PhotoStockNOTES
Can I Sell My Photos Online? The Answer is Here!03 Jul, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Have a great
Fourth of July
holiday!
We'll be back on July 9th
24 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
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June 25th 2009
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June 25th 2009
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24 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
\The Keyword Code
With thousands upon thousands of digital images entering massive on-line databases every day, we now have to prepare for a new foundation of stock photography:
Example: If you’ve Googled for an Italian restaurant in a city in Nebraska on your cross-country trip, you know that four or five keywords can save you a lot of time, frustration, and even money, especially if you find a location that’s having a Chicken Scarpariello special.
Very soon, photo researchers in the editorial stock photography field will realize they don’t have to exhaust their eye balls, searching scores or hundreds of images to find the pictures that best illustrate the point their book, magazine article, textbook or brochure is conveying. Second best won’t do anymore – now that “search” is available to them and as close as their computer monitor.
IT’S FREE ADVERTISING
As a stock photographer, will you be prepared? Google charges nothing for someone to come in and search all the keywords on your personal website. Dump loads of keywords in there.* No hierarchy or alphabetical list is necessary. Get them in there as fast as you can. And if you don’t know the correct spelling –put it in there anyway. Often the buyer doesn’t know how to spell it. (I once found 7 ways to spell Muhamed Alli…)
The more keywords -- the sooner, the better. Photo researchers are learning that this valuable worldwide treasury of key words is now available to them to save them time and strife.
The process is simple. The search engine discovers your specific keywords – either on a page devoted to your photo descriptions on your website, or in the meta data portion of the image(s) itself.
Here’s an additional benefit. Thanks to digital delivery, you could also step out your door and take with your high-end digital camera a picture of the subject area your photobuyer requested.
You put a selection of images targeting that photo request into a LightBox and email it to your buyer. He selects which one hits the mark. You, in turn, send them a hi-res file and an invoice. Or if you’re set up for it – they send you their PayPal account number or charge card.
One more thought that you’ve probably realized:… the more keywords you place on your website, the greater your odds of selling your images.
*Don’t repeat the SAME word very often. The Google machine disapproves of this and could send you to the back of the line.
Rohn Engh, veteran stock photographer and best-selling author of “Sell & ReSell Your Photos” and “sellphotos.com,” has helped scores of photographers to sell photos. For access to great information on making money from pictures you like to take, and to receive this free report: “8 Steps to Becoming a Published Photographer,” visit PhotoSource International or call 800 624-0266.
NUPTIALS ECONOMY SIZE IN CHINA The Largest Global Wedding Photography Exhibition to be Staged in Shanghai in July. The 16th China-Shanghai International Wedding Photographic Exhibition & International Children's Photography, Theme Photography Exhibition
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/The-Largest-Global-Wedding-prnews-4277488726.html?x=0&.v=43
WHAT DO THESE WORDS
HAVE IN COMMON?
Tier
Layer
String
Level
Echelon
You can generally apply them to a ranking system
Second tier…. Third string… Lower level…
And they often imply they are not the first choice of a given selection of a category.
In the photo research industry, however, the reverse is true.
A photo editor prefers the lower level of a search when it comes to selecting a precise image.
The researcher who is looking for a precise (targeted) photo of an orangutan from Borneo will always start at the bottom of this search
Animal
Mammal
Ape
Orangutan
Borneo Orangutan
Borneo orangutan with offspring
Borneo orangutan with two offspring.
If you keyword your images precisely, you have a better chance of coming up on the first page of a Google search. You’ll save the research time, and you’ll also be making a sale!
We have put together an audio/visual marketing course for you.. that will bring you up to date on all the new ways to sell your photos on the Internet -- right from your home, studio, or office.
Here's this week's excerpt.
- 3.5 minutes
click here:
http://www.photosource.com/lesson/16A/
Reminder: PhotoStockNotes in on vacation over the Fourth of July holiday (June 29th to July 6th).
Happy Holiday!
CALL FOR PIX “With a Little Help From My Friends” - In Rick Sammon's new book he plans to include a chapter featuring the work of other compact camera shooters: "Cool Compact Camera Shots From the Field."
Rick says, “If you'd like to be in the book, I'd just need a low res shot for now. 72 PPI, 5x7, JPEG. Send to ricksammon@me.com with a quick tip... must have a tip! http://rickrawrulessammon.blogspot.com/2009/06/with-little-help-from-my-friends.html
A PLACE FOR STORYTELLERS – Pre-Designed Websites For Photojournalists - LiveBooks. Photojournalism goes far beyond the ability to develop websites. It is also home to an international online community of photojournalists, documentary photographers, and photo industry professionals working to keep visual storytelling economically feasible and socially relevant.
http://www.shutterbug.com/news/061509livebook/
CURRENT STATE OF STOCK (shock?) Let’s let Corbis and Getty tell us where corporate stock photography is today and where its going. By Mark Edward Harris. http://www.digitalphotopro.com/business/the-new-face-of-stock-photography.html?start=3
From Agency Uncle:
Q: Uncle Carl: “How can I convince my clients to commission
real photography rather than relying on staid and obvious
stock photography? My team is keen to support and champion
good, local photographers, but we can’t do this while our clients
continually want to use existing stock. One has even gone as
far as searching the image catalogues himself. What can we do?
A: (Uncle Carl Answers): “What’s in it for me?” that’s what your client is thinking. Demonstrate a benefit, a financial benefit, does it cost more or less? Will it increase his sales? Could he charge more for his product or service with better photography? Perhaps there is a brand benefit, will it make his products look less TK Maxx and more White Company? Would it make his service stand out from the competition or reflect the aspirations of his prospects? Vox pop customers or prospects and show them the same piece of work with two different styles of photography and decide if the products or services somehow look more desirable.
You can try and push a donkey into a barn all day long and fail, or you can lead him there with a carrot – so stop pushing him you ass and work out what your Donkeys…sorry, clients ‘carrot’ is.
http://www.thedrum.co.uk/indepth/1850-agency-agony-uncle
GERMAN INVASION -- German Telecom Enters Microstock with Polylooks - There's a new player in the microstock game. Polylooks is the name of the first German microstock agency powered by Deutsche Telekom AG (German Telecom) launched on June 3rd 2009. The agency is working with another German picture agency, Zoonar who have provided over 125.000 images to launch Polylooks.
http://www.microstockdiaries.com/german-telecom-enters-microstock-with-polylooks.html
IT’S HOW YOU LOOK AT IT. – Scott says, “How to Stop Bloggers from Hotlinking to Your Images - While it's valuable to understand your recourse under the law, it can be just as useful to know how to use technology to protect your content. In fact, in some instances, technology may be your only real option."
http://rising.blackstar.com/how-to-stop-bloggers-from-hotlinking-to-your-images.html
TAKEAWAY: Do you object to a blog or website using one of your photos on their site? Well, if the site includes a credit line and it’s an upstanding site in your niche area – you can benefit by the free publicity. But what if it’s a porn site or a place that’s espousing stuff that’s contrary to your way of thinking? As the man said, “The Internet can help create a more informed electorate and encourage greater participation in our democratic process.” So there..... you make your own judgment on Hotlinks. –
First Light Video - Understanding Lighting for Video, Film and Photography - This fast-paced program covers the importance of light for quality images in any medium.
Includes dozens of creative tips for using natural light, existing interior light, standard lighting fixtures and professional lighting equipment. Also covers the use of gels, reflectors, filters, and other tools to create interesting images and programs.
