Change View Options:
Articles from September 2009
In stock photography--as in life--change is the only constant. It goes without saying that technology and innovation have a huge impact on all of us. At the end of the day, technology and innovation perpetuate our ability to lead better, longer and healthier lives. But acceptance of new technology and change does not always come easy. While some new technologies can peacefully coexist with their older siblings for decades, others-like the internal combustion engine, the light bulb or the cotton gin-quickly and completely make obsolete the technologies they were intended to replace.
Commercial stock photography, in order to strive, has to offer an emotionally meaningful solution to potential clients.
This year's Picturehouse NY will offer new digital seminars.
In the Internet age, creator rights are under attack and in peril.
On October 31, 2009 the Encarta Web site will be discontinued. Microsoft stopped selling Encarta products in June. Now the place for reference information is Wikipedia.org.
According to BIA/Kelsey, local advertising spend continues to shift to digital and to decline overall in gross revenue generated.
Photoshelter has released a free downloadable Google Analytics toolkit for photographers. The goal: to help photographers implement Web site traffic monitoring tools.
The SuperStock division of RGB Ventures now owns the artist distribution contracts of Art Life Images, which cover approximately 80,000 rights-managed travel images.
Selling Stock has compiled a list of the world's leading stock photo sellers.
Shutterstock, the world's largest subscription-based stock photo agency, has acquired BigStockPhoto in a move to enter the credit-based side of the microstock business.
Pearson Education is getting requests from the India office for additional textbook. Should region affect pricing?
The leading photojournalism agency in Italy has been devastated by the current economic crisis.
iStockphoto has produced an online tool to help determine which worldwide settings need a signed release.
According to an International Communications Research survey, over 40% of designers are using more stock photography in 2009 compared to last year in order to lower costs.
Copyright infringement is a serious issue, but Vivozoom's claim that it adds up to $10 billion annually may not be supported by the facts.
Vivozoom says the practice of stealing stock and microstock images totals some $10 billion annually.
Getty Images has made a "strategic investment" in aggregation technology startup Daylife. Previously disclosed in an SEC filing, Getty is putting about $4 million into the start-up.
Given the state of the industry and the economy, it's wasteful to spend thousands on formal education at a trade school or university to learn photography. A better strategy is to first purchase a good DSLR and _shoot, shoot, shoot_.
PantherMedia has introduced new image subscription plans for Web and print usage.
Getty Images has introduced four different price levels for images. In some cases, it has also removed Image Partner identification.
iStockphoto will now legally guarantee, at no cost to its customers, that all image, video and audio files in its 5 million-plus collection will not breach any trademark, copyright or other intellectual-property rights or rights of privacy.
Leading music and entertainment photographer, Frank Micelotta, has launched PictureGroup, a digital-media production company.
Some photographers want to continue to shoot and produce in the same way as they did in 2007. They have the "think positive" mindset that if they continue to produce new and better images in a higher volume than they produced in 2007, sales will go up, or at least they won't decline a whole lot.
The Picture Archive Council of America has joined CEPIC and other industry organizations in opposition to the proposed Google Settlement. U.S. industry bodies opposing the settlement include the American Society of Media Photographers, the Graphic Artists Guild and the North American Nature Photography Association.
The Coordination of European Picture Agencies has responded to the European Commission's request for stakeholder input on the controversial Google Book Settlement agreement. While CEPIC does not oppose Google pursuing agreements with libraries or universities, the organization's concern over the Google books settlement is that it does not address visual content yet stands to form a de-facto legal framework for such discussions in the future, on an international scale.
This list of the world's major stock agencies is divided into three different groups based on my estimates of the gross revenue generated by each of these companies. Group A lists companies with revenue greater than $20 million Groups B is companies with revenues between $5 and $20 million and Group C has revenues between $1 and $5 million.
Leading stock shooter Jonathan Ross has released a 48-minute online video that duplicates his recent presentation at a PACA event. The video offers interesting insights into where the business is today and where Ross believes it is headed.
In the
previous story
we discussed four major trends in the stock photo industry and listed
eleven other related issues that photographers should consider
carefully as they try to determine the future prospects of their stock
photo business. Below I have discussed each one of these eleven in some
detail.
Getty Images awarded three photojournalism and two student grants for the 2009 Grants for Editorial Photography Program. Currently in its fifth year, the program has awarded over $500,000 in project grants to 24 recipients.
It is time to revise previous estimates of industry revenues based on what has happened in the past year. For several years, we have estimated the size of the worldwide market for still images and illustrations at about $1.8 billion.
In most industries the manufacturer sets the price for his products
based on his manufacturing costs. Of course if he sets his price too
high consumers won't buy. Therefore, he certainly has to be sensitive
to consumer demand.
This story offers a number of negotiating times that are useful for anyone who needs to establish a price for an image based on how it will be used.
We recently covered creating online magazines that have a similar look and function to print magazines, and how easy and inexpensive it has become to create such digital publications with currently available technologies. Stock Index publisher Robert Prior offered a perspective that adds balance to these stories. Prior has some experience in this area, and his very thoughtful comment on "The Backcast Concept" suggests that some of the points made in the article need additional discussion.
A lawsuit that began in 2005 and was seemingly settled last year is still making waves, particularly in Europe. On Monday, the European Union is holding a hearing to discuss the effects of the Google book settlement on Europe-and the Coordination of European Picture Agencies is weighing in on behalf of the image industry.
Corbis announced a contest that offers Internet users a chance to win a trip to France or one of five Olympus EP-1 cameras.
While the transition from still photographer to television commercial producer is difficult, David Scott Smith's odyssey illustrates that an image creator and storyteller can find satisfaction in shooting and producing video.
New Jersey-based Image Warehouse is exiting the stock-image business in a fashion reminiscent of the demises of Digital Railroad and the Photoshelter Collection. The company sent its customers a 30-day notice of intent to cease operations on September 30, reports Photo Business News.
Corbis has announced the addition of several prominent news and sports shooters to its contributor roster. The announcement was made during this year's Visa pour l'Image in Perpignan, France.
Getty Images, through its Contour brand, now represents celebrity portraiture of the
Los Angeles Times.