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RANDOM THOUGHTS 72
January 24, 2004
Index Stock To Market Scholastic Imagery
Index Stock Imagery has announced a new marketing alliance with Scholastic, the
world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books, to make available
selected high quality images to Index customers. The images created by Scholastic's
in-house production department, "Studio 10," will be available digitally through
Index's advanced e-commerce site at
www.indexstock.com .
Scholastic's rapidly expanding collection of images are tailored to the contemporary
needs of the education environment and include photos that illustrate children in
various stages of development, from toddlers to teens. All are model released and
represent a contemporary ethnic and social mix.
Index Stock Imagery will market the images exclusively through its award-winning site
and global network of sub-agents. They can be searched using Index's sophisticated
search engine and immediately downloaded for use at high resolution. Their superior
quality and contemporary look make them marketable for all forms of advertising and
graphic design needs.
Scholastic's Studio 10 is a fully equipped daylight 2,200 square foot studio with
state-of-the art digital and film facilities. Located in the heart of SoHo in New
York City, Studio 10 develops product images and sets, and produces original
on-location shoots. It has provided photographic services for some of the leading
companies in the United States, including FAO, Inc., Fisher Price, and Kiddieland
Toys, among many others.
Index Stock Imagery now has 650,000 images available online, including 75,000 Royalty
Free images., along with emailable lightbox and shopping cart
AsiaWorks Specialized In Asian Imagery
AsiaWorks Photography, headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand is positioning itself as
the leading reference for Asian images online.
The agency's easy-to-use site
www.asiaworksphotos.com was designed with input from
photographers and photo editors working closely with a team of developers to create a
service that responds to the needs of industry professionals. "The emphasis is on
accuracy, ensuring that photo editors only see images that correspond to their
search," says Anthony Bouch, the agency's IT Director and lead developer of the
AsiaWorks Photography system.
The agency currently represents the work of 37 photographers and has over 40,000
images from across Asia in its collection. New imagery is being added at a rapid
pace. The collection includes
unique historic images and a wide-selection of 'ready-to-run' features. All images
are downloadable at publishable quality and have been edited, scanned and re-touched
by an in-house production team in Bangkok. Many of AsiaWorks contributors are among
the region's most established talents.
Company Director Yvan Cohen says that recruitment emphasizes quality and originality
while building the depth of coverage that the agency needs to become a reference.
"The idea is that when a photo editor in New York, or Paris or London thinks of Asia
they think of AsiaWorks Photography." he explained.
The agency's founders say they intend to blend the latest technology with a personal,
service-orientated approach to member photographers and clients. "Our systems are as
good as the best in the world but we've managed to retain the personal feel that many
people in our industry miss when dealing with giant online archives," says one of the
agency's Directors Peter Charlesworth, who was formerly a member of SABA, a
prestigious New York-based agency that was purchased by Corbis Images.
During a two-year 'construction' period, the agency built its own digital image
management software and created its own specialized thesaurus for keywording its
Asian collection.
Support for AsiaWorks Photography among both photographers and editors has been
strong, with many pointing out that the trend towards consolidation within the
industry is not necessarily a healthy trend; leaving editors with less variety when
sourcing images and photographers with fewer options when it comes to marketing their
work.
Many of AsiaWorks Photographers' voiced their confidence in the agency by joining
months before it was officially launched. At a time when photographers are tending to
see commission levels fall, AsiaWorks Photography says it offers commissions on stock
image sales that are well above industry norms.
This group of Asia-based photographers and IT professionals, have set out to prove
that with determination and focus, small, regionally specialized agencies can survive
in an industry increasingly overshadowed by multimillion dollar digital behemoths.
NFL Trying To Finalize Move Of Archive
Getty Images appears to be the leading candidate to take over third party licensing
of the NFL Photo Archive, but many of the photographers are not happy with the deal
being offered.
NFL executive Chris Russo informed contributing photographers last week that they
would have to grant the league "exclusive rights to license their photos in
perpetuity" in order to keep their pictures in the NFL library. Photographers would
receive an "annual minimum guarantee" set by the league over the next five years, but
there are a number of things photographers would have to give up to get this deal.
