asmp student affiliates photo annual awards life insurance: part ii

JUMPSTART YOUR CAREER WITH ASMP
PHOTO ANNUAL AWARDS
YOU GOTTA PLAY TO WIN
LIFE INSURANCE: PART II
WINTER 2005
WHY, WHEN AND HOW MUCH
A S M P BULLETIN
ASMP STUDENT AFFILIATES
PLUS:
Get Connected!
Make Tracks with
Your Web Site
© Erika Goldring
Assess Your Business
CLONE ARTWORK
ONE A RTWORK
Clone Artwork
CLONE ARTWORK
Clone Artwork
CLONE A RTWORK
Clone Ar twork
CLONE ARTWORK
Clone Artwork
CLONE A RTWORK
Clone Artwork
CLONE ARTWORK
Clone Artwork
CLONE A RTWORK
Clone Artwork
CLONE ARTWORK
Clone Artwork
CLONE A RTWORK
Clone Artwork
CLONE ARTWORK
Clone Artwork
CLONE A RTWORK
Clone Artwork
CLONE ARTWORK
Clone Artwork
CLONE A RTWORK
Clone Ar twork
CLONE ARTWORK
Clone Artwork
CLONE A RTWORK
Clone Ar twork
CLONE ARTWORK
Clone Artwork
CLONE A RTWORK
Clone Ar twork
CLONE ARTWORK
Clone Artwork
CLONE A RTWORK
Clone Ar twork
CLONE ARTWORK
Clone Artwork
CLONE A RTWORK
Clo
Clone Artwor
A r twork Clone A rtwork Clone A rtwork Clone A r twork Clone A r twork Clone A r twork Clone A r twork Clone A r twork Clone A r twork Clone A r twork Clone A r twork Clo
twork
Nikon Digital is pushing boundaries.
The new D2X is here.
The D2X™ is breaking down walls because it’s the first camera to blend such a high level of resolution with incredible speed and groundbreaking
wireless technology. Nikon Digital created it with one simple principle in mind: if the picture matters, the camera matters.™
Leading-edge, dual-shooting
capabilities that matter Shoot
with 12.4 effective megapixels
at 5 fps for 15 consecutive NEF
(RAW) images or 21 JPEGs in a sequence.
Or when the situation demands yet faster
frame rates, the 6.8-megapixel High
Speed Cropped mode allows 8 fps shooting
for 26 consecutive NEF images or 35 JPEGs.
No other camera combines such dualshooting possibilities.
Leading-edge wireless capabilities
that matter The new wireless
transmitter, WT- 2A,* includes IEEE
802.11 b/g support for increased
transfer speeds, to keep you going fast and
furious without the need to come back and
download. Not to mention, there is the new
wireless Capture Control that pushes physical
boundaries when synced with Nikon Capture
4.2 Software for completely wireless remote
control photography.
Read more about the D2X and everything else that matters at nikondigital.com
©2005 Nikon Inc. *Optional accessory.
Leading-edge high-resolution
image processing engine that
matters Nikon Digital’s new
advanced high-resolution image
processing engine (LSI) renders colors across
a wider exposure range by optimizing the
distribution of analog and digital white
balance gain–resulting in, quite possibly, the
most vibrant, beautiful hues you’ve ever seen.
?
IPNSTO CK COM
INDEPENDENT PHOTOGRAPHY NETWORK
A portal of stock images from a vast network of
photographers, rep groups and agencies providing
direct access to fresh content for creatives every day.
assignment
stock
© PIERPAOLO FERRARI
Is it Stock or Assignment?
PhotoServe.com
The most up-to-date visual database of the world’s
best assignment photographers, and emerging
talent,rising stars,industry information and trends.
IPNSTO CK.COM
PhotoServe.com
Part of the Marketing / Media and Arts Group of VNU USA.
ASMPCONTENTS
[WINTER 2005]
4 PRESIDENT’S LETTER
Susan Carr deconstructs the
curent state of assignment work
9 COMMENTARY
Eugene Mopsik on getting
connected through ASMP
12 NEWSLINE
Lois Greenfield gets on stage,
A sticky situation with CD labels, Hal
Gage receives $12,000 fellowship,
Digital media at security checkpoints, Rawformat.com supports
universal DNG format
16 BOOK LOOK
Harvey Lloyd and the Samurai Way,
Debbie Fleming Caffery makes
pictures speak
17 LEGAL REVIEW
22 MARKETING STRATEGIES
18 BETTER BUSINESS
26 FEATURE STORY
Copyright Update:
In 2005 Congress starts from scratch
Assess your business to know
where you stand
19 OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEERS
Janette McVey in Philadelphia, Scott
Serata in Northern California
20 MONEY MATTERS
Life Insurance: Part II – Why, when
and how much to purchase
By Aaron Schindler
Make tracks to increase
your Web traffic
By Ethan G. Salwen
Photo annual awards —
You gotta play to win
By Bill Kouwenhoven
30 PORTFOLIO
Student affiliates jumpstart
their careers with ASMP
33 PARTING SHOT
The pioneering sports
photography of George Silk
ON OUR COVER: © Erika Goldring. An ASMP student affiliate from The New Orleans Academy of Fine Art, Erika Goldring caught REM’s Michael
Stipe reaching out for votes while covering the Vote for Change Tour at Philadelphia’s Wachovia Center last fall.
To see more from recent affiliates, flip to our portfolio section on page 30.
THIS PAGE: © Kristen Ashburn / Contact Press Images. Kristen Ashburn’s documentary work on AIDS in Southern Africa has garnered awards
and fellowship money to help her continue this project. Pictured above: Woman holds HIV-positive grandson, Zimbabwe, January 2001.
To learn more about Photo Competitions and how to win them, turn to page 26.
© Keith Mumma
PRESIDENT’SLETTER
Keith Mumma, an ASMP Member since 1992, took my portrait for this issue. Keith is a corporate and editorial photographer serving clients throughout the Midwest. Keith has donated years of time and talent to the International Child
Care program in Haiti. His photographs of the people and culture are featured in ”Degaje: Children of Haiti“. Most
recently Keith has been one of the leaders in the documentary project 2 Cities 48 Hours, a project that organized twenty photographers to photograph Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, Michigan. Learn more about Keith by visiting
www.groupmumma.com and www.2cities48hours.com.
IS ASSIGNMENT PHOTOGRAPHY DEAD?
I
by offering the client a choice of images with no obligation to purchase. Learn more about custom stock by
visiting www.asmp.org/customstock.
The assignment photographer lost the business of
creating generic photographs when the stock photography business became part of the mainstream
advertising workflow. No buyer needs to commission a
photograph of a woman at a computer or a pastoral
landscape anymore, as a selection of these types of
images are just a click and credit card purchase away.
The “custom stock” business model is targeting
assignment work even more directly with the hybrid
approach of stock pricing and assignment service.
The client is the winner—getting more for less money.
The photographer is the loser—giving more for less pay.
The lines of our job distinctions are getting blurred.
Rental studios now hire photographers on a work for
hire basis, putting themselves in direct competition with
independent photographers who used to be their client
base. Corporate photographers with less work are taking on wedding photography and, sadly, often deliver
film or digital files to the client with no restrictions. This
is contrary to established procedures of image use
based on specified rights. Ad agencies are using on-line
job bidding systems adding to the commodification of
our services. Large stock agencies are becoming assignment agents, putting them in competition with
Associated Press, Magnum and independent artist reps.
If you haven’t felt the impact of these changes, I can
assure you that you will soon. These trends are real,
growing and evolving everyday.
Start finding solutions by educating yourself about
these business realities. ASMP recently launched a
bi-weekly Newswatch e-mailed to members—the latest
news related to our industry concisely presented in one
e-mail. Take the time to read it! Engage your fellow
members on the ASMP forum, the Specialty Group
listservs and through your local chapters. Set time aside
for relevant seminars coming to your area and use the
extensive resources we have available on ASMP.org.
ASMP is working diligently to build benefits that
provide real working options for our members to
navigate today’s tough business market. Combine what
we are offering with your own creative talents and
transform your business for the future.
t is commonly acknowledged that commercial photography is a $6 billion annual business worldwide
with assignment photography claiming $4 billion of
those sales. The remaining $2 billion is generated
through the licensing of existing images, the business
we know as stock photography.
The majority of ASMP members are assignment photographers, fulfilling a specific client need for a predetermined price and usage with the client bearing the
production costs related to executing the job. So, why is
ASMP spending so much time talking to you about the
stock photography business? We do this because it is
imperative that every assignment photographer
becomes aware of industry trends, particularly in the area
of stock. Knowledge is the first step to finding solutions.
Assignment photographers are being hit from all
sides by slashed advertising budgets, rights-grabbing
contracts and technology demands. Add the explosion
of the stock photography business over the past
decade and sustaining an assignment business
becomes very difficult.
Independent assignment photographers have long
rested their futures on the belief that the unique and specific needs of buyers would remain under their exclusive
purview. Prepare yourself, because this is no longer true.
Knowing that the largest market in commercial photography is in fulfilling extremely specific image needs, stock
distributors are developing ways to expand their services and grab a piece of that $4 billion assignment market.
This isn’t inherently malicious nor does it mean that photographers will not still be needed in the future, but it
does signal that the owners of the mega archives and
distribution channels will play an ever increasing role in
how our businesses fit into the landscape.
Royalty Free Stock, existing images licensed with virtually unlimited usage rights, has dramatically expanded its reach beyond its original low-end intent and now
competes head on with traditional rights-managed
stock imagery and assignment work. Stock images are
of higher quality, cheaper and more accessible than
ever before. Add to this the new business model known
as “custom stock” and we have an ever-increasing
threat to the livelihood of assignment photographers.
The “custom stock” business model offers clients
assignment-specific imagery at stock prices. And, it
goes one step beyond traditionally commissioned
assignment work (every project is actually photographed by multiple photographers on speculation)
ASMPBULLETIN
Susan Carr
President, ASMP
4
I T S I M AG E S L E AV E O T H E R C A M E R A S I N T H E D U S T.
( W H I C H , I N C I D E N T A L LY, I T R E P E L S W I T H A
S U P E R S O N I C W AV E F I LT E R.)
TM
Every week, more professionals discover the power of the Olympus E-System. Only the E-1’s Digital
Specific Lenses were designed to channel light directly onto the image sensor. Only the E-1 was designed
to feature a patented Full-Frame Transfer CCD. And only the E-1 delivers images of such breathtaking, edgeto-edge clarity. Discover why so many photographers have switched to the Olympus E-System. Visit
olympusamerica.com/discover or call 1-800-260-1625. The Olympus E-System.
