Archive for October 2010

27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

October 28th 2010

27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

When a photobuyer wants to re-use your photo
Twilight of the Paparazzo
Do photobuyers use Microstock?
Shoot from a new angle
Tune into this photo learning resource
Do the THE GANG SHOOT and split the costs
Time to graduate from Flickr
They sign checks for photos that they need
PLUS created standards that manage image rights
The difference: "editorial" and "commercial" stock photos
Why We Photograph…
Can you photograph in these buildings?
Why Real Pictures Sell
Putting out the fires
Where does your stimulation come from?
Eligible for infringement statutory damages?
Speed Up Your Hard Drive
You can photograph outside of Federal Courthouses
Design Flattering Poses for Outdoor and Location Portraits
How the Pros Take Their Best Pictures
American life as we know it
Photography of the future.
Cameras converted from color to monochrome
Yosemite Explorer Master Workshops
The Key (word) to Success
A tool that generates dozens of searchable tags
Three giants of 20th-century American photography
The first extensive gallery of subway pictures

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Pondering the photo contracts of the future . . .

When A Buyer

Wants To Re-Use Your Photo

Advance Notes: What do you say to a publisher who assumes the freelance photo they have “purchased” (i.e “rented) from you, belongs forever more to them and not to you? Unless you have signed a work-for-hire arrangement, or have a written agreement signing over all rights, the copyright law says the photo is yours. Here’s information on how to answer that publisher.

Since as photographers, we have always licensed (“rented”) our photos, it is shocking to us to find a photobuyer assuming that their payment for a photo represents both present and future use of the photo.

Unless a “work-for-hire” agreement is arranged in writing between the photobuyer and the stock photographer, payment for the use of a photo is for one-time use rights only.
By the way, the 1976 revision of the Copyright Law, enacted into law in 1978, addressed this very point. guy looking throw two piles of photos and or papers , looking sad

guy looking throw two piles of photos and or papers , looking sad

Before 1978, it was assumed that the publisher (the buyer) owned the photo. The 1978 law declares that the photographer retains all rights to the photo unless it is otherwise stated in writing. In other words, unless a buyer gets you to actually sign a piece of paper that says the publisher owns the rights to the photo, any court of law will assume the photo belongs to the creator of that photo. It is illegal for a publisher to re-use a photo without your permission.

YOUR RETORTS

Some publishers are unaware of this work-for-hire provision of the Copyright Law. As an individual freelancer, you might encounter a clash with a publisher who assumes he can retain all rights to your photo. Also, in the Digital Age, publishers more than ever will want to assume all rights –even of previously published photos. Their excuse to capture all rights is that they claim distribution of photos electronically in the Digital Age will present an administrative nightmare to seek out copyright owners of previously published photos.

Here are some demands from publishers that you might encounter and some responses you can make:

Publisher: We want to retain all rights to the photos on this assignment.
You: My profits come from the re-sale of the photos in my file. After you have published the photos, they will go into my stock file. If you want to own further rights to those photos, we will have to work out an agreement as to which rights you want. The fee would be substantially higher than the contract we have presently worked out. Right now, you are buying one-time rights only.
Publisher: We need to retain rights to the photo because we want to be able to publish it elsewhere on the web.
You: And I also need to retain those rights for web publication. You may re-use the photo on the web if you pay an appropriate fee, based on type and amount of use.
Publisher: We need to have retroactive electronic rights for all the photos you have previously produced for us.
You: That would be a publisher’s dream. I would never sign a contract that says you own all of my pictures previously published with you. I licensed those pictures to you according to the prevailing agreements in the industry; in other words for one-time use only. The Copyright Law says that unless I have signed a statement to the contrary, the photos belong to me, not to you.
Publisher: Our new contract states that we can publish electronically all of your pictures previously published with us. If you do not sign the contract, we will no longer require your photography services.
You: That is disrespectful of you, to attempt to require me to sign such a contract. I was able to produce those photos on the basis that they would belong in my file to preserve my business. I licensed them to you for one-time use in good faith. If you wish additional use, we can work out an appropriate additional fee.

UNLIMITED USAGE RIGHTS

Publisher: We are not asking you for the copyright, only the on-line rights.
You: You are asking me to give you unlimited usage rights to my photos. There’s no telling how the Digital Age will evolve. Maybe it will be the only way photos are disseminated in the future. These photos are part of my annuity; they are inheritance for my children, and grandchildren. Apart from that, to assign on-line rights to you would be inviting you to be in direct competition with me.
Publisher: We are dealing only with on-line permission here.
You: No, you are not. Your contract allows you to re-use and re-publish these and other creative derivative works almost without limit. My compliments to your attorney.
Publisher: We are not making much money from electronic publishing. In fact, we are losing money at present.
You: Some start-up publications don’t make money for several years. Some never make money. But the suppliers along the way are paid, nevertheless. Any business start-up is a risk, a gamble.
Publisher: Our contract says you are free to sell your photos to any other buyers.
You: I could sell you all rights to this photo for $2500. But if I license this photo to you for $350, and the contract says I still retain the copyright but you have the right to use this photo any way and as often you wish, virtually an unlimited license, then I have in effect sold you all rights for $350, not $2500.
Publisher: You get to retain the copyright in your picture and sell it to others.
You: I own the copyright but you have blanket permission to use it, re-sell it, etc.--for you it’s an unlimited license, which undermines my livelihood, let alone makes my ownership in the photo essentially useless.
Publisher: Read this contract carefully. There are liability claims. We have included an indemnification clause. You will be responsible for legal fees if some profit-seeking plaintiff with no case sues us.
You: I’m a professional. That’s why you asked me to do this assignment. You have trust in me that I will do a good job. The liability issue is the risk you take. I’m not going to take on responsibility that is rightly, and historically, yours.
Publisher: We may use one or two of the photos from this assignment, but we expect to own all of the photos that you take.
You: If you’d like full control (ownership) of the photos from this shoot, I can offer you a work-for-hire arrangement, at a fee commensurate with that. Otherwise, I shoot the assignment, and you purchase one-time-use rights of the photos you want to use.
Publisher: What do I have to do to get you to sign this contract?
You: First, make electronic use of a photo payable at the same one-time-use rate as your print use, or pay five times that rate to own (unlimited) electronic rights to a photo. Secondly, I cannot sign a contract that turns over to you, at no additional compensation, electronic rights to all my photos previously published with you.

Rohn Engh is director of PhotoSource International and publisher of PhotoStockNotes.
(Note: for more information on pricing of a photo for re-use, check out the Kracker Barrel http://www.photosource.com/board and search for “re-use.”) If you've been asking, "How do I sell my photos?" Here's the answer: www.sellphotos.com

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

TWILIGHT OF THE PAPARAZZO -- After more than 20 years chasing stars for tabloid magazines, Daniel Cohen is tired and burned out. The business has changed, he says. HE HAS NO PATIENCE at all for complaints from celebs. “They want to control what the public sees of them, they want to show only their good side – well, the public makes them who they are and the public wants more. Demi Moore wants photos that will sell her movies? I want photos that will sell my newspapers.”SOURCE: LARRY DERFNER http://www.jpost.com/Magazine/Features/Article.aspx?id=192303

PHOTO: Marc Israel Sellem

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

For our recent 2010 Survey of Photobuyers, Mikael Karlsson of PSI asked photobuyers this question.

Do you use images from micro-stock agencies like iStockphoto, Dreamstime, Shutterstock, etc.?

Answer Percentage
Yes_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _54.76%
No_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _30.95%
No answer_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _14.29%

Photojournalist Mikael Karlsson has 25 years' experience of working for magazines and newspapers in more than 30 countries. He moved to the United States in 1998 from his native Sweden. He lives in Nebraska and is currently US correspondent for 11 Swedish magazines and a regular contributor to a wide variety of U.S. publications. Reach him at mike[at]photosource[dot]com.

Want to get a copy of the Photobuyer Survey? Go to www.photosource.com/shop

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

OTHER ANGLES -- Shooting Challenge: Take Your Camera and Shove It, find a unique, never-before-seen vantage point for your camera. In other words, stick your camera somewhere it's never been stuck before to get a perspective we don't generally get to see. Can you imagine using gaffer's tape to stick the camera into a spot where you couldn't fit, set the timer (or use a remote) and see what you get. SOURCE: Gizmodo; http://gizmodo.com/5668740/shooting-challenge-take-your-camera-an-shove-it

RESOURCE CENTER -- Digitalphotosmarts.info specializes in being a digital photography resource center with photography tips, photo learning resources,
and photography videos. Learn the tricks professionals already know today. ..
http://www.digitalphotosmarts.info/

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

THE GANG SHOOT -- acfphoto: “I have routinely shot with two or three other photographers, pooling expenses, casting, location scouting and ideas. We have done gang shoots in Mexico, Argentina, Burma, Thailand, India and here in the U.S. I haven’t had a bad experience yet. For a shoot in Buenos Aires four of us rented a nightclub. We had the blaring music, smoke and light machines, and over thirty models.” SOURCE: acfphoto.com. http://acfphoto.com/strengthening-your-stock-photography-business-through-strategic-alliances

GETTING SERIOUS -- Ten Signs That You're Ready To Graduate from Flickr - Flickr might be a fun place to share your photography with the world, but it's not a tool for business. If you're starting to get serious with your images, and if you're interested in the possibility of making money from your craft, then you may want to consider "graduating from Flickr." http://blog.photoshelter.com/2010/10/10-signs-that-youre-ready-to-graduate-from-flickr.html

EDITING YOUR SUBMISSION -- Rosh Sillars, “Great Photographers are excellent editors - Often new, inexperienced or unconfident photographers will want to play it safe. Those who can not edit well tend show everything or too many images. The best image is usually presented but it is watered down by the addition of safe images displayed in the group. SOURCE: Rosh Sillars http://www.newmediaphotographer.com/2010/10/great-photographers-are-excellent-editors/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NewMediaPhotographer+%28New+Media+Photographer%29
TAKEAWAY: Beginners in the "art of selling photos" will find that the best editor is not the photographer but the photobuyer or client who has requested the image through what's called a 'photo need request' or 'want list.' Photobuyers do not buy photos because they like them, -- they buy photos that they need. They will have pretty calendar-type photos on the wall of their office, but they sign checks for photos that they need irregardless if they "like" them or not...
Yes, it's important to eliminate technically imperfect photos from your submission. But too often the stock photographer will lose sales if they edit their selection too tightly.
Stock photo professionals who have been in the business a good while have learned this lesson. You'll hear the pros say: "It really surprised me that the photo editor chose that picture from the selection I sent her." -RE

GET REGISTERED -- Plus Registry To Launch This Fall - PLUS (Picture Licensing Universal System), ’an international non-profit initiative on a mission to simplify and facilitate the communication and management of image rights’ announced that is has funding to launch its registry this fall. The goal for PLUS is to create a system of standards that helps manage image rights across countries. http://www.fastmediamagazine.com/blog/2010/10/20/plus-registry-to-launch-this-fall/

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Learn the difference

between "editorial" stock photos
and
"commercial" stock photos.

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

WHY WE PHOTOGRAPH -- Jason: -- “This blog was originally to consist of a blow by blow rendition of our trip from Vancouver Island over to Jasper and down to Banff. However, it needed an angle if it wasn’t simply going to be, “…and then we went there…” The angle hit me right there at the end; in my anxiety, my purpose and my excitement at finally seeing Moraine Lake, and capturing its image. This ‘angle’ hijacked the entire blog, and inevitably even the title; Why We Photograph? Source: Jason; http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Alberta/Banff-National-Park/blog-540233.html

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

If you are into "art" photography, you probably find yourself in museums from time to time.

Can you photograph in these buildings?

Perhaps, and perhaps not.

Surprisingly there are some clever ways to get permissions that will help you detour around the security guards that prefer to quietly show you the exit door.

On the Kracker Barrel today, Brian and Charlie Cook offer some wise advice for a curious photographer.

go to: http://board.photosource.com/read.php?1,10646

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Real Pictures Sell

“A Spooky Film”

Centuries ago, storytellers would regale local villagers with tales of adventure, the glories of victory, and the horrors of defeat. The imagination of the listener was a partner in creating the depth of the emotional impact of the stories.

When motion pictures came along, the depiction of adventure, strife, and war was laid out in visual detail with the magic of cinema. Imagination no longer figured in. Hollywood directed whether we shivered with delight or closed our eyes in fright. (Jaws!)

But motion pictures focused on fantasy, not delivering human reality to the masses. This kind of John Wayne-make-believe in tinsel-town lasted until the Vietnam War, when we were introduced to real-time TV coverage, albeit censored by the networks. To expect to --or try to -- depict real emotions on film in the past was the job of artful movie directors and career actors. But now comes along a new medium of motion pictures, the hand-held video format.

Back in 1999 –the movie producers of the box-office hit,"The Blair Witch Project,” asked, “What if we allowed real people to video tape themselves during their own experience in a potentially near-hysteria situation?”
The producers gave three pick-up actors (I’ll call them participants)a professional video camera and ample video film. They directed the participants, a female and two males in their 20’s, to the woods and gave them an assignment to look into a folktale about a witch that legend says once frequented the dense dark forest.

The box office proved (the movie has made millions) that viewers were ready to pay for a motion picture that was void of professional actors, computer visuals, and million-dollar backdrops. Yes, Internet hype drove many to the film out of curiosity. But word-of-mouth drove the box office receipts off the charts.
Viewers were given a peeping-tom license into a storyline that strung together raw footage that laid out the three participants’ internal selves as if their emotions were beef cattle parts strung out for supermarket meat counter packaging. (Sorry, I didn’t know any other way to say it.) You could sense their fear, no acting necessary.

Did the film propose some message? Since the outcome of the film wasn’t predetermined, the traumatized actors were at the mercy of each sequential 3x5-file card with instructions that the producers had given them on the first day of their four-day trek into the ominous woods. The message of the film became as cryptic and as intriguing as a rumor –real, yet maybe unreal. Whatever.
dark moon be hide the clouds spooky

Do we have a new genre of film? Is it some kind of faux snuff experience in disguise? Will we see new designated stalls at the video stores: “B-W-P-Type Films”? Probably not, because everything that follows The Blair Witch Project will be tinted with the temptation to do it one better. * When you pull a mask from a face at the Halloween Ball, the black cat is out of the bag. Therein lies the unique voyeurism of this film. Like the wonder of having your first child, it’s impossible to repeat the primordial experience.

This film is more than the raw reality of a videotaped cop chase on a Los Angeles freeway or an Oprah interview. The lighting and sound were excellent because of the professional video equipment used, much like the Star Wars weaponry that’s issued to youthful U.S. Army reserves in Afghanistan . The results can be awesome.

This film tinkers with the thought processes of the zombie followers of two-dimensional Stephen King novels, and on a level that writers and cinematographers can’t dip into. The mystic film teases our curiosity with riveting insights into the mysteries of miracles and magic. It treats us like a kitten chasing the end of a loose ball of yarn. Frustration, yet reward. The wobbly camera work, by the way, added to this visually dizzy labyrinth. I found myself closing my eyes every now and then to eascape vertigo. Film students for years to come will pronounce their own assessments of The Blair Witch Project.
A funny thing happened on the way to producing, filming and editing it; no one knew just how it would turn out. Art sometimes appears by accident.

THE EDITORIAL STOCK PHOTO CONNECTION

Editorial photographers, by virtue of their raison d’être of photographing single pictures, have been capturing emotional subjects like those explored in The Blair Witch Project ever since the invention of the 35mm camera and earlier. That’s something American motion pictures could not do –up until it stumbled on the approach used in this film. We, as editorial photographers, have the same license as the producers of The Blair Witch Project. We can photograph slices of life without the crutch of Hollywood props, stand-ins, and stunt men. Our editorial photographs project reality and truth.
One day soon - an enterprosing editorial stock photographer will give the reading public a kick in the butt and invent a new way to say goodbye to photoshop, political correctness and Frankenstein unreality.

