Copyright Claims to become MORE difficult, MORE expensive and take LONGER to resolve

Copyright Claims to become MORE difficult, MORE expensive and take LONGER to resolve

Stumbled upon the news today that unfortunately, to the great detriment of any caring professional photographer, videographer creator etc.

The National Law Review and The Phoblographer

Apparently, the U.S. copyright claims process is set to become MORE difficult, MORE expensive and take a LONGER time to resolve. Personally, I've never fully gone down the legal route on my own, only as far as genuinely threatening with it which has sufficed and used proxies in the form of the likes of Pixsy, Image Rights etc. 

Obviously, developments such as this probably will affect genuine threats, making them weaker and less likely to succeed in resolving matters without having to go to court.

New U.S. Supreme Court ruling

"The U.S. Supreme Court held today that bringing a suit for copyright infringement requires that the infringed work actually be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office, and that a mere application for registration will not suffice." 

Source: U.S. Supreme Court Holds That Copyrights Must Be Registered before Plaintiffs Can File Infringement Suits (5th of March, 2019 - The National Law Review)

Months of waiting before legal proceedings

"In the past if you had noticed that your work had been taken illegally you could register a copyright for your work, and then you could start proceedings against party who infringed on your property, but a new U.S Supreme court ruling has changed all of that....the gist of it is that if you don’t have a currently registered copyright on your work (not just photographs, but anything) you cannot claim infringement against those who may have wronged you...in the past if you found your work had been stolen you could go through the motions to register a copyright and then you could file a suit, but now you may have to wait months before you can start legal proceedings as the application for the copyright must be completed and not just be on file." 

Source: Making Copyright Infringement Claims is Now Harder for Photographers (8th of March, 2019 - The Phoblographer)

Trying something new...part one

So nice to be back on the blog again, fully admit that it was too long since the last time - apologies! 

Anyway, reason for "absence" is of course that I've been busy doing other things. So what have I been up to? Besides enjoying the last few weeks of summer holiday with my kids and for them also being back in school for a month or so, I also, purely by chance, explored a new possibility within my photographic business.

First we need to step back in time a few months to spring 2018, because that is where it all began. My daughter was about to graduate 9th grade and her class wanted to do something fun, hopefully get a lasting memory etc. My daughter, after checking with me as the good girl she is, volunteered my services as a photographer to come and take a dressing up/outrageous group portrait of her class - I think the theme to dress up like a character from a movie. So I did this with great success - happy students and teacher(s) etc. It was quite a bit of fun and I did enjoy it. Since then, my daughter, as well as comments from a few of her friends have been - oh you should be the school photographer, you'd be great at it etc. Loving the compliments of course, but put it in the back of my head.

Anyway, it was very recently, I got an e-mail from LinkedIn with a listing of potential jobs - I usually don't pay them much attention, but something caught my eye - a company looking for a school photographer in Gothenburg, which is not far away from where I live. So I clicked the link, got some pretty brief info about what it entailed and that they were looking for not just photographers, but suitable people on an hourly/part-time/full-time basis. There was a mention of a preference for "proper" photographers. So I hit the apply button, wrote a few lines, sent a long my CV etc.

Why was I even doing this one might ask? Well, my job can be lonely sometimes, even though I'm ok with that part. It is also important to not get stuck in the same "tracks" too deep so to speak, but to keep challenge yourself, and I wouldn't mind a part time job on the side for the supplemental income/additional revenue stream, social aspect or just to be doing something different at times - see this as potentially benefiting me in my main focus area.

So after having sent off my application the whole thing pretty much vanished from my brain. I was late in the application process, the year's training week had already been and so had the practical guidance period been - don't know why it still had a few days remaining open for application to be honest? 

Check back in a few days for the next part...

Ready for action!

PS. There was going to be a 2nd part to this story, but time passed and it now feels irrelevant, so there won't be one. In essence, got offered the job, but it was way way different to whatever I was potentially looking for and I wouldn't be able to fit it in to our life.

The plan as a stock photographer 2018 or where is the image licensing industry heading?

The plan as a stock photographer 2018 or where is the image licensing industry heading?