TM
TM
© 2004 Olympus America Inc.
The Supersonic Wave Filter in action:
TM
Before.
After.
The E-1’s unique Supersonic
TM
Wave Filter was designed to
protect the imager and your
images. Amazingly, the system’s
ultrasonic technology causes
dust particles to fall away. The
result, no damaged images, no
lost time. Change lenses at will.
Zuiko Digital lens.
Film lens.
The E-1's Zuiko Digital Specific
TM
Lenses were designed to focus light
directly on each pixel for edge-toedge sharpness. Digital SLRs that
use film lenses can't match the vibrant colors and subtle contrasts.
The E-1’s image sensor is a
high-performance Full-Frame
Transfer CCD. It captures
light and transfers data in a
way that produces images
with a higher dynamic range,
lower noise. It was designed
to deliver the truest, sharpest,
digital images in its class.
Yo u r Vi s i o n , O u r Fu t u r e
8FBSF
FWFSZXIFSF
ZPVOFFE
VTUPCF
Volume 24,
Number 3 / Winter 2005
www.asmp.org
The American Society of Media
Photographers, Inc.
President Susan Carr
First Vice President Clem Spalding
Second Vice President Bruce Kluckhohn
Treasurer Jim Flynn
Secretary Judy Herrmann
Board of Directors Lon Atkinson, Susan Carr, Ben
Colman, Jim Flynn, John Giammatteo, Judy Herrmann,
Bruce Kluckhohn, Peter Krogh, Dan Lamont, Mary
Beth McAuley, Stanley Rowin, John Slemp, Clem
Spalding, Thomas Werner, Robert Wiley
Executive Director Eugene Mopsik
Managing Director and General Counsel
Victor S. Perlman, Esq.
General Manager Elena Goertz
Technology Director Mike Zornek
Web Master Amy Genuardi
Communications Director Peter Dyson
Bookkeeper Chris Chandler
Copyright Counsel Charles D. Ossola
Advertising Representatives
East Coast Jules Wartell
jules.wartell@russellgroupltd.com
West Coast Richard Wartell
rwartell@writeme.com
3FOU%JHJUBM%1JPâFSTUIFMBSHFTU
JOWFOUPSZPGUIFOFXFTUBOENPTUUFDIOJDBMMZ
BEWBODFEQSPGFTTJPOBMEJHJUBMDBNFSBTJOUIF
JOEVTUSZGSPN-FBG*NBDPO4JOBS1IBTF0OF
BOE$BOPO
#VZ%JHJUBM%1JBMTPTFMMTUIFTBNF
CSBOETUIBUXFSFOUBOECFMJFWFJOyCSBOETUIBU
NFFUPVSFYBDUJOHTUBOEBSETPGFYDFMMFODFBOE
BSFDPNQFUJUJWFMZQSJDFE
Produced by PDN Events
Publisher Jeffrey Roberts
Associate Publisher Lauren Wendle
Senior Editor Jill Waterman
Associate Editor Amy Blankstein
Art Director Heather Kern
Production Director Daniel Ryan
Contributors Susan Carr,
Eric Cohen, Michelle Golden,
Bill Kouwenhoven, Eugene Mopsik,
Victor S. Perlman, Ethan G. Salwen, Aaron Schindler
Copy Editor Amy Blankstein
8PSSZ'SFF%JHJUBM%1JQSPWJEFT
VOQBSBMMFMFEUFDIOJDBMTVQQPSU8FIBWFBTUBâ
PGEFEJDBUFEQIPUPQSPGFTTJPOBMTUSBJOFEJOUIF
MBUFTUUFDIOPMPHZ8FhSFPODBMM
$VUUJOH&EHF%JHJUBM%1JDBODSFBUF
UVSOLFZSFOUBMBOETBMFTQBDLBHFTUIBUJODMVEF
EJHJUBMBTXFMMBTBOBMPHDBNFSBTQMVTUIFMBUFTU
ASMP was founded in 1944 to promote high professional and
artistic standards in photography and to further the professional interests of its
membership by disseminating information on a range of subjects and concerns.
ASMP has a membership of more than 5,000 of the world’s finest photographers.
.BDJOUPTI(UPXFSTBOE.BDJOUPTIMBQUPQT
%JHJUBM3FOUBMT4BMFT
The ASMP Bulletin, is published five times a year by ASMP, The American Society of
Media Photographers, Inc., 150 North Second Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106.
Ph: (215) 451-2767, Fax: (215) 451-0880, e-mail: info@ASMP.org
Web-site www.asmp.org. Member subscription is $12 per year.
4UVEJPBOENPCJMFMJHIUJOHOPXBWBJMBCMF
%1J4"-&4t EQJEJHJUBMQIPUPDPN
OFXZPSL
EBMMBT
IPVTUPO
NJBNJ
MPTBOHFMFT
© 2005 ASMP, All rights reserved, ISSN 07445784
One time reprint rights are granted to ASMP chapter newsletters.
No article may be reprinted (above exception noted) without written permission
from ASMP. Postmaster: please address changes to
ASMP Bulletin, 150 North Second Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106.
PQFOJOH
Editorial contributions should be sent to: Jill Waterman, PDN, 770 Broadway, 7th Fl,
New York, NY 10003-9595. Phone: (646) 654-5834, Fax: (646) 654-5813,
E-mail: waterman@asmp.org. Unsolicited material will not be
acknowledged or returned. All submissions are printed at the discretion
of the Society and are subject to editing. Signed letters and
editorial contributions must include a phone number.
Articles appearing in the ASMP Bulletin reflect the opinions of
the writer. They do not necessarily reflect those of the editors, any officers of the
Society, the Board of Directors, or the National Office. The Society does not assume
responsibility for the individual writer’s opinions as expressed in the article.
UIFEJHJUBMDBNFSBTPVSDF
ASMPBULLETIN
8
[DIRECTOR’S
C O M M E N TA R Y ]
GET CONNECTED
Through its local chapters, the
T
he year was 1975—yes 1975, that’s not a misprint—when I received
an invitation to apply for membership in the Philadelphia Chapter
of the American Society of Magazine Photographers. Dynalights
were being made over a movie theatre in North Jersey and the Nikon F-2
was state of the art for 35mm. I had already been working as a freelance
photographer for five years and was starved for information and camaraderie. I felt as though I was working in a vacuum. There was no one with
whom to discuss issues of concern or to consult for technical questions. I
had a few photographer friends, but no real network.
I sent my portfolio and my membership application off to New YorkCity
for review. Some weeks later I received notice that my application had been
accepted. Beyond the pride I felt in now being a part of the premier trade
association for publication photographers, with members such as Avedon,
Newman, Skrebneski, Scavullo, Cartier-Bresson and Halsman, I finally felt
connected to the profession. It was bigger than just me; there was a heritage,
a history and a lot of other photographers — almost 1,400 members! There
were meetings and seminars to attend in Manhattan at our national office,
white papers to read, and people to call if I needed help or advice.
Much has changed in the thirty years since I joined ASMP. Now digital is
the prevailing image technology, the Internet and e-mail create instant
access to information and speed communications around the world. ASMP
has grown substantially with 40 chapters around the United States and
members in more than 30 foreign countries. What has not changed is the
need for photographers to talk with other photographers, to share information and to feel connected. Through its local chapters, the American Society
of Media Photographers provides the “kitchen table” for many of our members to come together, share and be a part of our industry—to feel connected! Need an assistant in another city, need rental equipment, need to
find locations, need to book a hotel close to your location? Call an ASMP
member in the local chapter and you’ll get help.
Specialty Groups within ASMP allow members working within a particular photographic specialty to collaborate to solve common problems and
deal with issues particular to the specialty. Specialty Groups have no borders
and meet via listservs and special events. Currently ASMP has Architectural,
Fine Art and Underwater Specialty Groups. There are plans for additional
groups in the near future. For more information on Specialty Groups
follow this link: www.asmp.org/community/specialty.php.
Sitting at the computer all day to manage digital assets or edit and file
film, to make client contacts, process billing and other office tasks, can make
you feel isolated. Get involved with your local ASMP chapter or Specialty
Group to network with and learn from your peers. Visit
www.asmp.org/copyright for the new ASMP Copyright Tutorial and go to
www.asmp.org/news/index.php for the latest special announcements,
newslines and industry events. Visit the ASMP Forums at
www.asmp.org/forum to access the accumulated knowledge of our
membership. Attend It’s Your Business Seminars to sharpen your skills and
improve your business practices. Read your ASMP NewsWatch E-mail.
Get Connected Today!
American Society of Media
Photographers provides the
“kitchen table” for many of
our members to come together,
share and be a part of our industry—to feel connected! Need
an assistant in another city,
need rental equipment, need to
find locations, need to book a
hotel close to your location?
Call an ASMP member in the local
ASMPBULLETIN
chapter and you’ll get help.
A
special issue
of the ASMP Bulletin is coming in
September 2005
Look for the best of 60 years
of ASMP Images.
More details to follow
9
Photo © 2005 Alberto Tolot
“THE S3PRO’S ABILITY TO CAPTURE A WIDER TONAL RANGE ASSURED
EASY FOR ME TO EXPLORE MY CREATIVITY
ME BEAUTIFUL SKIN TONES. THIS MADE IT
WITH CONFIDENCE IN MY EQUIPMENT.”
-ALBERTO TOLOT
Q Super CCD SRII for Unsurpassed Dynamic Range
Q Unique Film Simulation Modes
Q New Color Space Selection Features
Q New Selectable RAW Capture Modes
Q HS-V3 Software Kit Included
F U J I F I L M F I N E P I X S 3 P R O D I G I TA L C A M E R A
The new FinePix S3Pro incorporates over 70 years of Fujifilm photographic technology and expertise.
Most significant is Fujifilm’s new Super CCD SRII sensor, engineered to utilize both low-sensitivity R-pixels
(6.17 million R-pixels) and high-sensitivity S-pixels (6.17 million S-pixels) that mimic the performance of the
silver-halide crystals found in color negative film. The result is to deliver striking image quality, resolution and
an unprecedented dynamic range that assures the accurate rendition of detail from the brightest highlights to
the deepest shadows.
