25 Aug, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes



WORK FOR FREE -- “Have I Told You How HUGE This Opportunity Is? - This kind of thing is usually relegated to the lower realms of photography but it’s nice to see Advertising Agency Latcha and Associates would like to include car photographers by seeing if they will shoot samples on spec. From their “Shoot A Sample” brief.” SOURCE: Rob Haggart. http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2010/08/19/have-i-told-you-how-huge-this-opportunity-is/
TAKEAWAY: An insight again. Commercial stock photography can be the wrong road to take. Stick with the editorial stock photography markets. The ride is smooth and you’ll be working with people who speak your language.


OVERVIEW -- The evolution of stock photography: The merging of traditional and micro - The Stock Photography Market is in transition; Will the future see our stock photo revenue be coming or going?
SOURCE: John Lund. http://www.fastmediamagazine.com/blog/2010/08/17/the-evolution-of-stock-photography-the-merging-of-traditional-and-micro/
TAKEAWAY: Making “better” pictures isn’t the answer. Making a better search system for finding the picture you are searching for is the solution.

ROAD KILL -- “Anderson/Wolff: “Did you see this coming? The web is dead –“ Chris Anderson, editor in chief of Wired magazine and journalist Michael Wolff are declaring the web dead. That is, the web as we know it. They propose that the open nature of the web where people find information through search engines is giving way to a more controlled version where companies merely use the web’s infrastructure to ‘cordon off’ areas that they control. http://www.fastmediamagazine.com/blog/2010/08/18/did-you-see-this-coming-the-web-is-dead/
TAKEAWAY: “Cordon Off?”..?… Isn’t that what medievale towns and cities used to do to keep the riff-raff out only to later discover they also cut the free flow of commerce development?



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18 Aug, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes



WHAT IS GREAT? Six Reasons That Great Photos Alone Won't Make You a Success - Before falling for the line that shooting lots of "great" images leads to commercial success, keep in mind these six basic principles of the photography business.
http://rising.blackstar.com/six-reasons-that-great-photos-alone-wont-make-you-a-success.html
TAKEAWAY: Topic is stock photography. Whatever the mythical “great” stock photo is… aside, photobuyers buy what they need, not what they like. Their cubicle walls are displayed with “great” photos but they are signing checks for pictures they need.
More and more photo researchers are using the power of “SEARCH” to find the pictures they need using ‘long-tail’ keywords. (multiple tags)… More and more photographers are learning how to tag their images and reaping the sales benefits.
This all filters down to a new concept in selling and re-selling stock: the realization of the hidden expense of finding the ‘right photo’ on a microstock site. Buyers are finding it’s becoming more productive (and fast, time is money) to go right to the source of an independent specialized photographer for their on-target need and stop wasting time, wearing out eyeballs in on-line galleries. So get out there and tag those photos! --RE


SELF DESTRUCT -- Scott Bourne: “Self-Sabotage," Don't sabotage yourself. There are plenty of other people out there just waiting to do that for you. Don't give them the satisfaction of doing it to yourself. http://goingpro2010.com/?p=809


YOUR CHOICE -- Why Selling “All Rights” Is Wrong for Your Photography Business. John Harrington: I recently had a distinctly unpleasant conversation with a client who called me after his subordinate had contracted me for an assignment. The contract included a standard rights package. The client began the call by referencing the agreement and asked, “We do own all rights to these photos, right?” http://rising.blackstar.com/why-selling-all-rights-is-wrong-for-your-photography-business.html

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11 Aug, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes




GOING DOWNHILL? -- P.M.: ”The Era of Diminished Expectations in Photography - Today's photography market is flooded with functional images that wash over us without impact. They may do the "trick" for cash-crunched art directors and editors - but they have no magic. They are "good enough" images at a time when being "good enough" seems to be all that matters.” http://rising.blackstar.com/the-era-of-diminished-expectations-in-photography.html
TAKEAWAY: Don’t despair. No one’s expectations are being or getting diminished unless you let them. P.M.’s bemusing lines sound like your parents when Elvis came on the scene, or the Beatles. They got through it. We’ll get through this one too.