First, the contract would exempt the NFL from any liability for lost or damaged
analog images. But the contract's major sticking point seems to be that the NFL wants
the right to use the photos for "internal purposes" without paying any royalties to
the photographers. Internal purposes are defined to include all NFL and team uses
such as books, marketing and PR initiatives, Web site use, brochures and even club
wall decor.
The only revenues the photographers would receive above their minimum guarantees
would be a percentage from 3rd party sales made to customers not connected with the
NFL. Photographers have pointed out that a huge portion of their current revenues
from the images in the collection result from what the league defines as "internal
purposes."
More than 50 NFL photographers have banded together and hired lawyer Richard Lewis to
negotiate on their behalf. They hope to force the NFL to negotiate better terms. Some
are also talking to Corbis about moving their collection. The future is very
uncertain.
For more information see Story 566 .
Freelancers Drop Appeal Against Boston Globe
The Boston Globe Freelancers Association (BGFA) has dropped its legal appeal of a
lower court decision favoring the Globe's freelance contract.
Attorneys representing the BGFA determined that the odds of winning the appeal were
not good. Chris Fitzgerald, spokesperson for the BGFA, indicated that part of the
reason for dropping the appeal was that a court ruling in favor of the Globe could
set a precedent that makes contract challenges by other freelancers even more
difficult in the future.
Photographers had alleged that the Globe's tactics - particularly its demands for
rights to work shot before the contract was issued - amounted to unfair business
practices. In November 2002, a Massachusetts trial court judge called the Globe's
tactics "heavy-handed" and "likely to damage morale and loyalty among its
freelancers", but he ruled that the Globe's action "falls within the realm of
reasonable commercial standards of fair dealing" and threw the case out of court.
The BFGA received support in its fight from both the National Writers Union (NWU) and
the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP). ASMP spent more than $100,000
according to Victor Perlman, legal counsel for the organization.
For more background on this case see Stories
318 ,
327 and
340 .
Veer Signs New Provider
Veer ( www.veer.com ) has been
named the sole North American reseller of CSA Archive, CSA Plastock,
CSA Printstock, CSA Snapstock rights-managed collections.
The agreement builds on a successful marketing and distribution agreement signed in
October 2002 where Veer was appointed the exclusive reseller of royalty-free
illustrations from CSA Images. Veer now offers creatives the complete range of stock
images created by the award-winning Charles S. Anderson Design Company.
CSA Images offers an eclectic mix of imagery inspired by the highs and lows of art
and printed culture. The images include original illustrations, art-worthy photos,
and icon-quality elements, plus scores of others that blend mediums and defy
categorization. These unique and compelling images put inventive spins on the visual
iconology of popular culture.
Customers can search over 17,000 rights-managed CSA Images illustrations and
photographs by keyword, or browse individual collections at veer.com/csaimages. Each
collection offers numerous visual avenues to express any concept.
"The photos and illustrations in the CSA Images collection avoid clich's and give me
plenty of creative options," said Kelly Thompson, Brand Manager at Verity Inc. "As a
designer, I'm always looking for that perfect image, usually on a tight deadline.
Veer has assembled striking and current imagery and type, like CSA Plastock, that
helps Verity devise award-winning creative that drives highly effective marketing
programs."
"We're very pleased to build on our existing relationship with CSA Images to bring
one of the industry's most remarkable rights-managed collections to creatives," said
Sheldon Popiel, Creative Director and founding member of Veer. "There's nothing quite
like them. With so many stock image providers taking a 'kitchen-sink' approach, the
addition of CSA Images exemplifies our commitment to offering only the best visual
elements. They have incredible appeal to designers, because they don't look like
everyday stock. Their quality and pedigree reinforce Veer's design-driven
philosophy."
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"Veer has a unique understanding of the industry and shares our commitment to
design," said Charles S. Anderson. "We've been approached by many companies that
wanted to represent CSA Images, but we chose Veer because of their overall vision,
design sensibility, and ability to present images in a manner that inspires creative
potential, rather than undermining it."