In addition, the S3Pro’s unique Film Simulation Modes allow you to replicate the contrast and saturation
characteristics of chrome and negative film. Other features include Color Spaces to give you the option of
sRGB and Adobe RGB so you can generate the color rendition you prefer. And with the
new RAW capture mode, you can select a smaller file size without losing
resolution. You also get the option of vertical or horizontal shutter release,
lightning fast start-up, HS-V3 Software Kit for RAW file conversion, and PC
Camera Shooting and Exif Extractor. All these features allow for a simplified
workflow process.
Fujifilm means digital. The FinePix S3Pro means you get the picture.
For more information call 1-800-800-FUJI, option #1, or visit www.fujifilm.com
©2005 Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc.
[WINTER
2005]
Check out the new and extensive
online guide to copyright that recently
debuted on the ASMP Web site.
Visit www.asmp.org/copyright
for full details.
NEWSLINE
© Lois Greenfield
HASSELBLAD MASTER
LOIS GREENFIELD GETS ON STAGE
This photograph by Lois Greenfield is included in Hasselblad’s 2005 calendar.
Greenfield gets further exposure in the performance Held, as she photographs
dancers and projects them onstage in huge real-time displays.
CD LABELS - A STICKY SITUATION
Your CD label oozed off its disc and into a client’s hard drive, now you
have to pay to replace it. The reality is, online discussion forums are
filled with photographers commiserating over similar stories.
Photographers are faced with the question of how to label their CDs
and DVDs—without creating problems down the line for themselves
or their clients. But almost as fast as such problems are recognized,
companies come up with solutions to fix them.
It’s decidedly low tech and isn’t the snazziest choice, but felt-tipped
pens provide one of the fastest ways to identify a CD. Some studies
have indicated that solvent-based pens degrade the integrity of the
data stored on the CD. Manufacturers are now coming out with waterbased ink pens. Among them, Sharpie has released a new line of specially formulated permanent ink pens—the Sharpie CD/DVD.
Lois Greenfield’s remarkable dance photography
graces the month of April in Hasselblad’s new promotional calendar, following her selection by the manufacturer as one of twelve “master” photographers.
Greenfield’s work has long been associated with mastery and precision; she slices through time at speeds of
1/2000 of a second to reveal frozen instants that exist
beneath the threshold of perception.
One of her latest projects brings this unique vision
out of the studio and into the spotlight. Greenfield and
her image-making process take center stage in the performance Held, a collaboration with Gary Stewart of the
Australian Dance Theater and DJ Lynton Carr.
“Held brings me back to my roots as a dance photographer shooting live dance on the stage, only this
time all the images are projected real-time on two
nine-foot screens as part of the performance,”
Greenfield says of the show. “By incorporating my
abstracted and composed imagery back into the flow
of choreography … [it] allows me to examine the relationship of the photo to the dance. It completes the
cycle, like throwing a caught fish back in the ocean and
watching it swim,” she adds.
Upcoming venues for Held include Anchorage,
Alaska (April 7–10) and the Joyce Theater in New York
(April 26–May 1). For more information about this
project, further details about Greenfield’s photography
or to inquire about her workshops, educational lectures and demonstrations, visit her Web site at
www.loisgreenfield.com/events/index.html
—Jill Waterman
Photographers opting for a more professional look turn to printing
their own labels.
Yet, according to Jason Chin, of Digital Society, a Manhattan-based
Mac repair and consulting shop, labels should be used with care. “The
adhesive of a poorly labeled CD can peel off and get stuck in your CDRom drive,” says Chin. “On a laptop, parts and labor can set you back
between $200 and $300.”
One solution is to burn your image or logo straight onto the
disk. Desktop products such as inkjet, thermal transfer and retransfer technologies are available for directly labeling on the disc
surface. For more information on CD labeling options, visit
www.osta.org/technology/cdqa11.htm.
ASMPBULLETIN
— Amy Blankstein
12
FOCUS-ON-FINANCE SEMINARS
SPONSORED AND PRESENTED BY AARON SCHINDLER - AUTHOR OF ASMP’S MONEY MATTERS COLUMN
Tuesday, March 15, 2005, 9am – Noon
RSVP required by Friday, March 11.
Thursday, April 7, 2005, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
RSVP required by April 4th.
Turn Your Creative Vision Into Financial Wealth:
How to Grow Creatively and Achieve Financial Goals
Pulse of the Market:
How to Grow and Protect Your Investments in an
Uncertain Global Economy
Session 1:
Creative Vision by Ian Summers, Career Coach,
Heartstorming Trainings
Aaron Schindler, Managing Director,
Wealth Advisory Group LLC
D
D
D
Daniel Thurm, Financial Representative,
Wealth Advisory Group LLC
Learn how to identify creative collaborators who
can help you achieve your creative dreams.
Learn how to manage your time, energy and
dollars more efficiently.
Visualize the lifestyle you want to lead in the
next 5, 10 and 20 years and make it happen.
Howard Chin, Co-manager, Guardian Investment Quality
Bond Fund and Guardian Low Duration Bond Fund
D
D
Session 2:
Financial Wealth, Aaron Schindler,
Managing Director, Wealth Advisory Group LLC
D
D
Daniel Thurm, Financial Representative,
Wealth Advisory Group LLC
D
D
D
Organize your finances on one visual model.
Learn about integrated financial strategies to grow
wealth and protect your family and business.
Experience an actual financial review session of a
photographer and his family.
Learn how to use asset allocation to build a personal portfolio.
Learn how rising interest rates and a fluctuating
U.S. dollar can affect your net worth.
Learn how fixed income investments, such as bonds,
can decrease risk for both younger and older investors.
Learn about alternative investments that you can
use in today’s economy.
These free seminars will be held at Wealth Advisory Group LLC,
888 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10106
(entrance on 57th Street between Broadway and 7th Ave.)
RSVP to 212-261-1897 or
e-mail focusonfinance@wagroupllc.com to reserve your seat.
From disability income, studio insurance to automobile and homeowners coverage, Taylor &
Taylor and St. Paul companies have been taking care of the insurance needs and problems
of artists for over 35 years.
Taylor & Taylor Associates, Inc.
Insuring your future.
90 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10016 Tel: (212) 490-8511 Telefax (212) 490-7236
ASMPBULLETIN
13
[WINTER
2005]
ALASKAN PHOTOGRAPHER HAL GAGE
RECEIVES INAUGURAL FELLOWSHIP AWARD
© Hal Gage
On November 29, 2004, ASMP member Hal Gage was one of seven artists to receive an Individual Artist Fellowship Award from the Anchorage,
Alaska-based Rasmuson Foundation. 2004 marked the first year the foundation presented the awards, designated for mid-career or mature
artists living in Alaska. Gage will use the $12,000 fellowship to fund his efforts to bring Ice: a personal meditation, an exhibition of his recent
work, currently traveling throughout Alaska, to the lower 48 states. Ice: a personal meditation combines Gage’s images of ice, produced over a
10-year period, with commentary by Susan Morgan and Ned Rozell on global warming and the retreat of ice fields. Gage, the only photographer in the group of awardees, will also use part of the fellowship to seed the publication of an exhibition catalogue about the work.
The Rasmuson Fellowship is Gage’s first. In addition to the money, this award provides other tangible benefits, including enhancing Gage’s
credibility with other granting institutions. “It’s also kept my name visible in the community,” says Gage, “which raises my profile with potential clients.” Despite the publicity the award generates, Gage tries to keep his personal work very separate from his commercial work. “I don’t
Hal Gage's Rasmuson Foundation
Fellowship will help him to exhibit his
images to a wider audience.
make art to sell and make a living. I try to keep the
two at a distance from one another.”
There are fewer grant opportunities available to
artists than ever before, and it’s vital to make any
application you submit stand out. According to
Gage, there are three elements that contribute to a
successful application. First, have a really good
resume. “Keep really good records of your activities and make sure there’s a comprehensive list of
them in your resume.” Second, write a polished,
focused narrative. Artists aren’t necessarily used to
talking about their work, but a granting institution needs to understand what you do and what
your goals are. Third, says Gage, “Always include
good reproductions of your work—but photographers should know this already.”
—AB
ASMPBULLETIN
14
DIGITAL MEDIA AT
SECURITY CHECKPOINTS
Whether it’s convincing security that your equipment is safe to take aboard a plane or being convinced by security that your equipment will suffer
no ill effects of security procedures, photographers
need reliable information about air travel before
they hit the airport.
In response to widespread concern, I3A, the
standards organization for the global imaging
industry, conducted a series of tests to determine
whether digital camera media cards could be
damaged by exposure to X-Ray scanners. Separate
tests, conducted jointly with the SanDisk
Corporation and the U.S. Transportation Security
Administration, exposed image storage media to
X-Ray scanners, walk-through metal detectors and
handheld metal detector wands. Test results found
that digital cameras and their image storage media
will not be damaged regardless of whether they are
transported in carry-on or checked baggage.
For more information on the results, visit
www.I3A.org. While digital camera media can
make it through security unscathed, don’t forget
that equipment used to screen checked baggage will
Separate tests, conducted jointly
with the SanDisk Corporation and
the U.S. Transportation Security
Administration, exposed image
storage media to X-Ray scanners,
walk-through metal detectors and
handheld metal detector wands.
damage undeveloped film. The TSA advises packing undeveloped film in carry-on bags and having
it inspected by hand.
Of course, going digital isn’t always a prescription for smooth sailing through airport checkpoints. One photojournalist recently reported on
his WebBlog that on January 16th El-Al Airlines
would not allow him to bring a Canon 1DS and an
iBook on a flight from Milan to Israel on the
grounds that they posed a security threat and could
not be sufficiently inspected before his plane was
scheduled to leave. While she had no knowledge of
the incident, U.S. El Al public relations representative Cheryl Stein stated that the airline does not ban
digital equipment and surmised that this photographer’s experience was an isolated security concern.
For travelers on American carriers, the TSA has no
prohibitions regarding digital equipment. They do,
however, encourage passengers to pack expensive
and delicate equipment in their carry on luggage in
order to prevent possible damage. For more information on TSA guidelines, visit www.tsa.gov.
—AB
.
SUPPORT BUILDS FOR DNG RAW FORMAT
In September 2004 Adobe Systems launched the Digital Negative Specification, a new open file
format for RAW digital files. By mid December, more than 1,000 photographers had signed an
online petition urging camera manufacturers to embrace the newly available universal platform.
The RAW format, essentially the digital equivalent of a negative, has grown in popularity
because it offers photographers the ability to capture unadulterated, unprocessed image data.
