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  As I was pondering my post for today, the Colbert Show was on, and I was doing some paperwork review. One of the guests on the show was Andrew Keen, author of The Cult of the Amateur: How today's Internet is killing our culture, and I paused and watched. In fact, I was so intrigued, I hit the "record" on my Tivo, and watched the interview several times. Here are some quotes from their exchange: Andrew Keen: "The internet is destroying our culture.."
Stephen Colbert: "....I can go on any old web site and find pictures of any old art I want…"
AK: "That’s stealing culture...The problem with the internet is it is making it increasingly difficult for artists to earn a living because everyone is stealing."
SC: "You’re just an elitist...Here’s my problem. You say the internet is just for amateurs, and that the amateurs don’t actually create great culture."
AK: How do you pay your rent?
SC: I get paid by the advertisters who give the money to the network who give the money to me.
AK: I think you’re supporting my argument....The fact is, you are a professional artist making money through the sale of advertising, on television...On the internet though, people are stealing your content. They’re putting it on YouTube. They’re undermining you as a creatve artist."
SC: "Right, and my parent company Viacom is sueing YouTube for a billion bucks, and I am sure I am getting acut of it."
AK: "Are you in support of that lawsuit?"
SC: "Oh absolutely, Go get ‘em guys." I encourage you to get the book. While I don't believe the book will change the swelling tide, what it will do is give you insights into the new frontier, and how you can adapt to it. Evolve or die. Differentiate yourself or perish. Being a professional photographer is not for the weak of heart or diminished drive. A friend in Baltimore sent me a few interesting Flickr links, which I delved deeper into: A listing of all Nikon D2x users on Flickr shows an upward trend this past year of this $4500 camera:  With almost 8,000 images uploaded just yesterday. Their full Nikon chart can be seen here. For Canon, all 1Ds Mark II cameras also shows an upwards trent this past year of this $7,000 camera:  With over 5,000 images uploaded just yesterday. Their full Canon chart can be seen at here. These insights are not meant to scare you, but rather, to be enlightening. Reporting this isn't going to somehow reduce the number of amateurs giving their work away for free using $10,000+ in camera equipment. Reading the book will help you understand the inside machinations of what's happening, and why. When you know how and why it's happening, you can then better understand how to develop your own roadmap of your career in photography. As a byproduct of this, It can also help you to better understand the mind of those amateurs, and how you could engage those most effectively when the opportunity arises, and, perhaps, in your community, school them how they are contributing to the decline of the creative products of professionals.
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 Debates debates debates. Everyone's having one. CNN, Youtube, and to the right is the debate I had to interrupt my vacation to cover in Chicago for a day - the union's democratic debate on Soldier Field. The first debates that will really matter in the presidential field won't really come until the spring. Yet, a debate worth paying attention to is that about your future as a photographer. Enter Photoshelter, with a forum of travelling debates they've dubbed "Photography 2.0: The Business of Photography in the Web Era," to give you some real insights. A panel of photographers AND clients has been assembled in cities across the country. From the press release: The series will commence in
New York City on September 14, 2007, with subsequent events to be held in
- Atlanta, September 17
- Chicago, September 19
- Portland, OR, September 24
- San Francisco, September 26
- and the Los Angeles-area, September 28
Photographers of any experience level who are interested in the future of commercial photography are encouraged to attend. This won't be some dry presentation either - when you get photographers and clients together talking about their future working together, it'll be an informative exchange. They've got: Brittney Blair, Art Director for Chicago Magazine; George Pitts, Professor of Photography at Parsons School of Design and former Photography Director at Life magazine; Marnie Beardsley, Global Director of Art Buying, Weiden + Kennedy; Jennifer Miller, former Director of Photography, JANE magazine; Shannon Hall, Photo Director, BlackBook Magazine; Asha Schecter, former Photo Research Editor, The New Yorker; and over 20 photographers including Bill Frakes, Chase Jarvis, Amanda Marsalis, Chris McPherson, Brian Ulrich, Michael Zagaris and many more. Now, don't expect Ms. Blair to be in NYC, she'll be in her respective city. Each city will have a solid representation of local talent and local talent-buyers. Oh, and I forgot the best part - it's FREE! Hurry up though, as space is limited. To register, and learn more, click here.