Read More. . .
Lights, Digital Camera - iNovaFX Actions are grouped in categories.
Repairs: Some make corrections to image flaws, such as barrel distortion correction or white balance errors. Others brush away blown pixels from long exposures.
Conversions: Convert photos into convincing oil paintings, realistic watercolors, graphic cartoons and precision airbrush illustrations. One even converts the image into a Japanese wood block styled print circa 1880 on textured rice paper. A few will age your shot 150 years.
Borders: A whole series that surrounds your image in film. Film borders from roll film, 4x5 sheet film, accurate 35mm single chips of film and 35mm filmstrips in slide and movie formats are produced in seconds.
Glass Filter Effects: Add filters to your images that previously required glass. Polarize the blue sky. Add a grad (gradation) filter. Mount any of ten cross star filters. Force a vignette. Produce a plausible infrared B&W effect from a normal color shot. Add a diffusion filter. You can even add a rainbow halo filter effect with Photoshop CS2 and CS3.
Enhancements: Dig into the tonalities of images to bring up shadow detail, get rid of noise, smooth skin texture or to produce unprecedented tonal range. iNovaFX enhancements preserve the maximum photographic detail.
Sheer Magic: The butterflies on the eBook cover come from an Action that turns ANY image into this striking graphic. Kids love to have their faces made into butterfly wings.
Bigger than Photoshop: A whole series takes the ideas behind Photoshop's standard Filters and turns them into expanded tools you can apply with a single button click. Photoshop is only the starting place for over a hundred new and finely-tuned PS Filter effects.
Read More. . .
Exposure and Lighting for Digital Photographers Only - Even with digital cameras and automatic exposure, lighting and exposure remain the most difficult element to master in the quest for quality photography.
Written by a professional photographer for photographers, this book provides real-world advice to help photographers achieve true creative control over lighting and exposure.
It includes scores of lighting diagrams, techniques, and stunning full-color photographs showing readers how to take their digital photos to the next level.
The Photo Marketing Association International (PMA) estimates that about 20 million digital cameras were sold in 2005, accounting for 82 percent of total camera sale.
Read More. . .
ORPHAN STORM WARNING - Three storms in fact: the US, UK and EC are preparing to legislate imminently. Add several more when you consider the not-unrelated pressure for libraries to be able to digitize and distribute
works freely. Then there is the whole Google Books fait accompli, where Google has strongarmed book digitizing rights then made a settlement that is now an offer authors cannot refuse.
http://copyrightaction.com/forum/orphan-storm-warning
STILL NOT GETTING’ IT RIGHT. Copyright, that is. The High Tech Law Institute and the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology recently co-sponsored a symposium on the 100th Anniversary of the 1909 Copyright Act. Two dozen scholars and practitioners, discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the 1909 Act and its effect on U.S. and international copyright law. Conference materials are now available online.
http://www.photoattorney.com/2009/06/100th-anniversary-of-1909-copyright-act.html
a video for you. . . (2 minutes)
The Fourth of July holiday is coming up soon.
Watch for our special sale.
If the expiration number on your PhotoStockNOTES issue says it’s time to renew . . .
Well, … don’t miss a single issue.Sign up on our NEW order form.
Here’s my 2-minute video that tells all about the savings you’ll make.
https://www.photosource.com/cart/psnsale.php
--Rohn
PS Next week PhotoSource International is on vacation.
NO PICTURES: Iran has officially banned foreign media. As more and more demonstrations continue in Iran over the disputed election, the government there has officially banned all foreign media coverage.
http://bit.ly/ATZx5
TAKEAWAY: It has been reported that one Iran-American organization, in order to document the demonstrations, has distributed 45,000 “pencil cameras” in Iran to sympathizers of the minority “Green” faction. Example of the pencil camera is at http://www.dogcamsport.co.uk/
GETTING ROUGH IN IRAN -- Photographer in Tehran Says Iranian Officials Harassing Journalists - A European photographer who was arrested in Tehran, Iran, on Tuesday was not subjected to violence, but says, "other colleagues have not had such good luck." Speaking to PDN (Photo District News) by phone Wednesday night, the photographer says other journalists described being beaten and having their cameras and memory cards destroyed.
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/photo-news/photojournalism/e3i405cd9674fbdfea5776666eb99d4680b
HANDS UP! -- In England, Home Office refuses to disclose stop-and-search information - The Home Office has rejected a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the British Journal of Photography regarding the disclosure of a list of all areas where police officers are authorized to stop and search photographers under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
http://www.bjp-online.com/public/showPage.html?page=860677
RUSSIA – 100 YEARS AG). -- In 1909 a remarkable project was initiated by Russian photographer Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky. His mission was to record - in full and vibrant color - the vast and diverse Russian Empire. Here, with his story, is a selection of his amazing century old full color pictures. http://bit.ly/2qCIpe
SAFE MEMORY -- Kingston Technology Company, Inc. has announced the release of the DataTraveler® 200 (DT200), the world's first 128GB USB Flash drive. The large capacity along with password protection gives users the flexibility to carry critical data with them at all times in a very small form factor.
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0906/09061702kingston128gbusb.asp?from=rss
"I continue to enjoy your newsletter and find it very relevant and useful."
- Rich Clarkson, Photographer, publisher
Malick Sidibe, a Malian photographer was awarded recently the top prize at PhotoEspana, Spain's biggest international photography festival, for his "exceptional abilities as a portraitist."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090622/wl_africa_afp/entertainmentartphotographyfestivalprizespainmali_20090622182601
COOL-ING PHOTOS -- COOLING towers emit nothing more than steam and yet, in Bruce Wodder’s photographs, they transmit an ominous feeling. There’s something about their size and shape — that wide mouth atop a curved cylinder, like a giant piece of pottery on the wheel — that creates an imposing presence on the landscape.
http://centraljersey.com/articles/2009/06/19/time_off/entertainment_news/doc4a3968c05387b353309196.txt
Aspen Photo Workshops (www.aspenphotoworkshops.com) of Bend, Oregon, will be conducting a seminar designed specifically for outdoors and nature photographers. This three day event will take place at Ruby’s Lodge in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah from November 5th – 8th and cover a wide range of subjects important to today’s nature photographers including what sells and what doesn’t, marketing and self promotion, pricing photography and licensing models, stock agencies and web strategies.
Speakers include three well-established professionals with extensive resumes:
Charlie Borland, Gary Crabbe, and Marv Johnson. Early bird pricing is effective through July 15th, 2009.
http://pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=226981&Itemid=28
"Television news is like a lightning flash. It makes a loud noise, lights up everything around it, leaves everything else in darkness and then is
suddenly gone."
Hodding Carter
1815 – June 11th – Julia Margaret Cameron was born in Calcutta, India. She taught herself photography at age 48 and began exhibiting her work one year later. Cameron was one of the first to experiment with soft focus portraits, to achieve a more expressive image. She bucked criticism of their approach from her peers, who thought she lacked understanding of sharp focus. She stuck to her guns, and today her style is emulated by many sensitive portraitists. Her subjects included Sir John Herschel, Alfred Tennyson and Charles Darwin. Julia Cameron was inducted into the International Photography Hall of fame in 1984.
