New Social Network (3Echo.com)

New Social Network for Musicans, Artists, Models, Photographers and Entertainment – Follow us and get it on our beta release! ( 3Echo.com )

http://www.Twitter.com/3Echo

Coming Soon

http://www.3Echo.com

Canon EOS Documentation Project (Digital)

Source: EOS Documentation Project – http://eosdoc.com/

Use your browser’s Find function to locate a specific word (e.g. KISS or REBEL) in the following table.

Click here: http://eosdoc.com/manuals/?q=Bodies to browse and download online documentation.

Year Market Top High Mid Basic Value 2007 Americas Other Japan   EOS 1D III EOS 1D III EOS 1D III EOS 1Ds III EOS 1Ds III EOS 1Ds III EOS 40D EOS 40D EOS 40D 2006 Americas Other Japan   EOS 30D EOS 30D EOS 30D EOS Digital REBEL XTi EOS 400D EOS KISS Digital X 2005 Americas Other Japan   EOS 1D II N EOS 1D II N EOS 1D II N EOS 5D EOS 5D EOS 5D EOS Digital REBEL XT EOS 350D EOS KISS Digital N 2004 Americas Other Japan Americas Other Japan Americas Other Japan EOS 1D II EOS 1D II EOS 1D II EOS 1Ds II EOS 1Ds II EOS 1Ds II EOS 20D EOS 20D EOS 20D Elan 7NE EOS 30V EOS 7s Elan 7N EOS 33V - EOS REBEL T2 EOS 300X EOS KISS 7 2003 Americas Other Japan EOS 10D EOS 10D EOS 10D EOS Digital REBEL EOS 300D EOS KISS Digital EOS REBEL K2 EOS 3000V EOS KISS Lite 2002 Americas Other Japan EOS 1Ds EOS 1Ds EOS 1Ds EOS D60 EOS D60 EOS D60 EOS REBEL Ti EOS 300V EOS KISS 5 EOS REBEL XS N EOS 3000N EOS 66 2001 Americas Other Japan EOS 1D EOS 1D EOS 1D - - EOS KISS III L 2000 Americas Other Japan Americas Other Japan Americas Other Japan EOS 1V EOS 1V EOS 1V EOS 1VHS EOS 1VHS EOS 1VHS EOS D30 EOS D30 EOS D30 Elan 7E EOS 30 EOS 7 Elan 7 EOS 33 - - - EOS KISS III (black) 1999 Americas Other Japan REBEL 2000 EOS 300 EOS KISS III (silver) EOS 3000 EOS 88 EOS 3000 Year Market Top High Mid Basic Value 1998 Americas Other Japan Americas Other Japan DCS 2000 DCS 2000 DCS 2000 - - DCS 6000 EOS 3 EOS 3 EOS 3 EOS IX Lite EOS IX 7 EOS IX 50 1997 Americas Other Japan 1996 Americas Other Japan Americas Other Japan REBEL G EOS 500N New EOS KISS EOS IX EOS IX EOS IX E Year Market Top High Mid Basic Value 1995 Americas Other Japan Americas Other Japan Americas Other Japan DCS 1 DCS 1 DCS 1 DCS 3 DCS 3 DCS 3 EOS 1N RS EOS 1N RS EOS 1N RS - EOS 55 EOS 55 (black) Elan IIE EOS 50E EOS 55 (silver) Elan II EOS 50 - (silver) EOS 5000 EOS 888 - 1994 Americas Other Japan Americas Other Japan Americas Other Japan EOS 1N EOS 1N EOS 1N - EOS 1N HS EOS 1N HS - EOS 1N DP EOS 1N DP 1993 Americas Other Japan Americas Other Japan - - EOS 100QDP REBEL XS EOS 500 EOS KISS REBEL X - - Year Market Top High Mid Basic Value 1992 Americas Other Japan Americas Other Japan Americas Other Japan EOS A2E EOS 5 EOS 5QD EOS A2 - - REBEL SII EOS 1000FN EOS 1000SQD REBEL II EOS 1000N - - - EOS 1000SQDP 1991 Americas Other Japan EOS 10S EOS 10 EOS 10 (silver) Elan EOS 100 EOS 100QD - - EOS 1000QDP 1990 Americas Other Japan Americas Other Japan EOS 10S EOS 10 EOS 10QD (black) REBEL EOS 1000 EOS 1000QD REBEL S EOS 1000F - EOS 700 EOS 700 EOS 700QD Year Market Top High Mid Basic Value 1989 Americas Other Japan Americas Other Japan Americas Other Japan EOS RT EOS RT EOS RT - - EOS 1 HS EOS 1 EOS 1 EOS 1 EOS 630 EOS 600 EOS 630QD - - EOS 850QD 1988 Americas Other Japan Americas Other Japan EOS 750 EOS 750 EOS 750 EOS 850 EOS 850 EOS 850 1987 Americas Other Japan EOS 620 EOS 620 EOS 620 EOS 650 EOS 650 EOS 650 Year Market Top High Mid Basic Value

