tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75532785934067333772024-03-14T14:49:17.986-04:00Photo Business News & ForumOccasional Musings and News About the Business of Being a PhotographerJohn Harringtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16941161605443479300noreply@blogger.comBlogger1142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553278593406733377.post-11862997508004310432024-01-23T02:00:00.000-05:002024-01-23T02:00:36.099-05:00Sony FX6 Monitor Solution - Two Monitors SetupA dual monitor setup for the Sony FX6 using a combination of Tilta, Zacuto, and Bright Tangerine accessories optimized for rigidity and ease of portability. Equipment also used includes Neewer, Small Rig, Ulanzi, and Camvate. This setup also allows for the Sony wireless lavalier system to be used
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe class="BLOG_video_class" allowfullscreen="" youtube-src-id="3PcSohktN9U" width="430" height="242" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3PcSohktN9U"></iframe></div>
<br>
<div align="right">(Continued after the Jump)</div><span class="fullpost">
********************<br>
Equipment Referenced: <br>
🛒 - <a href="https://www.zacuto.com/products/sony-fx6-z-finder%20%20" target="_blank">Zacuto Sony FX6 Z-Finder</a>
<br>🛒 - <a href="https://www.brighttangerine.com/store/mini-axl-sony-fx6/" target="_blank">Bright Tangerine MINI AXL (SONY FX6) </a>
<br>🛒 - <a href="https://www.brighttangerine.com/store/sony-fx6-top-handle-brace/" target="_blank">Bright Tangerine SONY FX6 TOP HANDLE BRACE</a>
<br>🛒 - <a href="https://amzn.to/47qHtm7" target="_blank">Tilta Camera Cage for Sony FX6 Advanced Kit</a>
<br>🛒 - <a href="https://tilta.com/shop/camera-cage-for-sony-fx6-advanced-kit/?aff=john.harrington" target="_blank">Tilta Camera Cage for Sony FX6 Advanced Kit (Tilta website)</a>
<br>🛒 - <a href="https://amzn.to/3S8XDw8" target="_blank">Front Monitor 90-degree mount</a>
<br>🛒 - T<a href="https://amzn.to/3vrdhdk%20">op handle small nato rail</a>
<br>🛒 - <a href="https://amzn.to/48HgaVD" target="_blank">150mm Nato rail extension arm</a>
<br>🛒 - <a href="https://amzn.to/3TQNMfx" target="_blank">150mm Nato clamp add-on</a>
<br>🛒 - <a href="https://amzn.to/3voHA4q">Rear Monitor tilt-swivel</a>
<br>🛒 - <a href="https://amzn.to/48ndQDL" target="_blank">Front Monitor QR kit</a>
<br>🛒 - <a href="https://amzn.to/3RNhAqP" target="_blank">Rear monitor mount add-on</a>
<br>🛒 - <a href="https://amzn.to/3tN7kab" target="_blank">3/8ths to 1/4-20 reducer</a>
<br>🛒 - <a href="https://amzn.to/48Jw6qt" target="_blank">QR Extension screw through frame</a>
<br>🛒 - <a href="https://amzn.to/3RSJkdN%20" target="_blank">Sony Hotshoe Digital Adapter</a>
<br>🛒 - <a href="https://amzn.to/47urpju" target="_blank">Sony Two Lavs Kit</a>
<br>🛒 - <a href="https://amzn.to/3TX4Noy" target="_blank">Sony One Lav one plug-on Kit</a>
<br>🛒 - <a href="https://amzn.to/3HuLuvq" target="_blank">PolarPro Full Base Camp Kit</a>
<br>🛒 - <a href="https://amzn.to/3u5f8Eq" target="_blank">PolarPro Matte Box</a>
<br>🛒 - <a href="https://amzn.to/3u0bxHL" target="_blank">PolarPro Matte Box 15mm Rail Mount </a>
<br>********************
<br>🛒 - My Book - <a href="https://amzn.to/3Hupgty" target="_blank">Best Business Practices for Photographers</a>
<br>********************
<br>Disclaimer
I participate in the Amazon Services Associates Program, which earn fees by linking to Amazon.com without increasing what you would pay. No one requested I make this video, no money changed hands, no one reviewed it beforehand, and I bought all the gear myself.
<br>
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://embed.technorati.com/embed/cprgdy5fki.js"></script></div>John Harringtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16941161605443479300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553278593406733377.post-67882477150572443782021-01-03T17:07:00.025-05:002021-02-19T17:14:06.402-05:00Tethering Your Sony a7 III (A73) - WHAT WE USEOne of the challenges that we've faced many times when tethering our cameras has been the stability of the connection from camera to computer. This isn't brand specific, as past brands we've used have had the same problems. The company <a href="https://tethertools.com/" target="_blank">Tether Tools</a> has made an entire business out of helping with these issues. One brief disconnect can shut down a transfer and cause corrupted files or a live connection shutdown, even if the wiring reconnects within milliseconds.</p></p>
Here is how we figured out how to solve the problem, using a tweak to the cable lock Sony sells for less than $50.</p>
</p>
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<div align="right">(Commments, if any, after the Jump)</div><span class="fullpost">
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://embed.technorati.com/embed/cprgdy5fki.js"></script></div>John Harringtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16941161605443479300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553278593406733377.post-45550366801451547862020-02-14T01:00:00.001-05:002021-02-19T17:24:29.745-05:00The FITT360 360° Wearable Virtual Reality Camera - Unboxing and TestingWe recently received the FITT360 360° virtual reality camera which you wear around your neck. We purchased this from the company, and because we were unable to find many videos other than those put out by the company or which use the company-supplied footage, we put together an unboxing and testing set of videos.<br />
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="242" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/389791202" width="430"></iframe>
<br />
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(Continued with testing video after the Jump)</div>
<span class="fullpost">Here is a series of tests of the camera, stitching, and clarity in and outdoor, indoor, and low-light setting. (This is best watched full-screen where you can use YouTube's VR navigation).</span><br />
<span class="fullpost"><br /></span>
<span class="fullpost"> </span>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="242" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zw2Yub85iIc" width="430"></iframe>
<span class="fullpost"><br /></span>
<span class="fullpost"></span><br />
<span class="fullpost"><br /></span>
<br />
<span class="fullpost"><i>NOTE: This is not a sponsored post, and Linkflow, the manufacturer of this product, did not provide this product to us with the knowledge that it would be reviewed and tested. It came from their standard production run, and was purchased at the Indiegogo backer price.</i></span>
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<span class="fullpost">Please post your comments by clicking the link below. If you've got questions, please pose them in our <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/photobusinessforum">Photo Business Forum Flickr Group</a> Discussion Threads.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Questions? Please pose them in our <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/photobusinessforum"/>Photo Business Forum Flickr Group</a> Discussion Threads. Comments are turned off for this welcome posting.
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<br />
Back in January of 2018 Photo Business News reported<a href="https://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2018/01/significant-changes-at-us-copyright.html"> Significant Changes at The US Copyright Office</a> whereby in February of 2018 a new system as put in place to process your copyright registration. Thankfully, they saved us here at Photo Business News from having to spend the time updating our video that is 42 minutes long and has almost 7,000 views on YouTube alone.<br />
<br />
Here is a step-by-step video produced by the US Copyright Office (best watched in full screen) -<br />
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="242" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/384840518" width="430"></iframe>
<br />
<div align="right">
(Continued after the Jump)</div>
<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />One of the ongoing challenges of the US copyright registration system is the upper limit of 750 images per registration. Prior to the February 2018 change, you could register a virtually unlimited number of images on a single registration. Hopefully, future changes to copyright registration policies and procedures will allow for more than 750 images per registration.</span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">Please post your comments by clicking the link below. If you've got questions, please pose them in our <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/photobusinessforum">Photo Business Forum Flickr Group</a> Discussion Threads.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Questions? Please pose them in our <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/photobusinessforum"/>Photo Business Forum Flickr Group</a> Discussion Threads. Comments are turned off for this welcome posting.
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://embed.technorati.com/embed/cprgdy5fki.js"></script></div>John Harringtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16941161605443479300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553278593406733377.post-91208849439604805592020-02-12T23:36:00.001-05:002021-02-19T17:24:58.455-05:00US Copyright Office - Step-By-Step for a Group of Unpublished PhotographsThe US Copyright Office has produced a video which is very helpful in giving you a step-by-step explanation of how to register a group of Unpublished photographs.<br />
<br />
Back in January of 2018 Photo Business News reported<a href="https://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2018/01/significant-changes-at-us-copyright.html"> Significant Changes at The US Copyright Office</a> whereby in February of 2018 a new system as put in place to process your copyright registration. Thankfully, they saved us here at Photo Business News from having to spend the time updating our video that is 42 minutes long and has almost 7,000 views on YouTube alone.<br />
<br />
Here is a step-by-step video produced by the US Copyright Office (best watched in full screen) -<br />
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="242" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/384839862" width="430"></iframe>
<br />
<div align="right">
(Continued after the Jump)</div>
<span class="fullpost"><br /><br />One of the ongoing challenges of the US copyright registration system is the upper limit of 750 images per registration. Prior to the February 2018 change, you could register a virtually unlimited number of images on a single registration. Hopefully, future changes to copyright registration policies and procedures will allow for more than 750 images per registration.</span><br />
<div align="right">
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://embed.technorati.com/embed/cprgdy5fki.js"></script></div>John Harringtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16941161605443479300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553278593406733377.post-76171235326044931922018-03-01T12:13:00.002-05:002018-03-01T12:13:32.780-05:00Termination of ImageBrief Services<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCpeHoC9XNR3212tzZ5lg4ENI2O_zKhjNviqjuHFc-rl3hiaUQ88URLN2vqqavY7FtftcZ8DcY6BlGR7oTpgI7TnpGJ_l104cGNu5T2gZ3sxC5hn8RxJQNfYvIBECuTEsPPqAM9Zqub2Hi/s1600/ImageBrief_End.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="199" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCpeHoC9XNR3212tzZ5lg4ENI2O_zKhjNviqjuHFc-rl3hiaUQ88URLN2vqqavY7FtftcZ8DcY6BlGR7oTpgI7TnpGJ_l104cGNu5T2gZ3sxC5hn8RxJQNfYvIBECuTEsPPqAM9Zqub2Hi/s1600/ImageBrief_End.gif" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, March 1st, 2018, ImageBrief announced the "Termination of ImageBrief Services", telling contributors "...that after six years of connecting agencies, brands and creators, we will be closing down ImageBrief's photographer marketing services."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For years, PhotoBusinessNews has been critical of the damage that ImageBrief has been doing to the assignment sector of the photographic industry. Feburary 13, 2015 we wrote "<a href="https://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2015/02/imagebrief-scourge-on-photographic.html" target="_blank">ImageBrief: A scourge on the photographic industry</a>", and last year, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">on May 28th, 2016 we published "5<a href="https://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2016/05/500px-imagebrief-crowdsourcing.html" target="_blank">00px, ImageBrief - The Crowdsourcing Scoundrels of the Internet</a>". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, it came as no surprise, and is good news for photographers in general, that ImageBrief announced their own demise.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you contributed to ImageBrief, you have 7 days to retrieve your images, licenses, and other documents from the ImageBrief servers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is the entire text of their email:</span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Dear {Contributor},</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Today, we're announcing that after six years of connecting agencies, brands and creators, we will be closing down ImageBrief's photographer marketing services.<br />We're proud of the products and apps we built, but even more so, we're grateful for the community that enabled them to grow. More than 70,000 creators earned millions of dollars collaborating with 12,500+ global agencies and brands in 169 countries.</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There has never been a better time for creators to thrive. Demand for content has increased, and the tools to create world-class creative are more accessible than ever.<br />Our talented team of engineers, designers, developers, and curators have worked tirelessly to make ImageBrief a success in a competitive and rapidly evolving landscape, and our immediate priority is to help you transition to other services to support your business.</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In the coming days, our team will be in contact with you directly with detailed information about your specific account, license history, and services. Over the next week, we recommend logging into ImageBrief to download and retain your license history and related assets. Further details can be found in the FAQ's below.<br />We want to thank you for your participation and loyalty, and look forward to working with you in the coming weeks to ensure a smooth transition. </blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Sincerely,<br />Team ImageBrief</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>FAQ'S</b><b>What will happen to images I have uploaded?</b>ImageBrief does not distribute your images through third parties. All photos you have submitted to the site will be permanently removed from our servers within the next seven days. </blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>How do I get copies of my licenses?</b>For the next seven days, you will be able to login to <a href="https://via.intercom-mail-300.com/e?ob=3PW73rw9aro8QcRiqZHoamipg0MTrO8wL0zuSlm%2F0kw%3D&h=a27689d871c2e281a5040088a301e08d747da884-14930958043" style="color: #1251ba;" target="_blank">www.imagebrief.com</a> if you require additional copies of your licenses. Download your license and associated schedules. You are legally obliged to continue to adhere to all terms and agreements of your licensed images.</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>What will happen to my personal and credit card Information?</b>We will permanently remove your personal information where it is no longer required, protecting your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, loss, misuse, and alteration. ImageBrief uses Stripe and does not store private credit card information.</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>What will happen to payments due to me?</b>Over the next 90 days, our finance team will continue to manage accounts on behalf of contributors for images recently licensed. You will be contacted directly regarding the specific status of outstanding payments and paid within 30 days of receipt of the client's payment.</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>ImageRights Services</b>If you activated ImageRights and via the ImageBrief platform, images you have synced to ImageRights will remain in your ImageRights account.<br />You can use the email you used to signup with ImageBrief, but you'll need to reset your password to be able to login to ImageRights directly. Head to the login page at <a href="http://www.imagerights.com/login">www.imagerights.com/login</a> and select the 'Forgot Password' link. Cases will continue to be pursued while your account remains open. You can submit an account cancellation to ImageRights by emailing support@imagebrief.com.</blockquote>
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(Comments, if any, after the Jump)</div>
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://embed.technorati.com/embed/cprgdy5fki.js"></script></div>John Harringtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16941161605443479300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553278593406733377.post-65842252069331059072018-01-22T23:05:00.000-05:002018-01-23T00:18:28.874-05:00Significant Changes at The US Copyright Office<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
The US Copyright Office for months have been working behind the scenes to codify new rules for group registrations of photographs, and they were released last week. In short, they are bad news for photographers, with very little good news.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.photobusinessforum.com/images/eco_250x88.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.photobusinessforum.com/images/eco_250x88.jpg" data-original-height="88" data-original-width="250" /></a>For almost a decade, we have been registering, monthly, several thousand of our images in a single registration, for one registration fee. Some times, these were less than a thousand, and sometimes they were more than 5,000 images. <br />
<br />
Here is the video that details how we have been doing them:<br />
<br />
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="255" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CKZ2m4t8nis" width="430"></iframe>
<br />
In less than a month, the limit is going to be 750 images, TOTAL, on a single registration. This means that a group registration of 5,500 images that I could previously register for $55 using the online eCO, will now cost me $520, or almost a ten-fold increase. (Source: <a href="https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ04.pdf" target="_blank">Library of Congress fees</a>).<br />
<br />
It is disturbing that there is little extra cost (that is, a few additional sheets of certificate paper) for a 5,500 image registration than for a 750 image registration, so it makes no sense as to why this change has occurred. <br />
<br />
While the new rules are the same for both a group registration of published photographs (GRPPH) and a group of unpublished photographs (GRUPH), this doesn't alleviate how much more work it is going to be for photographers, and how much more expensive it is.<br />
<br />
Here are the new requirements:<br />
<ul>
<li>Every image must be in a separate document in list form, and this list is not created until you have submitted your registration, and receive a case number from the eCO</li>
<li>Photos can only be JPEG, TIF, and GIF, and all should be in a .ZIP file, and the total size of the file must be 500MB or less</li>
<li>You'll still page the $55 fee, but the link above lists a $65 fee now as well</li>
<li>You can no longer use a paper registration, it's online only</li>
<li>The registration requires that you're the only author</li>
<li>Every image must have it's own title, as we recommend in the video above, not just a single title</li>
<li>the entire group must also have a title, also as we recommend in the above video</li>
</ul>
The document has to list in a very specific manner, the title of the work, the filename of the work as stored in the ZIP file, and the date of first publication. So, a work I created today at the US Capitol covering the reopening of the government would be:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">TITLE: 20180122_CongressPressConf0987 FILE: 20180122_CongressPressConf0987.JPG DATE: 01/22/2018</span><br />
<br />
While this is easily automatable, it is an additional steps that adds to the hassle.<br />
<br />
Then, the required attached document, in list form, using Excel, would something be named something like:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
A group of published photographs by John Harrington CaseNo000000.xls</div>
<br />
Then title of the work would be:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
"A group of published photographs by John Harrington"</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.photobusinessforum.com/images/loc_step0_250x219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.photobusinessforum.com/images/loc_step0_250x219.jpg" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="250" /></a></div>
On the plus side, the Copyright Office has specified that now it is no longer a question as to whether or not the individual images registered as a part of a group registration are covered individually or not, they are now. So if someone were to say you were entitled to only a single statutory award of up to $150,000 if someone infringes on 5 images that all were in a single registration, your maximum statutory award would be $150k x 5, or $750,000. Whereas now, That argument now is supposedly laid to rest. That is, until a court case challenges it. <br />
<br />
Another significant improvement to the regulations is that the photographers who use assistants or other photographers to work under them on a work-made-for-hire basis can now register multiple photographers all on the same registration for one fee, provided that the legal author of all the photographs is the same, as it is when second shooters work on a work-made-for-hire basis (with the necessary contract signed beforehand). Previously one would have to file a separate registration for photographs made by each additional photographer even if they were working on a WMFH basis.<br />
<br />
Here is the final rule (<a href="https://www.copyright.gov/rulemaking/group-photographs/" target="_blank">LINK</a>): <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
After soliciting comments in late 2016, the U.S. Copyright Office
adopted a final rule, effective February 20, 2018, governing group
registration of photographs. The final rule modifies the procedure for
registering groups of published photographs (GRPPH), and establishes a
similar procedure for registering groups of unpublished photographs
(GRUPH). The final rule adopts a new requirement that applicants seeking
copyright registrations for groups of photographs—both published and
unpublished—must generally submit applications through the Office’s
electronic registration system, and can include up to 750 photographs in
each claim. The final rule also modifies the deposit requirement by
requiring applicants to submit their contributions in a digital format
and to upload those files through the electronic system; clarifies the
eligibility requirements; and confirms that a group registration issued
under GRPHH or GRUPH covers each photograph in the group, each
photograph is registered as a separate work, and the group as a whole is
not considered a compilation or a collective work.</blockquote>
For all the details, visit <a href="https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-01-18/pdf/2018-00687.pdf" target="_blank">this link here </a>at the eCO. So if you're behind on your registrations, be sure to get them all done before 2/19/2018, as these changes go into effect on February 20th, 2018.<br />
<br />
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://embed.technorati.com/embed/cprgdy5fki.js"></script></div>John Harringtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16941161605443479300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553278593406733377.post-23352302865921329712018-01-18T07:19:00.002-05:002021-02-19T17:25:20.008-05:00Take Action Now – Copyright Simplified
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One of the many reservations photographers have to putting
up any sort of official objection – that is, to file a lawsuit in court – is
the cost and time associated with doing so. Further, their objections include
the cost of hiring an attorney, and then paying them again, and again, and
again. Then, there’s the reservation because, well, they didn’t register the
copyright before the infringement. This all leads up to the idea that copyright
protections don’t really help the individual photographer, they’re designed to
protect corporate interests, so why bother doing anything at all?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This apathy has caused a downward spiral in copyright
registrations, and the inverse is the case for infringements. Photographers
feel helpless, and some fear sharing their work in any capacity online will
result in large-scale theft of their work, so they don’t. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Enter small claims court. In civil proceedings, if you have a
disagreement that is minor (some jurisdictions cap it at $10k - $30k), you can
come before a judge, present your case and evidence, and the judge will decide.