Joel Librizzi passed away. Librizzi, who documented life in the Berkshires for more than 40 years, died June 15, 2009. He photographed Ted Kennedy sailing Pontoosuc Lake with a young Caroline Kennedy, and a teenage John F. Kennedy Jr. skiing at Jiminy Peak. He shot Norman Rockwell, Tiny Tim and Richard Nixon, to name a few. http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_12599468
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June 18th 2009
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I’ve Changed My Opinion
By Rohn Engh
As a marketing consultant in this wide world of stock photography for many years, yes, I’ve changed my opinion. I no longer think it’s misguided of persons wanting to sell their photography to the publishing industry to over and over again take pictures of anything and everything, thinking they can try to sell what they perceived as a good photo, whatever its content.
That system of adding new photos to their stock photography files is not misguided; now I think it’s downright not smart.
The new era of digital image search and purchase we’ve slid into this past decade reinforces my new opinion.
Does the shoe fit? Are you still broadsiding on weekend shoots, your vacation, or you’re slamming on the brakes in the car when you think you’ve spotted that blockbuster, award-winning photo –stop. Your chances of getting that photo to the masses, or even the elite, are about as good as winning the lottery, or hitting the casino million-dollar bell-ringer in Las Vegas.
There’s a much more effective way to accomplish consistent sales of your work and making it more likely to even hit a big winner now and then.
And it’s not difficult.
If your photos are not selling, the problem is not that your photos aren’t good. It’s your basic strategy that’s off the beam.
The truth of the matter is, you probably already have a “blockbuster” photo in your database that a photo editor is looking for at this moment.
But, it’s not a blockbuster for an art contest, or an exhibition, but rather a work-a-day blockbuster at the cash register.
The secret to building sales in today’s digital world is to focus your approach Change from trying to sell everything… to selling one thing. Build contacts with targeted markets and get known by the buyers as a dependable resource with coverage in depth in the subject area they need, which is a subject area you love to photograph in.
Everyone has at least one special interest area, an interest area of great passion. Don’t indulge yourself in snapping at everything from the hip. Instead calculatingly make opportunities for yourself to take pictures, – lots of them -in your main interest area. Right now, photo editors in that same interest area are eager to buy your results.
You’ll find your sales will grow.
Don’t ask me to convince you of this, ask the market.
How?
Ask it.
Go into Google or any popular search engine, and in the search bar enter one of your interest areas.
Make a case study. Let’s say you enter, model ships.
Put yourself in the photobuyer’s shoes. If you were publishing a magazine article that required a photo of a model ship, to find the source of the photo, you’d type in
photo model ship
You’ll see that when you type in
photo model ship
up pops several pages on the subject.
If model ship-building were a passion for you, you can see how you are missing the boat (sorry!) if you don’t roll up your sleeves and start building a deep collection of photos of your and your friends’ model ships, and a museum’s model ships, and wherever else you can find them. You’re an expert on model ships. You’ll know where to seek them out in your travels.
Disneyland!
So, we were visiting Disneyland here on the West Coast, (can’t remember the last time), and every so often I’d spot a commercial photographer wearing a vest, digital camera, and even a tripod sometimes. These people were Disney cast members willing to take your picture for free.
But what caught my eye was the cord running from the camera to a small box at waist level with an antenna sticking up from it.
So, I had to ask. The deal: They offer to take your photo for free(or you can ask.) Then they give you a little plastic card with a PIN number on it. Within a couple of hours, your photo is up on a secure website that is accessible using the PIN number on your "photopass."
You could probably also access the site right from your iPhone (or similar product) before you even leave Disneyland. You’re then able to buy souvenier prints and other products.
Now that’s technology! Depending on the nature of your own stock photography business, such wireless technology could be useful. Got any ideas?
Did You Miss It?
Just thought I’d write about this for history’s sake. If you receive your TV signal via satellite, cable, or fiber, you probably missed it. Friday, June 12, was the absolute final day for analog television signal transmission over the airwaves (the previous date of 2/17/09 was extended).
For the most part, if you’re using an older analog-only TV attached to an antenna, all you’ll get is snow on the TV screen (newer TVs are required to have digital tuners built-in). To continue to receive over-the-air signals with an older TV, you have to get a converter box. And thanks to the Stimulus Bill, Congress authorized more money for the converter box coupon program, which provides a $40 discount coupon for approved converter boxes (and there are lots of choices, retail and mail-order). Full details at www.dtv2009.gov Coupons are still available, and if you applied once before and let your coupon expire (they are valid for 90 days from mailing), you can re-apply. If you are reading this is 2025, I thought it might be interesting to tell your grandchildren what the ol’ analog TV was like back in 2009.
You Saw It Where?
Why, in Prague, of course. But you live in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. There it was: A huge storefront advertisement using your family’s Christmas photo!
Neither you nor the photographer had given permission for such use. And you didn’t know a thing about it till your friend sent you a photo of the store. What? How?
Well, the family in the photo used their picture as a Christmas card last year and sent it to family, friends and (you knew this was coming, didn’t you?), uploaded it to the Internet on their blog plus a couple of social networking sites (Twitter, FaceBook, etc.)
Well, the store in Prague, in eastern Europe, got the photo "from the Internet" and assumed it was computer-generated. Uh-huh.
Upon learning more about the photo, the shop owner took measures to remove the ad. All’s well in the end, but is it really the end?
Now you can understand the Internet problem of what’s being called “orphan photos” – pictures on the Internet whose ownership is unknown. The Library of Congress, in Washington, DC, where copyright issues are attempted to be resolved, is advising Congress on how this “ownership” problem can be resolved. But they’re having little progress.
In the interim, one way you can help is to include what’s called “photo metadata” (imbedded digitally along with each photo) along with each of your images. The information can include your name as the copyright owner.
Bill Hopkins is the Webmaster of PhotoSourceFolio* (www.photosourcefolio.com) and a regular contributor to PhotoStockNotes. Send comments via e-mail to wh[at]photosourcefolio[dot]com. Fax: 1 818 831-0916. For on-line questions, contact Bill on the Kracker Barrel at < www.photosource.com/board >.
*Display 6 of your own images for photobuyers to view, on your page on the PhotoSource website.
LAYERS -- Using Adjustment Layers to Tweak Your Photos...
it's the ability to edit photos in layers that separates digital
photography from old-school film photography.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/061509-using-adjustment-layers-to-tweak.html
GETTING AN AGENT -- Photographers Looking For Agents - Q & A With Deborah Schwartz - One of the top questions photographers ask me is "how do I get an agent" but since I've never been a photographer I really have no clue how you get an agent. So I called up Deborah Schwartz (dsreps.com), an LA agent I used to work with and asked her a few questions.
http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2009/06/04/photographers-looking-for-agents-q-a-with-deborah-schwartz/
RED HOT SYMBOL -- How to Add a Copyright Notice to Your Photos - Legalities aside, adding your copyright notice has the effect of discouraging at least some people from casually downloading and using your images.
http://rising.blackstar.com/how-to-add-a-copyright-notice-to-your-photos.html
TAKEAWAY: The Copyright notice is like the label on a mattress. “Do not destroy under penalty of law.” Few people ever remove it.
