.
If this might fit your needs, check it out at www.zumadrive.com
Bill Hopkins is the Webmaster of PhotoSourceFolio, where photographers
display photos and a regular contributor to PhotoStockNotes. Send comments to Bill via email.
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
SPARKLE -- Zap Some Neon Life Into Your Old Photographs. The Kirlian Photography Device uses high voltage discharges to capture beautiful, luminescent images directly from ordinary film. It is not a machine I'd recommend using in the darkroom. http://gizmodo.com/5438853/zap-some-neon-life-into-your-old-photographs?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+gizmodo%2Ffull+%28Gizmodo%29
FINDING CUSTOMERS -- Put Your Images in Hotels with Farmboy Fine Arts. Stock companies serve newspapers and magazines, ad companies and Web sites. But they aren’t the only people who need images. The hospitality industry uses photography to decorate its walls, and interior designers can sometimes use photography, too. http://rising.blackstar.com/put-your-images-in-hotels-with-farmboy-fine-arts.html
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
REPRINTS NOW AVAILABLE -- Wedding negatives found after 32 years. A northeast Missouri woman who gave up the search for photo negatives from her 1967 wedding got a surprise gift when they were discovered in a condemned building. Judy Smith's late husband's cousin stumbled upon them in November in the wall of a downtown Hannibal building he was tearing down. http://www.news-leader.com/article/20100102/NEWS01/1020379/1007/Wedding-negatives-found-after-32-years
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
Want To Invite Google to Index Your Web Page?
Popular search engines, such as Google, add and update new websites and blogs to their index each time it “crawls” the web. For example, Google invites you to submit your blog or website's URL. They don’t add all submitted URLs to their index, and they cannot make any predictions or guarantees about when your website will be indexed. Depending on how Google, for example, consider your page's popularity, it mightr get 'crawled' once a week or once a month.
But it’s worth giving it a try. To add your website to Google: http://www.google.com/addurl/?continue=/addurl
Want to add your URL to other search engines for free? Go to: http://www.submitexpress.com/submit.html
Also (for free) submit your site to the Open Directory: http://dmoz.org/add.html
Note: Here at PhotoSource we have added our PhotoSourceBANK to all of the major search engines. Depending which search engine is your favorite, if you are a PhotoSourceBANK member, type in a keyword or key phrase in the search bar of your favorite search engine, a space, then the word Photosource.
If your page reference does not come up, try another search engine. There are many besides Google: Alta Vista, DogPile, BING, Yahoo! Etc.
TIP: Set up a blog on www.blogger.com and post to it regularly. Mention various pages and keywords on your site from time to time. Create links to them too. Blogger is owned by Google and the links in your blog will get indexed quickly. Also - do the same for WordPress, another blogging site to be aware of. -re
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
What will be the "content" of your stock photo?
http://www.photosource.com/ecourse
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
GOOD TIMING – Sean Locke: “Sometimes, when creating content and putting it up for sale, you just get lucky when it comes to timing. In the last several weeks I uploaded some content of plastic airport security bins filled with various objects, like the one below. SOURCE: SEAN LOCKE
http://seanlockedigitalimagery.wordpress.com/2009/12/29/good-timing/
AIM HIGH -- Want to Achieve Your Photography Goals for 2010? Start By Writing Them down - If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail. Write out your vision for whom you want to be as a photographer in 2010. Write down what you want to be shooting, who you want to be shooting for, and how you're going to make his happen.
http://rising.blackstar.com/want-to-achieve-your-photography-goals-for-2010-start-by-writing-them-down.html26
NOT: -- Handy Excuses for Missing the Shot - Every photographer has their favorite excuses for not coming back with the goods on a shoot. SOURCE: PETER PHUN http://rising.blackstar.com/26-handy-excuses-for-missing-the-shot.html
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
SNAPSHOTS -- Street Photography with High Dynamic Range – The HDR images I have seen don’t strike me as editorial in nature, but, according to this article, it is possible to co-mingle your creative juices with documentary composition. Read on for tips and advice from a seasoned professional.
http://tinyurl.com/streetHDR
INVENTIVE PHOTOGRAPHERS -- For the street photographers who work the crowds around the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree money does grow on trees. With digital cameras and ink-jet printers powered by car batteries, they churn out images at about $10 a pop. Mr. Mendes works the same crowds, cradling like a piece of sculpture a vintage Speed Graphic camera outfitted with two flash units and a Polaroid back. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/nyregion/03polaroid.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
PORTRAITS BIG-TIME -- See your photo displayed on a Times Square screen courtesy of Kodak. Going to be in Times Square in New York City sometime soon? Want to see one of your photos displayed on a giant screen for everyone to see? Kodak is here to help you with that. SOURCE: Sean P. Aune http://photo.blorge.com/2009/12/31/see-your-photo-displayed-on-a-times-square-screen-courtesy-of-kodak/
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
MOVING FORWARD -- Ten Years of Microstock - As 2009 comes to an end, rather than look back on just one year, let's have a look at some of the major developments that have shaped the microstock industry over the past decade.