Although the concept of capturing the pure data is attractive, many photographers are wary of
adopting the technology for fear of investing time and money in a soon to be obsolete format.
Currently there are more than 100 proprietary RAW formats in use; each camera maker has its
own proprietary format, and sometimes those formats are even model specific. The Digital
Negative Specification format can store information from a diverse range of cameras.
The petition to support the DNG format’s adoption is available for signatures at the online
publication www.rawformat.com, a Web site that publishes updates on camera, computer, and
software manufacturers adopting RAW and DNG formats into their products.
—AB
The Winning Family
EOS 1Ds Mark II
16.7
megapixel
EOS 20D
8.2
megapixel
8.2
megapixel
EOS 1D Mark II
Canon’s winning streak just produced three exciting new family members. Introducing these
fresh new faces in digital professional photography boasting dynamic attributes such as:
EOS 1Ds Mark II • 16.7 megapixels
• Full frame CMOS sensor
• 4 fps for up to 10 consecutive frames
EOS 1D Mark II • 8.2 megapixel CMOS sensor
• 8.5 fps for up to 40 consecutive frames
• Two memory card slots
EOS 20D • All-new 8.2 megapixel CMOS sensor
• 5 fps for up to 23 consecutive frames
• 9 point autofocus
From tips to training, Foto Care’s dedicated imaging experts can help you unleash your
product’s greatest potential and provide precise solutions for optimum workflow. Whether
you need one of the new digital Canons or help to use it powerfully, focus on Foto Care.
BUY OR RENT TODAY! Let Foto Care help your workflow work for YOU.
136 West 21 Street, New York, NY 10011 • Ph (212) 741 2990 · Fx (212) 741 3217 • www.fotocare.com
ASMPBULLETIN
15
[BOOK
LOOK]
LIVING PHOTOGRAPHY ON THE EDGE
If you habitually hang out of helicopters to make your living as a photographer, the Zen concept
of no-mind (a state of mind where all extraneous thoughts are removed) would have an undeniable appeal. In The Samurai Way: Spiritual Journeys With a Warrior Photographer, Harvey Lloyd
presents his readers with the philosophies that underpin his ability to capture images under the
most challenging and hazardous conditions in tandem with stunning photographs from his
journeys around the world.
Lloyd has spent more than 40 years behind the camera and is as well known for his aerial views
of the Macchu Picchu or Mt. Denali’s of the world as he is for his intimate portraits of exotic
peoples and cultures from Thai dancers at Wat Po Temple in Bangkok to Garden Day Parade participants in New York City’s Lower East Side.
Lloyd’s passion for and joy in his work and life are front and center in The Samurai Way.
Throughout the book, he pairs photographs with anecdotes about the adventures surrounding
their creation. After one helicopter flight following the Royal Clipper, a five masted square-rigger passenger ship, from Guadeloupe to Dominica, Lloyd discovers that he’d neglected to fasten
himself properly to his safety harness. For Lloyd, luckily unscathed, it’s just another day at work.
His thoughts on no-mind and the Zen-influenced code of the Samurai—“the absolute will to
die”—and their effect on his life and creativity are also interspersed throughout the book. “Freed
of the fear of the unknown, a spiritual warrior and see-er is ready for anything,” Lloyd relates in
his introduction. If you’re looking to become a spiritual warrior, look no further for guidance.
—AB
The Samurai Way: Spiritual Journeys
With a Warrior Photographer
Text and photographs by Harvey Lloyd
Ruder Finn Press, 2004
224 pages, 72 color images, $24.95
ISBN: 0-932646-03-5
DEBBIE FLEMING CAFFERY
MAKES PICTURES SPEAK
Polly
Photographs and text by Debbie Fleming Caffery
Twin Palms Publishers, 2004
60 pages, 25 duotone images, $50.00
ISBN: 1-931885-36-2
Also offered as a limited edition of 25 copies with
8”x10” print, $600.00
Boxed Edition ISBN: 1-931885-41-9
www.twinpalms.com
A delicate weight inhabits the pages of Debbie Fleming Caffery’s monograph Polly. It is the combined weight of the hot Louisiana sun, age and
experience, a friendship that is much anticipated, greatly enjoyed and
deeply missed when it ends.
Caffery met Polly Joseph—the subject of these pictures—in 1984, but
she was aware of her presence in a lone house along the Mississippi long
before that. Caffery introduces Polly through the much-used objects she
holds dear. The viewer hears the whir of her sewing machine in the curtain rustling behind it and feels her hand in the curling prongs of her
garden fork. Her body appears first in shadow, then in motion or in silhouette. Bit-by-bit through the sequencing of the book Polly’s physical
presence is revealed—captured quietly amid the shadows in the gleam
in her eye, the warmth of her smile, her earnest gaze.
Caffery says they didn’t talk much during her visits, and she tells how
Polly got people to mind their own business. “Everything they say, you
say they are right. They will go back and look over their whole lives and
they will see if they are making a fool of their own self. If they find out
they have made a fool out of their own self, they will tend to what they
are doing, not what you are doing.”
Despite this advice, Polly opened her life to Caffery’s camera. These
photographs are a testament to the bond that was formed, as well as an
affirmation of the wisdom that pictures do speak louder than words.
—JW
ASMPBULLETIN
16
[LEGAL
BY VICTOR S. PERLMAN
REVIEW]
COPYRIGHT UPDATE
A NEW CONGRESS STARTS FROM SCRATCH
he 108th Congress ended with a whimper, not a bang, at least as far as photographers were concerned.
With lawmakers facing various wars, budget deficits and elections, it had been obvious from the outset that
2004 would not be a year that would see much success in the area of copyright legislation or other areas with
major impact on photographers. The early predictions proved to be accurate. While there were roughly 30
copyright-related bills introduced, ultimately only four were enacted before the Congress ended, and none is likely
to have any significant effect on photographers: the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, the
Intellectual Property Protection and Courts Amendments Act of 2004, the Copyright Royalty and Distribution
Reform Act of 2004 and the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act of 2004. Even the latter,
which was necessary for people with satellite TV dishes to be able to keep watching their television sets and had been
considered uncontroversial, ran into unexpected opposition late in the Second Session and had to be grafted onto
an appropriations bill to be passed at the last minute.
T
The case involves peer-to-peer file-sharing services and deals with the
question of whether the providers of such services are guilty of copyright
infringement. ASMP had joined with a number of other associations in filing
an amicus curiae brief with the Supreme Court in support of the copyright
owners’ request that the Court hear the case.
© Rachel Puschkin
There had been several pieces of legislation in which we were seriously interested; however, none of them were
left standing. With the beginning of 2005, a new Congress will go into session and start with a clean slate. Any
legislation that had support in the last Congress will have to be reintroduced, and the political process will have to
start from scratch. We will keep you informed of any developments of interest as we work with legislative staff and representatives of other trade groups.
In the courts, the most interesting developments near the end of 2004
involved the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. et al. v. Grokster, Ltd. et al. case
in the Supreme Court and the Faulkner et al. v. National Geographic et al case
in the Second Circuit. In Grokster, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the
appeal of the music industry copyright owners. The case involves peer-to-peer
file-sharing services and deals with the question of whether the providers of
such services are guilty of copyright infringement. ASMP had joined with a
number of other associations in filing an amicus curiae brief with the
Supreme Court in support of the copyright owners’ request that the Court
hear the case. We will repeat that effort when the case comes before the
Supreme Court for consideration. We expect the case to be argued in the
spring of 2005 and anticipate a decision in June.
In the fall, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit heard oral
arguments in the appeal of the U.S. District Court’s decision in Faulkner.
The case involves the unauthorized reuse by National Geographic of
several photographers’ images when it issued various CD-ROM compilations of many years of back issues of the magazine. It is quite similar to
the case in federal court in Florida in which the Eleventh Circuit ruled
that National Geographic had violated Jerry Greenberg’s copyrights. There
is no word as to when a ruling in the Faulkner case can be expected, but
ASMP joined with other associations in support of an
we will keep you posted.
appeal by music industry copyright owners.
ASMPBULLETIN
17
[BETTER
BUSINESS]
BY ERIC COHEN
W AHS S EES SR
E
A
M
I
?
I N G T H E S TAT E O F Y O U R B U S I N E S S
I
D Apprise attendees of the purpose of
the meeting in advance and ask them to
come to the meeting with ideas
D Brainstorm the strengths of the
organization
D Brainstorm the weaknesses of
the organization
D Identify opportunities
D Identify threats to the business
D Vote on the top five strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
© Wayne Rainey
n the previous article, “Define Your
Future,” we looked at the first step in the
business planning process: identifying
the strategies that will get you to your goal.
Your goal for the second step in this process
is to assess the state of your business. Once
you identify your beginning and end points
you’ll be able to finalize your plan for realizing your goals.
Your method for assessing the state of
your business will require you to use a radical skill—listening to the people around
you! Throughout this endeavor you’ll need
to understand how others see you and your
business. You’ll need to understand their
perceptions, without trying to affect them.
Because this can be challenging, you might
want to do this with a colleague or an outsider to make the process more objective.
Expect to spend between ten and 60 hours
on this step, depending on the size of your
business and the number of relationships
you need to explore.
The critical steps in the process are
described below.
Document the situational
analysis from the SWOT and
review it with your team
Now that you have solicited feedback on the
business and done some soul searching during the analysis, document
what you’ve learned. Start with facts—just summarize what people have
told you. Do your best to categorize these lessons so that you can present
four to six themes, rather than a list of 20 ideas. Once you’ve documented
the facts, offer your interpretation. Conclude by describing how you and
the business will change in response to the lessons learned. Then prepare a
20-minute presentation for your team. Use that meeting as a final opportunity to brainstorm. Anyone working on a business plan should go
through this regardless of whether the business is still a concept or has been
operating for years. If you are writing a business plan to launch a business,
you’ll have to work a bit harder to find collaborators, but find them you
must! Multiple perspectives are invaluable. If you are preparing to launch a
business, your interviews and SWOT analysis will focus a greater percent of
time on the events external to the business you are planning.
At the end of the process you’ll be prepared to work on strategy,
understand risk and have improved relationships with stakeholders. To
be successful, you must be creative, be provocative and listen throughout!
In our next installment we’ll look at what you need to do to realize
your goals given what you’ve learned in the situational analysis.
Get down to basics when assessing your
business, like Wayne Rainey’s invitation to the
Art Auction held by AIGA Phoenix
Interview critical staff
and key customers
The best place to start is to survey staff and critical partners. You’ll want
to review their experiences with your business over the last several years.
