|
Business
Practice
The
Gift of Copyright Education
|
 |
|
I
honestly believe that most people want to do the right thing,
but do not understand why copying or using an image for advertising
without permission is wrong. I
prefer to educate my customers and help them to stay legal by
making the "high road" easy to follow.
First,
everyone who signs up for photos must sign a release saying that
they understand that they may not reproduce the photos they are
about to receive without permission.
Every
proof and photo leaves my office with both a copyright/ signature
sticker on the face of the print and a stamp on the back stating:
©Terri
Miller
phone#
web address
Do Not Reproduce Without Written Permission,
Photo Credit, and Payment of Applicable Use Fees.
Accompanying
the proofs is both a price list for reprints, and a separate sheet
that lists types of commercial uses and the fees that the user
must pay for that particular use. This copyright lease form is
easy to read and spells out terms, time limits and scope of use.
|
On
my order form is a subtotal box for the reprints and another subtotal
box for copyright lease fees.
When
placing their reprint order, the customer must again sign a contract
with me stating that they understand that they may not reproduce
the photos that they are ordering without permission.
This
adds up to five "reminders" that I give clients between
the time that they first see me at a show and the time that they
receive their finished prints. But rather than always sounding
like a Copyright Cop and saying "Don't do that!" I also
show them how to proceed down the correct road by taking the guesswork
out of leasing a photo.
Terri
Miller
www.terrimiller.com
|
Inspirational
Moments . . .
"Perhaps
the most valuable result of all education is the ability to
make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to
be done, whether you like it or not; it is the first lesson
that ought to be learned; and however early a man's training
begins, it is probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly."
-Thomas
H. Huxley (1825 - 1895)
|
|
DIGITAL
CONNECTION:
|
DIGITAL
STORAGE -
Solutions or Setbacks?
|
Last
month we spoke of the potential dilemma of losing our electronic
images. By the end of the year, all those files can rack up
a lot of hard drive space. What should we do with the images
after a photo shoot? Buy a new computer every year? Well, although
that is one way to stay on top of the newest technologies, it's
probably not my first choice.
This
month, we will look at some of the options available to us for
long term storage.
First,
we must keep in mind that our digital images - that is, each
and every snap of the shutter - must be stored to allow for
easy retrieval at any time without any degradation of the file/image.
Sounds like a tall order. Ten years down the road, we'll want
to find and print an image and, lets face it, it's only an electronic
file. It's not even something you can see or put your hands
on. It's something that you trust will be there, in its entirety.
Your tolerance for error is zero. A single missing digit can
render that $5,000 photo quite useless.
To
my knowledge, the only media presently available to us for this
purpose is either via magnetic or optics. Lets look at magnetic
first:
MAGNETIC
STORAGE OPTIONS
This
option stores information on magnetic sensitive media in a pattern
read and written through magnetic heads. The media and mechanical
devices used can vary. Our hard disk drive uses a small reading
and writing head suspended on fast moving arms. As the information
is written to the disk, the head is bouncing back & forth
to different parts of the disk, which is rotating at, perhaps
7,200 RPM. The tape back up system, is very much like recording
a song onto a cassette. A recording head is used to place the
information onto the tape, and a pick up head is used to read
it. A floppy disk uses a combination of the two. A magnetic,
disc rotates while an arm similar provides the mechanical means
for reading & writing. Similarly, there are several brands
of "Zip" style floppy disks that can store varying
amounts of data.
The
hard drive technology would seem to have the largest storage
capacity and, I think the fastest. The various "Zip"
style drives offer convenience and portability, but give up
speed and capacity. We will discount the aforementioned floppy
disk entirely. A single hi res image would not fit on
a floppy.
The
tape storage option has plenty of capacity. The latest Fuji
tape back up system has 200 Gig capacity at 2:1 compression
or 100 Gig at 1:1 compression. This tape backs up your data
at 20 Megs/Second. The device for these tapes lists at $5,000
to $10,000. The tapes list for $98 (source:
http://rss.seagate.com/products/cartridges/stum200a.html ).