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 PDN's Pulse blog is reporting on the latest evolution of websites - the mobile website. While Caesar Lima is among the first, I am in production to adapt my own site to the mobile platform, and that should be up soon. Caesar is using a link from his main site to a "/iphone" sub-folder. I'd submit that that will work for a few months as a cool gimmick, and then he'll be wishing he just did "/mobile" or some other non-specific title, as other devices are not far off. For my mobile site, I've registered " http://JohnHarrington.Mobi" and " http://John-Harrington.Mobi" several months ago, and they will, once the mini-site is active, be viewable there, however, they will also be viewable by going to a page off of JohnHarrington.com which will have something like "/mobile" or some other variation that makes sense, in a generic way. If you're stuck with JSmithPhoto.net, perhaps now is the time to get your .Mobi account with your full name! I know of many a big name photographer who's .Mobi domain name is still available. (I checked).
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I encourage you to exercise extreme caution when being pitched for website design and photo/audio packages. Just last night, I recieved the following e-mail blast:
Present Your Artistic Vision &
Unique Portfolio With Elegance and Style
Petruska Photography just did... Take a peek at their website
[click photo]
It's A Photographer's Dream...
A Professional Website With
A Premium Slideshow Photo Gallery & Music
For Less Than A Cup Of Coffee Per Day!
(Gallery & Hosting Incl)
Psst... Does your website need a design makeover?
Impress your clients with an optional Story Book or a
built in photo ordering form.
Let our elegant designs showcase your services.
We look forward to hearing from you... Call Nerds Software Today!
Now, Pat and Hans have nice photos, and the pages look good. I don't personally prefer the "page turning" style, but I am sure that it appeals to their audience. In addition to the "Copyright" tab at the bottom of their site, which details that their work is protected by copyright, is a nice link to the site designer, as well as three links which begin three well known songs. All three songs are very popular songs, they evoke certain emotions, the first is by Lifehouse, the 2005 hit song "You and Me". The second is Seal's 1994 smash hit "Kiss from a Rose", and the third is the Goo Goo Dolls' somewhat lesser known "I'll Be". All three make you feel differently about the images you are seeing. A second sense - aural - enhances your visual experience. So, I wrote to Nerds, and asked them:
Mark --
How much does it cost to have the audio on the site as well as the design?
Within 15 minutes, I get a response from Robert Pritchard (his colleague), with the subject line: Subject: Music is included followed by a sales pitch email, that reads, in part: Our Design Team would be happy to design a custom website for your use for only $399.00 + a $50.00 per mo. leasing fee. Please note that the first year leasing fee is payable in advance....Our pricing structure is setup to help photographers spread out the cost of a custom website over several years. Typically a custom website for photographers would cost at least several thousand dollars...You will notice that many of our clients have added a Story Book Intro (with 6-8 automated flipping pages) giving them an additional “WOW” feature showcasing their portfolios. (an affordable option at $250.00)...Our clients have been amazed at how fast, how simple & how little they had to do!!! A brand new website is launched in 10-14 days from the day we receive your fine photography & deposit." They then include other sites which showcase their talents, like www.imaginique.net/ImaginiqueWeddings.htm uses the song "Unforgettable" to enhance the experience, www.jpatrickphoto.com/JPPortraits.htm uses Iz's (aka Israel Kamakawiwo'ole) extremely popular "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" recording, and www.stantonsphotography.com/ uses The Corr's top ten hit "Breathless". In addition, all have very defined copyright/IP notices on their sites. None of these photographers are probably aware that, in any way, there is a problem with having these audio tracks on their sites. Just as many of their portrait and wedding clients may well believe that they are not doing anything wrong by taking their prints down to the one-hour photo lab and making copies. Yet, since I know that a Statutory license is not available to either the photographers, or the web design firm, and certainly that fee above for design can't possibly include the licensing for the above mentioned hit songs, while I don't definitively know that they haven't secured advertising rights for the use of those songs for each individual customer, or all their customers, the likelihood is that they have not. When I wrote Robert back, I asked: Robert --
I like the added experience of the music. Some of them have nice instrumentals, others have more well-known/popular music. Can I choose the songs I want from music that I like, and that appeal to my clientele? Robert responded 5 minutes later: John,
The quick answer is yes. He then volunteers that if I would like any additional information, he'd be happy to talk to me. I have music that I use, that I've obtained a license to use, from a company that is affiliated with the Professional Photographer's of America - Broken Joey Records. Joe, the owner, I met while speaking at PPA's ImagingExpo last January. He has a wide variety of copyright cleared music, because either he, or his partners wrote, produced, and performed the music, and grant a limited license to photographers, for a very very reasonable fee. Joe wrote an article here on the subject. There are also other sources for rights-cleared music. Exercise extreme caution, and where vendors of yours are including copyrighted components into the work they produce for you, whether audio, video, or other graphics or still images, make sure that you have proof that your vendor has the right to re-license that material to you. Ultimately, in the end, these photographers will be on the hook for these alledged infringements.
