Archives: August, 2008
News
PA Photos sending seven photographers to Olympic Games in Beijing
PA Photos, a photo agency operated by The Press Association in the UK, has announced that it will be sending a team of seven photographers to Beijing to cover the 2008 summer Olympic Games. The team will be headed up by the agency’s Chief Photographer John Giles, a veteran who has covered several Olympic Games and also includes Gareth Copley, winner of Sports Specialist Folio at the Press Photographer’s Year awards.
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Photo News Roundup
• Demotix, a new citizen journalism site, has been launched to fill the gap created when the vast majority of news outlets rely on press releases and wire services.
• Hundreds attend funeral of Times photographer Richard Mills, who died towards the end of his last assignment in Zimbabwe.
News
Goldstein and Davis launch Medicimage specializing in healthcare and medical imagery
Two friends, award-winning press photographer Stewart Goldstein and his friend David Davis, former financial journalist with The Times and vice chairman of Edelman, have launched a new specialty stock library which they believe will address the needs of a vastly underserved market for healthcare and medical imagery. The two friends who launched Medicimage Ltd above a garage in North London, claim to have invested more than 3 years of their time and £500,000 (approx $1 million) in Medicimage, which is launching in Beta version at medicimage.co.uk with a wholly-owned archive of 100,000 original images and many hundreds of hours of broadcast quality video footage.
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Getty licenses Jolie-Pitt baby pics raising more than $14 million for charity
Seattle based Getty Images has announced that it has negotiated an exclusive deal to license images from an exclusive photo shoot of the newborn twins, Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline and the Jolie-Pitt family. The Images were reportedly licensed for $14 million to PEOPLE magazine in the United States and to Hello! Magazine in all other territories. In addition, the Jolie-Pitt family and Getty Images have agreed that all proceeds will be used for charitable purposes. The photos will appear in both publications on Monday, August 4, 2008.
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Roxanne Motamedi promoted to senior executive director of entertainment for Getty Images
Getty Images, the world’s largest stock licensing company, has promoted Roxanne Motamedi to senior executive director of entertainment. In this new role, Motamedi will oversee all entertainment activities, including photography assignments, distribution and production for the Getty Images, WireImage and FilmMagic brands. She also will execute all celebrity exclusives that include weddings, baby portraits and “At Home” features.
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Digital Railroad releases Adobe Lightroom 2 plug-in
Digital Railroad, a provider of online archiving and marketing services for photographers, has released a free plug-in for Adobe’s Lightroom 2 enabling users to export images and metadata directly into their archive on the Digital Railroad platform. The company had previously released a similar plugin for Lightroom 1.x which has proven to be very popular among its users and is still available for download.
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Photolibrary teams up with TBWA Singapore to launch worlds’ biggest ad collaboration site
Photolibrary has once again teamed up with TBWA Singapore to launch a new campaign to feature royalty-free images as a fun and exciting tool for advertising professionals. In this latest campaign the company has launched a new viral site at theworldsbiggestad.com where the community can contribute to create the world biggest ad. “The concept is based on collaboration, via the Web. We developed a custom-built Flash application that lets you create your piece of the world’s biggest ad, submit it, and then pass on an invitation for others to do the same. We’ve already had over 300 creatives taking part, which is encouraging as it only officially launched last week.” state Graham Kelly, Executive Creative Director of TBWA Singapore.
Fotolia launches corporate subscription product
Fotolia, a micro-stock company based in New York, has announced that just one month after launching its first subscription product, the company has launched a ‘corporate’ version that allows the subscriber to create and manage sub-accounts with a parent-child relationship. This allows large corporations to share the service while the account owner is able to monitor, view, and download the different images that the child accounts purchase.
News
Shutterstock launches new on-demand subscription buying terms
New York based Shutterstock, one of the first micro-payment subscription-based stock photo agencies, has announced that it has created four new on-demand subscription licensing plans allowing users to download images anytime over a one year period without any daily or monthly download limits. Previously the company only offered a subscription with a ‘25-a-day’ download limit.
