Pricing conundrum
January 21st, 2009Setting prices, billing and collecting the cash is one of the most important services fotoLibra provides to its members.
Apparently for rather more than the cost of fotoLibra’s Pro Membership you can buy a software program that suggests prices if you’re selling photographs in the United States. That’s about all it does.
Unlike fotoLibra, it doesn’t store your images, promote them, sell them, deliver them, invoice, collect or pay you money. It leaves all that to you. I am lost in admiration for its business model.
We have 1,447 set prices for rights managed images, derived from a complex algorithm that takes into account Size, Circulation and Repetition. Embedded in this are other licences such as territory and duration. We cover most bases, but occasionally we find we’ve missed something out.
Like today, when we were asked for a price for an image that covered the following rights: editorial use; book; 5 year licence; single territory; 5,000 print run; half page; eight languages.
Straightforward — till you get to those eight languages!
What’s the answer? I’ll post our price here as soon as somebody makes an educated guess.
I wonder how that software program would have coped?
Data Protection
January 20th, 2009
by Gwyn Headley
Managing Director
The Data Protection Act is another great law like Helf ‘n’ Saiftay — you can use it to hide behind, use it offensively, obstructively or aggressively. Or all four. It is a Godsend to the sort of mindset that seems to run through half the population.
Don’t you know there’s a war on?
I was only doing my job.
I’m alright, Jack.
It’s more than my job’s worth
Computer says no.
Now they have the law on their side, and it’s infinitely adaptable. I’ve been calling some photographic companies recently on the phone — a shocking enough tactic nowadays, given the silence that lies heavy over most offices today — and the reactions have been varied, to say the least.
Look, I’m guilty of this myself. The smaller the company, the more guarded and suspicious the response. People ring up fotoLibra and say “Can I speak to the managing director or the owner of the company please” and frankly that’s as far as they get. We always apologise before we put the phone down, because that’s how we were brought up.
Some of them have done a little research. “Can I speak to Miz Gwine Heeedlee please?” Depending on how mindless the caller sounds, I either switch to basso profundo — s p e a k i n g ? — or warily ask who is calling. At the moment the calls are about water coolers or investment plans.
But the boot is on the other foot when it’s me making the calls. I’ve got something they should be interested in. The default state is that they’re not, of course, and it’s a tough barrier to break down. The big problem is getting through to the right people.
First there’s the voicemail barrier. Speaking to someone is never one of the options. As soon as I hear voicemail kicking in, I hit Nought, which usually gets me the operator. Here comes the operator barrier. If you have a name, there’s firstly the tone of disbelief, as if you’ve asked to speak to Pol Pot or Robert Mugabe, then the suspicion that he left the company late last century.
Then the Data Protection Act kicks in. “I’m sorry, we’re not allowed to give out names.” What am I going to do with them? Make voodoo dolls?
If you’re lucky, you might be allowed to get through to a department in the company.
The person who picks up the phone at this stage is one of two people. Either it’s the trainee managing director, on her way up through the glass ceiling, or the deputy assistant’s secretary’s temp’s daughter, who happens to be eating her McDonald’s by the phone.
The TMD is a whirlwind of efficiency, all instant comprehension, ‘right’ being the most crucial word in her vocabulary, barking out rapid fire instructions and leaving you bathing in a warm glow of efficiency. Nothing at all will happen.
The temp’s daughter will not know what to do. You run through your pathetic spiel, trying to rid yourself of the mental image of a golden retriever listening to Wittgenstein. At the end, there’s a silence. “Err, yurrr. Can you send us an email?” Nothing at all will happen.
I do what’s wanted anyway. Then I follow up. Sometimes I strike gold. The largest company I spoke to listened to what I had to say, said “That sounds great, but you need to speak to Jerome. Here’s his mobile number.”
I’m too awed to call.
Happy New Year
January 4th, 2009Let’s hope it’s a good one and we all survive the financial turmoil. We’ll do all we can to help you!
But I’m sorry we won’t be answering your emails for a day or so — our email server is down, Support is on holiday, and the skeleton staff (me and Von) have no idea how to reboot the server. So if you need to communicate with us please leave a comment on this blog.
Sorry about that; we’ll be back ASAP.
Microsoft — doncha jus’ love them?
December 23rd, 2008I needed to delete a Section Break in MS Word. It wouldn’t do it in any intuitive manner, so I went to Microsoft Help.
And this is what it told me:
To delete a section break
If your keyboard does not have a DELETE key, hold down SHIFT and press the right arrow key, and then press DELETE.
Hey, thanks!
Releases
December 4th, 2008Now there’s less money around, the nastier type of person is going to start scrabbling about for some of yours. We’re OK because we haven’t got any.