Average installed price is going to be around $6,000. Other
systems are available with lesser capacity and speeds.
OPTICAL
STORAGE OPTIONS
COMPACT
DISC (CD) - A CD is used to store data optically. Typically,
650 Megs can be stored on a single CD. The CD is actually constructed
of five layers. The first layer is a thick, soft, clear plastic
layer for protecting the data layer and it helps to focus the
laser onto the data layer so it can more easily read the data.
The data layer is where the information is actually stored.
It is pressed into the first layer. The data layer is arranged
in tracks that spiral like the old vinyl records. Data is read
from the inside of the spiral, out. The reflective, metallic
like layer is next. It reflects the laser light back to the
detector in the player. A thin, hard protective layer is applied
to protect the reflective and data layers and, last, the label
layer is printed on top of the protective layer. This contains
the printed graphics we read on the CD.
The
inner band of data found in the tracks, called the "lead-in"
contains the table of contents for the CD. This is the area
of data just after the smooth, clear inner circle. If this area
becomes too badly scratched, the CD becomes unusable. Any scratch
in the area of the CD that contains your back up information
is likely to be restricted to the file or files found in the
damaged area. Other files in the CD would be unaffected.
|
The
laser beam from the CD reader enters the CD, travels through
the CD's clear plastic layer and picks up information from the
data layer. It then bounces off the reflective coating on the
other side of the data layer and travels back through the clear
layer, out of the CD and into the detector,
which helps the CD player convert the information carried by
the laser into information readable by the software you are
using.
There
are multiple, potential problems with using CD's for storage:
1.
A scratch in the table of contents area can render a CD useless.
A scratch in the data storage area can damage individual files.
2. Applying an adhesive paper to the label surface can interfere
with the operation of the CD.
3. Writing on the CD with a ball point, roller pen or other
hard object can damage the data layer. Writing with a solvent
based marking pen can penetrate the label and deteriorate the
reflective layer, damaging the disk beyond repair.
4. Exposure to high temperatures or humidity for an extended
period of time can warp the disc and cause deterioration of
the reflective layer.
5. Sand and dirt can cause damage to the label side, which cannot
be repaired.
Hey,
trivia buffs, the first commercial CD album was released in
Japan in October 1982. Who was the artist and what was the name
of the album? (Answer at end of article)
DIGITAL
VERATILE DISC (DVD) - A DVD is another media used to store data
optically. In fact, it is the most advanced form of optical
disc storage technology today. And, the DVD burners are becoming
more affordable. A DVD can store up to 26 times as much data
as a traditional CD, though the typical 4.7 Gig DVD will store
up to 7.23 times as much. The DVD's ability to store so much
more data can be attributed, among other things, to a laser
beam has a shorter wave length, less than half the track density,
more than seven times the real density, or the amount of data
that
can be packed onto a DVD (gigabits per square inch) and the
reference velocity, or speed can be up to 3.2 times faster.
This all adds up to a data rate that is 7.5 times faster than
the typical CD.
Storage
problems with the DVD are similar to the CD.
THE
FUTURE
In
the near future, there are other technologies vying for your
dollar. Victor Co. of Japan is working on a "groove"
recording DVD, which could give us 22 Gig per side. Hitachi
and Mastushita (pronounced Mat-shu-sta) are working on a multi-layered
DVD, which, since they did not specify in the research material
I found, I think will use a focusable laser beam. The next
generation of DVD technology is being prepared for full-scale
commercial application in 2003. Manufacturers have been steadily
solving problems with the technologies and are now submitting
proposals as the groundwork for standardization.
There
are several technologies out there competing for our business.
Which ones will win is anyone's guess at this point. But, I
guarantee, they're not just sitting around waiting for things
to happen!
NEXT
MONTH
The
application of our new found knowledge and my pick for the best
overall method for long term archival storage.
Oh
yeah! The first CD album? - It was Billy Joel with "52nd
Street".
Stephen E. Lasko Photography
Specializing in things equine
slasko@bellsouth.net
|
|
The
Vintage Image
"The Seed is Planted"
I
grew up in an almost horseless Manhattan, New York City.