*Five or six similar attemps have been made since 1999 - none with box-office success.

Rohn Engh is director of PhotoSource International and publisher of PhotoStockNotes. Pine Lake Farm, Osceola, WI 54020 USA Email: info[at]photosource[dot]com Fax: 1 715 248 7394.If you are asking “How do I sell my photos?” check out http://www.photosource.com/shop

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

ALL IN A DAY’S WORK -- John Lund: “There are so many “fires” or “sparks” that can turn into fires, that if you put them out first you won’t have much time left to do the really important things. As a photographer, for me at least, the really important thing is to make images. But as a business owner it feels like all I have time to do is to put out fires. http://blog.johnlund.com/2010/10/putting-out-fires-in-stock-photography.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+johnlund%2FUkbR+%28The+Stock+Photo+Guy+-+John+Lund+Stock+Photographer%29

STIMULATION -- Going Pro Blog:You Are What You Read! - You can’t create images in a complete vacuum.You need things to stimulate your creative juices for the long term and staying in touch with your favorite photographers is critical. http://goingpro2010.com/2010/10/22/
going-pro-blogyou-are-what-you-read/
TAKEAWAY: au contraire mon frere - original creativity does not come from the ‘outside’… it comes from within. -RE

a buffalo eating grass

MISSING SOMETHING -- Wildlife Photography Offers Beautiful Images and Teaching Opportunities - Photography that only concerns itself with technique and with technical challenges can feel that it’s missing something. It’s when you use one passion to capture another that you really produce memorable images — and create exciting new opportunities. http://blogs.photopreneur.com/wildlife-photography-offers-beautiful-images-and-teaching-opportunities?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PhotopreneurBlog+%28Photopreneur+Blog%29
PHOTO: Gary Melnysyn

FINDING SOMETHING – Chase Jarvis shares 7 habits that he uses to help his creativity.
http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2010/10/7-creative-habits-the-missing-link/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ChaseJarvis+%28Chase+Jarvis+Blog%29

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Carolyn Wright: When are you are eligible for statutory damages for infringements? - The test as to whether you are eligible for statutory damages for an infringement depends on when you registered your image. Specifically: SOURCE: The PhotoAttorney ; http://www.photoattorney.com/?p=1683

YES YOU CAN -- Homeland Security To Allow Photography Outside Federal Buildings - The Federal Protective Service has agreed under a legal settlement with photographer Antonio Musumeci to send written instructions to all its officers and employees stating that individuals have a “general right to photograph the exterior of federal courthouses from publicly accessible spaces.” SOURCE: Photo District News http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/news/Homeland-Security-To-943.shtml

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Speed Up Your Hard Drive:
Hear That Chugging Noise ?

...In The Background?

That's Your Hard Drive..

Speeding up the computer is one of the most common refrains around computer users. They want a solution to the problem, usually as fast and as cheaply as possible.

They also want it to be done in the shortest amount of time, so they can get back to what they were doing before. Speed up hard drive capacity and you'll speed up your computer

If your computer is running agonizingly slowly, there are many reasons for it, but most of those aren't obvious to the casual computer user. The first thing that many people tend to look for is some piece of software that will solve the problem. What they don't realize is their habits are usually the number one reason for the slow computer.

Sound surprising? Not really. Consider this, your computer didn't suddenly arrive at it's slow condition. Chances are, when you bought it (assuming it's current technology) it was a pretty fast machine, but over time it began to slow down. There are many reasons for that. Look at it this way. Is your computer a standalone device or connected to the Internet? That one thing alone will be a major contributor to your problems?

Do you buy off-the-shelf software or is it stuff you find online? Another major contributor to a slow computer.

How many programs have you got on your hard drive? Have you checked? Do you know its capacity? If you don't, your hard drive could be dangerously full, which could slow your computer to a crawl. To href="http://www.speedupmycomputernow.com">speed up hard drive capacity, the first thing to do is offload programs. Next is to remove as much data as possible.

Speed up hard drive response by doing regular mainentance on your drive. I'm not talking about the Windows tools, either. They're not the best for the job. There are other, 3rd party utility programs that do a better job.

Nathan Segal, from Victoria, BC, Canada, is a writer/photographer who has also been active as a digital artist for well over a decade. For the past 9+ years, he has written numerous articles for computer and photographic magazines and has provided his own illustrations and photographs for the articles. His articles have covered : software reviews, tutorials, computer tips and tricks, profiles and investigative reporting. visualartist49[at]gmail[dot]com; 1 408 844-4851

Surge protectors are an essential piece of hardware. Give me 10 minutes of your time and I'll show you how to speed up your computer, rid yourself of computer infestations and protect yourself online.

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Photographer Wins Lawsuit

to Allow Photography

Outside of Federal Courthouse

by Joel Hecker, Esq.

Antonio Musemeci, a software developer who works with the radio show Free Talk Live, and is a member of the Manhattan (New York) Libertarian Party, was arrested by an officer of the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service on November 9, 2009 while taking photographs of another Libertarian party member who had been handing out pamphlets in front of the United States Courthouse in New York City.
a big little business building

The arresting officer took his camera and memory card and charged him with violating a federal statute which places restrictions upon photographing certain federal property. The criminal charge was eventually dismissed and on April 22, 2010 Musemeci filed a lawsuit seeking to enjoin government officials from restricting non-commercial photography in outdoor public areas where pedestrians have an unrestricted right of access. He was represented by the New York Civil Liberties Union.

That case has now been settled with a complete victory to Mr. Musemeci and photographers in general. In the settlement agreement filed on October 15, 2010, FPS agreed to provide a written instruction to its officers and employees engaged in law enforcement, stating that for federal courthouses under its protective jurisdiction, there are generally no security regulations prohibiting exterior photography by individuals from publicly accessible spaces, absent a written local rule, regulation or order.

The instruction will also inform FPS officers and employees that the public has a general right to photograph the exterior of federal courthouses from publicly accessible spaces.

The settlement does not preclude FPS or any other government agency from taking any legally permissible law-enforcement action, including but not limited to approaching any individual taking photographs and asking for the voluntary provision of information such as the purpose of taking the photographs or the identity of the individual, or taking lawful steps to ascertain whether unlawful activity or reconnaissance for the purpose of a terrorist, or unlawful, act is being undertaken.

FPS also agreed to release Musemeci’s memory card which it had seized for use as possible evidence in the initial criminal matter. In addition, FPS will pay Musemeci the sum of $1,500 in damages and $3,350 for his attorney’s fees and costs.

This settlement and directive would appear to clarify what photographers may do when taking photographs of certain federal courthouses, subject to the specified permissible security measures. Photographers need also be aware of local laws or regulations which might apply to taking photographs in public places.

This settlement is obviously a welcome and long-coming development for photographers as well as the public at large. © Joel L. Hecker, 2010

Attorney Joel L. Hecker lectures and writes extensively on issues of concern to the photography industry. His office is located at Russo & Burke, 600 Third Ave, New York NY 10016. Phone: 1 212 557-9600. E-mail: HeckerEsq[at]aol[dot]com .

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Learn How to Design Flattering Poses for Outdoor and Location Portraits

By Jeff Smith

Flattering poses arise from a solid understanding of the human form and the creative vision to make the right choice for the setting. On location, the variety of potential setting is virtually unlimited, so posing decisions become even more complicated. In this book, Jeff Smith shows you how to rise to the challenge.
Features:
a woman posing in a gild dress, blond hair brown eyes, smiling

a woman posing in a gild dress, blond hair brown eyes, smiling

· Understanding the goals of posing-and how posing affects the salability of a portrait
· Determining the intended use of the portrait and sculpting a pose that meets the client’s needs
· Evaluating the client, explaining problems with tact, and determining the best posing strategy
· Head-to-toe techniques for posing every part of you subject
· Ideas for posing you subject seated or laying on the ground
· Using existing features of the location, such a longs, stairs, or railings, to create sitting poses
· Techniques for designing standing poses that will appeal to your subject
· Employing elements of the scene to conceal figure flaws for more flattering results
· Posing techniques for creating dynamic group portraits

Amherst Media
Publisher of Photography Books
PO Box 586
Buffalo, NY 14226
www.AmherstMedia.cim
ISBN-13: 978-1-58428-225-9

life magazine,Guide a camera and photos on the front

life magazine,Guide a camera and photos on the front

'The LIFE Guide to Know How to Shoot like the Pros' Instructs Both New and Experienced Digital Photographers Renowned Photographer Joe McNally Reveals all! SOURCE Time Home Entertainment Inc.
http://www.photographybay.com/2010/10/19/life-guide-to-digital-photography-new-book-from-joe-mcnally/
(256 pages; $29.95), http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-life-guide-to-digital-photography-everything-you-need-to-shoot-like-the-pros-instructs-both-new-and-experienced-digital-photographers-how-to-take-their-best-pictures-105287908.html

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

I was hoping to show you how we carved our pumpkin here at the farm, but no luck, it didn’t turn out the way we had hoped. So here’s Allen Smith to show you the right way…

A Child-Friendly Way To Carve a Pumpkin on Howcast

Here’s where to find information about our PhotoDaily Halloween Special

http://www.photosource.com/halloween_photodaily.html

Interested in the PHOTOLETTER?
go here for the Halloween SALE. . .
http://www.photosource.com/photolettersale.php

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

WE’VE BEEN A LONG WAY -- John Lund: “ To succeed in making a good living as a stock photographer requires being special as a photogapher...and perhaps as a person as well. http://blog.johnlund.com/2010/10/what-makes-you-special-photographer.html?utm_source
TAKEAWAY: Here’s a good rundown on where we’ve been and where we are going.

- - - - - - - -
STONEHENGE STATEMENT: -- ‘Regret’ After Stonehenge Copyright Email Causes Public Outcry - A spokesperson for English Heritage tells PhotoRadar that the fee for shooting Stonehenge commercially ranges from £75 for editorial use to much higher fees for advertising campaigns http://www.petapixel.com/2010/10/22/regret-after-stonehenge-copyright-email-causes-uproar/
PHOTO: Stonehenge, UK by Grufnik

- - - - - - - - - - -
BIG JOB -- Carol Highsmith, on a 16-year quest to photograph America for the Library of Congress -- As photo assignments go, it's a doozy. Spend 16 years capturing the disappearing highways, byways, buildings, barns, lighthouses, baseball games and bake-offs that define American life as we know it, then salt it away for posterity in the world's largest library SOURCE: Neely Tucker - ttp://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2010/10-177.html

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

ON-THE-GO -- Photography of the future. A glimpse of what to expect from the photography of the future at an expo show in Paris last week. SOURCE: Kate Day; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/camera-reviews/8066925/Photography-of-the-future.html

SHARPER IMAGES -- Monochrome or Black & White Converted Cameras - LDP is offering a limited range of digital SLR cameras which have been converted from color to monochrome. Targeting the fine arts, forensic, astronomical and scientific markets, the converted cameras can capture a much higher resolution and accurate monochrome picture versus a stock camera. http://shutterbug.com/news/101510ldp/

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Yosemite Explorer Master Workshops
Working with Yosemite's spectacular geography and distinctive setting, explore a variety of photographic techniques as you work with light, color, form, and motion to create your own works of photographic art. National Geographic photographer Phil Schermeister will help you create visually unique images of many of Yosemite's outstanding features and teach you how to work with water and other natural features of the park.
Duration 4 - 8 Hours
Season Year Round
Rates USD 300.00 per person
Rates Good Through Dec 31, 2010
http://www.gordonsguide.com/suppliers/2652/package.cfm?packageID=15584

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

FOR MORE SALES: -- Ellen Boughn: “The Key(word) to Success. Keywording skills are as important to your success in microstock as your skills with your camera. Attaching the correct words to an image may be a bit tedious, but it’s an essential investment in the images that you worked so hard to create. http://www.crestock.com/blog/ellen-boughn/the-keyword-to-success-198.aspx
TAKEAWAY: This is a MUST-Read for stock photographers who expect to make sales. Photobuyers don’t purchase images that they “like” they purchase images that they “need”.. and nowadays they find them through a keyword search. -RE

THE LIGHTROOM WAY -- Some thoughts on Lightroom Keywords; Chuq Von Rospach: “A big part of the chore of refactoring my photo collection was getting my keywords and metadata in shape, and then updating all of the images to take advantage of the changes where necessary. That implies that every image got at least a quick look to make sure it was annotated properly. . It takes some time and thought to set this up, but my view is that if you’re going to do this — do it right. And once you do, you’ll appreciate that you have. http://www.chuqui.com/2010/10/some-thoughts-on-lightroom-keywords/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Chuqui30+(Chuqui+3.0)

CAPTURE MULTIPLE DESCRIPTORS -- A tool that generates dozens of searchable tags and casts a wide sales net for stock houses, individual stock photographers and photobuyers. image buyers. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/10/prweb4651054.htm

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

3 MASTERS -- Three giants of 20th-century American photography—Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, and Paul Strand—will be featured at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, from November 10, 2010, through April 10, 2011, in the exhibition Stieglitz, Steichen, Strand. The diverse and ground breaking work of these artists will be revealed through a presentation of 115 photographs, drawn entirely from the Museum’s collection. On view will be many of the Metropolitan’s greatest photographic treasures from the 1900s to 1920s, including Stieglitz’s famous portraits of Georgia O’Keeffe, Steichen’s large coloured photographs of the Flatiron building, and Strand’s pioneering abstractions.

http://1stangel.co.uk/blog/three-masters-of-20th-century-photography-featured-in-stieglitz-steichen-strand-at-metropolitan-museum/

Album: Our Subway, Ourselves: Images Through the Ages
DAVID W. DUNLAP
You can hear them. You can feel them. If you’re a New Yorker of a certain age, you can even taste them. (God help us, there were fast-food counters in the Times Square station until a generation ago. )
To mark the subway’s 106th birthday this week, Metropolitan and the Lens blog offer the first extensive gallery of subway pictures by staff photographers of The New York Times. In showing us the subway, they show us ourselves sharing a great underground and elevated common, a leveler of prince and pauper, Bloomberg and Jazzbo, where everyone is entitled — or condemned — to the same experience. There are no business-class subway cars; no wood-paneled IRT Club waiting rooms; no five-star concierge booths for the exclusive use of platinum MetroCard holders. You may come away from this photo essay convinced that — for all our differences — we really are all waiting for the same train SOURCE: DAVID W. DUNLAP NYTimes. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/nyregion/24photos.html?emc=eta1
Via: Roy Iwaki

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

"There are three phases to awareness: to look, to see, and to perceive. A camera looks. A mind sees. A heart perceives."
- Anonymous

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

1912 October 22nd - Photographer Harry Callahan was born on this day in Detroit.

1924 October 23rd - The first network radio broadcast was made. President Coolidge addressed the nation.

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27 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Benefiting from decades of experience creating digital projectors, InFocus' INF4201 42" LCD Thin Display is an affordable, high-performance "productivity panel" designed specifically to meet the needs of the conference room. Whether it's for presentations, video conferencing, demonstrations, or Web meetings, the INF4201 makes doing business a whole lot easier.
Click Here!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Distagon T* 25mm f/2.8 ZF.2 Lens
The wide angle Zeiss Distagon T* 25mm f/2.8 ZF.2 Lens is the most advanced version of the legendary Distagon, a high performance manual focusing lens with close focus capabilities, first introduced in 1961. The Distagon T* 25mm f/2.8 ZF.2 is a recalculation of this design for use with modern SLRs and DSLRs using either full-frame or smaller sensors.
Click Here!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Survey 2010

What do photobuyers at magazines and book publishing houses look for in the way of editorial photos? What type do they BUY?
The Photobuyer Survey 2010 will let you in on these industry secrets.
Find out today.