Get as much detail as possible. Typical questions include:
What is your overall impression of the business?
How have we disappointed you over the past 12 months?
D How have we thrilled you over the past 12 months?
D Would you recommend us to others? Why or why not?
D If you were the CEO for a day, what would you do?
D
D
Conduct a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and
Threats) Analysis with key staff and advisors
Be sure to refer to this step as SWOT. It sounds much more impressive
than calling it what it is—a review of the strengths and weaknesses of
your firm and the opportunities and threats that it faces. You will be best
served if you do this with at least one person who knows your business
well. A group size of eight would be ideal. Figure you’ll need at least four
hours for the meeting. The process for the meeting is to:
Steps 2 and 3 deal with internal forces.
These are things that you can control and
include company culture and brand, staff,
finances, etc. Steps 4 and 5 deal with events
that are outside your control such as the
economy, key partners, new technology,
regulations, etc.
This document will form the basis for
subsequent work including your strategic
planning. It will also help you assess risks to
your business. Don’t leave home without it!
ASMPBULLETIN
18
[CHAPTER
NEWS]
O U T S TA N D I N G
VOLUNTEERS
JANETTE McVEY—PHILADELPHIA
SCOTT SERATA—NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Whether the job is cleaning up after a party, troubleshooting the A.V. equipment for a
presentation, or getting the word out about chapter events, Scott Serata is probably already
on it. “He’s got a “can do” type of personality,” says Steve Whittaker. “He’s a hard worker—
a real go getter.”
According to Eric Sahlin, Northern California ASMP chapter president, Serata brings the
same skills and acumen to his volunteer projects that he does to his work as a highly valued
photo assistant. “Rather than waiting to be asked, he always finds the next thing to do,” says
Sahlin. “He’s a thinking man’s volunteer.”
Among Serata’s many contributions to the NorCal chapter has been his help in distributing chapter materials around the region, including the newsletter and promotional materials
for events. The chapter serves members throughout the large geographic swath of the San
Francisco Bay, as well as the Sacramento Valley and Western Nevada. Serata handles the East
and North Bay areas, but if other volunteers are unable to deliver to their territory, Serata will
go far out of his way to make sure that the materials get distributed, says chapter board
member, Vittoria Kartisek. “He’s there when you need him, always ready to help,” she adds.
Over the past two years Serata has also contributed considerable time to the volunteer chair
committee. Perhaps that explains why the members of the Northern California ASMP
chapter have elected Serata to their board for 2005. As Kartisek ends her tenure, Serata will
take over her position of volunteer chair.
Thank you Scott Serata, for all your past work for ASMP and for stepping up to take
on new challenges.
—AB
ASMPBULLETIN
19
© Scott Serata
© Janette McVey
Coaxing photographers to tell their colleagues what they’ve been up to is no easy feat. Aside from the issue of carving out time from their busy
schedules, most photographers are more inclined to communicate through the lens rather than commit their thoughts to text. But for the last year,
Janette McVey has managed, by cajoling, nudging and—dare we say it—sometimes even hounding her fellow ASMP Philadelphia members to
submit their news to the chapter’s monthly e-newsletter, Memo to Members.
According to Steven Begleiter, McVey was the perfect person to take over the Memo.
“She’s great at soliciting information,” says Begleiter. “If you wait for members to submit
their news, it’ll never happen. But she’s just tenacious enough to get it.”
When Rick Davis, vice president, asked for volunteers to help create content for the
chapter’s Web site, McVey jumped right in. In addition to contributing articles,
McVey initiated the site’s resources section. “When I call to ask for help, she’s always
there,” says Davis.
McVey was elected to the board in 2004 as part of a conscious effort to get younger
members involved in the Philly chapter leadership. According to her colleagues, she
invests the same energy and professionalism she displays as an assistant and a
photographer in her contributions to the chapter. “When she was elected to the board,
she hit the ground running,” Begleiter adds.
Conrad Gloos, chapter president, agrees. “She’s terrific—just a smart, enthusiastic
person,” Gloos says. “It’s nice to see someone who wants to give back.”
“We expect really strong things from Janette,” adds Davis.
And if her first year is any indication, she’ll deliver. Thanks Janette McVey, for your
Janette McVey has her eyes peeled for ASMP member
energy and dedication to ASMP.
—AB
news and resources that can help her local chapter.
In his “From the Playground” series, Scott Serata
captures the oversaturated world of Rebecca
and Sophia at play.
[MONEY
M AT T E R S ]
LIFE INSURANCE:
PURCHASING
A POLICY
WHY, WHEN,
& HOW MUCH!
T
he first installment of this article defined the
difference between term and traditional permanent life insurance. It can be viewed on the
ASMP Web site as part of the Year End 2004 issue. In
this final installment, I discuss when and why a photographer would purchase life insurance and how to
calculate an appropriate death benefit.
1) Marriage and Birth
Many couples purchase life insurance upon marriage
or the birth of child to insure the economic continuity
of a spouse and children in the case of death. When
considering if you need life insurance, you should ask
yourself the following questions:
If I passed away, would my family be able to afford
its current lifestyle using our savings and my spouse’s
salary? Could my spouse pay for childcare while working? Could my spouse pay off mortgage and credit
card debt and support private school or college tuition
on his or her income? Would he or she be forced to sell
our home?
2) Real Estate Purchase
Many people purchase life insurance to cover debt,
including the mortgage on a home, to insure that a
family would not be forced to sell its home in the case
of the death of the insured.
Real estate investors sometimes use permanent
insurance to finance real estate investments. You can
typically take loans from a cash value account in a
whole life insurance policy.
ASMP student affiliate
Evangeline Cesar
photographed these
newlyweds with a holga,
then double-exposed
and cross-processed the
film. For more of her
work see the portfolio
section on page 30.
3) Formation of a Business
Business owners typically purchase life insurance to
insure the loss of a key employee or partner, especially in a profitable business. Keyperson life insurance is
used to fund costs to maintain overhead and income
while replacing a key employee or partner who has
passed away.
Buy-Sell life insurance is another type of policy typically taken on business partners. A buy-sell agreement is set in place while the partners are alive allow-
ASMPBULLETIN
20
ing the business to use a life insurance benefit to buy
out the spouse of the deceased partner, thereby relieving the surviving spouse of any claim to the business.
4) Wealth Accumulation & Asset Diversification
Permanent whole life insurance allows one to build
a cash value asset with underlying guarantees.
The policy owner can use a permanent insurance
policy to enhance his or her wealth while alive
through dividends and loans. The underlying cash
value guarantees of whole life insurance can
allow one to take a more aggressive approach with
other assets, especially fifteen to twenty years into
the policy.
5) Estate Planning and Wealth Transfer
Life insurance is frequently used to pass on wealth to
children or grandchildren. The death benefit can be
used to pay estate taxes and to insure the liquidity of a
deceased’s estate.
An advertising photographer client recently
inherited a $3 million estate from his mother, consisting primarily of her house and individual retirement account (IRA). Due to inefficient estate planning, the photographer was required to pay
$750,000 in estate taxes. His challenge was how to
raise $750,000 from two illiquid assets, a house and
qualified retirement plan. If you withdraw money
from a qualified plan before the age of 59.5, you are
required to pay a 10-percent penalty in addition to
income taxes. The 45-year old photographer, who
was in a thirty percent income tax bracket, would
have had to withdraw approximately $1.25 million
from his mother’s IRA to net $750,000 to raise
money to pay estate taxes. Instead, he was forced to
sell the house quickly and at less than market value.
If the mother had owned a life insurance policy, the
death benefit could have been used to pay estate taxes
and avoid the sale of a house. The beneficiary of a life
insurance benefit is not required to pay income tax on
the benefit. However, the benefit is included in the
decedent’s estate and estate tax calculation.
BY AARON D. SCHINDLER *
W E A LT H A D V I S O RY G R O U P L L C
A PHOTOGRAPHER‘S GUIDE
Life insurance, including death benefit and beneficiary designations, should be reviewed in conjunction
with wills and trusts. Wills and trusts should be
reviewed at least every three years and in conjunction
with life events such as marriage, divorce, the birth of
a child, the formation of a business and retirement.
HOW MUCH LIFE INSURANCE?
1) Replacing Annual Income
When calculating how much life insurance you need,
you should ask yourself how much of your annual
income your family would need to replace to maintain its standard of living. To replace a spouse’s annual income of $100,000, I typically suggest a life insurance benefit of $2 million. Invested at a historically
moderate annual rate of return of five percent, $2
million would generate $100,000 per year.
Life insurance is cheaper when you are young and
healthy. In addition to taking urine and blood samples, the insurance carrier will analyze your medical
and driving records, a ten-year health history, family health history and adventure sports activities
such as scuba, rock and mountain climbing. The
carrier even considers your cholesterol level and
height-to-weight ratio.
Therefore, it is important to purchase life insurance from a broker who can provide policies from a
variety of highly rated carriers and select a carrier
that will look more favorably at your particular profile. Sometimes the company with the cheapest premium quote has such strict underwriting requirements that few applicants are ever offered the
cheapest premium class.
2) Paying Off Debt and Lump Sum Expenses
After determining how much money you would need
to replace income, you should then add debt and
expenses that you would like financed. If I project a
mortgage of $300,000 and burial expenses of $15,000,
plus a need to replace $100,000 of annual income, my
ideal life insurance benefit would be $2,315,000.
For questions or comments, please
contact Aaron Schindler at 212-2611897 or aschindler@wagroupllc.com.
AARON SCHINDLER is a Registered
Representative and Financial Advisor
of Park Avenue Securities LLC (PAS),
888 Seventh Avenue, Suite 301, New
York, NY 10106 (212) 541-8800.
Securities products/services and advisory services are offered through PAS, a
registered broker/dealer and investment advisor. Financial Representative,
The Guardian Life Insurance Company
of America (Guardian), New York, NY.
PAS is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Guardian. Wealth Advisory
Group LLC is not an affiliate or subsidiary of PAS or Guardian.
PAS is a member NASD, SIPC.
PAS, Guardian and the representative
do not provide tax or legal advice
and/or services. For information on
your specific situation, please consult
your personal legal or tax advisor.
3) Factoring in Current Savings
If you have cash and investments worth $200,000, you
could deduct this sum reducing your ideal life insurance benefit to $2,115,000. I suggest that clients do
not consider qualified retirement savings in this calculation due to the liquidity and tax ramifications
discussed above.
