Archive for the ‘Articles’ Category
It’s that time of the year again… Best of 2013
05
Jan
2014
Whew, that year flew by, didn’t it? It seems like yesterday that I have written a blog post, but it’s exactly one year today since my last post. I hope I can keep up that pace over the course of the next 12 months – kidding. I will hopefully post at least a quarterly update with some new images, but until then, follow me on Facebook to never miss the release of new images, some background info and updates on where I am traveling. To keep a long story short, I hope you enjoy the following ten images- They are my personal favorites of 2013 — made in the Pyrenees, Dolomites and Ore Mountains.
As It Begins
Aigüestortes NP, Pyrenees, Spain
Backcountry Bliss
Aigüestortes NP, Pyrenees, Spain
Mountain Summer
Passo Falzarego, Dolomites, Italy
Emerald Waters
Lago di Landro, Dolomites, Italy
Highcountry Pools
Aigüestortes NP, Pyrenees, Spain
The Portal
Aigüestortes NP, Pyrenees, Spain
Blooming Spires
Aigüestortes NP, Pyrenees, Spain
Autumnal Flow
Ore Mountains, Germany
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
Lago di Landro, Dolomites, Italy
Peaches and Cream
Lago di Landro, Dolomites, Italy
Thank you for all the patience in the first half of the year when this blog got neglected, for the continued support and the wonderful emails I receive. Here’s to a wonderful Holiday Season to you all out there!
David
05
Jan
2014
Whew, that year flew by, didn’t it? It seems like yesterday that I have written a blog post, but it’s exactly one year today since my last post. I hope I can keep up that pace over the course of the next 12 months – kidding. I will hopefully post at least a quarterly update with some new images, but until then, follow me on Facebook to never miss the release of new images, some background info and updates on where I am traveling. To keep a long story short, I hope you enjoy the following ten images- They are my personal favorites of 2013 — made in the Pyrenees, Dolomites and Ore Mountains.
As It Begins
Aigüestortes NP, Pyrenees, Spain
Backcountry Bliss
Aigüestortes NP, Pyrenees, Spain
Mountain Summer
Passo Falzarego, Dolomites, Italy
Emerald Waters
Lago di Landro, Dolomites, Italy
Highcountry Pools
Aigüestortes NP, Pyrenees, Spain
The Portal
Aigüestortes NP, Pyrenees, Spain
Blooming Spires
Aigüestortes NP, Pyrenees, Spain
Autumnal Flow
Ore Mountains, Germany
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
Lago di Landro, Dolomites, Italy
Peaches and Cream
Lago di Landro, Dolomites, Italy
Thank you for all the patience in the first half of the year when this blog got neglected, for the continued support and the wonderful emails I receive. Here’s to a wonderful Holiday Season to you all out there!
David
Best of 2012 – A Year in Review
19
Dec
2012
Another year in the books – and what a year that was. I was able to pick up where 2010 ended, photographically-speaking; and make up for the missed opportunities in 2011. Now, with the last days of the old year winding down, it’s time to reflect on the past journeys, the people that made it special and the glorious sunsets (and sunrises) I was fortunate to witness along the way and how could this better be done than with some images. Sit back and enjoy the show! (Images are in chronological order as they were shot throughout the year.)
Leave Only Footprints
Erzgebirge, Germany
Doomsday Caldera
Hirtstein, Erzgebirge, Germany
Els Elcantats Rising
Aigüestortes National Park, Pyrenees, Spain
Light Guardian
Aigüestortes National Park, Pyrenees, Spain
Seeking Solitude
Aigüestortes National Park, Pyrenees, Spain
Dawn of a New Day
Manarola, Cinque Terre National Park, Italy
Ethereal Gorge
Partnach Gorge, Bavaria, Germany
Silent Awakening
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany
The Last Goodbye
Erzgebirge, Germany
Thank you for all the patience in the first half of the year when this blog got neglected, for the continued support and the wonderful emails I receive. Here’s to a wonderful Holiday Season to you all out there!