Click on the arrow above

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

--

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

October 21st 2010

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Can buyers find you?
Do stock photographers listen to photobuyer’s need?
Do your photos tell a story?
Recipe for a marketable photo
A CPA can show you how to captitalize on IRS benefits.
Shooting white background shots for microstock
Find your niche
New magazines
Don’t electrocute your computer system
Who owns the copyright to your student newspaper photos?
Be aware of the content of your stock photo agencies agreements.
Posing techniques used by top portrait photographers
Pre-Halloween Special
New find of civil war photos
Man recognized as the world's first photographer
Canadian photographer Paul Rockett dies at 90
A look at Next Gen Cameras.
Rohn will betaking a break from writing about his Africa trip
Google predicts that instant search will save 2-5 seconds per search.
Photography exhibit spotlights stories of hunger.

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

How To Let Buyers

Know Where To Find You

On The Internet

It might seem that an email address can be a lifesaver for the peripatetic photographer, but there are a couple drawbacks here if you’re not careful:
From time to time we are tempted by local and national ISPs (Internet Service Providers) to hook up with their email services. They dangle an alluring low fee, much as credit card companies will do, to bring you aboard. Then, be it six months or twelve
months later, they’re sure to raise their fees. Your problem: Should you switch to a cheaper company or stay with your original ISP?

Secondly, finding a stable ISP company takes some research on your part –you don't want to choose one that may be vulnerable to going out of business.
PHOTO:http://musume-miyuki.jugem.jp/

If you switch ISP's either because of price or because your ISP company folds, it means that you'll have to contact every place you've registered your email address and change it to your new address. This includes all your printed matter, such as your business cards, sellsheets, flyers, stationery, invoices, plus your Web addresses and links where you have registered your name and website.

- - - - - - - - -

“For the photographer engaged in stock photography – choosing and
keeping an email address is an important consideration. Be sure to
choose one that’s easy to remember, to write, and to pronounce…”

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Finally, when you select your email address make is easy on yourself by choosing an address that reads well and is easy to say over the phone or in a radio or television interview.

LESSON: When choosing an Internet Service Provider, pick one with a track record.

That indicates there’s a good chance they’ll be around for the next decade. We’ve all heard examples of low-fee start-up ISPs that are out of business in a few months.
Instead, choose an ISP that looks like a good bet to be around for a long time (even though the cost may be somewhat higher). In the long run, you’ll be happy you did.

You may want to sign up for private email in addition to your regular business email. A second email (sometimes called Webmail) can be used much as you would use a “non-published” telephone number. There are several dozen companies that will offer you a free email. Keep in mind however, that many of these free email sites
receive their profits from advertising. You can expect commercial intrusion to ride along with your messages.

To find free email services, go to http://free-email-services-review.toptenreviews.com/ or http://www.consumersearch.com/webmail-reviews or use one of the search engines such as Google, BING, or Yahoo.

And finally, don’t forget Google’s Gmail. Many companies, large and small,will assign a secondary Gmail address to each of their employees to use on special
occasions and unique situations. The Gmail service is free.

PEOPLE FIND

Should you list your name and email address on a “people search”? If you are a recluse, a hermit, an artist who doesn’t want to be hounded by the press or be
bothered by relatives, no, don’t submit your name and email to a People Search feature at your favorite Search Engine. On the other hand, if you want to receive
attention from photobuyers and other business entities that are a part of the stock photo industry, the answer is, yes.
Sure, it’s true: you might open yourself to receiving what most of us call “junk mail” (spam). But think of it this way. You can recognize the difference between the subject matter of a junk mail pitchman and a response from a photobuyer. (“It just rings differently.”) So the choice comes down to whether to put up with receiving 24 junk mail letters that take twenty four seconds to delete, for the chance to receive one
email from a photobuyer that might lead to a lifetime business relationship of future stock photo sales and assignments. No contest.

Photographer Directories

There are a number of photographer directories on the Internet that will list you and your areas of expertise. You have probably found a few favorites of your own. In case you have not come across these –here are some typical ones.

http://www.photo.net
Joel Day’s Stock Photo Site http://www.stockphoto.net
AGpix www.agpix.com www.agpix.com
PhotoSourceBank http://www.photosource.com/psb
National Press Photographers Association http://www.nppa.org
PhotoServe http://www.photoserve.com

LET THEM FIND YOU ON THE WEB

With a Website address on your business card, stationery, or email signature block,you rise a few notches in a photobuyer’s estimation of your professionalism.
To find several resource guides on how to create your own website - simply and inexpensively:

www.blogger.com
www.webspawner.com
www.FolioLink.com
www.wix.com/photographer/website
www.Shozam.com/Photo_Web_Site

Rohn Engh is director of PhotoSource International and publisher of PhotoStockNotes. Pine Lake Farm, 1910 35th Road, Osceola, WI 54020 USA. E-mail: info[at]photosource[dot]com . Fax: 1 715 248 7394. Website: www.photosource.com

.

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

For our recent 2010 Survey of Photobuyers, Mikael Karlsson of PSI asked photobuyers this question.

In your opinion, how good are stock photographers at listening to your needs and meeting them in their submissions?

Answer Percentage
Great_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6.67%
Good but could be better_ _ _ _35.56%
OK I guess_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 17.78%
Not all that great _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 11.11%
Horrible _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _0.00%
No answer_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 28.89%

Mike's Comment:
There's plenty of room for improvement here friends and colleagues. You know that warm and fuzzy feeling you get inside when you find a business that can supply you with a product you love and offer a service that knocks the socks off anything you have ever seen? Offer that to your clients too.
When you have a chance to offer a client a service they really need and that few others are providing you have the chance of making a life-long business relation. Take that chance and make the very most of it.

Photojournalist Mikael Karlsson has 25 years' experience of working for magazines and newspapers in more than 30 countries. He moved to the United States in 1998 from his native Sweden. He lives in Nebraska and is currently US correspondent for 11 Swedish magazines and a regular contributor to a wide variety of U.S. publications. Reach him at mike[at]photosource[dot]com.

Want to get a copy of the Photobuyer Survey? Go to www.photosource.com/shop

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

How To Conceptualize Your "People" Pictures
Have you ever wondered why some "people pictures" grab your attention a little more than others? It's probably because the image is conceptual - it tells a story.
B-P-S-I - these are 4 simple letters to keep in mind while photographing people. These letters are an acronym for Background, People (or Person), Symbol, and Involvement.
SOURCE: Brad Crooks http://www.askdavetaylor.com/digital_photography_
how_to_conceptualize_your_people_pictures.html

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

PHOTOGRAPHING A McBURGER -- a New York artist and photographer, decided to buy a McDonald’s Happy Meal, set it out on a plate in her East Village apartment, and document its gradual decay (or lack thereof). So, Davies and her friend decided to bet on it. She bought a Happy Meal and brought it home on April 10. Her plan: Photograph the meal daily, send the pictures to her friend and win a bet. SOURCE: Laura T. Coffey ; Toay Show ; http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39656461/ns/today-foodwine/

SCAM ALERT -- Jim Pickerell: “Photographers, --Be Sure to Watch Out for Online Scams. Photographers marketing their images online should be alert to e-mail scams that seem to be growing in frequency. This is particularly true for those selling fine art prints.
http://rising.blackstar.com/photographers-be-sure-to-watch-out-for-online-scams.html

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Make your photos twice as marketable.

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

ONE MISTAKE -- How To Avoid This Number One Mistake Others Have With Travel Photography. AMY: “I spoke not long ago about travel photography. I’d like to discuss a particular problem with travel photography, and it’s not with the camera, it’s with us. One thing that you might notice whilst travelling is the lighting differences between the place you are visiting and home.” SOURCE: Amy Renfrey. http://travel.blueable.com/arts-entertainment/how-to-avoid-this-number-one-mistake-others-have-with-travel-photography/

FROM INDIA: -- Photographing Landscapes. As the monsoons recede in October and make a way for winter, overcast skies are replaced by a clear blue expanse. The sky turns into deeper hues of red and orange during sunrise and sunset hours, adding a drama to the landscapes. Mild fog in the early morning hours hides the details of the landscape and highlights beautiful contours. This is the time of the year to see and photograph landscapes, especially mountain vistas. SOURCE: India Image Gallery http://travel.paintedstork.com/blog/2010/10/travel-photography-photographing-landscapes.html

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Stock photographers operate a business, and as such, are entitled to certain tax benefits. Knowing how to take advantage of these IRS Tax Rules can spell more cash available to you to run your business.

The Kracker Barrel discussion this week is on how a CPA can show you how to captitalize on IRS benefits for the smasll business person.

--RE

http://board.photosource.com/read.php?1,10646

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

MORE OF THE SAME -- How to isolate objects on a white background. Subjects isolated on white background are one of the most selling themes in microstock industry. By buying a well cutout image, the designer can use it easily in his projects. But, if you’re not what you’re doing, isolating a subject may result to be really frustrating.
http://www.microstockjournal.com/isolate-objects-white-background

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

NICHE FINDING -- “You want to save it, you should niche it”. From old timers stock gurus to young green microstock expert, they all tell the same tale of potential success : dig yourself into a deep hole where no one else can reach you and stay there. Shoot stuff no one else shoots and bark if they approach. If you can, trademark your subject so no one else can do it. http://blog.melchersystem.com/2010/10/14/the-caveman-dilemna/
TAKEAWAY: Despite the skeptical tone of the author, there are two good questions that he makes. He asks, “How do I find my niche?” and “If I find my niche, how do I find a market for that niche”?
Well, that’s an easy answer, at least for editorial stock photographers, because that’s what PhotoStockNOTES is all about -- analyzing your niche, discovering markets for it, and promoting your “brand” to those specialized markets.
There’s no mystery to it. And there’s no work. If you’re engaged in something you love doing, it’s not work.
It’s a simple process. 1.) To find your niche: You review every photo you’ve ever produced. You discern a thread of continuity in your pictures (“I never realized it but I take a lot of _____ pictures.”) You've got your niche.
2.) Your markets: Using Google, Bing, or Yahoo you type into the search bar: ____ book, magazine, publisher, guidelines.
“Theme” publishers will come up. They will welcome you (besides, they’ve been looking for someone with talent like yours.) Yes, you’ll start out small, as you begin to establish your brand. Soon assignments will come your way. You’ll be a big fish in a small pond, but the expanding and powerful Internet will be bringing you more viral customers in a niche you love photographing in.
Trying to compete across the board with your excellent “general” photos will be a thing of the past. –RE

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

SPORTS MAG -- Athlon Sports Communications, announced last week that the premier issue of Athlon Sports monthly will launch in mid-October. Athlon Sports will be distributed to 7,000,000 homes through 400 newspaper partners, including the New York Post, Chicago Sun-Times, Washington Examiner, and San Diego Union-Tribune. Newspapers from holding companies, including Scripps, CNHI, GateHouse, Heartland Communications, American Community Newspapers and American Consolidated Media will carry the magazine as well. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/athlon-sports-launches-as-largest-sports-magazine-in-the-us-with-7mm-circulation-105060259.html

FASHION-CELEBRITY-LIFESTYLE -- L.A.: As most other magazines are cutting back, the Reporter is launching a glossy large-format weekly magazine geared to the fashion-celebrity-lifestyle market. Think W, Vanity Fair or Vogue. The dramatic change to the paper product – it will reserve pages for feature stories and photo spreads – follows years of debilitating layoffs, plummeting ad sales and competition from a new generation of hard-hitting entertainment blogs. SOURCE: Natalie Jarvey http://www.labusinessjournal.com/news/2010/oct/18/dont-stop-press/

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Surge Protectors:
Stop Your Computer From Being Destroyed

Having a surge protector is really important when working with a computer. It doesn’t take much for an electrical surge to damage your electronics.

Here are some things to look for when buying one:

A response time of 10 nanoseconds or less

The ability to absorb 800 joules, minimum

A failure light so you know if the suppressor is defective

Make sure the suppressor can block electricity from phone lines.

Make sure that you can feed cable outlets through the suppressor

Ensure that it has enough outlets in different sizes for all your components

Make sure that the warranty is honored in case of damage to the suppressor or your hardware

Make sure it has a UL stamp (Underwriters Laboratory) and complies with the UL 1449 specifications. Protection comes in 3 numbers, 330, 440 and 550. The lower number offers the best protection.

Finally, don’t count on your suppressor to stop lightning. Unplug all appliances during a storm. Even the best surge protectors might not work under these conditions. You don't want to find out the hard way.

As for recommended brands, my personal preference is APC. I use this for both my desktop computer and my laptop, especially when I'm on the road. You never know what you might encounter. So far, I've used my suppressor all over Canada, the Unite States and Mexico.
Some might disagree, but surge protectors can be a lifesaver, even on the road. Another important consideration is when you should replace your surge protector. Generally, it's recommended that you replace your hardware every 3-5 years. With surge protectors you could shoot for the outside of 5 years.

tags:
surge protectors, lightning surge protector, computer surge protectors, electrical surge protector, whole house surge protectors,

Nathan Segal, from Victoria, BC, Canada, is a writer/photographer who has also been active as a digital artist for well over a decade. For the past 9+ years, he has written numerous articles for computer and photographic magazines and has provided his own illustrations and photographs for the articles. His articles have covered : software reviews, tutorials, computer tips and tricks, profiles and investigative reporting. visualartist49[at]gmail[dot]com; 1 408 844-4851

Surge protectors are an essential piece of hardware. Give me 10 minutes of your time and I'll show you how to speed up your computer, rid yourself of computer infestations and protect yourself online.

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

USED WITHOUT CONSENT -- Freelancer's Question: I am a photographer for a student newspaper and take pictures of various university sports matches. I've just found out from a friend at another university that one of my images has been included on a flyer sent to all students of this university by the union. They have not asked my permission and it's quite annoying.
Expert's Answer: As a photographer, you, or possibly the student newspaper depending on the agreement between you, will own the 'copyright' in the photographs you took. Source: Gary Cousins,
http://www.freelanceuk.com/ne

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

YOU AND THE LAW
Stock Agency Arbitration Agreement with Client Binding Upon Photographer

Professional photographers normally have written contracts with their stock photo agencies which spell out the terms of that relationship. The photographers obviously expect to be bound by those terms, especially if a dispute arises between the photographer and agency. On the other hand the photographers rarely give a thought to the agreements the agency submits or negotiates with their clients. In fact, the photographer almost universally does not have any say as to the content of the agency-client agreements.

A recent United States District Court decision in the Southern District of New York will therefore come as a major shock to these photographers. It held that, under certain circumstances, such an agency-client agreement is binding upon the photographer regardless of whether or not the photographer had any knowledge of, or input into, the agency-client agreement.

The case concerns a copyright dispute between a professional photographer and a textbook publisher. The publisher had obtained limited usage rights to the photographer’s copyrighted photographs through three separate stock photo agencies which represented the photographer. The complaint alleges that the textbook publisher exceeded such uses, thereby infringing on the photographer’s copyrights. Additional state law claims for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, fraud, fraudulent concealment, fraudulent inducement, and breach of the duties of good faith and fair dealing were also alleged.

The textbook publisher moved to dismiss certain of the claims on the basis that the contracts between the stock agencies and the textbook publisher contained a clause requiring arbitration of all claims arising out of such relationship with the exception of copyright. Two of the licensing agreements had a similar arbitration clause but the third contract was not, for some reason, submitted to the court.

The photographer contended that he was not bound by the arbitration clause because he was not a party to those agreements, which were only between the agencies and their clients. The court stated that the general rule as to arbitration is that federal courts strongly prefer to honor private arbitration agreements.