There is a constant thinking ongoing in my head - what’s the best plan for me, where is this industry heading etc etc. These thoughts have been present for a few years now, because this is an industry in constant upheaval. What is the future for me, as a photographer and creator? I need to find the recipe to build something that just doesn't bring in the bacon each month, but also leaves a legacy, something to pass on.

There is plenty of money in this industry (imagery licensing market) with an annual turnover of about $2 billion. The good news is that this is estimated to grow to $4 billion by 2020. Haven't exactly found out where the growth is coming from, but de facto demand for imagery is "exploding" and also technology enables us to harness more and more uses, thus making it harder and harder to getaway with paying nothing for imagery i.e. stealing. Visual content is becoming more and more used, although also in more and more "new" ways - shorter durations, smaller uses, personalised uses etc. The old licenses RM (Rights Managed) and RF (Royalty Free (doesn't mean FREE, stupid name)) are really lagging in suitability to today's requirements and uses.

The bad news is that at current creators (photographers, videographers, illustrators etc.) are the victims of an all out price war between the biggest stock libraries, but also forced to accept lower and lower net percentage take home earnings (i.e. after agency commission), sometimes as low as 15%. The big agencies find it very easy to make themselves more profitable just by doing some trickery and lower the actual net earnings for it's contributors - yes we shout and scream, but compared to shareholders and investors we're worth nothing, no clout and easily replaced. There are agencies, smaller ones that have a much greater relationship with it's contributors such as Alamy. Can't recommend them highly enough, been with them for 14 years, since 2004 and it has always been worthwhile and importantly to me "felt good".

It is 2018, the future is here. There are at least two, to me, known initiatives that are trying to fundamentally change the marketplace in favour of the creators, utilising available blockchain technology, increase decentralisation and minimising the role of the middleman (agent/agency/stock library) - Wemark and Photochain. I've not yet investigated these place thoroughly, but I started to "look" at them and also started to contribute to Wemark.

I've for a long time been a proponent for direct selling. Did it for many years, but in this vast enormous internet that exist today it is difficult for it to be profitable when doing it on your own - the search for imagery needs to be collective, spanning over way more imagery than any one photographer can produce. However, there is no reason anymore that should prevent that. Besides the search, payment and fulfilment (i.e. digital delivery) a creator should be able to keep a much larger chunk of the pie. This also means that we can allow for the new lower pricing, yet find ourselves profitable enough to make it sustainable.

Anyway, I'm rambling - these thoughts keep going around in my head, one wants to be clever, one wants to head in the right direction, but most of all one just wants to work hard, create and be rewarded fairly.

Any fear can be conquered!

I leave you with a positive image. My son is 10 years old. He's a careful character, not a "chicken", just a bit more thoughtful and gentle than many of his peers - he's a thinker and very intelligent. Anyway, he's never really liked the thought of learning how to swim, hating deep water, freaking out about getting his face and head soaked. 

He's been in swimming school for two summers and just barely learnt to swim in shallow water and only for short distances. Swimming school is over for this year and the family banded together and embarked on helping him getting over his fears. We started by letting him dip his face in water in the sink at home, for a longer and longer periods. We progressed to the lake, also adding dipping the head, partly, then completely. All this done calmly and at his pace. I witnessed him battle with his fears, yet desperately wanting to overcome it and also claim the rewards set out for completing various challenges. He got braver and braver, big things like dipping the head under water, became nothing - he beat his fear. A few weeks later and he swims great lengths at deep water, he jumps of jettys getting his head down deep in water and has turned into a complete water bug - I know have to drag him out of it. He's my hero, he stuck at something that he thought he could never conquer, but managed to. So proud of him, so happy for him. Last thing he asks me every evening now is "are we going swimming tomorrow?" and "which island are we going to?". Children are the best, mine are just awesome - love you guys!

So I'm signing off here. Need to put in some more work before the family wakes up and we're heading off to an island somewhere to go swimming in the ocean. We're set for at least 5 days of 30 degree heat. To some that might not sound like much, but trust me, if you are Swedish that is a lot!

Everyone needs a slider to create excellent footage - a "Straight To The Point" review of the 24" 23.6" 60 cm Neewer Carbon Fiber Slider

Everyone needs a slider to create excellent footage - a "Straight To The Point" review of the 24" 23.6" 60 cm Neewer Carbon Fiber Slider

This is my first longer form review - hope someone finds it useful. Please feel free to comment.

