Annie Leibovitz's debt crisis has reached a crescendo. Multiple media outlets have reported that the celebrity photographer's last-hope lender, Art Capital Group, has sued Leibovitz for breach of contract. Art Capital also asked the courts to interfere in the photographer's relationship with Getty Images, asserting that Leibovitz has assigned sole representation rights to the art broker as part of the loan agreement.
Designers are currently upset at the increasing push by customers toward doing spec work. As a photographer, I'd like to offer a little perspective.
A recent Linkedin and Harris Poll study of consumers and advertisers involved in the advertising decision-making process revealed disparate views. Apparently, those who determine the look-and-feel of an ad campaign are not necessarily in sink with their target audience's opinion. Still, both sides agree on some approaches, such as ads that are entertaining or funny.
The Picture Archive Council of America has announced a conference program that emphasizes emerging technologies and survival in the current economic conditions. The 14th annual event will be held in Miami in mid-October, and early-bird registration discounts end on August 15.
Since Getty Images finalized its acquisition of Jupiterimages in February, traditional and microstock industry insiders have been waiting to see how the leader will integrate former Jupiter brands. This week saw another step in this relatively quiet process: iStockphoto announced that it took over management of the Internet's leading free image Web site Stock.xchng.
With all the depressing news, it is good to hear some good industry news occasionally. SuperStock is looking to hire a comptroller and an account executive.
Corbis-owned Veer has fully launched of Veer Marketplace, the first microstock community to be part of a traditional agency's Web site. The Marketplace was initially announced in February and has gradually added features and functionality since.
Women's blog network BlogHer has integrated PicApp as a publishing tool for its 54,000 members and 60 editors. According to founder and chief executive officer Lisa Stone, BlogHer chose PicApp to have "a single source of premium, legal images from prestigious content providers."
TIME used Robert Lam's photo of a jar of coins on the cover of the magazine, with the headline "The New Frugality." The copy read: "The recession has changed more than just how we live. It's changed what we value and what we expect---even after the economy recovers." Lam received $30 for use of the image, which suggests we should expect a lot less.