Seriously, if we don’t have cleared rights for an image, we’re not going to be able to make a Commercial Sale — which, in picture library terms, means a sale to an advertising agency or somewhere where the image could be assumed to endorse a product.
So that’s all the Royalty Free images gone, for a start. Never mark a picture as Royalty Free unless you’ve definitely got the Model Release, and best get the Property Release as well, unless you were standing on public ground.
The great majority of the sales we make are Editorial Sales, mainly to book publishers, so there’s less of a worry. But we’ve noticed recently that increasing numbers of publishers are demanding model and property releases when they buy images. And an image which comes with full authenticity and proper releases will be more valuable.
Our downloadable Model Release and Property Release are laughably simple, and would doubtless be shredded by any Noo Yoik attorney needing to feed his Coke (acola) habit. Here’s an extract from a US model release:
For good and valuable consideration of ____________________________, herein acknowledged as received, and by signing this release I hereby give the Artist and Assigns my permission to license the Images and to use the Images in any Media for any purpose (except pornographic or defamatory) which may include, among others, advertising, promotion, marketing and packaging for any product or service. I agree that the Images may be combined with other images, text and graphics, and cropped, altered or modified. I acknowledge and agree that I have consented to publication of my ethnicity(ies) as indicated below, but understand that other ethnicities may be associated with Images of me by the Artist and/or Assigns for descriptive purposes.
I agree that I have no rights to the Images, and all rights to the Images belong to the Artist and Assigns. I acknowledge and agree that I have no further right to additional Consideration or accounting, and that I will make no further claim for any reason to Artist and/or Assigns. I acknowledge and agree that this release is binding upon my heirs and assigns. I agree that this release is irrevocable, worldwide and perpetual, and will be governed by the laws of the state of California excluding the law of conflicts. I represent and warrant that I am at least 18 years of age and have the full legal capacity to execute this release.
And here’s ours:
I hereby assign full copyright of the photograph(s) taken of me by the above-mentioned photographer to that photographer together with the right of reproduction either wholly or in part.
I agree that the Photographer or licensees or assignees can use the above-mentioned photograph(s) either separately or together, either wholly or in part, in any way and in any medium.
The Photographer and licensees or assignees may have unrestricted use of these for whatever purpose, including advertising, with any reasonable retouching or alteration.
I agree that the above mentioned photographs and any reproductions shall be deemed to represent an imaginary person, and further agree that the Photographer or any person authorised by or acting on his or her behalf may use the above mentioned photographs or any reproductions of them for any advertising purposes or for the purpose of illustrating any wording, and agree that no such wording shall be considered to be attributed to me personally unless my name is used.
Provided my name is not mentioned in connection with any other statement or wording which may be attributed to me personally, I undertake not to prosecute or to institute proceedings, claims or demands against either the Photographer or his or her agents in respect of any usage of the above mentioned photographs.
We don’t seem to be so concerned about the model’s ethnicity. Should we be? And the American release assumes payment of the model(s) in some form, difficult when you’re faced with a rioting mob. But then getting any rioting mob to stop and sign model releases has always posed a problem.
Let’s face it, this is the boring side of photography. But people who have a high boredom threshold have the capacity to succeed in politics and to make money.
So sorry, but it has to be done.
How to make money without spending anything
December 2nd, 2008
by Gwyn Headley
Managing Director
You know what? This works, and this is not a scam. Because I’m running it.
If you’re not already a fotoLibra member, this is what to do. You have to have a digital camera, a computer and an internet connection to begin with.
Go to www.fotoLibra.com and sign up as a Seller. It’s free, because you can only upload so many photographs.
Thousands of people do this, upload a dozen photos, and wait for them to sell.
WRONG!!
This is how to make it work for you. Upload only one picture, just to try out the routine.
Then sit back and wait for fotoLibra to email you with their Picture Calls — lists of the pictures that pro buyers are looking for.
There are Picture Calls on every subject and for every place under the sun. They are usually quite specific, so you will know exactly what’s wanted.
There are two or three Picture Calls a week. Just keep an eye on them. It costs you nothing at all.
All you have to do is upload the pictures they’re asking for. The average picture sells for around $100, and you get half. That’s about $50 for you each time your pictures sell. They can sell again and again.
I really think this is a no-brainer, a win-win situation. So tell your friends!
Knowledge Engineering
December 1st, 2008
by Gwyn Headley
Managing Director
We had a spellbinding meeting at Cardiff University on Friday, discussing ontologies, thesauri, semantics and the indexing of concepts. I will be the first to admit that most of the theory was way over my head, but pure academia and the realm of abstract thought needs the exoskeleton of practicality to enable it to flutter across the room.
fotoLibra has offered to provide Cardiff University with that practical assistance. With nearly 300,000 images online, each indexed by a variety of keywords — some more relevant, precise and accurate than others — we have a phenomenal bank of data which can be exploited by academic researchers. And the dreams of today’s doctoral students are often tomorrow’s reality.
