Demographers tell us that in a mobile society, we can expect most people to have a new address every five years.
If you have moved recently, it's important to personally let your buyers and clients know of your new address (and/or if you have a new email address). Don't rely on the U.S. Postal Service to do the job for you.
In our day and age, technology offers ways we can make sure to stay on tap for our buyers, even during the transition of a move. Your email address and 800# can remain the same, independent of any changes in your mailing address. You won't lose touch with your photobuyers if you have one or the other or both.
I recently experienced another way that photobuyers can find photographers.
Nancy Ritz, photo coordinator at Prentice Hall, the book publishing company, wrote to me saying she was returning one of my photos (an original B&W 8X10) that her company had used way back in one of their textbooks. She pointed out that they've filed a digitized copy of the photo, and the number stamped on the back of the print is the database designation from the Corporate Digital Archive (CDA) of their parent company, Simon & Schuster. She said in her letter, "You are listed as the photographer, copyright holder, and source. When another buyer at Simon & Schuster should come across the photo, the information is already in our computers relating you to that photograph."
It's nice to know computers, databases, and mergers of large publishing houses can have a beneficial reward for independent photographers. My digitized photo will probably remain in their CDA a long time.
And it's nice to know that photo, taken in 1978 (28 years ago), is in an archive that might benefit not only me but my grandchildren, and possibly their grandchildren. -RE
Rohn Engh is director of PhotoSource International and publisher of PhotoStockNotes. Pine Lake Farm, 1910 35th Road, Osceola, WI 54020 USA. Telephone: 1 800 624 0266 Fax: 1 715 248 7394. Web site: www.photosource.com/products
Welcome
to PhotoAim.com. Here's where you'll find information
about stock photography, editorial stock photography,
specialized photography, stock agencies, mini-stock
agencies, selling pictures, and social photography.
Designing Your Website
I’ve been asked, “How do I design a successful website?”
I often respond, “Do you know the fastest way to ruin a new website
design?” As you might suspect, the answer is, “Lack of proper planning beforehand.”
Let's put it another way. In programming, there's an old axiom that states: "The sooner you start your coding the longer it takes to finish."
Planning out your site before you build it is essential. To borrow a technique from the film industry, I recommend that you create a storyboard, which is a type of a flow chart of your new site design. You don’t have to be an accomplished artist to draw out your idea, but it’s essential to create it on paper first.
Storyboard.gif
On each piece of paper, the goal is to have room for an image at the top, plus space underneath for writing down information. As you might suspect, the first page to start with is your home (or welcome) page, which will typically have the most information, as it will be the page that people visit before they enter your site. As people go through your site, they will encounter more information (in tiers) as they go down.
Tiers.gif
Typically, the home page links to 5 to 15 pages below that, which we could refer to as Tier 2. Each of those pages links to another 5 to 15 pages, which you could call Tier 3.
If you use all of these pages, you’ll wind up with an extensive site, of at least 226 pages (including the home page).
It's during this process that all sorts of problems will crop up. But it's much easier to solve them on paper rather than in the middle of coding. If you don’t, you might run into a major problem along the way that would require a “back to the drawing board” complete site re-design.
Working things out on paper will give you a much better idea of how things will work and how to fix problems. And, if you have knowledgeable friends, get a second opinion.
Once you've completed the on-paper process, and you or your web designer are satisfied with the results, you’re ready to translate it into code. Unless you or your programmer is a pro, I would recommend using a “template.” These are ready-made design formats. You can view several templates to choose from by typing “template source” in most search engines. Many of these are free.
Here are some answers to some commonly asked questions:
Q. For web design, do I have to employ a pro, or can I call the guidance counselor at my local high school and ask for the names of some computer whiz kids that I could call to help me out (for a fee)?
A. It really depends on what you want to do. If all you want is 1-2 pages, you can learn how to build the Web pages yourself. If it were an intensive site with many pages, I’d recommend a student, or a pro (if you have the budget).
