Archives: March, 2008
News
Tom Grina appointed CFO for Digital Railroad
Digital Railroad has announced that it has named Thomas A. Grina to the post of Chief Financial Officer. In his new Role Tom Grina will oversee Digital Railroad’s finance, account management, and business and operating strategy. Mr. Grina brings more than 20 years experience primarily in the telecom and software industries.
News
PA Photos launches Print Store featuring historical UK Photography
PA Photos, the photo agency of the UK’s national news agency PA Group, has announced that it has launched a new Print Store for individuals looking to obtain prints covering more than 100 years of news and documentary photography in the UK. The store located at prints.paphotos.com and supported by Media Storehouse Ltd., allows customers to search through the PA Photos archive and order prints and photo-products with iconic editorial imagery that PA Group is known for.
News
Thought Equity Motion representing footage from Paramount Pictures
Thought Equity Motion (TEM), a leading provider of RM and RF footage, has announced a partnership with Paramount Pictures designating Thought Equity Motion as the exclusive licensing agent for Paramount’s stock footage library. The deal now allows the production community digital access to footage from Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, MTV Films, Nickelodeon Movies and DreamWorks Studios. “Whether it´s a single shot or an entire sequence for building a scene, Paramount´s stock footage library brings the type of content that enables new and traditional media producers to add quality to their productions, differentiate their creative and make a better, high-impact impression on their audience”, said Kevin Schaff, founder and CEO of Thought Equity Motion.
News
Danita Delimont made a Fellow of NANPA
At its 14th Annual Summit last week in Destin, Florida, the North American Nature Photographers Association (NANPA) designated Danita Delimont a 2008 Fellow in recognition of her 28 years of service to the organization and to the nature photography industry. Delimont, who founded her own nature and travel stock agency in 2000, is a charter member of NANPA and a six-year member of its Foundation board of directors.
News
GoGo Images launches specialty multi-cultural lifestyle boutique
Two years ago, former Corbis managers Jennifer Hurshell and Joe Barrett founded GoGo Images, a royalty free production company with the mission of producing and distributing ethnically diverse business and life-style imagery. This week, they have taken the business a step further by launching a boutique stock photo agency and web-site that aggregates multi-cultural content from a growing number of suppliers. The new site currently has over 50K images from over 20 suppliers, including 10K of their in-house produced images.
News
TopFoto partners with Bamber Gascoigne to create TimeSearch engine
TopFoto, a stock photography library specializing in historical images, has launched a new way to search for images based on the date of actual events in history. The new search method called TimeSearch was devised by author and academic Bamber Gascoigne and designed by Ian Henghes; fellow directors of the educational website HistoryWorld. Bamber Gascoigne, perhaps best known as Chairman of University Challenge before handing the baton to Jeremy Paxman, says: “TimeSearch for picture researchers is an idea originating from discussions between Alan Smith of TopFoto and me at the CEPIC conference in Prague in 2005.”
Features
Visual case study: Fred Perry Subculture
The Fred Perry polo shirt introduced by its namesake, a three-time Wimbledon champion in 1952, has been synonymous with youth and counterculture since the late 50s when the Mods picked up on it. Over the years the Fred Perry polo shirt has surfaced as a fashionable choice for diverse groups of teenagers throughout the 1960s and 70s, ranging from the Mods, Suedeheads, Ska/Two Tone, Punk, New Wave, Casuals/Perry Boys, Britpop, Electronic/Rave and the latest Indie revival. Most recently the brand has continued to cultivate its appeal with the young and hip by launching Subculture, a new music initiative featuring cutting-edge young talent on the music scene. Meg Asaro and Karen D’Silva from Spark Visual Research take a closer look at the imagery used by Fred Perry to continue to connect with the youthful lifestyle that has fueled the brand’s popularity over the years.
News
ASPP 2008 Education Conference in Phoenix
The American Society of Picture Professionals (ASPP) has announced the program for its 2008 Educational Conference to be held in Phoenix Arizona from April 24 to 27. The Hilton Phoenix East/Mesa will serve as the venue for the event. The Conference will feature experts representing all sides of the picture business – photographers, distributors and art-buyers – covering the pressing issues facing professionals in the industry today.
News
Moodboard contributing 6000 new images to Fotolia
Moodboard, a stock image brand created by the RF production company Mike Watson Images, has agreed to contribute 6000 unique images to the micro-payment site Fotolia. Fotolia will feature the images as part of its ‘Infinite Collection’ line which includes images from stock agencies offered at a slightly higher ‘mid-stock’ price ranging from $15 – $90 depending on size and resolution.
News
Bold Endeavours launches Big Easy stock licensing platform
The London based web development company Bold Endeavours has announced that it has launched a new Big Easy library sales modular software system to support a stock licensing business offering Footage, Still Images, or Music. The Software solution is touted to include everything needed to launch and operate an online store at a greatly reduced cost. A new licensing business with entry level Footage, Still Image, and Music modules costing just GBP 4,500 (approx $9,000) each, combining two modules costs GBP 6,000 (approx $12,000). Bold Endeavours has launched other similar products to support online businesses in other industries including a travel business, general e-commerce store, and an email marketing solution.
