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Key words in this issue: Good Sales | Wireless World | Google Searches | Frivolous Lawsuit | Fees & Terms | Simplified Lighting | Magic Camera | Photo Search |

NEWSWORDS: LIFE Revised | Worker Photos | Focus on Wilderness | Corbis Victory | Veiled Driver | Video & Photography Festival | Post-Postmodernism | New Club: Point of Focus | Everest Photo Lessons |

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## PhotoAIM weekly newsletter for 05/31/03 ## 392d

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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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GOOD NOTES = GOOD SALES

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by David Arnold

If you’re going to learn from your photographic successes—and your photographic mistakes—you’ll have to keep a record of all the technical aspects of your shots: film, lens, shutter speed, f/stop, exposure compensation, flash details, etc. And if you’re going to sell your photos, you’ll have to keep track of caption information: where, what, when, who, etc. How can you do all this and still take pictures?

The traditional method is pen and paper. But that’s slow, and more writing means less shooting. My "solution" at first was a 2½ oz. Sony digital voice recorder hung around my neck. I shot a picture, took just a few seconds to record all the caption and technical information, and later spent hours at the computer transcribing my notes. Then technology came to the rescue: voice recognition software.

Several miniature digital voice recorders can interface with the Preferred version of ScanSoft's Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition program. Record your notes in the field, connect to your PC through the included USB cable, and your voice notes are uploaded to the computer and converted to written text. Version 7, just released in March, is a big improvement over both earlier versions of NaturallySpeaking, and its main competitor, IBM’s ViaVoice. This new version allows dictation at 160 words per minute, and, when used with the included headset microphone, can deliver 99 percent accuracy (one error per 100 words—better than I do when typing). When using a voice recorder accuracy drops somewhat, but—after initial training—is still impressive. And since it learns from your corrections, the more you use it the better it gets.

But getting started takes both money and effort. My Sony ICD-BP150 cost $150, and NaturallySpeaking 7 Preferred Edition runs $199.95 (headset microphone included). While there are less expensive versions of NaturallySpeaking, they don’t support voice recorders. Sony offers both the recorder and software as a package for just $199.95, but without the microphone and with only an electronic copy of the 213-page manual.

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This week's featured photographer on PhotoSourceFolio: Michael and Patricia Fogden:

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ON-LINE

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Getting Ripped Off

Scams are on the rise (aren't they always?). The Internet is an especially fertile ground, and a terrifically effective broadcast medium. And scams are not limited to the United States. The maxim is still true, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!" Here are a couple of websites that list some of these outrageous ripoffs: Check out the Cyber-Museum of Scams & Frauds at www.quatloos.com. For pyramid schemes and multi-level marketing scams, check out www.pyramidschemealert.org. Of course, one problem is that the folks who need to see this, don't, so help spread the word and keep your valuable photography dollars safer.

World Goes Wireless

Or so Intel would have you believe. They recently announced a chipset that promises "to make wireless Internet access a standard feature on laptops and to untie computer users from power outlets and telephone jacks." They've named the chipset Centrino, which is intended to allow users at home and public places to get online without wires. The technology has about a 100-yard radius from an access point dubbed a "hot spot." Several major manufacturers have announced plans to produce laptops with the new chipset, but some, like Dell, have vowed to offer other wireless choices as well. "What's the big deal?" you ask. "We've had wireless options for years now." True, but with the mighty Intel behind the move, more may get done faster. For example, Intel says it is working with major telephone network operators, hotels, and airports around the world to ensure that 10,000 hot spots are fully up to speed this year in 15 countries.

It Gets Bigger!

Did you notice? The font size for photo captions on www.photosourcefolio.com has been increased for improved readability. Now might be a good time for current subscribers to review their captions (you get about 100 words for each caption). It's also important to ensure that each caption has the appropriate keywords, since Internet searches are usually performed using just a few highly descriptive words. To update your captions, or for other information, go to www.photosource.com/account and log in.

You Know Who You Are!!

I can tell who is NOT reading my column. How? Because some of you are still sending out emails to everyone in your address book with a warning about yet another hoax virus. You know the kind: "This virus is not detected by any anti-virus software (I wonder why?), it'll do bad things to your computer, so email everyone in your address book about it right away!" Well, there are a couple of clues it's a hoax right there. But as I've said many times before, and will continue to say, check it out before you get hoaxed yourself, by visiting anti-virus sites such as http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html and http://vil.mcafee.com/hoax.asp. Both companies offer free on-line virus scanning of your computer.

