OK, so maybe my excitement is showing for the Winter Wonderland III, 2009 workshop I will be attending in the Tetons and Yellowstone National park in February!  I can't help it, this is mixing Three of my favorite things Photography, Yellowstone National Park, and SNOW/Cold!  I am a winter lover!!

I can't wait for the Snow... and the chance to really break in the New Canon EOS 5D Mark II which I plan to have accompany me on this photographic journey.  The drive out to and back from Yellowstone should be just as beautiful at that time of the year.

As a matter of fact, the 49er Inn we are staying at during parts of this workshop is right off this Town Square shot show here.  Flagg Ranch is en-route to the Yellowstone entrance from the Jackson area.

Oh Yea...  I am taking donation for New Snow Tire for the truck this year too!

This new series illustrates a Baby Shower and, separately, a Bridal Shower.  It includes some games, present opening and other related activities in a home interior.

Photographer's Description:
De-focused shimmering dots in Festive Christmas colours, created in-camera with a wide open aperture and a seriously de-focused lens, great background or texture for festive design element.

Keywords:
Defocused,Light,Glowing,Backgrounds,Textured,Multi-Layered Effect,Glitter,Christmas,Celebration,Bright,colourful,Red,Gold,Silver,Smooth,Curve,Circle,Spotted,Softness,Focus,Pattern,Design Element,tinsel

Avery Dennison Office Products Company today announced a global agreement with micropayment imagery pioneer, iStockphoto. This deal allows Avery Dennison to give its customers images from the world's busiest image market, and offer them an introduction to inexpensive professional photos, illustrations and videos.

The press release is here.  This part is interesting enough:

iStockphoto featuring Avery templates online and Avery Dennison promoting iStock online and in educational outreach outlets

However, you're probably interested in the discount and free stock images, right?  From the page at ( sorry - I had to remove the link temporarily - iStock is having some backend issues) , you get %20 off of your first order of credits with the code: AVERYNEWS .  Actually, that page doesn't say that, but the press release mentions the "first" bit.  You also have access to choose 20 out of 60 regularly licensed images free, from the choice at: http://www.istockphoto.com/imageoffer.php?lpid=averynews&page=1

I guess the whole idea is about building on the exposure and social interactions of the internet. A lot of successful online ideas usually have a collaborative nature to them – YouTube, Facebook, MySpace etc. In stock photo industry there’s iStockphoto apparently taking 55% of all stock usuage in the North America, I remember using Last.FM a bit (is that an equivalent in the Music Industry?)

Which is great.  You can easily filter out content you don't want, just by unchecking the boxes. ..... or can you?

Well, you can, of course.  The problem is some user interface design that makes it confusing, and somewhat frustrating at times.  Part of the issue is that iStockphoto should see these as options only you can modify, but based on site design, they actually use links to modify your options, making it a bit tough at times to keep your choices.  Two examples below and how to work with the system.

User Interface Inconsistency

When you do a search on a subject and get the results back, the search is sorted based on your choice of sorting methods.  If you have "age" currently selected, and you want to switch to "best match", you simply change the sort pull down at the top, and the entire search refreshes.

Alas, there is no such refresh mechanism attached to the type checkboxes.  Unchecking or checking any of the choices does not refresh the page.  Alas #2, your search terms have not remained in the search box for easy re-use.  Modifying the checkboxes, and then changing the pull down does NOT hold your checkbox choice in memory.

So, what you need to do, is change your content type checkboxes BEFORE a search to see the results you want.  If the search has already been run, change the checkboxes, and retype in your search terms.

My Choices Don't Stick

In writing this article, I had "photos" checked, and then I tried my solution above to modify my content type to Illustration - ie. checking the box off and redoing the search.  Unfortunately, the checkbox did not hold its value.  Nothing I did would cause the Illustration checkbox to stay checked!  I must have some funny setting holding on to things.  So, if all else fails, use the link below to force all your options to be on.

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_search.php?action=file&text=business&fileTypeSizePrice=
[{"type"%3A"Image"%2C"size"%3A"All"%2C"priceOption"%3Anull}%2C
{"type"%3A"Video"%2C"size"%3A"All"%2C"priceOption"%3Anull}%2C
{"type"%3A"Flash"%2C"size"%3Anull%2C"priceOption"%3A"All"}%2C{"type"%3A"Illustration+[Vector]"%2C"size"%3Anull%2C"priceOption"%3A"All"}]

It then seems to be able to behave as you would expect after doing that.  You can replace the word "business" in the above link, with your search term of choice.  Which leads us to the third issue.

Links that Modify Your Content Type Checkboxes

Due to the fact that all these content types (well, except for Flash) have a sort of "headquarters" page under the iStockphoto brand, they need to be able to turn on that content type when you go to that section.  ie., Click on "Video", and you won't see much unless your video checkbox is on.  Ok.  Makes sense.

For some reason, when you click on the "View portfolio" link in a user's profile, it turns all the checkboxes back on.  I guess this makes sense, in that they want to show you the entire portfolio, but it is frustrating if you just want to see my photos, for example.