It’s Judge Judy without the cameras and studio lighting. No jury, and, no
expensive attorneys if you’re an individual.
It’s quick, and usually painless. In the world of copyright, to date,
you have had to file a federal lawsuit and jump through a lot of hoops and hire
a seasoned lawyer to help you through the process. If the The “Copyright Alternative in
Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2017” or the “CASE Act of 2017” becomes law,
that won’t be your only option. </div>
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(<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/3945/text" target="_blank">Bill link here</a>)<o:p></o:p></div>
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This solution - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the
Copyright Small Claims Board, proposes a small claims procedure would allow for
an individual copyright holder to bring a claim where the cap on the award is
$30,000, and does not require you to hire an attorney to represent you. While I
would recommend you hire an attorney in matters such as this, in some
instances, an attorney is not necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And, as far as how much it would cost you to file a copyright claim? The
act stipulated “a filing fee in such amount as may be prescribed in regulations
established by the Register of Copyrights, which amount shall be at least $100,
shall not exceed the cost of filing an action in a United States district court.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, for $100 or a bit more, and without an
attorney, you can get the ball rolling where someone has infringed your
work.<br />
<br />
This looks to be an amazing solution
where a website or t-shirt vendor or even a magazine has stolen your work. Has
someone stolen your work and posted it on their instagram account? Here’s your
solution, provided it becomes law. The Copyright Alliance has more information
<a href="http://copyrightalliance.org/news-events/copyright-news-newsletters/copyright-small-claims/" target="_blank">here</a> - - and visit <a href="https://copyright-alliance.rallycongress.net/ctas/tell-congress-to-support-hr-3945-bill-to-create-small?iframe=1" target="_blank">this link</a> – a streamlined way for you to contact your member of
congress.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span class="fullpost"><br /></span>
<span class="fullpost"><br /></span>
<span class="fullpost"><br /></span>
<span class="fullpost"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="255" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LrZzcBv7KrI?rel=0" width="430"></iframe></span><br />
<span class="fullpost"><br /></span>
<span class="fullpost">David Trust, CEO of the Professional Photographers of America explains it thusly:</span><br />
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="255" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X1dV4lHpMhI" width="430"></iframe>
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<br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">Tom Kennedy, Executive Director of ASMP stated that “the introduction of the CASE Act is a critical step in the several</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">years-long effort by ASMP and its colleagues in the creative community to correct an historic inequity in the copyright</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">law: the failure of the law to provide individual creators with an effective and affordable means to combat infringements</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">of their creative works—an especially vexing problem in a digital environment where piracy occurs at the click of a</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">mouse.”</span><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;" /><br style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;" /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">The NPPA, back in 2012, pointed out that </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">“While much of the advocacy by NPPA deals with access issues and the</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">right to photograph and record in public; it cannot be understated that without the ability to affordably protect one’s</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">copyright visual journalists will soon be out of business,” Mickey Osterreicher, NPPA general counsel said. “That is why</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">it is so important that the Copyright Office support a new initiative that will address this critical issue,” he added. The</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">NPPA went on to note that "</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">As many photojournalists face situations involving copyright claims that amount to a limited</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">amount of damages, the NPPA strongly supports the creation of a copyright small claims court system by the Copyright</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">Office that would permit photojournalists to resolve such claims in an expedited and cost effective manner."</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEionpGmNwQNQFJGeMyFB8mX0KxaPJzglujLZO_uRutnmGL3zgh1W4ccospyf7_gYx4hwjbR8GZrdWVvDfCsuFP0aLULU22FcDXNyVqT_jUQfbtQkG9ivNgVhgiaIGJfq67CPfD0tKoeNo1X/s1600/PPA+copyright.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEionpGmNwQNQFJGeMyFB8mX0KxaPJzglujLZO_uRutnmGL3zgh1W4ccospyf7_gYx4hwjbR8GZrdWVvDfCsuFP0aLULU22FcDXNyVqT_jUQfbtQkG9ivNgVhgiaIGJfq67CPfD0tKoeNo1X/s1600/PPA+copyright.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: normal;">For many a professional photographer, the <a href="http://www.ppa.com/" target="_blank">Professional Photographers of America</a> is a trusted resource for education, support,</span><span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="line-height: normal;">and representation on all matters that matter to photographers. There are several trade associations, among them the <a href="http://www.nppa.org/" target="_blank">NPPA</a>,</span><span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://www.asmp.org/" target="_blank">ASMP</a>, and <a href="http://www.apanational.com/" target="_blank">APA</a>, and the PP of A stands shoulder to shoulder with them in working hard to affect change around the country and within the industry.</span><span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="line-height: normal;">Each tends to focus on one area where photographers need help, but all are working hard when it comes to protecting copyright for</span><span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="line-height: normal;">professional photographers.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="line-height: normal;" /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: normal;">A few weeks ago, the CEO of the PP of A, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-trust-525b983" target="_blank">David Trust</a>, wrote a great piece on "<a href="https://medium.com/@OurPPA/why-congress-needs-to-focus-on-photographers-e07125da3af2" target="_blank">Why Congress Needs to Focus on</a></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><a href="https://medium.com/@OurPPA/why-congress-needs-to-focus-on-photographers-e07125da3af2" target="_blank"> </a></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><a href="https://medium.com/@OurPPA/why-congress-needs-to-focus-on-photographers-e07125da3af2" target="_blank">Photographers</a>", (Medium, 8/10/17) and it is a well reasoned presentation of the importance as to why photographers need help with protecting their</span><span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="line-height: normal;">intellectual property.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="line-height: normal;" /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: normal;">Trust notes that "...</span><i><span style="line-height: normal;">over 70% of photographers and visual artists will lose a month’s worth of</span><span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></i><span style="line-height: normal;"><i>income, or more, during their careers to copyright infringement...</i>" and he highlights</span><span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="line-height: normal;">several examples of where photographers were the victims of the theft of their work or</span><span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="line-height: normal;">slandered and libeled, through no fault of their own. The article is very much worth a</span><span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="line-height: normal;">read.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="line-height: normal;" /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: normal;">With over 30,000 members of the PP of A, they represent a broad cross-section of</span><span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="line-height: normal;">members, and when people are wondering whether or not to re-up their membership</span><span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="line-height: normal;">in their various organizations, this article is a reminder that, while photographers are working</span><span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="line-height: normal;">hard at making great images and telling stories, whether it be the marriage of a bride</span><span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="line-height: normal;">and groom, a feature on a notable person, or the news of the day, leaders like David</span><span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="line-height: normal;">Trust are championing you and your business every day, often behind-the-scenes.</span></span><br />
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There are plenty of ways to gag and bind your time, creativity, and intellectual property. The latest one, Binded (a rebranding of a company called Blockai) is a startup offering up worthless "certificates" - selling snake oil to the creative masses.<br />
<br />
On their website they proffer "we give you a copyright certificate as proof which can help protect you against copyright infringement." Unfortunately, they should be saying "might" or "may", and even then, that's not true. In a March 14, 2016 TechCrunch interview (<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2016/03/14/blockai-launch/" target="_blank">here</a>), when the CEO is asked if there is any legal benefit to their "Blockai Certificate", the CEO responds “we believe that a record created on the blockchain using Blockai would
serve as sufficient evidence in a court of law.”<br />
<br />
Wrong.<br />
<br />
U.S. Copyright is governed by federal law, and the only "copyright certificate" that has any standing in a U.S. court is one from the United States Copyright Office. These "Blockai certificate" offerings are as worthless as the myth of the "poor mans copyright", whereby you mail yourself a copy of your work, trying to use the postal cancellation date as proof of the date created and that you own it - the theory being that you open the envelope in court for the first time. This myth has been busted by so many reputable publications and entities, that the copyright office even addresses it <a href="https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html#what" target="_blank">here</a>, writing "There is no provision in the copyright law regarding any such type of protection, and it is not a substitute for registration." <br />
<br />
During their launch last year, Fstoppers ran an article (<a href="https://fstoppers.com/business/new-and-free-service-looks-tackle-copyright-infringement-photographers-140442" target="_blank">here</a>), where the author offered false hope, writing "<span itemprop="articleBody">it adds another layer of protection for the creator". Let's be crystal clear here, Blockai offers no additional protections for the creator. A creator would have more protection wearing a torn prophylactic.</span><br />
<span itemprop="articleBody"><br /></span>
<span itemprop="articleBody">The snake oil being sold on their website is described as "copyright made simple" then "the easy way to protect your images, free forever." </span><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="articleBody">While <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62Fkcc05LCc" target="_blank">this video</a>, a pitch to TechCrunch from a year ago, reveals something very different. They are charging between $0.25 and $0.50 per image you want to register. And, you can't make this stuff up - their still frame for the video pitch is rainbows and a uni<b>c</b>orn - as mythical as the protections they are saying they give you. Consider that a $65 official registration with the U.S. Copyright Office allows you to register an unlimited number of images in one single registration, whereas $65 will get you just 260 images registered with Blockai. </span><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="articleBody">Their T<a href="https://binded.com/terms" target="_blank">erms of Service</a> state they are "</span>A web application that allows a user to claim copyright ownership of an image they created." What they are doing does not protect your images, let alone, forever. In fact, what it does, is create a false sense of hope that the creator is doing something that does protect them. The Vimeo co-founder Zach Klein is quoted on their website as saying "finally, copyrighting is simple and fair." A photographer is quoted as saying "Binded makes it simple to manage my copyrights." These are quoted, obviously, as the opinions of these people, so they can say whatever they want, even when it's blatantly inaccurate. The Vimeo co-founder suggests Binded is "copyrighting", which it is not.<br />
<br />
Further, it should be noted that this isn't the first time Klein has been criticized for being a part of a "scam", Gawker wrote <a href="http://gawker.com/vimeo-founders-brilliant-scam-apply-here-to-build-h-478111835" target="_blank">here </a>in 2013 about him pitching, in Tom Sawyer-esque fashion, for people to pay to help make him a bathhouse in the woods of upstate New York. With Klein having been named to the advisors board for one of the founder's other ventures, Quickcoin, I'm not sure I'd consider his endorsement exactly unbiased. It certainly is not accurate.<br />
<br />
This isn't the first foray into delusion for the mouthpiece of Blockai. The founder of Blockai and Binded, Nathan Lands co-founded a service in 2014 when he was 29 called Quickcoin, billed in <a href="https://pando.com/2014/05/26/san-franciscos-quickcoin-bitcoin-so-simple-even-mom-can-use-it/" target="_blank">this article</a> as "Bitcoin so simple, even Mom can use it", and was conceived "over noodles at Ramen Underground". In <a href="https://www.recode.net/2014/2/7/11623226/bitcoin-get-your-bitcoin-here" target="_blank">this Recode article</a> about it, he throws a Bitcoin fair wearing "a lush gray velvet smoking jacket" with Lands quoted as saying "we’re trying to make bitcoin available to the average consumer" and then "Listen, I’m a capitalist. I like money a lot. And bitcoin means
different things to everyone, but you can still derive a lot of value
from bitcoin, a lot of value." Yet, some two years later, they've not raised more than their original $50k, and their website is down. To use industry-speak, it seems they burned through their funding and ran out of runway.<br />
<br />
So, what do you do when you've burned through your funding? Move on to another ill-conceived idea, this time, trying to dupe artists and creators. After getting just over $500k a year ago, 5 days ago on May 24th they received just under $1M, for a total of $1.5M in funding, according to Crunchbase <a href="https://www.crunchbase.com/funding-round/9abbd318d80acddcdd82194def0dd196" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
<br />
The most telling and accurate statement on the entire Binded website is in their TOS, where they write "3.2. Website Accuracy. Although we intend to provide accurate and timely
information on the Binded Site, the Binded Site (including, without
limitation, the Content) may not always be entirely accurate, complete
or current...Accordingly, you should verify all information before relying on it, and
all decisions based on information contained on the Binded Site are
your sole responsibility and we shall have no liability for such
decisions."<br />
<br />
And there you have it. They can sell whatever scam they want dressed up with rainbows and unicorns, but you're on your own when that scam screws you over and you're left gagged and "binded" to your bedposts by their false promises. What they should be collecting when you register for their services is your safeword.<br />
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://embed.technorati.com/embed/cprgdy5fki.js"></script></div>John Harringtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16941161605443479300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553278593406733377.post-78011592271777405132017-05-16T07:23:00.001-04:002017-05-16T07:23:21.860-04:00$1.2M Copyright Claim Awarded for Infringement of Photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihF826-x8jqntzd_phrROAPlVs_CZn2ahxqI5bnfrcRY4uiE6JXGJo2bJjD7XHqP-CvJ-4pGqhKX0N88iEdiNrEa9mUt1kAO0jFTosSoJqeD23_eZcNE0Bl-Ri1QbNezscYaD61HD5Zv3W/s1600/Stepables.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihF826-x8jqntzd_phrROAPlVs_CZn2ahxqI5bnfrcRY4uiE6JXGJo2bJjD7XHqP-CvJ-4pGqhKX0N88iEdiNrEa9mUt1kAO0jFTosSoJqeD23_eZcNE0Bl-Ri1QbNezscYaD61HD5Zv3W/s320/Stepables.PNG" width="236" /></a></div>
A common refrain by photographers who make excuses for not registering their work with the copyright office is that they’re not that valuable, or that no one would want to steal them.<br />
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On May 11th, in Baltimore Maryland, a jury awarded the copyright owner $900,000 in actual damages and $300,000 in statutory damages for 133 total infringements of 24 different images, of plants, in <i>Under A Food Plant Company v. Exterior Design Inc</i>. The case is BPG-15-871, before the US District Court for the District of Maryland.<br />
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At issue was a a series of photographs of a product line that were stolen and used to market and sell a competing product line by a competing nursery. While to the un-trained eye the products may have appeared similar, however according to the press release, “Professor Jeffrey Sedlik, a leading expert on visual arts and photography licensing, was called as an expert witness at trial…He confirmed the infringement using a fingerprint-like “feature point analysis” of the photographs and then researched the fair market value for licensing similar images in similar marketing materials. Professor Sedlik noted that the use of these photographs in competing marketing materials increased the likely cost of a license drastically, thus increasing the damages sustained by Under A Foot Plant, Co. The size of the jury award suggests that Professor Sedlik’s testimony was critical in demonstrating Under A Foot Plant, Co.’s damages to the jury.”<br />
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Conde Nast has taken a page out of the Time Magazine playbook and their new contract outlines that you can pay a fee to be paid faster, according to the Fashionista blog <a href="http://fashionista.com/2017/04/conde-nast-freelance-contracts" target="_blank">here</a>, who reports they have a copy of the latest contract.<br />
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In 2009, Photo Business News reported <a href="http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2009/12/time-warner-letting-freelancers-screw.html" target="_blank">here</a> about how Time Warner was doing the same thing. What is not clear, is what the Conde Nast payment schedule is like.<br />
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It is a common accounting concept whereby you bill, say, $1,000 for an assignment, and offer the following terms: "2/10 Net 30", which means that the party receiving the invoice may take a 2% discount if they pay in 10 days, otherwise the full amount is due after that, and late after 30 days. A good outline of the concept is available <a href="https://strategiccfo.com/210-net-30/" target="_blank">here</a>, and sometimes, it's "1/10 Net 30" too.<br />
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One of the challenges is when that 30 days begins. Is it 30 days from invoice date? Is it 30 days from when the manuscript is accepted by the editor? Or is it 30 days following the date of publication (usually listed as the date on the front of the magazine). With magazines often having a multi-month lead time for articles, it could well be that you don't get paid for many months.<br />
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On many occasions, we've had clients hold onto invoices, or even lose them and ask that they be resent, which delays payment, because the accounting department doesn't start the "30 days" clock, until they receive it.<br />
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As Fashionista notes, in the state of New York, where Conde Nast is headquartered, a law passed in October of 2016 (<a href="https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2016/10/27/freelanceisntfreepassed/" target="_blank">here</a>) requires timely payment or financial penalties or even a lawsuit could result. Clearly, this new contract begins to factor that in, plus payment terms.<br />