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04 Aug, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes



ALASKA EXPERIENCE -- Daniel said he was a photographer. He gazed out over the water, and had an ethereal calm in his voice. At first I thought it had to do with the taciturnity I imagined all Alaskans possessed, or with the state's mythically loose marijuana laws. Then he told me the story of his most recent photo shoot.
SOURCE: Richard Radford; Capital City Weekly.
http://www.capitalcityweekly.com/stories/080410/new_690706098.shtml


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27 Jul, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes



GOOD ENOUGH? -- What happens when people are asked to perform the same task for less compensation they are used to receiving ? Well, they use the same skills they have always used but in less time, as they try to augment the number of jobs they can perform, in order to increase their revenue ( or at least keep them flat). Thus, they come out with more or less the same product or service, but just less worked upon. It carries less quality, less commitment, less attention to details. http://blog.melchersystem.com/2010/07/22/in-search-of-goodenough/

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14 Jul, 2010 | Posted by: Alec



IF YOU DON’T SUCCEED -- Want To Make A Better Photograph? Do It Again – Scott Bourne says, this is simple, short advice that has served him well. “If I have ever made an image that didn’t rock my world, I found the simplest and surest way to solve that problem was to do it again. This won’t work for lots of categories like weddings, one-time sporting events, etc. But if you are making a product shot, illustration, fine-art nude, landscape, or anything you can repeat, go back and try again.” http://photofocus.com/2010/07/06/want-to-make-a-better-photograph-do-it-again/

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30 Jun, 2010 | Posted by: psnotes



CLIMBING UPWARDS -- Ten Things To Help You Build Your Confidence as a Photographer - Many photographers seem to be more limited by low self confidence than their gear or their location or their skill set. If you don’t believe in yourself, how do you expect to convince clients to hire you? SOURCE: Scott http://goingpro2010.com/?p=525



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02 Jun, 2010 | Posted by: psn



MUSCLE POWER -- Don't Give Up Hope Against Photography's Dark Forces - Time Inc., the biggest publisher of magazines in the world, recently made an agreement with the AP, Reuters and Getty Images to license any and all non-exclusive images at a flat rate of $50, regardless of size or placement. What does this mean for the media business, and for photographers? http://rising.blackstar.com/dont-give-up-hope-against-photographys-dark-forces.html
TAKEAWAY: That's a lot of words put to complaining. -suffering, afraid, damaging, slash, burn, destroying, dark forces, boring banality, slime, rotten, miserable, polluted, mediocrity, self-sucking, black hole., destroy, fed up, regurgitated, dull… The author could put all that energy to better use. For example: why not come up with an idea(s) to fix the situation? -Rohn


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26 May, 2010 | Posted by: psn



PRIVACY ISN'T EVERYTHING -- The latest push to regulate the Internet wants to save people from what they say about themselves on social media sites. But with Facebook approaching 500 million users, the people have spoken. Whatever our views about privacy used to be, social media sites have radically changed our expectations. Facebook has been around for only six years, since Mark Zuckerberg founded the service in his Harvard dorm room. He thinks social media have changed how we think about information. "People have really gotten comfortable not only sharing more information and different kinds, but more openly and with more people," he said at a technology conference earlier this year. "That social norm is just something that has evolved over time." SOURCE: GORDON CROVITZ. Wall Street Journal http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704546304575260470054326304.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_opinion


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25 May, 2010 | Posted by: psn