As we know, you can't then, after seeing the portfolio, check off the appropriate box(es) and refresh the page somehow.

One workaround is to go to one of the user's images, and from there, click on the "View Member Portfolio" link.  This link is not the same as the link in the user's profile, so it will hold onto your checkbox choices.

Alternatively, you can try the following link if you wish to type in the member's name:

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_search.php?action=file&membername=sjlocke

Conclusion

While, yes, I wish this would work better, it works well 99% of the time, and the other 1%, hopefully you can force it to work with the above tips.

iStockphoto: I started this month with a portfolio of 142 images. These photos generated $31.50 in 23 downloads. My best day ever was 24 September, with $9.50 on this site. This is the kind of numbers that actually make it worthwhile to upload. The bigger your portfolio, the higher earnings. I have started uploading again now and have 6 new images online, 6 in the queue and a ton in the pipeline. iStock is still my favourite site and this is where I recommend beginners to start out. Just submit your best three photos (not too similar ones) and you're good to go. If you get rejected, you can try again after a while. They're quite picky, but that is a good thing in the long run. Rather than rejecting all new images, they are sensible enough to root out some of their old weed from slacker days. My approval ratio is 61 % on this site.

Dreamstime: This is another very good site. They are not very picky here, so it might be a good place to get started in the microstock “business”. My approval ratio is 88 %, but this is mostly with material that had already been approved at iStock. Since April, my total earnings are $62.80 (from 70 downloads). I had 133 images online at the beginning of September. I uploaded 18 new files in that month. Only two were rejected, and that was because they were too similar to the ones that were accepted. September was my best month ever by far, with a fair $25.28 in earnings. This site is starting to rival iStockphoto. October looks very good so far. Another good thing about Dreamstime is that the earnings increase as an image gets more downloads. I now have two Level 2-files and will increase the upload rate to this site.

123rf: I have 48 files here now and 4 downloads in September, generating an income of $2.94. Maybe I should put in more of an effort here.

Fotolia: This site stands out with a very very low acceptance rate. I’ve read about this phenomenon elsewhere on the web as well. It is obvious that they have too many images online, but they have chosen the worst way to deal with that. They leave old, outdated, bad, probably non-selling material from their startup days online and reject new contributions. This is sure to provoke anger amongst contributors (it does, read other forums and blogs), and that is surely not a good thing if you’re hoping to stay competitive. I have one sale here now (at $0.99), which is not bad with a portfolio of 5 images.

SnapVillage: Owned by Corbis, I find it very strange how little effort they put into this site. Their site doesn't even work with Safari! I have around 30 images online to test the waters, and so far I have one download at $3. The positive thing about this site is that, despite the lack of bulk FTP upload, uploading and keywording is quick. You’re also allowed to set your own price for each image.

PantherMedia: This is a German, fairly professional-looking site with slightly higher prices than typical microstock companies. The approval process is rather confusing, but I have now uploaded 29 images, of which 20 were approved. I have one download at €2.97, so it might be worth the effort to upload some more.

PhotoShelter: The less said about this site, the better.

Shutterstock: This is where many new microstockers get started. However, after a while I found their payout of $0.25 per download almost insulting and removed all my images. SS was my best earner; I made around $100 on just 100 images in a few months. If you can live with their royalty scheme, this is a very professional site.

Description:
Stock Photo of De-focused shimmering dots in Festive Christmas colours, created in-camera with a wide open aperture and a seriously de-focused lens, great background or texture for festive design element.

Keywords:
background, blur, christmas, colourfull, de, design, dots, element, festive, focus, focused, glitter, glow, glowing, gold, layer, light, overlay, red, round, shimmer, silver, smooth, soft, sparkle, texture, xmas,

© Photographer: Pdtnc | Agency: Dreamstime.com

In case you missed it above, the search page is here: http://www.istockphoto.com/seasonal.php

Something important to note.  These are not collections, or lightboxes, created by a moderator.  They are merely regular searches, like I've linked to in other articles.  For example, the Halloween pumpkin link is this:

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_search.php?action=file&text=((Pumpkin+OR+%22Jack+o+lantern%22)+NOT+Food+NOT+%22Pie(Dessert)%22+NOT+%22Food+And+Drink(Topics)%22)&textDisambiguation=%7B%22language%22%3A4%2C%22maps%22%3A%5B%5D%7D&filetypeID=1

The important part of that long link, is that the search ends up being:

(Pumpkin OR "Jack o lantern") NOT Food NOT "Pie(Dessert)" NOT "Food And Drink(Topics)"

So, we're looking for pumpkins or Jack 'O Lanterns that are also not tagged "food", also not in a pie, and not tagged "food and drink".  That may be a good starting point for searching, but you're going to be leaving out any pumpkin picture that was also tagged with "food".  Not really fair there, since a pumpkin is food, eh?  This benefits people who are incomplete keyworders, in my opinion.

So you need to remember to watch the actual search strings, to make sure they make sense to you.  You can always go and modify them yourself and make your own searches.  However, most of them are pretty clear cut in what they are searching for.