David
19
Dec
2012
Another year in the books – and what a year that was. I was able to pick up where 2010 ended, photographically-speaking; and make up for the missed opportunities in 2011. Now, with the last days of the old year winding down, it’s time to reflect on the past journeys, the people that made it special and the glorious sunsets (and sunrises) I was fortunate to witness along the way and how could this better be done than with some images. Sit back and enjoy the show! (Images are in chronological order as they were shot throughout the year.)
Leave Only Footprints
Erzgebirge, Germany
Doomsday Caldera
Hirtstein, Erzgebirge, Germany
Els Elcantats Rising
Aigüestortes National Park, Pyrenees, Spain
Light Guardian
Aigüestortes National Park, Pyrenees, Spain
Seeking Solitude
Aigüestortes National Park, Pyrenees, Spain
Dawn of a New Day
Manarola, Cinque Terre National Park, Italy
Ethereal Gorge
Partnach Gorge, Bavaria, Germany
Silent Awakening
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany
The Last Goodbye
Erzgebirge, Germany
Thank you for all the patience in the first half of the year when this blog got neglected, for the continued support and the wonderful emails I receive. Here’s to a wonderful Holiday Season to you all out there!
David
Instagram – My Take on the New Terms of Service
18
Dec
2012
Yesterday, Instagram, the popular image sharing community with a lot of nifty filters to choose from, announced their new Terms of Service (ToS) and the avalanche of posts of people wanting to delete their accounts that flooded the social media channels was massive, likely to make the largest piece of glacier breaking off ever recorded on film, seen in the ‘Chasing Ice’ documentary, seem like a snowflake tumbling towards the ground. (http://instagram.com/about/legal/terms/updated/)
I was upset too. In fact, I still am, but I get it – as weird as this may sound. I understand Instagram and Facebook for doing this. Having graduated in International Business and having completed one or the other marketing class in my life, I get it.
Over the past several years, pay per click (PPC) numbers declined (and so did the revenue). The reasons for that are diverse and I don’t want to end up giving a classroom speech here. Instagram, as well as Facebook, much like Google, offer a free service to their users. The ads they display are the essential piece of their revenue. The traffic (people clicking on the ads) they create is monetized and the more relevant the ad is to the user, the more likely he or she is to click on the advertisement.
For marketers and advertisers, photos taken with smartphones are especially valuable. Not because they are pretty or because Instagram is reserving the right to run actual campaigns with the images of the users in it, but rather because they contain specific information about the user in their meta data. Think location data. This information, not possible to be stripped on mobile devices, is then used to target the audience more specifically. In marketing, slicing up your target audience into the finest pieces and then delivering them highly targeted ads is a very complex field.
Oh, @davidrichterphoto just uploaded an image of some drink from xyz at 3am. Probably best to display a taxi ad.
Okay, this was a highly unlikely scenario – not because I wouldn’t upload images of my drinking habit (Guilty!), rather because taxi ads are extremely rare, but you get the picture. The advertiser (in this case, the taxi company or the firm representing the taxi company) is much more likely to run the ad with a company known to deliver to just that vulnerable crowd, thus cutting costs by not displaying the ad to people outside the target group. (Here, the vulnerable crowd or target group is the unfit-to-drive me.)
All fictional content aside, knowing exactly with whom you are dealing is the KEY to success for marketing companies. This information is extremely costly and often times, reliable, highly accurate location data is hard to obtain. The people in the marketing departments of Facebook think that the data behind the actual images of Instagram users is worth all the uproar it created thus far and can be of extremely high value to the advertisers, thus pulling Facebook stock out of the deep, deep valley it found itself in.
That’s my (hopefully mostly unbiased, business-professional) take on Instagram’s new ToS. Like it or not, it was a logical step for them to take from a business standpoint. I can’t help but think that Google had similar thoughts when acquiring Snapseed a while back. This, however, doesn’t mean I like it from a personal or ethical standpoint. Twitter just announced adding a filter collection to its app and so did resurrected flickr a while back. Places that will pull the crowds away from Instagram’s some 100 million user base. For me, time will tell if I stick with Instagram and see my images in hemorrhoid ads or pitch my filter tent elsewhere — starting January 16, 2013.
Tomorrow, I will be hand-delivering my best images of 2012, so check back and let me know what you think about the new Instagram Terms of Service in the comments.
