- About the recently (July 4, 2005) founded UK-based start-up Scoopt ("Scoopt - A New Picture Agency For Citizen Reporters"):
The power of so-called "citizen journalism" was underlined when a new agency for amateur mobile phone photographers attracted 1,200 members in the space of just a week.
Scoopt now has members in 35 countries and is ready to syndicate their work to newspapers and magazines in exchange for a 50/50 cut.
An irish taxidriver (not yet represented by Scoopt) earned "more than €16,000 ... when he sold the first photographs ... to a number of Irish tabloids". ("Citizen journalism’ agency signs up 1,200 snappers"/Press Gazette)
- The World Press Photo celebrating its 50th anniversary, Oct. 7 and 8 in Amsterdam:
With a symposium on the future of photojournalism hosted by Getty Images co-founder Jonathan Klein, and another one on citizen journalism from photographer Dr. Shahidul Alam. (PDN)
- OnRequest Images launches "next generation network for photo models", August 10, 2005. (non-fee-requiring press release)
- Sydney Morning Herald, "Fading Fast" on serious problem for long-term data storage:
Microsoft boss Bill Gates is the latest owner of the famous Bettmann Archive - 11 million images dating from the beginning of photography are the legacy of Otto Bettmann [..] When the Corbis agency bought the Bettmann Archive, the original photographs were scanned and then trucked to Pennsylvania. The Bettman items have been preserved in deep-freeze more than 60 metres underground and under heavy guard, along with millions of classified government documents, hundreds of original films from Hollywood studios and more than 700,000 original master tapes of audio recordings.
- Just announced: the conference details of the PhotoPlus Expo 2005, October 20-22, 2005, for imagery & design seminars, keynotes and special events: "Building a Digital Database for Stock Images", "The Future of Digital Photography", etc.
- UK-based Loop Images, a new photo agency established in 2004 by Paul Mortlock and Steve Whiting, is open for business since the launch date in July 2005, "offering a fantastic range of rights-managed images of contemporary Britain":
Loop launches into a marketplace dominated by the Big-Four and pitched against the might of the royalty-free brigade with a steely resolve to offer fabulous new imagery, both from established industry luminaries and up and coming photographers, allied to realistic pricing ... We are a young company, we want to learn, we want to grow, we want to innovate...
- Dan Heller looks at "The "potential size" of the photo market galaxy" and "Data Analysis and the Pro Photo Industry".