WHERE’D THEY GO? Undelete Photos on a Digital Camera - Don't you hate it when you accidentally hit the erase button on your digital camera? Don't panic. Watch this video to learn how to use utilities such as Symantec's Norton, SystemWorks or DataRescue's PhotoRescue to recover pictures from a media card.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/157517/Undelete_Photos_on_a_Digital_Camera.html?tk=rss
STARTING OUT? Turning photography into an online money making income stream... There are several Stock Photography websites that serve various clients like designers, ad agencies and publishers. To begin with find a website that is not too high end. This will ensure you at least a start. Even though you want to make thousands you will be able to build your income stream gradually. http://www.ecommerce-journal.com/articles/16048_turning_photography_into_an_online_money_making_income_stream
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/06/12/colby-cosh-the-careful-calculus-of-acceptable-diversity.aspx
NEW CLOUD TYPE? -- Weird -- Cloud Photos Generate a Storm of Interest - Jane Wiggins is at the center of a new craze over cloud photographs.
http://www.pdnpulse.com/2009/06/weird-cloud-photos-generate-a-storm-of-interest.html
ARE YOU A WALL-MART STOCK PHOTOGRAPHER? The top dog of retail selling is you-know-who. Need I remind you? But have you ever considered how you fit into the big picture of stock photography retail selling?
Like the Wall-Mart approach to retail, have you been photographing anything and everything – and proud of your vast array of subject matter?
If so, you’ve placed yourself in completion with the “Wal-Marts” of the stock photo industry, Getty, Corbis, Alamy, iStock etc.
Can you compete with them and their vast variety of selections?
Consider changing your marketing strategy. Choose what area of subject matter you love photographing and turn your sights on that area tomorrow.
Resist the attempt to add picture-after-picture to your database of unrelated photos.
Don’t be satisfied with “general categories” e.g. Nature, Wildlife, Landscape, Sports, etc. - Why? Because photobuyers don't search general categories, they go several layers down e.g. wetlands, orangutans, Appalachian mountains, field hockey...
Build a deep selection of photos in just one or two specialized areas (that you have a passion for).
Theme-publishers are already waiting for your expertise. Find them on a Google search. –RE
From Rohn Engh
I’ve often been asked, “the successful stock photos are those with people in them, -but how do I get strangers to cooperate and let me take a picture of them?”
Click Here
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NEW APPROACH -- Denver Wedding Photographer Announces Copyright Free Picture Releases. All Pro Portrait Studios is announcing the release of copyrighted material to its customers. This will allow all wedding photography customers to reproduce their wedding pictures at will for anyone they want. In the past, customers needed to purchase all pictures from the photographer because the photographer owned the copyright.
http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=5331&catid=113
EASIER TWITTER POSTING After watching other photo hosts create simple tools for Twitter users to post pictures, Flickr has finally wised up and pushed out its own solution. By divining the popular photo service with access to your Twitter stream, you can now post individual shots there right from Flickr, complete with a fancy Flic.kr shortened URL.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10263894-2.html?tag=mncol
CONTRACTS: Is it a good one? Last week we mentioned Bonnier publishing had purchased (among others) Popular Photography. Bonnier owns 44 major national publications.
To get an idea of some of the guidelines on dealing with a Bonnier publication, such as Sport Fishing magazine, go to: http://www.sportfishingmag.com/article.jsp?ID=22878
You’ll find that if you elect to work with their 44 publications that they will ask for a six months exclusive right to use your photo. They also ask you the right to use your photo in other Bonnier publications as well as related services. This can get murky and it’s your decision to work with them. In our experience here at PhotoSource International we’ve yet to receive any complaints from Bonnier.
Here’s good help to determine if you’re working with a publishing company that provides a good or bad contract.
http://www.asmp.org/commerce/legal/badcontract/index.php
This week on the Kracker Barrel – the discussion is about a possible SCAM letter that photographers are receiving – the questioner is an attorney and representing a photographer, his brother.
Brian Varvin presents his insight. Would you agree ?
http://board.photosource.com
PS If you want to get into the discussion or ask a question, be sure to register (at the top right of the page).
MSN GOES FOR APPEAL. The search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN,(Bing) AOL, etc.) are always looking for traffic to their site – and what better way to appeal to a passerby than an appealing photo? Danita Delimonte is proving you don’t have to be numero uno to have your photos selected by Microsoft. Danita reports: “When they approached us about licensing beautiful, scenic images from around the world for their search homepage (Bing), we were happy to help. This is the second image of ours they've used since they launched a week or so ago.” www.DanitaDelimont.com
GET IN LINE. -- Veer Marketplace Open for Image Submissions - New contributors may upload 10 images for review. Once the images have been vetted and approved, contributors can upload their portfolios. Standard royalty rates per image download range from $0.35 to $7.00, and the subscription royalty rate per image download ranges from $0.20 to $4.00, depending on image size.
http://www.creativepro.com/article/veer-marketplace-open-image-submissions
OLD GOLD - The future of photography is under threat from companies relying
on microstock, warns Corbis' CEO Gary Shenk. He's looking for exceptional
editorial shots instead, he tells Olivier Laurent in an exclusive interview.
http://www.bjp-online.com/public/showPage.html?page=861664
The American Recorder DSCK217 Digital Sensor Cleaning Kit - Deluxe includes three SS17 DIGISWAB applicators that are perfect for cleaning CCD chips and other hard to reach imaging surfaces on SLR Digital Cameras with an APS-C size imaging sensor (that translates to a focal length multiplier of 1.6x), a bottle of UltraPure Optical Cleaning Fluid (0.5 oz.) - an extremely high purity optic cleaning fluid that does not contain any silicone compounds and dries quickly without leaving a residue, and the C02 Duster with three 12 gram gas cartridges that produces a high velocity, residue free stream of Carbon Dioxide gas that will not break down delicate lubricants, inks and dyes in your camera. This deluxe kit also includes a Nylon Travel Bag to hold all of your camera cleaning accessories.
Some appropriate camera models for the DSCK217 Digital Sensor Cleaning Kit include:
· Nikon D1, D1h, D1x
· Canon EOS D30, D60, D70
· Canon EOS Digital Rebel, 10-D
Read More. . .
The Benro A-169M8 Travel Angel Aluminum Tripod with B-0 Ballhead is a professional-quality tripod that uses lightweight high rigidity aluminum alloy with a wall thickness of 1.5mm. In addition, magnesium is used for all die-cast parts. Despite its lower weight, magnesium is more rigid than aluminum, and has the same strength per volume. The tripod comes fully-featured, and is precisely machined to offer the quality and strength demanded by professional photographers.
Travel Angel A-series tripods feature individual leg angle adjustments, anti-rotation leg design, a reversible center column with spring loaded weight hook, anti dust and moisture rubber leg lock grips, and reversible 1/4"-20 to 3/8" mounting threads.
This tripod features a 180° folding mechanism, where the legs totally cover-up the top plate and "spider", and which accommodates the head inside the folded tripod legs. This allows it to fold up to a shorter size.
Read More. . .
TOUGH GUY -- How I Scared the Wits Out of a Copyright Infringer , and Why You Should, Too.
I photographed a super-groovy young actor named Taylor Kitsch at the X-Men Origins: Wolverine premiere in Tempe, Ariz., in April. Taylor is so super-groovy that his fans express their undying love by doing stupid things like breaking the law.
http://bit.ly/M9kH3
WHO OWNS THIS IMAGE? Sen. Orrin Hatch's Remarks at the World Copyright Summit - A copy of Sen. Hatch's remarks are available on IPwatchdog.com. Here are some of Hatch's comments of note, especially regarding his position on the Orphan Works Legislation.
http://www.photoattorney.com/2009/06/sen-orrin-hatchs-remarks-at-world.html
text search for pictures.
Example: If you’ve Googled for an Italian restaurant in a city in Nebraska on your cross-country trip, you know that four or five keywords can save you a lot of time, frustration, and even money, especially if you find a location that’s having a Chicken Scarpariello special.