David
AddendumDecember 19, 2012
After the gigantic avalanche of posts that was set loose and the massive media uproar, co-founder of Instagram, Kevin Systrom, tried to calm the waves with the following blog post: Thank You and We’re Listening, in which he explains that selling the actual images to advertisers has never been the intention of the new Terms of Service and that an updated version will be released soon that will address the unclear points.
“Instagram users own their content and Instagram does not claim any ownership rights over your photos.”
Systrom further explains that Instagram has been set up as a self-sustainable business, which means its ultimate goal is to make money (and which to me, is totally fine), and that some forms of “innovative advertisement” were to be tested in order to make it out of the ditch. (Instagram hasn’t run any sort of in-app advertisement in its years of operation and I understand they are at a point they can’t possibly avoid monetizing the 100 million user base and their content, to some degree.)
“Our main goal is to avoid things like advertising banners you see in other apps that would hurt the Instagram user experience. Instead, we want to create meaningful ways to help you discover new and interesting accounts and content while building a self-sustaining business at the same time.”
18
Dec
2012
Yesterday, Instagram, the popular image sharing community with a lot of nifty filters to choose from, announced their new Terms of Service (ToS) and the avalanche of posts of people wanting to delete their accounts that flooded the social media channels was massive, likely to make the largest piece of glacier breaking off ever recorded on film, seen in the ‘Chasing Ice’ documentary, seem like a snowflake tumbling towards the ground. (http://instagram.com/about/legal/terms/updated/)
I was upset too. In fact, I still am, but I get it – as weird as this may sound. I understand Instagram and Facebook for doing this. Having graduated in International Business and having completed one or the other marketing class in my life, I get it.
Over the past several years, pay per click (PPC) numbers declined (and so did the revenue). The reasons for that are diverse and I don’t want to end up giving a classroom speech here. Instagram, as well as Facebook, much like Google, offer a free service to their users. The ads they display are the essential piece of their revenue. The traffic (people clicking on the ads) they create is monetized and the more relevant the ad is to the user, the more likely he or she is to click on the advertisement.
For marketers and advertisers, photos taken with smartphones are especially valuable. Not because they are pretty or because Instagram is reserving the right to run actual campaigns with the images of the users in it, but rather because they contain specific information about the user in their meta data. Think location data. This information, not possible to be stripped on mobile devices, is then used to target the audience more specifically. In marketing, slicing up your target audience into the finest pieces and then delivering them highly targeted ads is a very complex field.
Oh, @davidrichterphoto just uploaded an image of some drink from xyz at 3am. Probably best to display a taxi ad.
Okay, this was a highly unlikely scenario – not because I wouldn’t upload images of my drinking habit (Guilty!), rather because taxi ads are extremely rare, but you get the picture. The advertiser (in this case, the taxi company or the firm representing the taxi company) is much more likely to run the ad with a company known to deliver to just that vulnerable crowd, thus cutting costs by not displaying the ad to people outside the target group. (Here, the vulnerable crowd or target group is the unfit-to-drive me.)
All fictional content aside, knowing exactly with whom you are dealing is the KEY to success for marketing companies. This information is extremely costly and often times, reliable, highly accurate location data is hard to obtain. The people in the marketing departments of Facebook think that the data behind the actual images of Instagram users is worth all the uproar it created thus far and can be of extremely high value to the advertisers, thus pulling Facebook stock out of the deep, deep valley it found itself in.
That’s my (hopefully mostly unbiased, business-professional) take on Instagram’s new ToS. Like it or not, it was a logical step for them to take from a business standpoint. I can’t help but think that Google had similar thoughts when acquiring Snapseed a while back. This, however, doesn’t mean I like it from a personal or ethical standpoint. Twitter just announced adding a filter collection to its app and so did resurrected flickr a while back. Places that will pull the crowds away from Instagram’s some 100 million user base. For me, time will tell if I stick with Instagram and see my images in hemorrhoid ads or pitch my filter tent elsewhere — starting January 16, 2013.
Tomorrow, I will be hand-delivering my best images of 2012, so check back and let me know what you think about the new Instagram Terms of Service in the comments.
