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Key words in this issue: Getty | Photobuyer Changes | Long Lenses | Photomarketing Entrance | Steamboat Workshop | Photographic Art Market | Free Radio | Online Photo Editor |

NEWSWORDS: Buried Treasure | New ‘Life’ | Newsday Contract | Cancer Survivors | Getty Grievance | Arctic Artists | Digital Cameras | Emerging Talent | Veer Collection |

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## PhotoAIM weekly newsletter for 05/24/03 ## 392c

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PhotoAIM, the weekly newsletter from PhotoSource

ISSN 1530-0511

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

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DAVID OR GOLIATH?

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Getty images purports to be the biggest stock agency, with the largest number of stock photos.

But big does not always mean best. When it comes to the supply of photos and the services offered by freelance photographers around the world, how does Getty stack up?

HERE’S THE SEVEN "S’s" TEST

SIZE: There are 345 million images available from freelance photographers through the Internet. Getty, with its 70 million images, falls short by 285,000,000.

SALES: Photographers with Getty Images receive only 40% of any sale; freelancers receive 100%.

SPEED: The bureaucracy of a large corporation means delivery can often be inconveniently slow. The processes to reach editorial decisions handcuff the administration. In contrast, freelancers can make decisions with immediacy – a benefit for photobuyers.

In the world of the Web, monolithic companies with their convoluted hierarchical structures will lose ground to the streamlined directness offered by small one-person stock photo companies.

SELECTION: Getty can respond only to photo requests that are in its database. For reasons of cost efficiency, Getty stores only photos that have promise of a shelf life that will give Getty a return on its investment in the photo. This translates to an emphasis on generic, wide-use photos. However, as the Web is becoming ever more efficient, photobuyers are now able to request highly specific images. Freelancers are in a better position than a large agency like Getty, to respond to a non-generic request and with next-day service, even if it means walking outdoors to shoot a particular wildflower blossom in the snow, or staging a surfing party at dawn in Maui.

SCANNING: Getty must follow protocol in its scanning process (a very small percentage of its 60 million images are scanned thus far, and the entire process won't be completed until well into 2015, by which time thousands of the images will be obsolete). Freelancers, on the other hand, need to scan an image only when they're ready to make a sale. Freelancers don't need to invest in industrial strength scanners for the final scan. They can rely on a local high-powered service bureau downtown.

STORAGE: Photo researchers are learning that the Internet offers more volume and variety. Why search through 70 million pictures when you can search 345 million, lightning quick, through Internet text-based photo search services?

The Internet is making progress in leaps and bounds. Photobuying confidence in e-commerce is gaining momentum. Along in this marketing revolution comes the revelation that the small business person can show the monolithic corporate entity how to survive in the digital economy. We will soon have a case (remember the fable?) of the elephant being helped by the mouse.

And you have at your fingertips a fail-safe way to stay highly informed. By keeping up to date through PhotoStockNotes and the PhotoSource website (www.photosource.com) you'll be way ahead of whoever comes out on top as the corporate world leader in stock agencies.

Rohn Engh is director of PhotoSource International and publisher of PhotoStockNotes. Pine Lake Farm, Osceola, WI 54020 USA Email: info@photosource.com Fax: 1 715 248 7394. Web site: www.photosource.com.

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This week's featured photographer on PhotoSourceFolio: Miriam Romais:

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As a special service to our PhotoAIM subscribers, we provide you with a fresh, up-to-date list of photobuyers every month. Look for this list every third week of the month, to update or add contacts to your personal Market List.

CHANGES

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PERISCOPE (921 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55415) contact person Lisa Paczkowski’s name changed to Lisa McHugh, Art Buyer,lmchugh@periscope.com .

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BIRD WATCHER (324 10<sup>th</sup> St SE, Washington, DC 20003) National Geographic Bird Watcher has suspended publication.

BENCHMARK EDUCATION, former address: 523 Fifth Ave Ste 296, Pelham, NY 10803; current address: 629 5<sup>th</sup> Ave, Pelham, NY 10803.

