StockPhotoTalk | Special Interest Blog

QuickLinks For 2006-02-28

• Getty Images announces the first recipients of its 2006 Getty Images Grants for Editorial Photography: Kristen Ashburn and Andrew Testa. Details here.
  Tag: Getty Images

• JupiterImages launches the new paid subscription service FlashFoundry.com, offering over 100,000 professional-quality Flash components, video, buttons, animations and templates. FlashKit's (a Flash developer resource) FlashFoundry.com recruits new Flash content contributors from the FlashKit community of over 500,000 members.
  Related: Meckler´s JupiterImages Acquires Bigshot Media and BBM.net (Dec. 07, 2005)
  Details here.
  Tags: JupiterImages; FlashFoundry; FlashKit

Shocking: Adobe Announces Cooperation With MorePhotos And Iron Mountain

Adobe continues to build a world of additional services both for photobuyers and photosellers around Photoshop CS2 and the related company products.

After launching Adobe Stock Photos (currently 650,000 RF images), Adobe Bridge, Adobe Photographers Directory and Lightroom, the company joins a new partnership that in the long run might develop into a partial threat to services like Digital Railroad, PhotoShelter and Spitfire Photo Pro.

QuickLinks For 2006-02-27

• John Nagle of Downside.com in an comment to "Corbis, Getty Images And Slavish Copies":
  Corbis has a trick for obtaining copyright in their reproductions of public domain images. They add a DRM watermark to the image, and then they register a copyright on the DRM information. They then claim that using the image with the DRM watermark violates their copyright, and that removing it violates the DMCA. This has not, as far as I know, been litigated. 
  Tag: Corbis

Sunday Afternoon Press Release From Former Corbis CEO

Where did they go? How did their lives change?

A keen insight from Doug Rowan, formerly the CEO of Corbis, and now the CEO of ZoomAlbum: Prints Still Best Way to Save Digital Photos.

Technorati Tags: Zoom Album; Your life after being the CEO of Corbis: Entrepreneur again

QuickLinks For 2006-02-25

• Thanks to a hint from David Sanger, president of the Stock Artists Alliance, I wrote earlier about "Using Google Base For Selling Stock Photography" (Jan. 30, 2006).
  Google disclosed yesterday that "we're planning to enable people to buy items on Google Base using their Google Accounts. For buyers, this feature will provide a convenient and secure way to purchase Google Base items by credit card. For sellers, this feature integrates transaction processing with Google Base item management."
  More details here: Buying on Google Base.
  Tags: Google Base; David Sanger; Stock photography

With High Hopes, Associated Press Enters The Stock Photo Business

Daryl Lang over at PDN writes about A new contract for Associated Press employees lets photographers use company-owned photo equipment to shoot stock photos during their off hours, offering a 65/35 or 90/10 split:

The policy is part of a three-year contract the News Media Guild, the union representing AP employees, agreed to on Feb. 9.
Shooting stock photos will be voluntary and doesn't change the way AP photographers do their daily work assignments, says Tony Winton, president of the News Media Guild.

At Least Someone Stands Up Against The Stock Photo Industry´s iPod Giveaway Mass Hysteria

What to do if your photo agency needs to attract more customers buying more stock photos in less time?
Some cut the prices (for whatever reasons, Imagestate recently offered up to 70% off selected CDs), while other stock photo agencies rediscover micro marketing instruments and follow the omnipresent digital lifestyle iPod hooray mass hysteria ("Buy some stock photos and receive an iPod for free, buy more photos & jump out of the window, you´ll receive two iPods for free"), that -- at least to me -- seems to be also one of the underlying principle behind mags like Mactribe.

QuickLinks For 2006-02-24

• Bill Rosenblatt/DRM Watch in Google Suffers Setback over Image Search:
  This time, instead of book industry concerns about Google's book scanning and indexing program (Google Book Search), the trouble comes from a licensor of images for adult magazines and websites. The injunction applies not to the small "thumbnail" images that Google displays in search results but to links that Google provides to unauthorized higher-resolution versions of the images on third-party websites.
  Tag: Google Image Search
  
  And while reading Bill and although it´s not the main topic here, another well-written piece: Philips Video Watermarking Chosen for Digital Cinema (DCI, or Digital Cinema Initiatives, a consortium of Hollywood studios).

News From The StockMotionFinder

John Flewin of Footage.info (difficult to link to him because he runs two websites with the same content, it´s a tough time for consultants) reports some interesting news:

James Jordan, former CEO of Footage.net, has a sales and marketing consulting agreement to manage the launch of new industry search portal StockMotionFinder.com. Jordan also plans to assume an equity stake in that business. StockMotionFinder is a new effort from parent company StockPhotoFinder to provide a one-stop search site for the buyers of footage ... Previously, StockPhotoFinder and Jordan had been in discussions to acquire the assets of Footage.net but talks have since ceased.