David
AddendumDecember 19, 2012
After the gigantic avalanche of posts that was set loose and the massive media uproar, co-founder of Instagram, Kevin Systrom, tried to calm the waves with the following blog post: Thank You and We’re Listening, in which he explains that selling the actual images to advertisers has never been the intention of the new Terms of Service and that an updated version will be released soon that will address the unclear points.
“Instagram users own their content and Instagram does not claim any ownership rights over your photos.”
Systrom further explains that Instagram has been set up as a self-sustainable business, which means its ultimate goal is to make money (and which to me, is totally fine), and that some forms of “innovative advertisement” were to be tested in order to make it out of the ditch. (Instagram hasn’t run any sort of in-app advertisement in its years of operation and I understand they are at a point they can’t possibly avoid monetizing the 100 million user base and their content, to some degree.)
“Our main goal is to avoid things like advertising banners you see in other apps that would hurt the Instagram user experience. Instead, we want to create meaningful ways to help you discover new and interesting accounts and content while building a self-sustaining business at the same time.”
5 Great Christmas Gift Ideas for Photographers
04
Dec
2012
You have a photographer friend and have yet to find THE perfect holiday gift? Take it from a photographer, any of the following would make my Christmas Day and the best part is, they all fit into standard-sized Christmas stockings and won’t stretch your budget like a lot of photography-related items do (Think 50k medium format camera).
Give the Gift of Knowledge
Photography is all about vision, timing and constant improvement to stay on top of your game. There are plenty of helpful books, ebooks and classes out there that can help you or your photographer friend narrowing the odds of getting the photographs desired. Ebooks are a great way to get started for often times as few as 10 bucks. Amongst the most influential for me and nature photography in general, are the ebooks from Guy Tal (http://guytalbooks.com/), whose writing is as compelling as his shooting. Another possibility of broadening your processing horizon is to experience hands-on Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom classes from Aperture Academy (http://www.apertureacademy.com/course-schedule.php). Great for advanced amateurs who are getting great shots in the field but missing the “Oooomph” the digital darkroom can deliver. There is nothing wrong with knowing your midtone luminosity mask from your red channel saturation mask. Speaking of which, the Photoshop actions of Tony Kuyper would make an equally great gift for the Photoshop-“challenged”. The complete set comes at as little as $20. (http://goodlight.us/specialoffers.html)
The Photographer’s Ephemeris
With the advancement of smartphones, there came a plethora of apps targeted at photographers and whether you are a fan of iPhonography and Droidography or not, there actually are a few gems out there that make landscape photography a lot easier. One of these apps is The Photographer’s Ephemeris (TPE). An app I find myself using all the time when planning a shot, long before I venture out, to make myself clear what I get myself into, light-wise; or in the field, when plans change due to unforeseeable weather patterns (thanks, weather guys!). Either way, TPE offers the full package of sunrise and sunset, moonrise and moonset times, directions of sun and moon for every place in the world and much more useful features. It comes in at $8.99 and is available for iOS and Android here: http://photoephemeris.com/buy-download
Gloves
Yes, you’ve read that right. Christmas time also means snow and cold weather in the northern hemisphere and warm hands on an outdoor shoot are as essential as a working camera. There is nothing worse than trying to operate your camera in the snow with freezing finger tips and you don’t want to miss the shot of your buddy’s first 360 because your hands were cold. I like my Marmot XT Gloves to keep my hands and fingers warm even in the lousiest shooting conditions. They are warm, yet thin enough to have me push the most essential buttons on my camera. Often times, the warmest gloves are useless as they are too bulky and restrict your movability quite a bit. The XTs are a perfect combination of warmth and usability for me. Get them following the link for around 60 bucks: http://www.bergfreunde.de/marmot-xt-glove-kletterhandschuh/
Lens Travel Mugs
Coffee – where art thou? Frankly, I couldn’t get anything done without a cup of freshly brewed coffee first thing in the morning and when it comes to cups and mugs, I like to enjoy my Italian roast in style. Such as with a Canon lens cup (Nikon versions are equally available). The 70-200mm travel mug makes a great conversation opener in the field and deserves the “oohs” and “aahs” it is getting, while the 24-105mm version is perfect to sit on your desk for a late afternoon coffee break. Expect to shell out around 20 dollars for either version. You can get them on Amazon or various online resellers. (70-200mm on Amazon.com)
F-Stop Watch
Nothing screams photography nerd more boldly than the F-Stop Watch, other than maybe a lens cap tattooed to one’s forehead. It’s a cleverly designed accessory that will grab the attention right away. No deal breaker at $35, if you get it here: http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/f-stop-watch/
2013 Wall Calendar
Alright, I reckon those were more than 5 in total, so it won’t hurt to have another idea handpicked and delivered to your screen, would it? I didn’t think so, either; so here it goes. Remember the time when your friend told you how much shooting that one place or the other would mean? Inspiration and incentive alike, a calendar featuring your friend’s favorite places would make a great Christmas gift under the tree and 365 days on the wall. Disclaimer: Self-promotion ahead!