News
Deadline approaches for Great Outdoors Photo Contest
The Great Outdoors Photo Contest organized jointly by Photo District News and National Geographic Traveler has a deadline of March 15. Entrants have the option, however, of extending the deadline to March 31, for an additional fee of $10. The contest is open to amateurs (entry fee, $12) and professionals ($35).
News
PACA honors Jane Kinne, photographers’ rights pioneer
The Picture Archive Council of America (PACA) has named its Copyright Education Program in honor of Jane Kinne who dedicated her entire professional career – over 50 years – to the stock photo industry. By this gesture, PACA honors her memory in recognition of particular devotion she gave to the cause of photographers’ rights.
News
Masterfile names Marco Trecroce Chief Operating Officer
The Toronto based stock photography company, Masterfile Corporation has announced the appointment of Marco Trecroce for the new position of Chief Operating Officer ‘with a special focus on technology initiatives’. Mr. Trecroce brings to masterfile an extensive operations background having served previously as Group Chief Operating Officer at pan-European online travel company Opodo Group Limited, and UK Group Business Transformation and Operations Director at Thomas Cook AG, United Kingdom.
News
Jupiter Media acquires micro-payment music site eStockMusic.com
Jupitermedia Corporation (Nasdaq: JUPM) has announced that it has acquired the assets of eStockMusic.com. The purchase now allows Jupiter to offer lower-cost music for licensing in a micro-payment licensing model along with royalty-free digital images and footage on Stockxpert.com.
News
ITN Source appoints Neil Meadows as UK Sales Director
ITN Source, a leading provider of stock footage from the UK has announced the appointment of Neil Meadows to the post of Sales Director. Meadows will start at ITN Source in April and will be responsible for ITN Source’s sales operation, primarily in the UK. Previously Meadows served as the Senior Commercial Director for Chellomedia, the content and technology division of cable operator Liberty Global Inc. Neil has also held business development and sales management roles at BBC Technology, BSkyB, Cable and Wireless and Meridian Broadcasting.
News
CEPIC to host 2nd annual meta data conference in Malta
At last year’s CEPIC Conference in Florence, CEPIC added a special one-day conference dedicated specifically to the topic of metadata – descriptive and identifying text information that accompanies digital photographs—hosted in partnership with the International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) and the European news and media trade organization, IFRA. Building on the success of last year’s metadata meeting, the thee organizations will hold a second meta-data conference in Malta on June 5, 2008, called “Metadata for Better Business.”
News
iStockphoto extends deal to offer free stock images to Microsoft Office users
Getty Image’s micro-payment site, iStockphoto, has announced that it is extending a program where a collection of low-res images and illustrations are made available for free through Microsoft Office Online. In addidtion, iStockphoto has stated plans to significantly increase the number of free images offered and the companies are looking to expand the program to new languages and countries in the coming year. The free image offering also includes a link to the iStockphoto site where users can license additional images.
Features
Book Review: Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa by Hans Silvester
Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa by Hans Silvester
Thames & Hudson, April 2008
168 pages/hardcover/160 color photographs/$45.00
With photographs enchanting to behold, Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa by Hans Silvester is a sure selection for this spring’s required viewing list. Silvester, known for his protracted study of subjects, travels to Ethiopia’s Omo Valley a dozen times over four years for this new release. He infiltrates the fantastic body painting displays of two congenial tribes, the Surma and the Mursi. While this ancient African practice is uniquely noteworthy, the book also packs a universal message.
News
Red Cover launches royalty free stock photography collection
The London-based specialty stock library, Red Cover, known for its rights-managed archives of interiors, gardens lifestyle and food, has launched a royalty-free collection of the same subjects. Sally Griffiths, an editor, journalist and writer for prominent interior design and garden magazines in the UK, founded Red Cover in 2000. The boutique agency has gained a reputation for the high quality imagery Griffiths has compiled from the many professional photographers she worked with in the magazine business. The agency serves both the editorial and commercial markets.
News
Jupiter reports results for 2007, “transition year”
Jupiter Images released its 4Q and full year ’07 results showing moderate growth of 4%, quarter over quarter and 2% for the full year. Total sales for the 4th quarter reached $36.1MM and for the year, $140.3MM. During the management conference call to discuss the results, CEO Alan Meckler called 2007 a “transition year” stressing Jupiter’s moves to adapt its strategy to the changing digital content environment as well as its continuing development of businesses other than licensing images. The company also booked a non-cash impairment charge of $82.2 million related to the write-down of goodwill and intangible assets.