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Science Photo Library launches new royalty-free collection
Science Photo Library, a traditional stock photo agency from the UK specializing in scientific imagery, has announced the launch on a new royalty-free (RF) collection. The collection is expected to mirror the type of imagery offered by the agency for rights-managed (RM) and includes images taken with scientific equipment from X-rays to scanning electron microscopy, as well as a broad selection of contemporary photography on subjects ranging from medicine and healthcare to the environment and technology.
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Jupiter Media reports 2nd quarter 2008 financials
Jupitermedia Corporation (Nasdaq: JUPM) has released the financial results for the 2nd quarter of 2008 completed on June 30, 2008. The company reported slightly higher revenues of $35 million for Q208, compared with $34.6 million last year, but still wound up in the red again with a net loss of $3.286 million. Compared to the previous year Jupiter is down $1.293 million and the previous quarter down $52.000. Shares closed yesterday at $1.30.
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Alaska Stock captures imagery of Denali National Park’s new Eielson Visitor Center
Anchorage based Alaska Stock Images has announced that it has been tapped by the The National Park Service to create images of its new Eielson Visitor Center Denali National Park. Alaska Stock sent more than 20 photographer who produced approximately seventy custom stock images of majestic landscapes, wildlife, botanical studies, and park activities. The official grand-opening of the new facility is planned for August 12, 2008.
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Photo News Round-Up
• AP Photo Editor, Jim Collins, discusses Photos of the Day from the Olympics in Beijing.
• PhotoShelter’s Shoot! the Day event injects an estimated 250,000 new stock images into the marketplace.
• Hot News Turkey publishes revealing images from the front lines of the Georgia-Russia conflict.
News
Masterfile launches forum for creative professionals
Masterfile, a stock photography company based in Toronto with offices in France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, has announced that it has launched a new forum for designers, art buyers, picture editors, researchers and creatives to share ideas support each other in an international online community. This chat room style feature will be accessed through Masterfile’s own ever-evolving virtual metropolis, Masterfile City.
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PhotoSpin launches annual Spinner Awards contest
Long Beach, CA based PhotoSpin, a leading royalty free stock subscription company has announced that it will be running it’s annual Advertising contenst dubbed the ‘Spinner Awards’. To participate in the contest designers must create an account in the MySpin Directory and upload their ads. The contest is open to PhotoSpin’s customers and visitors as well as anyone else with a creative flair and a spirit for competition.
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Action Images founder David Jacobs acquires London Features picture agency
Press Gazette reporter Rachael Gallagher is reporting that the picture agency London Features has been acquired by Action Images founder and noteworthy sports photographer David Jacobs. LFI is Jacobs’ first major acquisition after selling Action Images to Reuters in 2005. Jacobs’ investment vehicle, Imvest Ltd, acquired the agency after the company went into administration last month following a law suit that was taken out for a potential breach of copyright by one of the contributing photographers.
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a21 Announces 2nd quarter 2008 financials
a21, Inc. (OTCBB:ATWO), owner of the stock photo business Superstock and the framed art supplier ArtSelect,has announced the results for the second quarter of 2008.Revenue is reported at $5.2 million, down from $5.7 million year over year with cost of sales amounting to $2.2 million, (43% of revenues) up from $2.3 million (40% of revenue) in the previous year. The company is pointing to improvements in efficiency and cost control initiatives which have lead to a $900,000 reduction in selling, general, and administrative expenses from the previous year.
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stock photography portal Fotosearch celebrates 10th anniversary
Fotosearch launched in Waukesha, Wisconsin 10 years ago with a unique business model as one of the first stock photography portal sites. Fotosearch grew out of Publishing Perfection (founded in 1987) which operated a catalog business offering software, laser printers, and scanners to graphics and multimedia professionals. The company began to offer stock images in the early 1990s and launched the Fotosearch web site in 1998 as a portal where customers could licnese images from multiple stock photography publishers at a single site.
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Robert Harding now offering £25 / $50 / €35 web license for RM Images
Robert Harding World Imagery, a specialist image library from the UK focused on travel images, has announced that it is offering a simplified flat rate web-use license for rights-managed (RM) images at just £25 ($50, €35). The new license parameters allow publishers to display the image any number of times on supplementary pages of a single website for up to two years. For homepage use the license fee will be doubled (£50,$100. €70).