Let me explain...

Back in 2006, iStockphoto.com announced a new program called "BuyRequest".  It was a way to formalize the requesting relationship between contributors and buyers.  We'd had the Request Forum forever, where people would request help finding existing images, or new images for purchase.  iStock saw a way to try and make this relationship a bit more dependable, and make a small profit for both the site and contributors in the process.

BuyRequest had 3 facets:

• Finder's fee:
  The Community searches the library for already-existing files that match your needs.
  Post a Creative Brief outlining exactly what you want, and a 5 to 100 credit bounty. Members then search the library and respond with links to images they feel match your brief - any member can suggest any image, regardless of whose work it is.
• Open Offer:
  Artists create brand-new, custom work to match your creative brief.
  For a 25-500 credit bounty, contributors interpret your Creative Brief and respond with original images for you to review. Indicate the general category and artists who specialize in that style will receive the Brief. Download the one that most resembles what you had in mind.
• Hire On Spec:
  Hand-pick up to 3 of your favorite artists to create original artwork to your specification.
  For a 100-5,000 credit bounty, you can deliver a Creative Brief to 3 specific contributors of your choice, for the most control over the kind of submissions you'll receive.

So, we had fun for a while, seeing buyer's requests, some sensible, some crazy, trying to fill those requests.  However, it just didn't work out.  As I remember, there were a few reasons - it just wasn't popular enough, it was too formal a process, some requestors would request stuff and then not buy it, etc.  In the end, BuyRequest was closed after about 11 months.  The crowds cheered, and went on to be happy with the Request Forum again, which had been closed for that time to encourage use of BuyRequest.

The problem that is rearing its ugly head lately comes from this part of the program:

If you post an Open Offer or Hire On Spec with a bounty of 200 credits or higher, your image will come with 90 days of exclusive usage, during which no one else can download it. After that period, it enters the iStock collection. BuyRequest™ images purchased for lower bounties will be available to other iStock members as soon as they're chosen.

For the past month or so, iStockphoto has been having some issues with the main brain of the content system be able to access the database to determine whether or not an image is actually available.  Apparently, when it can't get access to the image to be able to sell it, the default response is what you would have seen from the BuyRequest script for exclusivity - that someone has rights to that image until a certain date.

Except in this case, there is no buyer name, and no real date, so the system defaults to before the UNIX start of the Universe - January 1, 1970.  So, the message you get, where the purchase area should be reads like this:

This file is currently unavailable has exclusive access to this file until wednesday December 31, 1969

Sigh...  We sure want buyers to be able to purchase content.  So, it's frustrating that this bug is still hanging about.  One can only hope the programmers are doing their best to eradicate this.

The good news is that this message goes away, at the shortest, with a simple page refresh, and at the longest, maybe a few minutes.  So, buyers, please don't run away when this pops up on your screen.  Go grab a danish or check email, and then come back and refresh the image page.  We, the contributor team, would certainly appreciate it.  Thanks for sticking with us!

1. Reduced the sizes of the images - 1 credit now gets you a ~200 pixel image
2. Increased the cost of their credits - It used to be $1 for 1 credit now they have altered their pricing to starts at 10 credits for $14 ($1.40/credit)
3. Increased the cost of the images - Vector images used to be 3 credits, now they are 15.  ExtraLarge images were 5 credits, now they are 15.

As a response to their price increase I wrote them a kind letter to cover my opinion on the matter:

Dear iStockPhoto,

This will be the last time I spend any money with your company.  I don't have a large budget but you have made sure that my budget continues to afford me less and less each month.  I have been a loyal customer for over 2 years and I watched your prices rise on two fronts.  Not only are you giving fewer credits per dollar you are increasing the cost of the images.  It might not hurt you but my $100/month is going elsewhere.  Thanks to your attempt to screw your customers I feel this will be a recurring reaction.

Best of luck,
Damien Howley

The black/white opacity mask above represents the selection that the saturation layer is acting upon, and it is actually a black and white "image", if you will.  And that isn't what a clipping path is.

For the purposes of this discussion, I'm going to reference this recent file of mine on iStockphoto.com:

A clipping path is a vector path, as I mentioned, painstakingly drawn by hand around the object in the content, in this case a pumpkin.  I don't normally provide clipping paths, because most of what I shoot doesn't lend itself to the process.  Clipping paths are good for really hard edged objects, like a brick, or a pumpkin.  You cannot provide areas of feathering or opacity along the edges of a path.  It is what it is - a curve.  It is up to the designer using the curve to then feather and otherwise modify that selection to their uses.

To see a clipping path, in photoshop, open the "Paths" window.  If there is a clipping path, it should be there.  It will be named whatever the creator named it.  The .jpg format holds onto this information just fine.

In Photoshop, if you change to the selection tool, and click on the path, you can see the defining points.

If you right click on the path name, you will get the option to make a selection from the path.

In the next option box, you can modify the selection with several options, and then you have your selection to with as you will.

