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## PhotoAIM weekly newsletter for 04/05/03 ## 391a

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PhotoAIM, the weekly newsletter from PhotoSource

International. <http://www.photosource.com> ==>

ISSN 1530-0511

If you no longer wish to receive PhotoAIM, see the instructions at the end of this newsletter.

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Advance Note: The saying goes, "Nothing is constant except change." Photographer Russ Poole once fought with the idea of switching to digital. No more. He's made his choice and here's his reasoning.

EIGHT REASONS NOT TO SWITCH TO DIGITAL

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By Russ Poole

With all the discussions of digital versus film cameras, now is a good time to decide whether to switch to digital for stock submissions. Below are eight reasons not to shoot digital stock.

1. Digital isn't as good as film. -- Digital can't produce quality billboard-sized prints.

2. Digital is too expensive. -- Digital cameras are expensive. The medium to top-of-the-line film camera is hundreds or even thousands of dollars cheaper.

3. Digital is hard to learn to use correctly. -- Agreed! Blame the photo finishers or find other excuses "beyond my control."

4. Digital storage media is expensive. -- Yes, the price of high capacity storage media does cause sticker shock compared to 35mm slide film.

5. You need the latest computer equipment to work with your digital images. -- We know our computer isn't good enough for quality digital results. Besides, there will be better computers available next week.

6. "Real" photo editors want to see film / slides on their light boards.

7. "Real" photo editors would never consider using a digital image.

8. "Real" photographers don't use digital.

All this being said, let's glance back and fill in 'the rest of the story.'

Oh, Yeah ?

1. While there are better digital cameras coming to market every week, digital images are being printed 1/4 page and larger in textbooks and magazines every day. Many are made with early 2 megapixel or similar cameras.

2. Digital cameras are more expensive initially. However, have you stopped to consider the cost of all your film, processing, slide pages, labeling, etc., to say nothing of the environmental damage caused by all the processing chemicals and packaging?

3. Digital does have a learning curve. As with anything in life, if you are serious about your passion you take time to learn.

4. Digital storage media is expensive for limited use. However, for illustration purposes, the money I saved over film and processing costs in the first year of digital use exceeded the cost of my camera, numerous compact flash cards, and computer upgrades.

5. Most computers are quite capable of basic image corrections such as resizing, minor color correction, etc. Many inexpensive photo editing programs are available, even as freeware / shareware. The truth is, most of us never use the full capabilities of the computers we have. The same can be said of our photo equipment.

Want to read more about this article? Go to: http://www.photoaim.com/gen616.html

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This week's featured photographer on PhotoSourceFolio: Mikael Karlsson:

(http://www.photosourcefolio.com)

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BUSINESS NOTEPAD

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THE IRS welcomes you to file on-line -- free. You can find out if you're eligible by going to www.irs.gov -- click on Free File, Start Now and Guide Me To a Service. Here are some of the areas that qualify for free tax-prep: If you are 50 or older, you can file free at TaxBrain Online Tax Center. If you are on active military duty, you'll get free service at TaxSlayer.com.

TAX TACTICS

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How to Get the Feds to Undo an...

Overdue Return Tax Penalty.

Is there a late-filing penalty when you haven't sent your taxes in on time? There sure is, but sometimes the IRS will forgive a late-filing penalty. To get the agency to waive the penalty, you have to convince them that there was "reasonable cause" for your tardiness -- say, destruction of your records by fire or flood.

CAUTION. Not having enough cash on hand to settle the tab at filing time, even if you are broke and able to prove it, is not reasonable cause that will get you off the hook for the penalty. After all, the IRS allows installment payments. Worse yet, a flagrant procrastinator might even wind up facing criminal charges.

Julian Block, a former IRS agent and a tax attorney, is the author of "The Stock Photographer's Tax Guide." For details on how to purchase this important 32-page booklet: http://www.photosource.com/taxtips.php

AMERICAN LIFE

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Rick Smolan and David Elliot Cohen, creators of the original "Day in the Life" book series, have teamed together again to produce "America 24/7". They will be selecting 1,000 photojournalists for a project documenting life in America. The photographers will be shooting during the week of May 12-18. Photographers are asked to propose assignments in their local communities, and will have use of Olympus digital cameras. For more information: < http://www.photoaim.com/wanted.html >

TREND NOTES

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Our Critique Service

"These photographs miss the boat. We have marked "Refused" on your package."

"Please cross us off your list; we have eliminated you from ours." Have you received a rejection slip like this lately? Probably not. Most photo editors are compassionate people and they don’t wish to destroy you with damaging words.

