StockPhotoTalk | Special Interest Blog

QuickLinks For 2006-03-31

• Cox Newspapers Says No to AP Video:
  Since launching MediaShift in January, the one post I’ve written that has received the most vehement response so far was about the Associated Press’ new online video service requiring Internet Explorer and Windows. [..]
  Now comes word that it’s not just the MediaShift community of readers that is upset with the AP video network’s requirements. Will Sullivan, interactive projects editor at the Palm Beach Post’s website , writes in his Journerdism blog that his employer, Cox Newspapers, decided to remove the AP video player from all its newspaper sites.
  Mediashift.
  Tags: Associated Press Video Cox Newspapers

QuickLinks For 2006-03-30

• VNU Finance Chief Defends Takeover Bid:
  VNU's finance chief defended management's decision to recommend a $9 billion bid from a group of private-equity funds.
  WSJ.
  Tag: VNU

More Cash For New Acquisitions: JupiterMedia Sells JupiterResearch

Alan Meckler noted earlier in an interview with "Australia's i-Technology News and Information Source" SYS-CON in mid-January 2006 that back in October 2003 he "could not believe the profit margins [in the stock photo industry] - I was hooked and saw several openings that Getty and Corbis had missed. We are now executing on those openings."

QuickLinks For 2006-03-29

• Cheap beer and the Blueeyes Magazine´s relaunch party at Redux Pictures:
  Blueeyes Magazine is finally back! -- and is publishing its first new issue of the year (Issue 11) in 2 short weeks. To celebrate, we are throwing a party at Redux Pictures for all of our friends and fans on April 5 from 6:30-9 p.m. Good photography, good people, good cheap bear -- would love to see you all there.
  Lightstalkers.
  Tags: Blueeyes Magazine; Redux Pictures

American PHOTO Introduces New Website Shortly, Enters Podcasting

Advertising customers, where are you?

It´s no secret that traditional media companies and magazines like American PHOTO, PDN and VISUELL have to rethink again and need to reevaluate their websites, given the fact that some blogs and some new websites listed here do obviously attract more readers and generate more traffic than the websites of the old giants and dwarfs, consequently have higher Alexa rankings and thus are likely to attract more online advertising customers in their later lives.

But while the real money still comes in with sold ads for the printed issues of American PHOTO, PDN and VISUELL, there is a new dilemma. If the print runs are declining and if some customers might want not to take out an ad any longer in these printed issues, the additional dilemma is simply how to balance the content published in one of these three magazines and the content published on the websites of American PHOTO, PDN, VISUELL or similar magazines.

QuickLinks For 2006-03-28

• Mind and Mood Set Us Apart:
  Leslie Hughes, long time top executive in the Stock Photography industry, describes how photo production needs to incorporate mindset, mood and emotionalism in today’s market. It’s all about the message.
  Index Stock company blog.
  Tags: stock photography industry

QuickLinks For 2006-03-26

• The rumour mill doesn´t sleep on weekends.
  Update on the "Getty Images Acquires Stockbyte" rumours reported here earlier in the QuickLinks sections, after Jim Pickerell had been the first one to mention (requires registration) these (unsolicited?) rumours:
  Rumours have it that both companies have already reached a final agreement on the terms of the deal and that the acquisition price is at least m$168. Sources indicate also that the deal will be announced until April 7th.

QuickLinks For 2006-03-24

• David Guttenfelder, Josh Metzler, Named Best Of 2006 Photojournalism Photojournalists Of The Year.
  NPPA.
  Tags: NPPA; Best Of Photojournalism; BOP

• NPPA: BOP 2006, Photoblog Award Winners: The winners of the first ever Amateur Photoblogs Awards Category have been posted at the National Press Photographers Association's Best of Photojournalism 2006 Awards in the Web Site division.
  blog.photoblogs.org.
  Tag: Amateur Photoblogs Awards; NPPA

Interview With Digital Railroad´s CEO Evan Nisselson

I discovered Digital Railroad back in early summer 2004 und was impressed by the concept and the philosophy behind the company, the product and the services offered, as described here from my point of view in my blog post of August 2004.

Now it´s 2006 and definitely time for an update.

(Photos: Ron Haviv/VII Photo; click on photos to enlarge)

Andy: Evan, shortly before we met last time, I wrote about the snowball effect of the Digital Railroad philosophy. At that time, Digital Railroad showcased about 160 photographers and 8 photo agencies in the archive directory. Currently, Digital Railroad has about 300 photographers and 16 photo agencies.
Did the snowball effect really take off? How many photographers and photo agencies are signing up for your services at an average per month? How many photographers and photo agencies do you expect to have by the end of 2006?

Evan: The snowball effect that you so accurately wrote about is definitely progressing in terms of our number of subscribers; however, another key metric that is actually more important, in my mind, is our number of High-Quality photographers and agencies.

QuickLinks For 2006-03-22

• "Essentially, we're predicting tomorrow's visual aesthetic," says CEO Jonathan Klein. [...]
  Recently, Getty and Klein have moved aggressively into breaking-news photography, teaming up with Agence France-Presse and a growing roster of staff photographers. That helped them win a 2005 nod from American PHOTO magazine as the number-one "Most Important People in Photography" (edging out even Annie Leibovitz). [...]