Here, I've made a thoroughly exciting example, by taking the path, and cutting out the pumpkin and putting it on it's own layer.  I then added an orange layer behind it, some text, and then a white stroke around the now cut out pumpkin.

Clipping Paths on iStockphoto

There have been discussions on the forums about whether people should include clipping paths.  The impression I get, is that mostly, designers like to make their own selection paths.   As I mentioned, clipping paths are good for hard edged things, like blocks and pumpkins, not so good for things like hair, for example.

On iStockphoto, clipping paths, if provided by the creator, are only in the largest file version.  The clipping path does not get translated down to the smaller versions when the resize happens.  So, if you want a clipping path on an image, you need to buy the largest version of the image.

So, how do you know if the image has a clipping path?  The designer will usually note it in the title and/or description - "Pumpkin with Clipping Path".  Also, there is a keytag "clipping path" that you can use in searches, like: "clipping path" pumpkin .

Downloading an image that does not have a path, when you are led to believe it does, is probably good reason to contact support for a refund.

If you're interested in making your own paths, check out this iStockphoto article on paths.

Canon EOS 400D, 17mm, ISO 400, 1/30 sec, F2.8, Sigma 17-70mm

Para cambiar un poco la onda naturaleza de las últimas fotos, esta vez elegí una imagen del Garage de mi casa. La foto la saqué ayer cuando tuve que ir a guardar unas cosas al garage y ví que la luz que venia por las dos ventanas de la puerta le daban un efecto raro al ambiente, como medio siniestro.

Esta vez no voy a escribir mucho, estoy con el tiempo medio justo porque en estas semanas voy a estar rindiendo exámenes en la facultad, asi que a estudiar!

Lo que sí voy a comentar es que a la foto la retoqué un poco para que sea más dramática, con algunos ajustes de curvas y de filtros de colores varios.

Cambiando de tema, al día de hoy tengo aprobadas 6 fotos en Fotolia.com y sólo 2 en iStockPhoto.com. La subida de fotos es un proceso largo y lento, así que hay que tener mucha paciencia, sobre todo cuando me rechazan las fotos y las tengo que enviar de vuelta.

Hasta la próxima foto,
Gabriel

]]> http://gabrielrobledoeng.wordpress.com/?p=149 Sun, 28 Sep 2008 23:55:59 +0000 Gabriel Robledo http://gabrielrobledoeng.de.wordpress.com/2008/09/28/garage/ [/caption]

Canon EOS 400D, 17mm, ISO 400, 1/30 sec, F2.8, Sigma 17-70mm

This time I will change the "nature" topic of my last photos, that's why I've chosen an image from my home's Garage. I took this photo yesterday when I went to the garage to move some things and I saw the light that was entering from the two windows. The light in the room was very creepy.

This time I won't write too much, I'm short of time because I have to sit for some exams at university.

One thing I want to add is that I've retouched the image to create a dramatic effect. I've made some curve's adjustments and also added some color filters.

Besides, I have 6 photos approved at Fotolia.com and only 2 at iStockPhoto.com. The uploading of images is a slow and long process, so I have to be patient, particularly when the photos are rejected and need to be fixed and uploaded again.

Cheers!
Gabriel

Description:
Old boot in Dark Railway Tunnels.
Underground Light painting in disused railway tunnels, darkness creatively lit with torches.

Keywords:
architecture, boot, brickwork, dark, darkness, exploration, gloom, light, lost, nobody, old, painted, painting, railway, tunnel, underground, urban, urbex

Da ich nicht die Erlaubnis bekam, die Rede aufzunehmen und zu veröffentlichen, hier nur eine sinngemäße Zusammenfassung der Rede.

Die Firma istockphoto wurde eher "aus Versehen" gegründet, nachdem für die Webseite als Bilder-Tauschplattform über 10.000 $ an Server-Kosten anfielen. Insgesamt hat Bruce Livingstone schon sieben Firmen gegründet, von denen drei von Getty Images gekauft wurden.

DIe Loyalität der Künstler zur Agentur ist einer der größen Erfolgskritieren von istockphoto. Dazu tragen unter anderem die großen "istockalypse"-Events und die kleinen "minilypse"-Veranstaltungen bei. Die nächste istockalypse wird Mitte Januar 2009 in Berlin stattfinden. Im Oktober 2008 eröffnet in Berlin schon die Europa-Vertretung.

istockphoto ist in Gesprächen mit einem Anbieter, um die Auszahlung von Guthaben in Deutschland zu erleichtern.

Einige Zahlen aus dem Vortrag:

• Umsatz von istockphoto 2007: 71,9 M $
• Auszahlungen an Künstler 2007: 20,9 M $ (das sind übrigens ins Verhältnis zum Umsatz gesetzt ca. 29% Beteiligung der Künstler)
• Durchschnittlich alle 1,3 Sekunden wird ein Bild verkauft
• ca. 3,7 Millionen Kunden sind bei istockphoto angemeldet
• über 60.000 Künstler sind bei istockphoto angemeldet
• der erwartete Umsatz von istockphoto für 2012 liegt bei 262 M $
• pro Monat werden ca. 275.000 Bilder hochgeladen
• pro Monat werden ca. 150.000 Bilder angenommen
• insgesamt befinden sich ca. 3,5 Millionen Bilder auf istockphoto

Für die Zukunft sieht Bruce Livingstone auf dem Microstock-Markt eine Konsolidierung und weitere Pleiten von anderen Microstock-Bildagenturen voraus. "Crowdsourcing" ist für Livingstone ein Muss, um als Microstock-Agentur überleben zu können.