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Digital Railroad partners with Embassy Pro Books to offer discount on photo books
Digital Railroad, a provider of online archiving and marketing services for photographers, has announced a partnership with Embassy Digital to extend a discount to members who are interested in creating custom professional-quality photo books. As part of the discount Digital Railroad’s mebers will receive 50% off their first order with an on-going 10% discount on future purchases. “We are extremely happy that Digital Railroad has chosen to promote our quality products to their members,” said Embassy Digital President Bryan Payne. “As one of the few companies that cater to professional photographers, we believe the relationship with DRR is a perfect fit and will be of great benefit to their members.”
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iStockphoto announces 2nd annual Punctum Day Awards winners
iStockphoto, the micro-stock business owned by Getty images, has announced the ten winners in its second annual Punctum Day awards. The finalists were identified by the iStock community and a panel of guest judges selected the winners. The Photo of the Year, “Late Trash,” is a creation by Trent Bell (TrentBell) of Biddeford, Maine, and showcases the innovation and vision of iStockphoto’s contributors. The company explains that ‘Punctum’ refers to a profound reaction an excellent image creates.
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Pacific Stock celebrates 20 years of operation
Pacific Stock, Inc, a stock photo agency specializing in images from Hawaii, the Pacific and Asia, is now celebrating 20 years of operation. From humble beginnings the business was launched by the company’s President, Barbara Brundage in the late 1980’s operated out of the spare bedroom of her small house. Today the business has cultivated an image library of over 150,000 Rights-Managed and Royalty-Free images. “We’ve come a long way since the early days of inviting clients over to my rickety old house to look at transparencies,” says Barbara. “Many of those early clients are still loyal customers to this day,” she said.
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Dreamstime Partners with Imagio.cz to reach Czech & Slovakian customers
Dreamstime, a Brentwood Tennessee based micro-payment stock photography business, has announced that it has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Imagio.cz based in Prague to distribute the dreamstime stock photography in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. “The stock photo market in our region is currently ruled by classic international stock agencies that customarily offer images at elevated prices. The awareness of the various micro stock agencies and photo shopping options is limited among Czech and Slovak internet users,” introduced Martin Maun, Imagio.cz Project Manager.
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Lightbox Photo launches its photo gallery software in the UK
Canadian based Lightbox Photo has announced that it is launching its photo gallery software in the UK. The company touts that it offers a solution for artists to display and sell their work online by creating your own stock photo library or online proofing system. The software is Linux, Mac and Windows compatible and can be used out of the box as a stand alone website, or it can be easily integrated into an existing site. Lightbox Photo is priced from $399 (approx. £200).
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PhotoShelter now offering limited collection of fine art prints
PhotoShelter, a digital storage and stock photography marketplace for more than 42,000 photographers, has announced that it has compiled a selection of images from the PhotoShelter collection to be offered as prints for a limited time at photoshelterprints.com. The images were hand-picked by the company’s editors to include a wide variety of subjects ranging from exquisite floral still life to Las Vegas Elvis impersonators. Print prices range from $100 to $450 and all images are printed on archival quality Kodak Pro Endura Supra paper.
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Muzu TV signs deal with ITN Source enabling users to create online music video channels
The London-based start-up Muzu TV, an ad-supported video platform where fans can create custom online music video channels, has signed a deal with ITN to provide users access to more than 80,000 hours of content from ITN Source’s music archive. The archive also includes footage from Reuters, Granada, and Channel 4 interviews and performances, as well as interviews handpicked from ITN’s iconic shows such as The Tube, Tony Wilson’s So it Goes, Mike Mansfield’s Supersonic and The South Bank Show. “We are really excited about the partnership with ITN. This deal will give fans access to an extensive archive of incredible classic music content from the last few decades. In addition, through ITN On’s daily music news blasts that will be featured on our homepage fans will have access to music news as it happens from all over the world and the ability to offer exclusive new interviews with some of the world’s most popular musicians.” states Ciaran Bollard, MUZU TV Co-founder and Business Development Director.
