2008 June | Design and Photography Highlights

What does Shenk think about all of you?

Jun 302008

Interesting article on the rise of Microstock and amateur photogs for everyone out there. Amateur photographers are shaking up the global market for licensed images far quicker than video is for broadcasters, and even Bill Gates’s privately held image bank, Corbis, is having to reinvent itself.

Here is the last sentence of the article, “”There will be a shake-out in this space in the coming years but we’re happy with what we are doing. We think Corbis has the resources and patience to succeed in the long-term. We will beat them with better [commercial] execution.”"

I agree with him about Corbis having the resources (see Bill Gate’s pocketbook) and the shakeout (see LO and hearing Albumo up against the ropes) but we will have to wait and see if they can execute better. Up to this point they haven’t instilled us with confidence.

Support for CoreFTP, SmartFTP and CuteFTP

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Jun 302008

You can now use CoreFTP, CuteFTP and SmartFTP when uploading to Cutcaster. If you need more directions on uploading via these FTP clients please email us at upload@cutcaster.com.

Below are the Core FTP Instructions

Here is how to set up CoreFTP:

Host name is content.cutcaster.com

Username is anonymous. In CoreFTP you must click on the (a) and it will fill in the password.

Next you have to disconnect.

Next choose Site—->Manager

From there click on the Advanced button

Go to Directory/Folder

In Remote start folder put your unique file number found on this page: http://www.cutcaster.com/upload/uploadfiles/process it will look like this:

Your FTP Folder ID

1xxoxoxooxoxoxooxo/

You are now ready to upload.

After upload return to the page above and click the Process FTP button.

Want more people to see your images and studio profiles?

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Jun 272008

Here is something very easy to do. Some of you may not use these “share” buttons on your media details page or your studio pages but you should be.

They are a very important form of driving traffic to your studio as well as your images on Cutcaster or your own site and you should use this button to leverage getting more traffic and views/downloads of your content. And they are completely free.

To promote your work or someone else’s work (if you like their stuff) on Cutcaster you hover over the “share” button and click on the different networks you want to send the content to. The different sites will allow you to title it and put in a description and then feed it to their millions of users. It is so Easy. From our research and experience, this works in driving traffic and buyers to see your work and translates into sales.

Try it out for yourself and see how the views and traffic will pile up for you. Just click on the share button and send to the networks that you are a member at. My personal favorites are StumbleUpon, Digg, Myspace, technorati, facebook, reddit, twitter and delicious. But there are many places you can derive traffic from and I bet you will be happy that you tried it.

If you need some help understanding how to do this, just email us.

Clipfolders fixed

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Jun 272008

The Clipfolders have been fixed and moved to the live site. Just wanted to give you a heads-up that you can start using them and organizing your work. If you do see any issues let us know. The public and private Clipfolders will be going live very soon.

Also we are working on setting up the servers so that the website, the database and the upload section all are running off separate servers at Amazon. This is going to speed the site up a ton. Finalllllyyyyyyyy.

UPDATE- still a couple of issues we are ironing out.

These guys won’t be stealing images again

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Jun 262008

Photographer Gets $12 Million Verdict!!!

Not a bad days work or settlement.

Liz Ordonez-Dawes, an accomplished architectural and interior design photographer, recently was awarded more than $12 million dollars for copyright infringement of seven photographs. In brief, the court found that the defendants distributed Ms. Ordonez-Dawes’ photos of high-end houses to various third parties for advertisements to sell the houses without authority and with knowledge that such act constituted copyright infringement. The court’s Order provides some background of the case as well as the calculation of damages.

For more details check out the Photo Attorney’s blog and Jackie Shumaker, who gave them the headsup.

Even though she has not collected anything yet, this is a great start and a good way to scare other would be thieves once they see that eye popping number. The more publication and press this gets the better it is for everyone even if she doesn’t collect the whole sum. I am glad to see she registered her work and the result was that she had some re-course in the court of law. Others should take note. It’s the only way to collect a large sum.

More Images we need for the upcoming season’s needs

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Jun 252008

Do you have these images sitting on your hard drive collecting dust or not making you money at other sites. We will pay you more for exclusive content. Please upload content related to the below categories.