Die Bildnutzung wird sich immer mehr von Print ins Internet und auf mobile Geräte (Handys, PDAs, ...) verschieben. Die Zukunft liegt neben den Fotos in Stock-Videos und Stock-Audio, wobei die Bedeutung von Stockfotos immer weiter abnehmen wird.

Dass Microstock-Bilder vor allem kleine Unternehmen und Privatpersonen nutzen würden, wiederlegt Livingstone eindrucksvoll mit einer langen Liste an bekannten Unternehmen wie Nikon, AOL, Time Warner, Discovery Channel, Adobe, Stiftung Warentest und dem Präsidentschaftskandidaten der Republikaner, John McCain.

2008/2009 wird sich istockphoto vermehrt der Entwicklung von Stock-Audio-Angeboten widmen. 2009 wird istockphoto mehr Büros weltweit eröffnen und mehr "lokale Inhalte" anbieten. Das bedeutet, dass bei den Suchergebnissen von regionalen istock-Webseiten (z.B. istockphoto.de, istockphoto.fr, ...) stärker die lokalen Begebenheiten berücksichtigt werden, z.B. die Ethnizität oder berühmte Wahrzeichen. Das ist eine Technik, die bei Getty Images schon eingesetzt wird und bald zu istockphoto "herüberschwappen" wird.

Das berüchtigte Upload-Verfahren von istockphoto wird sich so schnell nicht ändern. Während für den Mac schon von einigen Programmen ein Massenupload möglich ist, wird für den PC noch an einem Programm gearbeitet. Das Hochladen per FTP schließt Livingstone wegen Sicherheitsrisiken jedoch für die Zukunft aus.

http://www.myersonphoto.com/blog/2008/07/02/istockphoto-vocabulary/

I will however, point out my claim to acronym fame as the first person to use the term "BME" for "best month ever", here:

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=36328&page=1

Really.  Here's a google search for "BME".  See if you can find a thread less than 36328.

Thank goodness I already had my 15 seconds of fame.  I wouldn't want this to be it.

All New 2008 Imagery

All of my holiday imagery this year is available in iStockphoto's XXL size, and was shot with the Canon top of the line 1ds Mk3 21MP camera.

Halloween is my favorite time of year.  How about some children trick-or-treating?

Actually, I think I like Thanksgiving more, with all the delicious food.  I've got some new images of my favorite little girl dressed as a pilgrim (and some in casual wear as well).

However, Christmas is definitely the most fun, and the most festive.  I've got design elements, like borders and such.

As well, I have some new great people images, decorating cookies, wrapping gifts, shopping online, etc...

Need something you can easily add your elements or copy to?  Try out something in my holiday backgrounds series.

Happy New Year!  Don't forget my 2009 Happy New Year Candle Series!

Getty Images

I also have a selection of holiday images on Getty Images, including some work with a great female model.

Holidays 2007

Lots of great content was uploaded last year, as well, including my warm Family Thanksgiving Dinner Set.

Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas

So, if you're on the lookout for holiday imagery, please take a look at my portfolio.  I think you'll find something you can use.  In addition, I'll be uploading more over the next month, so keep an eye out!

]]> http://stockfotografie.wordpress.com/?p=480 Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:37:22 +0000 R. Kneschke http://stockfotografie.de.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/hilfreiche-stockfotografie-vortrage-auf-der-photokina-2008/ Während der Photokina 2008 in Köln wird es einige Vorträge geben, die besonders für Fotografen mit dem Schwerpunkt Stockfotografie interessant sind. Einige davon können sogar ohne Eintritt in der Halle 1 besucht werden.