My father attended university there, but every year we would
travel to Oregon for the summer. On the way, my parents
would drop my older brother and me off at my great aunt's
farm in Illinois, while they attended Danforth Fellowship
Camp. My dear Aunt Bea, knowing how horse crazy I was and
that, much as I loved her sweet Jersey cows, they just weren't
the same, took me one year to a friend's ranch.
The
obliging fellow had show ponies and was seemingly happy
to show them off. And I, with my box camera that I'd received
the previous Christmas, lined them up and snapped away,
deliriously happy.
This
photo is my first attempt at a conformation shot, with a
viewfinder that did not shoot what I saw, but rather way
to the left. The image has many flaws, but to be fair to
myself, I was 5 years-old.
Diane
C. Nicholson
www.twinheartphoto.com
|
|
|
|
FOCUS
ON MARKETING :
|
Price
Buyers are Poison to your Business
|
|
|
Have
you ever had someone compare your rates to other photographers or
even the local one hour lab while insisting that if you would just
lower your prices, then they would purchase from you. These are
what I call “price buyers” never to be satisfied with
prices or services rendered. Many have shared that these "price
buyers" are the most frustrating people to work with creating
more work for less reward than any other client.
When
it comes to equine photography, we cannot allow these people to
inject their poison into our minds. Equine photography involves
an investment in equipment, time and practical skill, and is combined
with our artistic leanings and technical knowledge to create outstanding
imagery. Price buyers will never understand any of this, that is
why you must never allow the persistent attacks of price buyers
to dictate the rates that you charge.
-Why
Incentive Offers?
This
however, does not mean that we cannot use incentives or discounts
in our marketing and pricing strategies. There are two things that
can happen with a properly structured special offer. First, it gives
the person who receives your mailing or ad a reason to hold on to
that piece of paper. Second, it can create the incentive to stop
procrastinating and take action. And an incentive in no way says,”I
am the lowest price photographer around,” Your rates may be
substantially higher even with an incentive than the “I'm the
lowest price photographer in town” guy. Now what are effective
ways to structure an incentive?
-Structuring
Effective Incentive Offers, No High Fences Allowed
Whenever
you create an offer it is critical that you think from the consumers’
perspective and create an offer the has “consumer perceived
value.” Let me give you an example. It is very common for business
owners to want to "force" people to buy more in order
to use an incentive. Let's say the average purchase for a given
product or service is $100. The business owner's first inclination
is to give them $25 off if they spend $200 or more. This offer will
have a ZERO perceived value because your prospective client cannot
envision themselves spending $200 in the first place (your average
ticket proves that). The required purchase is called the entry point
of the offer. Think of it as the fence that your client must jump
in order to redeem your offer. If the fence is low, then they can
see themselves jumping it. If it is eight feet tall, they will not
even try-the offer has no perceived value. If you want response
your entry point should be below your average ticket for that service
or product so that prospective clients can envisions themselves
taking advantage of the offer. The interesting thing about this
in my work in advertising sales is that the average ticket will
typically stay the same or increase when combined with a well structured
incentive offer.
|
-Strong
Offers Bring in New Customers While Weak Offers Cost You Money
Giving
enough incentive is important too. A weak offer or incentive will
only interest people who are already your clients or who already
planned to make a purchase. A strong offer will bring in the new
clients as well are encourage regulars to purchase more or more
frequently. The key here is that you must count the dollars generated
not the amounts of the your discounts or incentives. If you generated
a new client because of an incentive, that is money that you would
not have otherwise had at all---a big fat $0 is now money in your
pocket. Count the revenues from your ad, not the discounts. If you
generate $800 in sales, that is money that you didn't have before.
If your incentive was a 20% discount on purchases placed within
a certain time period you didn't loose 20% if those sales would
not have happened. If you cannot create some incentives because
your prices are too low, then perhaps your prices are too low to
begin with. A price increase of 30% would allow you to market with
a 20% Off limited time offer and still be slightly ahead price wise.
