I'm a traveling queen this week and unfortunately have a busy schedule that I can't keep up with postings this week.
I love the responses to the State of Stock post from Monday... I will most certainly follow up with a post on this answering questions and backing up opinions.
Other things to look forward to very soon:
Creative Opinion follow up from October 6 - answers and opinions.
More personal projects to share - these are always fantastic, keep sending me stuff.
5 thing I like and don't like - I'll think of something, whether it's meetings, promos, reps, stylists, productions... dare I say it... clients (stay tuned).
I'll keep thinking of other things to come up with and share with the creative community and I encourage all of you to do the same.
Want to throw a question at me, get an opinion, or touch base on something I haven't thought of - You can email me here.
Cheers and chat soon
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
The State of Stock
PDN reported [here] last Thursday that JupiterImages has been acquired by Getty.
Today it's being reported [here]that Corbis is taking a hit with the economy and therefore are cutting the royalty rates it offers to their contributors (at least for rights managed).
With PhotoShelter having closed their stock house doors, Corbis cutting back, and Getty owning almost everything where does that leave the contributors who want other options. The microstock market offers images for a dollar - what royalty can they offer?
If stock imagery is still being purchased, which it is, and agencies want good images where do they head?
I still think individual photographers should offer stock imagery in addition to being commissioned for shoots. If the opportunity is there I say take it, especially since you get all the royalties and there isn't commission being paid to anyone but yourself (and you rep if you have one).
Today it's being reported [here]that Corbis is taking a hit with the economy and therefore are cutting the royalty rates it offers to their contributors (at least for rights managed).
With PhotoShelter having closed their stock house doors, Corbis cutting back, and Getty owning almost everything where does that leave the contributors who want other options. The microstock market offers images for a dollar - what royalty can they offer?
If stock imagery is still being purchased, which it is, and agencies want good images where do they head?
I still think individual photographers should offer stock imagery in addition to being commissioned for shoots. If the opportunity is there I say take it, especially since you get all the royalties and there isn't commission being paid to anyone but yourself (and you rep if you have one).
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Responsibility
Suffering from a head cold today I left work (a freelance gig) early for the comfort of pajamas, cold medicine, and perhaps a nap... however being pretty busy, I feel like I was shirking some of my responsibilities.
What happens when you have a personal issue to address yet have work responsibilities you need to deal with as well? One ends up taking a back seat to the other unfortunately. The problem is trying to juggle personal things that pop up in addition to the work. Have a cold.. take the needed nap/rest and work a few extra hours in the evening. Have a larger personal family issue... talk to the people producing the job and open the lines of communications to find out if there is some wiggle room.
Most assuredly people will understand when you have personal things come up. Most people realize that everyone has a life outside of work where things come up and issues need to be handled. We all make it work out in the end and balance responsibilities.
What happens when you have a personal issue to address yet have work responsibilities you need to deal with as well? One ends up taking a back seat to the other unfortunately. The problem is trying to juggle personal things that pop up in addition to the work. Have a cold.. take the needed nap/rest and work a few extra hours in the evening. Have a larger personal family issue... talk to the people producing the job and open the lines of communications to find out if there is some wiggle room.
Most assuredly people will understand when you have personal things come up. Most people realize that everyone has a life outside of work where things come up and issues need to be handled. We all make it work out in the end and balance responsibilities.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Exclusivity
Clients more and more want to have exclusive imagery... this is a good thing. And I should clarify that I don't mean proprietary but instead they want the usage to cover their needs but also to have industry exclusivity, meaning a competitor will not have access to the same image.
By definition exclusivity means excluding all but what is specified... and this is where you should pay attention. Because more clients are enlisting this term in their usage parameters it means you should acquire, in some form of writing, what that actually specifies. For example, if you have a financial client looking for financial industry exclusivity, does it include credit, 401k, banks, investment firms, etc.? The more info you have, the better understanding you have of the clients terms and expectations, this way you don't have a breach of contract or any confusion.
Also with the exclusivity and getting all the information about what it entails means you can adjust your fee appropriately. Depending on the contract it may refer just to the imagery and talent or it might mean the client doesn't want you shooting for a competitor for the length of their usage - knowing exactly what the expectations are allows you to be completely prepared with both production and creative fees.
By definition exclusivity means excluding all but what is specified... and this is where you should pay attention. Because more clients are enlisting this term in their usage parameters it means you should acquire, in some form of writing, what that actually specifies. For example, if you have a financial client looking for financial industry exclusivity, does it include credit, 401k, banks, investment firms, etc.? The more info you have, the better understanding you have of the clients terms and expectations, this way you don't have a breach of contract or any confusion.