But because they are nice guys, they are destroying you with their kindness. If you are going to make it as an independent stock photographer, who has a long-range program of marketing pictures digitally or through the mail – you might as well take the medicine now, straight from the shoulder, so you can refine your work and start increasing your sales.

If your jpeg or mailed submissions are being consistently returned, inquire about our photo marketing critque service, <mike@photosource.com> phone: 1 877 404 7790.

If you’ve got the commitment that you want to produce excellence in your stock photography – you’ll benefit by a critique that zeroes in on the marketing aspects of your images. If you’re normal – you may find the critical part of the assessment of your work unpleasant to read. But why kid yourself? If you want to be strides ahead of your competition, why not learn what you’re doing wrong – correct it – and shorten your route to success in the world of stock photography. –RE

FLASHBACK

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1843 – Congress experimented with the telegraph by appropriating funds to build a telegraph line between Washington DC and Baltimore.

1879 – March 28th – Edward Steichen was born in Luxembourg. As curator of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, he created the photography exhibit, "The Family of Man," which became a best-selling photography book.

1923 – Henry Luce brought out his first issue of TIME Magazine.

WORKSHOP

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CREATING A PHOTOGRAPHY WEBSITE: Using Photoshop & ImageReady to Design Your Online Portfolio. Instructor is Sean Duggan. September 12 – 14, 2003. A goal for this class is for you to go home with a nearly finished website project burned onto a CD, that you can finish on your own and upload to the World Wide Web. Limited to 12 students. Cost: $625. Contact: Sean Duggan, 13986 Meadow View Drive, Grass Valley, CA 95945. Phone: 1 530 477-8494. E-mail: sean@seanduggan.com .

CONTESTS

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2003 SOHO PHOTO NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION. Deadline: April 26, 2003. Awards: $500 and solo show. Fee: $30/1-6 entries. Contact with SASE: Soho Photo Gallery, 15 White St., New York, NY 10013. Phone: 1 212 662-5532. Web: http://www.SohoPhoto.com .

STILL LIFE CONTEST. Deadline: April 7, 2003. Awards: top winner $500, Second $250, Third $100, Fourth $50, Fifth $25. Fee: $4.95 per photo entry. Multiple entries are allowed, however you must enter each photo individually. Contact: Digital Photo Contest at http://www.digitalphotocontest.com/competeforcash.aspx .

NATIONAL JURIED COMPETITION PHOTOGRAPHY AND DIGITAL MEDIA. Deadline: April 4, 2003. Cash awards: $1,800. Fee: $35/1-5 slides. Contact with SASE: Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences, 120 Long Beach Blvd, Loveladies, NJ 08008. E-mail: office@lbifoundation.org . Web: http://www.LBIFoundation.org .

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has."

–Margaret Meades

FREE THIS WEEK

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FREE BANK STAMP WHEN YOU ORDER 400 EASY-SCAN DEPOSIT TICKETS NEBS (New England Business Service)

http://keyresponse.keywareinternet.com/redir.asp?z=4&x=609&y=102550

THIS WEEK'S WEB FEATURE

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Display your photos on your own personal web page on our PSI web site. Visit the PhotoSourceFolio and see how other photographers are displaying their work.

http://www.photosourcefolio.com/

Watch for developments in the field of stock photography in PhotoAIM's

PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE NEWS

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You'll be the first to know…

Note: If the URL is long, it may extend to two lines. In that case - clicking on it won't work. Instead, "copy and paste" the URL.

He got fired for altering a war photo.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10454-2003Apr2.html

>From Dennis Cox: "To view a photo story on a brave American woman, go to:"

http://salvatorereda.sevcom.com/

U.S. Photographer Bingham Found Safe in Jordan - Freelance U.S. photographer Molly Bingham, feared missing in Baghdad, has turned up safe and sound in neighboring Jordan, her family said on Tuesday.

http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2488449

A Japanese photographer who recently returned from a peace rally in Baghdad has captured on film the lives of Iraqis before the outbreak of the U.S.-led war on their country.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20030402b4.htm

Grade-school students ask photographer all about alligators - One of Louisiana's top wildlife photographers came to talk to photography students at Brownfields Elementary. The students have been studying photography as part of a state-funded arts program which brings in visiting artists

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030330&Category=APN&ArtNo=303300746&Ref=AR

Catalogue Wars, Three Strong Contenders What does it take to get a stock catalogue noticed?

http://www.pdn-pix.com/news/#3

A New Kind of Transparency. Schwartz employed the photography of New York artist John Coplans for the report, to make the point that here is a company that really has nothing to hide.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/adweek/20030326/ad_bpiaw/a_new_kind_of_transparency