MAGNETIC NORTH PRESS (420 Oak St N Ste 101, Carver, MN 55315) former contact: Gary Gernbacher, Art Director; current contact: Nancy Clauss, Art Director.

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES COUNCIL INC, former address: 3941 Holcomb Bridge Rd Ste 300, Norcross, GA 30092; current address: 5415 Sugarloaf Parkway Ste 2201, Lawrenceville, GA 30043.

NATURE

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The Long and Short of It... Long Lenses

Most wildlife photographers believe the most important piece of photographic equipment is a long lens. Keeping at a distance from a wildlife subject saves both photographer and animal from what could be a stressful situation. The photographer wants to stay back from a charging rhino, just as the mother sparrow wants to protect her baby from a camera in its face. Most animals will run or fly off if a person gets close. A long lens is the answer -- but have you looked at the price of a good, fast long lens lately?

Holy Cow !!

Low-budget nature photographers, like me, want to shoot with long lenses but we just can’t afford them. Without shelling out a small fortune, --what's a tightwad photographer to do? Luckily there are several ways to shoot super-telephoto images without breaking the bank.

You can find low-cost long lenses from certain manufacturers. But here you want to be careful. Your long lens must deliver quality images that are acceptable for magazine and book production.

Several zooms in the 100 - 400mm range can be found under $400, but they tend to be slow with a f/6.7 maximum aperture. These lenses can take decent pictures acceptable for slide shows or web production if the light is right and conditions are ideal. One drawback to this budget class is the lack of a tripod mount. Extended to 400mms, the lens is prone to constant shaking. Also, the front elements rotate when focused, making use of some filters difficult, at best. In the end, if the quality image is not there, a wonderful wildlife photo will be rejected by a magazine or book publisher because the end product, your image, doesn't meet the technical requirements of the printer.

Good Solution

My choice to keep the cost down is to buy high-quality used items. Check out the classifieds in a major newspaper. And my local camera shop has a Used Equipment Counter. I picked up a Nikon 300mm f/4 ED autofocus for about half of what a new one costs.

Just make sure you test all of the lens features before you buy a used one. Attach it to your own camera body and run off a few shots. Examine the results with a loupe. If the tight grain is not there, reject purchasing it. The photobuyer certainly will.

Rent to Own

If there is a professional camera store in your area, renting a lens may be the way to go. My local store rents out a late model 400mm f/2.8 autofocus for only $35 a day. This is a perfect way to try out super telephotos without the cost of buying them. The shop will rent out just about any size, and some of the renting cost can be deducted from the purchase price should you decide to buy.

Insurance Coverage

No matter what equipment you use, make sure you talk to your insurance agent about coverage. The loss or damage of even low-cost equipment is money out of your pocket, that could be protected with the right policy.

Scott Alan Johnson is an award winning nature photographer and three-time Emmy nominated journalist for Fox Television News in Cleveland, Ohio. Some of his photographs can be seen at the "fstopnature.com" photography web site.

INTERESTED IN BREAKING INTO PHOTOMARKETING?

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You'll see your photo credit in national circulation if you pick out and develop one or two specialized segments of the marketplace, such as medicine, aviation, architecture, sports, etc. As you develop your expertise in these special interest market areas, you'll become more valuable as a resource to photobuyers in these fields. As you build your stock file, these photobuyers will also direct assignments your way. Although single periodicals are listed in our marketletters, frequently they are published by a parent company, which may publish many other periodicals in the same field. One company's photography budget can range from $5,000 to $20,000 per month, depending on the company's size.

Begin now to build your career in photomarketing by deciding which area or areas you want to develop. Don't be content to choose only the obvious area of natural history (scenics, wildlife, outdoor recreation). This field is already overcrowded. Instead, you'll find it lucrative to build relationships with publishers who need photos in other specialized areas.

What if you happen to periodically acquire excellent pictures outside of your main area of expertise? Say you get some coverage outside of your specialty area? To find additional markets, refer to directories such as PHOTOGRAPHER'S MARKET, or type the name of your specialty and add the word, publisher, or, magazine, into the search bar of a search engine such as Google, or AltaVista. You'll fnd dozens of outlets for your specialty area. –RE

WORKSHOP

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GOOD STUFF

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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 COBY RADIO Get a Coby CX-15 Ultra Blue AM/FM Radio - FREE.