http://www.microstockdiaries.com/10-years-of-microstock.htmlAdobe
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
WATCH OUT ! - What Will Be The Top Hacker Target in 2010 ? - Security vendor McAfee has issued a report predicting that hackers spreading malware will focus on AcrobatReader and Flash.
http://www.creativepro.com/article/adobe-will-be-top-hacker-target-2010
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
QUICK -- What a difference a decade makes – A look back on the past decade and the advances made in telling a news story – from the transition to a 24-hour news cycle to online photo-sharing. TAKEAWAY: So you often think , “Where did the last 10 years of my life go?” This writer reminds us. http://tinyurl.com/decadenews
THEY STILL NEED PIX – From www.photopreneur.com : Magazines that Take Pictures from Amateurs - There are more than 20,000 magazines available in the US and many of them have significant readerships, are willing to look at the pictures, not the photographer, and pay for the photos they use - even when they come from people who usually shoot for fun. http://blogs.photopreneur.com/magazines-that-take-pictures-from-amateurs?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PhotopreneurBlog+%28Photopreneur+Blog%29
GET MARRIED -- Announces a New National Wedding Magazine Solidifying Its Position As The Most Comprehensive, Integrated Wedding Resource For Brides. Tagged as a "new shopping & trend guide for the savvy bride," Get Married magazine extends the brand loyalty of Get Married’s Lifetime Television show viewers and GetMarried.com users who crave unique and integrated content. http://www.getmarried.com
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
METAMACHINE
James Cook software engineer (HindSight Ltd.) and a stock photographer himself has designed a program, "METAmachine"
that will speedily add metadata (essential details such as
your profile, captions, keywords/tags, copyright,licensing
particulars, geographic location, and any other information you choose to include.)
With this information imbedded in each of your photos (it's transparent, you can't see it) you'll feel safer when you ship out your images for consideration to photobuyers that might be unfamiliar to you. It will also be helpful to you in an "orphan" situation where potential clients can't swipe your photo because they found it floating on the Internet and they didn't know whom it belonged to.
The best thing about the METAmachine is this process can all be automated. You can drop data about your individual photos into a compatible database of your choice. This makes for a "history" of each of your photos. Once the process it set up, you'll know that when you get a call for a sale, each of your photos can be found and supplied with more than enough detail about the photo being considered for negotiation.
With such an efficient sales process in place, you're sure
to be added to the photobuyer's "available photographer's
list."
Need "how-to" or technical information about the program?
James Cook offers a customer's Forum and personally answers customers.
James Cook offers a customer's Forum and personally answers customers.
What does METAmachine cost? $49. Online delivery.
Good news, -- Now, for PhotoStockNOTES subscribers and on to January 30th, 2010, he is offering the program at $25 to photographers on our PhotoSource International mailing list.
METAmachine is compatible with Macintosh or Windows.
Here's the link for the Order Form.
http://HSLtd.us/metamachine To benefit from this generous
offer, when checking out... click on the "coupon code" link,
type in "photosource" (without the quotes). You'll save yourself $24.
Complete information on METAmachine, along with free demos, videos, ...is at
http://HSLtd.us/metamachine.
Check out the FORUMS section to see the excellent Customer Support.
-Rohn Engh
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
DON’T SHOOT US! -- Paparazzi law in California: Restricting photography of stars. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed a bill that will make it easier for stars to sue the media for taking and using photographs of them when they have a reasonable expectation of privacy. What exactly does that mean? http://www.examiner.com/x-33792-Kardashian-Examiner~y2010m1d2-Paparazzi-law-in-California-Restricting-photography-of-stars
DONUT TIME -- Police Car Photography Suit Filed. Taking a picture of a police and/or security officer in Charleston has led to a Kanawha Circuit Court complaint against the West Virginia State Police. http://www.huntingtonnews.net/local/091221-rutherford-locallitigationroundup.html
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
FIND THAT IMAGE – Using Reverse Image Search Tools For Copyright Protection of your Photographs - TinEye is a new entry into the world of reverse image searches. TinEye allows you to submit an image and find out where it came from, how it is being used, if modified versions of the image exist, or find higher resolution versions.
http://virtualphotographystudio.com/photographyblog/2009/12/28/using-reverse-image-search-tools-for-copyright-protection-of-your-photographs/
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
It's a new year . . .
Are you still at the starting gate?
(One for the money...
Two For the Show...
Three to get ready...
Four to get ready...
Five to get ready...)
Give yourself a jump start...
Sign up for our weekly PhotoStockNOTES...
If you are just starting out in stock photography, this one's for you.