You can get my “Element of Life” calender here, featuring 12 stunning pieces from my portfolio, all “anchored” around the water theme. Now on sale for the next two weeks on Red Bubble, before the price will go up the final week before Christmas. http://www.redbubble.com/people/davidrichter/calendars/9481417-element-of-life
Or maybe this skiing one for your buddy? http://www.bergfreunde.de/tmms-verlag-powder-2013-kalender/
Happy Holiday (Shopping) Season!
David
04
Dec
2012
You have a photographer friend and have yet to find THE perfect holiday gift? Take it from a photographer, any of the following would make my Christmas Day and the best part is, they all fit into standard-sized Christmas stockings and won’t stretch your budget like a lot of photography-related items do (Think 50k medium format camera).
Give the Gift of Knowledge
Photography is all about vision, timing and constant improvement to stay on top of your game. There are plenty of helpful books, ebooks and classes out there that can help you or your photographer friend narrowing the odds of getting the photographs desired. Ebooks are a great way to get started for often times as few as 10 bucks. Amongst the most influential for me and nature photography in general, are the ebooks from Guy Tal (http://guytalbooks.com/), whose writing is as compelling as his shooting. Another possibility of broadening your processing horizon is to experience hands-on Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom classes from Aperture Academy (http://www.apertureacademy.com/course-schedule.php). Great for advanced amateurs who are getting great shots in the field but missing the “Oooomph” the digital darkroom can deliver. There is nothing wrong with knowing your midtone luminosity mask from your red channel saturation mask. Speaking of which, the Photoshop actions of Tony Kuyper would make an equally great gift for the Photoshop-“challenged”. The complete set comes at as little as $20. (http://goodlight.us/specialoffers.html)
The Photographer’s Ephemeris
With the advancement of smartphones, there came a plethora of apps targeted at photographers and whether you are a fan of iPhonography and Droidography or not, there actually are a few gems out there that make landscape photography a lot easier. One of these apps is The Photographer’s Ephemeris (TPE). An app I find myself using all the time when planning a shot, long before I venture out, to make myself clear what I get myself into, light-wise; or in the field, when plans change due to unforeseeable weather patterns (thanks, weather guys!). Either way, TPE offers the full package of sunrise and sunset, moonrise and moonset times, directions of sun and moon for every place in the world and much more useful features. It comes in at $8.99 and is available for iOS and Android here: http://photoephemeris.com/buy-download
Gloves
Yes, you’ve read that right. Christmas time also means snow and cold weather in the northern hemisphere and warm hands on an outdoor shoot are as essential as a working camera. There is nothing worse than trying to operate your camera in the snow with freezing finger tips and you don’t want to miss the shot of your buddy’s first 360 because your hands were cold. I like my Marmot XT Gloves to keep my hands and fingers warm even in the lousiest shooting conditions. They are warm, yet thin enough to have me push the most essential buttons on my camera. Often times, the warmest gloves are useless as they are too bulky and restrict your movability quite a bit. The XTs are a perfect combination of warmth and usability for me. Get them following the link for around 60 bucks: http://www.bergfreunde.de/marmot-xt-glove-kletterhandschuh/
Lens Travel Mugs
Coffee – where art thou? Frankly, I couldn’t get anything done without a cup of freshly brewed coffee first thing in the morning and when it comes to cups and mugs, I like to enjoy my Italian roast in style. Such as with a Canon lens cup (Nikon versions are equally available). The 70-200mm travel mug makes a great conversation opener in the field and deserves the “oohs” and “aahs” it is getting, while the 24-105mm version is perfect to sit on your desk for a late afternoon coffee break. Expect to shell out around 20 dollars for either version. You can get them on Amazon or various online resellers. (70-200mm on Amazon.com)
F-Stop Watch
Nothing screams photography nerd more boldly than the F-Stop Watch, other than maybe a lens cap tattooed to one’s forehead. It’s a cleverly designed accessory that will grab the attention right away. No deal breaker at $35, if you get it here: http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/f-stop-watch/
2013 Wall Calendar
Alright, I reckon those were more than 5 in total, so it won’t hurt to have another idea handpicked and delivered to your screen, would it? I didn’t think so, either; so here it goes. Remember the time when your friend told you how much shooting that one place or the other would mean? Inspiration and incentive alike, a calendar featuring your friend’s favorite places would make a great Christmas gift under the tree and 365 days on the wall. Disclaimer: Self-promotion ahead!