THIS WEEK'S WEB FEATURE

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Would you like to stay current with this kind of information in a convenient newsletter - mailed to your home or office the first every month? Subscribe to our parent newsletter, PhotoStockNotes - 8 pages filled with vital stock photography tips and trends, delivered to your postal mailbox. How-to and insider articles on pricing, copyright, stock photo agencies, legal issues, and monthly updates of photobuyer address changes. Only $36 per year.

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.

Buried Treasure. Why has Bill Gates stashed millions of the greatest images of the 20<sup>th</sup> century under a mountain in Pennsylvania?

'Life' Could Become Sunday Paper Insert - Time Inc. is working on plans to rejuvenate Life magazine - which gained fame as a showcase for photography in the days before widespread television - as an insert to Sunday newspapers.

Contract Watch Newsday Goes On Rights-Grabbing Spree - The rights grab begins with a work-for-hire (WFH) provision that says Newsday "shall own all rights, including the copyright, in each photograph" submitted. The second provision grants Newsday rights to any past published works, meaning whole photo archives, including lucrative 9/11 photos, can now be sold by the newspaper.

Photographer captures valiant women with breast cancer's scars – Rachel Dunville lifts out the large sheet of photographic paper as a collage of women's faces - all breast cancer survivors - looks over her right shoulder in the darkroom. As the image becomes darker, the effect grows:

AFP Union Files Grievance Over Getty Deal - The Washington Baltimore Newspaper Guild has filed a grievance over AFP's distribution alliance with Getty Images, saying the agreement violates its contract governing about 60 AFP employees.

Ship of artists to set sail for Arctic - A ship full of poets, video artists, painters, photographers and composers will set sail for the Arctic next week in a bid to get British schoolchildren interested in issues like global warming.

Summer snapshooters - Five digital cameras that are just right for preserving memories from your summertime vacations.

International Photography Awards Inaugurates First-of-its-Kind Showcase Of Photographic Excellence - This global competition of photographic acumen and imagination aims to salute the achievements of the world's finest photographers, to discover new and emerging talent, and to promote the appreciation of photography all over the world.

Veer bolsters collection with new imagery from Nonstock Photography and Spots Illustration - Veer, a provider of unique visual elements and design-related products, today announces two new libraries in its selection of stock visuals. These two new libraries address very different creative needs, but share the aesthetic and technical qualities that exemplify the company's discerning approach to product selection.

Photographer Gives Glimpse of Bush's Life -

Cameras are Chic's passion

Smithsonian's Arctic Refuge Exhibit Draws Senate Scrutiny

A rare look at Japanese art photography: May 25-July 20

International Photography Awards Inaugurates First-of-its-Kind Showcase Of Photographic Excellence

The last known photographs taken of the Titanic before the ill-fated liner sank in mid-Atlantic are being auctioned this week.

Kodak, HP End Photofinishing Venture

Breaking News-Digital Imaging.....

Digital Photo News;

HCB Exhibitions Get Rave Reviews

Hewlett-Packard Printers Are A Hassle For Network Managers - David Strom went to a briefing this past week with HP's printing and imaging folks and came away with one word: ecosystem. Unfortunately for HP, he also came away with more questions than answers and more troubled about where HP is going in these businesses.

AFP Union Files Grievance Over Getty Deal - The Washington Baltimore Newspaper Guild has filed a grievance over AFP's distribution alliance with Getty Images, saying the agreement violates its contract governing about 60 AFP employees.

Contract Watch Newsday Goes On Rights-Grabbing Spree - The rights grab begins with a work-for-hire (WFH) provision that says Newsday "shall own all rights, including the copyright, in each photograph" submitted. The second provision grants Newsday rights to any past published works, meaning whole photo archives, including lucrative 9/11 photos, can now be sold by the newspaper.

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Next Week: Good Notes = Good Sales