Leica M8 VS Canon 5d

Quote:

Originally Posted by hbdragon88  http://web.mac.com/kamberm/Leica_M8_…aq/Page_1.html After reading this, there is no way I’m getting an M8, even though I don’t shoot in war zones.

Wow.

Leica M8

Canon 5D

Both shot wide open that absolutely blows me away that even without alterations the Leica image could be that much farther behind.

ef 135 2.8 – Concert Photography and Resource Web Links

Posted by: “akiva@4themax.com” akiva@4themax.com   maximumimpactmedia
Sun Aug 3, 2008 8:35 pm (PDT)
I use an L-series 70-200mm/f 2.8 because I get range. The 135 is fixed and
if the venue only allows you to photograph from your seat or the band
members move and you can’t, you’re stuck.

I found the 85mm/f1.4 works well from the pit, if there’s really low light
and the f/2.8 can’t do it.

I found these articles invaluable: (part II equipment and the basics
applies here)
1.
http://photo.net/concerts/mirarchi/concer_i.htm

2.
http://photocritic.org/live-band-concert-photography/

3.
http://www.emmettlollis.com/tutorials/digitalphotography/concert-photography-tutorial.asp

I found these and other invaluable articles by googling “concert photography”

4.Jon Sievert’s book is also great
http://www.humblepress.com/Concert/index.html
best wishes,
akiva kent
maximum impact media, inc.
http://www.4themax.com

Blastzone Ent. TO INVADE ROCK GONE WILD 2009

Blastzone Entertainment Group
Date:	Jul 27, 2008 10:03 PM
Subject:	BLASTZONE ENT. GROUP IS GOING TO INVADE ROCK GONE WILD 2009
Body:	Blastzone Entertainment Group has finalized plans to have a huge tent with 2 stages at Rock Gone Wild fest in Des Moines, IA on August 20th. – 23rd. 2009. Both stages will go on all day back to back so there will be no lack of music for the fans of Rock Gone Wild to enjoy. We promise to bring a diverse range of music to the tent as we did at Rocklahoma 2008 on the Tri-Label Stage. As of now the only band we can confirm is playing on the main stage is Saigon Kick with 3 original members. More bands will be announced and tickets will go on sale very soon. Please check here for information on bands playing our tent and other bands playing the main and second stage. We are looking for bands and artist looking to play our tent at Rock Gone Wild 2009. Please contact us here or by email michealw@mrtc.com for more information. Also I am looking for people to come up with a good name for my tent. Please send the idea to my email above, or send message here, or leave it as a comment on this page. If we pick your name and use it as our tent name and for our flyers, t-shirts, and posters we will give you 2 General Admission tickets to Rock Gone Wild 2009.