UNDERWRITING TIPS TO
SAVE YOU MONEY
Life insurance premiums are calculated according to:
D
D
D
the amount of death benefit
length of coverage
age
health
© Evangeline Cesars
D
ASMPBULLETIN
21
BY
ETHAN
G.
SALWEN
MARKETING
TO INCREASE
YOUR WEB
SITE TRAFFIC
Gary Kessler collaborated with two
other presenters on a seminar about
how to increase your Web site traffic.
You’ll find the roadmap here and on
the Web at: www.asmp.org/commerce/
business_articles.php
STRATEGIES
f your Web site sits on the Internet but gets
no hits, does it exist? This slight reworking
of the classic tree-falling-in-the-woods
musing has an obvious answer: Who cares? If
potential clients don’t visit your site, your
business won’t exist for long.
As creative professionals, photographers
want to create highly innovative and original
Web sites. But building a fantastic Web site is
only one part of creating a comprehensive and
effective marketing formula. Last year, three
members of ASMP’s Ohio Valley Chapter presented a program outlining strategies and
resources for addressing this very issue. A central concern: How to draw visitors to one’s
Web site? The presenters, all based in
Cincinnati, were Gary Kessler, a commercial
photographer and a charter member of the
Ohio Valley chapter; Michael Schneider, a
photographer and Web designer with extensive experience in Web optimization; and
Jerome Vieh, a Web designer and electronic
I
imaging specialist. This article is based on
that program.
PART OF A LARGER PLAN
It seems rather obvious that photographers’
Web sites should be just one part of a broader
marketing strategy. But Jerome Vieh says that
Web integration in a marketing strategy is the
exception, not the rule.
“Photographers often get caught up in
adding bells and whistles to their Web sites,”
he explains. “They see other photography
sites—often those of photographers and agencies with bigger budgets—and they feel compelled to achieve the same level of quality and
functionality.” But Vieh says this is not necessary. “Yes, photographers must build sites that
wow visitors with a clear creative vision and a
unique style. But do most photographers need
a search engine and e-commerce functionality? Of course not.”
Vieh suggests that photographers stop trying to play the Internet version of keeping up
with the Jones’s. The most important thing,
Vieh offers, is for photographers to remember
K.I.S.S.—Keep it Simple, Stupid. As Vieh says,
“A photographer who has only ten great shots
online and who gets on the phone and really
sells himself is going to be more successful
than a photographer who creates a mindblowing site, but doesn’t promote it.”
OPTIMIZING SEARCH
ENGINE RESULTS
© Gary Kessler
MAKING TRACKS
ASMPBULLETIN
22
With few exceptions, potential clients will be
using Internet search engines to locate and
investigate photographers’ Web sites.
Therefore, to promote increased traffic to
your Web site, you need to ensure that search
engines give it a high ranking for relevant
searches. Photographer Michael Schneider
SUBMITTING TO SEARCH
ENGINES AND DIRECTORIES
has taught himself straight-forward techniques for making this happen. “Search
engine optimization is not some
mysterious science,” Schneider says.
“Optimization specialists who do this fulltime for a lot of money would have you
believe that search engine optimization is
beyond us ordinary people. But it’s not.
Photographers can do this.”
While photographers certainly can optimize their own sites, Schneider concedes
that a Web optimization specialist can usually do it faster and more effectively.
However, he says, “Understanding search
engine optimization fundamentals is critical for all photographers, whether they are
doing it for themselves or having someone
else do it.” This is particularly true, he says,
because this task is often left up to Web
designers, many of whom are not experi-
into consideration. These automated programs, which tirelessly sift through millions of Web sites (and the hundreds of
millions of individual pages that comprise
those sites), read two kinds of text:
One kind is the visible copy on each
page that is programmed in HTML. (This
does not include visible text that is actually
a graphic—like words in a logo or buttons
that have been created in PhotoShop.) The
other is the non-visible text attached to
each individual Web page, also created with
HTML programming, of which there are
three types. Two of the non-visible fields,
the title tag and the meta tag, are created
specifically for the purpose of Web
optimization. The third field is the “alt”
attribute for each image on a page, which
search engines also evaluate. How well the
keywords in these three areas are conceived
The second step is to submit
information to search engines to ensure
that the engine reviews the site and
ranks it high on appropriate searches.
enced in the finer points of this kind of
optimization. Even if they are, designers
can do a far better job if they are working
with photographers who speak the lingua
franca of optimization.
There are two distinct steps to optimizing a Web site for the best rankings by
search engines. The first is to design the site
in a way that makes it easier for search
engines to locate and correctly categorize
it. The second step is to submit information to search engines to ensure that the
engine reviews the site and ranks it high on
appropriate searches.
makes a substantial difference in how high
a site ranks in a Web search.
When writing visible Web page copy and
the non-visible tags, the key to optimization is to create focused, business-specific
key phrases, not just key words. It’s important to consider the words and phrases
potential clients will be using to search for
services. “Jane Doe Photography” is a typical title tag. A far better one is “Jane Doe
Photography-New York City runway fashion photographer.” The best way to learn
how to write the most effective title tags,
meta tags and image “alt” attributes is to
check out competitors’ sites and access
their source codes.
GOOD DESIGN IS IN THE HTML
“Photographers and designers of photography sites tend to create highly visual sites.
There’s nothing wrong with this,”
Schneider explains. However, spiders, the
programs that search engines use to find
and categorize Web sites, don’t “see,” and
therefore they do not take page graphics
SEARCH ENGINE SUBMISSIONS
Once you have constructed a spider-friendly
Web site, it’s not enough to leave it to the
search engines to find it. It could take
months to get listed on all the engines, and
good rankings are quickly bumped down
ASMPBULLETIN
23
Web site designers must employ a
number of programming techniques
to ensure that a site ranks high in
search engine results. But the
challenge of Web site optimization
does not end there. You must
take the time—not very much
considering the payoff—to manually
submit information about your site
to the major search engines. If you
passively rely on search engines to
locate and index your site, it will
take months before all the search
engines have added your site to
their databases. After all, search
engines have their “hands” full
trying to index millions of Web
pages that are also vying for their
attention—including those of your
competition.
There are many software
programs, both free and fee-based,
that automatically submit sites to
multiple search engines. But some
search engines don’t allow these
“robot” submissions. And directories, which, unlike search engines,
don’t use automated “spider”
programs to scour the Internet,
always require manual submissions.
You can hire optimization specialists
to make the submissions for you,
but this is not necessary. The
submission process is an easy one,
and just a few of the major engines
and directories account for more
than 90 percent of search-enginegenerated traffic. What’s more, as
the person most familiar with your
unique services, you are in the best
position to make the most effective
submissions.
To submit to a search engine
you simply need to go to the links
listed on the next page and provide
your URL and an e-mail address,
and sometimes a title (which the
search engine will use when displaying your site in search results). In
addition to this, directories require
you to find the appropriate category for your site from their listings,
and add a site description.
MARKETING STRATEGIES
the pecking order. The person responsible
for optimizing the Web site must go a step
further and make site submissions to provide the search engines with information
about the site. There are two ways to
SUBMISSION LINKS
significantly, and most offer more than one
service plan. What they all share is a portfolio space with a link back to the photographer’s own Web site. Most of these sites offer a
free service option. But to gain access to the
Design and promotion of a Web
site must be a considered part of an
overall marketing plan, which
requires the effective use of
traditional marketing techniques
that have been successful for decades.
approach this task, either do it yourself or
use a service to do the work for you. There
are free services and pay services, automated services and services handled by optimization specialists. “These might be convenient,” Schneider says, “But not all search
engines will accept automated submissions. Submitting is so easy. Why pay someone when you can do it just as well in only
a few minutes?”
Submitting a site to each search engine
requires going to the engine’s registry page,
entering the site’s URL and the photographer’s e-mail along with a brief description
of the site. Again, excellent keywords and
phrases make a tremendous difference.
PORTALS:
AN AVENUE TO YOUR SITE
Search engine optimization is not the only
way to draw people to a Web site. Gary
Kessler has had success increasing traffic to
his Web site by registering his site with Web
portals. “There are a variety of portal models,” Kessler explains, “But when it comes to
marketing one’s own site, the most important factor is that the portal can easily lead
potential clients back to the photographer’s
site.” These portals are distinct from stock
photography portals, which are designed
primarily to connect buyers with images—
without linking the viewer back to the photographer’s Web site.
Some popular portal sites include
Blackbook.com, IPNStock.com, Photoserve.com,
Stockphotorequest.com, Workbook.com
and ASMP’s FindaPhotographer.org. Their
individual services and price structures vary
truly valuable services—additional image
hosting, aggressive marketing to select
buyers and forwarding of photo requests—
prices range from $300 to more than
$1,200 annually.
Gone are the days when photographers
could put up a Web site and let the clicks
fall where they may. Design and promotion
of a Web site must be a considered part of
an overall marketing plan, which requires
the effective use of traditional marketing
techniques that have been successful for
decades. Photographers must also understand search engine optimization techniques as well as other innovative Web promotion strategies. Photographers who
effectively coordinate the interplay of these
different factors are sure to enjoy a far
greater degree of success on the Web and in
their business.
For more on how to optimize the value
of your Web site, visit the ASMP Web site
at: http://www.asmp.org/commerce/business_articles.php.
Google
Submission directions:
www.google.com/webmasters/
add url request:
www.google.com/addurl.html
paid ad placement:
www.google.com/services/index.html
MSN
submission directions:
www.content.overture.com/d/USm/ays/
mbr/msn.jhtml?o=U5621
paid ads:
www.advertising.msn.com/adproducts/
adproducttype.asp?aptid=aptid8
AltaVista
submission directions:
www.addurl.altavista.com
Excite
submission directions:
www.secure.ah-ha.com/guaranteed_inclusion/
teaser.aspx
paid ads:
www1.excite.com/home/companyinfo/
advertise_overview/
AOL
paid ad placement:
www.advisor.aol.com
link placement:
www.aol.com/info/link.adp
HotBot
submission directions:
www.insite.lycos.com
paid ad placement:
www.advertising.lycos.com/contactus.html
Yahoo
submission directions:
www.docs.yahoo.com/info/suggest/
submission categories:
www.docs.yahoo.com/info/suggest/appropriate.html
Fast
home page:
www.fastsearch.com
Ethan G. Salwen, a travel photographer and
journalist based in San Francisco, recently
increased the ranking of his own Web site by
quickly recoding his HTML tags. He is the
National Membership Chair of the American
Society of Picture Professionals and a contributing writer to its quarterly publication,
The Picture Professional.