The court found that third parties, such as the photographer, may be bound by arbitration agreements to which they are not a signatory in five situations: incorporation by reference, assumption, agency, veil-piercing/alter-ego, and estoppel. In this case, the court found that estoppel applies, stating that a party is estopped (or prevented) from denying its obligation to arbitrate when it receives a direct benefit from a contract containing an arbitration clause. A benefit is direct where it flows directly from the agreement. The photographer conceded that after the textbook publisher signed the licensing agreements with the stock photo agencies, the photographer then received a portion of each licensing fee paid by the textbook publisher. This constitutes a direct benefit from the contract and, as a result, he is estoppel from arguing that he is not bound by the arbitration clauses. Accordingly, the court rejected the photographer’s contentions.

There were other arguments made related to the copyright exception to the arbitration provision which are not relevant here. The key point is that a photographer, where there is no such copyright exception in the stock photo agency agreements with their clients, would appear to have lost his opportunity to sue for copyright infringement in federal court when the uses of his copyrighted photography exceeded those granted in the agency-client contract. The photographer would be forced instead to arbitrate all disputes arising under such contract, and conduct such arbitration in the venue or place chosen by the agency and its client as contained in the contract.

Given the importance of retaining the ability to sue for copyright infringement, photographers clearly need to be aware of the content of the agreements between their stock photo agencies and the agencies’ clients. Otherwise, photographers are going to be bound by terms they never agreed to or were even aware of, to their significant detriment.

Attorney Joel L. Hecker lectures and writes extensively on issues of concern to the photography industry. His office is located at Russo & Burke, 600 Third Ave, New York NY 10016. Phone: 1 212 557-9600. E-mail: HeckerEsq[at]aol[dot]com .

© Joel L. Hecker 2010

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Professional Portrait Posing
Take a Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Posing Techniques used by Top Photographers

Posing is one of the most important tools photographers can us to make their images more memorable, marketable, and creative in the book, top professionals share their secrets for flattering the human body. Some use time-tested rules, other prefer a more relaxed or offbeat approach, but they all have one thing in common: they make their subjects look wonderful.
Features:
· Corrective techniques for minimizing problem areas and emphasizing a subject’s best features
· Posing techniques for classic portraits, glamor images, senior portraits, maternity images, family portraits, fashion photography, and more
· Tips from industry leaders, who show you the secrets behind some of their most popular images
· Tailoring the pose to each subject for images that will virtually sell themselves

Amherst Media Publisher of Photography Books, PO Box 586, Buffalo, NY 14226
www.AmherstMedia.com ISBN-13:987-1-58428-211-2

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Pre-Halloween Special

Halloween Special Price: $276

Yes, the "frown" economy has reached Pine Lake Farm
where we produce the PhotoDaily.*

Sign up before Midnight Oct 31st and produce a "smile."

RENEW OR EXTEND AND SAVE $99

Can you subscribe at this rate for two (2) years. . . ? Yes

Click Here: PhotoDaily http://www.photosource.com/products/halloween-PD.php

PhotoLetter http://www.photosource.com/products/halloween-PL.php

* Photo needs come to you daily at 2pm CT.

For more information about the PhotoDaily:
http://www.photosourcepix.com

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

CIVIL WAR PHOTOS -- A Virginia collector has donated to the Library of Congress the largest trove of Civil War-era photographs depicting average soldiers that the institution has received in at least 50 years, officials said last week.
SOURCE: Michael E. Ruane http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/02/AR2010100200438.html?referrer=emailarticle

FIRST PHOTOGRAPHER? -- Fresh light has been thrown on techniques used by the man recognized as the world's first photographer. In 1827, Niépce brought the plates to England to demonstrate his techniques to the Royal Society but was unable to share his experiments. He died in 1833, leaving his sometimes collaborator Louis Daguerre to publicly reveal photography to the world in 1839. http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Success-on-a-plate-for.6580990.jp

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

BRAND NEW -- Future Tech: A look at Next Gen Cameras. Cameras that let you adjust your focus or point of view after you take the shot. DSLRs with 6-inch, ultra-high-resolution touchscreen control monitors. Stereo lenses that fit on ILC cameras for 3D images. Will you be shooting photos with devices like these in the next couple of years?
SOURCE: Robin Rowe.
http://www.popphoto.com/features/2010/09/future-tech-look-next-gen-cameras
PHOTO: PETER BOLLINGER

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

NEWS UNWORTHY -- Does anyone still believe that the camera never lies? With Photoshop, you can now make a picture speak any thousand words you want, and it will take a cynical attitude and a skilled eye to tell whether any of them is true.
http://blogs.photopreneur.com/the-worlds-most-famous-photoshop-fakes

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

My Story

#40

ROHN AND RUDI ENTERTAIN THEIR LANDLADY

WE BEGIN THE CROSSING OF THE SAHARA

THE COMPLETED RAFT

A FALL FROM A CLIFF – ROHN LANDS IN HOSPITAL

Dear Readers. I hope you liked the first book of my trilogy: Europe.

All of the previous chapters are located in the Stories archive section of PhotoStockNOTES.

As I mentioned in the opening of chapter #39, I’ll be taking a break from writing about my Africa trip to repair the rain damage to my 1960 manuscript that was stored away in the granary building here at our farm here in Wisconsin.

In #39 I assembled some preview photos from our Africa trip. This week I’m printing some more of my collection of the Africa trip photos.

click here to see them
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/mystoryphotos.html

This is the final part (#40) of the “Europe” section (Europe-Africa-North/Central America) of my trilogy. I’ll be back in a couple months to continue “My Story.”

What’s the name of the trilogy? Tentatively, I’m going to call it Among the People. Here’s the first draft of the book cover.
–Rohn\

Rohn

Some of what’s to come:

Want to read more?
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/mystory40.html

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

NOTE: After falling from a cliff while photographing baboons with our 8mm movie camera, I made my way back to the Niamey hospital. One week later I was on a plane to the USA on December 24 1957 and got home for Christmas.
Rudi, and our newly acquired monkey, Bubu made it to the west coast of Africa, Dakar, Senegal, where Rudi found a freighter going to Boston, hopped aboard and arrive in Boston two months later in the winter of 1958. He brought the Vespa and monkey along with and I met up with them in Boston in February 1958.
The story will continue!

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

AWARD -- Vancouver photography student wins international awardA 22-year-old Vancouver photography student has won an international
contest for a black-and-white still he took of a piece of
equipment at TRIUMF, Canada's national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics at University of B.C.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Vancouver+photography+student+wins+international+award/3673979/story.html

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

EASY SEARCH -- Just when we thought Google couldn’t get any closer to complete omnipotence, they announce ‘Google instant’ – in other words, a polite way of telling us they’re one step away from being inside our brain On the surface, Google announced that this is to provide the user with faster, smarter, instant results.
Google predicts that instant search will save 2-5 seconds per search, and that people who don’t know exactly what they’re looking for will be guided by the auto-suggestions. You also don’t have to hit enter and wait for the page to load.
http://www.kingcontent.com.au/?p=419

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Photography exhibit spotlights stories of hunger
For six years, Michael Nye has met the faces of hunger. Nye, who began his professional career as a lawyer, turned to fine-arts photography as a means of raising awareness about social issues and has already completed traveling national gallery showings on both teenage pregnancy and mental illness.
Nye has traveled the world searching for stories that exemplify the human experience, but the hunger he found closest to home struck a chord he simply could not ignore.
SOURCE: Kelli M. Dugan; http://www.baldwincountynow.com/articles/2010/10/08/baldwin_living/doc4cabb5e1e4d3c358003318.txt

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

"Good photographs are seen in the mind's eye before the shutter is tripped, but they are made in the darkroom. For it is the final stage of photography -in the production of negative and print- that the creative vision is realized in a picture meant to be looked at, admired, perhaps honoured."
- Anonymous , The Print: The LIFE Library of Photography by Editors

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

1930 - The first successful aerial photographs were published.

1931 - October 7 - An infrared photograph (of a large group of people) taken in the dark with a short exposure was made in the Eastman Kodak Research Laboratories in Rochester, NY.

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Canadian photographer Paul Rockett dies at 90
Paul Rockett, who some credit with changing the face of Canadian magazine photography, has died at age 90.Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/artdesign/story/2010/10/12/obit-rockett-photographer.html#ixzz12Ioxeqja

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20 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

on the run. . . . .

MHS-PM5 Bloggie Camera

Sony's MHS-PM5 Bloggie Camera (Blue) is an affordable and versatile HD pocket camcorder. Designed with social media posting in mind, the bloggie offers up a number of features and functions that lend themselves to the needs of those looking to

make quick video clips and
get them up on the web with ease.

And, with Memory Stick and SD/SDHC memory card compatibility, the PM5 makes doing that a breeze. Click Here!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Remo Recover Photo (Windows)

It's easy to use this recovery tool that ensures absolute recovery of lost or deleted photos, images, videos and graphics from all popular storage devices.

The software employs advanced disk scanning technology to completely scan and recover pictures, videos and other media files.
Compatible with almost all versions of Windows, the software is built with a user-friendly interface and performs complete recovery even in complex situations.
Click Here!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Delkin Devices 4GB microSD Card

The Delkin Devices microSD Card is specifically designed for use in small devices such as mobile phones and GPS systems, and is fully compatible with current SD devices when used with the included adapter.
This Class 6 card is ideal for storing media-rich files such as music, videos, and photographs.
The card is supported in about 30 percent of Cell phone handsets by manufacturers such as Motorola, Samsung, LG, Kyocera, and Sagem, as well as many available GPS systems.

Click Here!

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

--

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

October 14th 2010

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Take a A Self-Critique
Watch Out For Geotagging
What do photo editors expect of you?
Photobuyer changes
Do you look professional?
What does your web page say about you?
Are you an “editorial” even photographer?
How to use a LIGHTBOX correctly
Want to rank high in a Google search?
Are you multi-marketing your photos?
Watch your competitors
National Geographic Magazine goes Arabic
The ATLANTIC Magazine gets support
Will it stick? Down home-type advert models
In the trash: Some old BEATLES videos
Don't Ship Until the Check Clears
Why don’t you register your copyrights?
Guide To Photographing Nudes
How To Make The PhotoSourceBANK Work For You
Gone: The communal darkroom and lab
Improve your travel photography
Contests
Rohn and Rudi hang out in Gibraltar
George Lepp, seminar coming up
Through keywording he made a $1200.00 sale.
The British Wildlife Photography Award 2010

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

The Marketing Quotient: A Self-Critique

When you are next out on a photographing excursion, begin the habit of asking yourself, "Is it marketable?" before you snap the picture. Gauge whether the digital file that you're making in your camera has a good chance of resulting in a sale for you.
Is it salable? That is, -is it a picture a photobuyer will need ...not one he already has access to. In other words does that picture present or reflect an aspect of a specific subject area that a photobuyer would find useful or desirable?
One photographer friend said she could not break the habit of snapping pictures of anything and everything on a photo excursion, then trying to make the marketing decisions later when she checked her LightBox.

To make the change-over, she placed a label on the back of her viewfinder that read: "Is it marketable?" It took her only two weeks to finally break the habit. The label is now removed. She no longer aims her camera at silhouettes of sea gulls against the setting sun and other such "classic" shots.

While those shots do sell, eventually, they are difficult for the individual photographer to market consistently because thousands upon thousands of similar photos are available to photobuyers. These are the generic scenics and “arty” shots that you put in a stock agency to bring you a check every once in a great while, not what you can count on for your bread and butter.
Now, the above mentioned photographer focuses on specific subject matter geared to specific market areas that match her own interest areas. She found (and continues to find) dependable markets for her material by doing some sound marketing homework.
PHOTO:fontplaydotcom

And how does she do that? Using the Google search bar, she types the name of one of her photo interests ( horse, frog, toddlers , etc. ) and then the words: magazine book publisher guidelines. The newest: lists of publishing houses and magazines which focus on that particular subject matter.

The MARKETING QUOTIENT Critique

In my seminars, I offer a free critique of photos based on their marketing potential. Since many of the persons who attend my seminars are accomplished photographers, I don't comment on the artistic value of each photograph, only the marketing potential. I use what I call the Marketing Quotient (MQ), a number factor ranging from 1 to 10. (Ten equals high.)
Since there's no mystery about the MQ, you can make a self-critique of your own pictures. Here's how to start:
A key factor in selling anything is the law of Supply and Demand. If there's a great supply of something, it's not going to sell briskly (e.g. the silhouette of the sea gull). If on the other hand, the supply is limited, the demand will be great. (A volcano erupting in Washington.)
Seventy-five percent of your photo's marketing worth will have to do with supply and demand.

For example, if there's a reasonable demand for a picture, and it's not the kind of picture easily available in agencies, your MQ can start at 7. From this point, your MQ will go up or down.
Here are some of the factors that will cause your MQ to increase: 1.) You have an established track record with the photobuyer, or you are a "name" photographer. 2.) Your picture is available to meet a deadline. 3.) Your picture is: a) timely, up-to-date; b) lends itself to a publishing house's needs; c) matches the photobuyer's interest area; d) available for one-time use; e) has not been used recently by the competition; f) available for commercial use also by virtue of having a model release; g) technically acceptable; h) good.
Your MQ will decrease if your answer is a negative to any of the above.
Photobuyers make the assumption that your photos will be "good." To be marketable your photos need not be prize-winners, but they must be good.
Since you know your own marketable areas better than anyone else, you are in the best position to make your own MQ assessment. Take a weekend to go through your pictures and put any photos in your market file that come up with a low MQ into a stock agency or on a mini-stock site for those once-in-a-blue-moon checks. Put your valuable time into marketing your other, high MQ pictures.

Rohn Engh is director of PhotoSource International and publisher of PhotoStockNOTES, the newsletter for photographers who sell photos. Pine Lake Farm, 1910 35th Road, Osceola WI 54020 USA. E-mail: info[at]photosource[dot]com. Fax 1 715 248 7394. Web site: www.photosource.com.

.

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Watch Out For Geotagging

Nope, it's not a new form of graffiti, or wall art, or vandalism, or whatever it's called in your neck of the woods. If you have a smart phone, or perhaps a video or digital camera that has built-in GPS capability, then most likely all the images you take with the smart phone camera contain a geotag, which provides the lat/long of where you were when the photo was recorded.
That could be good and useful for the photographer, but it can also be useful for the bad guys. The concern to law enforcement and many others is that the casual (and probably frequent) user may not realize the location information is embedded in the image. This could compromise your privacy and safety when such images are posted online, or even forwarded. You never know who's looking at your stuff once it leaves your control.
For most smart phone users, this feature can likely be turned off, but as is the case in our social-networking obsessed society, is probably on by default.
And turning off this feature may disable other GPS applications, like mapping.
So, decide whether you want this info in all your images and videos, get out that instruction manual, and make the choice.
ICanStalkU.com, a website created by security consultants, provides instructions for disabling geotagging for some popular smart phones.

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White Space
The FCC has recently approved the use of "white space" for advanced broadband applications.
This white space is frequency spectrum between broadcast TV channels. There are still some issues to work out, like potential interference to wireless microphones and similar signaling devices. The advantage is that this swath of spectrum will be available for free, require no licensing, and will have longer range and be able to penetrate through walls, delivering Internet speeds ranging from 15 to 20 megabits per second over a range of several miles (your mileage may vary). Imagine, Wi-Fi on steroids! Products using this newer technology are expected to be showcased within the year.

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.

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

What do photo editors expect of you?
There’s a wealth of advice in this interview with our marketletter editor, Lela LaBree.
She points out a few mistakes that newcomers to the field of editorial stock photography (and some veteran photographers) are known to make. Photobuyers will choose not to work with photographers (despite their talent) who make these “etiquette” errors.

What do photobuyers expect from you?