PRIVACY ISN'T EVERYTHING -- The latest push to regulate the Internet wants to save people from what they say about themselves on social media sites. But with Facebook approaching 500 million users, the people have spoken. Whatever our views about privacy used to be, social media sites have radically changed our expectations. Facebook has been around for only six years, since Mark Zuckerberg founded the service in his Harvard dorm room. He thinks social media have changed how we think about information. "People have really gotten comfortable not only sharing more information and different kinds, but more openly and with more people," he said at a technology conference earlier this year. "That social norm is just something that has evolved over time." SOURCE: GORDON CROVITZ. Wall Street Journal

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704546304575260470054326304.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_opinion


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19 May, 2010 | Posted by: psn



CHASING ORIGINALITY -- John Lund: “Few things can be as rewarding for a photographer as the vigorous pursuit of creativity (love that phrase...read it in the latest issue of CA). Creativity is key to creating work that stands apart from the vast ocean of images and subsequently has value both in terms of monetary gain and in terms of personal satisfaction.” http://blog.johnlund.com/2010/05/in-vigorous-pursuit-of-creativity.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+johnlund%2FUkbR+%28The+Stock+Photo+Guy+-+John+Lund+Stock+Photographer%29


WHERETO FROM HERE? -- The Bohemian: “What we are witnessing are the first final steps of those who wanted to be giants who will collapse on their own weight. Because, once you have reached critical mass, once you have cornered every major aspect of this market, there is only one way to go.”
TAKEAWAY: Maybe the stock photography organizations will experience a downfall. However, "Crumble" is in the forecast for the “generalists”agencies. But for specialized stock photo agencies and independent stock photographers the direction will be always be upwards, thanks to sophisticated search engines. -RE
http://blog.melchersystem.com/



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28 Apr, 2010 | Posted by: psn



IMAGE CHANGER? -- How Using Microstock Can Damage Your Image. Ever since the Editor of Time magazine announced that a front cover of his magazine had been bought from a microstock company for a few dollars, photographers have heralded this event as the start of the end of their profession.
SOURCE: Paul Williams http://www.funkystock.eu/news/?p=373



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14 Apr, 2010 | Posted by: psn



FIRING LINE -- Let’s Not Abandon Photography to the “Experts” – David Saxe recently attended a portfolio review where he had his work critiqued by 20 curators, gallery owners and publishers. In addition to receiving their feedback on his work, he learned two interesting things about the people who did the reviewing: They couldn’t agree on what makes a good photograph. They cared more about whether photographs belonged in a group together than they did about the merits of individual photographs. Source:David Saxe; http://rising.blackstar.com/lets-not-abandon-photography-to-the-experts.html


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07 Apr, 2010 | Posted by: psn



POINT OF VIEW -- Does nationality affect documentary photography?
Do Chinese and Western photographers document the same China through
their photos? http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/arts/x1664783010/Does-nationality-affect-documentary-photography

DON’T WORRY, PHOTOGRAPHY STILL RULES. Pros and Amateurs Debate: Is Photography in Trouble? The New York Times Story on the troubles professional photographers are facing drew a lot of reader mail. Some amateur photographers said, basically, good riddance to the pros. Some professionals said that they were struggling; others thought the story overstated the problem. STEPHANIE CLIFFORD; New York TIMES.
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/pros-and-amateurs-debate-is-photography-in-trouble/


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10 Mar, 2010 | Posted by: psn



DON’T’ FORGET VISION -- Forget software skills-its vision that’s important for photographers. Wayne FordI won`t go so far as to say that software shouldn't be taught in college. But I do think the balance has been tilted toward too much focus on technical proficiencies and too little on core skills, such as the development of vision and storytelling ability. SOURCE: Wayne Ford; BLACKSTAR RISING. http://rising.blackstar.com/forget-software-skills-its-vision-thats-important-for-photographers.html


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24 Feb, 2010 | Posted by: psn




THE WAY WE ARE At the Olympics we are seeing the new phenomenon of self-evidence photography. “I was there. Here’s proof.” And why not? In the opening day of the parade of the Olympiads, the athletes had as many flashing cameras as the audience. taking a picture of the event. And this brings the question: “Does experiencing an event without photographing it render more value to the person than snapping away with your camera?”
Hint: Is the fish story more entertaining to the fisherperson than the actual picture of the catch itself.?


