VCG (blue line) 11/15/16 through 12/14/16, compared to the market composite index (orange line). Source: Bloomberg: VCG Visual China Group (SHE:VCG), has seen a significant loss in the last month losing far more market value then the general malaise of the Shenzhen overall composite index. This is important because, as VCG goes, so goes Getty Images. … Read more
Creative Commons is a well intentioned idea gone bad, and finally their existence will be put to the test, in a lawsuit brought that challenges the notion of what is “commercial” versus “noncommercial” use of an image. Ars Technica reports, in “Creative Commons licenses under scrutiny—what does “noncommercial” mean?” (here, 9/18/16) that an educational company, … Read more
Getty Images today notified contributors that on June 8th, 2016 it filed a lawsuit against Walter A. Kowalczuk because they allege he “downloaded thousands of images without authorization from Getty Images and profited from those downloads. In addition, Getty Images believes that Mr. Kowalczuk was not acting alone, and the company is actively pursuing other possible … Read more
What camera slinging aspiring pro photographer wouldn’t want to be a part of a “Photo Quest” these days? A “quest” conjures up Indiana Jones-esque expeditions for the perfect picture – explorers searching for just the right photo to satisfy the “photo gods of exposure.” Who could be so ignorant or desperate? Apparently quite a few, … Read more
Getty images is getting “up to $100 million” according to Reuters (here) from Visual China Group, which might seem like a lot, but, in review, is really not. In 2015, Bloomberg Business reported on Getty’s cash situation, in “Getty Images is Running Tight on Cash” (2/25/15). What was reported was that, in the last quarter … Read more
Corbis wasted no time detailing to photographers how the transition from being a Corbis photographer to a Getty Images photographer will take place, in an email sent out with a FAQ. While the FAQ went into great detail. What was abundantly clear was that Corbis will no longer exist in short order. Yesterday, Photo Business … Read more
The sale of Corbis to Unity Glory, a Beijing China headquartered company, and the simultaneous announcement that Getty has an exclusive global distribution partnership with the parent company – Visual China Group, foretells the continued demise of the stock photography industry, and as well, Getty Images. Corbis website announces sale. One of the things that … Read more
News out of New York is not good today. While the Time, Inc (NYSE: TIME) photo editors are scrambling with today’s extended deadline for photographic contributors to sign, this morning SI Director of Photography Brad Smith (LinkedIn: Brad Smith), along with Photo Editor Claire Bourgeois (LinkedIn: Claire Bourgeois) and John Blackmar (LinkedIn: John Blackmar) are … Read more
As a professional photographer, one of the worst things you can do is be a freelancer. That is, just as you should banish the phrase “day rate” from your lexicon, so too should you banish the word “freelance” from the word set you use to describe yourself. Words not only have meanings, they insinuate something … Read more
ASMP issued the following alert to exercise “extreme caution”, which we are posting here, in it’s entirety on the Time Inc (NYSE: TWX) contract: Open letter to Time Inc. regarding one-sided independent photographer contract ASMP has joined with the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), the Digital Media Licensing Association (DMLA), American Photographic Artists (APA), and the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) in a … Read more