Do they welcome phone calls?
Is it true photobuyers have a "filter list" where they list their non-favorite photographers? Why do they do this?
Rohn interviewed Lela LaBree, our in-house editor of the PhotoDaily, and the weekly PhotoLetter.
You’ll find the answers here.
She will serve as a perfect go-between to let you know "the other side of the story"

Listen to her interview here.
http://www.photosource.com/interview/Lela_LaBree

BTW - - The little dog in Lela's picture is Ingah. She is the Official Photosource Pug. (Her official Kennel Club name is Ingah DuPont)

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ART WOLFE -- NPN Editor-in-Chief Richard Bernabe recently interviewed internationally-acclaimed photographer, Art Wolfe.
Wolfe has taken an estimated one million images in his lifetime and has released over sixty books. Graphis included his books Light on the Land and the controversial Migrations on its list of the 100 best books published in the 1990s.
http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles1010/aw1010-1.html

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Karen Sutourius
Photo Editor
AARP THE MAGAZINE
601 E Street NW
Washington DC 20049
202 434 6864

REPLACED BY

Catlien Peters
CEPeters[at]aarp[dot]org
same phone and address

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

For our recent 2010 Survey of Photobuyers, Mikael Karlsson of PSI asked photobuyers this question.

How important is it to you that details such as invoices, letters, etc. to you from stock photographers, look professional?

Answer Percentage
Important; it shows attention to detail_ _ 18.64%
Important but not enormously so_ _ _ _ _ 28.81%
No big deal_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 18.64%
Not important at all_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _1.69%

Mike's Comment:
Even the small details are important.
Inspect all the items you send out and make sure they all work together to represent you in the best possible light.
Items such as letterhead, invoices, business cards, postcards, promotional pieces etc. These are some of the top items you use to build your "brand"...the brand that you present to photobuyers. The brand they'll remember when they need the type of photographs you offer.
It doesn't have to cost and arm and a leg these days to have professional-looking documents.
Regardless if you use Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, Adobe InDesign, OpenOffice etc. to write and put together your documents, there are plenty of free templates available on-line. Look at the software manufacturer's websites as well as third party websites offering these templates. CAUTION: As with all unknown entities, be selective and only download from authrntic sources.
If you want to try your hand at designing your own stationery etc. but don't feel like springing for InDesign or similar software, I warmly recommend i>Scribus which is free open-source graphic design and desktop publishing software well worth a look. -MK

Photojournalist Mikael Karlsson has 25 years' experience of working for magazines and newspapers in more than 30 countries. He moved to the United States in 1998 from his native Sweden. He lives in Nebraska and is currently US correspondent for 11 Swedish magazines and a regular contributor to a wide variety of U.S. publications. Reach him at mike[at]photosource[dot]com.

Want to get a copy of the Photobuyer Survey? Go to www.photosource.com/shop

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

SELLING FROM THE STORE -- Five Things Every Photographer Must Do To Sell Retail Photography - While you may be rightly very proud of your photography, your prospects want to know what you can do for them. Here are some things you MUST communicate during the sales process to win them over. SOURCE: Scott Bourne http://goingpro2010.com/?p=1054

What's Does Your 'About' Page Say About You? - An "About" page should quickly and easily supply the basic information about you, your services, and your specialties. When people arrive at this page, that's usually what they are looking for. http://blog.photoshelter.com/2010/10/whats-in-your-about-page.html

Five Tips for Better Event Photography - For those interested in taking a photojournalist’s approach to shooting events, here are five tips from Peter Phun experience: A Newsman’s Tips for Covering Events. http://rising.blackstar.com/seven-tips-for-better-event-photography.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Black-Star-Rising+%28Black+Star+Rising%29
TAKEAWAY: One tip I would include would be to remember to include optional “extras” that a layout artist could use as “fillers” to give dimension to the story.
There’s always the “morning after” shot. (A child’s toy left on a bench among the streamers and confetti; a torn ticket stub from the event; an elderly janitor reading the wedding reception invitation he found on the floor.
Can’t find an invitation or a janitor’s broom? Find one. As an event photographer, you are a storyteller… such a picture might have happened,-- maybe it’s happening right now somewhere in the world. Anyway, these ‘incidental’ images are the ones that give your coverage more dimension. –RE

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

The LightBOX

Note: Here’s an important marketing tip for you.
Limit your LightBox submissions to six (6) images or less.*

Why? When photobuyers request that they want to see a LightBox from you, they want to see pictures only on the subject they have requested. Nothing else. If they want to review a broad selection of pictures, they go to a gallery, not a lightbox.

If you get a request from a photobuyer, stay on the good side of him/her. Post only a limited number of images (maximum 6) in your lightbox. If you want to exhibit more, direct the photobuyer to your personal website, or your images displayed on your PhotoSourceFOLIO page. (www.photosourceFolio.com ...for more info.)

REMINDER: Our LightBox service is provided free to all subscribers to PhotoSource marketletters or newsletters. Be sure to renew your membership to continue using our useful product, The LightBox. Or you can also sign up for a lightbox account alone. For more information: www.photosource.com/cart/lightbox.php. www.photosource.com/account/ligtbox/tutorial/
3/08RE30

For more information on our marketletters, got to www.photosource.com/shop

* Only in special situations would you want to include more than six (6) images.

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SEO. The Secret to SUCCESS: Google Updates SEO Starter Guide - Want to move your site higher in search-engine rankings? Read this free report from the king of search engines. http://www.creativepro.com/article/google-updates-seo-starter-guide

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

In an era of multi-tasking, try "multi-marketing." Shoot both horizontal and vertical.

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

COMPETITORS -- Do You Know Your Competition? - Know your competitors. Knowing everything about your competitors is just as important as knowing everything about your own business. SOURCE: Skip Cohen http://goingpro2010.com/?p=1051
TAKEAWAY: This insight also applies to stock photography where a stock photo request from a publisher might not be able to be fulfilled from your stock collection. When you pass it on to a stock photographer that you know will be able to fulfill the particular subject area photo need, you gain both a photo research ally plus a fellow stock photographer friend.

HERE’S A BOOST -- Kevin: "Why Even Try? - Magazines are folding, the budgets have fallen and rumor has it that editorial photography is on a downward spiral. So you may ask yourself 'Should I even attempt to pursue editorial assignments?' I say “yes… most definitely.” SOURCE: Kevin Lock http://www.asmp.org/strictlybusiness/2010/10/why-even-try/

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

ANGLES AND PATTERNS -- Photographing your subjects from unexpected angles is a simple way to add interest to a photo. Most of us tend to snap potential subjects from the standard eye level with a straight ahead point of view. SOURCE: Chris
http://blog.brillianttrips.com/2010/10/travel-photography-tips-angles-and-patterns/

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

RIGHTS -- Bapla also releases statement about digital rights - Working with image buyers, sister associations and its members, the British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies (BAPLA) is on the verge of releasing its first draft of a Digital Rights Model. “They are not ‘free’ rights, and BAPLA has always urged its members to give nothing away and negotiate everything.” SOURCE: Marco; http://www.fastmediamagazine.com/blog/2010/10/03/bapla-also-releases-statement-about-digital-rights/

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

THERE’S WORK INVOLVED -- Microstock Becomes Hard Work, Even with Data Tracking. One of the attractions of the opportunity provided by microstock is that photography enthusiasts can shoot the images they love and make money out of them. It turns a hobby into a passive income generator without putting the photographer through the less pleasant process of having actually to work. In practice, of course, it rarely turns out that way. SOURCE: Dean; http://www.photography-blog.co.za/stock-photography/microstock-becomes-hard-work-even-with-data-tracking.html

SOMEWHERE ABOVE ZERO -- A designer’s blog, responsibility and value – Macro: “ In a Designer’s Blog John Lund was reading she was advocating that fellow designers stop using iStockphoto for their photography needs because iStockphoto’s prices had risen too high. She pointed out that an image that costs $12.00 to $15.00 at iStockphoto could be licensed from other agencies for less. http://www.fastmediamagazine.com/blog/2010/10/03/a-designers-blog-responsibility-and-value/
TAKEAWAY -- In any creative activity, “worth” is in the eye of the beholder.

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

NG GOES ARABIC -- After decades of turning out yellow-framed covers featuring Egyptian artifacts and other Mideast treasures, National Geographic magazine will for the first time soon start printing in Arabic. National Geographic's Arabic edition is being published in conjunction with the state-owned Abu Dhabi Media Co. The companies wouldn't disclose financial terms of the deal, but Terry Adamson, National Geographic executive vice president, said he expects the Arabic magazine to be commercially viable
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/23/travel/main6893681.shtml

LOOKIN’ GOOD -- YOU Makeovers is a new magazine from the Media24 family magazines stable and as the name suggests, it focuses on makeovers. Printed on glossy paper, the publication features more than 60 successful makeover sessions and is packed with tips for women of all ages and sizes. The magazine focuses on ordinary South African women who want to look and feel their best. About 80% of the people who had makeovers done were YOU and Huisgenoot readers who responded to a Facebook invitation and a team of local stylists and journalists then worked their magic.
http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/39/52898.html

LOOKIN’ UP -- The Atlantic is no. 2 on AD AGE'S magazine a-list - “We’re going to make a profit at THE ATLANTIC for the first time in many decades,” he said. “And we’ve added almost 20 new head count this year.” SOURCE: Simon Dumenco
http://adage.com/magazinealist2010/article?article_id=146232
image: http://adage.com/images/bin/image/photo/magalist10-atlantic-100410.jpg?1285883411

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

LET’S HOPE OT STICKS -- Property Releases - Not Necessary One Court Rules - For years, it has been espoused that, in order for you to use someone else's property in a commercial way, you needed permission from the owner of that property in the form of a Property Release, much like a Model Release. Not so, says the U.S. District Court in Northern California, in a rare case that likely will have far reaching consequences. SOURCE: John Harrington http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2010/10/property-releases-not-necessary-one.html
TAKEAWAY: Of course there’s no property release debate when it comes to using a public building photo in an editorial context, but even in a commercial circumstance I’ve always felt the property release rulings the past decade or so were contrary to the spirit of the First Amendment. It’s almost like real estate sales people were saying to a prospective buyer, “And don’t forget there’s another asset available to you when you buy this property… it’s the revenue received from a law suit when some photographer comes along and photographs your building and sells the resulting picture for commercial gain.”

EXPENSIVE TRASH -- Photographer sues EMI pictures of Blur, a rock group, that were thrown in a trash bin. British photographer, Paul Postle, has launched a British High Court bid for damages against EMI Records, part of the troubled British music group. They claim EMI failed to take care of £170,000-worth of Mr. Postle's film and prints, then took so long to reveal they had been destroyed that they missed their chance to claim against a cleaning company involved. Film from a video shoot for Blur's Parklife album is alleged to have been destroyed, as well as valuable images of The Beatles, according to papers from an earlier legal action. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/8040370/Photographer-sues-EMI-over-Blur-pictures-thrown-in-bin.html

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

DON’T BET ON IT. Photo Buyers Looking for Human Touch - Corbis Creative Research’s second macro brief of the year, released recently, suggests that image buyers are moving away from pictures of technology and gadgetry, and towards photos of human interaction. The root of the trend, says Amber Calo, Senior Manager, Creative Intelligence at Corbis, is the recession. SOURCE: Dean ; Photopreneur; http://blogs.photopreneur.com/photo-buyers-looking-for-human-touch?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PhotopreneurBlog+%28Photopreneur+Blog%29
TAKEAWAY: It’s a predictable cycle in the commercial world of stock photography.
Step One: The public demands “regular-looking” people in ads and TV commercials. The ad world gives in and starts producing next-door-neighbor looking models in their ads. Retail sales drop. Step Two. We see a return to skinny-cosmeticized runway models populating the ads again. I doubt if the CORBIS rush to sensible commercial stock photography will stick.

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Don't Ship Until
the Check Clears
(It might be a Certified Check Scam!)

John Jones sells his prints on-line. He is happy to see that someone from Nigeria wants to buy his extra large size prints. Careful. There might be a scam awaiting John Jones.
Here’s how it works. The “check overpayment scam” targets people who have placed an item that cannot be electronically delivered online. The scammer, a con artist from another country (or a location remote to you), will pose as a buyer. The con artist emails the seller and offers to buy the item with a cashier’s check, money order, personal or corporate check. The con artist will give John a story about how it will cost John a lot of money to ship the item or that there will be extra fees involved for customs, etc. . The con artist says to John he will send John a check for considerably more than the asking price to cover John’s extra delivery costs. In addition, the con artistt will tell John it’s a time-sensitive situation and that John needs to send the print as soon as possible.

HERE’S THE CATCH

If the con artist sends a check, money order, etc., to cover these extra fees for delivery it will look authentic. Caution: If john tries to deposit the check, it will almost certainly bounce.

If you send the item before the check has cleared, John has lost his print and you’ll be on the hook for the bank and shipping charges. Another variation of this scam is when the scammer asks you to wire back the difference in price after you’ve shipped the item. Again, if John ships the print before the check has cleared, it will almost certainly bounce, and he’ll be on the hook for the loss of his print, his time involved, bank fees, shipping charges and the difference the money John sent back to the scammer. Worse, if the scammer has access to John’s bank account information, he could also lose money from his account.

Note: If you’re selling something online, and suspect a “check overpayment scam”, end the transaction immediately, especially if the suspicious scammer asks you to wire back funds. Contact the FTC to report such a potential fraud.

Nathan Segal, from Victoria, BC, Canada, is a writer/photographer who has also been active as a digital artist for well over a decade. For the past 9+ years, he has written numerous articles for computer and photographic magazines and has provided his own illustrations and photographs for the articles. His articles have covered : software reviews, tutorials, computer tips and tricks, profiles and investigative reporting. visualartist49[at]gmail[dot]com; 1 408 844-4851

Laptop security..a It's a common problem. Give me 10 minutes of your time and I'll show you how to speed up your computer, rid yourself of computer infestations and protect yourself online.

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

STUCK IN THE MUD -- The PhotoAttorney asks, “What Prevents You from Registering Your Copyrights with the Copyright Office? - In response to our poll about whether you had registered your copyrights to your photos with the Copyright Office, 78% of you said that you had not registered any of them! So now we’re trying to figure out why. SOURCE: Carolyn Wright, esq. http://www.photoattorney.com/?p=1654

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

The Beginner's Guide To Photographing Nudes.
by Peter Bilous

Master The Techniques You Need To Create Images That Reflect Your Creative Vision

Nudes are a classic subject for artists in all mediums, but perhaps particularly for photographers. In this book, Peter Bilous puts you on the path to success in this fundamental, yet ever-evolving, art form. Bilous covers every aspect of finding the right models, planning and executing a successful session, and getting your images out into the world.

· Features:
o Understanding the genres of nude photography and the qualitites that define them
o Finding the right models for your images
o Creating nude images with new models, experienced models, everyday people
o Ideas for incorporating the features of the location into your images
o Selecting the right cameras and lenses for the work you want to do
o Choosing lighting equipment to meet your technical and creative needs
o Creating a detailed (but flexible) plan for each session in order to maximize you results
o What to expect at a session-from the moment the model arrives
o Techniques for posing your model and working with her during the session
o Editing your images and archiving your files
o Taking your images to the next level with creative tips for lighting, posing, and postproduction enhancements
o Ideas for displaying, publishing, and sharing your images

Amherst Media Publisher Of Photography Books
PO Box 586 Buffalo, NY 14226
www.AmherstMedia.com ISBN-13:978-1-58428-263-1

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

for PhotoSourceBANK members. . .

How To Make The
PhotoSourceBANK
Work For You

Getting contact hits and sales from your PhotoSourceBANK entries is directly dependent on the kind of keywords you enter and the number of entries you list.