WireImage.com Photographers

Kevin Mazur Kevin Mazur’s career as a world-class photographer spans twenty-five years of music history. As a staff photographer for Rolling Stone Magazine, Mazur shot many of the world’s greatest performers to become the top music photographer in the world. In 2001, Mazur co-founded WireImage and later launched WireImage’s sister agency, Contour Photos, a premier stock photo agency designed specifically for the high-end celebrity portraiture market. His photos have appeared in numerous publications, including Rolling Stone, People, Entertainment Weekly, Musician, Spin US, Newsweek, and more. Previously, he was the top-producing photographer with London Features photo agency. In its April 2005 issue, American Photo named Kevin Mazur #4 among the 100 most important contemporary people in photography.  Kevin Mazur is a WireImage Co-Founder. Steve Granitz One of the most recognized and prolific celebrity event photographers in the world, Granitz has covered high-profile entertainment events and personalities for the past twenty years, including award shows, movie premieres, and more. Granitz’s photos have appeared in countless publications, including People, Newsweek, Time, US Magazine, and Rolling Stone.  Steve Granitz is a WireImage Co-Founder. Lester Cohen Based in Los Angeles, Lester Cohen is one of the premier figures in American rock music photography. Over the past thirty years, Cohen has covered high-profile musicians and musical events for major studios and labels (Atlantic, Elektra, Geffen, Universal, MCA, Columbia, Sony, DreamWorks, Capital, ASCAP, BMI, BMG, Arista, RCA and more). In addition, he has been the personal photographer for Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, Bruce Springsteen, Janet Jackson, Rod Stewart, Sting, The Police and others. His photos have appeared in People, Time, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Spin, Source, Music Express, Paris Match, The L.A. Times, and The New York Times as well as on album packaging, advertising, and music merchandise.  Lester Cohen is a WireImage Co-Founder. Michael Caulfield Michael has covered many of the major news events in the last fourteen years eight with the Associated Press including the O.J. Simpson trial, the Rodney King trial, the L.A. riots, the Oklahoma City bombing trial, President Bush, President Clinton, earthquakes, fires, World Series, Super Bowl, World Cup Soccer, NBA Championships, the Oscars, the GRAMMYS, the Golden Globes and many more. Michael’s photos have been on the cover of The New York Times, The L.A. Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, International Herald Tribune, USA Today, People Magazine; his photos are featured regularly in these publications as well as Newsweek, Time, Life, US News & World Report, Business Week, Sports Illustrated, among others.  Michael Caulfield is a WireImage Co-Founder. Jeff Vespa Based in Los Angeles, Jeff Vespa specializes in film festival photography, capturing all the rising stars at Sundance as well as the Toronto Film Festival for the past ten years. Vespa’s photos have appeared in People, US Weekly, Glamour, Elle, Premiere, Entertainment Weekly, InStyle, Teen People, Rolling Stone, GQ, New York Daily News, London Daily Mail, Newsweek, and TV Guide. Jeff was the exclusive photographer for Paris Hilton’s “Confessions of an Heiress”.  Jeff Vespa is a WireImage Co-Founder. Larry Busacca Spanning twenty years, Larry Busacca’s work has been featured internationally on album covers, annual reports and magazines. Selected clients include: MTV and A&E Networks, Paramount Pictures, Givenchy, Voicestream, Citibank, BMG Entertainment, GQ and Rolling Stone, ‘J’ Records, Arista, Jive, Universal, and RCA Records. Eric Charbonneau L.A.-based Eric Charbonneau comes to WireImage from Berliner Photography, where he covered The Academy Awards and Hollywood premieres for 18 years. Discovered at 16 by Alan Berliner while attending high school in Canada, Charbonneau refined his craft to quickly specialize in event photography: Charlie Sheen and Denise Richard’s wedding, the “Pearl Harbor” premiere in Hawaii, Aerosmith concerts and the Marlboro Penske CART team at the Fontana Speedway. Portrait work includes royal family members Prince Charles, Prince Philip and Prince Andrew. In addition, Charbonneau’s presence has been requested every year to shoot the Vanity Fair Oscar party since 1997. His work has appeared on the covers of People, Us Weekly and In Touch. Celebrities captured by Charbonneau include Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones, President Clinton, Steve Jobs, Paul McCartney and Salma Hayek, among others. Jemal Countess Jemal Countess enters his 15th year as professional photographer and photojournalist. Periodically tutored by his father since the age of 9, Jemal gleaned his early inspiration from the likes of photographers Larry Burrows, Sebastiao Salgado and James Nachtway. Jemal landed his first professional job in 1990 for the Community News, a Washington DC-based newspaper published by Howard University. Upon graduation in 1992, Jemal began a