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17 Feb, 2010 | Posted by: psn



GET WITH IT -- If You Can’t Be Original, You Should at Least Be Honest - What Peter Phun finds disturbing is that some beginning photographers don’t seem to value originality. In fact, they don’t even understand the difference between learning photography and creating photography. They think that snapping a shutter is what photography is about. http://rising.blackstar.com/if-you-cant-be-original-you-should-at-least-be-honest.html



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09 Feb, 2010 | Posted by: psn



GETTING CONFIDENT -- Gaining, and Keeping, Your Confidence - Tiffany Joyce is betting she’s not the only photographer out there who thought they were pretty good, until they saw a photograph taken by someone else that just blew them away, and they thought, “I’ll never be as good as that.” Here are some thoughts on gaining, and keeping, your confidence.
http://www.beyondmegapixels.com/2010/02/gaining-and-keeping-your-confidence/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BeyondMegapixels+%28Beyond+Megapixels%29



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03 Feb, 2010 | Posted by: psn




MOVE ON -- Is it that gloomy out there? A 54-year-old photographer has maintained his business, in part, by shooting rodeos - a genre filled with fervent fans and specialty publications willing to pay for quality work. Survival will increasingly depend on such niche-mining, since the stopper won't ever be put back in the stock photography bottle.
SOURCE: JAMES RAINEY / Los Angeles Times http://www.adn.com/24hour/opinions/story/1105488.html
TAKEAWAY: Yes, the gloom is out there if you continue to use the old model to survive in stock photography. But switch to a specialized field, one that you love being in, and stick with that niche. The buyers will come to you, and they’ll not be from down the street, but from addresses world-wide. –RE

DESTROYING SELF-DOUBT -- Don’t Let Self-Doubt Hold Back Your Photography Business - If you are a new professional photographer or new to a different photographic genre, you most likely have some doubts about your ability. It’s not only a common feeling, but quite worthwhile in personal development. SOURCE: BlackStarRising.
http://rising.blackstar.com/dont-let-self-doubt-hold-back-your-photography-business.html


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13 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn




SHOULD YOU SAY THANK YOU? -- There’s an old rejoinder in theater that says, “Don’t say ‘I thought your performance was good” to the actor, --unless you are a theater critic. Instead say, “I enjoyed your performance.”

A similar situation exists in nature photography: Should you steal the thunder from Mother Nature when an admirer says, “I like this photo you took,” of the picture of the early morning light of a frosty marsh flower you produced.

Is a “Thank You” from you warranted?

Well, you did slosh through knee-high freezing swamp water to get to the scene you recognized as beautiful. But your admirer isn’t congratulating you for your diligence or athletecism. Or your technical know-how. The compliment is for the picture itself that only Mother Nature can render.

Saying, “Thank you” would be inappropriate. –Rohn Engh


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06 Jan, 2010 | Posted by: psn



WATCH OUT ! - What Will Be The Top Hacker Target in 2010 ? - Security vendor McAfee has issued a report predicting that hackers spreading malware will focus on AcrobatReader and Flash.
http://www.creativepro.com/article/adobe-will-be-top-hacker-target-2010


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09 Dec, 2009 | Posted by: psn



MORE IS NOT BETTER -- “Woah! That’s a really nice camera. I bet it takes awesome pictures. Was it expensive?” Does an expensive camera make your photos award-winning works of art capable of being sold for thousands if not millions of dollars? Kershner: "In my experience, that couldn’t be further from the truth. "SOURCE: Tim Kershner, The Independent Collegian > http://bit.ly/8AYjFG


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25 Nov, 2009 | Posted by: psn