Also with the exclusivity and getting all the information about what it entails means you can adjust your fee appropriately. Depending on the contract it may refer just to the imagery and talent or it might mean the client doesn't want you shooting for a competitor for the length of their usage - knowing exactly what the expectations are allows you to be completely prepared with both production and creative fees.
Friday, October 17, 2008
5 Things About Phone Calls
Calls can be tough especially as a freelancer trying to get your name in with an agency, art buyer, photo editor, or any creative. Mail and email are easier because they are so much more impersonal. I like calls... granted I don't always have the time to get the calls or spend hours a day chatting with artists (while it is part of my job description I'm also responsible for a boatload of other things) but I do enjoy the calls.
5 things I like:
1. Staying on my radar/quick check-in - this doesn't mean call me every month but a twice a year check-in following up on a portfolio review or promos sent in, keeps you in mind.
2. Casual conversation - I like the casual and slightly more personable calls than direct sales call which can come off as pushy. Telling me what you're working on and asking how things are going at whatever agency is a great approach.
3. Directing me to a new personal project or artist show - I love to hear about things like this that might be considered outside of the advertising realm. Especially if you're doing a show in my area that I might not have heard of... but a personal invitation or update about a project I might be interested in is definitely welcome.
4. First time caller approach/schedule review - best way to do this is to leave a quick message or if you actually get a voice, to schedule a meeting or portfolio review. Cold calls don't really work if the art buyer/ photo editor/ et al. is not familiar with your name or your work.
5. Talking about your artwork - I love to chat about the photographs and recent work you may have done whether it's a production or personal. To me it's cool and it shows your passion. It touches back to the casual call and stays away from the super sales/hire me call.
5 things I do not like:
1. "Any work I'd be great for going on right now?" - I know this is the prime reason you are calling but starting the conversation with this is a turn-off. To be completely blunt... if you were perfect for a job, I would have called.
2. Too personal - unless I know you outside of work please don't get too personal. If I have met you once or only had a couple of phone conversations it's slightly uncomfortable for me to hear about overly personal information (like your colonosopy appointment that morning... don't need to know).
3. The website tracker call - It's been talked about before (especially on aphotoeditor.com) but these are totally creepy. After just visiting your website, a call to say "I saw you were on the website - anything of interest or can I do something for you?" Wait a week or two if you have to do this and don't mention you saw me on the site.. it just reeks of desperation ... and did I mention creepiness?
4. Calling several times in one day - Most likely I am sitting at my desk working on something and looking at the phone to see if I recognize the number. Call once and leave a message - if you don't hear back in 3-4 weeks give another call. DO NOT call ten times in one day but not leave a message it pretty much guarantees that I won't pick up or that I won't return a call once the message is finally left.
5. The over-sales call - Meaning you sound like a stereotypical car salesman (no offense to car salesmen). Coming off over-eager and over-pushy is too much and will end the call quickly. Saying your perfect for whatever client and have done some spec work with them in mind is not an appropriate route. There's a fine line you have to walk here with selling yourself and your work but not overdoing it.
5 things I like:
1. Staying on my radar/quick check-in - this doesn't mean call me every month but a twice a year check-in following up on a portfolio review or promos sent in, keeps you in mind.
2. Casual conversation - I like the casual and slightly more personable calls than direct sales call which can come off as pushy. Telling me what you're working on and asking how things are going at whatever agency is a great approach.
3. Directing me to a new personal project or artist show - I love to hear about things like this that might be considered outside of the advertising realm. Especially if you're doing a show in my area that I might not have heard of... but a personal invitation or update about a project I might be interested in is definitely welcome.
4. First time caller approach/schedule review - best way to do this is to leave a quick message or if you actually get a voice, to schedule a meeting or portfolio review. Cold calls don't really work if the art buyer/ photo editor/ et al. is not familiar with your name or your work.
5. Talking about your artwork - I love to chat about the photographs and recent work you may have done whether it's a production or personal. To me it's cool and it shows your passion. It touches back to the casual call and stays away from the super sales/hire me call.
5 things I do not like:
1. "Any work I'd be great for going on right now?" - I know this is the prime reason you are calling but starting the conversation with this is a turn-off. To be completely blunt... if you were perfect for a job, I would have called.
2. Too personal - unless I know you outside of work please don't get too personal. If I have met you once or only had a couple of phone conversations it's slightly uncomfortable for me to hear about overly personal information (like your colonosopy appointment that morning... don't need to know).