For some time I've been wanting to acquire a slider. There is a plethora of options available, both in terms of bells & whistles, as well as price points from low to ridiculously high. 

My criteria were;

1. To be able to add a bit of movement to increase the perceived production value to the footage, as well as hopefully be able to make mundane subjects or situations to look more interesting. The required movement would need to be controlled, smooth and stable, as well as the slider being able to be versatile and giving me a range of useful options as how to use it. The main intended use would be for when I create stock footage which normally are only 15 to 30 seconds in length. 
2. Portability, I decided to go for shorter rather than longer as my thinking was that it would mean less of a hassle to bring and use thus making it used a lot more and brought along on the pure chance of being used (wowser a lot of use/used words in that sentence). Also as I don't only work in studio but on "pure chance" out and about it couldn't add too much weight to an already heavy backpack - I'm an animal and of course can handle the weight but less is always better, especially during long walks/days.
3. Sturdiness which usually goes hand in hand with quality is paramount. When not used it would be strapped to the back of my backpack and it would without question bump into things, well generally be used pretty roughly/careless.

Neewer 24" Carbon Fiber Slider with coupled with
a Manfrotto MVH500AH fluid video head with
Canon 5D MK IV attached.

So how did I settle on the Neewer slider?

So after some research, thinking, weighing up pros and cons with the different options I landed on the newly released updated version of the 24"/23.6" 60 cm Neewer Carbon Fiber slider. I paid £55.49 + £9.79 which brings it to a total of £65.28 or $86.58 (July 11, 2018) no taxes or duties as this was within the EU/Europe.

A few things swung it towards this particular model.

1. Generally heard great feedback on Neewer in terms of value for money.
2. Non-friction based "glide" but proper ball-bearings and 6 of them instead of the normal 4 (4 on the upper side and 2 underneath).
3. Ability to take a heavy load - rated for 8kgs. Well above what I normally would put on top of it, but it gives not just plenty of headroom, but generally I find that keeping a big "buffer" on similar things such as tripods, steadicams etc. works for the better, eventhough you're not close to the max - more is simply better.

Verdict 

Having used it for about 7-10 days now, both in studio and out and about I can attest to it's quality and working as I intended. Found no niggles, smooth as butter and no worries that it would stand the test of time - but time will tell. 

The slider can used with any kind of tripod head on it. For me personally I found that coupling it with the Manfrotto MVH500AH fluid video head gives me the best experience, both with the extension arm and without (which makes it a bit more compact).

Close up images of important details

Metal locking knob to lock feet at a desired angle.

Screw in or out rubberised feet for good
grip and height adjustments. They can be
locked at any certain desired height and
will stay firmly in place.

Best mates - the combo that I initially
found to work the best have been
with the Manfrotto MVH500AH video
fluid head, with or without the extension
arm.

6 ball bearings, 4 on upper side and 2 
underneath, ensures a much smoother operation 
compared to friction based sliders.

Close up of rubberised wheel that
together with ball bearings gives
silky smooth footage.

A recommendation or not?

I can wholeheartedly, genuinely recommend with two fat thumbs up the Neewer Carbon Fiber slider if one is after a price conscious yet quality product that will open up a whole range of options for your footage making abilities. Without having tested the aluminium version or any longer versions I would personally stick to carbon fiber for rigidity reasons and probably not go for anything longer than 100 cm unless you are going to use it on flat surfaces - this is me guessing in an educated kind-of-way, I could be wrong. 

In the spirit of the great Ken Rockwell - if you feel like supporting me and my awesome family, use any of the Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post and I earn a small commission, which is of course very much appreciated.

"The Fox sTrap" - Pro Tips DIY the ultimate camera strap with quick release for my Canon 5D MK IV

"The Fox sTrap" - Pro Tips DIY the ultimate camera strap with quick release for my Canon 5D MK IV

DIY ultimate camera strap the
"Fox sTrap"

There was some interest expressed on social media in my homemade DIY amended Canon 5D MK IV camera strap with quick release and Velcro fastening bundling option.

Obviously there are plenty of time when I need* the camera strap, as well as plenty of times when it annoyingly in the way. 

The two quick release click-
locks make it a doodle to
attach/detach the camera
strap.

