One of the biggest hurdles traditional RF and Microstock sellers face when confronted with the idea of switching from an RF pricing structure to a use-based one is how to explain such a switch to customers who've been told one price fits all and not to worry about usage.
Launched in 2006 by Canadian photographer Robert Kent and Getty Images, the annual Summer Solstice Shoot took place on June 21. It united 100 top photographers in raising cash for Compassionate Eye Foundation's educational projects in Guatemala and South Africa.
Photopreneur, a blog dedicated to sharing money-making opportunities for photographers on the Web, has released a WordPress plug-in that enables bloggers to find and post free images. Called iFlickr, the plug-in searches Creative Commons-licensed photos among Flickr's 2.5 billion images and guides the user through inserting select images into blog posts.
At the recent 2008 CEPIC Congress in Malta, the MILE Project (Metadata Image Library Exploitation) was launched. The focus of the European effort is to build a database of works claimed to be orphaned. It seems more practical than its U.S. counterpart.
iStockphoto has announced that it is bringing back the holiday it established last year. Punctum Day will be celebrated on August 19, with $40,000 in prizes to be awarded to iStock contributors. In addition, iStock will once again give its exclusive contributors 100% of the revenues generated by their images on an undisclosed date within the next two months.
Cradoc Corp., the maker of popular photo-pricing and business-management products fotoQuote and fotoBiz, has developed an image-keywording solution: fotoKeyword Harvester. According to the company, fotoKeyword Harvester presents a new approach to keywording.
Many photographers are concerned about the new Alamy Novel Use program. They fear that making images available for blogs, social-networking sites and certain educational uses at microstock prices will make it easier for their images to be stolen or used without authorization.
As the number of images entering the market keeps growing, companies that license them are face with the difficulty of handling the technical aspects of volume licensing. The trend has given rise to many a start-up, from technology companies that produce back-end content- and business-management applications to companies that specialize in image editing and keywording.
The traditional commercial market for stock images is slowly declining in number of units licensed, but there is a potential for a huge growth in sales to consumers. Advances in technology make it possible for new still images uses to blossom, but producers and distributors must embrace changing market realities.
The Automated Content Access Protocol project, which aims to devise a universal standard for the automated expression of permissions online, is adopting the semantics of the Picture Licensing Universal System. PLUS standards have been developed to standardize the communications and management of image rights and to simplify automation of related processes via machine-readable licenses.
London-based royalty-free producer Image Source has published Sneak Preview, a promotional catalog featuring a selection of the latest images added to its collection. Alongside its own production, the company is prominently featuring fair-trade brand World Portraits.
At Cannes Lions 2008, the 55th International Advertising Festival, Corbis announced the separation of its rights-services division into a separate business entity. Rebranded as GreenLight, the company is also adding a talent-negotiation service that will help advertisers secure sports, film, television, music and other celebrities for promotional activities.
Traditional picture sellers are missing a tremendous opportunity to assist customers in their search for images. Instead of limiting the search return order to one standard system chosen by the agency, agencies should offer customers a variety of options.
Corbis has been publicizing the fact that it is underwriting a new New York-based Museum of Art for the Arts for some time. Today's official announcement from the company reveals that there is no such thing.
The traveling World Press Photo Exhibit will be on view from June 27 to July 17 at United Nations headquarters in New York. Sponsored by the World Press Photo Foundation, Getty Images, the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations, Canon, TNT and the UN Department of Public Information, the exhibit will feature 185 winning images from the 2007 World Press Photo competition.
It has been suggested that traditional agencies can learn from their younger microstock rivals. A lot these discussions center on technology, from the ability to sort search results by downloads to the features and widgets available at micro-payment Web sites. The most important lesson may be of a less tangible variety.