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What's good for the goose is good for the gander, so they say. So, the contract could, or should include interest or penalty charges when an invoice is paid after a set date, no? <br />
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<span class="fullpost">Editors note: Yes, </span><span style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">we repurposed the same "Time Warner screws freelancer graphic here, because, well, they still are skewing freelancers</span><br />
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://embed.technorati.com/embed/cprgdy5fki.js"></script></div>John Harringtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16941161605443479300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553278593406733377.post-50375492167902536262017-02-19T16:31:00.001-05:002017-02-20T20:24:32.920-05:00NYT's Leslye Davis And Her Alternative Facts about Photojournalism's Future<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">One of the problems with the internet is that a Ph.D. in science can post a researched report online, only to be critisized in the comments section of that same</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">online posting by anyone with a different opinion or an agenda, or a lack of experience. This is why so many online outlets have either ended comments, or</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">moderated them. I too believe like John Oliver does (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1dvNPfvl80" target="_blank">here</a> regarding climate change) that it is inheritantly</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">misleading to afford an expert on the subject of the future of photojournalism the same platform as an arguably newly minted photojournalist who, by her own</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">statements, is a product of the company she is employed by, and not fully experienced or having had witnessed the full breadth of the industry she's supposedly equally</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">capable of commenting on. John Oliver posits "you don't need peoples opinions on a fact. You might as well as a poll that asks 'which number is bigger, 15</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">or 5?'" Oliver then goes on to point out that people are still depating an issue because, on TV, they pit one person in favor of an issue position, and one person</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">against it, as if there is equal value to each position, or equal stature for both people delivering the opinions. This, as Oliver points out on Climate Change, is inheritantly misleading.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><br />
<br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;" />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">Donald Winslow was interviewed by the New York Times for an article titled "The Uncertain Future of Photojournalism" on February 15th. The article should</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">be read <a href="https://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2017/02/15/the-uncertain-future-of-photojournalism/?module=BlogPost-Title&version=Blog%20Main&contentCollection=Multimedia&action=Click&pgtype=Blogs&region=Body&_r=0" target="_blank">here</a></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">, but I will boil it down to several bullet points:</span><br />
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">a lot has changed</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">the internet affords editors the ability to source local talent, saving money by settling on whomever was atop Google search results</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">there's less money because of the state of media</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">photography has been devalued</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">global communications expanded the knowledge of resource pools</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">the photography industry was gutted by the greed of bottom-line watchers</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">fewer staff photographer jobs, and all photographers required to do more (video, audio, etc)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">fewer assignments due to stock agencies</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">"only the rich kids get to play at photojournalism."</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">the opportunities are greater but there are no patrons to support photojournalists as in the Renaissance</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">only a few can afford to do photojournalism and earn a living at it until the business model changes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Stock sales are 1/100th what they used to be</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Things must change for photojournalism to survive, and few people who are in the profession earn a living from it</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">In a follow up article, equal weight was given to someone with a small fraction of experience and perspective on the industry. The author of the piece called</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">the Winslow article "pessimistic", and I had to revisit the definition for that word, which is defined as "tending to see the worst aspect of things or believe that</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">the worst will happen." The points above are accurate and depressing facts, but they're not debatable, they're facts, with, perhaps, the editorialization of #9. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">The article was in question, on the same NYT LENS blog platform "</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Photojournalism’s Uncertain </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Future? She Begs to Differ", which you should read <a href="https://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2017/02/18/photojournalisms-uncertain-future-she-begs-to-differ/" target="_blank">here</a> </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> is filled with ill-conceived opinion by Ms. Leslye Davis, an employee on staff who shoots video and still photography.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">Following the publication of the Winslow interview, the questioner describes someone who "came into the</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">Lens office" - and that's where it starts. Described</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">as "</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">a young video journalist and photographer for The</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">New York Times", means Ms. Davis first has a paycheck from one of the highest paying newspapers</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">in the</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">country. For reference, a</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">ccording to the New York Newspaper Guild's 2003 contract (<a href="http://www.nyguild.org/tl_files/nyguild/contracts/NYT%20Collective%20Bargaining%20Agreement.pdf" target="_blank">here</a></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> ),</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">which was effective through 2011, a photographer</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">with 2 or more years of experience would earn a minimum of</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">$1,777.83 every two weeks up to $1,955.54 for a Bureau Photographer. That's a salary, before</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">benefits, of</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">$46,223, to start - she's likely paid much more. That's an awfully enriched position from which, as the title of the article suggests</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">"</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">Photojournalism’s Uncertain </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">Future? She Begs to Differ" - "beg" to differ. She stated she started as an intern</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">at the age of 21, and then was hired on full</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">time. And here, she's going to opine on the state of an industry she</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">has experienced only a sliver of, from the position of staff photographer who doesn't rely</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">on the dwindling</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">rates paid to non-staff photographers? So, let's walk through everything that's been written, with the</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">understanding that, as the author,</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">James Estrin notes "</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">Her conversation with James Estrin has been edited</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">for clarity and brevity." What it clearly was not edited for, was accuracy, Leslye</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">Davis is operating from, as our current administration has coined the phrase, a set of alternative facts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">Below is the Q&A exchange, interspersed with commentary and criticisms, and on a rare occasion, an agreement or two.</span><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">ESTRIN: </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">What brought you into the Lens office a few minutes ago?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">DAVIS: </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">I got an email from a Western Kentucky University photojournalism student.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">COMMENTARY: Davis, who grew up mostly in Kentucky, the daughter of a school teacher, is a WKU alumni, one of the most difficult and prestigious schools for</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">photojournalists.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">DAVIS: She wrote: “I just read this</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">article from The NY Times. It’s about the unstable career of photojournalism. After reading it my fears</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">resurfaced of not</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">feeling confident in the career I’m investing a lot of time and money into, especially if it</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">means being able to barely provide my daily needs with the pay.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">COMMENTARY: This students fears should have never left, they should have always been front of mind. The student is right that they are "investing a lot of ...money" and</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">she's right to fear being "able to barely provide my daily needs with the pay." Winslow did not dance around this point, he made it clearly.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">DAVIS: What is your opinion on the future of</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">photojournalism? Did you have the same fear when you were a student?”</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">COMMENTARY: I hardly think that Davis is of the position that she has more insights into the future of photojournalism than Winslow. Winslow has been photographer, editor,</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">served on a national board of the NPPA, and otherwise been in the trenches for decades. Why would Davis have a more informed or insightful opinion or</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">even more facts than Winslow? </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">ESTRIN: </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">So what are you going to tell her?</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">DAVIS: </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">I’m going to tell her she has a bright future ahead of her ...</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">COMMENTARY: So, from an email inquiry, she's just going to offer the blanket statement that her future is bright? Why is she making this promise? Allaying very real fears</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">with a platitude?</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">DAVIS: … that there are more opportunities than ever</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">before, especially for women, especially for minorities. She is both. </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">COMMENTARY: There are NOT more opportunities that meet the test this student was asking for to " provide my daily needs". The opportunities largely exist to work for free,</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">or for "photo credit", not that will provide for her daily needs for revenue. Further, to the question about the financial viability of the profession, the question</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">about opportunities for women and minorities, while true, is irrelevant to the question, but again, it's a platitudinal sentiment at best.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">DAVIS: </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">Some of the points in the article were right, but the overall message about the uncertain future of </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">photojournalism was wrong and it spoke more to</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">what photojournalism used to be than of what it’s becoming.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">COMMENTARY: Incorrect. There wasn't a single fact in the article that was wrong. In fact the premise - that it's "uncertain" is accurate. Further, the message and points too</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">was painfully accurate. It offered a history lesson and facts about the state of the industry today. Facts cannot be wrong. 15 is still bigger than 5.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">What's troubling, (and Davis ignored Estrin's question about fear) is that, in an interview <a href="http://columbiavisuals.com/2014/05/09/you-just-need-20-seconds-of-insane-courage/#more-881" target="_blank">here</a> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">Davis expresses her own fears on this same topic of money, writing "I’ve always had an intense irrational fear of</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">student loan debt" yet she's allaying these same fears in a fellow WKU student. That's just plain irresponsible. Especially so when she's making upwards of</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">$50k in salary, and is provided with all the equipment she needs to do her job. Estrin notes in his interview with Winslow "The difficulty of making a living has</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">skewed the profession away from people who are working-class or poor" to which Winslow affirms that and responds "That hurts diversity and hinders</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">coverage..." and notes that a "bag of gear today would probably cost you $25,000". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">ESTRIN: </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">What is so exciting about her future?</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">COMMENTARY: I'd like to think that Estrin, a self-avowed optimist, here is asking a question, if he's being honest with himself, he knows should be answered more along the</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">lines of Winslow's answers, "the bottom line is, can you pay your bills at the end of the month?...Are you going to pin your mortgage payment on getting an</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">Alicia Patterson grant? Or a Robert F. Kennedy</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> Award?" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">DAVIS: </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">Newspapers and journalism in general are excited about visuals.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">COMMENTARY: Yes, they are excited about visuals. This is a superfluous and pandering comment. Even before cameras existed, newspapers used visuals and were excited</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">about them. Here's a visual in the New York Herald from 1836, the year before the camera was invented.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKMqePcfrAlXMINkb-qjzj-U-LxOgon8OK8TOm1-nWwBbTRBFGARZdYPI_oBP_5FRItIepEsIOZCAnoTuQ6cgPZ7979iY1VP1z_I13D3jUHzA3l4UXxi4AEXF4dTVTNhq9r0XvpyJ6-bF/s1600/NewYorkHearld_1836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKMqePcfrAlXMINkb-qjzj-U-LxOgon8OK8TOm1-nWwBbTRBFGARZdYPI_oBP_5FRItIepEsIOZCAnoTuQ6cgPZ7979iY1VP1z_I13D3jUHzA3l4UXxi4AEXF4dTVTNhq9r0XvpyJ6-bF/s400/NewYorkHearld_1836.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">DAVIS: If you look at</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">The New York Times 2020</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">report</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">, the first point is that the report needs to be more visual.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">COMMENTARY: Yes, and within that same point, it affirms the importance - primarily so in some cases, "We also need to become more comfortable with our photographers,</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">videographers and graphics editors playing the primary role covering some stories, rather than a secondary role." Yet, step outside of the staff offices of the</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">NYT, and the reporters in many cases think they can take the photos, and the reporters in most cases, are paid more. From a database of rates, <a href="http://contently.net/rates-database/" target="_blank">here</a> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">a reporter in 2014 is paid $700 flat, for "1,000 words. It required plenty of quotes from different sources. The</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">photographs were taken by a professional. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">They purchased first global rights but the contract included a 1-month exclusivity period in which I could not re-</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">sell</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">the article. I didn't think one month was that big a deal when I submitted the contract, but lord was I wrong. Through the NYT syndicate, the article was</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">re-sold practically everywhere in that time." That professional photographer was paid about half of what that writer was paid, according to standard NYT</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">freelance rates, and while that $700 rate surely varies, not so much for the "day rate" the NYT pays freelancers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">DAVIS: The gear necessary to shoot well and the</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">platforms on which to distribute the content you’re creating are more accessible by the day. At bare</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">minimum,</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">we’re all carrying hi-res recording and viewing devices around in our pockets.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">COMMENTARY: The "gear necessary to shoot well" is not "more accessible by the day", because it's getting more expensive as pay for the same workload increases.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">Winslow noted "Now they’re being asked to produce video, audio and slide shows, too, while being paid the same amount." Colleagues who previously could</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">capture "wild sound" are being asked to capture audio like NPR. And as to platforms, Ms. Davis has given a great deal of interviews on varying platforms</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">and news outlets about her experiences, but she's distributing on one - the NYT platform. And platforms like YouTube are beginning to charge (for example,</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">YouTube Red) and other platforms are moving away from free offerings towards ones that, ahem, charge to use. Again, accessible is not just the existence</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">of a platform, but also the ability for the photojournalist to be able to use it and that gets incrementally harder as they charge more when pay is stagnant, or,</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">factoring in inflation, buying power is declining.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">DAVIS: </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">Now we can be the authors and tell our stories.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">COMMENTARY: In a 2014 interview <a href="http://columbiavisuals.com/2014/05/09/you-just-need-20-seconds-of-insane-courage/#more-881" target="_blank">here</a></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">, some 3 years ago, Ms. Davis</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">opined </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">when asked about her typical day at the NYT, she says she gets pitched from a journalist, "</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">do a lot of</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">research...