Q. Are there shareware programs that a beginner like me could test out (shareware, freeware)?
A. Yes. Here’s a link that will give you more information: http://www.tucows.com/downloads/Windows /DevelopmentWebAuthoring/HTMLEditors/ and here: http://www.brothersoft.com/Web_Author_HTML_ Editors_Download_List_1.html
For HTML tutorials, look here: http://webdeveloper.com/html/ beginners_html.html
And here: http://webdesign.about.com/od /beginningtutorials/p/bl_begin.htm
For reviews of HTML editors, check out this link: http://www.webreference.com/html/
Q. I see a lot of photo-oriented websites that have a black background. Is this the best color to use?
A. Not necessarily. It’s a matter of opinion and personal taste. White can work just as well. I don’t recommend the use of other colors as they can compete with your images.
Q. Is “Flash” or audio acceptable?
A. If you absolutely need Flash to demonstrate an animation, then by all means use it. If it’s for a fancy trick, I recommend leaving it out. It’s similar with sound. Unless it adds to your site, don’t use it. And if you do use sound, give users an option to turn it off. If you don’t, you’re likely to lose visitors.
Nathan Segal is an Artist and Writer who has been writing for computer and photographic magazines for 8+ years. His specialty is taking complex technical subjects and explaining them in clear, easy-to-understand terms. To learn more about his work and background, http://www.photo-shop-tutorials.com
STARTING OUT. Break into photography
by taking an online photo course. This website maintains it
will help you avoid the usual pitfalls of beginners in photography.
Designed for all ages.
Rx for RF
Complaining about those Royalty-Free prices you see talked about on Internet chat groups? Don’t waste energy on the subject. Put that vigor towards an alternative method of selling your photos: Become a valuable resource to publishers of magazines, books, and other products that cannot use Royalty-Free photos for many reasons:
The RF picture 1.) is (trendwise) out-dated. 2.) the models in the picture are too over-refined-looking. 3.) the design/color/composition of the photo “jumps style” of the publisher’s usual material. 4.) is not on-site specific (too generic). 5.) clothing does not match the theme of the publication. 6.) competitors have already used the same image. 7.) competitors might use the same picture in the future. 8.) and many, many more reasons.
RF pictures serve well for generic projects where a picture fills a void in the layout. From time to time, I will use an RF photo to break up a page of text. Publishers are always looking for bargains (like $4 and $5 photos). But most of the time, for publishers who serve a specific audience of readers and advertisers, generic images won’t fit the bill. If you can supply the content-specific need of the art director, you will receive a fee ranging from $50 to $75 from small, regional publications and trade magazines, to $100 to $350 (one-time, inside use) from major publications. And that’s a lot more than that RF $4 or $5. -RE
Note: Need the answer to a stock photography question? At our Web site (www.photosource.com/board) you'll find our Bulletin Board, called "The Cracker Barrel." Check it out. Our staff answers marketing questions; fellow photographers offer their input and experience. The following is a typical exchange:
Q: I've been considering putting my pictures in a stock photo agency. What if the stock agency building burns down? Do I get compensated for the loss of the 500 photos that the stock photo agency was in the process of scanning to incorporate into their collection?
A: A stock agency contract always includes a 'limitation of liability clause.' They use a clause similar to the model form for a photographer agreement that PACA (Picture Archive Council of America) (www.pacaoffice.org) recommends. It goes something, but not exactly, like this:
"Agency shall provide a suitable environment for short-term or long-term storage, care, and retrieval of photographer's images and shall strive to protect and care for the images that are on file, temporarily or permanently with Agency. However, if there is any damage, theft, or loss of your images, Agency shall not be liable unless such damage, theft, or loss was a result of Agency's willful or gross negligence. Photographer agrees that except for a case of negligence, Agency's total liability per photo shall not exceed one hundred ($100.00) dollars."
This has been upheld in the courts in the past. (Check out Adamo v. Corbis Corp.) Be sure to check out the fine print in your contract with a stock photo agency. Some agencies have been known to modify the above and make themselves liable for $100 for your entire collection. Others say they are liable for nothing at all. (In other words you are taking a big chance in leaving a collection of your original transparencies with a stock photo agency for any length of time.)
So, unless your stock agency willfully burns down the building, your collection there of images/transparencies, discs, CD’s, still photos, whether 500 or 50,000, are essentially not protected.
COST OF TRAVEL OVERSEAS is always prohibitive for the stock photographer
just starting out. One way to skirt around this problem is to become a
Travel Agent.