Related:

• The Step From Stock Photography to Stock Footage: Randy Taylor Launches StockMotionFinder (November 15, 2005)
• Industry Veteran John Flewin Of Footage.info Enters The Promising Press Release Business (August 10, 2005)

Tags: StockMotionFinder; StockPhotoFinder

No Crap: "A High-Quality Model For Subscription"

Jim Pickerell is quoting in "Getty Images Changes Tune On iStockphoto" (Random Thoughts 116, February 22, 2006) the words Alan Meckler wrote in "Getty Images Likes "Crap"":

Listen to CEO Jonathan Klein's comments on his financial quarterly conference call last April. At the end of the call he was asked what he thought of the subscription photo image business. His response included the word "crap." His comments could only be interpreted to mean that any subscription offering in the commercial image space was "crap."
Yesterday CEO Klein plunked down $50 million for a subscription photo image business that contains photos shot by amateurs. Quite a turnaround by Mr. Klein! I presume that $50 million means that "crap" sells?

Pickerell adds in a new passage only the words "quite a turnaround", and it remains unclear at first sight if this is a comment of Pickerell or a quotation. But I think there´s no turnaround. With respect to the subsequent introduction of Creative Express, Jonathan Klein said (Download link) during the Q1/2005 Conference Call on April 20, 2005:

QuickLinks For 2006-02-22

• Photo Search, Part I: Tagging vs. Keywording
  LuckyPix.Blog
  Tags: Tagging; Keywording

• Photo Search, Part II: Visual Search (focus on Riya)
  LuckyPix.Blog
  Tag: Visual Search
  

Eddie Adams Workshop Cooperates With PhotoShelter

Digital Railroad might not be delighted.

PhotoShelter has just announced that the company launches a new photojournalism website together with the Eddie Adams Workshop, the Workshop's website, to bring the annual Workshop's registration process online, starting in April 2006.

Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Eddie Adams started the Eddie Adams Workshop in 1988 as a tuition-free, intensive experience for students and young professionals focusing on photojournalism.

JupiterImages Acquires The Beauty Archive Collection

JupiterImages has just announced the acquisition of the UK-based The Beauty Archive Collection, a photo agency that offers rights protected beauty images for advertising, design and editorial.

The Beauty Archive was set up in January 2000 by award winning photographer Hywel Jones "as a small independent specialist library to supply the editorial advertising and design industry with high quality comtemporary rights protected images." The company has agents in 25 countries (e.g IFA Bilderteam/Germany, Isifa Image Service/Czech Republic). Clients of the company include Vogue, Revlon and Thalgo.

Good Night: Buongiorno Vitaminic And Corbis Close Deal With Universal Studios

Together with Corbis, the multimedia provider Buongiorno Vitaminic (best company name ever) announces a licensing deal with the Universal Studios Consumer Products Group for the distribution of video clips, audio clips and stills from Universal's library of film and television, to consumers' mobile devices in Europe, Africa and Middle East.

Universal will provide Buongiorno with elements from up to 75 film & TV shows, which Corbis will clear the rights to. Buongiorno estimates that, through its brand Blinko and other distribution partnerships, the "Universal content will reach a potential audience of over 900 million clients (45% of the total 2 billion mobile users worldwide)."

Corbis, Getty Images And Slavish Copies

Yesterday Royce Bair, the founder of The Stock Solution photo agency, started a discussion about "Promoting stock photography via Creative Commons?" at the Stockphoto.net discussion group, asking the community

All in all, Creative Commons has a nice idea, but do you think it is really useful for the professional stock photographer who wants to promote his/her images?

QuickLinks For 2006-02-20

• For some it´s the race to the bottom or how to enhance the business model of OnRequest Images:
  iStockphoto has introduced a new trade marked service called BuyRequest.
  Creative Brief: (Photograph)
  Looking for an image of a security officer "wanding" a person while another person looks on -- for an example, visit www.veer.com and go to image IMP115396H. Image should have space at the top for copy, without covering the peoples heads."
  Is this a copycat´s charter for prospective buyers using traditional agencies as a source of ideas and iStock as a source of bargain basement priced supply?
  (Ian Murray here).
  • Related:
    
    • The Future Of Stock Photography And Imagery Trends For The Future
    • Recent Changes At Micropayment Sites In A Nutshell

QuickLinks For 2006-02-17

• A new competitor to Digital Railroad and PhotoShelter: Virtual Moment, LLC, announces the launch of its online image management service for professional photography workflows including image rights management, RSS photo feeds and distribution: Spitfire Photo Pro.
  The first customer is International Sports Images, working with 15-contract photographers.
  Who are those guys? "The founders of Virtual Moment are Silicon Valley engineers who have partnered with a well-known sports photographer to deliver a software solution like none other available today." More details here.

• Creating portals in the twinkling of an eye: the new virtual photo portal Sciencepictures is taking advantage of the features the new middleware technologies are offering and specializes in showcasing medical and scientific images.
  The portal, still under construction, will fully launch in March. KES Online is the company behind Sciencepictures, medical and scientific images from Mauritius Images, Superbild, allmedic and other photo agencies will be added.
  May God bless the Mambo CMS.

News From The Trenches: More On Middleware Technologies And New Image Push Services

Recently I wrote about "Middleware Technologies For The Picture Business: Who Cares?" in the magazine VISUELL.