You can get my “Element of Life” calender here, featuring 12 stunning pieces from my portfolio, all “anchored” around the water theme. Now on sale for the next two weeks on Red Bubble, before the price will go up the final week before Christmas. http://www.redbubble.com/people/davidrichter/calendars/9481417-element-of-life
Or maybe this skiing one for your buddy? http://www.bergfreunde.de/tmms-verlag-powder-2013-kalender/
Happy Holiday (Shopping) Season!
David
The Real Value of Your Photography
26
Aug
2012
It’s nothing new in the world of photography to receive requests from hundreds of people over the course of a year if they are allowed use your image for free on various projects. While for the novice, this might be flattering, for any even halfway serious photographer it’s the worst kind of request. "Well, aren't you glad I asked and didn't just steal it? You just have to give it to me." — No, I don’t.
Honestly, I am actually more insulted when they ask to use an image for free than when just taking it. That way, I would at least have gotten a settlement claim out of it.
From time to time, a company or advertising agency licenses an image by going through the whole process with the required professionalism we photographers are thankful for. Clear terms, fair compensation for our work. Both sides happy. Very easy.
Apparently, this method proves to be rare, even to the largest companies out there… but read on.
I was recently asked by the [company’s product] OS Partnerships & Business Development team to license my image “Firestorm” to use in their upcoming OS update as a wallpaper choice and later on, in the same ways, in the [company’s product] browser and promotional material. I was beyond excited, not because of a huge check I saw in my near future but for such a large company recognizing my work. A company I trust with my daily online searches, personal data and much more; the company that probably knows more about me than I’d like to.
Fast forward to the licensing agreement I was asked to sign: NO COMPENSATION! Way to go, [company]. While I didn’t plan on retiring after licensing an image with [company], I was expecting at least a fair amount of compensation for a “Give us your image and we do whatever the f**k we want” kind of license.
After some serious consideration and various attempts, I could restrain myself and instead wrote a, what I think to be, moderate reply stating the following:
Dear Mrs. ___________,
I am not willing to accept the licensing agreement under the terms stated.
First off, when did [company] become a charitable organization?
Last time I checked, [company]'s yearly profit for the financial year 2011 was roughly US$ 10 billion with its stock price currently being the third highest in history. [Company] is not a small family owned business thinking everything on the internet is free. They should know better. Licensing images for wallpaper use always involves compensation. Apple, as well as Microsoft, paid the photographers for wallpapers they used in their operating systems well. (http://www.petapixel.com/2012/08/03/the-most-viewed-photo-of-all-time/ and http://www.petapixel.com/2010/04/06/the-photographers-behind-the-wallpapers/)
Why is [company] trying to claim usage rights without paying a fair amount?
I will not let my image go to a multi-million dollar S&P500 company for free. After all, it was you who approached me to license and use my photo in your browser operating system and possibly more than that, not vice versa.
[My licensing terms inserted here.]
In all honesty, would you be willing to work for free? Well, I certainly won't. Here's some further reading material, covering this exact situation: http://photoprofessionals.wordpress.com/
Looking forward to hearing back from you.
To me, it doesn’t come as a surprise I haven’t heard back from them and quite honestly, I don’t expect any kind of answer. The licensing contract they sent was a slap in the face of any photographer.