</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">Then I’ll do more research, I’ll map out the logistics, get a budget ready, and say, “Here’s what it’s going to</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">cost, here’s how long I’m going to be there,” and ask if that sounds okay. I’ll hop on a plane or I’ll rent a car, and go."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">She's therefore telling the stories of other journalists, on the budget of the NYT, without worrying about how her rent is going to be paid for however long</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">she's "going to be there" on assignment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">ESTRIN: That was my issue as a</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">newspaper photographer until at least 2004: I didn’t get to be the storyteller.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> Even if it was my idea, I was illustrating</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">someone else’s words. As we got audio, and video, and it became accepted that a photographer could write, then I could be the author.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">DAVIS: Exactly. We have voices. We can dig up the story, weave the narrative and</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> make it beautiful. </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">COMMENTARY: No, not "exactly". The voice is that of the NYT, and to the extent that the voice of the reporter serves the financial interests (page views, video plays, etc) and</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">the goals of the NYT, the voice of the reporter can be amplified by the NYT.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">So Davis, as the author now, it seems, comes up with an idea, researches it as she did when she was getting pitched from other journalists, and then now</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">pitches it herself and so it seems that this workflow still applies - "</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">I’ll map out the logistics, get a budget ready, and say, “Here’s what</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">it’s going to cost, here’s how long I’m going to be there,” and ask if that sounds okay. I’ll hop on a plane or I’ll rent a</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">car, and go."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">Again, when she returns from having "hop[ped] on a plane" her heat will still be on, no eviction notices under her door</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">alongside paltry checks from editorial clients who pay in 60, 90, or 120 days that won't cover the rent and are late,</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">alongside of credit card bills which accrued interest after 30 days because the client hasn't paid yet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">ESTRIN: </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">I remember you telling me that when you went to Western Kentucky as a</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">student you thought you were the worst photographer in the class.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">COMMENTARY: It seems this question is designed to illustrate to other people who think they are poor photographers, that they too, with enough hard work, is sure to also</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">land a job at the NYT. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">DAVIS: </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">I was terrible. Some other students were inherently talented when it came to composing a well-framed</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">photo or understanding light. It was only</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">through sheer force of will that I got any better. I really had to put in</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">the hours to understand and learn.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">COMMENTARY: There were 2,078 graduates in Spring of 2012, the year Ms. Davis graduated, 410 within the same "Bachelor of Arts" degree category as hers. In looking at</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">their 2014 ciricculum (<a href="https://www.wku.edu/journalism/undergraduateprograms/photojournalism/photojdegree_2014pathways.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>) there's not a single</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">course required on how to manage a freelance photography business. Remarkably, according to US News, the 4-year graduation rate (<a href="http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/western-kentucky-university-2002" target="_blank">here</a></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">) at WKU is just 27%, and according to a 2015 report (<a href="https://www2.ku.edu/~acejmc/STUDENT/2015-16%20Site%20Team%20Reports/Western%20Kentucky%20University.pdf" target="_blank">here</a></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">) they graduated just 35 students</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">in the WJU photojournalism program.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">DAVIS: But the reason I was drawn to the field wasn’t because I wanted to be the best photographer in the world — I</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">do want to be good because light and</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">composition and moments are what move people in an image — but I</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">don’t think those elements are more important than the story itself. And I was always</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">drawn to the stories.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">COMMENTARY: These are all wonderful sentiments where Ms. Davis opines about Davis, her motivations and what she's drawn to, but they are irrelevant to the state of</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">photojournalism. They are biased anecdotal insights at best.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">DAVIS: There are so many great examples of people who have crossed that threshold and been successful. They are</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">making beautiful images, but they’ll</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">also make video, make podcasts, write, whatever it takes to get the</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">message across.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">COMMENTARY: How do you define "so many"? It relative? Is 1% of a population "so many?" As a noun it's defined (<a href="https://www.google.com/search?safe=active&client=safari&sa=X&biw=1586&bih=1011&q=define+many&forcedict=many&ved=0ahUKEwidm_Py2pzSAhUk_IMKHdCKA-EQ_SoIHTAA" target="_blank">here</a>) as "the majority of", whereas as a determiner,</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">pronoun, or adjetive, it's "a large number of". The US population is 309 million people. Of that population 124,900 are photographers, according to the US Department of Labor (<a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/photographers.htm" target="_blank">here</a>) who, by the way, make a median income of $31,710 a year, and which the US Department of Labor notes about job prospects "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "tahoma" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: normal;">Salaried jobs may be more difficult to find as more companies contract with freelancers rather than hire their own photographers." Within her industry, there are only 3,150 jobs according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There are 138,000,000 jobs seasonally adjusted in the US, which is 2.3-thousandths of a percent of jobs that are for photographers in her industry. So, it's not clear what data Ms. Davis was relying on to advise her fellow WKU photojournalism colleague that her future was "bright." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">How do you define "successful?" it could be (according to Google) "accomplishing an aim or purpose", or, more likely in this story, since we are not talking about whether or not photojournalism can accomplish something, but rather, the state of the industry as viable, "having achieved popularity, profit, or distinction". Again, the article she was responding to was discussing whether or not the field is one where the participants can pay their bills, so let's focus on the second word, "profit." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">ESTRIN: </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">Like who?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">DAVIS: </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">To name a few:</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">Maisie Crow</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">, an incredibly talented still photographer who has been working on a</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">documentary about the only remaining abortion clinic in</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">Mississippi for years now. </span></blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: How is this relevant to whether or not the profession is viable? She's an anecdotal reference to the point, and lives in NYC. </div>
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DAVIS: Marcus Yam, who apparently just won Newspaper Photographer of the Year in POYi — he was also awarded a World Press Multimedia Award and an Emmy in 2011 for a short doc that was a combination of stills, audio and video. And for that he was working on a team. That’s important. That very independent approach that we’re taught in photojournalism school can be the best (and only) way in some situations. But I mostly find that working alone is to the detriment of the project. </blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: Again, Yam is a fine photographer who interned at the Washington Post and the year prior to Ms. Davis at the NYT, and, currently, is on staff for the Los Angeles Times, but his list of accolades isn't going to pay his bills.</div>
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DAVIS: Also look at Liz Baylen, Malin Fezehai, Tim Hussin, Erin Brethauer, Zana Briski, Chad Stevens, Bayeté Ross Smith … I could make you a list that’s pages long. </blockquote>
COMMENTARY: A "list that's pages long" of photographers "who have crossed that threshold and been successful"? No, that list, at that length, does not and cannot exist.<br />
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ESTRIN: What have photographers lost and what have we gained during this period of change in the media?<br />
DAVIS: The fact of the matter is 20 years ago our field was largely inaccessible to minorities, women and foreigners.</blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: Irrelevant to whether or not the industry is failing or not. </div>
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However, let's look at some statistics, In 2016 47.7% of photographers were women The 2007 Women in the Labor Force report (here - <a href="https://www.bls.gov/cps/wlf-databook-2008.pdf">https://www.bls.gov/cps/wlf-databook-2008.pdf</a> ) shows the percentage of women in the field of photography at 47.5. So we're not looking at a a field "inaccessible" at all, it's consistent over the last 20 years.</div>
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With the 2007 report, the earlest data readily available on demographics, showed 5.7% black, 1.9% asian, and 10.3% hispanic or latino in the field of photography. whereas in 2017 there were 5.7 black, 8.4 asian, 8.4 hispanic or latino in the workforce. Relative to the population as a whole, 13.2% are black, 17% latino. At best, the asian population showed the greatest increase. Asians currently make up 5.6% of the population, while in 2007 there were 1.9% that were photographers, and now there are 8.4% asian.</div>
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In 1997, 20 years ago, the Department of Labor reported 139,000 jobs, so to start, there are about 15,000 fewer jobs available, overall. That same 1997 Jobs Outlook report notes "is a highly competative field because there are more people who want to be photographers than there is employment to support them." This was true then, and remains a fact today. Going back 10 years, the 2007 report suggests that, with employment in 2006 of 122,000 they projected 135,000 for 2016, yet this was not accurate, it only increased by 2,000. </div>
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As to the inclusion of "foreigners" in this list? That's another addition that is irrelevant. It's like piling on whatever seemingly disadvantaged group to try to make a point. Foreigners have their own photojournalism segments of the industry in their own countries, it's unclear why they're included here.</div>
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DAVIS: Shooting high-quality video was an expensive, niche market.</blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: This is probably one of the few accurate statements Ms. Davis makes.</div>
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DAVIS: Finding inspiration in our field required a trip to the library, a newspaper subscription....</blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: "Required?" Walk down the street, take a second or third look at things that look obvious. So many people mis-percieve that in order to be inspired you have to leave your geographic region. </div>
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DAVIS: .... and frankly, special admission to the (mostly) boys club. </blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: Statistics suggest that this isn't the case in the last 20 years, as was earlier suggested. Generally speaking, the profession has undergone a change from the 1940's, 50's, 60's, and 70's, from a male dominated field, to, within the 80's and 90's, atleast according to government reports and analysis, and equal presence in the field. However, this correlates to a largely to the growth of women in the workforce overall. Few argue against diversity in the workforce, whether it be women in photojournalism, or men as nurses. Yet to suggest this is a triumph that overcame "special admission" is just pandering.</div>
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DAVIS: Now when you open your phone, you have access to recording tools, online connections, and a constant stream of inspiration and information that would have been unimaginable a few generations ago. </blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: None of which goes to the original point - the ability her WKU connection was worried about being able to do - pay her bills within the profession of photojournalism.</div>
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DAVIS: Do people have to make compromises? Absolutely. </blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: Another of the few accurate statements Ms. Davis makes, again, a platitude.</div>
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DAVIS: Does it mean you’re selling out if you have to learn to use a tripod or how to record audio without peeking? No way. It’s just a skill, like your camera is just a tool. Our mission should be to connect people and tell their stories and you’re in a better position to do that now than ever before.</blockquote>
COMMENTARY: Again, irrelevant anecdotal experiences and not relevant to the state of the profession.<br />
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DAVIS: If there’s something I worry about losing, it’s a commitment from some news outlets to ensure that the images they publish are coming from reliable sources.</blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: Ms. Davis is joining the chorus worried about 'fake news". Photographs that come from unreliable sources include those that are trying to spoof the news, or whom offer photographs with an agenda behind them. Whereas a car company or a theater troupe might offer a "handout photograph" as a visual press release, their agenda is simply free publicity for product, service, or event, whereas the rise of freelancers has caused storied news services like Reuters and others, to publish photoshopped images, for which, when they were caught, they had to retract and apologize for. </div>
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This isn't new - the NYT itself was the victim of a number of spoofs - including this one (here <a href="https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/pranksters-spoof-the-times/?apage=1">https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/pranksters-spoof-the-times/?apage=1</a> ) where reportedly 80,000 print copies of the paper were distributed nationwide along with a companion website. But this isn't really a new concern either, and the NYT just a bout a month prior ran this article (here - <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/learning/lesson-plans/evaluating-sources-in-a-post-truth-world-ideas-for-teaching-and-learning-about-fake-news.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/learning/lesson-plans/evaluating-sources-in-a-post-truth-world-ideas-for-teaching-and-learning-about-fake-news.html</a> ) "Evaluating Sources in a ‘Post-Truth’ World: Ideas for Teaching and Learning About Fake News".</div>
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DAVIS: Also, it’s true that the inundation of visuals that we all come across daily makes us prone to desensitization. But I don’t foresee that changing, so why waste time lamenting it? The caliber of work required to capture and maintain someone’s attention is at a higher standard, but that just means the stakes have been raised. </blockquote>
COMMENTARY: Ms. Davis is suggesting that lamenting a desensitization by a daily inundation of visuals is a waste of time? Perhaps the National Institutes of Health should tell all the PHd's and doctors who investigated (here - <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4522002/">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4522002/</a> ) this "Desensitization to Media Violence: Links With Habitual Media Violence Exposure, Aggressive Cognitions, and Aggressive Behavior" should just delete the article and work on something more important? The findings are somewhat alarming, but, well, Ms. Davis suggests we should not "waste time lamenting it."<br />
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DAVIS: What we’ve gained is personal insight into communities from insiders. In the past people might not have been connected enough to tell their own stories. Now they can.</blockquote>
COMMENTARY: Ms. Davis believes that personal insight from insiders is a gain? Perhaps, but not always - often the neutral perspective of an outsider coming in garners a more objective perspective on the story. Ms. Davis certainly isn't an insider in the field of freelance photojournalism nor the state of the field of photojournalism as a whole. She was able to be "connected enough to tell their own stor[y]" to Mr. Estrin by walking into his office in the same building she works in. Now she has, and it's done a serious disservice to her WKU colleague, and the industry as a whole.<br />
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DAVIS: The Internet makes sharing and receiving stories all the easier.</blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: True, but not every story is worth sharing. We need look no further than people sharing photos of what they ate for dinner, or, ahem, even photographs of their bowel movements, on blog posts and social media. People post their personal diaries of life, work, and even sexual exploits. Just because sharing is easier, doesn't make it better.</div>
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DAVIS: Some people see it as a detriment that we’re not sending journalists all over the world, but to me, that’s a positive sign about the opportunities that have been made available to journalists within their own communities. Locals are connected to their community, they know what they’re doing there, and they speak the language.</blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: There are some times when there's no need to send a journalist somewhere, but many times when there's value. Sending a photographer from LA to NYC to do a photo shoot seems unnecessary, until you realize you're trying to have a similar style and look to the images for a story with subjects in disparate locations. So too, you send a seasoned conflict photographer into a country because they not only have the skills to stay safe, but also, to tell the story in the context of other conflicts. A biased visual often comes from photographers within the area of a conflict, and moreover, there are many stories about unexperienced photographers getting killed because they didn't know what they were doing. Why did the NYT send Ms. Davis to photograph photographer Sally Mann in Virginia? They wanted her to approach it a certain way. There are dozens of photographers within an hour of Ms. Mann who could have done the assignment. So too, when Ms. Davis went to Rio there were hundreds of photographers already there, and in Paris for her team nomination to the Pulitzer, many many photographers there. For someone who's been sent a few places fully funded with a NYT expense account, she's really not in a place to criticize this point.</div>