VISUAL THERAPY -- Pain Relief Through Photography. Can looking at the photograph of a loved one make pain go away? Numerous studies show that strong social connections have benefits for health. Now, a study suggests that merely looking at a photograph of a loved one can relieve the sensation of physical pain. http://bit.ly/8DmEbh


THE CRUMBLING WALL -- The key now is Your Point of View. Photography’s Old Boys Club Is Gone Forever. Your fresh point of view is your unique selling point, not your degree or wagon load of equipment.
Once upon a time, cameras, processing, access and distribution were the privilege of the few in photography. The business was an Old Boys Club with high barriers to entry. But now, anyone can join. So what is your salvation as a photographer? The tool that no one can take away from you — your point of view. http://bit.ly/8ZslxH SOURCE: Paul Melcher in Business of Photography .
TAKEAWAY: I like the way Elliott Erwitt said it. "If you've got no responsibility and don't have to generate a certain amount of cash each month, and can live on a shoestring, and are ambitious enough, then you might have a chance. You can be dedicated but that is no guarantee that you'll make it. I rely on a hunch, a little luck, and some cunning."


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11 Nov, 2009 | Posted by: psn



OVERVIEW -- Assessor seeking support for aerial photography. The County wants to buy a high-tech oblique aerial digital photography system, called Pictometry, http://www.pictometry.com/home/home.shtml to help assess county properties. However, it is not quite as high-tech as a government's "Big Brother" spy satellite system that worries some members of the public. http://bit.ly/457VEj


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04 Nov, 2009 | Posted by: psn



THEIR THOUGHTS Some of the world's greatest photographers explain the creative thinking behind their iconic images. “Photography in 100 Words” Author -David Clark is a photography journalist. He was the senior features writer on Amateur Photographer magazine for nine years, during which time he met and interviewed many of the world's greatest photographers. - Focal Press ISBN: 9780240813004; Pub Date: October; Price: $ 29.95
http://www.imaging-resource.com/NEWS/1257196100.html


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21 Oct, 2009 | Posted by: psn



WHEN TO AND WHEN NOT TO -- Embedded War Photojournalists Get New (Unclear) Rule. The Associated Press' controversial publication a few weeks ago of a Marine dying on an Afghanistan battlefield has prompted changes to the military policy governing the photographing of wounded or killed troops. The problem is, it's unclear exactly what the military has decided. SOURCE: NPR, Frank James
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2009/10/embedded_war_photographers_get.html
TAKEAWAY: This is a tough one. Especially for children. They see a cartoon figure being flattened by a beer truck; and movies where men and women (fictional) are dying (tomato juice makes good fake blood). And then see a news shot of an American soldier dying. Do they make the mental leap between which is real and which is not? Psychologists guess at the answer. As adults we know it’s going to affect different children in different ways. However, the source of the effect is something new to consider for photojournalists and their professional organizations to debate.


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14 Oct, 2009 | Posted by: psn



LOOKING AT BEREAVEMENT - -- Bereavement Photography May Help Healing . Photos of a dying or dead baby or child are one way to help loved ones cope with the loss and begin to heal. "Parents say photos are important to them to prove the child existed," explained Tamara Scott, a pediatric oncology nurse practitioner at Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center in Roseville, Ca http://bit.ly/3NDhjK


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07 Oct, 2009 | Posted by: psn



THE SHARING MEDIUM -- Digital media is changing the face of photography. As the need to share photographs continues to grow, so does the technology to make photo-sharing easier. Ten years ago, photographs could often be found in photo albums or in the occasional frame hanging on walls, but today, people can be found crowding around camera LCD screens or logging online to see the latest birthday or holiday snaps. http://bit.ly/eyeRi

YES OR NO? -- Whether to take and then to publish photographs of injured, dead, and dying American Servicemen and women remains a deeply troubling and hotly debated issue. The most recent incident involved the Associated Press's decision to release, against the wishes of his family, a photo by Julie Jacobson showing a mortally wounded Marine, Lance Corporal Joshua M. Bernard, being administered to by his comrades in a frantic attempt to save his life. SOURCE : Camillo "Mac" Bica http://www.opednews.com/articles/Is-All-Fair-in-Love-War--by-Camillo-Mac-Bica-091006-906.html
TAKEAWAY: Erich Remarque, in his book, “All Quiet on the Western Front” (WWI) writing about the reality of war, hoped to change minds. Still photos of the Vietnam War hoped to do this also. In today’s war, videos hope to accomplish the same. Also popular Hollywood films today (Private Ryan, etc.). The question though, is “Does it help?”