Very soon, photo researchers in the editorial stock photography field will realize they don’t have to exhaust their eye balls, searching scores or hundreds of images to find the pictures that best illustrate the point their book, magazine article, textbook or brochure is conveying. Second best won’t do anymore – now that “search” is available to them and as close as their computer monitor.
IT’S FREE ADVERTISING
As a stock photographer, will you be prepared? Google charges nothing for someone to come in and search all the keywords on your personal website. Dump loads of keywords in there.* No hierarchy or alphabetical list is necessary. Get them in there as fast as you can. And if you don’t know the correct spelling –put it in there anyway. Often the buyer doesn’t know how to spell it. (I once found 7 ways to spell Muhamed Alli…)
The more keywords -- the sooner, the better. Photo researchers are learning that this valuable worldwide treasury of key words is now available to them to save them time and strife.
The process is simple. The search engine discovers your specific keywords – either on a page devoted to your photo descriptions on your website, or in the meta data portion of the image(s) itself.
Here’s an additional benefit. Thanks to digital delivery, you could also step out your door and take with your high-end digital camera a picture of the subject area your photobuyer requested.
You put a selection of images targeting that photo request into a LightBox and email it to your buyer. He selects which one hits the mark. You, in turn, send them a hi-res file and an invoice. Or if you’re set up for it – they send you their PayPal account number or charge card.
One more thought that you’ve probably realized:… the more keywords you place on your website, the greater your odds of selling your images.
*Don’t repeat the SAME word very often. The Google machine disapproves of this and could send you to the back of the line.
Rohn Engh, veteran stock photographer and best-selling author of “Sell & ReSell Your Photos” and “sellphotos.com,” has helped scores of photographers to sell photos. For access to great information on making money from pictures you like to take, and to receive this free report: “8 Steps to Becoming a Published Photographer,” visit PhotoSource International or call 800 624-0266.
24 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
NUPTIALS ECONOMY SIZE IN CHINA The Largest Global Wedding Photography Exhibition to be Staged in Shanghai in July. The 16th China-Shanghai International Wedding Photographic Exhibition & International Children's Photography, Theme Photography Exhibition
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/The-Largest-Global-Wedding-prnews-4277488726.html?x=0&.v=43
24 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
WHAT DO THESE WORDS
HAVE IN COMMON?
Tier
Layer
String
Level
Echelon
You can generally apply them to a ranking system
Second tier…. Third string… Lower level…
And they often imply they are not the first choice of a given selection of a category.
--------------------
In the photo research industry, however, the reverse is true.
A photo editor prefers the lower level of a search when it comes to selecting a precise image.
The researcher who is looking for a precise (targeted) photo of an orangutan from Borneo will always start at the bottom of this search
Animal
Mammal
Ape
Orangutan
Borneo Orangutan
Borneo orangutan with offspring
Borneo orangutan with two offspring.
If you keyword your images precisely, you have a better chance of coming up on the first page of a Google search. You’ll save the research time, and you’ll also be making a sale!
24 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
We have put together an audio/visual marketing course for you.. that will bring you up to date on all the new ways to sell your photos on the Internet -- right from your home, studio, or office.
Here's this week's excerpt.
- 3.5 minutes
click here:
http://www.photosource.com/lesson/16A/
Reminder: PhotoStockNotes in on vacation over the Fourth of July holiday (June 29th to July 6th).
Happy Holiday!
24 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
CALL FOR PIX “With a Little Help From My Friends” - In Rick Sammon's new book he plans to include a chapter featuring the work of other compact camera shooters: "Cool Compact Camera Shots From the Field."
Rick says, “If you'd like to be in the book, I'd just need a low res shot for now. 72 PPI, 5x7, JPEG. Send to ricksammon@me.com with a quick tip... must have a tip! http://rickrawrulessammon.blogspot.com/2009/06/with-little-help-from-my-friends.html
24 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
A PLACE FOR STORYTELLERS – Pre-Designed Websites For Photojournalists - LiveBooks. Photojournalism goes far beyond the ability to develop websites. It is also home to an international online community of photojournalists, documentary photographers, and photo industry professionals working to keep visual storytelling economically feasible and socially relevant.
http://www.shutterbug.com/news/061509livebook/
CURRENT STATE OF STOCK (shock?) Let’s let Corbis and Getty tell us where corporate stock photography is today and where its going. By Mark Edward Harris. http://www.digitalphotopro.com/business/the-new-face-of-stock-photography.html?start=3
From Agency Uncle:
Q: Uncle Carl: “How can I convince my clients to commission
real photography rather than relying on staid and obvious
stock photography? My team is keen to support and champion
good, local photographers, but we can’t do this while our clients
continually want to use existing stock. One has even gone as
far as searching the image catalogues himself. What can we do?
A: (Uncle Carl Answers): “What’s in it for me?” that’s what your client is thinking. Demonstrate a benefit, a financial benefit, does it cost more or less? Will it increase his sales? Could he charge more for his product or service with better photography? Perhaps there is a brand benefit, will it make his products look less TK Maxx and more White Company? Would it make his service stand out from the competition or reflect the aspirations of his prospects? Vox pop customers or prospects and show them the same piece of work with two different styles of photography and decide if the products or services somehow look more desirable.
You can try and push a donkey into a barn all day long and fail, or you can lead him there with a carrot – so stop pushing him you ass and work out what your Donkeys…sorry, clients ‘carrot’ is.
http://www.thedrum.co.uk/indepth/1850-agency-agony-uncle
24 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
GERMAN INVASION -- German Telecom Enters Microstock with Polylooks - There's a new player in the microstock game. Polylooks is the name of the first German microstock agency powered by Deutsche Telekom AG (German Telecom) launched on June 3rd 2009. The agency is working with another German picture agency, Zoonar who have provided over 125.000 images to launch Polylooks.
http://www.microstockdiaries.com/german-telecom-enters-microstock-with-polylooks.html
24 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
IT’S HOW YOU LOOK AT IT. – Scott says, “How to Stop Bloggers from Hotlinking to Your Images - While it's valuable to understand your recourse under the law, it can be just as useful to know how to use technology to protect your content. In fact, in some instances, technology may be your only real option."
http://rising.blackstar.com/how-to-stop-bloggers-from-hotlinking-to-your-images.html
TAKEAWAY: Do you object to a blog or website using one of your photos on their site? Well, if the site includes a credit line and it’s an upstanding site in your niche area – you can benefit by the free publicity. But what if it’s a porn site or a place that’s espousing stuff that’s contrary to your way of thinking? As the man said, “The Internet can help create a more informed electorate and encourage greater participation in our democratic process.” So there..... you make your own judgment on Hotlinks. –
24 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
First Light Video - Understanding Lighting for Video, Film and Photography - This fast-paced program covers the importance of light for quality images in any medium.
Includes dozens of creative tips for using natural light, existing interior light, standard lighting fixtures and professional lighting equipment. Also covers the use of gels, reflectors, filters, and other tools to create interesting images and programs.
Read More. . .
Lights, Digital Camera - iNovaFX Actions are grouped in categories.
Repairs: Some make corrections to image flaws, such as barrel distortion correction or white balance errors. Others brush away blown pixels from long exposures.
Conversions: Convert photos into convincing oil paintings, realistic watercolors, graphic cartoons and precision airbrush illustrations. One even converts the image into a Japanese wood block styled print circa 1880 on textured rice paper. A few will age your shot 150 years.