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ESTRIN: So you are going to get more and different voices?<br />
DAVIS: More different voices and it’s just financially smarter. It would be ridiculous for newspapers to regularly send a photographer across the world, hire a fixer to help translate for them, pay all their expenses. And this goes for video too. It’s a much smarter strategy to employ people who are closer to the places they work. </blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: See above. And Ms. Davis would do well to not delve into what is, and what is not, financially smarter.</div>
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DAVIS: Also, when it comes to understanding deep-rooted issues like conflict, poverty, inequality, we often have people who’ve never personally experienced any of that strife documenting this stuff from a hundred feet away. This field tends to weed out the poor students because of their need for stability and that’s so unfortunate. It’s valuable to promote the people who understand the struggles they’re documenting. </blockquote>
COMMENTARY: Well, this goes to Mr. Winslow's editorialized point about "rich kids" in the field of freelance photojournalism, and she seems to agree with him. Yet, while she sees that " It’s valuable to promote the people who understand the struggles they’re documenting" it's not worthwhile enough to pay them a living wage? Is she suggesting that the only way to understand being poor is if you too are currently poor too? One can only cover a terror attack in Paris if you've been the victim yourself of a terror attack? Where does the poor analogies by Ms. Davis end?<br />
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ESTRIN: There are old ways in photography that have died. And it’s very hard to make a living. </blockquote>
COMMENTARY: This is a pandering question - just like there are no more chimney sweeps, as Winslow pointed out in his interview.<br />
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DAVIS: In some sense, you’re choosing to be a journalist and/or an artist. And it’s true that those are not necessarily well-paid fields. If you feel drawn to telling stories, in my eyes it’s a worthy trade. </blockquote>
COMMENTARY: There is no honor in living the "starving artist" creedo. In 2007 I wrote (here - <a href="http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2007/01/ready-proud-starving-artist.html">http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2007/01/ready-proud-starving-artist.html</a> ) The Proud Starving Artist. It's not a worthy trade, yet, from all accounts, Ms. Davis has little personal experience in less than well-paid fields, her income is protected (rightly so) by the NY Newspaper Guild.<br />
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DAVIS: That said, I’m a single person who’s not trying to raise a family.</blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: Yes, the revelation of a severe bias on this entire topic, and one that illustrates she's not able to fully recognize the full state of the field.</div>
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DAVIS: I do find the rates that some freelancers have to work for very low and especially for my friends who are committed to working exclusively in journalism and not taking advertising jobs for ethical reasons. </blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: Yes, very very low rates. Even the most legendary of photojournalists cannot, and do not, work exclusively in journalism, because it's, to Winslow's point, financially unworkable. Any photojournalist who believes they can afford to turn down an advertising job "for ethical reasons", I believe, either has no bills or is living with a trust fund, and hasn't woken up to the reality of being a photographer, with all the financial challenges Winslow outlined.</div>
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DAVIS: I came of age after the so-called golden age of photojournalism. I have a question: What, to you, is the difference between now and then? </blockquote>
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ESTRIN: There are fewer editorial assignments, there are far fewer — mostly poor paying — newspaper jobs. It was never an easy field. And documentarians never made money — they’re probably better off now. </blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: Estrin gets it right, up to the point where he then says this - </div>
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ESTRIN: But, I think in many ways it’s a golden era for photographers now. There used to be a few dozen gatekeepers, editors or curators who decided whether you succeeded or not. Today you can bypass the gatekeepers and publish directly to your own audience. There were a few hundred people, mostly white men, who could make a good living internationally by parachuting into other countries. It wasn’t a very diverse bunch. </blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: Yes, lots of photographs, for, as Winslow noted, 1/100th of the price. "Golden" is not a word I would use to describe the state of the field of photojournalism. The average stock photo price back 15 years ago or so was $980, now it's about $1. The rate that a news wire paid for an assignment in 1980 was about $150, now, adjusted for inflation, it's $74. </div>
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DAVIS: Yeah, all I can say is let that die. When I was in photojournalism school I had an identity crisis because almost every photographer I admired or we talked about in class was a white man with a head of white hair and a great big beard. </blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: Ms. Davis was in photojournalism school 2008 - 2012 or so. If she was only being taught about white men with white hair and beards that were photojournalists, then she can fault her professors for that. The winningist Pulitzer photographer, who won more than anyone else, is a woman, covering conflicts. Sure, she referred to:</div>
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DAVIS: Occasionally there was a Caroline Cole or Barbara Davidson but typically women we discussed covered conflicts. It seemed the only way to carve out a path for yourself, as a woman in this field, was to go out into the war zones as if to say, ‘I can do anything a man can do.’ But you should be able to be a woman in photojournalism and tell stories from your unique perspective. You should be published, and you should also be able to do that if you’re black and you live in sub-Saharan Africa. Or if you’re Indian, or if you’re Japanese— your unique perspective is valuable, and it’s to the benefit of us all that it be shared. </blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: Off the top of my head there's Guzy, Adarrio, Bruce, Restek, and then there's LePage, who gave her life doing so in 2014, among many others. I'm guessing there are few in sub-Saharan Africa who an afford the $25k in gear Winslow referenced in order to do this job, when the median income there is $742 to $762 per year (measured in 2005 purchasing-power parity-adjusted dollars) according to the Economist (<a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2014/01/incomes-sub-saharan-africa" target="_blank">here</a>).</div>
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ESTRIN: When I was your age I walked door to door with my portfolio and I was lucky if maybe the secretary would take it, you know, because I didn’t have the connections. And if this small group of people didn’t say, “yes, you can come in,” then you couldn’t come in.<br />
DAVIS: This is why I love the Internet, Jim. The door’s wide open. Lots of people are rushing through, though, so you better be good. </blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: This was true for females, males, and minorities, but there are a number of photographers without connections that made it. Quality can win out over connections. Quality, consistency, and dependability are what will give a photographer a good reputation in the industry, you don't need a connection to have these qualifications. </div>
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ESTRIN: How old are you now?<br />
DAVIS: Twenty-six.<br />
ESTRIN: I’ve known you for five years.<br />
DAVIS: I know. I’ve been here since I was 21. I’m a product of this newspaper. </blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: This, more than anything, illustrates Ms. Davis' lack of standing to comment on the state of the industry of photojournalism.</div>
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DAVIS: When I was accepted for the New York Times internship, I was thrilled but I did not expect to get hired here full time. I started here as an intern on the multimedia team which we no longer have. I think “multimedia” is a culture that’s seeped into The New York Times visually across the board. But when I started, there were only a few of us that did photos and videos. And then I was hired into photo. After a year I was moved to video. </blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: Malcom Gladwell, in his book Outliers: The Story of Success, talks about Bill Gates and Steve Jobs being born and in the right place at the right time (reference - http://theirrelevantinvestor.com/2015/11/09/right-place-right-time/ ) . Davis esentially acknowledges this occurred to her - she was in the right place at the right time and was one of a few people who were doing photos and videos. Kudos to her, but this does not give her perspective the same standing as Mr. Winslows.</div>
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ESTRIN:. You can write, you can photograph, you can do video, You can do VR. It’s a little hard though, in truth, to do many things at the same time.<br />
DAVIS: Right, I know what you mean. It’s very hard. This job is supposed to be hard though. The thing I always consider is that I never want the gear or the shooting to get in the way of connecting with that person and thinking through the story. And that’s why it’s good to work on teams. If I had my way I would work with a cinematographer all the time. </blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: Estrin is right, you can't "click the shutter" while you are trying to catch good audio, nor can you capture a critical moment with both a still camera and a video camera in each hand. </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
DAVIS: It’s hard for small newspapers that have photographers go out and shoot and edit a video story and do stills in one day. That’s just too much. And you’re going to get mediocre product across the board. </blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: Yet that is often what Ms. Davis' paper asks of so many of it's photographers who freelance for them.</div>
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DAVIS: We’re a newspaper with more resources than most people have. And we get more time on stories than most journalists. I realize we are lucky here. </blockquote>
COMMENTARY: this is probably the biggest understatement of this article.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
ESTRIN: What do you think are the effects of photography becoming so widespread?<br />
DAVIS: Before pens and paper were accessible people were carving their ideas into stone tablets. I bet when pen and paper came along the writers were skulking around grumpy like, “now everybody thinks they’re a writer.” Well, everybody is a writer. And everybody is a photographer. And there should be no ill will on that matter. If there’s a story that’s happening in the middle of nowhere North Dakota and there’s nobody there to cover it except for John Doe with his iPhone, then thank God for John Doe with his iPhone. In terms of being able to share information and stories, we’re in a great position right now. </blockquote>
COMMENTARY: NO, not everyone is a "writer" or a "photographer". Just because you can write, doesn't make you a writer worthy of the NYT. Ask your editors. And just because you can take a photo doesn't mean the NYT will publish them. There are countless people who fancy themselves writers online, who's only readers are their family members and close friends.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
ESTRIN: It’s the democratization of photography.<br />
DAVIS: I do believe all these changes will continue to promote people who traditionally have not been empowered. And I hope that editors will hire with intentionality. </blockquote>
COMMENTARY: The "democratization of photography" isn't necessarily good. While some might suggest that a democratization of an industry (whether it be writing, or photography) is the commonization of that industry away from academics or the priviledged, that is not necessarily good. An academic will distill disparate insights and apply history to their output. And, well, I can't see far enough back in time to a point where "the priviledged" are the journalists and photographers. Yet, as Winslow suggests, that era may be soon arriving.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
DAVIS: The best advice I can give to young visual journalists is that things are always going to be changing. Change with them. People are always going to get discouraged. Encourage them. Maybe one day they’ll do the same for you. There are always going to be stories to tell. Maybe right now more than ever before.</blockquote>
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COMMENTARY: I've spent the better part of my 28 year career encouraging people to survive and thrive in this industry. I always encourage those I help to "pay it forward." This Q&A, if not unanswered and allowed to stand unchallenged, will do such a great disservice this this industry. </div>
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<span class="fullpost"><i>* Correction: A previous version of this article referenced an outdated job position for Marcus Yam, as a freelancer for the New York Times. He currently is on staff at the Los Angeles Times. The post has been updated to reflect this updated position. We can only hope he remains on staff.</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVymum5o6c3QLyPgMs0CI0CN1TUJlcq4NdMk4sfRMqz2OCIQSilfLjdXuL6Qu6w3ojgAdYNkMaLEDhVIoMSOTtvcUf3ZjSd-n9T9vPI9zcs3_YRWJmAaXiTlug1cwLSS22rCC3rXBrGB_2/s1600/VHT_Zillow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVymum5o6c3QLyPgMs0CI0CN1TUJlcq4NdMk4sfRMqz2OCIQSilfLjdXuL6Qu6w3ojgAdYNkMaLEDhVIoMSOTtvcUf3ZjSd-n9T9vPI9zcs3_YRWJmAaXiTlug1cwLSS22rCC3rXBrGB_2/s320/VHT_Zillow.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
While some are celebrating an $8.3 million dollar judgement against Zillow affirming they infringed on the copyrights of VHT, this really isn't all that good for rights holders, nor the photographers that produced the images - they will not see a dime.<br />
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There were a total of 28,125 images that were alleged to have been infringed, and of those, 19,312 were registered. The defendant even went so far at one point to admit they infringed upwards of 5,000 images, yet the court found that of the 28,125 image that were infringed, 3,373 were willfully infringed, and awarded $1,500 per image (instead of what could or should have been as much as $150,000 per image had it not been a database registration) and of the 15,939 other images that were infringed, the court awarded $200 per infringement, and the actual damages awarded was $2.84 per image. (Yes, two dollars and 84 cents). That equates to $79,875 as the actual damages that Zillow has to pay for what VHT claimed was 28,125 images infringed. <br />
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Of the $8.3 million dollars, all the work produced was done as a work-made-for-hire, where the photographers were paid $60.00 to photograph AND MEASURE each home. So, in addition to taking the photographs, they had to do the manual labor of measuring each room of the house as well, all for $60, and they will receive $0.00 because they did not own the copyright nor any rights to the photos.<br />
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<table border="1" style="width: 100%px;">
<tbody>
<tr><td>VHT's actual damages award</td><td>28,125</td><td>Rate: $2.84</td><td>79,875.00</td></tr>
<tr><td>Total actual damages from infringement eligible for statutory damages</td><td></td><td></td><td>54,846.08</td></tr>
<tr><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td>
</tr>
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</tr>
<tr><td>Number of Image Infringed Willfully</td><td>3,373</td><td>Rate: $1,500</td><td>5,059,500.00</td></tr>
<tr><td>Number of Image Infringed Innocently</td><td>15,939</td><td>Rate: $200</td><td>3,187,800.00</td></tr>
<tr><td>Number of Images Infringed Neither Willfully nor Innnocently</td><td>0</td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Both sides are expected to appeal this ruling. As an interesting sidebar, this case was heard and decided by the same judge that issued a temporary restraining order halting President Trump's Executive Order on immigration.
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The video is very matter-of-fact, not really glamorizing the still photographers' job, but also not revealing the back-breaking efforts, long hours, access changes, and commutes to and from the venues.
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In order to capture a longer video, an external battery connected to the camera was needed.<br />
<br />
The challenge occurs, when the door of the KeyMission 360 is opened, as it then intrudes into the final stitched video/photo, which is distracting. The solution is to remove the door of the camera.<br />
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The tools necessary to accomplish this were fairly simple - a Torx T5 was used for the screws on the protective plastic covers on both sides, and a Phillips #000 was used for the rest of the screws. A Smudger - which is essentially a dull-tipped knife tip that allows you to get in between seams, and fine-tipped tweezers were useful as two of the side covers had plastic click-notches. The tweezer tip got the plastic up over the notch tab, and the smudger helped hold it and lift it smoothly.
Here is the partial tear-down of the KeyMission 360 to the point where the door could be easily removed:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioq8nOOrdj9nJl5xlSAqrCtck8UvtIZ6Qg81sxJkcGcKPvSYqTLLYn8sFOOIEzHBvw4GdcdD6GKTY28xDxqZq7hlCdHduSv4c6qQf3vKJsZYtiB1aNM7WM0auzEc4LlEFw3Q6azgFEeh27/s1600/Nikon_KeyMission_Teardown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioq8nOOrdj9nJl5xlSAqrCtck8UvtIZ6Qg81sxJkcGcKPvSYqTLLYn8sFOOIEzHBvw4GdcdD6GKTY28xDxqZq7hlCdHduSv4c6qQf3vKJsZYtiB1aNM7WM0auzEc4LlEFw3Q6azgFEeh27/s320/Nikon_KeyMission_Teardown.jpg" width="430" /></a></div>
Click <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioq8nOOrdj9nJl5xlSAqrCtck8UvtIZ6Qg81sxJkcGcKPvSYqTLLYn8sFOOIEzHBvw4GdcdD6GKTY28xDxqZq7hlCdHduSv4c6qQf3vKJsZYtiB1aNM7WM0auzEc4LlEFw3Q6azgFEeh27/s1600/Nikon_KeyMission_Teardown.jpg" target="_blank">here</a> to see the full-sized image of the partial tear-down in a new window.<br />
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Here is a close-up of the hinge area once the door was removed:<br />