For more info:
http://www.choicestockphotos.com
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
PARTNERS -- Photobucket and Ontela announce merger. Photobucket, one of the leading photo sharing Web sites with over 22 million unique visitors each month, will be merging its operations with Ontela, a leader in mobile photo sharing software with contracts with 30 major wireless carriers.
http://photo.blorge.com/2009/12/17/photobucket-and-ontela-announce-merger/
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
SOLID STORAGE -- SnapHaven promises 99 years of photo storage. SnapHaven is a new photo storage site that is making the rather bold claim that it will backup your digital images for 99 years. While it is easy to laugh off such a claim, the site has partnered with the Foundation for Data Permanence, an organization dedicated to maintaining data continuity even if a company should go out of business after making such a claim. http://photo.blorge.com/2009/12/10/snaphaven-promises-99-years-of-photo-storage/
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
GET A GRANT – What It Takes To Win An Aftermath Project Grant - Aftermath Project founder Sara Terry discusses the judging process and what stood out about the 2010 grant winners and finalists. SOURCE: PDNEWS
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/features/pdn-online/e3i4045046a22fd32ff72a5536b36dc7e18A
PRICING -- How I price a photographic assignment - A photograph is a one-of-a-kind individual object of art and should be priced according to its value to the end user ie how much money it will make them. Yet many recent photography pricing models would have you believe that you can buy them by or you can pay a photographer for a day's work and take every single photo he/she manages to produce. http://pauldymond.blogspot.com/2009/12/how-i-price-photographic-assignment.html
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
"The PhotoStockNotes has always given me great original ideas and news items for saving money and making it as well."
- David Nacol, Photographer, St. Petersburg FL
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
SUPER SLIM -- Photographer refuses to apologize for Moore airbrush comments. Moore - who is alleged to have had multiple cosmetic surgery procedures in the past - posed for Anthony Citrano in November (09) and she graced the cover of America's W magazine this month (Dec09).
But the photo, which depicts the star looking super-slim in a revealing, skintight green dress, became the subject of controversy when Citrano claimed the picture had been heavily edited to make her hips and thighs appear smaller. Magazine editors denied the photo had been airbrushed and Moore posted a copy of what she claimed to be the original picture on her Twitter.com page. Her lawyer, Marty Singer, has since written to Citrano demanding a retraction and a public apology.
http://www.new-magazine.co.uk/latestnews/view/16643/Photographer-refuses-to-apologise-for-Moore-airbrush-comments/
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
A Story
A raft down the Niger River in Africa? Crossing the Sahara Desert on an Italian motor scooter? Guitar-ing my way across Europe with a German troubadour?
My post in last week’s PhotoStockNOTES (see Reminisces) brought out a lot of questions and curiosity. For example, “Did you start your voyage in France?”
Yes, I was stationed in the U.S. Army in Weurzburg, Germany and took my discharge there, and started out.
The most frequently asked question: “Did you take any pictures?”
Although I wasn’t an editorial stock photographer at the time, I did carry a 2 ¼
X 2 ¼ Roleiflex and got enough good pictures to publish 12 of them in the Saturday Evening POST, December 21, 1958, a popular newsstand magazine back then.
The guy coming out of the water is me, and the other is my friend, Rudi Thurau from Hamburg, Germany. He is testing the rudders of our homemade raft on the Niger River, in West Africa.
In 1959-'60, I wrote recollections about my trip through Europe and Africa - about 380 pages. When I was finished, I put my manuscript up on a shelf and got to the business of keeping promises to my family.
Now in this new year, 2010, I have resolved to dust off those fading pages where they were put aside in our granary here at the farm. Except for nibbling by squirrels over the years, most of the pages are in tact.
As I review the pages now, I realize they were written by a wild, (by my mother’s standards) sometimes observant, 26-year-old in the late 1950's.
Next week, I’ll begin sharing those pages and photos with you.
–re
Below is one of the pictures.
http://www.photosource.com/france.html
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
PHOTOJOURNALISM – The Decade in Pictures - Boston Globe's Big Picture put together a collection of "The Decade in News Photos." It's 50 images; 49 compelling and remarkable images, and (scratching head) one picture of Paris Hilton.
http://www.enlightphoto.com/views/2009/12/19/the-decade-in-pictures.htm
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
“Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter.”
- Ansel Adams
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
1823 – Matthew Brady was born near Lake George, New York.
1911 – Photograph from an airplane was taken by Major H.A. (“Jimmie”) Erickson on January 10th in a Curtiss biplane piloted by Charles Hamilton, over San Diego, CA.
06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn
Ralph B. White -- National Geographic photographer's ashes scattered around world – It is good to pay respects as a professional community when one is made aware of the loss of a colleague. Although most of us never met Ralph B. White, we’ve surely set our eyes on his work in National Geographic. Friends of Ralph B. White are making sure his last wish comes true by scattering his ashes in places near and far around the world. http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/284947
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