With this in mind we have to be resolute in asking you to definitely follow the keywording instructions at http://www.photosourcebook.com/instructions/hints.php , and to be sure to use your full allotment of 3,000 entries.

Should you not take either step, you actually prevent the PhotoSourceBANK from bringing you consistent, increased sales and market contacts.

--Rohn Engh

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

GETTING TOGETHER -- With the days of the communal darkroom and lab long gone, the opportunity to share news and advice in person has disappeared. Professional Photographer's networking group The United States of Photography is providing a way for pros to connect and the podcast team look at how the USP is helping to open the lines of communication.
http://www.professionalphotographer.co.uk/Magazine/Podcasts/Professional-Photographer-podcast-3

THE HORIZON -- Ralph: "In part one of this article, I gave six tips to improve your travel photography. In part two, we will continue to explore how to sharpen your skills." SOURCE: Ralph Velasco http://indietravelpodcast.com/article/tips-improve-travel-photography/

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

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.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has launched its second edition of the highly successful “Amazing Thailand Through the Lens” contest on September 1, 2010. 10 winners each month will be awarded Thai cuisine gift vouchers from Dubai’s most distinguished Thai restaurants each month. Each month for the next six months there will be a theme and a restaurant.
Themes and Submission Dates:
Treasures - Submissions October 1-28 - Benjarong Restaurant
Beaches - Submissions November 1-28 - Blue Elephant
Nature - Submissions December 1-28 - Pai Thai
Wellness - Submissions January 1-28 - Royal Orchid
Trends - Submissions February 1-28 - Siamin’
Festivities - Submissions March 1-28 - Thai Chi

All photos must be acceptable to Middle Eastern cultural norms.
For more information:
Copy all of the following URL and paste it into your browser.
http://www.dubaichronicle.com/life/competitions/amazing-thailand-through-the-lens-monthly-photography-competition-34698?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DubaiChronicle+%28Dubai+Chronicle%29&utm_content=Yahoo+Search+Results

- - - - - - - - - - -

In the interest of showing you contests from everywhere on the globe, we thought you would like to see this one from Britain. It’s for emerging amateurs who are of any nationality and are based in either Britain or Italy. Of course, if you are that person, go for it.

Accademia Apulia UK is proud to present Genius Loci, the international Photographic Award aimed at promoting up and coming photographers of all nationalities based in Italy and the United Kingdom.
£1000 sterling for the winner plus a group exhibition with the 2 finalists works to be held at the Royal Horseguards in London
Deadline: 13th November 2010
For more information: http://www.accademiapulia.org/en/photo-contest/accademia-apulia-art-award-2010-273.html

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: photosource

My Story

#39

Note from Rohn: This is the final chapter of “Europe” the first book of my trilogy, a memoir of my trip through Europe, Africa, and North and Central America.
All of the previous chapters are located in the Stories archive section of PhotoStockNOTES.

The second book coming up is called Africa in which I relate how, with the brilliantly resourceful help of my friend, Rudi Thurau, I was able to survive what time, nature, people, luck, and the elements threw at us as we visited the enigmatic Moroccan cities of Tangier, Casablanca, Adrar, Marrakech, Fez, and Oujda; lived with Bedouins of the Atlas Mountains; visited the Roman remains of Volubilis; (yes, Roman archeological remains over in the west side of North Africa, near the Atlantic Ocean,) and then crossed the border into the Algerian War, and passed through the rebel fighting with the French Foreign Legion; came down with hepatitis in the central Sahara desert village of Adrar, got to our Niger riverside destination of Niamey in Black Africa by hopping a ride with an Arab trucker; built a raft from palm logs and 50-gallom oil drums from the Niamey airport warehouse, sailed down the Niger River where I fell while climbing a cliff to film some monkeys, broke my arm and landed back in the hospital in Niamey and flew home to Maryland on Christmas eve, 1957 on the $500 the airport manager lent me.

I look forward to sharing all this with you in my Africa book. I ask your forbearance for a little while. Probably two months.

Unfortunately I have the task of restoring some of the rain-damaged manuscript and daily log that I wrote about my Africa trip back in 1960... Fortunately my negatives were back with my German friend, Hans Bartsch in Wuerzburg, Germany. The photos are all intact. I’ll share with you a few of them in this chapter 39, and finally, next week, chapter #40, I’ll show you (through photos) a preview of what’s to come in our adventures in Africa for the next section of my trilogy called Africa. And, oh yes, as you remember, in Portugal we bought an 8mm movie camera. I’ll being airing that 1957 film of how we crossed the Sahara and built our raft on the Niger River. - RE

Click on the photo to enlarge
GOODBYE TO EUROPE

Click on the photo to enlarge
WE LEAVE FROM GIBRALTAR

Click on the photo to enlarge
WE GET A 10-DAY ENTERTAINMENT JOB

Click on the photo to enlarge
MY LOGBOOK DIARY

Rudi and I had learned that one of the keys to being able to survive on this world tour was to earn our way by presenting a short program on a radio station. But what we didn’t know was that we had been lucky so far. I mean, we had always been paid for our performance, but there was no universal law that said we had to be paid.
In Gibraltar it was easy to find a radio station. Most of them were in English, being Gibraltar and all. I listened when I heard a radio playing somewhere for the radio call numbers and wrote down several of them. I asked a passerby where the station was located. We found a station nearby and spoke with the director about the proposed program we had in mind. We performed a few examples of the English folksongs we would sing, and gave him an idea of the storyline we could air for them. This was new for us since I could speak English to the audience. This would be a piece of cake.

But there was something involved I didn’t anticipate. In the past, in Portugal, Spain, and France, the language barrier was actually to our advantage. Radio program directors found interviewing a foreigner like us was out of the ordinary. This was fresh and different for their audience. But for an English-speaking audience, our story was ho-hum. Plenty of unique travelers come through Gibraltar. “So what else is new?” was the expression I read on the face of the radio station manager. This is all hindsight. In Gibraltar I learned my lesson. You gotta have the right angle.
“Sounds very entertaining fellows, but just one thing – if you’re expecting any reimbursement for your program, I’m sorry to say we won’t be able to give it to you.”
We struck out.
Rudi has the superstition that good and bad things always happen in threes. This day’s events sure did follow his prediction. We decided to make the program anyways at this radio station; it would be good experience and good practice for us; but we decided that the next time we went to a radio station, we would make the program first, and then inquire afterwards about payment. The directors would be less hesitant not to pay for our services.

That afternoon we stopped in at an outdoor café. As we were sitting in the late afternoon sun, we met two American fellows who had heard our radio program. They were stationed in France with the U.S. army. They were on two weeks vacation and were interested in talking with us about our trip.
“Gosh. That’s one thing I’ve always wanted to do” one of the fellows from Kansas, said. His name was Edgar Tilly.
“Me, too!” Roger Morse said, a fellow from Milwaukee. “But I got a gal back home, and I know she wouldn’t want to hear of it.”
“My girl didn’t want to hear of it either,” Rudi said, “But seeing the world trip was more important to me, I took off anyway. You’ll always be able to find a girl, but you’re only young once!”
Well, that was the first I heard that Rudi had a girl back home. You’d think he would’ve mentioned her. Or showed me a picture that he carried with him. He never got any mail from any girls that I know of. That was a curious thing about Rudi. He guarded his private life and his private thoughts. He didn’t open up. At least not so far.
If the trip ended here in Gibraltar and someone back home asked me, “Well, what was Rudi like?” I wouldn’t be able to answer them. If they asked, “Was he easy to get along with?” I would be able to answer that question. I would simply say, “Yes.”
But descriptions of people take more that one sentence. It was a paradox. Here I had been with Rudi since last May 1957 after I got my discharge from the army. I still didn’t know him. And now it was July. It seemed the longer I was with him, the less I seemed to know much about him other than what I first learned when we met in Rotterdam. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to let me in; it’s just that I didn’t care to knock on the door and ask to come in.

I think a lot of marriages are that way. People get together and get married because they find someone who they need to compliment a certain part of their life that is missing, so it feels good that they found them and they get together, and they get married and live a long time together and have children, and they fulfill what they were missing in their lives and then when it’s fulfilled after ten or twenty years, they forget what it was that they were missing. But they’re left with children and a mortgage and memories of the struggle to keep everything glued together. Their lives become a chore of everyday existence, coping with what happened today and anticipating what’s going to happen tomorrow. You can see it on their faces. When I think back of the people we met on the trip this far, I see the same pattern whether it’s the gypsies in Portugal or the husbands and wives on French farms. I wondered if I would see the same pattern with the Arabs in North Africa or the families in black Africa.

Want to read more?
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/mystory39.html

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Travel photography: Learn with George Lepp, plus 30 workshops in Morro Bay.
Some of Morro Bay’s most spectacular scenery may be found on a “photocache” in which seekers search not for buried treasure but above-the-ground vistas in the California coastal area. The self-guided tour aims to lead photographers — from beginners with a point-and-shoot camera to advanced shooters — to a dozen treasured views in and around the coastal town.
http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/index.php/travel-photography-l-7548/

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

GREAT VALUE -- The Value of Image Keywording and Alt Tags. Never underestimate the value of accurate key wording and alt tags for your online images. In August, a photo researcher doing an internet search for Yellowstone fire images found Ron’s blog post and the lone image of the fires aftermath. Ron’s post came up due to the keyword and image tagging he did in his post and the result was a $1200.00 sale. SOURCE: Charlie Borland
http://www.pronaturephotographer.com/2010/10/the-value-of-image-keywording-and-alt-tags/
TAKEAWAY: The drudgery of keywording each of your on-line images no longer becomes a downer when you realize how keywording can lead directly to sales.

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

The British Wildlife Photography Award 2010 - Winners Announced - The winning photograph shows a familiar bird in its conventional setting, but the visual impact is extraordinary. Competition judge Greg Armfield from WWF said: “This is a unique and striking image. One that captures perfectly the power, chaos and intensity of the ocean as it surrounds the majestic gull.” http://digitaljournalofphotography.blogspot.com/2010/10/british-wildlife-photography-award-2010.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheDigitalJournalOfPhotography+%28The+Digital+Journal+of+Photography%29

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

"There’s always been a separation between fashion and what I call my “deeper” work. Fashion is where I make my living. I’m not knocking it. It’s a pleasure to make a living that way. It’s pleasure, and then there’s the deeper pleasure of doing my portraits. It’s not important what I consider myself to be, but I consider myself to be a portrait photographer."
- Richard Avedon, photographer

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

1962 - It's the anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis. President Kennedy had received photographs from U-2 spy planes over Cuba that showed the Soviet Union installing nuclear missiles and launch sites. Kennedy went on the air live nationally on October 22 and announced that Cuba would be placed under a naval "quarantine" until the Soviets removed them.

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

GEORGE "ELFIE" BALLIS, 85, a reporter turned activist whose 30,000 photographs of labor leader Cesar Chavez and migrant farmworkers bolstered their struggle in the 1960s and 1970s., died Sept. 24 at his home in Tollhouse, Calif. He had cancer.
In the 1950s, Mr. Ballis was an editor for a labor newspaper in California's Central Valley when he took a seminar from acclaimed photographer Dorothea Lange, whose pictures had famously shown the effects of the Great Depression on the American poor. SOURCE: Emma Brow; Washington POST http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/27/AR2010092705101.html via: Roy Iwaki

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13 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Ki-PRO Portable ProRes File Recorder
The AJA Ki-PRO is a unique recording device designed to streamline post production workflow by simplifying video acquisition. The unit features both SDI and HDMI inputs, making it compatible with most prosumer and professional cameras. The KiPRO takes advantage of Apple's ProRes technology for a seamless transition from "lens to post". The device records to high-capacity drives from a wide variety of cameras and comes equipped with a 250GB drive for large recording capacity.
Click Here!

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Photo Techniques Program
If you're sick of deleting photo after photo, tired of not understanding how to use your camera, and want an easy way to master photography, continue reading.

Photography can be tough. I know. There's the complex camera that's filled with dozens of buttons that seem to have no meaning. Composing the shot so it looks nice. And to top it off...if the light isn't right you'll end up with dark, blurry, or overexposed shots
Click Here!

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BACK-UPS 900VA 120V Uninterrupted Power Supply with USB Communication Port

The American Power Conversion Corporation has created a dynamite 7-Outlet Back-UPS 900VA 120V Surge Protector with Battery Backup. It is loaded with outstanding power management and surge protection adjustment features for up to seven devices (two AC blocks).
Click Here!

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

--

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

October 6th 2010

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Management techniques for the stock photographer
Find photobuyers whose photo needs match your photo collection
Tell A Story
Are you one of those suspicious terrorists?
Copying a photographer’s photo location
Should you go for Rights-Managed or Microstock? Or both?
Lee Foster asks, “Can you compete with “free”?
Try for outdoor portraits, but use natural light
Traveling? Try including local foods in your portfolio
Target your specialized microstock photos to a single niche
Rohn's birthday coming up -- October 13th
Outer Boundary Magazine starts next year
Getty starts a magazine about the latest trends
Your laptop contains a lot of your business secrets. Don’t lose it.
Photo Contests
Rudi loses his harmonica to a monkey
Photos are words, -- keywords
What is it that photobuyers don’t like?

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Begin Today

"I have a great product, and I know exactly where it can be sold at this moment. The only thing standing between me and seeing my product in national circulation is procrastination." Have you heard this before?
By applying the same management techniques that are used by successful businesses, you can dissolve procrastination and move your stock photography operation forward. Here are some self-management principles for the stock photography entrepreneur:

ASK AROUND. Don't reinvent the wheel. There's a goldmine of information waiting for you in the neighbor or friend or acquaintance who's already been there. He or she knows the pitfalls, barriers, and obstacles, especially if they’ve experienced failure. Everyone loves to be an expert. Weigh their opinions against others’, and then come to a consensus. If you don't want to consult a local competitor, phone someone in another like-sized city who is doing what you want to do with your photography. You’ll be surprised at how much information strangers will give you.
ELIMINATE THE LOSERS. Take time to analyze what's working for your business and what's not. Parts of your business are moneymakers, others are not. Don't let sentiment or the tired phrase, "We've always done it this way," drag you down.
LOOK LIKE A PRO. Too many entrepreneurs feel that because their product is good, it should sell itself. Not so. A "better mousetrap" will not insure your product's success. You don't get a second chance at a first impression. If you want first class sales to your clients, give them first class speedy treatment. Post cards work well. Build a quality website. Invest in deluxe stationery, labels, and advertising.
PHOTO : Philo Nordlund

GET IT DONE. It's easy to slip into the habit of narcotizing yourself with the TV evening news or a sitcom. Change your habits. Buy a $4.95 quartz alarm to beep the same time every evening to remind you and others in your household that it's "Marketing Time" -- in others words, time to devote some specific time to getting your photo marketing operation off the ground.
DO ONE THING WELL. Creative people often do themselves in because they are so damned creative! They are talented in many areas -- music, writing, painting, crafts, and so on. Choose one, and begin today to develop just one area of your creativity.
DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Jumping in with two feet and enthusiasm is fun and romantic, but unless you've checked to see if water is in the pool, you're in for some disappointments. If your enthusiasm is still high after you've done your research, you've got a winner.
UNDERSTAND MARKETING. If you are saying, “I want to sell my photos,” here’s the answer. Your product will sell if you position yourself effectively. Super umbrellas won't sell on a sunny day, but even poor ones will sell easily in the rain. Your success today will reflect not only your product's worth to a customer, but your ability to match your customer's need with your match of stock photography
SPECIALIZE. In the last century, the keyword was 'versatile'. In this new millennium, the markets are too fragmented to be able to be all things to all photography markets. Choose your corner of the photo market and develop it. Search engines will help you do this. Become an important resource only to specific targeted photo editors who are interested in the subject areas you like to photograph. Quit trying to be the all-around photographer. They are a dying breed of stock photographers.
BE BUDGET- MINDED. You'll see your product in national circulation if you have the cash flow available to pay the production, phone, office, and other bills. Don't fall into the Madison Avenue trap of buying a new car, new clothes, new office equipment, high-calorie 'goodies', and other creature comforts that are supposed to make your life fulfilling. If you donate your cash to these dollar-gobblers, you have no justification to say, "The cost of getting into business on my own is too high."
FAIL BUT DON'T QUIT. Are you afraid you are not going to make it? Fear of failing is one of the greatest deterrents to beginning stock photographers. That's why not too many succeed; they never get up after they've been knocked down. Most successful people in any field have failed many times. The difference between the winners and losers is that the winners never quit.
UNDERSTAND BRANDING. Get photobuyers to think of you when they need a picture in the area of your specialization. Develop a “style” about your stock photography - and stick to it. That includes your actual photos and website right down to your stationery. Develop a logo and a simple “catch-phrase” you can use in your promotions and advertising.
PLAY NOT WORK. There's a saying, "The luckiest people sweat the most." Yes, it's going to require long hours. But don't translate that to mean work. If you love what you're doing, it's all play. Choose your special area of stock photography interest first by asking yourself, "What area do I love most?" Then do your research and find out if there's a market for that area. If there is, it'll be all play for you. Plus, you’ll have the knowledge about your specialty that will enable you to become a consultant in that area.
CATCH UP. In today’s Internet world there’s no such thing as going to school, mastering it, and then you’re finished learning. Today, you’ll always be catching up. How? Newsletters, discussion groups, organizations, blogs, seminars. They all keep you in the forefront and constantly moving forward in the exciting world of digital.
START TODAY. Most people spend their time preparing, rather than doing. "One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, four to get ready, five to get ready...” Instead, prepare sensibly and then jump in. Start today.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Rohn Engh is director of PhotoSource International and publisher of PhotoStockNOTES, the newsletter for photographers who sell photos. Pine Lake Farm, 1910 35th Road, Osceola WI 54020 USA. E-mail: info[at]photosource[dot]com. Fax 1 715 248 7394. Web site: www.photosource.com.