long stint as a music and concert shooter while working on news and documentary projects that eventually carried him to New York City in 1994. Jemal’s work for the Associated Press appeared in music magazines from Japan to Germany, having shot music legends like Tito Puente, Chaka Khan, La India, Patti Labelle and Mary J. Blige. In 2001, Jemal reconnected with childhood friend Jeff Vespa, who in turn introduced him to Wireimage, the entertainment photo agency which would eventually become his home in 2003. Since joining Wireimage in 2003, Jemal has moved into a staff position in the company’s New York office in 2005. Jemal covers a variety of celebrity and news events in New York City as well as the Sundance, Tribeca and Toronto Film Festivals. Rick Diamond Atlanta-based Rick Diamond is a 30-year veteran freelance photographer. He has been the family photographer for President and Mrs. Carter since 1980, contributing several book jackets. Rick covers both live and taped events for CMT (“Crossroads” Series, Award Shows and Reality shoots) and has been the lead photographer for The GMA/DOVE “Gospel Music Awards”. He started as The Official GRAMMY photographer in 1993, became a tour photographer for The Eagles “LONG RUN” Tour in “1978 and 79″, the Atlanta Rhythm Section, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Michael Bolton, Foreigner, Issac Hayes, Third Day, Casting Crowns and Styx. Rick has worked with Paul Natkin, the official photographer of FARM AID since the beginning, covering all backstage areas. In addition, Rick Diamond shoots many of the charity events held by the Turner Foundation. Dimitrios Kambouris New York City native Dimitrios Kambouris is a self-taught photographer. Prior to joining the WireImage team, Dimitrios worked for renowned entertainment photographer Kevin Mazur. Throughout his career, he has been repeatedly commissioned by publications and PR agencies to cover runway and fashion events, front row, backstage, movie premieres, Oscars, and MTV Award Shows, among others. Regular clients include Harrison and Shriftman, Full Picture, Cond Nast, Marc Jacobs, and BWR. Stephen Lovekin Stephen moved to New York in the summer of 1992 and began working as a freelance scenic artist for MTV, HBO, and others while pursuing his interest in photography. He became a professional photographer in 1996, shooting for the Patrick McMullan Company as well as freelancing for seven years. In 2003, he became a staff photographer for FilmMagic, and has just recently joined the team of WireImage. Over the years, Lovekin’s work has been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The Daily News, Rolling Stone, People, US Weekly, Women’s Wear Daily, and many others. Jamie McCarthy Jamie started as a celebrity photographer for his uncle Patrick McMullan in 1995 at the age of 21. He quickly began acquiring a large stable of clients among the music, fashion, nightlife and young Hollywood scene. By age 24, he became one of the most sought after photographers in New York City, his work being published in New York Magazine, Vanity Fair, US Magazine, The New York Post, The Daily News, Interview Magazine, Ocean Drive, Details Magazine, Hamptons and Gotham, to name a few. At age 27, McCarthy became president of Patrick McMullan Company and was in charge of day to day operations, including managing a staff of ten other photographers and photographing most of the A-list exclusive events in New York City and Los Angeles. McCarthy has been profiled in The New York Times, New York Post, Details Magazine, Hamptons Magazine, and made the “Thirty under 35 to watch for” list in Gotham Magazine. He joined WireImage as a staff photographer in early 2004. John Shearer L.A.-based John Shearer is a 25 year-old music and documentary photographer. With WireImage since July 2001, Shearer has gradually expanded his coverage palette to incorporate music events, awards shows, fashion, and young Hollywood parties. At times shooting black-and-white using available light at events, John favors a journalistic approach to his subjects and stories. In 2003, he was an official tour photographer for Lollapalooza, as well as being one of a handful of people with the access to photograph inside events such as the MTV Video Music Awards and MTV Movie awards. His images are often featured in major publications such as Rolling Stone, Spin, Blender, Revolver, Vibe, People Weekly, US Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, Guitar World, USA Today, NME, MTV.com and Time, to name a few. John received a BA in photojournalism from San Francisco State University in 2003. Theo Wargo A professional photographer for the past ten years, Theo spent three years with Patrick McMullan before working with WireImage’s Kevin Mazur starting in 2000. Theo specializes in music industry events (video shoots, concerts, parties, trade shots) and has been commissioned by MTV, “Sesame Street”, AOL sessions, Este Lauder, Tommy Hilfiger, Clear Channel, TNT, and NBC’s “Last Call with Carson Daly”. His assignments have included Rolling Stone, Spin, People, Time, Uncut, Mojo, Billboard, and Pollstar.