*Display 6 of your own images for photobuyers to view, on your page on the PhotoSource website.

BUSINESS NOTEPAD

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FIND IT VIA GOOGLE. Ever need to find a photobuyer’s phone number? In the

Google search bar, type: "Name" + "city" + state abbreviation. Another way: Instead of the person's name, type in the publishing company name (in quotes). Still another way: Type in the company name + "contact us". Another hint: If you're looking for the lowest price on a product, type in the model name or number + "price comparison" For best results, use the plus signs. Also use quotes around multiword selections. –RE

YOU AND THE LAW

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Sometimes, it doesn't pay to sue....

Defendants Awarded Attorney's Fees in Frivolous Copyright Infringement Litigation

The issue of whether a defendant can recover legal fees in a successful defense to a copyright infringement suit is, of course, of paramount interest to all photographers contemplating such litigation.

A recent decision from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, in Video-Cinema Films Inc. V. Cable News Network, Inc., helps to clarify what constitutes acts beyond acceptable norms.

When movie actor Robert Mitchum died in July 1997, television news networks, among others, ran obituaries of his acting career. CNN, ABC and CBS used a clip of scenes from the 1945 movie, The Story of G.I. Joe, for which Mitchum received an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor.

BUY AND THEN SUE

The plaintiff's President, Larry Stern, bought the copyright in the movie after Mitchum's death. Stern thought he could make money from the known uses by the Networks and others, of film clips of Mitchum from the film. According to the Court's opinion, before Stern acquired the copyright he spent 10 hours watching televison to search for "as many potential targets of litigation as possible." Once he owned the copyright, Stern sent letters to various news organizations, including some who had not even used footage from the film, demanding payment for the alleged copyright infringement.

ADS WE’VE READ

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GOOD STUFF

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK

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"To err is human--and to blame it on a computer is even more so."

–Robert Orben

FREE THIS WEEK

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FREE. Refrigerator magnet or licencese plate holder FROM CODE07.COM The Emergency Service Community: This is an emergency service personnel website. This website helps people in the emergency services to get together to support each other and sometimes act as an unofficial sounding board in the emergency services (911) field.

THIS WEEK'S WEB FEATURE

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KRACKER BARREL  Visitors:  You'll like the new format of the Kracker Barrel  bulletin board. It was launched over the Memorial Day weekend. Check it out and see the big improvements in navigation, archives, and format.Back in 1996, when it was first established, we called it the "Cracker Barrel", but since hackers at that time liked to call themselves "crackers", our title page seemed to attract a lot of them so we changed the spelling. It worked. -Mikael Karlsson & Rohn Engh

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.

LIFE Magazine will be revised as a newspaper Sunday supplement, but hurdles are ahead for the venerable periodical.

U.S. Low-Paid Workers Document Lives in Pictures - Their jobs make them feel invisible, but using donated cameras a group of America's low-paid workers -- janitors, doormen, cleaners and dishwashers to name a few – have documented their lives in photographs.

Salgado Looks to Pull World's Wilderness Into Focus

Corbis Claims Copyright Victory - Corbis has reached an out-of-court settlement in its copyright infringement suit against Ofoto, a move the photo agency hopes will discourage other online publishers from profiting from unlicensed images.

A Florida woman's fight to remain veiled in a driver's license photograph began Tuesday with testimony from her husband and a local expert on Islamic law.

Call for Artists: 2003 US-ASEAN Film, Video and Photography Festival"

What will photography look like in the era after postmodernism?

A new group for photography enthusiasts, Point of Focus Camera Club, has been organized in the Boone area. Local photographer Bob Person of Person Studio has been instrumental in initiating the club.

Top of Everest was no place for photography lessons

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Want to get your stock photography business started right? There's help awaiting you at our site, Stock Photography 101, authored by veteran photojournalist, Mikael Karlsson. You'll find answers to technical questions, tips for successful marketing strategies, legal and copyright information, and much more.

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

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Need to find specific information on our web site? You can easily find it by using our search facilities. Check out the Search Page. It's free!

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