3. The website tracker call - It's been talked about before (especially on aphotoeditor.com) but these are totally creepy. After just visiting your website, a call to say "I saw you were on the website - anything of interest or can I do something for you?" Wait a week or two if you have to do this and don't mention you saw me on the site.. it just reeks of desperation ... and did I mention creepiness?
4. Calling several times in one day - Most likely I am sitting at my desk working on something and looking at the phone to see if I recognize the number. Call once and leave a message - if you don't hear back in 3-4 weeks give another call. DO NOT call ten times in one day but not leave a message it pretty much guarantees that I won't pick up or that I won't return a call once the message is finally left.
5. The over-sales call - Meaning you sound like a stereotypical car salesman (no offense to car salesmen). Coming off over-eager and over-pushy is too much and will end the call quickly. Saying your perfect for whatever client and have done some spec work with them in mind is not an appropriate route. There's a fine line you have to walk here with selling yourself and your work but not overdoing it.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Lucie Awards
©www.lucieawards.com/Wouter van GensHis clients have included Diesel, Milk the Game, Playstation, Nokia, Kohler, New York Times... just to name a few.
To see more info about the awards and other honorees head over to lucieawards.com/08
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Personal Project - Oscar "OG" Garcia
After a week of craziness and throwing the blog to the back burner... we're back (me and the blog that is).
I'm sad to say that Heather Morton is shutting her blog down until further notice. Hopefully we'll see more of this Canadian creative soon.
Happy Wednesday to all and I hope you enjoy some eye candy courtesy of OG's personal project, Destiny by Design.
©2008 Oscar Garcia
What made you choose this project?
The main reason for choosing to be involved with and produce a project for Destiny by Design program, was simply for community involvement and service. I know and understand the importance of having positive experiences growing up and how they can contribute to how an individual develops as they get older. Another point of interest was the subject and focus of the program, hip-hop. As a music photographer and hip-hop fan, being involved with a program that strives to provide youth with tools for cultural and career development within music was a simply a no-brainer for me.
How many photos were there before you edited it down to the featured images?
This project involved documenting a entire semester of the Destiny by Design program at Kealing Middle School in Austin, Texas. When it was all said and done, there were thousands of images to go through. Normally that may seem like a big burden, but to be honest, I had a blast. Editing down the images allowed me to revisit the moments that motivated me to get involved in the first place.
What was your favorite aspect of this personal project?
My favorite aspect of this project was definitely being able to directly interact with the kids and give back to the Austin community. The children were great to work with. Something else to note was that Chamillionaire, hip-hop artist and a longtime client of ours, autographed prints (photograph of Chamillionaire that I had taken a few years back) for each of the children who participated in the program. I had mentioned it to him on one of our shoots and he was more than willing to help out. Everyone of the kids were very thankful which aided in making this entire experience well worth it.
You can check out the project online at ogphotographer.com/projects/
Design by Destiny is an after school program provided by Narcisse-Banks Community Resource Center.
I'm sad to say that Heather Morton is shutting her blog down until further notice. Hopefully we'll see more of this Canadian creative soon.
Happy Wednesday to all and I hope you enjoy some eye candy courtesy of OG's personal project, Destiny by Design.
©2008 Oscar GarciaWhat made you choose this project?
The main reason for choosing to be involved with and produce a project for Destiny by Design program, was simply for community involvement and service. I know and understand the importance of having positive experiences growing up and how they can contribute to how an individual develops as they get older. Another point of interest was the subject and focus of the program, hip-hop. As a music photographer and hip-hop fan, being involved with a program that strives to provide youth with tools for cultural and career development within music was a simply a no-brainer for me.
How many photos were there before you edited it down to the featured images?
This project involved documenting a entire semester of the Destiny by Design program at Kealing Middle School in Austin, Texas. When it was all said and done, there were thousands of images to go through. Normally that may seem like a big burden, but to be honest, I had a blast. Editing down the images allowed me to revisit the moments that motivated me to get involved in the first place.
What was your favorite aspect of this personal project?
My favorite aspect of this project was definitely being able to directly interact with the kids and give back to the Austin community. The children were great to work with. Something else to note was that Chamillionaire, hip-hop artist and a longtime client of ours, autographed prints (photograph of Chamillionaire that I had taken a few years back) for each of the children who participated in the program. I had mentioned it to him on one of our shoots and he was more than willing to help out. Everyone of the kids were very thankful which aided in making this entire experience well worth it.
You can check out the project online at ogphotographer.com/projects/
Design by Destiny is an after school program provided by Narcisse-Banks Community Resource Center.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