Night Club Photography – Tips and Tricks from POTN

 Re: EOS nightclub settings

——————————————————————————–

here are my settings when i cover events at night clubs (i use a XTi and 5D)

M mode
shutter any where from 1/3 to a full second
f stop 2.8 (16-35mm L and/or 24-70mm L)
flash bump up to +1 (580)
iso 100

try to use the lights in venue as background to make the picture more interesting.
__________________
www.MySpace.com/EventvibeSF

==========================

Re: EOS nightclub settings

——————————————————————————–

i shoot alot of clubs for a New Zealand based website called www.nzrave.com

i use a 30d with sigma 24-70 f.8 and 550ex flash

I generally use iso 320 f3.2-4.5 and a shutter speed of between 1/20 to 4 seconds with flash compensaion -1.

If there is no light no matter how long the exposure is you wont see any blur  its really simple. Make sure you shoot with the lighting behind you (generally the stage) this gives great ambient backgrounds and sharp foregrounds  easy as.

Dont bump up the iso, most think you need to but you dont need to at all
__________________
www.matthamiltonphotography.com

40d, 30d, Canon 24-70L, 50 1.4, Sigma 70-200, Tamron 90 macro, random bits and pieces

===========================

Originally Posted by canonboy 
Ah for fast prime im sporting a canon 50mm f/1.4 USM

do you think i should not use the lens cap when in nightclubs or keep it on to reduce flare

You should get a solid rubber lens hood to deflect some of the beer/vomit/fingers/… I would also be wary of using a shoe mounted flash, a hammerhead on a solid hinged bracket is a way better way to survive.

Night clubs love black paint, bounce? Forget it…
__________________
~pr

============================

Originally Posted by canonboy 
ah so 2nd is best for a desierable blur motion effect yet still retaining the clarity of the subject itself 

If you are taking images of a church procession with candles and such, yes. In a nightclub, people will be dancing (generally speaking that’s quite errattic movement), so I’d say timing (which you loose with 2nd curtain) is more important then direction of the blur.

Also, when using ETTL, 2nd curtain sync with a low shutterspeed will cause the subjects to think the preflash is you taking the picture… If the ‘real’ flash goes off, say 1/2 a second later, your subject has allready looked away….
__________________
“I think the idea of art kills creativity” – Douglas Adams

Color Problems? Click here.

========================

I use 1/10-1/30s with 430ex +stofen +1FEC with 24-105 set at f4 iso 400. for motion I just lower the shutter speed 1/3-1/2s. flash is always on second curtain.
__________________
Photography blog

update
update 08.06.08 DIY photobooks

============================

  Re: EOS nightclub settings

——————————————————————————–

CanonBoy-

There is alot of conflicting advice here because people are not really thinking first about what kinds of pictures you or a client would want to take at a nightclub, or they simply have not done it themselves. There are settings and equipment that are most appropriate to every type of picture and no sinlg esetting that works for all. I have been shooting in nightclubs for 5 years, worked at the biggest clubs across the US, and for all the major magazines, yada yada yada. My primary equipment is Canon 20D, EFS 17-55 lens, and 580EX Flash. I generally use ISO800, partial metering, and 580 flash striaght on with no diffuser or bracket. 2nd curtain synch makes no sense to me as you will usually miss the action momement.

My clients want and I generally take 4 kinds of pictures in clubs-
1) Posed people pics- M Mode, f5, 1/20th, flash FEC +2/3. Take 2 pictures of every group to increase the odds of a solid picture.
2) DJ/Performer pics-M Mode, f4, 1/6th, FEC 0. Try to capture the peak or action moments.
3) Crowd Shots – Fisheye lens, M Mode, f3.2, 1 sec, FEC 0 with the flash angled or used on a eTTL cord.
4) People in Action-Dancing/Socializing/etc.-M Mode, f4, 1/10th, FEC +1/3. I take thes pictures for advertising/stock. These are very hit or miss and require many shots, or careful setup to get good results.

From my experience-monopods, brackets, 2nd flases etc are far too clumsy to use in a crowded club. Its critcial to mix ambient light, but working without flash is pretty much useless. In the end its also critical to remember that we are trying to capture the energy, excitement, and passion of the club enviroment, and technical perfect pictures are a lower priority.

I have several samples on my website-www.scottspellman.com especially in the Event and DJ sections.

Have Fun-
Scott

===============[ http://www.myspace.com/renedamkot

Re: EOS nightclub settings

——————————————————————————–

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steiglitz 
THis is a recipe for Noise City Baby! Not to mention lots of blurry shots, people movement…disaster!