-Consumers
Appreciate Incentive and Take Action
Procrastination
can be a big enemy. A recent article in Professional Photographer
Magazine told of a portrait photographer who was having trouble
getting people to place their orders after a portrait session. His
strategy to create an incentive rather than a penalty for his client
was to increase his rates by 30% and then present each client with
a 20% OFF certificate for orders placed within 30 days of proof
viewing. The result, “This really changed the life of the studio
and our cash flow. People are thrilled to get the discount. On the
first sale after we implemented this discount, I gave a customer
a $450 ‘discount’, and the lady told me I was giving away
my portraits at that price. With the 20% off, she was still paying
almost 5% more than my previous prices. It was just that the perception
and the motivation had changed.” Several in the Equine Photographers
Network have this or a similar strategy in place with outstanding
results, 30% to 60% increased sales after implementation.
If
you have any thoughts or questions please email me at pdemott@multi-ad.net.
My goal is to get you thinking and help where I can. My direct mail
postcard which I promised to share with this article is not finished
yet, stayed tuned for it in a future issue.
-Parting
thoughts:
I
was immediately challenged to have a more current, up to date logo
that communicates when I saw the logo for “The Horse Show with
Rick Lamb”. Take a look at the logo on this web site at http://www.thehorseshow.com/
, Does your logo effectively communicate your image, what you do,
and is it up to date?
Peter
DeMott
pdemott@multi-ad.net
Equestrian Sport Photography-Photos by Peter DeMott
http://www.photosbypdemott.com
(About the author: Peter is in full time direct mail advertising
sales. As the top seller in Multi-Ad in Dayton, Ohio he works with
over 100 clients on an ongoing basis creating marketing solutions
for their businesses. He has clients who spend as little as $250
per month and others who spend $15,000 per month. Peter also has
a part time equine photography business called Equestrian Sport
Photography-Photos by Peter DeMott and is a member of EPnet. He
posts regularly on all three of our equine photography egroups)
|
Legal
Views
Question:
I
am so confused! I want to do the right thing but I need
to know what that is! One of my new clients wants a release
to use the photo in an advertisement for her farm. But all
the releases I found on the web are to allow someone to
be photographed. Then I saw something about licensing the
image. Can you help define what I am looking for?
|
|
Answer:
It
seems that she wants permission to publish the image in which
you are the copyright owner. A common way to provide permission
is by a license. A license is simply a writing that describes
the image, prospective use, time period, and any compensation
for the permission. Releases are usually an acknowledgement
that a person has granted permission to use their likeness
in an advertisement.
Bert P. Krages
Attorney at Law
6665 S.W. Hampton Street, Suite 200
Portland, Oregon 97223
http://www.krages.com/lvaserv.htm
Editor's Note: Bert Krages is an attorney
practicing environmental and intellectual property law in
Portland, Oregon. He is also the author of the Legal Handbook
for Photographers: The Rights and Liabilities of Making Images
information at http://www.krages.com/lhp.htm
and Total Environmental Compliance: A Practical Guide for
Environmental Professionals information at http://www.krages.com/tec.htm.
|
|
Spotlight:
Behind the Camera
Erika
Culmann
I have been photographing since I was about 4 years old.
I still have some of those early images, you know the
ones of your older sister shaving her legs in the bathroom,
and the embarrassing ones that the family will die if
they found out you still have.
I
was not a camera bug as I grew up, being raised in a camera
shop was not what a hip and happening kid of the eighties
wanted to admit too. I found you learn even when you try
not too and all that I learned back then came back like
and old friend in my mid-twenties when I did get serious
about photography.
One
of my favorite stories to tell nature buff photographers
is when I was eleven and my mom had me sit next to this
old fart and take a picture. She kept telling me how excited
she was to have met him and so on. After my mom passed
away my sister was going through papers and found the
image. There is this grumpy looking kid sitting next to
an equally grumpy old fart named Ansel Adams. It was dated
in 1981, the year my mom got passionate about photographing
every twig and leaf in Yosemite National Park. Being underage
I was drug along on these passionate journeys and I'll
admit that I snapped some photos.