Borders: A whole series that surrounds your image in film. Film borders from roll film, 4x5 sheet film, accurate 35mm single chips of film and 35mm filmstrips in slide and movie formats are produced in seconds.
Glass Filter Effects: Add filters to your images that previously required glass. Polarize the blue sky. Add a grad (gradation) filter. Mount any of ten cross star filters. Force a vignette. Produce a plausible infrared B&W effect from a normal color shot. Add a diffusion filter. You can even add a rainbow halo filter effect with Photoshop CS2 and CS3.
Enhancements: Dig into the tonalities of images to bring up shadow detail, get rid of noise, smooth skin texture or to produce unprecedented tonal range. iNovaFX enhancements preserve the maximum photographic detail.
Sheer Magic: The butterflies on the eBook cover come from an Action that turns ANY image into this striking graphic. Kids love to have their faces made into butterfly wings.
Bigger than Photoshop: A whole series takes the ideas behind Photoshop's standard Filters and turns them into expanded tools you can apply with a single button click. Photoshop is only the starting place for over a hundred new and finely-tuned PS Filter effects.
Read More. . .
Exposure and Lighting for Digital Photographers Only - Even with digital cameras and automatic exposure, lighting and exposure remain the most difficult element to master in the quest for quality photography.
Written by a professional photographer for photographers, this book provides real-world advice to help photographers achieve true creative control over lighting and exposure.
It includes scores of lighting diagrams, techniques, and stunning full-color photographs showing readers how to take their digital photos to the next level.
The Photo Marketing Association International (PMA) estimates that about 20 million digital cameras were sold in 2005, accounting for 82 percent of total camera sale.
Read More. . .
24 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
ORPHAN STORM WARNING - Three storms in fact: the US, UK and EC are preparing to legislate imminently. Add several more when you consider the not-unrelated pressure for libraries to be able to digitize and distribute
works freely. Then there is the whole Google Books fait accompli, where Google has strongarmed book digitizing rights then made a settlement that is now an offer authors cannot refuse.
http://copyrightaction.com/forum/orphan-storm-warning
STILL NOT GETTING’ IT RIGHT. Copyright, that is. The High Tech Law Institute and the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology recently co-sponsored a symposium on the 100th Anniversary of the 1909 Copyright Act. Two dozen scholars and practitioners, discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the 1909 Act and its effect on U.S. and international copyright law. Conference materials are now available online.
http://www.photoattorney.com/2009/06/100th-anniversary-of-1909-copyright-act.html
24 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
a video for you. . . (2 minutes)
The Fourth of July holiday is coming up soon.
Watch for our special sale.
If the expiration number on your PhotoStockNOTES issue says it’s time to renew . . .
Well, … don’t miss a single issue.Sign up on our NEW order form.
Here’s my 2-minute video that tells all about the savings you’ll make.
https://www.photosource.com/cart/psnsale.php
--Rohn
PS Next week PhotoSource International is on vacation.
23 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
NO PICTURES: Iran has officially banned foreign media. As more and more demonstrations continue in Iran over the disputed election, the government there has officially banned all foreign media coverage.
http://bit.ly/ATZx5
TAKEAWAY: It has been reported that one Iran-American organization, in order to document the demonstrations, has distributed 45,000 “pencil cameras” in Iran to sympathizers of the minority “Green” faction. Example of the pencil camera is at http://www.dogcamsport.co.uk/
GETTING ROUGH IN IRAN -- Photographer in Tehran Says Iranian Officials Harassing Journalists - A European photographer who was arrested in Tehran, Iran, on Tuesday was not subjected to violence, but says, "other colleagues have not had such good luck." Speaking to PDN (Photo District News) by phone Wednesday night, the photographer says other journalists described being beaten and having their cameras and memory cards destroyed.
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/content_display/photo-news/photojournalism/e3i405cd9674fbdfea5776666eb99d4680b
HANDS UP! -- In England, Home Office refuses to disclose stop-and-search information - The Home Office has rejected a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the British Journal of Photography regarding the disclosure of a list of all areas where police officers are authorized to stop and search photographers under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
http://www.bjp-online.com/public/showPage.html?page=860677
23 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
RUSSIA – 100 YEARS AG). -- In 1909 a remarkable project was initiated by Russian photographer Sergey Mikhaylovich Prokudin-Gorsky. His mission was to record - in full and vibrant color - the vast and diverse Russian Empire. Here, with his story, is a selection of his amazing century old full color pictures. http://bit.ly/2qCIpe
23 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
SAFE MEMORY -- Kingston Technology Company, Inc. has announced the release of the DataTraveler® 200 (DT200), the world's first 128GB USB Flash drive. The large capacity along with password protection gives users the flexibility to carry critical data with them at all times in a very small form factor.
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0906/09061702kingston128gbusb.asp?from=rss
23 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
"I continue to enjoy your newsletter and find it very relevant and useful."
- Rich Clarkson, Photographer, publisher
23 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Malick Sidibe, a Malian photographer was awarded recently the top prize at PhotoEspana, Spain's biggest international photography festival, for his "exceptional abilities as a portraitist."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090622/wl_africa_afp/entertainmentartphotographyfestivalprizespainmali_20090622182601
COOL-ING PHOTOS -- COOLING towers emit nothing more than steam and yet, in Bruce Wodder’s photographs, they transmit an ominous feeling. There’s something about their size and shape — that wide mouth atop a curved cylinder, like a giant piece of pottery on the wheel — that creates an imposing presence on the landscape.
http://centraljersey.com/articles/2009/06/19/time_off/entertainment_news/doc4a3968c05387b353309196.txt
23 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Aspen Photo Workshops (www.aspenphotoworkshops.com) of Bend, Oregon, will be conducting a seminar designed specifically for outdoors and nature photographers. This three day event will take place at Ruby’s Lodge in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah from November 5th – 8th and cover a wide range of subjects important to today’s nature photographers including what sells and what doesn’t, marketing and self promotion, pricing photography and licensing models, stock agencies and web strategies.
Speakers include three well-established professionals with extensive resumes:
Charlie Borland, Gary Crabbe, and Marv Johnson. Early bird pricing is effective through July 15th, 2009.
http://pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=226981&Itemid=28
23 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
"Television news is like a lightning flash. It makes a loud noise, lights up everything around it, leaves everything else in darkness and then is
suddenly gone."
Hodding Carter
23 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
1815 – June 11th – Julia Margaret Cameron was born in Calcutta, India. She taught herself photography at age 48 and began exhibiting her work one year later. Cameron was one of the first to experiment with soft focus portraits, to achieve a more expressive image. She bucked criticism of their approach from her peers, who thought she lacked understanding of sharp focus. She stuck to her guns, and today her style is emulated by many sensitive portraitists. Her subjects included Sir John Herschel, Alfred Tennyson and Charles Darwin. Julia Cameron was inducted into the International Photography Hall of fame in 1984.
23 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Joel Librizzi passed away. Librizzi, who documented life in the Berkshires for more than 40 years, died June 15, 2009. He photographed Ted Kennedy sailing Pontoosuc Lake with a young Caroline Kennedy, and a teenage John F. Kennedy Jr. skiing at Jiminy Peak. He shot Norman Rockwell, Tiny Tim and Richard Nixon, to name a few. http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_12599468
17 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
- - - - - - - - - - - -
June 18th 2009
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
17 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
I’ve Changed My Opinion
By Rohn Engh
As a marketing consultant in this wide world of stock photography for many years, yes, I’ve changed my opinion. I no longer think it’s misguided of persons wanting to sell their photography to the publishing industry to over and over again take pictures of anything and everything, thinking they can try to sell what they perceived as a good photo, whatever its content.