One of the major disadvantages of printed magazines is certainly the fact that you´ve to wait for the next issue to be published if you want to add an update and secondly that your contribution is always limited to four or five pages, so you can´t really address all the subjects in-depth, especially if a huge part of an article refers to customers talking about their own experiences with certain products and services.

In that article I outlined products and services offered by confessMEDIA, DiASystems and picturemaxx (alphabetically) and the advantage for photo agencies and picturedesks through the creation of virtual photo portals for photo sellers and photo buyers using middleware technologies. Middleware technologies can administrate several image databases of various picture suppliers and different image database manufacturers and lead to a "look and feel" like if it would be only one image database.

Update On Network Photographers Ltd.

I received a couple of emails in this matter ("Pure Speculation: Is Getty Images Going To Acquire Network Photographers Ltd.?") which is still confusing.

According to unnamed sources, the software company Snowdrop Systems agreed to make Network Photographers a website in return for a controlling interest in Network Photographers Ltd. and in the agency archive. They also agreed to settle some of Network Photographers debts. Network Photographers hasn't existed as a production entity for quite some time now.

Digital Railroad Expands Management Team

Digital Railroad announced today that the company has appointed

• Paul Melcher as the new vice president of sales
• Paul Ryall as the new vice president of marketing

Paul Ryall had been working earlier since April 13, 2005, as vice president of marketing for SuperStock, where he managed the re-branding of SuperStock’s UK subsidiary. Prior to that, he worked as senior vice president for the parent company of SuperStock, a21.

QuickLinks For 2006-02-10

• Shutterstock, the first among its competitors to expand into royalty-free video content, announced the introduction of ShutterStock Footage, ready to serve customers in the spring of 2006.

• Reality or farce? Getty Images representative Eugene Cariaga lit the way to this week’s opening ceremony of the 20th Olympic Winter Games in Torino by carrying the Olympic Torch through Moncalieri, Piedmont. Cariaga said: “I am absolutely thrilled to have been given the honour of carrying the Olympic torch and to represent Getty Images in this amazing way. It will be something I never forget, especially as our photographers were there to capture the event every step of the way.” (PhotoArchiveNews)

• 49th World Press Photo Contest Results, List of Winners 2006

[Update] My Prediction Was Right: Getty Images Acquires iStockphoto

Three weeks earlier, on January 20, 2006, I wrote that

Rumours have it that a company based in Seattle, WA, is talking to a company based in Calgary, Alberta, about acquiring all of the assets of that company.

I received a lot of heat for these lines. People thought I must be mad. The CEO of a well-known company in the stock photo industry wrote that "it’s going to take me the remainder of 2006 to recover from the shock!", if this would be true. Even analysts told me, "Are you out of your mind?"

Pure Speculation: Is Getty Images Going To Acquire Network Photographers Ltd.?

Rumours broadcasted earlier this week said that London-based photo agency Network Photographers Ltd. was acquired by Getty Images.

Network Photographers, "one of the worlds leading independent agencies in photojournalism", was founded in the 1970´s and showcases currently 26 photographers (according to the website). The imagery covers news events, feature stories, social documentary, celebrity, personality portraiture and travel. Currently Alamy distributes around 48,000 images of Network Photographers Ltd. When they started to work with Alamy, Network Photographers Ltd. showcased around 55,000 images.

The 23 Best, But Still Unwritten Stock Photo Industry Headlines For 2006

• After The Biarritz Gala Party With The Mayor Of A Vicinal City, The CEPIC Decides To Organize The Next 2007 Congress In Ulan Bator, Outer Mongolia; Delegates Completely Overwhelmed: "Best Flight Connections Ever!"

• Photographers Choice: Getty Images Acquires Shutterstock And Fotolia

• Morgan Stanley Acquires MadPixBiz: "Damned! All Of Your Predictions Were True!"

• Corbis Hires PR Genius Steve Rubel, Announces Immediately The Date For Going Public

• Corbis Hires PR Genius Steve Rubel, Skips Immediately Going Public

QuickLinks For 2006-02-08

• A Startling New Lesson in the Power of Imagery; NYT.

• Newspaper in England will "Thrive" with Casual Photographers: The Manchester Evening News is ditching its six-member photo staff and replacing them with "casual photographers" and photo agency pictures; Dennis Dunleavy.
  Note that "the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester has a population of 2,539,000" (Wikipedia).

• Looking back in "The 100th issue of the Digital Journalist": "During these past eight years, we have seen photojournalism and broadcasting taken apart and put back together in new configurations that we could not have imagined."

• The National Press Photographers Association`s contest "The Best of Photojournalism 2006" adds "a category for Photo blogs, recognizing the long standing connection between the amateur and professional photographic communities and how today, technology and the web are influencing both". Eligible are "Photo Blogs by photographers who are amateurs--that is, whose primary income is not derived from photography."
  Submitted pictures "must have been organized in a group, like a Flickr photo set". The deadline for entries is February 10.

• Best Online Photography Magazines; LuckyPix.Blog.

Technorati Tags: NPPA and Flickr merge.