• Mittwoch, 24.9., 11 Uhr: "The Future Of Microstcock" (Halle 1)
  Referent wird Bruce Livingstone sein, Gründer und CEO von istockphoto. In seinem Vortrag geht es unter anderem um eine Übersicht über den aktuellen Microstock-Markt, erfolgreiche Geschäftsmodelle, die Käufer von Microstock-Bildern und welche Trends in Zukunft erwartet werden - als Vergleich Microstock/Macrostock, aber auch welche anderen Medienarten interessant werden.
• Mittwoch, 24.9., 14:30 Uhr: "So kommen sie an gute Modelle" (Halle 9, fotocommunity-Stand B54/D55)
  Der Foto-Designer Georg Banek erklärt, wie man gute Models findet.
• Mittwoch 24.9., 16 Uhr: "Panoramafreiheit, Prominentenfotografie und der Appell von Perpignan: Fotojournalismus im Paragraphenkorsett?" (Halle 1)
  Referent ist Michael Hirschler vom Deutschen Journalisten-Verband (DJV). In seinem Vortrag geht es vor allem um rechtliche Einschränkungen, denen Fotojournalisten häufig ausgesetzt sind.
• Donnerstag, 25.9., 12 Uhr: "Von der Bildercommunity zu Gettys Bauchladen - Bildvermarkung in Zeiten des digitalen Lifestyle" (Halle 1) (Wiederholung am Samstag, 27.9., 11 Uhr)
  Referent ist Thomas Schmidt, Geschäftsführer der Bildagentur medicalpictures. Die Fragen seines Vortrags: Wie sieht der Bildermarkt der Zukunft aus? Wie entwickeln sich die weltweiten Bilderströme? Wer verdient an und mit Fotos? Wie sehen die unterschiedlichen Geschäftsmodelle im Zeitalter des Web 2.0 aus?
• Donnerstag, 25.9., 13 Uhr: "Produktmarketing in Social Media - ohne Fotos geht es nicht" (Halle 1)
  Referent ist Kai Strieder, Geschäftsführer von pixelboxx, einer Fotoverwaltungsfirma. Er beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, wie Fotos im Web 2.0 eingesetzt werden und was für Chancen und Gefahren in diesem digitalen Lifestyle liegen.
• Freitag, 26.9., 12 Uhr: "Bilder der Forschung - Wissenschaftsfotografie in den Medien" (Halle 1)
  Eine Diskussionsrunde mit dem Leiter der FOCUS-Bildredaktion, Rüdiger Schrader, dem Bildchef der Deutschen Presse-Agentur (dpa), Bernd von Jutrczenka und Fotografen. Hier geht es darum, was Fotografen beachten müssen, damit sie in Laboren und Forschungseinrichtungen erfolgreich Fotos machen können und worauf geachtet werden muss, damit die Bilder in Medien Verwendung finden.
• Freitag, 26.9., 17 Uhr: "Berufsfotografie heute. Chance und Risiken. Was können Berufsverbände leisten?" (Halle 1)
  Ein Gespräch mit Lutz Fischmann, Geschäftsführer des Fotografenverbandes FreeLens und Bernd Weise, Geschäftsführer des Bundesverband der Pressebild-Agenturen und Bildarchive e.V. (BVPA).
• Samstag, 27.9., 17:30 Uhr: "'Mein Foto, dein Recht?' Die Urheberrechte des Fotografen" (Halle 9, fotocommunity-Stand B54/D55)
  Der Rechtsanwalt Amin Negm führt durch rechtliche Fallstricke der Fotografie.

For example...

What are the minimum dimensions for M, L, XL and XXL images on iStockphoto?

In other words, what size is an XXL?  Will my camera shoot an XL?

• Medium 1600x1200
• Large 2560x1920
• XLarge 4200x2800
• XXLarge 4900x3300

These image sizes are based on some standards in the printing industry.  For example, an A3 sized page is around 11.7 x 16.5 inches.  Printing that at 300dpi requires a pixel sized image of  3510 x 4962, an XXL image.

Keep in mind that the aspect ratio is not set in stone.  A medium can be 1600x1200.  It can be 1920x1000.  It can be 384000 x 5 .  The important thing is the final pixel count, ie. 1600x1200 = 1920000.

Note, that iStockphoto creates the smaller sizes for you.  The S and XS are generated by the server, if you upload a medium.  If you upload an XXL, all the lower sizes are created.

iStockphoto creates the S and XS sizes at 72 dpi, and the higher sizes at 300 dpi.  Remember, dpi is a setting that relates to the output device you are using (like a printer).  The pixel size is still the pixel size, regardless of if you change the dpi setting in Photoshop, or wherever.  For more information on adjusting the output resolution, please read this iStockphoto article on resolution.

This information can also be found in the iStockphoto FAQ.

E-Cards for a Client

I'm doing some e-cards for a web-based company. Do I need the extended license for istock files on this work?

The regular license clearly states you may use content for "advertising and promotional projects".  The term "e-card" above can be replaced by "promotional email design".  In this sense, the use falls within regular usage.

VERDICT: Regular License

Jewelry Design

I design and sell jewellery (pendants in particular) and use patterned paper, wrapping paper etc as the design features on the pendants. I've noticed that some of my competition use some istockphoto images in the same way. I wanted to ask whether this was actually allowed under the standard license? Can I use files on istockphoto for this purpose?

The regular license states you may not "use the Content in any ... items for resale, license or other distribution for profit" (without an Extended License).  To clarify this point a bit more, in the section about permitted uses, it says:

For clarity, you may not use the Content in products for resale ... unless ... the original Content has been fundamentally modified or transformed ... and where the primary value of such transformed or derivative work is not recognizable as the Content

While there is certainly value in the jewelry design and construction, it can be said that merely putting the content on the jewelry does not modify or transform it enough, and it also adds significant value.  Much like a calendar that showcases the content.  Also, as you can read in this linked thread, the official word from support is:

You may also create these unique pieces for personal use, however, if you wish to resell the final product then each image which you have installed within the design must have been purchased with an Items for Resale - limited run of 2 000 pieces of artwork Extended License."