That system of adding new photos to their stock photography files is not misguided; now I think it’s downright not smart.
The new era of digital image search and purchase we’ve slid into this past decade reinforces my new opinion.
Does the shoe fit? Are you still broadsiding on weekend shoots, your vacation, or you’re slamming on the brakes in the car when you think you’ve spotted that blockbuster, award-winning photo –stop. Your chances of getting that photo to the masses, or even the elite, are about as good as winning the lottery, or hitting the casino million-dollar bell-ringer in Las Vegas.
There’s a much more effective way to accomplish consistent sales of your work and making it more likely to even hit a big winner now and then.
And it’s not difficult.
If your photos are not selling, the problem is not that your photos aren’t good. It’s your basic strategy that’s off the beam.
The truth of the matter is, you probably already have a “blockbuster” photo in your database that a photo editor is looking for at this moment.
But, it’s not a blockbuster for an art contest, or an exhibition, but rather a work-a-day blockbuster at the cash register.
The secret to building sales in today’s digital world is to focus your approach Change from trying to sell everything… to selling one thing. Build contacts with targeted markets and get known by the buyers as a dependable resource with coverage in depth in the subject area they need, which is a subject area you love to photograph in.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The buyers are waiting for you.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The buyers are waiting for you.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Everyone has at least one special interest area, an interest area of great passion. Don’t indulge yourself in snapping at everything from the hip. Instead calculatingly make opportunities for yourself to take pictures, – lots of them -in your main interest area. Right now, photo editors in that same interest area are eager to buy your results.
You’ll find your sales will grow.
Don’t ask me to convince you of this, ask the market.
How?
Ask it.
Go into Google or any popular search engine, and in the search bar enter one of your interest areas.
Make a case study. Let’s say you enter, model ships.
PRETEND YOU ARE A PHOTOBUYER
Put yourself in the photobuyer’s shoes. If you were publishing a magazine article that required a photo of a model ship, to find the source of the photo, you’d type in
photo model ship
You’ll see that when you type in
photo model ship
up pops several pages on the subject.
If model ship-building were a passion for you, you can see how you are missing the boat (sorry!) if you don’t roll up your sleeves and start building a deep collection of photos of your and your friends’ model ships, and a museum’s model ships, and wherever else you can find them. You’re an expert on model ships. You’ll know where to seek them out in your travels.
Want to read more of this article?
Click Here
17 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
Disneyland!
So, we were visiting Disneyland here on the West Coast, (can’t remember the last time), and every so often I’d spot a commercial photographer wearing a vest, digital camera, and even a tripod sometimes. These people were Disney cast members willing to take your picture for free.
But what caught my eye was the cord running from the camera to a small box at waist level with an antenna sticking up from it.
So, I had to ask. The deal: They offer to take your photo for free(or you can ask.) Then they give you a little plastic card with a PIN number on it. Within a couple of hours, your photo is up on a secure website that is accessible using the PIN number on your "photopass."
You could probably also access the site right from your iPhone (or similar product) before you even leave Disneyland. You’re then able to buy souvenier prints and other products.
Now that’s technology! Depending on the nature of your own stock photography business, such wireless technology could be useful. Got any ideas?
Did You Miss It?
Just thought I’d write about this for history’s sake. If you receive your TV signal via satellite, cable, or fiber, you probably missed it. Friday, June 12, was the absolute final day for analog television signal transmission over the airwaves (the previous date of 2/17/09 was extended).
For the most part, if you’re using an older analog-only TV attached to an antenna, all you’ll get is snow on the TV screen (newer TVs are required to have digital tuners built-in). To continue to receive over-the-air signals with an older TV, you have to get a converter box. And thanks to the Stimulus Bill, Congress authorized more money for the converter box coupon program, which provides a $40 discount coupon for approved converter boxes (and there are lots of choices, retail and mail-order). Full details at www.dtv2009.gov Coupons are still available, and if you applied once before and let your coupon expire (they are valid for 90 days from mailing), you can re-apply. If you are reading this is 2025, I thought it might be interesting to tell your grandchildren what the ol’ analog TV was like back in 2009.
You Saw It Where?
Why, in Prague, of course. But you live in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. There it was: A huge storefront advertisement using your family’s Christmas photo!
Neither you nor the photographer had given permission for such use. And you didn’t know a thing about it till your friend sent you a photo of the store. What? How?
Well, the family in the photo used their picture as a Christmas card last year and sent it to family, friends and (you knew this was coming, didn’t you?), uploaded it to the Internet on their blog plus a couple of social networking sites (Twitter, FaceBook, etc.)
Well, the store in Prague, in eastern Europe, got the photo "from the Internet" and assumed it was computer-generated. Uh-huh.
Upon learning more about the photo, the shop owner took measures to remove the ad. All’s well in the end, but is it really the end?
Now you can understand the Internet problem of what’s being called “orphan photos” – pictures on the Internet whose ownership is unknown. The Library of Congress, in Washington, DC, where copyright issues are attempted to be resolved, is advising Congress on how this “ownership” problem can be resolved. But they’re having little progress.
In the interim, one way you can help is to include what’s called “photo metadata” (imbedded digitally along with each photo) along with each of your images. The information can include your name as the copyright owner.
Bill Hopkins is the Webmaster of PhotoSourceFolio* (www.photosourcefolio.com) and a regular contributor to PhotoStockNotes. Send comments via e-mail to wh[at]photosourcefolio[dot]com. Fax: 1 818 831-0916. For on-line questions, contact Bill on the Kracker Barrel at < www.photosource.com/board >.
*Display 6 of your own images for photobuyers to view, on your page on the PhotoSource website.
17 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
LAYERS -- Using Adjustment Layers to Tweak Your Photos...
it's the ability to edit photos in layers that separates digital
photography from old-school film photography.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/061509-using-adjustment-layers-to-tweak.html
GETTING AN AGENT -- Photographers Looking For Agents - Q & A With Deborah Schwartz - One of the top questions photographers ask me is "how do I get an agent" but since I've never been a photographer I really have no clue how you get an agent. So I called up Deborah Schwartz (dsreps.com), an LA agent I used to work with and asked her a few questions.
http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2009/06/04/photographers-looking-for-agents-q-a-with-deborah-schwartz/
RED HOT SYMBOL -- How to Add a Copyright Notice to Your Photos - Legalities aside, adding your copyright notice has the effect of discouraging at least some people from casually downloading and using your images.
http://rising.blackstar.com/how-to-add-a-copyright-notice-to-your-photos.html
TAKEAWAY: The Copyright notice is like the label on a mattress. “Do not destroy under penalty of law.” Few people ever remove it.