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30 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn






IS IT ART OR NOT -- Open to Everything? 170 Years After Its Birth, Photography Must Refocus on Its Identity for the Future. Of all media, only photography would get an art critic talking about someone from the commercial side of the tracks. Only a photographer would make a fortune from pictures in magazines, but also see the same images on museum walls. http://bit.ly/3o3ntb

RIGHT TURN -- How One Man Changed The World Of Photography. With only 83 photographs, this Robert Frank, a Swiss immigrant and Guggenheim fellow, single-handedly altered the course of photography in 1958 when his book was published. To photography pundits, Frank's photographs were offensively imbalanced, unfocused, even drunken. His style was a total departure. SOURCE: Claire O'Neill; NPR. http://bit.ly/16VBi1


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25 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn




PHOTOGRAPHY: WHERE HAVE YOU GONE? Video game corrupts digital photography. Daniel Kronovet : “Most people laugh when I tell them that the N64 game "Pokemon Snap" singlehandedly corrupted a generation of photographers. How could a game about taking pictures of dancing Pokemon be so sinister? But I'm being somewhat serious. What I've realized is that since the advent of digital photography and cheap memory, the term ‘photography’ has come to apply to two separate, almost completely distinct activities.” http://bit.ly/12xNWL



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09 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn





CAN’T TAKE THE HEAT? Golf-McIlroy annoyed as photographer spoils his last hole. Last year's runner-up in Switzerland hit an eagle and eight birdies to tie for seventh with a total of 12-under 272 but was annoyed not to finish better after being upset by a photographer on the last hole. http://bit.ly/ZNjW1
TAKEAWAY: What baseball pitcher, football quarterback, hockey player, basketball player at the foul line would not love to blame a missed goal on a photographer? How did we golfers ever evolve to the exclusivity of having no distractions by the spectators as we perform?

WE OWE HER -- Photography's debt to Annie Leibovitz. As celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz's financial woes threaten to eclipse her career, it's important to remember
how much we owe to her pioneering work
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/sep/08/annie-leibovitz-debts?commentpage=1


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02 Sep, 2009 | Posted by: psn




THEY SAID IT CAN’T BE DONE -- Facebook censors documentary photography project (UK)Facebook has defended its ban of images forming part of a photography project on the struggle of a woman battling breast cancer. http://bit.ly/47yTWd


ROYAL FOLKS WIN CASE -- The Dutch monarchy won their case against the Associated Press (UK). The judge found against the Associated Press, ruling that images of the Dutch royal family lacked news value and invaded their privacy. http://bit.ly/2NVNve
TAKEAWAY: Hmmmmm….. Is this the same “most liberal, free-loving country in the world” that appears to take a very conservative view when it comes to Freedom of the Press?


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29 Jul, 2009 | Posted by: psn





THE AILMENT CURES THE ILLNESS – Revisiting the Death of Photojournalism, Ten Years Later - "Why would you be a photojournalist today?" I answered, "You have to be crazy." I have always considered being crazy as important to a photographer as being curious.
http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0907/revisiting-the-death-of-photojournalism-ten-years-later.html
TAKEAWAY: Observers of 'the world around us' welcome observations of others, whether it be in the form of still camera, video, pen and paper, or whatever exciting device is around the corner.