ASMPBULLETIN
24
Northern Light
home page:
www.northernlight.com
General Submission Sites
www.searchengines.com/URLsubmission.html
www.searchenginewatch.com/links/
article.php/2156221
7KH5LJKW3URGXFWV
7KH5LJKW3ULFHV
7KH5LJKW$WWLWXGH
:LY]PJL7OV[VPZHYLSH[P]LS`ZTHSSWOV[VKLHSLY[OH[ZWLJPHSPaLZPU
Z\WWS`PUNWYVMLZZPVUHSWOV[VNYHWOLYZ^P[OHSS[`WLZVM
WOV[VLX\PWTLU[HJJLZZVYPLZ-PSTVYKPNP[HS^LZLSSVUS`
[OLTHU\MHJ[\YLY»Z<:(^HYYHU[LLKWYVK\J[Z6\YWYPJLZHYL
JVTWL[P[P]LHUKV\YZ[HMMPZRUV^SLKNLHISLMYPLUKS`>L»YLH
YLMYLZOPUNHS[LYUH[P]L[VSHYNLPTWLYZVUHSTHPSVYKLYZ\WWSPLYZ
HUKIL[[LYZ[VJRLK[OHUTVZ[SVJHSZOVWZ>L^HU[[VVMMLYV\Y
ZLY]PJLZ[VHSS(:47TLTILYZHUKKV^OH[L]LYP[[HRLZ[VLHYU
`V\YYLWLH[I\ZPULZZ7SLHZLJHSS\ZMVYHWYPJLX\V[LVYZLUKHU
LTHPS[V)\YRL'ZLY]PJLWOV[VJVT6\YJVTWHU`WYLZPKLU[^PSS
ILNSHK[VHUZ^LY`V\YX\LZ[PVUZHUKYL[\YUHJVTWL[P[P]LWYPJL
X\V[L(:(7>LZLSS[OLYPNO[Z[\MM[OLYPNO[^H`
HUK^LSVVRMVY^HYK[V^VYRPUN^P[O`V\ZVVU
(3621
7S\ZH^OVSLSV[TVYL
+%*-'$%)&(,(
.
.
#.
"""!
CONNECTICUT PHOTOGRAPHICS
PHOTOGRAPHIC AND DIGITAL LAB SERVICES
MARK H. BARINHOLTZ, P.C.
LAW OFFICES
COPYRIGHT AND RELATED MATTERS
E-6 • Black and White Film
ALAN KORN
Processing and Custom Prints •
ATTORNEY AT LAW
COPYRIGHT
T, TRADEMARK
K, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Black and White Proofing • Film
Scans and Output • Digital Prints -
1840 WOOLSEY STREET
BERKLEYY, CALIFORNIA 94703
Carbon Pigment Black and White
55 West Monroe Street Tel: (312) 977-0121
Chicago, IL 60603
Fax: (312) 977-0733
and Color Pigment - Fuji 4000
1-800-CT-PHOTO • www.ctphoto.com
Tel: 510-548-7300
Email: AAKORN@IGC.ORG
Fax: 510-540-4821 Web: WWW
W.ALANKORN.COM
Do you shoot celebrity photography?
Are
r you seeking worldwide
DAVID
A
MacTAVISH
ROBERT M. CAVALLO
ATTORNEY AT LAW
ATTORNEY AT LAW
COPYRIGHTT, ARTT, AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW
syndication of your work?
Founded by Alan Berliner, BEImages
has over 25 years industry experience
and is an agency
400 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Tel: 212 753-2224
Fax: 212 753-7113
8N341 Thomas Road
Maple Park, IL 60151
David@MacTavish-Law.com
www.MacTavish-Law.com
Telephone and Fax: 630-365-2613
run by photographers.
Contact Jeff Sowards at 323-954-8400
or info@beimages.net
ASMPBULLETIN
25
PHOTO ANNUAL
T
THE WIDE WORLD OF
PHOTOGRAPHY CONTESTS
© Larry Silver
he creative eccentricities of today’s photography marketplace add a new spin
to the old adage: what matters most is not whether you win or lose but how you
play the game. There are ever more photographers chasing clients with ever
more limited budgets. As a result, every advantage counts, and an important consideration for effecting that advantage is to seek more exposure and recognition through
participation in the award competitions that proliferate in the current environment.
Selection for such awards leads to placement in publications seen by art directors,
photo editors and other creative professionals. Do such awards have an immediate or
lasting influence on one’s career? Several ASMP members were recently asked to share
their experiences along with competition organizers and jury members charged with
viewing all entries and selecting the lucky few.
A quick Google search reveals some 165,000 hits for “photography contests and
awards” and 50,700 for “professional photography contests and awards.” With this in
mind, it’s necessary for photographers to pick their targets wisely. There are dozens of
competitions and juried awards that acknowledge the best of creative endeavor across
the entire spectrum of photography: from commercial assignment, photojournalism
and documentary work to self-promotional and personal projects. [A list of these
resources with contact information and Web links is available on the ASMP Web site
through this link: http://www.asmp.org/commerce/business_articles.php. Another
article on Photo Contests and how to win them can be found in the December 2004
issue of Photo District News.]
ASMPBULLETIN
26
Contests and juried awards come in many forms. There
are specifically themed contests that address photojournalistic or humanistic themes. Competitions such as the
Oskar Barnack Prize sponsored by Leica and the Alexia
Foundation’s juried awards address issues such as world
peace or the relationship of man to his environment.
The San Francisco-based Fifty Crows Foundation continues the tradition of the Mother Jones Award, but now
focuses only on projects related to a specific theme or
region. This past year’s area of interest featured Central
Asia and the Caucasus. Other documentary-based
awards include the W. Eugene Smith Grant, sponsored
by the International Center of Photography, and the
Dorothea Lange-Paul Taylor Prize, sponsored by the
Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University
(CDC), which funds collaborations between photographers and a writers. Some awards lead to publication,
such as the CDC/Honickman Foundation First Book
Prize in Photography and the European Publishers
Award for unpublished, book-length projects, which are
given out each year at the Rencontres de la Photographie
in Arles, France. Photojournalists also compete in contests organized by the Amsterdam-based World Press
Photo, the University of Missouri School of
Photojournalism’s Picture of the Year Awards and the
National Press Photographers Association’s Best of
Photojournalism Awards.
Contact Press photographer Kristen Ashburn,
winner of last year’s Canon/Association Femmes
Journalistes award for her work on the continuing
AIDS crisis in Southern Africa as well as an NPPA
Best in Photojournalism Award for Best Picture
Story, a World Press Photo Award for portraiture and
a Marty Forscher Fellowship in Humanistic
Photography notes, “Competitions are important
because they help to get your work ‘out there.’ In
times when it is difficult to get long-term projects
published, exhibitions and publications connected to
contests are a great way to have your work seen. The
obvious benefit of entering work in a contest is possible sponsorship in terms of equipment and grant
money. For photojournalists who scrape and starve
in order to do their work this money can make the
difference between continuing or not.”
Many corporations, including the film and camera
BY BILL KOUWENHOVEN
AWARDS
Y O U G O T TA PLAY TO WIN
manufacturers, offer in-kind prizes and lump-sum
grants. Kodak, Polaroid, Agfa, Ilford, Canon and Nikon
all award prizes based on specific themes, e.g., nature
photography or photography of children, or the use of
their products. The Finch Paper Company holds a regular Photography Competition, Schweppes sponsors an
annual award for Photographic Portraits and L’Oreal
offers the Art and Science of Color Prize. Such competitions involve cash prizes ranging from $2,500 to $45,000.
Major competitions for commercial photography
include those sponsored by publications such as
Communications Arts, Graphis and Photo District News
and professional organizations like ASMP and the Art
Directors Club. These competitions can offer cash or inkind prizes, but their primary appeal is exposure to a
specific audience: art directors and editors of advertising
companies and magazines looking for editorial or commercial work. Patrick Coyne, editor of CA, is frank about
the value of contests: “The primary reason is to get work.
Buyers of photography read the Photography Annual
and call the winners with assignments.” Photography
consultant Mary Virgina Swanson declares, “exposure…and forging relationships with jurors, publications and collectors” is all important. John Gimenez,
who manages PDN’s juried competitions, reinforces this
point: “Photographers benefit [from awards] in more
ways than one. Often judges will take note of particular
photographers who caught their attention. Even if a
photographer doesn’t win overall, they might be contacted later and land [an assignment] in the future.”
Judges review vast quantities of work during competitions. Yet, if the work is memorable, competitions
can definitely help with an Art Director’s “memory
retention,” says photographer Russ Quackenbush of
Boston, Mass., a winner of CA, Archive and PDN
awards. The more often one’s work is seen in different
contexts, the better. “Awards ultimately function as an
intro or a reminder of the photographer and their
work. Unless your name is constantly out there, you
slowly get dropped to the bottom of the list.”
In 1995 Pennsylvania’s Chip Forelli bypassed his commercial work to submit a series of black & white landscapes shot on vacation to CA. One of his images ended
up on the cover, and he began picking up clients right and
left as a result. Originally a still life shooter, Forelli’s award
© Mark Katzman
EXPOSE YOURSELF
At left: Larry Silver’s 1954 image from Muscle Beach, was made
while he was a scholarship student in at the Art Center School of
Design in Pasadena. Above: Mark Katzman’s award-winning
landscape work landed him a lucrative assignment account.
and his resulting promo campaign with the same image
series was, “a milestone that totally changed my career.”
On the other hand, Chris Shinn of Colorado,
whose work has been selected by CA nine times in fifteen years, generally submits purely assignment work.
He typically sends at least ten, and sometimes up to
twenty entries for one competition. Despite the entry
fee costs, Shinn views “entering competitions such as
CA as the cheapest form of advertising.” He parlays
his winnings into more work by making sure Art
Directors know when he has been selected for an
award. Shinn feels there are definitely jobs he can
attribute to his photo annual awards and says that he
sometimes gets calls about a winning picture several
years later.
ASMPBULLETIN
27
© Nick Vedros
PHOTO ANNUAL AWARDS
Nick Vedros’ self-assigned portrait of Kansas City student Walter Taylor has won Photo Annual awards
and was selected in 2004 by Lurzer’s Archive as one of the 200 Best Ad Photos Worldwide.