If there is no light on the people other then flash, there won’t be motion blurr. Do look out for the BG ‘burning through’ the subject though.
On the noise: I don’t think it’s such a big issue with night club photography. Might be for weddings though…

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete-eos 
Maybe I’m being a little stupid but with a 580EX flash you could be shooting with a far lower ISO.

Are you using any custom functions, i.e. is your flash fill or the main source in Tv?

I’d change over to M, ISO 400, Shutter speed 1/100 to 1/200 and aperture around f/5 upto f/8. Use direct flash or bounce depending on ceiling height.

At 1/100s f/5.6 ISO 400 you won’t see any club lighting….

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete-eos 
Now as for blurry lights, from what I’ve read you need to again set to M, use a larger aperture and set shutter speed to around half a second to 2 seconds. Low ISO and set the flash to ‘2nd curtain flash’, for example in the 1st 2 seconds of the picture you will take in the club lights, when the flash fires you’ll get the people in.

If any of that is wrong or there’s a better way, please someone correct me….

I’ld use 1st curtain flash, to be able to time when the flash goes off. Otherwise the most people will think the picture is taken when the preflash goes off, and are allready looking away when the ‘real’ flash comes.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete-eos 
If you drop to 1/10 your going to get blurry pictures, 1/100 should be fine if shooting in M-mode or try Av using custom function 3 ‘Flash sync. Speed in Av Mode’ (this will set auto 1/200 though). The flash should compensate for the fast shutter speed and give out enough light.

Give it a go. My 430EX is far more intelligent than I am as a photographer and the ETTL really compensates for any settings I throw at it in M!

See above: The flash won’t provide the ‘club’ lighting…

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete-eos 
So for safetys sake I’d shoot 1/60 if your subjects are still enough.. 

Or if there is no light falling on the subject. For instance: If the BG meters around 1/15, and the subject around 1/2 a second, setting 1/15 will not give you a blurry subject, as the flash will (almost) be the only light illuminating the subject.

Quote:
Originally Posted by The Hardcard 
You want a slow shutter to get the light trails. Slow down the shutter until you get the trail length you want. Then the flash will freeze the people and make them relatively sharp. As Pete-EOS said in the 4th paragraph of his 1st post. Also slowing the shutter down will catch the ambient light.

I’d use Av mode, drop the exposure compensation a notch or three – you don’t want it to look like daylight, darker keeps the club atmosphere.

The flash should be lower power, both to not make the people too bright and to not disturb them too much. Critical, critical, is that you use 2nd curtain sync.

A lot of clubs have high ceilings. As long as their are no low-hanging obstacles or other dangers, get a flash bracket and sync cord. A high flash will make the people look better and disturb them less.

Agree with everything, except the 2nd curtain flash…
__________________
“I think the idea of art kills creativity” – Douglas Adams

Color Problems? Click here.

MySpace 
    

How Getty Is Killing the Stock Photo Industry

When we created the PhotoShelter Collection, we aimed to change the face of the stock photography industry by fundamentally altering the dynamics of how photographers were treated, and in turn, providing visual diversity to buyers that simply didn’t exist. Tens of thousands of photographers from over 130 countries signed up and started uploading their images to PhotoShelter, and the buyers have followed. Each month we have stolen sales with major clients away from Getty and have become an increasingly large thorn in their side.

So it’s flattering to hear that Getty Images is validating our approach and recognizing our success by reaching into the flickr community.  No other competitor in their history has forced Getty to change their model. This is a great sign of encouragement for us. Getty’s CEO Jonathan Klein describes this new endeavor as “the best imagery from a fresh collection of high-quality images chosen by us from Flickr’s diverse and prolific community.” If it sounds familiar, it should be, something very similar is printed on our homepage.

But rather than compare lexicon, let’s clarify some of the key points and differences of this announcement.

Klein stated in a Seattle Times piece that the deal “for us is not significant, but it’s strategically extremely important.” Flickr GM Kakul Srivastava corroborated this by saying, “From our perspective, on the Flickr side, we’re not expecting this will be a huge stream of monetization for our members…The relationship, in the licensing piece, is purely between the photographer – the Flickr member – and Getty Images itself.”

So, if it’s not really about making money, what is it about? Why would the market leader (which is now held by a private equity firm whose sole goal is to make money) strike a deal in such a public fashion if they didn’t intend for it to make money? Why would flickr consent to not taking a transaction fee? What is of such “strategic importance” to Klein?