VERDICT: Extended License - Items for Resale

Icons in a Software Application

Does the license agreement for iStockphoto purchases allow me to embed an icon created from a purchased image inside an iPhone application that is sold on the Apple App Store?

So, we have a designed application, that someone wishes to sell.  Does using iStock content (icons) in this case require an Extended License for "Electronic Items for Resale"?  The answer is no.  The regular license states:

You may also purchase the option to resell the Content in an unlimited number of electronic templates for e-greeting or similar cards, electronic templates for web or applications development, PowerPoint or Keynote templates, screensavers, and email or brochure templates.

This, however, does not apply here.  The poster is not creating a template for applications development.  He is actually creating an application.  Two different things.  In addition, the icons are not the primary content in the application, like you might find in a screensaver application.  Removing the content from this application would not greatly affect the value of the application.  And iStockphoto legal agrees:

...the consensus was that it would be ok provided it's not a main selling feature

VERDICT: Regular License

Campus Cookbook

We are creating a campus cookbook that is going to be available to faculty and staff. However, we are considering selling it in our campus bookstore at cost (it will not make a profit). We would just like a way for our students to have access to the cookbook. Will I need an extended license for any images I may use in the cookbook?

The poster mentions "it will not make a profit".  That is not a determining factor in whether an extended license is needed.  What is important, is that the regular license clearly allows books (in general): "entertainment applications, such as books and book covers".

It also prohibits using the content in "items for resale, license or other distribution for profit", though.  Here, one can infer that the statement is discussing items for resale where the primary value is derived from the content.  For example, a book consisting of only full page iStock photos derives its value from the content and would probably not fall under the regular license, while a cookbook's value comes primarily from its recipes and text.

VERDICT: Regular License

I will start this post with talking about a typical non-alcoholic drink from Argentina and also very popular in some countries of South America: the mate (it’s not the verb “mate”, it’s a Spanish word). It’s basically a hot beverage that contains “yerba mate” and very hot water. In general we drink this in the morning or in the afternoon, and if possible, with some sweet rolls or cookies!

In spite of not being a big fan of drinking "mate", when it is present I like to drink it and with lots of sugar. I often drink it at friends’ gatherings because there is always someone who remembers to bring all the equipment needed: hot water - not boiled! -, "yerba mate" and the cup you see in the photo with that little straw to drink it. To be honest, I’m a bit lazy to prepare it and carry all the equipment, so that’s why I don’t drink it too often.

When I took this picture the mate was brought by a friend, as it couldn’t be in any other way! This time we decided to make a barbecue outside the city and spend a day out all together. At the barbecue were some friends of mine from my former job and some of them with their partners, too. As you can well imagine, we had a fantastic time and it was a nice opportunity to relax and do something different.

All this talking about the "mate" reminds me of something that happened a few years ago when some foreign clients came to one of my past job’s offices. Among them, there was a female project manager. One afternoon, while we were all together, she saw us drinking mate at the office, so she asked us what this drink was. We tried to explain her, but we told her it would be better to try it. So, we offered her one. She liked it at first, but when she found out that we shared this little cup with just one straw among all of us, she couldn’t believe her eyes! She couldn’t understand why we shared this instead of having a cup each of us. To make it simple, the “mate ritual” involves sharing it with your friends. After explaining to her all of this, we offered her the first cup of mate, untouched by anyone… but we had no luck, she wouldn’t drink it.

Going back to the photo, I think it came out of the camera pretty nice, very sharp and crisp. I also liked the perfect framing I achieved.

Changing the subject, I’m starting to get the reviews of the photos I uploaded to iStockPhoto.com and Fotolia.com. I knew this was going to be hard and it is indeed, most of them were rejected. At iStockPhoto.com photos take longer to be reviewed (a week and a half approximately), but once they are reviewed, they explain to you why they had been rejected. At Fotolia.com you don’t get any explanation at all. That’s why I think that iStockPhoto.com is more interesting: it teaches me how to prepare the images to be at top quality. So I will keep fixing and uploading my photos. Trial and error.

This is the time of the year when I want the year be over soon, just for one reason: university. I’m attending at my last 3 subjects to get my Bachelor degree in Information Technology and I can’t wait to sit for all the exams and graduate. It would be fantastic to be able to do it this year; I would be more relaxed and have more time to do other things. I’ve been at university for several years so this is a great time in my life to finish it once for all! Is it just me or it's too hard to study to finish your career? I do think so, studying is something that the majority of people don’t enjoy.

Thinking ahead, I'm willing to take photography lessons or something related to this the next year.

This time I've written a lot, haven’t I? I’m inspired again and blogging it’s starting to like me even more!

And sorry for my English! My girlfriend is an English teacher and when she has some free time I ask her to correct my articles, but this is not always possible.