ASMPBULLETIN 28
COMPETITION TIPS:
How to Enter? Photographer Kristen Ashburn suggests make a
timeline of competition deadlines you wish to enter and to give
yourself enough time to get the material together in a wellthought-out fashion.
© Eric Frick
What to Do? Thomas Werner, a photographer, ASMP board member and New York gallery owner, recommends to edit tightly, to
only send your best work and to remember that judging is subjective; one set of judges may love an image that another set may not.
Eric Frick’s impressionistic image of Ani DiFranco is a big hit,
winning both photo competitions and at the Grammys
A relative newcomer to a full-time career, Buffalo-based Eric Frick
usually enters photo annuals in the unpublished and self-promotion
categories. He won a place in PDN’s corporate design category last year
with pictures from a CD cover he shot for indy pop star Ani Di Franco,
also from Buffalo. A few months earlier the CD won a Grammy Award
for package design, which certainly added to his cachet and visibility.
Frick notes “Art Directors have used these awards to support me as
their photographer of choice on projects.” He plans to continue to
leverage these wins to help him get into agencies and show his book.
BUILD ON YOUR SUCCESS
Exposure in the Photo Annuals adds to one’s profile in the business
agrees Connecticut based photographer Larry Silver. “Every time you
win an award, add it to your resume.” This seems obvious, but such
advice is often overlooked. Silver has a deep appreciation for the value of
recognition and awards. As a poor kid in the Bronx during the 1950s he
won a Scholastic Art Photography Award. This resulted in a full scholarship to Art Center School of Design in Pasadena, a school he could never
have attended otherwise.
Nick Vedros of Kansas City, Mo., winner of numerous competitions,
including his recent selection for Archive’s autumn 2004 edition of the
World’s Top 200 Photographs, sums it up in a nutshell. “Of course
awards influence your career in a positive way, but this is supplemental.
You need to do [more]. They help validate you to the right kind of people, but in order to get to the next level in your career, you have to be
strong in many ways: 1: Strong portfolio; 2: Great looking Web site; 3:
Carefully thought out direct mail pieces that project a strong identity.”
Contests and juried awards, then, are one very important part of a
photographer’s strategy for getting ahead in the game where self-promotional skills are at least as valid as personal talent, if not more. You
can be the best photographer in the world, but if no one sees your work,
you don’t exist. As Kristen Ashburn sums it up, “You gotta play to win.”
Bill Kouwenhoven, a writer and photographer based in New York and
Berlin, Germany writes on photography in both the U.S. and Europe.
Pitch to the Jury, Yes or No? William Hunt of New York’s
Ricco/Maresca Gallery recalls being faced with work targeting
his personal collecting tastes. He points out that “this is a weak
choice. Artists should submit their best work.” Yet, other jurors,
such as photography consultant Mary Virginia Swanson suggests, “Knowing the aesthetic tastes of the juror and matching
the “theme” are both important.” Clearly, knowledge of who’s
on a jury can pay off, but it is no guarantee for success.
Consider Judging Conditions: A winner of numerous Photo
Annual competitions, ASMP member Mark Katzman researches
the entire judging process. He speaks with the organizers and
finds out how the work will be presented. If prints are viewed
on a table, he’ll use one type of printing ink for florescent light
and another if there’s daylight in the room. He also cherry picks
his entries to suit categories.
Pick Your Categories! The more popular the category, the
more competition there will be. While unpublished or personal
work generally gets the most submissions, other promotional categories such as books or greeting cards may have fewer entries.
Read the Fine Print! Each competition has its own rules and
procedures for submissions. Before entering, it’s crucial to
understand the requirements of the specific event. Good work
is often disqualified because it does not fit the submission
rules. If you have questions, contact the organizers for more
information on guidelines.
Follow up! Katzman, based in St. Louis, believes that the
“awards have a big influence” on art directors and marketing
people, especially when mixed with a broader promotional
strategy. “Our studio places a very high priority on entering
competitions and resulting awards have a big influence on our
national marketing. On a local level it really makes the business
stand out,” Katzman admits. “Agencies like to be associated
with us because of our awards. We have very good name
recognition as a result.”
Announce your success! If you win or place in a competition,
make sure people know about it. Create a card or brochure
with the contest name, your selected image and whether you
won or placed. Post the image on your Web site with the same
information and remember to update your bio and resume with
the details of a competition selection or an award. And lastly,
add the jurors who selected your work to your mailing list and
send them the card with a thank you note!
ASMPBULLETIN
29
ASMP
STUDENT
© Kai Kuichi
© Karla Held
[PORTFOLIO]
Savvy educators and motivated students
know that professional contacts are a huge
asset in the transition from lesson plans to
commercial assignments, and ASMP has a
student affiliate membership to help
manage the shift. The recent affiliates featured here all mentioned that ASMP
membership was highly recommended by
teachers at the schools they attend.
Karla Held, a student at Rice University
in Houston, a current photo assistant and
a photographer for the Spanish newspaper Rumbo, values her membership and
ASMPBULLETIN
30
the local ASMP Web site for use as networking tool. “I’ve used the photographer
contact list to send mailers about assisting, and I’ve been corresponding with the
local president about managing a list of
local assistants,” she says.
ASMP has a wide range of resources
readily available on the Web. For articles
and tips about photo assisting visit:
http://www.asmp.org/commerce/business_article_019.php
To join ASMP today go to:
www.asmp.org/join/index.php
— JW
AFFILIATES:
Top left: Kai Kuichi–Elmhurst, N.Y.
2004 Graduate of the School of Visual Arts
Upper center: Evangeline Cesar–Ann Arbor, Mich.
Student at Washtenaw Community College
Lower center: Rachel Puschkin–Rochester, N.Y.
2004 Graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology
Top right: Jase Wilson–Kansas City, Mo.
Student at the University of Missouri
Middle left: Melissa Gogo–Rockaway, N.J.
Student at the State University of New York at New Paltz
Middle right: Meng Vue–Boring, Ore.
Student at Mt. Hood Community College
Bottom left: Karla Held–Houston, Texas Student at Rice University
Bottom right: Chris Bonhoff–Minneapolis, Minn.
2004 Graduate of Rocky Mountain School of Photography
ASMPBULLETIN
31
© Meng Vue
© Chris Bonhoff
© Melissa Gogo
© Rachel Puschkin
© Jase Wilson
© Evangeline Cesar
A SMART WAY TO JUMP START A PHOTOGRAPHY CAREER
© Dan Lamont
It’s Your Business
Seminars
Working Digitally:
Judy Herrmann and Mike Starke
*
*
*
*
February 12, 2005 - Richmond, VA - Savage
Productions Inc., 6301-A Old Warwick Rd.
February 26, 2005 - Union, NJ Dyna-Lite, Inc., 1050 Commerce Avene
March 12, 2005 - Houston, TX
April 23, 2005 - Pittsburgh, PA
Marketing, Pricing and Negotiating:
Blake Discher
*
*
*
*
February 22, 2005 - Nashville, TN Watkins College of Art and Design, Theater,
2298 Metro Center Blvd.
March 8, 2005 - Boston, MA
April 14, 2005 - Rochester, NY
May 10, 2005 - Minneapolis, MN
This is the last season these two seminars are being
offered. Now is an excellent time to take advantage of
these opportunities to learn more about Working
Digitally and Marketing, Pricing and Negotiating.
Thinking Stock:
Betsy Reid
* February 17, 2005 - Atlanta, GA - PPR
(Professional Photo Resources), 667 11th
Street NW
Future seminars are now in planning stages. For more
details about ASMP Education seminars and for registration information go to www.asmp.org/education
ASMP values your comments. Please e-mail Eugene Mopsik,
Executive Director, at: mopsik@asmp.org or Bruce Kluckhohn, Chair,
Education Committee, at: kluckhohn@asmp.org with any questions
or feedback you wish to share about our Education programs.
ASMPBULLETIN
32
PASSION AND PROFESSION ALIGN IN THE CAMERA WORK OF GEORGE SILK
PARTINGSHOT
© George Silk / Getty Images
P
ioneering sports photographer
and Life Member of ASMP,
George Silk spent 30 years as a
staff photographer at LIFE Magazine.
After covering the action of World War
II across the Pacific and in Europe, Silk
reconnected with his youthful passion
for outdoor adventure to fill the role of
LIFE’s first permanently assigned photographer for sports.
Silk went to extremes to convey
action and emotion in his pictures,
often revealing new perspectives by
attaching his camera to skis and surfboards to make pictures by remote control. His fascination with motion led
him to adapt a racetrack photo-finish
camera for use in athletic competitions,
among other purposes.
A four-time Magazine Photographer
of the Year recipient, Silk also received
awards from ASMP and the Art
Directors Club. This photograph, of
American Olympian Andrea Mead
Lawrence, was the catalog cover for his
retrospective exhibition at the National
Gallery of Art in Australia in 2000.
George Silk passed away in October
2004 but his memory will live on in
future innovations to the medium.
— JW
ASMPBULLETIN
33
it’s your business.
Two great seminars, two great opportunities
to learn more about promoting and protecting your business.
promote and protect it.
marketing, pricing and negotiating.
working digitally.
Take the mystery out of pricing, become search
engine savvy, learn to determine your target
audience and how to negotiate to win. At this
evening seminar, hosted by Detroit photographer
Blake Discher, you will learn how to use the
Web as a marketing tool, understand the value
of your work, how to justify your fees, and to
prepare estimates that sell. Give us three hours
and this seminar will show you the way.
This information-packed full-day seminar provides
the road map to success in the digital environment.
Learn about estimating, pricing and problem
solving, color management, evaluating equipment,
digital delivery and archiving files. Judy Herrmann
and Mike Starke, each with over 10 years of digital
experience, provide you with the information
and resources to get the job done. Get on the
digital highway now!
Nashville, TN – February 22
Boston, MA – March 8
Rochester, NY – April 14
Minneapolis, MN – May 10
Houston, TX – March 12
Pittsburgh, PA – April 23
For more information, go to www.asmp.org/register
Teigit: Working with ASMP
Members for Over 30 Years.
Guaranteed
Acceptance
Health Insurance for ASMP Members
in NY, NJ, CT, CA, Southern Florida,
and the Greater Chicago Area.
Texas residents subject to proof of insurability.
Call toll free
800.886.7504
or E-mail teigit@aol.com
Guaranteed Acceptance
Dental Plan Available In Most States.
Visit Teigit on-line at
www.teigit.com