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Once the camera is re-assembled without the hinge, a 90-degree left-angled MicroUSB cord allows you to power the camera externally, running the camera while the battery is charging, and lowering the profile and visual interference on longer-duration captures. It goes without saying, that with this door removed, the camera is no-longer waterproof.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIeuvuLsvrzH8fVRyvD-108MVedCNC9V3qpXGJQiO5WouuOD0e55Cs2_dMyPHIv_i18RM2KSSVpBqMxDIrlzm0JsIkzHPaz41WKOtXxBtCkYYAaqg_mg7-vtg8YcGu_dgL-WQq3_u6dQwX/s1600/VCG_Getty_Images_Dec2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIeuvuLsvrzH8fVRyvD-108MVedCNC9V3qpXGJQiO5WouuOD0e55Cs2_dMyPHIv_i18RM2KSSVpBqMxDIrlzm0JsIkzHPaz41WKOtXxBtCkYYAaqg_mg7-vtg8YcGu_dgL-WQq3_u6dQwX/s320/VCG_Getty_Images_Dec2015.jpg" width="430" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">VCG (blue line) 11/15/16 through 12/14/16, compared to the market composite index (orange line). Source: Bloomberg: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/SHSZ300:IND" target="_blank">VCG</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: normal;">Visual China Group </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">(SHE:</span><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/SHSZ300:IND" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">VCG</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">)</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">, has seen a significant loss in the last month losing far more market value then the general malaise of the Shenzhen overall composite index. This is important because, as VCG goes, so goes Getty Images. The highly regarded <a href="http://www.selling-stock.com/" target="_blank">Selling Stock</a> report on the turnaround potential of Getty Images concludes "<i>There is almost no chance that Getty will regain any market share in the Midstock or Premium space. I expect revenue overall will continue to decline. The only question is how much, how fast.</i>" (link <a href="http://www.selling-stock.com/Article/gettys-turnaround-potential" target="_blank">here</a>, 3/26/15.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: normal;">"How fast" is becoming more clear now. V</span><span style="line-height: normal;">isual China Group's opening price on the Chinese stock market at </span><span style="line-height: normal;">¥9</span><span style="line-height: normal;">.00 ($1.30USD) on February 3rd 2013 was met with a one-third loss by the close of trading that same day to ¥6.00 ($0.87USD) (Historical:</span><span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="line-height: normal;"><a href="https://www.google.com/finance/historical?cid=702508&startdate=Dec%2016%2C%202011&enddate=Dec%2014%2C%202016&num=30&ei=AFZRWJn0Ks_IeeaPtNgL&start=780" target="_blank">SHE:000681, 2/8/2013</a>) </span><span style="line-height: normal;"> . On June 5, 2015 it enjoyed it's peak valuation at ¥65.87 ($9.54USD) and then plummeted along with the rest of the Shenzhen Stock Market, with CNN reporting (<a href="http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/19/investing/china-stocks-shanghai-correction/" target="_blank">here</a>) that the bubble burst with a 13% plunge in recent days, and by July 2015 the market had slightly stabilized (CNN <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2015/07/09/investing/china-crash-in-two-minutes/" target="_blank">here</a>) , but VCG had dropped to just ¥25.00 ($3.62USD) or roughly a two-thirds loss since it's peak a month prior. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">vCG's last peak of ¥40.69 was on December 31st of 2015, just a year ago, but as investors digested the January 22, 2016 news of VCG acquiring Corbis, the stock had dropped to ¥23.50 by late January, peaking briefly in late february to ¥31.28, and it's been downhill ever since then, just 6 days later it dropped back down to ¥24.18 on 2/29/16. In the last month, VCG has dropped to a low of ¥19.13 as of the market close today, 12/14/16, over a 50% loss of value since December 2015, where the Shenzhen Stock Exchange Composite Index has shown a loss of approximately 12%. (Bloomberg - <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/SZCOMP:IND" target="_blank">here</a> ), so while the overall market recovered from the June 2015 bubble bursting somewhat, VCG has continued to falter, and falter significantly, further, and faster.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Selling Stock analysis </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">continued "<i>While the demand for photography may be growing (Getty’s numbers certainly don’t show it) prices customers are willing to pay for photos and illustrations are</i></span><i><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">declining more rapidly. The net result is that gross revenue generated by the industry is probably growing at a rate no greater then 5%.</span></i><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;"> "</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">VCG acquired Corbis from Bill Gates in January 2016, and announced a $100 million USD investment in Getty Images in February, amidst it's February 2016 peak, and then plummet. In February, VCG had a market value of $2.5 billion, this in contrast to the August 15, 2012 report in Fortune Magazine (<a href="http://fortune.com/2012/08/15/carlyle-group-why-were-buying-getty-images/" target="_blank">here</a>) which reported that The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ:<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/CG:US" target="_blank">CG</a>) had acquired Getty Images for $3.3 billion). Clearly, VCG is seeing it's own valuation plummet as many of it's properties are failing. Certainly The Carlyle Group, which was around $25USD at the acquisition in 2012, is hovering around $15USD today, or a 40% decline since then. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Just 10 months ago, we opined <a href="http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2016/02/getty-images-gets-infusion-of-cash-from.html" target="_blank">here</a> "<i>For those in the financial services sector, it's just one more business to watch the numbers on. For those in the trenches of the industry Getty serves, Getty Images is dying a slow and agonizingly painful self-inflicted death. It's like the shrewd investor analyst who actually goes to the farms in Kansas and sees first-hand the crops with lower yields, and gets out while they still can.</i>" Since then, VCG has dropped approximately 61%. As we further opined, "<i>Getty Images is near that point where the ships' hull is about to break apart, just like the Titanic. Many with knowledge of this industry know just how low the metaphorical visual "crop yields" are...</i>". To quote the old Verizon commercial, "Can you hear me now?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(Comments, if any, after the Jump)</span></div>
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://embed.technorati.com/embed/cprgdy5fki.js"></script></div>John Harringtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16941161605443479300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553278593406733377.post-5733427056071459822016-09-20T10:19:00.004-04:002016-09-20T10:19:55.194-04:00The Farce of Creative CommonsCreative Commons is a well intentioned idea gone bad, and finally their existence will be put to the test, in a lawsuit brought that challenges the notion of what is "commercial" versus "noncommercial" use of an image.<br />
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Ars Technica reports, in "Creative Commons licenses under scrutiny—what does “noncommercial” mean?" (<a href="http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/09/creative-commons-licenses-under-scrutiny-what-does-noncommercial-mean/" target="_blank">here</a>, 9/18/16) that an educational company, Great Minds, is suing FedEx because their company (in the form of the former Kinkos that makes photo copies) is charging money for photocopies of this material. The basics are that "print shops, like FedEx, negotiate a license and pay a royalty to Great Minds if they wish to reproduce the Materials for commercial purposes—i.e., their own profit—at the request of their customers." <br />
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Now, it would be one thing if FedEx had binders of the material in one corner of their stores and that if a customer took the binder to the front desk and paid just for the photocopies, you might be able to skirt the issue here, but that doesn't seem to be the issue. FedEx needs to be paid for things to be photocopied, so why not have things worth printing/photocopying available for free? but the question becomes one of defining "commercial" versus non-commercial.<br />
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(Continued after the Jump)</div>
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Commercial use is not easily defined. Selling a t-shirt with an image/graphic on it. Making a print and selling the print. Using the photograph in an ad for an organization.But what about Using an image in a blog? Using an image in social media?<br />
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Frankly, all of the above could be argued either way by a skilled attorney. <br />
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The Creative Commons wiki notes (<a href="https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/NonCommercial_interpretation" target="_blank">here</a>) NonCommercial turns on the use, not the identity of the re-user. So a high school student and a multi-national corporation like Nike are equal. The definition of NonCommercial depends on the primary purpose for which the work is used, not on the category or class of reuser. So if Nike was printing t-shirts with a CC-licensed image/graphic on it, provided they were not charging a fee for the t-shirt and giving it away for free , it could be considered non-commercial. But there would be significant value in Nike doing this - they give away t-shirts all the time because people become walking billboards for their brand, so there is a commercial value to them doing so, even if the shirt is given away for free.<br />
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What about a cc-licensed photo of a skateboarder doing a trick? It could be printed and handed out for free at skate parks as the skateboarder, sponsored by Nike, goes on a tour promoting Nike as cool and hip. It's a free print, but there is value to the skateboarder and Nike in doing this. How about a frame shop giving away free prints to people who pay the frame shop to frame the photograph? It's clear the print is free, but the frame shop makes a good profit from all the framing they sell.<br />
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In the above examples, the CC element notes "“<i>NonCommercial means not primarily intended for or directed towards commercial advantage or monetary compensation.</i>”" <br />
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Here the "<i>commercial advantage</i>" element could easily apply. Consider this case - using photos on a blog - but does the blog sell ad space? Even so, does the blog owner earn money from writing the blog post that the photo is used in, or gain notoriety they exploit elsewhere for compensation? In these cases, the "primarily" applies, but still, it's a commercial use. <br />
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Even if the blog post were for a non-profit dedicated to eradicating a disease or the suffering of others, it's still possibly commercial. Someone is going to monetarily benefit. Consider the charity that promotes the inclusion of cancer medications for children in various insurance plans - seems like an altruistic thing to do, as many children are dying from cancers because medication can't be prescribed to them like they are for adults. Yet, when you find out that the organization funding the efforts to make this happen are the pharmaceutical companies that stand to make hundreds of millions of dollars because now insurance must cover their brands of medication, is it commercial now?<br />
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What about social media? If a brand is instagramming images out and the feed is free, is there commercial advantage? Sure - the person doing the posting/curating of the images being posted is getting paid and doesn't have to commission artists to create content nor to license them from rights-managed libraries, and instead can just mine the millions of CC images from Flickr. They are getting paid to curate, and the Instagram feed is benefiting from being a cool/cutting-edge organization that then can intersperse advertising in other posts adjacent to that, or after building a critical mass of followers from CC content, switch to paid content/advertising. <br />
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I think most people would agree that non-commercial comes into play when a high school or college student does a paper with a photo in it that is CC, but beyond that, most any argument could be made that a use is commercial. <br />
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It will only take a few litigation cases and after a few years insurers who underwrite liability will begin excluding copyright claims on creative commons licensing protections, and this will shut down corporate use of creative commons materials across the board. When edicts come down from the legal department that no departments can use creative commons material, companies will stop relying on them in place of material the company pays to produce.<br />
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Creative Commons had the chance to define non-commercial use when they first started out. They surveyed stakeholders around the country over a period of months. The decided against defining that term.<br />
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So beware, photographers who use a creative commons non-commercial license are placing their copyright and their work at risk, and are devaluing their work by forfeiting the right to ever issue an exclusive license to any client. <br />
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://embed.technorati.com/embed/cprgdy5fki.js"></script></div>John Harringtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16941161605443479300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553278593406733377.post-87561023258106555642016-06-10T17:04:00.000-04:002016-06-10T17:04:22.373-04:00Getty Images v. Walter A. Kowalczuk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Getty Images today notified contributors that on June 8th, 2016 it filed a lawsuit against Walter A. Kowalczuk because they allege he "downloaded thousands of images without authorization from Getty Images and profited from those downloads. In addition, Getty Images believes that Mr. Kowalczuk was not acting alone, and the company is actively pursuing other possible infringers."<br />
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Getty Images has been the subject of many criticisms online for their aggressive handling of copyright infringement claims, and just two days ago Geekwire published "<a href="http://www.geekwire.com/2016/getty-images-phishing-concern/" target="_blank">Getty Images rights claim against Seattle startup raises ‘phishing scam’ concerns</a>", however, the article notes that the infringer (Aaron Bird) in this case "...will end up paying the settlement fee..."because, well, he infringed. Bird's concern centered around the question of a phishing scam and not whether or not he actually infringed on the work.<br />
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It is obvious that, with a reported 80,000,000 images in their archives, even a one-tenth-of-one-percent (.01%) number of infringements in a year that's still 8,000 copyright infringement cases. As such there has to be a system to handle that many infringements. In 2013, in an effort to resolve what was likely massive infringement issues with Pinterest, Getty entered a deal with Pinterest, which PBN reported on here - <a href="http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2013/12/deception-getty-images-pinterest-deal.html" target="_blank">Deception? Getty Images & The Pinterest Deal</a> (12/13/13) and again PBN reported here - <a href="http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2014/03/monetizing-gettys-35m-image-archive-via.html" target="_blank">Monetizing Getty's 35M Image Archive via FREE Editorial Uses</a> - about Getty offering a solution to reduce infringements through free use of the work they represent. While PBN wrote critically about both undertakings, and questions remain about the success of each, the question remains as to whether or not Getty Images contributors are receiving a portion of the revenue from these efforts, however, Getty is trying to find ways to reduce infringement and monetize the content they represent.<br />
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Getty Images should continue to aggressively pursue any theft of the intellectual property that they own wholly, or which they are charged with protecting on behalf of their contributors.<br />
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The Getty 2011 Contributor Agreement specifies:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
1.11 Right to Control Claims. Getty Images shall have the right to determine, using its best commercial judgment, whether and to what extent to proceed against any third party for any unauthorized use of Accepted Content. You authorize Getty Images and Distributors at their expense the exclusive right to make, control, settle and defend any claims related to infringement of copyright in the Accepted Content and any associated intellectual property rights (“Claims”). You agree to provide reasonable cooperation to Getty Images and Distributors and not to unreasonably withhold or delay your cooperation in these Claims. Getty Images will not enter into any settlement that will compromise your ownership of the copyright in Accepted Content or that prohibits your future conduct with respect to Accepted Content without your prior written consent. Getty Images will pay you Royalties on any settlements it receives from Claims. If Getty Images elects not to pursue a Claim, you will have the right to pursue it.</blockquote>
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Infringers don't like getting caught stealing, and so many claim innocence or ignorance, or attempt to fall back on a faulty fair-use claim. When those don't work, they begin to try to characterize Getty's efforts - wrongfully - as "extortion". "The Art Law Journal" is a blog that is masquerading as a storied institution of art law journalism, but is nothing more than a facade - a week attempt by it's parent company, Orangenius, to appear to be supportive of creators and their rights. Their article "<a href="http://artlawjournal.com/respond-getty-images-demand-letter/" target="_blank">How to Respond to a Getty Images Extortion Letter</a>" includes the characterization that Getty "has created an entire business around sending letters to suspected copyright infringers and demanding exorbitant payments in return for not being dues [sic]." What Getty's business is built around, is the lawful licensing of intellectual property, so the author is flawed in his characterization of Getty's "entire business". The author offers the defense of his writings by noting of his tips on how to respond to Getty "This response letter is not designed to alleviate anyone’s responsibility if they are infringing on Getty Images copyrights." It's pretty clear, if you downloaded an image and did not obtain permission to use the image in a non-fair-use situation and you did not pay a fee for said use, you're infringing. </div>
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In August of 2009, PBN published a post titled <a href="http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2009/08/obama-image-copyright-infringement.html" target="_blank">Obama Image Copyright Infringement Issues</a> where Getty was also pursing the infringer of works Getty was representing.<br />
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The case is not currently listed in the online records database, which can sometimes take several days to update. When it does, we will update the story with the case number and formal "plaintiff v. defendant" title.<br />
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(entire statement after the jump)</div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Statement from Getty Images regarding the Kowalczuk case</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">As you know, we take copyright infringement and the protection of your rights very seriously and work hard to ensure that your work is properly licensed. Getty Images is continually pursuing a high number of copyright infringements, usually with the aim of turning individual infringers into customers. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">However, we want to let you know about an unusually serious and organized infringement case which you may see reported by the press [as it is in the public domain].</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Getty Images has taken action against a serious copyright infringer who was discovered to have improperly accessed, downloaded and distributed Getty Images content through social media. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">In early March 2016, Getty Images received a report from one of its customers alerting us to suspected copyright infringements that were taking place via a private group hosted on Facebook. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The ensuing investigation revealed the Facebook group was being used by some members as a forum for unlawfully trading and/or selling sports photographic imagery owned by or exclusively licensed to Getty Images. As alleged in the lawsuit filed on June 8th 2016, defendant Walter A. Kowalczuk was an active member of this forum and used it to offer for sale, high resolution Getty Images images, and images belonging to other photo companies, for as little as $0.75 per image, using code names to hide the true source of content and to conceal his unauthorized sales.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">While Getty Images’ investigation thus far has revealed significant infringement, it believes that further investigation will reveal that Mr. Kowalczuk downloaded thousands of images without authorization from Getty Images and profited from those downloads. In addition, Getty Images believes that Mr. Kowalczuk was not acting alone, and the company is actively pursuing other possible infringers. Getty Images filed a complaint against Mr. Kowalczuk for copyright infringement, violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and other claims. That complaint was filed in the United States District Court in Cleveland, Ohio.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Getty Images strongly supports a robust and fair industry that recognizes and remunerates our contributors whose expertise, time and livelihood is adversely affected by copyright infringements such as those incurred by Mr. Kowalczuk. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">We intend to hold Mr. Kowalczuk and any others involved in this illegal marketplace accountable for their infringements.</span></div>
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What camera slinging aspiring pro photographer wouldn't want to be a part of a "Photo Quest" these days? A "quest" conjures up Indiana Jones-esque expeditions for the perfect picture - explorers searching for just the right photo to satisfy the "photo gods of exposure."