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22 Jul, 2009 | Posted by: psn



COMMODITIES AGAIN. Melcher Speaks: Now that companies like Getty Images are offering images on a subscription model, the perception of photography is changing. Bundling images from different photographers and pricing them as a service makes the individual images seem interchangeable, doesn’t it?
http://rising.blackstar.com/if-all-you-have-is-a-hammer-everything-looks-like-a-nail.html/comment-page-1#comment-5456

TAKEAWAY: Keep this in mind. Editorial photobuyers don't buy what they like, they buy what they need. When you visit the cubicle of a photobuyer, notice that commodities are adorning their wall, but they're signing checks for non-commodities. -RE


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16 Jul, 2009 | Posted by: psn





NEW ART ? -- iPhone photography: Art or gimmick? iPhone isn't exactly the best you can get, but does that mean photos taken with it can't be artistic? They analyse the merits of a new type of photography - iPhone-ography.
http://www.cnet.com.au/iphone-photography-art-or-gimmick-339297259.htm


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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. –


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03 Jun, 2009 | Posted by: psn




WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE? World Press Photo: 470,214 Pictures Later - After judging 470,214 entries this year, World Press Photo Secretary Stephen Mayes slams the state of modern photojournalism. http://www.jenshaas.com/blog/2009/05/26/world-press-photo-470214-pictures-later
TAKEAWAY: Sorta Copycat. Like in the music world, musicians will keep re-designing their compositions relying on the most successful recent winners as their guide. Photojournalists tend to do the same.



DOWNTIME Corbis’s peer companies have shrunk, some severely. Jupiterimages, which had lost much of its value as a public company, was acquired by privately held Getty Images, which began cutting staff and closing Jupiter offices. A smaller stock agency, SuperStock, was sold last year after entering bankruptcy. Alamy, the big U.K.-based photo library, reported declines in sales and average image prices this year.
http://www.actuphoto.com/10175-the-evolution-of-documentary-photography.html
TAKEAWAY. These are the times when big companies must have big dollar revenus.
Independent photographers are more flexible and can fill the void.


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13 May, 2009 | Posted by: psn



SPEAKING OUT -- Bite the Hand - Photojournalist Ken Jarecke on why he regrets not having been more of a pain in the arse over the last fifteen years - and the effect he thinks it's had on the industry.
http://kennethjarecke.typepad.com/mostly_true/2009/04/bite-the-hand.html


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22 Apr, 2009 | Posted by: psn





HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH? -- Photo Contest Wades Into Murky Waters of Digital Manipulation - The Picture of The Year photo contest in Denmark recently disqualified a project from its reportage category because judges thought the photographer used too much digital manipulation. The story has sparked many lively conversations about photojournalism ethics. A proposed new contest rule came out of the debate: (proposed for a reportage photo contest like this one) . . . ”The Judges and exhibition committee reserve the right to see the original raw image files, raw tape, negatives and/or slides. In cases of doubt, the photographer can be pulled out of competition.”
http://www.pdnpulse.com/2009/04/photo-contest-wades-into-murky-waters-of-digital-mainpulation.html
TAKEAWAY: If it’s reportage, sure. No one likes manipulation of a digital image if it’s supposedly depicting an actual situation. Anything else, unleash the shackles on the photographer and let photographers be the artists they are.


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08 Apr, 2009 | Posted by: psn



SIGN OF THE TIMES. Ritz Camera to Start Closing 300 Stores, Beginning April 4th. Less than two months after filing for bankruptcy, Ritz Camera, the country's largest chain of photo specialty stores, will start shuttering 300 stores, beginning April 4th. The move will leave 400 Ritz stores still out there but their fate remains in question.
http://www.pdnpulse.com/2009/04/ritz-camera-to-start-closing-300-stores-beginning-april-4th.html
TAKEAWAY: When was the last time you were in a local camera store? Most photographers shop at mega electronics stores or on-line, like B&H. The era of the Ma ‘n’ Pa camera store is over.


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