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

For our recent 2010 Survey of Photobuyers, Mikael Karlsson of PSI asked photobuyers this question.

Are you willing to work with stock photographers who are new to the industry if they are offering the type and quality of images that you typically look for?

Answer Percentage
Yes, absolutely _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _44.07%
Yes, but I’m not thrilled about it – it often leads to issues_ 15.25%
Yes, I guess _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6.78%
I’d rather not _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _3.39%
No way, I only deal with established professionals _ _ _ _ _1.69%

Mike's Comment:
Yet another piece of good news. Photobuyers are indeed interested in working with new stock photographers. Use the wealth of information in this survey as well as in Rohn Engh's very popular book Sell and Re-Sell Your Photos, to make the best expression you can when contacting photobuyers.

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

DOING IT RIGHT -- 8 Best Business Practices for Event Photographers - Event photography is a tricky business, but if done right can earn you a comfortable income. In order to get the low-down on the biz, a panel of trusted event photography experts give "best business practices" suggestions. SOURCE: GROVER SANSCHAGRIN , Moderator; http://blog.photoshelter.com/2010/09/8-best-business-practices-for-event-photographers.html

THE STORY COUNTS -- What photographers need to know about producing video - The biggest difference between producing a print shoot versus a video shoot is making sure you are telling the story. Storyboards are a great way to make sure that everyone is on the same page. Always make sure that you can clearly answer the question “Whose story are we telling?” SOURCE: Jacqueline Bovaird; http://stone-thrower.com/2010/09/30/producingvideo/

BUILDING A PORTFOLIO -- Five Tips for a Better Portfolio - Looking to improve your photography portfolio? Tiffany Joyce gives you these tips:
http://www.beyondmegapixels.com/2010/09/five-tips-for-a-better-portfolio/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BeyondMegapixels+%28Beyond+Megapixels%29
TAKEAWAY: What ? Is this supposed to be advice? It’s preaching to the choir. It’s useful to a commercial stock photographer, but hazardous to an editorial stock photographer (which is what this blog is for) who wants to make money at selling his or her stock photos to book, magazine publishers and ad agencies.

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

AWARDS -- The Toronto Globe and Mail, The New York Times, and Time magazine all won News & Documentary Emmy Awards for Web productions at a ceremony held at Lincoln Center recently. http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/photo-news/awards/e3i4d1f1410bfbda6269f08278ecd67bfaa

REMOVE IT -- NPPA Protests TSA Poster Depicting "Suspicious" Photographer - The National Press Photographers Association has informed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano that it objects to a Transportation Security Administration poster that depicts a photographer as a suspected terrorist. NPPA has asked Napolitano to immediately order the removal of the objectionable TSA posters from display. http://nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2010/09/poster.html

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Copying another photographer's photo location can be instructive. It's a good way to learn. But don't pass the results off as your own.

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

SHE’S SAYS IT’S DOWN -- What’s up with stock photography? Ellen Boughn : “A better question might be, “What’s NOT up with stock photography?” Answer? Royalties, number of paid productions, royalty free and rights managed revenues and photographer satisfaction.
http://www.ellenboughn.com/whats-up-with-stock-photography

MAKE A CHOICE? -- Placing Bets Away from the Middle: The Good, The Bad, The Traditional, and The Microstock –
Shannon Fagan was asked, as a representative of photographers’ interests, do you think microstock or traditional stock offers the best opportunity for the stock photo industry as a whole to move forward, and will it be a good or bad thing for photographers in general? SOURCE: Shannon Fagan; http://www.asmp.org/strictlybusiness/2010/09/placing-bets-away-from-the-middle-the-good-the-bad-the-traditional-and-the-microstock/
TAKEAWAY -- Either…OR ? Let’s take a step farther into the dilemma. A participant in anything –medicine, law, science makes him/herself valuable to clients, patients, or photobuyers by being good at one thing. An expert. People buy expertise. Would you take an infringement case to an insurance attorney? Physicians do it. Attorneys do it. Scientists do it.They specialize. There’s too much information out there to be all-things-to all-people. Generalization in stock photography has expired. It's dead. It's unprofitable.
It matters not in the choice of which licensing agency, either or, RM or Micro. What matters is how much of a specialist you are; and how deep a selection of images in your subject area you can offer a prospect -- whether your clients are nearby or on the other side of the planet.. With specialization you can deal in both disciplines RM (Rights Managed) or Microstock.. This is the promise of the new stock photography era. -RE

MORE IS LESS -- One Team, Multiple Visual Assets - The Wade Brothers offer clients higher quality and better cost efficiency on video, stills and more by combining productions. David Lindsey Wade and Lyndon Wade market themselves as photographer-directors who can produce still and motion assets for advertisers creating multichannel campaigns. http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/features/pdn-online/e3i6bea309148ed3a843cb7a2ce900966f4 and http://vimeo.com/9475533

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Competing With Free

By Lee Foster

Can you compete with Free?

That’s a modern challenge for the For-Profit photographer. The challenge has expressed itself in the editorial world, where free photos have reduced the prices and opportunities for the For-Profit photographer.

Free photos are part of the pervasive wikipedification of our photographic lives.

The concept of Free has permeated the world of apps also.

I have just downloaded a Free app titled Fotopedia Heritage, which has photos and writing on 890 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The app purports to be “an endless visual journey.” Thousands of photographers and hundreds of curators from the “community” have provided more than 20,000 photos illustrating 3,000 points of interest on these sites.

If a photographer had vision and huge energy perhaps 25 years ago, a proposal could have been made to a publisher -- to fund going out and photographing these sites and producing a coffee table book.

If you have that desire today, with a goal to produce a book or app on these sites, it is best to suppress the impulse. There is a meager market when people compete with you by giving away their product for Free.

This truth is worth considering for anyone producing photo apps (or any other photo product) of any kind.

In my own world of travel and photo apps, I am fortunate that the Visitors Bureau of San Francisco has chosen NOT to produce a free app competing with my San Francisco Travel Photo Guide.

Similarly, I am fortunate in Washington DC that the Visitors Bureau there has DECLINED to produce a free app competing with my Washington DC Travel Photo Guide.

Of course, quality matters and content creators like myself pride ourselves on the uniqueness of our products. But Free is definitely a consideration from the consumer’s perspective.

What motivates people to give away their content for Free?

Sometimes virtue and altruism are involved. It is virtuous to contribute for free to a UNESCO world guide. One can educate humanity about these wondrous sites. Sometimes vanity is an incentive. When getting published is such a status symbol, who needs money?

Sometimes promotional pressures are uppermost. The company selling widgets wants to see photos of its widgets in every possible medium, so it gives photos of them away Free.

Technology opportunities allowing people to give away content for Free continue to develop, such as the Creative Commons photo licenses on Flickr, which allow anyone to use photos for Free, even in commercial products such as apps.

If you have any ambition to develop a photo app on any subject, it is wise to look around in the app store and see what’s available for Free. Each category of app in the Apple iTunes App Store has both Paid App and Free App listings for the 200 top apps downloaded in that category.

http://www.fostertravel.com
Travel writing/photos on 200 destinations for consumers and content buyers at http://www.fostertravel.com
5,000 hi-res photos searchable and downloadable at http://stockphotos.fostertravel.com
Two new photo travel guidebooks at http://www.fostertravel.com/book.html
Latest thoughts on travel at http://blog.fostertravel.com
Travel Photo Guide app on San Francisco at http://www.sutromedia.com/apps/sfphotoguide
Travel Photo Guide app on Washington DC at http://sutromedia.com/apps/DC_Travel_Photo_Guide

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

NATURAL LIGHT -- Stanley’s Photo Tutorial: Using Natural Light for Outdoor Portraits - We look at identifying locations where you can use natural light for an outdoor portrait without relying on a flash or other light source. http://rising.blackstar.com/stanleys-photo-tutorial-learning-to-see-light.html

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

FOOD -- How To Photograph Food on Your Travel. Steve Davey: "For many people food is a highlight of their travels, and a number of us choose a destination in part because of the cuisine. We don’t just head to Morocco for the souks, India for the Taj Mahal or Thailand for the Grand Palace in Bangkok; we go for tagine, curry or Pad Thai. But while we’re stuffing our faces how can we make sure we come away with decent pictures of our culinary adventures?
SOURCE: Steve Davey http://blog.vtravelled.com/how-to-photograph-food-on-your-travels/

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

SPECIALIZE: Microstock Photography – A new Approach to ensure success? Gordon Ball: "For the past four or five years that I’ve been submitting to the Microstock Photography market I had always said it was a numbers game. Therefore the more images that you uploaded to the libraries or agencies the more downloads you would get resulting in higher earnings. But I feel that over the past year that has changed. You know, more than ever need to target a niche. And then dominate that niche." SOURCE: Gordon Ball
http://blog.dreamstime.com/2010/09/27/microstock-photography-a-new-approach-to-ensure-success-_art33487

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

NEW ONE -- Disney Introduces DYOU Pre-Teen Girls Magazine, Plans U.S. Rollout in 2011. Walt Disney Co., the world’s largest media company, introduced a new publication, DYOU, as it taps the magazine market for pre-teen girls worldwide.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-28/disney-unveils-dyou-girls-magazine-plans-u-s-rollout-in-2011.html

OUTDOORS -- Outer Boundary Magazine Premiers Spring Of 2011. Steve Krueger, publisher : "Outer Boundary is a publication that is very unique, it was formed under an unconventional framework that is not found in current outdoor magazines. Anyone in the family will be able to pick up the magazine and acquire an insight to the outdoors that is not shown in other publications.”
http://walleye.outdoorsfirst.com/articles/09.29.2010/3385/Outer.Boundary.Magazine.Premiers.Spring.Of/

TRACING NEW HAPPENINGS -- Getty Images launches online publication - The Curve provides readers with case studies and insight from leading global decision-makers, looking at the strategy and choices they are making in managing their brands’ visual content.. The new publication, which will be available, as a downloadable PDF and via the iPad, tracks the latest trends that are shaping the evolution of visual communications across a variety of industries. SOURCE: Marco http://www.fastmediamagazine.com/blog/2010/09/29/getty-images-launches-online-publication/

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Laptop Security: Prevent Your Laptop From Being Stolen

Having a laptop is a great way to work and if you travel, it offers great flexibility. The down-side is if you store personal and private information on your laptop, you could be subjected to Identity Theft if you laptop was ever stolen.

When traveling with a laptop, here are some important considerations:

1. Use a router, either for LAN connections or for wireless (Asus makes a great one).

2. Don't ever leave your laptop in your car.

3. Never let your laptop out of your sight, especially in restaurants or coffee shops.

4. Use a security cable - and keep it locked.

5. Don't put your laptop on the floor in a restaurant or coffee shop. This reduces the risk of damage from spills.

6. Use a well-padded case.

7. If you have a movement alarm, use it.

8. Encrypt the data on your computer with software such as Identity Finder.

9. Protect your passwords with RoboFormtogo, which is a program that you can load on a flash drive and uses a secure password to access your system passwords.

10. If you have a business laptop and it's been stolen, notify your employer immediately and call the police. Also, take a look at the FTC web site and have a look at the section on deaing with data breaches.

If you use the wireless capabilities on your laptop, be aware that while wireless access points are great for convenience and mobile Internet connectivity, there are some important things to keep in mind:

1. If you're on a home or business network, you should use encryption to protect your communications. Of your options, there is WPA (WiFi Protected Access) and WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy). Of these two options WPA is the best.

2. Make sure you use both antivirus anti-spyware protection, as well as a firewall.

3. Turn off Identifier broadcasting on your router.

4. Create strong passwords and change the router's preset password. Stronger passwords are tougher to crack.

5. Define which computers can access your network.

6. Public WiFi spots might not be secure. Don't send valuable information over this type of network.

7. Power down your WiFi network when you're not using it.

Nathan Segal, from Victoria, BC, Canada, is a writer/photographer who has also been active as a digital artist for well over a decade. For the past 9+ years, he has written numerous articles for computer and photographic magazines and has provided his own illustrations and photographs for the articles. His articles have covered : software reviews, tutorials, computer tips and tricks, profiles and investigative reporting. visualartist49[at]gmail[dot]com; 1 408 844-4851

Laptop security..a It's a common problem. Give me 10 minutes of your time and I'll show you how to speed up your computer, rid yourself of computer infestations and protect yourself online.

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Cutcaster Launches Educational Copyright Resource, Stock Photo License --
Stockphotolicense.com, an educational copyright resource for photo buyers and researchers, launches their new website this month with the goal of explaining in simple terms how one can use an image online and the various legal complexities of digital image use. The site provides detailed information on image license types, photo copyright issues, legal protections and extensions, using free images, Creative Commons, personal vs. commercial use and provides a list of questions you can ask your image suppliers before you buy an image.
SOURCE: Cutcaster http://www.openpr.com/news/144734/Cutcaster-Launches-Educational-Copyright-Resource-Stock-Photo-License.html

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes
\

A book review...

Migration – Lost and Found In America
by Donald McCrea

This is a coffee-table photography book that takes the reader on a journey across America with photos from sixteen photographers. Each one showing us a unique perspective of their personal journey into, and across America.
All the images shown are from larger portfolios of the sixteen photographers – with Website URLs listed with the image credits in the back of the book.
The author selected the best work of some of today’s most acclaimed photographers.

The theme of this book holds up very well, i.e., Lost and Found In America - moments in time reflecting people; people in transition, people moving and most of all people moving to their own beat.
And for the author, his own music. While you view the images, you are directed (website) to listen to the author’s own music (a songwriter in his own right) playing with some of the top musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area.
As explained by the author, this book and these photos, have their origin in people, people migrating across America. The images are clearly enhanced when you listen along to the author’s music.