Who could be so ignorant or desperate? Apparently quite a few, like the natives worshipping a false sun god because of a solar eclipse. Some 840 clueless photographers submitted 6,000 images for the chance at winning the "great honor" of having their creative work product commercially exploited along with 50 others whose work was selected for a FOR PROFIT Lonely Planet book, according to MobileMarketingDaily - "<a href="http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/276518/500px-launches-photo-quests-allows-brands-to-crow.html" target="_blank">500px Launches Photo Quests, Allows Brands To Crowdsource Original Content</a>" (5/23/16).<br />
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We've written extensively here at Photo Business News about the seriously flawed "SPEC" business model, yet, these models continue to proliferate, counting on photographers (pro and amateur alike) to line up like lemmings and mindlessly follow each other over the cliff of unsustainability. In February of 2015 we wrote "<a href="http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2015/02/imagebrief-scourge-on-photographic.html" target="_blank">ImageBrief: A scourge on the photographic industry</a>" yet photographers continue to ask questions in various photography forums. Advertising agencies and design firms are using predatory content resellers like Image Brief to source free ideas and content for their pitches, before they even are awarded the projects. One photographer on the STOCKPHOTO listserv reported watching 50 different briefs and none of them were awarded. According to that same poster, Image Brief is now charging photographers to make a submission for the "privilege" of consideration.<br />
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Photographers following these models are destined for failure or otherwise are ignorant to the realities of being in business. According to the MobileMarketDaily article, "...it allows photographers a chance to have exposure on a much larger scale than they may readily have access to." What is especially troubling is that the article cites Canon as one of the brands that has run a "Photo Quest", and had thousands of submissions.<br />
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(Continued after the Jump)</div>
<span class="fullpost">Jim Pickerell, over at <a href="http://www.selling-stock.com/" target="_blank">Selling Stock</a> (<i>subscription required</i>) reported back in April "<a href="http://www.selling-stock.com/Article/drastic-royalty-cuts-change-photogs-view-of-5" target="_blank">Drastic Royalty Cuts Change Photogs View Of 500px</a>" reports that photographers are now only getting a 30% royalty on licensing of non-exclusive images. Consider the concept of "agents" in other businesses, like actors, book agents, and musicians, for example. Their commissions hover around 20%. The idea that organizations like these can take 70% (or more) and leave the creating artist with a pittance, is just abhorrent. Especially when you're one of several participating in the "quest" and standing a one-in-many chance of winning the gross, and then having to take a pittance of income as your paltry percentage. </span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">Less than a year ago, Visual China Group led a $13,000,000 round of funding (<a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/07/21/500px-raises-another-13m-to-take-on-getty-and-flickr/" target="_blank">source</a>) and Visual China Group is most recently known for acquiring the assets of Corbis Images and then folding them into their other investment - Getty Images, as we reported here (</span><a href="http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2016/01/corbis-sale-to-unity-glory-and-getty.html" target="_blank">Corbis Sale to Unity Glory (and Getty)</a>). This money must be being used to buy servers and hard drives for all the hopeful photographers, as well as the overpaid sales agents - Glassdoor reports (<a href="https://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/500px-Salaries-E600778.htm" target="_blank">here</a>) that a Product Marketing Manager earns over $80,000. How is that reasonable at a company which has, according to LinkedIn "51-200" employees and Glassdoor currently has 18 job openings? It seems everybody is earning a very nice living on the backs of the starving-artist photographer.<br />
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These organizations will eventually find that the crowdsourcing/"Photo Quest"/ImageBrief model is not a viable solution, but by then the hopes and dreams of photographers will have even been further dashed, and content consumers like ad agencies and design firms will be further down the line of devaluing photography.<br />
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500px is apparently intent upon flushing the photography business down the toilet while reaping profits from their deals with large corporations seeking content and ideas for pennies on the dollar, if not free.<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets/tweet_button.html" style="height: 50px; width: 130px;"></iframe><br />
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://embed.technorati.com/embed/cprgdy5fki.js"></script></div>John Harringtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16941161605443479300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553278593406733377.post-69443736522345750472016-02-18T10:59:00.002-05:002016-02-18T15:50:09.625-05:00Getty Images Gets Infusion of Cash from China<a href="http://www.photobusinessforum.com/images/placeholder.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.photobusinessforum.com/images/placeholder.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 1px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 1px;" /></a><br />
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Getty images is getting "up to $100 million" according to Reuters (<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL3N15X486?type=companyNews&feedType=RSS&feedName=companyNews" target="_blank">here</a>) from Visual China Group, which might seem like a lot, but, in review, is really not. In 2015, Bloomberg Business reported on Getty's cash situation, in "<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-25/carlyle-s-getty-images-said-to-run-tight-on-cash-as-profit-drops" target="_blank">Getty Images is Running Tight on Cash</a>" (2/25/15).</div>
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What was reported was that, in the last quarter of 2014, Getty "depleted a third of its cash during the last three months of 2014, leaving it with $27 million...". That meant that Getty had $41M, or is burning through about $4.5Million a month. This may well not include payment in a $2.6 billion debt service. However, a $100 million investment amounts to just 3.8% of the $2.6 billion that Getty is in debt, and there is no sign that the blood-letting is coagulating. Getty already received $100 million in November 2015 ("<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-05/distressed-debt-lenders-aid-getty-images-in-shutterstock-battle" target="_blank">Distressed-Debt Lenders Aid Getty Images in Battle Against Shutterstock</a>", 11/5/15) from distressed debt lenders known to prey on troubled companies. </div>
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Carlyle Group LP (NASDAQ: <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/CG:US" target="_blank">CG</a>) previously used a leveraged buyout scheme to acquire Getty, so when Carlyle bought Getty for $3.3 billion in October of 2012, they saddled Getty Images with $2.8 billion of that debt, making Carlyle's actual disbursement at most just $500 million. Even so, With Visual China making this investment, it seems it is doing so to further their past investments in Getty after their Corbis acquisition. Carlyle is down in early trading 1.44%, with a loss of 42.41% on a single-year return and an 8.26% YTD return. Surely, Carlyle would like nothing more than to cut their underperforming assets, but with an albatross like Getty Images on it's books, it's no wonder The Street is reporting (<a href="http://www.thestreet.com/story/13463360/1/ex-dividends-to-watch-3-stocks-going-ex-dividend-tomorrow-cg-tri-bc.html?puc=bloomberg&cm_ven=BLOOMBERG" target="_blank">here</a>):</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
"TheStreet Ratings rates Carlyle Group L P as a sell. The company's weaknesses can be seen in multiple areas, such as its deteriorating net income, disappointing return on equity, generally disappointing historical performance in the stock itself and feeble growth in its earnings per share."</blockquote>
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For those in the financial services sector, it's just one more business to watch the numbers on. For those in the trenches of the industry Getty serves, Getty Images is dying a slow and agonizingly painful self-inflicted death. It's like the shrewd investor analyst who actually goes to the farms in Kansas and sees first-hand the crops with lower yields, and gets out while they still can. Getty Images is near that point where the ships' hull is about to break apart, just like the Titanic. Many with knowledge of this industry know just how low the metaphorical visual "crop yields" are, and just how underperforming Getty Images is to the Carlyle portfolio.</div>
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://embed.technorati.com/embed/cprgdy5fki.js"></script></div>John Harringtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16941161605443479300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553278593406733377.post-82066421407022764482016-01-27T14:24:00.001-05:002016-01-27T14:24:29.119-05:00Corbis Details VCG Migration Plans to Getty Images<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Corbis wasted no time detailing to photographers how the transition from being a Corbis photographer to a Getty Images photographer will take place, in an email sent out with a FAQ. While the FAQ went into great detail. What was abundantly clear was that Corbis will no longer exist in short order.<br />
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Yesterday, Photo Business News detailed the sale of Corbis to Visual China Group (SHENZEN: <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/000681:CH" target="_blank">000681</a>) subsidiary Unity Glory as well as the same-day announcement of what clearly looks like an end-run around anti-trust laws by Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) when they announced the worldwide exclusive arrangement with Getty Images.<br />
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A message yesterday was sent from Jeff Enlow (LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-enlow-118b8ba" target="_blank">Jeff Enlow</a>) to contributors which makes it clear that Getty is getting all (or, to be more specific, everything they want and think is of value) from Corbis. In it, Enlow wrote:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOu7imXdII586S8TLB7wUqRdPpjre_tnKZgXOItmxRItYTX9iGIgsBQi33DQNW0BluZEbA6AoB9WCeRM0gRsrnzvqsgNfEGuxmdVIU09eaCirTWzHIlk7qHDEGVVONyBGCLJW1SuMMMr7/s1600/corbis_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOu7imXdII586S8TLB7wUqRdPpjre_tnKZgXOItmxRItYTX9iGIgsBQi33DQNW0BluZEbA6AoB9WCeRM0gRsrnzvqsgNfEGuxmdVIU09eaCirTWzHIlk7qHDEGVVONyBGCLJW1SuMMMr7/s200/corbis_logo.jpg" width="194" /></a>Hey All,<br />
<br />
I wanted to send you all a note about the sale of Corbis. My last day will be February 5th. I will do what I can to help you guys out in that time. Anil will be on for a while longer as well to help with the transition, so anything I’m not able to do you can reach out to him.<br />
<br />
Please take a look at the faq sent out<br />
Contributor link: <a href="http://forum.contributor.corbis.com/corbis-vcg-getty-images-you/">http://forum.contributor.corbis.com/corbis-vcg-getty-images-you/</a><br />
<br />
I’ve pasted a few portions here:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Contributors who are not invited to sign directly with Getty Images will remain contracted to VCG according to the terms of your Corbis agreement.”</blockquote>
We are still waiting on the exact details of how this would work.<br />
<br />
<b>When will I know if I’m being offered a direct contract with Getty Images?</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Invitations for direct contracting and content migration will take place over the course of the coming weeks, once all invitations have been delivered, contributors will be notified that the process is complete.</blockquote>
<b>What happens to those contributors who are not invited to join Getty Images?</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Contributors who are not invited to sign directly with Getty Images will remain contracted to VCG according to the terms of your Corbis agreement. At VCG’s discretion these contracts may be offered termination, in which case you will be notified by VCG. Regardless, you are welcome to apply to work directly with Getty Images through the Work With Us application process (<a href="http://workwithus.gettyimages.com/en">http://workwithus.gettyimages.com/en</a>).</blockquote>
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I<b>f Getty Images does not offer me a contract, or I don’t want to sign with Getty Images, will the Corbis contract continue with VCG?</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Yes. Contributors who are not invited to sign direct with Getty Images, or choose not to, will remain contracted to VCG according to the terms of your Corbis agreement. At VCG’s discretion these contracts may be offered termination, in which case you will be notified by VCG.</blockquote>
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SO:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
1. If you may want to sign on to Getty just sit tight and someone will reach out to you.<br />
<br />
2. If you know you absolutily do want to be apart of the VGS/Getty deal then you need to send a termination letter to Contributor Relations <<a href="mailto:Contributor.Relations@corbis.com">Contributor.Relations@corbis.com</a>><br />
In it say you want to terminate your contract, to pull all your images, and that you want no survival rights on them.<br />
It will be up to VGS/Getty weather they will honor that or make you wait out the remainder of your contract. But that is the first step and it will be on record.</blockquote>
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If you have any other questions please let me know here.<br />
<br />
Last if you want to keep intouch after all of this my personal info is<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
enlowphotos@gmail.com <br />
415-317-2698<br />
<a href="http://www.enlowphotos.com/">www.enlowphotos.com</a><br />
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-enlow-118b8ba">https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-enlow-118b8ba</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/jeff.enlow">https://www.facebook.com/jeff.enlow</a><br />
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/enlowphotos/">https://www.instagram.com/enlowphotos/</a></blockquote>
Its been great working with you all and I look forward to the next journey.<br />
<br />
Jeff<br />
Jeff Enlow<br />
Editor News Sports and Entertainment<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/tweet_button.html" style="height: 50px; width: 130px;"></iframe><br />
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Corbis, VCG, Getty Images & You!</h1>
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<time class="entry-time" datetime="2016-01-22T10:45:16+00:00" itemprop="datePublished" style="box-sizing: border-box;">January 22, 2016</time> By <span class="entry-author" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a class="entry-author-link" href="http://forum.contributor.corbis.com/author/corbis/" itemprop="url" rel="author" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out; box-sizing: border-box; color: #6699cc; font-weight: 600; text-decoration: none !important; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;">Corbis</a></span> <span class="entry-comments-link" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="http://forum.contributor.corbis.com/corbis-vcg-getty-images-you/#respond" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out; box-sizing: border-box; color: #6699cc; font-weight: 600; text-decoration: none !important; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;">Leave a Comment</a></span></div>
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Today Corbis is announcing the sale of the Corbis Images (excluding Splash), Corbis Motion, and Veer licensing businesses to Unity Glory International, an affiliate of the Visual China Group (VCG), a leading Chinese visual communications and new media business.</div>
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In connection with this transaction, VCG is excited to announce the expansion of its longstanding partnership with Getty Images, and, following a transition period (which we’ll explain in more detail), Getty Images will become the exclusive distributor of Corbis content outside China.</div>
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As a valued contributor, we want to be sure you understand what these announcements mean for you and your content and the opportunities they represent for you going forward.</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; padding: 0px;">
As part of this transaction, your existing Corbis agreements have transferred to VCG, however in practical terms nothing changes for the time being. The Corbis sites, licensing and royalties processes will continue to operate as they do today.</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; padding: 0px;">
Over the coming months, select content from the Corbis collections will be identified and invitations will be extended to you for migration of those files to Getty Images. For those of you whose content is selected who do not currently work directly with Getty Images, you will be offered a direct contract that will apply to migrated content and any new submissions you choose to make going forward to Getty Images. If your content is selected and you are already contracted to Getty Images, you will be offered an assignment letter to move content selected for migration to your existing Getty Images’ agreement.</div>
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During this transition period, all content will continue to be available through Corbis, and, as it’s migrated, content will also become available through Getty Images. Content that is not migrated to Getty Images will either continue to be represented by VCG, or distribution rights will be returned to contributors.</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; padding: 0px;">
We’re very excited to represent your great content and look forward to expanding its reach through the unparalleled global sales and distribution network of Getty Images to almost one million customers in nearly 200 countries.</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; padding: 0px;">
We’ll be sharing more specifics on the migration process over the coming weeks, but in the meantime please refer to our FAQ for additional details.</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 16pt;">CONTRIBUTOR Q&A</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 22pt;">About the announcement: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 22pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 11pt;"><b>What is the news we’re announcing today?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 11pt;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Today, Corbis announced the sale of its content licensing business to Unity Glory International, which is an affiliate of the Visual China Group (VCG), a leading Chinese visual communications and new media business. This sale includes the images and motion archives from Corbis Images, Corbis Motion, and Veer, and all their associated brands and trademarks. The sale does not include the Branded Entertainment Network, Splash, or Greenlight, its rights clearance and representation business.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Subsequent to the sale, Getty Images, the world leader in visual communications, and VCG announced a global distribution partnership which will see customers globally benefit from an unprecedented content offering. The existing Getty Images collection of almost 200 million images spanning creative and editorial, stills and video, contemporary and archival, is expanding to include Corbis imagery, video and historic archival content. This content will be available to customers in China via the VCG platform and </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">to the rest of the world via Getty Images’ global sales teams and industry</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">-leading website, gettyimages.com.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 11pt;"><b>What is Unity Glory/VCG acquiring?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Under the terms of their agreement with Corbis, Unity Glory/VCG is acquiring the assets and brands of </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Corbis’ Images division, one of the world’s leading image archives and licensing businesses. Going </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">forward, it will own and manage the images and motion archives, names and trademarks associated with the Corbis Images, Corbis Motion and Veer licensing brands.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Corbis is not selling the businesses in its Corbis Entertainment division, so, going forward, Corbis Entertainment will continue to own and operate its Branded Entertainment Network, Splash and Greenlight, its rights representation business, under a different brand.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Why is Getty Images partnering with VCG on this?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">As the most trusted and esteemed source of visual content in the world, Getty Images is always innovating to bring its customers the most comprehensive offering of diverse and high quality content in the market. T</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">he addition of Corbis content to Getty Images’ industry</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">-leading collection means Getty Images now offers customers an unprecedented breadth and depth of gold-standard content across creative and editorial, stills and video, and contemporary and archival.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Getty Images is the trusted partner to a network of over 200,000 contributors and content from approximately 330 existing image partner relationships, including prestigious partners NBC Universal, BBC Worldwide and AFP.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 11pt;"><b>What happens to Corbis moving forward with the business that they aren’t selling?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Corbis will be focused on building and growing its entertainment advertising business under a different brand. The sale does not include the three Corbis Entertainment businesses </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">– </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">the Branded Entertainment Network, Splash and Greenlight, its rights clearance and representation business.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Corbis Entertainment will be rebranded under a new name in the coming months.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 22pt;">What does this mean for contributors? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 22pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 11pt;"><b>How will the VCG/Getty Images deal benefit me?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Corbis content will reach a wider audience throughout the world via Getty Images’ industry</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">-leading site and global sales team, and in China via VCG.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Corbis contributors who are not already represented by Getty Images may be invited to become GI contributors:</span><br />