Obviously we can’t reveal what we were shown and what we discussed last Friday, or when, if ever, it might emerge as a practical process which could improve the fotoLibra experience, among others.
But the grin is still on my face.
LIFE photo archive goes online
November 19th, 2008
by Gwyn Headley
Managing Director
Today there are over 70,000 messages on the internet shouting about this amazing new deal between Life Magazine and Google. We are told that Google is putting 10 million Life images online, 97 per cent of which have never been seen before, and about 20 per cent of it has already gone live.
The link says “Welcome to the future home of LIFE, the most amazing collection of professional photography on the Web: 10 million photos from the legendary archives of LIFE magazine and thousands more added every day. Whatever you want to look at, whether it happened an hour ago, a century ago, or any time in between, you’ll be able to find it here quickly, easily, and for free.”
But you can’t. There’s nothing to see there at all, other than an email harvesting facility.
They’re giving these images away for free? What are the rights situations? Will anyone ever need to consult the Bettman archive again? Or the Mary Evans Picture Library, or the Francis Frith Collection?
Maybe they’re doing it to frighten us. Well I can tell you, it nearly scares me.
You’ll actually find the images on Google Image Search, not all captioned and keyworded as usefully as one might expect:
Caption: A view of African-American integrationists attending a meeting.
| Location: | Petersburg, VA, US |
|---|---|
| Date taken: | 1960 |
| Photographer: | Howard Sochurek |
| Size: | 1280 x 1234 pixels (17.8 x 17.1 inches) |
I don’t think so.
They’re selling nice framed prints of the images for $80, but there’s no easily discoverable method of buying any image rights.
I’d love to read the business plan.
Very Welsh
November 14th, 2008
by Gwyn Headley
Managing Director
Tags: Bernd Jürgens, Billy Waqar, Camille Sersou, Dan Clemo, Georgiana Mitrus, Karin Eide, Khadija Hmidouch, Kihindei Adai, Michael Toglia, Mohammed Zoll-Khan, Mokhtar Daud, Natalia Mazo, Parlin Silitonga, Philippe Mathon, Piotr Marcinski, Poh-Leng Yeoh, Richard Se, Ruan Fourie, Victoria Izrailova, Vun Sookiong, Waseem Iqbal, Winston Dobres, Zubaer Malik
When we started fotoLibra a few years ago in the depths of rural Wales (dial-up internet, 28k modem) we expected that among our members such as Eifion ap Llwyd Dafis, Nick Jenkins, Dai Williams, Llinos Jones, Rhodri Cadwaladr and so on we might get a few foreign-sounding names such as John Smith, Paddy Murphy or Iain Macdonald.
This week alone we’re proud to welcome among our new members Zubaer Malik; Poh-Leng Yeoh; Winston Dobres; Waseem Iqbal; Piotr Marcinski; Camille Sersou; Bernd Jürgens; Khadija Hmidouch; Parlin Silitonga; Ruan Fourie; Philippe Mathon; Mohammed Zoll-Khan; Karin Eide; Natalia Mazo; Vun Sookiong; Kihindei Adai; Victoria Izrailova; Georgiana Mitrus; Michael Toglia; Billy Waqar; Dan Clemo; Mokhtar Daud and Richard Se.
I love it, love it, love it. fotoLibra is creating, as I’d always hoped, a worldwide community (though I hate that word!) of photographers who know they’re good enough to get recognised, and fotoLibra is the vehicle that can do it for them.
I hope you all find the fotoLibra experience enjoyable and profitable. A very warm welcome to you all.
Digital Railroad Closes
October 30th, 2008
by Gwyn Headley
Managing Director
We’re sorry to hear that the picture library portal Digital Railroad has had to close down.
An announcement on their web site reads:
“October 28, 2008
To our valued Members and Partners:
We deeply regret to inform you that Digital Railroad (DRR) has shut down.
On October 15th we reported that the company had reduced its staff and was aggressively pursuing additional financing and/or a strategic partner. Unfortunately, those efforts were unsuccessful. Therefore Digital Railroad has been forced to close all operations.
Digital Railroad has attracted a loyal set of customers and partners, and we regret this unfortunate outcome. Without sufficient long-term financial support, the business had become unsustainable.
Thank you for allowing us to serve the photographic community these past few years. “
If you have placed picture requests or searches with Digital Railroad, please remember that fotoLibra has 20,000 photographers in 150 countries who are able to supply images of any description.
Please contact me with your picture research needs: gwyn.headley@fotoLibra.com, +44 20 8348 1234.
We’ll do what we can to help.
If you know of any photographers who have been affected by the closure, please tell them that fotoLibra offers the same service as Digital Railroad did, at less than half the price.