WHERE’D THEY GO? Undelete Photos on a Digital Camera - Don't you hate it when you accidentally hit the erase button on your digital camera? Don't panic. Watch this video to learn how to use utilities such as Symantec's Norton, SystemWorks or DataRescue's PhotoRescue to recover pictures from a media card.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/157517/Undelete_Photos_on_a_Digital_Camera.html?tk=rss
STARTING OUT? Turning photography into an online money making income stream... There are several Stock Photography websites that serve various clients like designers, ad agencies and publishers. To begin with find a website that is not too high end. This will ensure you at least a start. Even though you want to make thousands you will be able to build your income stream gradually. http://www.ecommerce-journal.com/articles/16048_turning_photography_into_an_online_money_making_income_stream
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/06/12/colby-cosh-the-careful-calculus-of-acceptable-diversity.aspx
17 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
NEW CLOUD TYPE? -- Weird -- Cloud Photos Generate a Storm of Interest - Jane Wiggins is at the center of a new craze over cloud photographs.
http://www.pdnpulse.com/2009/06/weird-cloud-photos-generate-a-storm-of-interest.html
17 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
ARE YOU A WALL-MART STOCK PHOTOGRAPHER? The top dog of retail selling is you-know-who. Need I remind you? But have you ever considered how you fit into the big picture of stock photography retail selling?
Like the Wall-Mart approach to retail, have you been photographing anything and everything – and proud of your vast array of subject matter?
If so, you’ve placed yourself in completion with the “Wal-Marts” of the stock photo industry, Getty, Corbis, Alamy, iStock etc.
Can you compete with them and their vast variety of selections?
Consider changing your marketing strategy. Choose what area of subject matter you love photographing and turn your sights on that area tomorrow.
Resist the attempt to add picture-after-picture to your database of unrelated photos.
Don’t be satisfied with “general categories” e.g. Nature, Wildlife, Landscape, Sports, etc. - Why? Because photobuyers don't search general categories, they go several layers down e.g. wetlands, orangutans, Appalachian mountains, field hockey...
Build a deep selection of photos in just one or two specialized areas (that you have a passion for).
Theme-publishers are already waiting for your expertise. Find them on a Google search. –RE
17 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
From Rohn Engh
I’ve often been asked, “the successful stock photos are those with people in them, -but how do I get strangers to cooperate and let me take a picture of them?”
This Lesson is an excerpt from my
e-Course, “How To Take the Marketable
Photo on Lesson Number 20.
e-Course, “How To Take the Marketable
Photo on Lesson Number 20.
Click Here
------------------------==================--------------
17 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
NEW APPROACH -- Denver Wedding Photographer Announces Copyright Free Picture Releases. All Pro Portrait Studios is announcing the release of copyrighted material to its customers. This will allow all wedding photography customers to reproduce their wedding pictures at will for anyone they want. In the past, customers needed to purchase all pictures from the photographer because the photographer owned the copyright.
http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=5331&catid=113
EASIER TWITTER POSTING After watching other photo hosts create simple tools for Twitter users to post pictures, Flickr has finally wised up and pushed out its own solution. By divining the popular photo service with access to your Twitter stream, you can now post individual shots there right from Flickr, complete with a fancy Flic.kr shortened URL.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10263894-2.html?tag=mncol
CONTRACTS: Is it a good one? Last week we mentioned Bonnier publishing had purchased (among others) Popular Photography. Bonnier owns 44 major national publications.
To get an idea of some of the guidelines on dealing with a Bonnier publication, such as Sport Fishing magazine, go to: http://www.sportfishingmag.com/article.jsp?ID=22878
You’ll find that if you elect to work with their 44 publications that they will ask for a six months exclusive right to use your photo. They also ask you the right to use your photo in other Bonnier publications as well as related services. This can get murky and it’s your decision to work with them. In our experience here at PhotoSource International we’ve yet to receive any complaints from Bonnier.
Here’s good help to determine if you’re working with a publishing company that provides a good or bad contract.
http://www.asmp.org/commerce/legal/badcontract/index.php
17 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
This week on the Kracker Barrel – the discussion is about a possible SCAM letter that photographers are receiving – the questioner is an attorney and representing a photographer, his brother.
Brian Varvin presents his insight. Would you agree ?
http://board.photosource.com
PS If you want to get into the discussion or ask a question, be sure to register (at the top right of the page).
17 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
MSN GOES FOR APPEAL. The search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN,(Bing) AOL, etc.) are always looking for traffic to their site – and what better way to appeal to a passerby than an appealing photo? Danita Delimonte is proving you don’t have to be numero uno to have your photos selected by Microsoft. Danita reports: “When they approached us about licensing beautiful, scenic images from around the world for their search homepage (Bing), we were happy to help. This is the second image of ours they've used since they launched a week or so ago.” www.DanitaDelimont.com
GET IN LINE. -- Veer Marketplace Open for Image Submissions - New contributors may upload 10 images for review. Once the images have been vetted and approved, contributors can upload their portfolios. Standard royalty rates per image download range from $0.35 to $7.00, and the subscription royalty rate per image download ranges from $0.20 to $4.00, depending on image size.
http://www.creativepro.com/article/veer-marketplace-open-image-submissions
17 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
OLD GOLD - The future of photography is under threat from companies relying
on microstock, warns Corbis' CEO Gary Shenk. He's looking for exceptional
editorial shots instead, he tells Olivier Laurent in an exclusive interview.
http://www.bjp-online.com/public/showPage.html?page=861664
17 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
The American Recorder DSCK217 Digital Sensor Cleaning Kit - Deluxe includes three SS17 DIGISWAB applicators that are perfect for cleaning CCD chips and other hard to reach imaging surfaces on SLR Digital Cameras with an APS-C size imaging sensor (that translates to a focal length multiplier of 1.6x), a bottle of UltraPure Optical Cleaning Fluid (0.5 oz.) - an extremely high purity optic cleaning fluid that does not contain any silicone compounds and dries quickly without leaving a residue, and the C02 Duster with three 12 gram gas cartridges that produces a high velocity, residue free stream of Carbon Dioxide gas that will not break down delicate lubricants, inks and dyes in your camera. This deluxe kit also includes a Nylon Travel Bag to hold all of your camera cleaning accessories.
Some appropriate camera models for the DSCK217 Digital Sensor Cleaning Kit include:
· Nikon D1, D1h, D1x
· Canon EOS D30, D60, D70
· Canon EOS Digital Rebel, 10-D
Read More. . .
The Benro A-169M8 Travel Angel Aluminum Tripod with B-0 Ballhead is a professional-quality tripod that uses lightweight high rigidity aluminum alloy with a wall thickness of 1.5mm. In addition, magnesium is used for all die-cast parts. Despite its lower weight, magnesium is more rigid than aluminum, and has the same strength per volume. The tripod comes fully-featured, and is precisely machined to offer the quality and strength demanded by professional photographers.
Travel Angel A-series tripods feature individual leg angle adjustments, anti-rotation leg design, a reversible center column with spring loaded weight hook, anti dust and moisture rubber leg lock grips, and reversible 1/4"-20 to 3/8" mounting threads.
This tripod features a 180° folding mechanism, where the legs totally cover-up the top plate and "spider", and which accommodates the head inside the folded tripod legs. This allows it to fold up to a shorter size.
Read More. . .
17 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn
TOUGH GUY -- How I Scared the Wits Out of a Copyright Infringer , and Why You Should, Too.
I photographed a super-groovy young actor named Taylor Kitsch at the X-Men Origins: Wolverine premiere in Tempe, Ariz., in April. Taylor is so super-groovy that his fans express their undying love by doing stupid things like breaking the law.
http://bit.ly/M9kH3
WHO OWNS THIS IMAGE? Sen. Orrin Hatch's Remarks at the World Copyright Summit - A copy of Sen. Hatch's remarks are available on IPwatchdog.com. Here are some of Hatch's comments of note, especially regarding his position on the Orphan Works Legislation.
http://www.photoattorney.com/2009/06/sen-orrin-hatchs-remarks-at-world.html