<ul style="list-style-type: none;"><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Creative contributors </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">will benefit from working with the industry’s </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">largest and most experienced Creative team </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">– </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">trend insight researchers and award-winning art-directors who understand what imagery brands and businesses will be looking for tomorrow</span></li>
</ul>
<li></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Editorial contributors will benefit from being part of our global award-winning editorial team, covering the most exciting, important and interesting things happening 24/7 around the world.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Contributors with archive and historical content will benefit from working closely with our dedicated team of global archive editors and will be represented alongside some of the most important names and collections in the history of photography. </span></li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 11pt;">When will I know if I’m being offered a direct contract with G</span><span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 11pt;">etty Images?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Invitations for direct contracting and content migration will take place over the course of the coming weeks, once all invitations have been delivered, contributors will be notified that the process is complete.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 11pt;"><b>What happens to those contributors who are not invited to join Getty Images?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Contributors who are not invited to sign directly with Getty Images will remain contracted to VCG according to the ter</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">ms of your Corbis agreement. At VCG’s discretion these contracts may be </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">offered termination, in which case you will be notified by VCG. Regardless, you are welcome to apply to work directly with Getty Images through the Work With Us application process (http://workwithus.gettyimages.com/en).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Will Getty Images migrate all of my content or just a smaller selection?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Content selected for migration will be case by case - some entire portfolios will be invited for migration and others will be partial selections.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 11pt;"><b>What criteria will Getty Images use to select the Corbis content it will invite for migration?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Content selection for migration to Getty Images will be based on a variety of criteria including license history, uniqueness, quality and exclusivity of content.</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 11pt;">What are the specifics of the agreement I’m being offered by G</span><span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 11pt;">etty Images?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">In general, standard Getty Images agreements will be offered, but it is understood that in some cases there are unique circumstances that will need to be addressed.</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 11pt;">If Getty Images does not offer me a contract, </span><span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 11pt;">or I don’t want to sign with Getty Images, </span><span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 11pt;">will the Corbis contract continue with VCG?</span></b></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Yes. Contributors who are not invited to sign direct with Getty Images, or choose not to, will remain </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">contracted to VCG according to the terms of your Corbis agreement. At VCG’s discretion these contracts </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">may be offered termination, in which case you will be notified by VCG.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 11pt;"><b>So what is happening to the Corbis site once content has been migrated to Getty Images?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">During the transition period, VCG and Getty Images will evaluate how best to improve the value and benefits for Corbis customers globally and will reach out to customers in the coming weeks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Can I still submit content to Corbis during the transition period?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">There will be a short window of ongoing submissions but we want to ensure there is time to process content that is currently in our production queues. We would advise you do not submit further content if possible and instead wait for Getty Images invitations. Once signed to Getty Images you will have access to direct submission processes there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 11pt;"><b>I want to terminate my contract with Corbis, how do I do this?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Your contract has been re-assigned to VCG as part of this transaction, the same termination terms and process remain in place. Please refer to your contract for specific information. </span></div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkA3wH0DchAESjBZII8xxVxUIE0dxQN_rjZf8vHeW6w_bizNc2chr-49HjCTE0RLagBkl6HPS2Jmn-cQf6VvLYZIo3yBDoCT9MCRvbWvhVTBufcx1nqypBaD0hNiiiofVKVpGvokmID3Le/s1600/corbis_front_page_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkA3wH0DchAESjBZII8xxVxUIE0dxQN_rjZf8vHeW6w_bizNc2chr-49HjCTE0RLagBkl6HPS2Jmn-cQf6VvLYZIo3yBDoCT9MCRvbWvhVTBufcx1nqypBaD0hNiiiofVKVpGvokmID3Le/s320/corbis_front_page_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corbis website announces sale.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of the things that is remarkable about this, is that the following sentence appears at the beginning of a press release on the Corbis website:
<br />
<blockquote>
"NEW YORK (January 22, 2016) - Getty Images, the world leader in visual content and communications, and Visual China Group ("VCG"), a leading Chinese visual communications and new media business, today announced an exclusive distribution partnership that will enable Getty Images customers to access the extensive visual library from Corbis Images." </blockquote>
Later the press release states:
<br />
<blockquote>
"VCG and Getty Images will immediately begin work to migrate Corbis content, with migration to be completed as quickly as possible to ensure a seamless transition for customers, contributors and other partners." </blockquote>
The "Spotlight on" section of the front page lists several links:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBMy0ZX1STrwtdfCQ9cpBLMGr0i_rOJDnFV17vh8R0mGsaee5SH8tqJMdv118Aeh0o9H0SSA5QN5GEyG3yUEXK64nxvZzDDDoAu64-L73RJ8Sxeta4pOTvzlCmUW-UfarcBpth_lX4m6F/s1600/corbis_front_page_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBMy0ZX1STrwtdfCQ9cpBLMGr0i_rOJDnFV17vh8R0mGsaee5SH8tqJMdv118Aeh0o9H0SSA5QN5GEyG3yUEXK64nxvZzDDDoAu64-L73RJ8Sxeta4pOTvzlCmUW-UfarcBpth_lX4m6F/s320/corbis_front_page_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Announcement of VCG acquisition and Getty Images exclusive deal on front page of Corbis website.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Consider the optics of the above. Corbis is calling Getty "...the world leader..." Corbis is no longer competing with Getty, this sentence alone makes that clear. So why do this? Simple. Anti-trust.<br />
<br />
Several years ago, Getty investigated the viability of buying Corbis directly, according to sources familiar with the due-diligence efforts at the time. However, both U.S. and U.K. anti-trust laws prevented it at a time when Getty was trying to acquire both Corbis and Rex Features. This joint announcement of the sale of Corbis to a Chinese company, and, simultaneously, the announcement of the exclusive distribution partnership is clearly an effort to skirt anti-trust laws. <br />
<br />
November 3rd, 2015 Getty announced they struck a deal with creditors, which, as Bloomberg aptly notes has "...been struggling for cash amid a price war with newer rivals, is getting a lifeline from investors known for profiting from distress." (<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-05/distressed-debt-lenders-aid-getty-images-in-shutterstock-battle">Distressed-Debt Lenders Aid Getty Images in Battle Against Shutterstock</a>, 11/4/15). <br />
<br />
The fact that there are 84 days between these announcements should belie the real situation. The certainty of the deals announced on January 22, 2016 was almost certainly the reason that Getty received the additional round of funding. As Getty Chairman Jonathan Klein tweeted (and then deleted):
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALAN0BHUo6avcXuBSC-RcSlJoqgGLgqqzbbmipeHtBTHqjqJHvUXFJ0x4p5pJBOE5fZOJ7GqYsE_lb73coPE3-D6NKRbOfCW8-A0VgjO_qDe7bHjagd-8L71ChHuwMWOynSFwO9_2kIdF/s1600/j_klien_tweet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALAN0BHUo6avcXuBSC-RcSlJoqgGLgqqzbbmipeHtBTHqjqJHvUXFJ0x4p5pJBOE5fZOJ7GqYsE_lb73coPE3-D6NKRbOfCW8-A0VgjO_qDe7bHjagd-8L71ChHuwMWOynSFwO9_2kIdF/s320/j_klien_tweet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Getty co-founder Jonathan Klein boasted about the acquisition of the exclusive rights deal on his twitter account. Let's dissect his tweet. "Almost 21 years, but got it." - He's referring to his long-term plan to acquire Corbis Images. "buying the cow" refers, of course, to a purchase of Corbis outright. He's happy he didn't have to buy it. Now comes the really offensive part: "the milk, the cream, cheese, yoghurt and the meat" - what exactly is he referring to? That's right, the intellectual property rights to the material produced by Corbis photographers. Getty now has the exclusive worldwide distribution deal for all of Corbis' content. For anyone owning or being a distribution partner of Corbis, what does this mean?<br />
<br />
Here's how it worked previously for an individual photographer:<br />
<br />
$100 image gross image licensing fee<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
$50 goes to Corbis<br />
$50 goes to photographer</blockquote>
<br />
Here's how it will work now for an individual photographer:<br />
<br />
$100 image gross image licensing fee<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
$50 goes to Getty<br />
$50 goes to Unity Glory/Corbis<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
$25 Unit Glory/Corbis keeps<br />
$25 goes to photographer</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<br />
So if you're an individual photographer represented by Corbis, EVERY image licensing fee you will get will now be half of what it was. (this assumes the standard 50/50 deal, some places are 60/40).<br />
<br />
It gets worse if you're part of a distribution deal that Corbis has with other agencies. For example, here are four of the many agencies affected by this deal:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhNeJmxszcJ637K8CTHEUF0PyfHbmbAt6NOVXmk0MCorW3xqYNCE1VW6DtU64ZrgH0CBliKRCEJQntO5uG5VWR25Z4sA2OVrjg4dhbmhNJVoeTB9D0cBZLKvljHJFfk0K9Y6eyiajY2AR/s1600/corbis-sub-agents-examples.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhNeJmxszcJ637K8CTHEUF0PyfHbmbAt6NOVXmk0MCorW3xqYNCE1VW6DtU64ZrgH0CBliKRCEJQntO5uG5VWR25Z4sA2OVrjg4dhbmhNJVoeTB9D0cBZLKvljHJFfk0K9Y6eyiajY2AR/s320/corbis-sub-agents-examples.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few of the many Corbis partner agencies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
How will they be affected:<br />
<br />
<div>
Here's how it worked previously for a photographer where Corbis handled their agency distribution:<br />
<br />
$100 image gross image licensing fee<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
$50 goes to Corbis </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
$50 goes to sub-agent</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
$25 sub-agent keeps<br />
$25 goes to photographer</blockquote>
</blockquote>
Here's how it will work now for an individual photographer:<br />
$100 image gross image licensing fee<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
$50 goes to Getty<br />
$50 goes to Unity Glory/Corbis<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
$25 Unity Glory/Corbis keeps<br />
$25 passes to sub-agent<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
$12.50 sub-agent keeps<br />
$12.50 goes to photographer</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
<br />
So if you're an photographer with agencies that distribute through Corbis, EVERY image licensing fee you will get from your agency will now be half of what it was. (this assumes the standard 50/50 deal, some places are 60/40).<br />
<br />
If you're a photographer currently represented by a sub-agent who distributes through Corbis, or even directly with Corbis, assuming all other things being equal, you'll want to cancel your representation by the sub-agent or with Corbis, and transfer all your images to a Getty contract. This seems to be the only way you'll keep your revenue percentages. There's nothing anti-trust that would jeopardize Getty when individual photographers (or even agencies) move to Getty directly and cut Corbis out the the middle. With all content on Getty from Corbis in short order, it's not going to change your sales quantities, just your net bottom line revenue.<br />
<br />
What is not clearly known is what investor arrangement Getty has with VCG behind-the-scenes, if any, beyond the revenue share from each license. How has Getty and the Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/CG:US" target="_blank">CG</a>) structured this deal? And, to what extent is there a financial arrangement that could risk an anti-trust claim between Carlyle and VCG? Further, this will increase Getty's library substantially, but only at a percentage of the total. With Getty as a subsidiary of Carlyle and VCG a Chinese company that can't really be reached by U.S. anti-trust claims, Carlyle could be in a position where they are left holding the bag on an anti-trust charge, even years after Getty Images is gone (or sold) and no company that might be interested in acquiring Getty Images from Carlyle would be interested in purchasing the liability of an anti-trust lawsuit, which would then make Getty's position with VCG a poison pill for as long as the shadow of anti-trust issues persist. The revenue share between VCG and Getty is not known, but Getty will only be getting a percentage - is that going to be enough for Getty to survive? Likely not, it will just stem the bleed-out of the dying corpse.<br />
<br />
One other thing that will come up is how Getty Images ranks search results. When Getty Images assigns a photographer to cover the Tony Awards in New York City, they will also be distributing the images from Agence France Presse. Getty just announced yesterday - <a href="http://press.gettyimages.com/getty-images-and-afp-renew-leading-content-partnership/" target="_blank">Getty Images and AFP renew leading content partnership</a> (1/25/16). An AFP staffer may not care that this deal happened, if they're not getting a revenue share from the licensing of their staff-produced content, but make no mistake about it, if a Getty, and AFP photographer are covering the Tony Awards, Getty wants their content to appear first in search results because they don't have to share the revenue with AFP if an editor selects a Getty image during the first returned results.<br />
<br />
As such, if you're a Corbis (or Corbis sub-agent) photographer, your work will likely also appear below the Getty images in the search results. So, if both a Getty and Corbis photographer are at the same event, the images from the Getty photographer will "push down" the Corbis photographer results, and so the Corbis photographer should rightly see the Getty photographer as cutting into their revenue stream.<br />
<br />
In addition, any sponsorship deals that Corbis had, are now at risk. For example, the Look3 Festival of the photograph <a href="http://www.look3.org/sponsorship-giving/" target="_blank">website</a> states "Without the support of our sponsors, contributors, & patrons, LOOK3 would not exist." Corbis was one of the major funders for Look3, and that deal could now be in jeopardy.<br />
<br />
All around, this is a really really bad deal for photographers, and a good deal for Unity Glory and Corbis. And, to top it off, the vast majority of the Corbis employees (especially in the U.S.) have been laid off and only a few remain to clean up the mess that's left.<br />
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News out of New York is not good today. While the Time, Inc (NYSE: <a href="https://www.google.com/finance?q=NYSE:TIME">TIME</a>) photo editors are scrambling with today's extended deadline for photographic contributors to sign, this morning SI Director of Photography Brad Smith (LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-smith-3a7aa15">Brad Smith</a>), along with Photo Editor Claire Bourgeois (LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-bourgeois-14680b5a">Claire Bourgeois</a>) and John Blackmar (LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-blackmar-14402449">John Blackmar</a>) are among those that have been laid off, according to sources familiar with personnel changes at this Time Inc property.<br />
<br />
Their actual date of departure is not currently known, but with the Superbowl coming up fast, their departure before that would no doubt adversely affect the quality of coverage by Sports Illustrated.<br />
<br />
In related news, Time, Inc apparently only has about half of their photographic contributors having signed the egregious contract, even with their "clarification" document. Because of these low figures, which do not include many big names who are still refusing to sign, a revised contract is expected in the coming week.<br />
<br />
One of the tactics employed by Time Inc photo editors has been to identify non-signing principal photographers, and then contacting similarly styled photographers in that same geographic region who may have had a sporadic assignment schedule for Time Inc, and offering them the assignments of that geographic regions' principal photographer, if they sign while the principal photographer is not.<br />
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://embed.technorati.com/embed/cprgdy5fki.js"></script></div>John Harringtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16941161605443479300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7553278593406733377.post-3035206447727616942015-12-12T01:15:00.000-05:002015-12-12T01:15:40.855-05:00Why You Should Not Be A Freelance PhotographerAs a professional photographer, one of the worst things you can do is be a freelancer. That is, just as you should banish the phrase "day rate" from your lexicon, so too should you banish the word "freelance" from the word set you use to describe yourself.<br />
<br />
Words not only have meanings, they insinuate something about whomever they describe. An entire chapter on language was included in the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1305094050/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1305094050&linkCode=as2&tag=photobiznews-20&linkId=JEOPH3ES7UQWZ33U" rel="nofollow">MORE Best Business Practices for Photographers</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=photobiznews-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1305094050" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, titled "A Linguistically Accurate Lexicon", for that very reason.<br />
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Consider the characterization of a person of the female gender. The word "girl", "woman", "lady", "chick, "madam", and "doll", all carry similar sentiments to "boy", "man", "gentleman", "dude", "sir", and "guy" for a person of the male gender. The disparity between saying "that boy over there" versus "that young man over there" is not lost on the recipient of that characterization, nor is "please help the chick with her luggage" versus "please help the lady with her luggage" in a hotel lobby.<br />
<br />
Fast Company recently wrote an article about the value in stopping calling yourself a "freelancer" (12/3/15, "<a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3054141/lessons-learned/why-i-stopped-calling-myself-a-freelancer" target="_blank">Why I stopped calling myself a freelancer</a>"), and I commend it to you.<br />
<br />
What can you do?<br />
<br />
Avoid introducing yourself using that word. Don't say "Hi, I'm a freelance photographer", or even, "I'm a freelancer." Instead try:<br />
<ul>
<li>I'm a professional photographer</li>
<li>I produce photography on assignment for a range of clients</li>
<li> I'm a photographer</li>
<li> I'm a photojournalist</li>
<li>I'm an independent photographer</li>
</ul>
When asked "oh, who do you work for", I would avoid "I work for myself", and instead try:<br />
<br />
I work for a variety of clients in the...<br />
<ul>
<li> News business</li>
<li>Industrial sector</li>
<li>Public relations area</li>
<li>Magazine industry <br /> ...etc.</li>
</ul>
When someone tries to then re-characterize you as "oh, so you're a freelance photographer?" The answer is "no, not really. I work independently for a variety of clients, and the word "freelance" just doesn't speak to the broad spectrum of services I offer, not just for covering a story or making images, but all the production and organization involved in making the final results possible."<br />
<br />
Avoid using it in your LinkedIn profile, your resume, CV, or biography. Describe what you do instead. Don't use derogatory shorthand. Saying "I'm a freelancer" is derogatory compared to "I'm a professional photographer", almost like calling saying "get the guy a coffee" when what you should have said was "get the gentleman a coffee" instead.<br />
<br />
Another point from the Fast Company article was that "freelance" connoted cheap or low-cost, something I don't think any professional photographer would want themselves characterized as. You want to be considered a "premium" - as in:<br />
<ul>
<li> "he's an amazing football photographer..." <br /> or </li>
<li>"she's an incredible portrait photographer..." <br /> or </li>
<li>"he's a wonderful wedding photographer..." <br /> or </li>
<li>"she's a stunning storyteller with her images from around the world..." </li>
</ul>
For anyone whom you hear described as above, you are immediately going to have a perspective in your mind that they are not "cheap" nor "low cost." in the chapter I reference previously, I talk about Jenika, a <a href="http://jenikaslens.com/" target="_blank">baltimore luxury portrait photographer</a>, who uses the word "luxury" in all her language about what she does. So, who would you rather hire, a "luxury portrait photographer", or a "portrait photographer'? Whom do you think will produce a better result? Or, better yet, who would you rather your clients perceive you as?<br />
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://embed.technorati.com/embed/cprgdy5fki.js"></script></div>John Harringtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16941161605443479300noreply@blogger.com1