1. Back to School, Back to work after summer, career issues/financial
2. Halloween- bring out all the spooks
3. Thanksgiving
4. Holiday Eats/Meals – any type of fall foods
a. Thanksgiving dinner
b. Candied Yams
c. Squash
d. Cranberries
e. warm soups
f. pumpkin pie or pecan if you like that more

5. Preparing your house for winter/Winterizing your home

Let us know if you have any questions.

Exclusive Spotlight on the Homepage

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Jun 252008

We are going to be introducing a place in the spotlight area for content that has been uploaded to Cutcaster that is exclusive to just our site. We want some of your work just to ourselves so we can feature you. Get your exclusives up there and we will move them to the homepage so people click through to your studios and see your other work.

In addition, we are going to be offering “free images and illustrations” on the homepage to attract more interested buyers to the site. If there are any people who would be willing to offer a few of their files for free please let us know. You can email content@cutcaster.com. We promise to pay you back down the road for your generosity.

Hope everyone had a great day.

Cutcaster is….

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Jun 232008

Cutcaster is a community based content marketplace to license digital photos, images, illustrations and videos. Cutcaster offers royalty free images, stock photos, stock footage and stock photography for advertising, publishing or web design. The platform helps people who have taken a great photo or captured some amazing video footage to monetize their content through licensing it to someone working in advertising, publishing, filmmaking and graphic design.

A contributor sets their own price and can place the price tag anywhere he wants. For example, Photos, we have seen people price anywhere between $3 to $250 for the price of a RF agreement. You decide where you want to sell it. We will find the buyers for you.

The twist Cutcaster has introduced to licensing is buyers can now license content on demand or they can bid for it by submitting a price to the seller seamlessly over the site, which the seller can accept, decline or resubmit a new offer back to the buyer. In addition, if a publisher from a magazine came to you, they could also bid on extended rights for content like exclusivity in certain markets or over certain periods of time. This bidding platform helps buyers find content within their budget, provides incentives for them to license content at Cutcaster because they can create better deals for themselves than they would find at other sites and highlights for sellers where the demand is at different pricing levels and how to price their content so they don’t lose sales because their content isn’t priced correctly.

Where is your photo business going?

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Jun 232008

Cutcaster is interested in learning where you see your business changing and what you think will be the focus of your business in the coming years. Where do you see the most room for growth in your business and where will the majority of your time spent? Who will be your biggest customers and how will you reach them?

Places we are planning on marketing and working with!

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Jun 232008

Are we missing some other ones? These are only some from our research but let us know where else we should be looking for potential image, photo and video buyers and sellers?

Advertising & Design Organizations

AAAA

AAF: American Advertising Federation

American Institute of Graphic Arts

Society of Illustrators Home Page

World Wide Arts Resources

Design & Advertising Magazines & Zines

Adage

Adweek Online

Communication Arts

http://ep.pennnet.com/home.cfm

Print Magazine, Online

Creative resource listings

Design Directory | made by designers for designers

Digital Imaging Magazines & Zines

CreativePro.com

Digital Imaging Magazine

Photo Digital Directory

Graphic Arts & Printing

Advertising Production Club of New York … because we are in NYC !!!!

The Advertising Production Club of New York is a trade association for professionals and students in the graphic arts/communications industry. Founded in 1931, the Club is dedicated to the educational advancement of its members, focusing on the identification and dissemination of information on emerging technologies.

Graphic Arts Information Network

Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) is the world’s largest graphic arts trade association, representing an industry with more than $171.5 billion in revenue and 1.08 million employees.

Specifications for Web Offset Publications (SWOP)

Over the last thirty years SWOP has become a major factor in the success of the Publication Printing Industry in the United States. This has been a result of a combination of attainable goals, dedicated people driving the process and an industry willing to improve itself. The resulting recommended specifications are for the use of all those involved in the production of publications – including the advertiser, publisher, printer, advertising agency and prepress service supplier.

Photography Magazines & Zines

Apogee Photo Magazine

The Internet’s Photography Magazine (www.apogeephoto.com)
A FREE online magazine designed to inform and entertain photographers of all ages and levels.

CameraArts

CameraArts is specifically aimed toward the medium and small format photographer. Each issue provides in-depth interviews with portfolios produced by respected photographers

Focal Fix

PDN – PHOTO DISTRICT NEWS

Photographic Organizations

ACMP (AU)

ASMP Cutcaster is a member of ASMP.

AOP

Editorial Photo (EP)

EPUK (UK)

International Assoc of Panoramic Photographers

National Press Photographers Association (NPPA)