The answer is in Getty’s historical moves. It’s about locking out competition from the industry to ensure a continued, virtual monopoly. Getty pays flickr for an “exclusive” deal to be their preferred stock content distributor because they are threatened by an open platform like PhotoShelter. Consider that if PhotoShelter succeeds, not only does Getty lose market share, but they invariably will have to give back more of the profits to photographers because they will need to compete for content.

As much as Getty would like to position this move as an open embrace of the community, it’s not. Instead, it’s a way to lock out competition, and allow them to continue with status quo. They’re hopeful that this infusion of content can somehow staunch the flat/declining growth of their traditional licensing revenue, and why not? Their growth has historically been predicated on acquisition of boutique agency content until they bought virtually everyone up, and alienated thousands of photographers and buyers in the process.
 

In this new deal, Getty Images will hand-select photographers from flickr, and tie up their images in their standard exclusive agreement and compensation schedule. This means 20% on royalty-free images, and an average 35% on rights-managed images. It also means the individual cannot determine which images are submitted, nor set a price point or the license type. Exclusivity means that the individual cannot determine the best distribution channels for his/her images.

On the other hand, PhotoShelter allows virtually any photographer to participate. We give photographers 70% of the sale, and allow them to determine which images they want to submit and set a licensing type and price point that suits their desires. When one of our photographers made an $8000 advertising sale last week, he was pretty thrilled to learn that he would be getting a check for $5600 (i.e. double what he would have received from Getty had they even accepted his image in the first place).

More importantly, we’re trying to create a sustainable environment where contributors are nurtured and cultivated into photographers with intent to sell. Our School of Stock and Shoot! The Day event are proof of our commitment to engage and educate our community to make more money from their photography.

Klein further states, “I think photographers would be much more concerned if 2 billion images from Flickr would find their way into microstock,” and yet they are perfectly happy with the growth of iStockPhoto and taking 80% of the sale from their contributors. There doesn’t seem to be any visible commitment towards photographers in terms of protecting their rights or compensating them fairly.

We live in a free market economy with buyers dictating the dynamics of buying and selling, so I’m sure you’re wondering about the buyer-side equation. One could say that buyers are getting the flickr content that they always wanted, but the reality of this deal is that Getty is simply adding a collection that is sourced from non-professional photographers through a non-scalable model fraught with logistical complexities. They have said themselves that they don’t expect this to be a significant revenue line for them; it’s a perfunctory, competitive move that will be met with both curiosity and skepticism by buyers and that will fail to deliver meaningful diversity to buyers over time.

A monopolistic environment never breeds the diversity that Getty is claiming that is it gaining. And without making efforts to teach photographers about the commercialization of photography, chasing something like a model release after the fact will turn out to be an expensive proposition. Could their standard contributor split soon become a special “flickr” split for even less commission? When this flickr content is bundled into subscription agreements and photographers are literally receiving pennies in commission, we’ll be back to where we are – namely a set of disenfranchised photographers who believe that deflating image prices is an immutable reality of the industry.

Now before you yell that this is a case of sour grapes from an upstart, let me explain why this is more of a David & Goliath story. You see, one of Getty Images’ Executive VPs started contacting us as early as July 2006. Initially it was to use PhotoShelter technology to provide a way for non-Getty photographers to submit images. But once the PhotoShelter Collection was announced, they wanted access to our content because we provided ready-to-license, edited content from thousands of contributors around the world.

They contacted us in July 07, September 07, October 07 and November 07, and we turned them down for one simple reason: It was a terrible deal for photographers (then, as it is now), and did very little to alter the fundamental imbalance in the stock industry.

Getty absolutely knows what PhotoShelter represents in the industry and what we are trying to accomplish. We represent an incoming threat to the old 20th century way of licensing imagery. And let’s make this very clear: we’re in this to beat Getty by standing up for the photographer and giving buyers the diversity that they’ve been seeking. So let the chips fall where they may, but in the meantime, we’re gonna swing for the fences and try to change the image marketplace for good.

RIP Joe Sia – Photographer

Joe Sia
Posted by: “Steven Pesant” spesant@telus.net   webtech12000
Sun Jul 6, 2008 4:17 pm (PDT)
Since Joe Sia’s name popped up in a couple of messages this week,
thought I’d share a Bio I wrote for Joe back in 1999. Joe used this
brief bio on his website until his passing and included it with some
of his promo packs when sending off to Editors who didn’t know
exactly who this legendary photographer was.