Gabriel

]]> http://gabrielrobledo.wordpress.com/?p=257 Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:48:28 +0000 Gabriel Robledo http://gabrielrobledo.de.wordpress.com/2008/09/17/mate-con-amigos/ [/caption]

Empiezo con algo bien Argentino y también popular en algunas partes de sudamérica: el mate. Básicamente es una especie de bebida que contiene yerba mate y agua caliente, casi a punto de hervir. Por lo general se toma por las mañanas y las tardes, y si es posible, acompañado de unas buenas facturas!

Si bien no soy fanático del mate, cuando hay me gusta tomarlo, y si es posible con bastante azúcar. La mayoría de las veces que tomo mate se dan cuando me junto con grupos de amigos. Siempre hay alguno que se acuerda y lleva su termo con agua caliente, yerba, el mate y algunas galletitas. La verdad es que soy bastante vago como para andar calentando el agua y ponerla en el termo y después llevar todo el equipo hacia el destino.

Como en la ocasión de esta foto, y no podía ser de otra forma, el mate lo aportó una amiga. La excusa para juntarnos esta vez fue para hacer un asado en algún club de las afueras de la ciudad y pasar un día de picnic todos juntos. Al asado fuimos amigos de mi ex trabajo y algunos con sus respectivas novias/novios. La verdad que la pasamos genial y estuvo muy bueno para despejarse un poco de todo y hacer algo distinto.

Esto del mate me acordar también a una vez que vinieron clientes extranjeros a una de las empresas en donde trabajaba. Entre ellos había una mujer, que era nuestra jefa o coordinadora de proyecto, que vino a la Argentina a visitarnos. Una tarde mientras estaba con nosotros en la oficina, vió que estábamos tomando mate y nos preguntó que era eso. Nosotros mas o menos le explicamos lo que era, pero mejor iba a ser que lo pruebe, asi que le ofrecimos tomar un poco. Accedió sin problemas hasta que se enteró que el mate se comparte y se va pasando de uno a otro... eso no le gusto en lo mas mínimo! No podía entender que vayamos pasando el mate de boca en boca, tomando todos del mismo y sin ningún problema. Costumbres son costumbres. Finalmente, le dimos el primer mate, sin que nadie lo haya tocado,  y su cara delató que no le gusto ni un poco.

Volviendo un poco a la foto, me parece que quedó bastante bien, sobre todo muy nítida y con buena definición. También me gustó que quedo perfectamente encuadrado el mate.

Cambiando de tema, estoy recibiendo de a poco las revisiones de las fotos que subí a iStockPhoto.com y a Fotolia.com. Sabía que iba a ser difícil y efectivamente lo es, la mayoría fueron rechazadas. En iStockPhoto.com tardan mas en revisarlas (una semana y media mas o menos), pero al hacerlo explican el porqué y como hacer para corregirlas. En Fotolia.com, todo lo contrario, las rechazan y no se sabe cual fue la razón. Por eso me parece mucho más interesante iStockPhoto que Fotolia ya que me enseña como deben ser las imágenes para cumplir con la calidad necesaria. Así que por el momento sigo intentando y arreglando las imágenes rechazadas. Prueba y error.

Por esta época del año, ya me están dando ganas de que sea fin de año, y todo por un solo motivo: la facultad. Cursando mis últimas 3 materias para ser Licenciado en Informática no veo la hora de no ir más a clase, rendir todos los exámenes y recibirme. Sería una gran alegría poder hacerlo este año y me sacaría un tremendo peso de encima, además de tiempo y preocupación por estudiar y tener todo al día. Ya hace unos cuantos años que estoy en la facultad y este es más que un buen momento para terminar de una buena vez mi carrera! ¿A todo el mundo le costará tanto ponerle ganas para terminar la carrera? Calculo que si, estudiar no es algo que le guste a todo el mundo.

Mirando positivamente al futuro, espero el año que viene poder hacer algún curso de fotografía o algo por el estilo.

¿Creo que esta vez escribí bastante, no? Estoy inspirado de vuelta y me está gustando cada vez un poco más esto de escribir artículos!

Gabriel

As far as I understand it, when imagery is being inspected, the inspector can check off a box that marks the image as "adult content".  While iStockphoto is very tame when it comes to the level of explicitness it allows in content, it does allow various levels of nudity depending on context.  The adult content filter tends to disallow anything from showing up that you would expect to get mostly covered by a small bathing suit, ie., no female nipples, genetalia, etc.

To be very obvious, a search for "naked female" with the filter on, returns 10488 images as of the writing of this.  With the filter off, 16251 images appear.

You can look under "Advanced Search" link in the page upper right, to enable/disable the content filter, but all you'll find there is whether the filter is on or off, and a link to open up your Control Panel, which is where the checkbox lives.

I suggest checking (or unchecking) the box, and then clicking on the iStock logo home page link in the upper left of the page.  This seems to "cement" the choice.  You can open up the Advanced Search now and see if your choice took.  If you still end up getting the same search results back, check/uncheck the box again and then visit the home page.  It's one of those funky UI things you have to fiddle with a bit, but since you usually end up with a setting and leave it there, it isn't too big a hassle.

This knowledge can help you surf for stock imagery without getting in trouble at work.  Useful knowledge!