UPDATE: One commenter noted the BMI service http://www.bmi.com/newmedia/entry/C1168 for licensing audio. I went through the process, and BMI's service, for a website (I made selections that are in line with a photographer's website), has a minimum annual charge of $299.00. When I indicated, as I was required to do, "Please indicate your estimated annual revenue:", I chose, first, $60k, which made my actual licensing fee $1,050. When I changed it to $25k, the annual licensing fee was reduced to $437.50.
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 I was passing through a drive-through during my trek through the Northwest these past few days, and there I found an interesting insight. "Jack", of Jack-In-The-Box fame, was cited as the source for the phrase: "Whoever said 'a penny for your thoughts' was a cheapskate." Who knew this wisdom was a tangential byproduct of fast food? (For the 'Straight Dope' on the initial phrase, click here.) It's so appropo to creatives. People continue to devalue what your mind dreams up, and what your mind sees. With technology making exposure and focus so much less of a hurdle to a usable image, the value of what's in your mind's eye becomes far more valuable. What you see. How you see it. How you frame it. When you trigger the shutter closed. At some point, we evolve, as "paid people" to a cap for what we are worth as a physically producing worker. Attorneys, doctors, and consultants, are paid hundreds and thousands of dollars an hour for their extensive knowledge-bases, for their talents, unrelated to how long or how physical their work is. So too, are we, as creatives, best valued for our thoughts - how creative we are, and how we can best solve creative challenges when we're presented with them. Remember, you set the price for your thoughts, and what your bring to the table. Don't let others dictate to you what you're worth - they will, almost without exception, undervalue (either intentionally, or unintentionally) your contributions.
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 I see, to a degree, that you're multiplying "one" employee, and thus, it makes sense that it's a photoshop job on this one, composting multiple images of the same subject. But I have to ask - who styles these ads! Everyone that I asked about this came away with the quizical "what were they thinking?" question on their minds! Gizmodo did a piece on it, (you can see the full ad here) and now, apparently, a Vice President has been sent out to be the recipient of slings and arrows. Her statement on the subject: Intel's intent of our ad titled "Multiply Computing Performance and Maximize the Power of Your Employees" was to convey the performance capabilities of our processors through the visual metaphor of a sprinter. We have used the visual of sprinters in the past successfully.
Unfortunately, our execution did not deliver our intended message and in fact proved to be insensitive and insulting. Upon recognizing this, we attempted to pull the ad from all publications but, unfortunately, we failed on one last media placement.
We are sorry and are working hard to make sure this doesn't happen again.
~ Nancy Bhagat Vice President, Director of Integrated Marketing While I find it hard to believe that, AFTER the media placements had been sent out, they failed to catch only one. This could have been done better if the employees had been older white men, and the "boss" the same race, hispanic. There were other ways to execute this than the way it was. As the photographer on the campaign, it would be your responsibility to obtain client approval on the final image before calling a wrap. Further, when you're involved in the casting, you should be sensitive to these issues - you are a part of a team concepting and dealing with the details on an ad. In the end, however, if the assignment was, say, $10,000 to produce for all your fees and expenses, and you seperately had a line item for two dozen insertions in various trade magazines over the course of a year, that rights package could be worth another $20,000 in licensing fees. However, if the client kills the campaign, unless your paperwork is written correctly, you may loose almost all of that additional revenue. Further, at that ad agency, you'll get little or no more work because you'll likely be known as the photographer that produced an ad that was critisized as being insensitive at best, and racist at worst, so you'll loose additional assignments from that firm down the road.
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 I'm off to cover the Presidential debate in Chicago today, so here are today's Speedlinks. - PopPhoto's Blog - Has an update on the NYC "true crime of photography" issue, and, in general, they're a good resource for you to bookmark.
- American Journalism Review - There's an interesting take on the use of Photoshop in the news/editorial business, and digital forensics.
- A thread over at lightsalkers - This thread is suggesting, based upon a comment by Editorial Photographers UK that those on lightstalkers are somehow trust fund photographers (oh, please!)
- Dan Heller's blog - Titles his latest post as an homage to Admiral Stockdale, and gives me about as much of an acknowledgement as I am due -- to wit: "even a clock that doesn't run is right twice a day". He goes on to set the record straight about what he does (and does not) do, and it's worth a read.
Now go! Check 'em out, and come back soon!
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