———–
JOE SIA
Biography

“I just try to capture the moment,” says Joe Sia from his home in
Fairfield, Connecticut – and for more than 30 years he has done just
that. As one of rock ‘n roll’s preeminent photographers, Joe Sia’s
reputation for being able to capture the essence of the live
performance made his classic rock photographs among the most
acknowledged in the world today.

Since his first music shoot of the Grateful Dead in the Summer of
‘68, Sia has continued to capture live music in a unique style that
ensures future generations the ability to not only hear the music but
to see it too. “A good photo is more than just a snap-shot,” explains
Sia. ‘The whole essence of the shot lies in being able to seize the
passion of the music. It’s not just about the guitar – it’s the
performers face, it’s their music and it’s how they handle themselves
on stage and the way they move around.”

It’s this simple combination of passion and raw energy that make
Joe’s photographs so easily identifiable. Among his most celebrated
images are those of legendary guitarist, Jimi Hendrix. Having
photographed Hendrix on eight different occasions, Sia’s trademark
style is arguably represented best by two of his Hendrix photos
titled, “The Shadow” and “Foxey Lady.” In 1994, Britain’s “Q”
magazine selected “The Shadow” as one of the best photographs in rock
‘n’ roll history; while “Foxey Lady” was recently chosen as the album
cover for 1999’s celebrated new release “Hendrix: Live At The Fillmore East.”

Throughout his professional career, Sia’s photographs have been
published in more than 120 periodicals worldwide including
“Billboard,” “Downbeat,” “Esquire, “Life,” “Newsweek,” and “Rolling
Stone,” home of his first published work (cover photo, Issue #41 -
August 1969), featuring Joe Cocker at the Atlantic City Pop Festival.
In 1987, famed artist Peter Max included one of Joe Sia’s Jimi
Hendrix photos in a collage he created for the cover of the June 22,
1987 edition of “‘People” magazine.

Joe Sia’s photos have also been seen on countless album covers
(including Eric Clapton’s multi-platinum selling and Grammy
Award-winning box set, “Eric Clapton – Crossroads,” which featured a
Ron Wood drawing from one of Joe’s photos), television documentaries,
advertisements, and consumer merchandise. In 1991, several of his Jim
Morrison photographs were used for historical reference and
authentication purposes during the production of Oliver Stone’s
biographic motion picture, “The Doors.’ His works have also been
included in several hundred books including two of his own,
“Woodstock ‘69: A Photo Essay” (Scholastic, c 1970), which sold more
than 250,000 copies and “Eight Days A Week: An Illustrated History of
Rock and Roll” (Pomegranate, c 1992), featuring text by Kenneth Best.

Despite having already established a staggering archive featuring
more than a quarter of a million photographs from more than 2,000
performances over the past 30 years, Joe Sia continues to shoot to
this day. His works are regularly featured in a host of
internationally renowned publications including “Guitar,” “Guitar
Player,” “Guitar World,” “Maximum Guitar,” “Experience Hendrix: The
Official Jimi Hendrix Magazine” and several publications based
throughout Europe and the Pacific Rim.

One of his latest projects includes his new virtual home on the
Internet’s World Wide Web at www.joesia.com. Joe’s Web site hot only
provides visitors the opportunity to take a sneak peak at several
prized items from within his archives, he is also making limited
edition archival prints of several of his photos available to
interested music enthusiasts.

Although musical styles have changed significantly over the past 30
years, one thing remains certain-as long as the music continues to
play, Joe will continue shooting the stars that make it happen. And
if you happen to see Joe at a concert one night, feel free to ask him
the one question that Jimi Hendrix himself once asked him, “Hey Joe,
where you goin’ with that camera in your hand?”

Courtesy Steven C. Pesant, 1999

Shoot Fireworks – Best Camera Settings

No flash, shoot in Manual exposure so that the camera isn’t setting an extra-long shutter speed. ISO 100 or 200, and set aperture for f/8 or f/11. Maybe set focus manually since AF may fail in the darkness. A shutter speed of about 1/60 will give a good freeze of the individual sparks, but longer shutter speeds, even bulb (use a tripod and remote release) are better to get the streaking on the way up and blossoming of the firework.