News
ITN Source provides footage for Rolling Stones and Joy Division films
ITN Source has announced that it has contributed stock footage for two of this year’s biggest music feature films on two of the UK’s greatest bands - Joy Division and the Rolling Stones. Shine a Light, the critically acclaimed Rolling Stones documentary, directed by Martin Scorsese, features content from the ITN and Granada archives, both represented exclusively by ITN Source. The footage used in the film captures some of the legal clashes the Rolling Stones encountered in their career including Mick Jagger‘s drugs arrest in 1967, where he dismissed that he is an advocate of drug use. The film also includes archive content that captures the humorous side of Jagger who attended Keith Richard’s trial for the possession of drugs in 1977 and said to ITN “I never miss a case!”
News
Photoshelter launches first annual student photo contest
PhotoShelter, a marketplace for photographers to market their stock photography, has announced the launch of its first annual student photo competition open to all full-time college and university students. The competition entitled Elevation 2008 is focused on finding the next generation of professional photographers and providing the opportunity to gain exposure to some of the most influential and discriminating eyes in publishing including judges from the New York Times, Newsweek, Spin, The Fader & Nylon.
News
Maine Photographic Workshops offering stock photography class taught by Paul Henning
Paul Henning a veteran in the Stock photo industry who currently operates the consultancy Stock Answers LLC has been tapped by the Maine Photographic Workshops to teach an in-depth class on stock photography taking place on June 15 – 21, 2008. The week-long course entitled “Stock Photography: Essentials for Making Money With Your Camera” will survey the process of creating, marketing and selling stock imagery. Henning intends to provide students with an intensive submersion into both the business and creative sides of stock photography, as well as the history and evolution of today’s $2 billion global stock picture industry.
News
Image Source takes on new RF producer Cultura
Image Source has added the Royalty Free images of a new-comer to the RF production business, Cultura. Image Source will make the Cultura collection available to its direct clients on its English and German web-sites. Former VP of Getty Images, Anthony Harris leads Cultura which was founded in London by a group of experienced photographers and art-directors.
News
Picscout launches PicApp to provide free copyrighted Images to bloggers
PicScout, a technology company with offices in San Francisco and Herzelia Israel best known for helping stock licensing companies monitor distribution of their content, has launched a new service called PicApp for bloggers and other online publishers to use copyrighted images for free on their websites. Rather than pay for the content with traditional licensing fees each image is accompanied by an advertisement that generates royalties to the content contributor.
News
James Alexander joins Jupiterimages
Jupitermedia has announced the appointment of James Alexander to the position of Senior Vice President and General manager of Jupiterimages. Alexander comes to Jupiter from Adobe where he led the now discontinued Adobe Stock Photos (ASP) division. He will work at Jupiter’s head offices in Darien, Connecticut and will report directly to Jupitermedia President and COO, Chris Cardell.
News
Barnardo’s teams up with TopFoto to digitize historic childrens photo archive
Barnardo’s a childrens charity in the UK founded by Thomas Barnardo in the early 1870’s has teamed up with TopFoto, a stock photo agency specializing in archiving and marketing historic imagery, to digitize Barnardo’s unique historical image archive. The Barnardo’s archive includes half a million photos making it a unique document of British social history from the dirty, destitute boys dressed in rags that were taken in to the first home in Stepney Causeway to the shiny faced babies at Babies Castle in Kent. ‘Thomas Barnardo was a man ahead of his time. He realised the power of images for fundraising – and it would only be through effective fundraising that he could continue his work rescuing children from the gutters and doorsteps of London,’ says Barnardo’s UK Director of Marketing & Communications, Andrew Nebel.
Features
Mr. Stock Smarty Pants answers questions about copyright and publicity rights
Dear Mr. Stock Smarty Pants: I have read several of your responses to readers questions. They are both illuminating and informative. Tried searching a number of keywords on your site “musician”, “rock and roll”, “concert” etc.. Could not find any reference to those topics. I have a couple of quick questions. My company has acquired hundreds if not thousands of very good photos of bands and rock stars performing live. These photos were taken over several years. The photographer has since died. Both he and his wife were killed in a car accident in which their two children survived. We are trying to find a way to monetize the collection by selling copies or approaching an agency so proceeds can go to the kids who are living with family members.
News
Guinevere Smith named National Entertainment Photo Editor for The Associated Press
News
LOOK Photography expands with 3rd party collections
News
The Stock Asylum closes and donates archives to Stock Artists Alliance
The Stock Asylum, a stock photography news and information site covering the Stock Photography Industry has announced that it is closing its doors on April 6th. Ron Rovtar the founder and primary author of the site broke the news today stating “After much soul-searching (and more than a few sleepless nights) I have decided it is time to tackle new endeavors that will make it impossible to devote the required amount of effort to a website like The Stock Asylum”. Rather than simply shut down the site Rovtar has arranged to donate its archives of valuable stock industry reporting, analysis and resources to the Stock Artists Alliance (SAA).
News
Africanpictures.net now offering archival imagery from The International Library of African Music