Lifetouch expanding with 200 new jobs
Lifetouch, the world’s largest portrait photography company, has announced that it is expanding with 200 new jobs at its national customer contact center in Muncie, Indiana. The 70 year old company best known for its school portraits offered in schools around the country and it’s nearly 800 photography studios in Target and J.C. Penney stores, currently employs approximately 22,000 people in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
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iStockphoto survey reveals 38% of Americans unclear on legal issues when downloading content
Getty-owned, iStockphoto, who recently celebrated its ‘Punctum Day’ by giving away 100% royalties to contributors on august 25th to the tune of more than $200,000, has announced that it has conducted a survey to gain insight into consumer behaviors related to the creation and use of multimedia content. The survey of more than 1,000 people conducted by KRC Research revealed a few surprising statistics. According to the research, 33 percent of Americans are using downloaded digital content, but nearly 30 percent are unaware that permission may be required for its use. This lack of awareness spikes to 38 percent among Americans in both the 18–24 and 65 and older age groups. When asked about whether this means large numbers of people are illegally downloading images from iStockphoto, Kelly Thompson Executive Vice President at iStockphoto stated, “All of our images are protected with a watermark and our community of more than 65,000 contributors has proven to be the ultimate police force, they seem to find everything”.
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Photobucket signs deal allowing users to print photos at local Target stores
Photobucket, one of the most popular sites photo-sharing sites with more than 46 million users, has announced a partnership deal with Target allowing user to print images from PhotoBucket to be picked up at any of the 1,648 stores located in in 47 states in the US. In addition Target customers will be encouraged to take advantage of Photobucket’s service to share images online. “Photobucket has emerged as a leader in online photo and video sharing,” said Mark Schindele, senior vice president, Target. “The site has an active community of more than 22 million monthly visitors in the U.S. Through this collaboration, our guests can now combine Photobucket’s creative tools with the convenience and quality they have come to expect from Target Photo.”
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Flat Pyramid creates 3D model content marketplace
Flat Pyramid a recent start-up from Los Angeles has launched a licensing platform exclusively for 3D computer graphics and 3D model content. The company is banking on what it sees as a shift in consumer behavior to embrace 3D content previously used only by big companies, in computer games, or in movie special effects.
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blinkx signs deal to publish editorial content from Getty Images and split ad revenue
blinkx, one of the leading video search engines, has announced that it has closed a deal with Getty Images to publish editorial footage from Getty Images along with contextually relevant advertising to generate advertising revenue to be shared. Recent multimedia content from Getty includes entertainment capsules, sporting recaps, and footage from the upcoming Democratic and Republican Convention feeds in the United States. “We’re delighted to partner with Getty Images, a company that is considered the gold standard in its industry,” said Suranga Chandratillake, founder and CEO, blinkx. “Our viewers will enjoy Getty’s diverse range of high quality content. In addition, with Election Day approaching in the States, our American audiences will particularly appreciate Getty’s up-to-the-minute Democratic and Republican National Convention feeds on blinkx.com.”
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Fotolia collection reaches four million images
Fotolia one of the leading mico-payment stock licensing sites has announced that it hea received its 4 millionth image. The image (featured here) was submitted by Christopher Völlmya of Switzerland. With 4 million images Fotolia is certainly not the largest stock library but Since launching in late 2005 Fotolia has grown at a rapid pace serving the needs of more than 300,000 media buyers from around the world.
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Thought Equity Motion develops licensing models to serve emerging media producers
Denver based Thought Equity Motion, a leading stock footage licensing company, has announced that it has developed new pricing and licensing options to serve the needs of emerging media producers. The footage will be offered in different “stores” that are segmented for the user based on the intended use. In a specific store the user can browse through content that has already been fully cleared meaning web content producers can create online video ads using top notch footage from the “Web Store” with clips starting at just $49.
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Photo News Round-Up
• The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has described the rough treatment of two photographers trying to cover a protest in Beijing as unfortunate.
• Photoshot appoints Comstock veteran Jim Mellor to post as Senior Account Executive, Jim brings more than 15 years industry experience 15 years ago to Photoshot’s US operation.