Former Observer photographer tells of escape - First, Iraqis chased him down a desert highway, spraying his truck with bullets. Then, the former Fayetteville Observer photographer spent three days waiting out a sandstorm in the back of a Black Hawk helicopter.

http://www.fayettevillenc.com/story.php?Template=military&Story=5554134

"Call for Artists: 2003 Photo Review Photography Competition"

http://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2003/03/07/30815.html

Sony ordered to pay $25m in patent claim

http://www.imaging-resource.com/NEWS/1049271910.html

Laforet Wins NSC Photographer Of The Year - For the second year in a row, Vincent Laforet The New York Times has won Photographer of the Year in the 22nd annual Northern Short Course (NSC).

http://www.pdn-pix.com/news/ - 5

Iraq: The Week In Pictures - Since the war in Iraq began March 19, photographers have shot hundreds, if not thousands, of images of the conflict. The ones we present here are not only beautiful but tell the tale of war better than words alone.

http://www.forbes.com/2003/03/28/cx_pm_0328warslideintro.html

Nikon(R) Unveils New Logo to Reflect Dynamic Growth and a Vision for the Future - "Nikon's new logo is a symbol of the Company's forward thinking approach to business and continued commitment to quality and reliability," said Anna Marie Bakker, General Manager of Communications for Nikon Inc. "

http://investor.cnet.com/investor/news/newsitem/0-9900-1028-21087481-0.html

Getty Images and Agence France-Presse (AFP) Enter Into Partnership to Increase Breadth, Depth, Reach and Quality - Getty Images (NYSE: GYI), the world's leading imagery company, and Agence France-Presse, the worldwide multilingual and multimedia news agency, today announced a strategic relationship to provide customers around the world with a comprehensive news photography service that leverages the complementary strengths and experiences of the two partners.

http://investor.cnet.com/investor/news/newsitem/0-9900-1028-21086214-0.htmlm

http://www.forbes.com/2003/03/28/cx_pm_0328warslideintro.html

CAPTURING BEAUTY: AWARD-WINNING PHOTOGRAPHER FROM SIUC STUMBLED UPON HIS TRADE - Tom Ulrich, a Southern Illinois University Carbondale graduate, returned to campus last week to participate in the Charles D. Tenney Distinguished Lecturer Series. That's far removed from the starving photographer who spent seven years living in his van in Glacier National Park.

http://www.southernillinoisan.com/rednews/2003/03/28/build/outdoors/OUT001.html

The Photographer: Showing a Reality Missed by Others - Saman was born in Peru. His only focus was to go to school so that he could become a photo-journalist. Saman covered the Palestinian territories just before Sept. 11, 2001 then he and correspondent Matthew McAllester went to Afghanistan to cover the war, now he is in Bagdad.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-womois313199555mar31,0,907256.story?coll=ny-worldnews-headlines

U.S. Photographer Bingham Found Safe in Jordan - Freelance U.S. photographer Molly Bingham, feared missing in Baghdad, has turned up safe and sound in neighboring Jordan, her family said on Tuesday.

http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2488449

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030330&Category=APN&ArtNo=303300746&Ref=AR

http://www.fayettevillenc.com/story.php?Template=military&Story=5554134

Progressive's Annual Report Bares All -Though most photographers would agree that the annual report market has taken a huge hit, a few brave corporations still see the value of photography.

http://www.pdn-pix.com/news/#2

http://investor.cnet.com/investor/news/newsitem/0-9900-1028-21087481-0.html

Laforet Wins NSC Photographer Of The Year - For the second year in a row, Vincent Laforet The New York Times has won Photographer of the Year in the 22nd annual Northern Short Course (NSC).

http://www.pdn-pix.com/news/ - 5

Progressive's Annual Report Bares All -Though most photographers would agree that the annual report market has taken a huge hit, a few brave corporations still see the value of photography.

http://www.pdn-pix.com/news/ - 2

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Got a question about " on-line"? Type in the name of our On-line editor; Bill Hopkins, in the Search section of PhotoStockNotes.

http://www.photosource.com/online/index.html

PhotoAIM is a collection of excerpts from our monthly newsletter, PhotoStockNotes (We now have it available in German.) PhotoStockNotes is also available via postal mail in the USA: $3.00 per month. Outside the USA: $5 per month. >http://www.photosource.com/psnintro.html

Feel free to forward this issue of PhotoAIM to your photographer friends.

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Got a question about taxes? Type in the name of our tax expert, Julian Block, in the Search section of PhotoStockNotes.

http://www.photosource.com/tax/index.html

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PhotoAIM weekly newsletter is a product of PhotoSource International, Rohn Engh, Director, who is solely responsible for its contents. Online Photo Editor.

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391a

Next Week: Sell to Both Markets