I ask you, my dear readers (who didn’t have a lot to read from me lately — sorry for that), would you be willing to work for free? Disregarding the industry. I blackened out the company’s name as I do not want start a bashing campaign or anything. I just needed to vent, inform people that even the largest tech companies out there with multi-billion dollar profits do NOT value the work of photographers.
That said, don’t sell yourself short. If I have learned one thing over the years, this is it.
I’d rather have no money in my pockets than knowing someone is falsely promoting their product with my image without paying a fair amount. No exorbitant high amount, a fair compensation.
Thanks for reading my ramblings and feel free to share with your friends, amateur and professional photographers alike, your grandma who might get a kick out of this or the advertising agency of your choice.
David
26
Aug
2012
It’s nothing new in the world of photography to receive requests from hundreds of people over the course of a year if they are allowed use your image for free on various projects. While for the novice, this might be flattering, for any even halfway serious photographer it’s the worst kind of request. "Well, aren't you glad I asked and didn't just steal it? You just have to give it to me." — No, I don’t.
Honestly, I am actually more insulted when they ask to use an image for free than when just taking it. That way, I would at least have gotten a settlement claim out of it.
From time to time, a company or advertising agency licenses an image by going through the whole process with the required professionalism we photographers are thankful for. Clear terms, fair compensation for our work. Both sides happy. Very easy.
Apparently, this method proves to be rare, even to the largest companies out there… but read on.
I was recently asked by the [company’s product] OS Partnerships & Business Development team to license my image “Firestorm” to use in their upcoming OS update as a wallpaper choice and later on, in the same ways, in the [company’s product] browser and promotional material. I was beyond excited, not because of a huge check I saw in my near future but for such a large company recognizing my work. A company I trust with my daily online searches, personal data and much more; the company that probably knows more about me than I’d like to.
Fast forward to the licensing agreement I was asked to sign: NO COMPENSATION! Way to go, [company]. While I didn’t plan on retiring after licensing an image with [company], I was expecting at least a fair amount of compensation for a “Give us your image and we do whatever the f**k we want” kind of license.
After some serious consideration and various attempts, I could restrain myself and instead wrote a, what I think to be, moderate reply stating the following:
Dear Mrs. ___________,
I am not willing to accept the licensing agreement under the terms stated.
First off, when did [company] become a charitable organization?
Last time I checked, [company]'s yearly profit for the financial year 2011 was roughly US$ 10 billion with its stock price currently being the third highest in history. [Company] is not a small family owned business thinking everything on the internet is free. They should know better. Licensing images for wallpaper use always involves compensation. Apple, as well as Microsoft, paid the photographers for wallpapers they used in their operating systems well. (http://www.petapixel.com/2012/08/03/the-most-viewed-photo-of-all-time/ and http://www.petapixel.com/2010/04/06/the-photographers-behind-the-wallpapers/)
Why is [company] trying to claim usage rights without paying a fair amount?
I will not let my image go to a multi-million dollar S&P500 company for free. After all, it was you who approached me to license and use my photo in your browser operating system and possibly more than that, not vice versa.
[My licensing terms inserted here.]
In all honesty, would you be willing to work for free? Well, I certainly won't. Here's some further reading material, covering this exact situation: http://photoprofessionals.wordpress.com/
Looking forward to hearing back from you.
To me, it doesn’t come as a surprise I haven’t heard back from them and quite honestly, I don’t expect any kind of answer. The licensing contract they sent was a slap in the face of any photographer.
I ask you, my dear readers (who didn’t have a lot to read from me lately — sorry for that), would you be willing to work for free? Disregarding the industry. I blackened out the company’s name as I do not want start a bashing campaign or anything. I just needed to vent, inform people that even the largest tech companies out there with multi-billion dollar profits do NOT value the work of photographers.
That said, don’t sell yourself short. If I have learned one thing over the years, this is it.
I’d rather have no money in my pockets than knowing someone is falsely promoting their product with my image without paying a fair amount. No exorbitant high amount, a fair compensation.
Thanks for reading my ramblings and feel free to share with your friends, amateur and professional photographers alike, your grandma who might get a kick out of this or the advertising agency of your choice.
David