When you think of migration, you think of large herds of wildlife species tracking across large wide expanses of say Africa or Alaska; but America?
The pictures are great and reflect a period in time (now), when transitions and changes were and are still going on; the images reflect those very well, with transitions from each photographer melding in every well with the theme of the book.

Migration visits New York, New Orleans, the Heartland, the American West, California, Florida and more. What I liked most about this book was the impression the images conveyed. Seeing the America spirit shine through a country in major transition. A country struggling with economic as well as political upheaval. Poverty, hope, despair, and abundance, all come together in these photos.
This is what America is about. I would highly recommend this portrait of the American Spirit to any stock photographer and their family.

Migration – Lost and Found In America by Donald McCrea and Published by Michael Wiese Productions, ISBN: 9781932907827, $49.95 USA, $59.95 Canada, 10.5 x 9, Full Color, 140 pages, hardcover. www.mwp.com - email mw[at]mwp[dot]com

Joseph Stanski has been an agricultural stock photographer for
the last twenty-five years. (morningstar138@hotmail.com) He has published in many
ag-oriented magazines as well as national publications. He retired as a
school teacher and is currently teaching photography and running his stock
photography business in Southeast Iowa. www.photos4calendars.com

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: photosource

Rohn's birthday. . .

is coming up !

(October 13th)

. . .and he has a special birthday present for you . . .

A one-day event-

October 13th 2010

PhotoLetter (est.) 1976

PhotoDaily (est. 1984)

watch for it…! Be prepared

More information.....starting next week . . .

PS: Rohn, how old are you . . . ?

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Racing photo features storied driver from Iowa -- One of the great drivers, mechanics and promoters from the early days of Quad-City area racing was a man named Johnny Gerber. He settled his family in Davenport in 1935, but he had already been racing speedsters since the 1920s.Though auto racing was discontinued during World War II, at its close, Gerber began promoting the attraction here under the auspices of the Midwest Midget Auto Racing Association. SOURCE: Doug Smith http://qctimes.com/lifestyles/announcements/article_c216a4be-cfea-11df-97c3-001cc4c002e0.html

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Video:
Microstock Photographer, Ed Hidden: How'd They Do That?
Adorama Photography TV presents "How'd They Do That" featuring Ed Hidden who shoots stock photography for iStockphoto. In this episode, Ed Hidden will give some tips on shooting microstock photos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PgdWgFAMzk&feature=related

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

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.

Nikon Photo Contest International 2010-2011.
Entries for the 33rd contest will be invited into two categories, free subject (category A) and "Energy” (category B). The second category, “Energy,” invites applicants to submit images that capture the energy of sights and subjects that inspire, motivate or excite them or viewers. An exhibition of the winning photographs is planned after all winners are selected (details concerning the specific date and location will be announced in the future). With these categories, we look forward to receiving expressive images from around the world that are true to people’s emotions.
Deadline: Tuesday, November 30th, 2010.
For more information:
http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imaging/activity/npci/npci2010-2011/index.htm

This next contest doesn’t even require a photograph, but it's a drawing that might be worth signing up for:
To celebrate the release of PhotoPlus X4, the new version of the award-winning photo-editing software, Serif is offering one lucky winner the chance to win a high-spec Dell Precision M6500 Mobile Workstation, a LowePro Slingshot 100AW camera bag, Joby Gorillapod SLR plus a suite of creative software that includes PhotoPlus X4, PagePlus X4, WebPlus X4 and DrawPlus X4. A first prize worth over £2,500!
The Dell Precision M6500 boasts a powerful next gen Intel Quad core i7-720QM processor, 4GB fast DDR3 dual channel memory, an impressive anti-glare 17"better-than-full HD screen, 1GB GDDR5 ATI FirePro graphics, fast 500GB hard drive, with Windows 7 Professional 64-bit.
Closing date: November 1st 2010.
For more information: http://www.serif.com/photopluscomp/

The fourth and last of the seasonal contests running alongside the main event of the International Garden Photographer of the Year, is Autumn Shapes: The color and textures of autumn/fall.
Prize Details: 2010 4 Seasons category winner will receive:* £500 * a copy of the book ' International Garden Photographer of the Year Collection 3'
Deadline: Autumn Shapes: 1 September - 30 November

Uniquely among major photographic competitions, all entrants can receive professional feedback on their entries - after the judging of the competition is completed and on request.
For more information:
http://www.igpoty.com/competition.asp?parent=competition

-jg

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

Click on the photo to enlarge
SPANISH PROTECTORATE

Click on the photo to enlarge
OLIVE TREES

Click on the photo to enlarge
GIBRALTAR TOURIST OFFICE

Click on the photo to enlarge
FORWARD TO AFRICA

My Story

38

Gibraltar. It was afternoon and the looming giant rock was casting its long afternoon shadow into the Mediterranean. It stood there, waiting for us. Like it was giving us a final test or something before we passed over the water into another continent.
Rudi and I crossed over from Spain to enter the two and a half square mile place called Gibraltar. Stiff-spined uniformed middle-aged border officials greeted us in English. It was strange to hear everyone speaking a language I could perfectly understand. It was like coming out of a coma, where everyone understood what I wanted to say. Now that’s nice.
Jeeze! That was a good feeling. When I wanted to say something to someone -- no arm waving, raising my voice, drawing diagrams to get people to understand what I was trying to ask. When people look at you kinda dumb-faced all the time, it’s not a normal feeling. Here in Gibraltar, I felt like a person let out of confinement. It was good.
It reminded me what a task it was to communicate in a foreign language on this trip. Exhausting. I mean, especially talking with Rudi. If people spoke to us in French, I had to translate the French into German. Or if they spoke to us in Portuguese, I would recognize some of the words from Spanish and translate them into German or English, or sometimes back into French.
I was never cut out to be a linguist or something like that. It was a feeling of relief to be in a place where English was spoken. No longer will it demand great concentration on the sound of their language or inflections or gesticulations they might make to get their point across.
So here we were in this little piece of land, about 2 ½ square miles as I said. No need for much gasoline for our motor scooter at this place. If we drove 1 ½ straight miles we’d be out of the country.
Well I guess it’s not a country, it’s more what Americans call a protectorate. But who’s protecting who? It’s one of those places one country will capture and hold so they have a safe haven for their battleships or airplanes or troops. In other words, if they have these protectorates, it means they are an aggressive nation, looking around to protect their imports and exports as well as being prepared to invade some place. I never used to understand why one country would want to own a slice of another country a thousand miles away. I remember from my history class back at Mercersburg that Britain owned a lot of these “protectorates” around the world like Malta, Nigeria, Kuwait, Hong Kong, they even had Palestine up ‘til the end of WWII.
Even Portugal had them, Angola, and a place called Goa in India. France had them, like Algeria that started the Algiers war, which we will soon be traveling through. I don’t think Canada had any places like this but I remember I always thought it was funny that a place like New Zealand had one called Samoa.
I don’t know how long the British will be able to hold on to Gibraltar. These colonies have a long history of being a waiting time bomb and we felt a tension here in Gibraltar that wasn’t present in Portugal and the rest of Europe we traveled through.
The Germans are famous for having these long distant possessions, like East Prussia on the Baltic. I can remember during my CIC days in Wuerzburg interviewing refugees that wanted to come to the USA; one of them was from the German possession of the capital of East Prussia, Koenigsburg, the city where Richard Wagner, the composer lived and the philosopher Emmanuel Kant is from. The Russians, during WWII, kicked the Germans out. The citizens headed west on the only road out of town with horse and wagons and all their possessions they could carry. Russian fighter pilots strafed thousands of the mass of people with their Luftwaffe machine guns. Not many people survived and one of them was the German husband of an American friend of mine. He was a toddler back then, walking in the exodus along side his mother and little sister. His father was a German infantryman, fighting the Russians in the East. The guy doesn’t talk much about it. His father never returned. After a seventy-five mile march through Poland, his mother and he and his little sister got back to the German homeland in ’44 and got to live the war out in an apartment that the Germans had confiscated from a Jewish family who ended up in Auschwitz.
The USA has a history of these distant possessions or territories they sometimes call them. Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico. If we’re not careful, they could become time bombs too.
So much for history and politics. We always stayed out of arguments about the ‘aggressive American’. But nevertheless, when people met us, a German and an American, they expected a couple of aggressive guys. They were always surprised we were not that way.
We got through the border just fine. The customs people everywhere are always the same type. They don’t smile. You could put a Russian guy in a French uniform, and visa versa, and unless he spoke, you couldn’t guess his nationality. It’s funny how an occupation can attract the same character in people no matter what their nationality.
Well, with the formalities at the border over, we drove into Gibraltar, doubtful that we would find any farms on the tiny province. But maybe since Gibraltar is a peninsula it must have some beaches where we could camp out.
The great rock loomed like an overlord as we wound through the tiny main street, the 1400-foot rock plunging down into everyone’s backyard, into everyone’s business. It would block away the stars, half of the night, and half of the day, the sun. That big rock was like someone looking over your shoulder all the time. But I could see why some country would want to own it. It was like a traffic cop sitting right there between Africa and Europe, looking at everything that was happening coming in and going out of the Mediterranean from all those countries in the Near East and Italy and France and Spain, plus all the North African countries like Egypt and all. What a powerful place!
As we were driving through the spotless, well-scrubbed main thoroughfare, wide enough for two English-sized cars, we halted to watch a parade of double file patrols of bagpipe-playing Scots, dressed in kilts.
“They’ve got skirts on!” was Rudi’s assessment of the solemn soldiers.
We stood motionless, like at a football game when they play the national anthem. You felt like saluting or something. The soldier\musicians were repeating an ancient ceremony that probably harks back to Scottish clans warring against one another back in the 18th century. It seemed fitting with this pre-historic rock behind them in the background. Sea gulls soaring overhead must’ve seen humor in it. Stern soldiers in colorful plaid skirts parading to squeaky music from bagpipes. Oh well, it’s like scotch whisky. You have to acquire a taste for it.

“They’ve just come from the changing of the guard ceremony at the Governor-General’s palace,” a tall, gray-haired Englishman standing on the sidewalk behind us said, seeing we were curious.

“I believe they’re from the Black Watch barracks,” he said. English people we had met on our trip seemed to always want to offer the history and background of places. “And where are you chaps coming from?” he asked.
“We’ve just come from Europe and we’re on our way to Africa,” Rudi answered. He was getting pretty good at answering in English the standard questions people would ask us, like. “Where are you from? Where are you going?”
“On that motor scooter?” The man asked, looking down at our scooter.
I didn’t answer. I let Rudi practice his English.
“Yes, don’t you think we’ll be able to make it?” Rudi asked.
“Well, and he paused, I’m sure you didn’t have any trouble in Europe. But when you blokes get to Africa, you’ll see a world of difference in the roads.”

I love the English people, but it irks me the way so many of them want to maneuver you into a debate or a ‘can you top this’ contest. I guess it’s their way of testing you. I usually play “dumb” with them, and then surprise them later on in the conversation with a remark that tops anything they’ve produced so far. But I didn’t think I could top this man.

We stood in the street with the gentleman for a while, talking about our trip in Europe, and hearing advice on what we were going to meet in Morocco. And listening to what we should avoid. He sounded like my mother.
“Have you chaps ever been to England?” he asked.
“No, we didn’t get there. We plan to hit it on the way back.” Rudi answered.
“Well, it’ll take more than just hitting. You could spend a year on the British Isles, and still never see enough. I suppose then you’ve never tasted stout?”
“What’s that? “ Rudi asked.
“Stout? Why it’s the best ale you ever tasted. Would you like to try some?” he said, pointing across the street to an open-air tavern.
“Sure!” I said, and we wheeled the scooter across the street.
On the way over, we introduced ourselves. His name was Everett Manchester. He was retired and lived in Gibraltar and was originally from London.
“How did the British ever get Gibraltar?” I asked him as we sat down to a metal table with a typical café umbrella over top.
He started, “Well there’s one thing you must know, the sun never sets on the British Empire. To make a long story short, we captured it from the Spanish two hundred and fifty years ago during the war of the Spanish Succession. The Spanish captured it from the Moors two hundred and fifty before that, the Moors had held it ever since the year 711.

“Why did you want to establish a fort here? It’s not near England.” Rudi asked.
“For its valuable position, of course, “ He quipped. In WWII we were able to effectively use it as an anti-submarine base against you. Well, not you, but the German war machine. He stopped short and changed the subject. “Well, I suppose you would like to try that stout, wouldn’t you?” and he snapped his finger a couple of times, attracting the attention of one the waiters.

“Where do most of these people come from, Mr. Manchester?” I asked, noticing the waiter didn’t look very English.

Want to read more?
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/mystory38.html

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

2011 SURFING PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP -- In Hawaii. Featuring surfing photographer Brian Bielman and adventure sports photographer Michael Clark for a workshop that delves into the world of surfing photography. Brian is a top surfing photographer who has been shooting the sport for more than 25 years. Michael brings his adventure photography skills and knowledge as well as his in-depth experience with digital workflow to round out the workshop. January 13-16, 2011.
http://www.michaelclarkphoto.com/blog/?p=569

YOUR CHOICE -- Photo tour vs photo workshop: which one is right for you? The answer depends on your style because the two products are very different beasts. http://darwinwiggett.wordpress.com/2010/09/28/photo-tour-vs-photo-workshop/

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

PHOTOS ARE WORDS -- We look at keywords and keyphrases from a perspective different than most. Subjectively, rather than objectively. The old school way to identify an image was by a “caption.” The present school is by a keyword(s). And since the Digital Age is telling us the future is here, the new school is by ‘keyphrases.’ http://blog.royaltyfree-stockphoto.com/?p=6162

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

"My photographs don’t go below the surface. They don’t go below anything. They’re readings of the surface. I have great faith in surfaces. A good one is full of clues. But whenever I become absorbed in the beauty of a face, in the excellence of a single feature, I feel I’ve lost what’s really there…been seduced by someone else’s standard of beauty or by the sitter’s own idea of the best in him. That’s not usually the best. So each sitting becomes a contest."
- Richard Avedon 1980

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

1821 October 17th - Photographer Alexander Gardner, who documented the Civil War and later the American West, was born in Paisley, Scotland.

1938 October 22nd - Chester Carlson of Pittsford, New York designed the photocopier. He tried selling his machine to IBM, RCA, Kodak, and others, but they saw no use for a gadget that made nothing but copies.

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06 Oct, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes

VAIO EA VPCEA22FX/P 14" Notebook Computer
The VAIO EA VPCEA22FX/P 14" Notebook

A portable clamshell-style computer, typically with a screen from 12-17” diagonal. Notebooks typically have enough processing power to act as a user’s primary computer.
close
Computer from Sony is a compact notebook

A portable clamshell-style computer, typically with a screen from 12-17” diagonal. Notebooks typically have enough processing power to act as a user’s primary computer.
computer with an extraordinarily bold design. The computer features a 16:9 aspect ratio screen with a 720p native resolution and a LED backlight, delivering superior image quality, reduced environmental hazards, and lower energy use when compared to traditional CCFL displays.
Click Here!

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46G300U 46" 1080p HD LCD TV

The 46G300U 46" 1080p HD LCD TV from Toshiba is perfect for sports enthusiasts and action movie fans alike.

Whether watching a sporting event, or eagerly following a high speed movie chase, the picture is crisp and clear.

With full HD, there's no need to scale down a 1080 signal. With twice the pixel resolution of 720p HD models, full HD creates the pinnacle in picture quality.

Click Here!

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Survey 2010

What do photobuyers at magazines and book publishing houses look for in the way of editorial photos? What type do they BUY?
The Photobuyer Survey 2010 will let you in on these industry secrets.
Find out today.

Click on the arrow above

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