What
brought me back to photography was my mother being diagnosed
with cancer. I took over the running of the family camera
store so she would stay home and rest. What kept me interested
was my young daughter who thought photography had been
invented for her. The camera adores her and she knows
it. What got me into horse photography was the promotion
of our young paint stallion.
I
studied the breed journals and took pictures. Trial and
error education is basically how I learned to photograph
horses. Not long after I was getting inquiries about shooting
other stallions and doing show photography. My talents
are refined by what clients tell me they want to see,
I don't specialize in any breed or discipline, I don't
want to have a niche, like my stallion we will try anything
to see if there is a talent, if there is it's explored
if not, we chalk it up to a learning experience and move
on.
|
I took the digital route for a few reasons. 1st , because
it made economical sense in the long run, (As we all know
film gets expensive) I do most of my printing in house
on high end Epson printers and anything over 11x14 goes
to a friends drum roll printer. Digital gives me the ability
to do clean manipulations with out having to use a scanner.
Color is top priority and you lose that with a scan, which
was frustrating for me so the natural move was to digital.
2nd reason was demand; we live in a society that wants
it yesterday. I will either take a computer system with
me to an event for on the spot printing or by that evening
it's uploaded to my website so that the competitors can
view and order online. This is an impulse business; I
do all I can to keep that impulse strong and gratification
quick. It also frees me up from having to know who my
contestants are and keep track of them. I don'
t have to mail them proofs and there is no reason for
me to nag the show management for names and addresses
unless I want to add those contestants to my mailing list.
The less I have to worry about the happier I am.
My
business is actually branching off into other areas that
have nothing to do with horses. I am freelancing for nature
magazines and I have a trip to Baja planned for next year
to photograph Marlin fishing. I will always have my fingers
in the horse pies but there is so much more out there
to explore.
Above all I enjoy exploring.
Erika
Culmann
Wellman
Image
Photographic excellence
www.wellmanimage.com
Tyme To Paint
Breeding outstanding APHA & AQHA horses
www.tymetopaint.com
|
|
| Photo
Tip . . .Camera Protection in Winter
I
love shooting in the winter when the snow is falling. But
you need to protect your camera when doing this. To prolong
my batteries, I put my camera inside my coat, against my
body until I absolutely need to take it out. When I take
it out for the shot, I put a plastic bag around the camera
body, leaving a hole for the lens and a hole for me to look
through the viewfinder. I also use a lens shade to help
keep the snow from falling directly on the lens. When you
are done shooting and your camera is cold, don't bring it
directly into a warm area. This will create condensation.
Try to find a place to put the camera where it will warm
up slowly, such as a window sill. If that is not possible,
you can encase it in a plastic bag, which will cause the
condensation to form on the outside of the bag instead of
on the camera.
Karen Patterson
photolady@mail.com.
|
|
|
|
»This
Just In...«
The Equine Photographers Network Winter Workshop
will be Feb12-16 2003 in Scottsdale Arizona. Offering a Members
Retreat, Business Speaker, Trade Show, Photo Show and Competition,
Susan Sexton: Photographing the Sport Horse Seminar and Patty
Hosmer: Photographing the Western Stock Horse Seminar. Check
the site for complete details.
|
The
mission of EPNet News is to inspire, educate and reinforce
the importance of integrity and professionalism in business practice.
As
a publication of the Equine Photographers' Network, the EPNet
News does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy or completeness
of any information presented. One Horse Productions, the staff
of EPNet News, guest authors of the EPNet News and current members
of the Equine Photographers' Network are not responsible for errors,
omissions or for results obtained from the use of such information.
Any reference to specific products, process, or service does not
necessarily constitute or imply endorsement of such. All photographs
and illustrations on newsletter are copyrighted through the respective
photographer/designer and the Equine Photographers Network through
publishing in the EPNet News .These images are not in the public
domain and may not be posted on personal or commercial websites
or correspondence or used in any manner without obtaining permission
of the copyright holder. For more information on images contact
EPNet News Editor.
Editor: rbaucus@chartermi.net
© 2002 Equine Photographers' Network, All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer
|
Site
design by One Horse
Productions
|