However, there are many times when I want the strap off - when creating stock footage where it interferes with sliders, gimbals etc. 

The attached Velcro
strap enables the strap
to be bundled up and
out of the way!

So since a while back I “invented” something "new". I took the original camera strap, two sturdy quick release clip-locks that I re-purposed from two lanyards, two sturdy key rings (from the same lanyards) and a bit of Velcro strap. Now the camera strap can come off/on quickly. When not in use but don’t want it off it can be folded up and the Velcro band holds it in place. The Velcro strap is attached with black gaffer tape, where the second layer/lap and onward to the end is super glued. This ensures that the surface of the strap is unaffected and can be removed without residue when the day comes to sell the camera, it also ensures that the gaffer tape stays in place. I also added bits of black gaffer tape on the camera to protect it from getting any scratches from friction from the key rings. Works like a charm and £50-£110 saved by not buying similar ones from well-known brands. Hopefully this will help someone else.

*Prevent dropping to the ground and break, as an impromptu steadier (tension trick), free up my hands as I always bring a camera with me, not always the camera back pack. Also the viewfinder light blocker is conveniently attached to the strap, which is needed for long exposures.

/Fox

GDPR, Prohibited Photography - why all the hate?

GDPR, Prohibited Photography - why all the hate?

Seriously, what is going on with the perception of photography at the moment and going back a few years? I see this change in perception of photographers and photography towards something of a threat. I don't recall having read anything in conjunction with any terror events that they were keen photographers and did recon with anything more than a mobile phone, certainly not professional grade equipment such as a dSLR and big white Canon L lenses. For some reason people have developed this intense need to be "private" wherever they go, even in public places. I'm worried. Photography and documentary street photography is an integral part to have a record of everyday history, as well as capturing historic events and without it, or a reduction of it, will result in something of a historic blank canvas - we can't have that! 

At THIS end of school celebration I was NOT informed about

any prohibition against photography, and obviously they are

all posing for photographs... I'm sure all parents and relatives

take pictures for posterity, sharing it here there and everywhere

like one SHOULD do! Out of courtesy rather then necessity
I've blurred the children in the image. 

Going to the kids' end of school celebration this year and having been to a few (at least 15) this was the first time that I heard at one of them (not the one pictured in this post) that photography wasn't allowed of anything bar ONLY your own child. I have no interest in other kids more than that they are classmates, they are there and therefore part of that moment and setting so to exclude them will not just be difficult but also paint an inaccurate picture of the moment. 

I don't mind my children or myself ending up on someone else's camera, as long as there are no malicious intent. Anyway I have no malicious intentions and I do consider myself a protector of this art, industry and profession that is photography so there are very few situations where I agree with photography prohibition - so smile peeps when I take your picture, don't get angry, take is as a compliment and remember the importance of it all. Pervs and people with bad intentions are always going to try and do what they set out to do, probably sneakily and prohibition of photography won't matter to them. 

So how is GDPR going to affect me? I believe that I'm exempt as I'm either taking images and video for artistic reasons, for journalistic (editorial) purposes or purely private purposes. Of course I also do it for commercial purposes, but in those circumstances I exercise full control of the situation/setting/subject and ensure that the imagery is fully released - which is also a criteria to be able to license it for commercial purposes through my agents and/or stock libraries.

Yeah! Kid's summer holiday has begun - finally I get to hang loads with my little homies!

Yeah! Kid's summer holiday has begun - finally I get to hang loads with my little homies!

Lucas giving a thumbs up to summer
holiday!

I love the kid's summer holiday. My family is my favourite people and I adore my children. Having them home (not going to school) during the summer holidays is absolute heaven. We always spend a lot of quality time, but during the summer it is non-stop, which is lovely. Just chilling, chatting, getting up to fun stuff such as Nerfgun shooting, swimming in the lakes, baking rhubarb pie, bicycling around our village, exploring the nature reserve, making movies - anything really. 

I really wish it was like that all-year-around, but right now I'm looking forward to 10 weeks with the bestest people there are - love you guys! Oh yes, the wife is in on the love fest too, a close knit family we are.

Sophie all dressed up for
her class farewell dinner -
looking super cute!

Anyway, just a quick stop-in to share my good mood!