Photography | Web Design and Photography Highlights

Image of the Day

Photography, Uncategorized No Responses »

Mar 042013

Man with Crossed Hands in Artistic Pose. Conceptual Design. Creativity

From the Cutcaster.com Crescendo Collection.

What is a stock photo and how can I use a photo I find legally?

Buyer Info, Uncategorized No Responses »

Mar 012012

We hear this question a lot on social networks and user feedback emails so we thought a short post would clear up some of the misunderstandings that image users had.

Stock photography is the supply of photographs and vector art which can be licensed for specific uses and also broken down basically into three types. Rights Managed, Royalty free and Free. Those three types come with different rights that describe how the person who downloads the image can use them. Anyone working on a creative assignment would use these images and illustrations instead of hiring a photographer. In today’s world, stock images are organized in searchable online databases generally called digital asset management systems. Using online technology, stock agencies and individual photographers let image buyers purchase and download imagery online.

There are four different levels of stock photography.

1. Macrostock: Known as traditional stock photography and generally has higher priced, exclusive stock photos

2. Midstock: Stock photography priced between micro stock and macro stock, generally between $20-100 USD.

3. Microstock: Lower priced, royalty free stock photography

4. Creative Commons or Free: Generally requires attribution or a link back to the source but this stock photography can be downloaded and used for free

For more information on what a stock photo is and how you can legally use a stock image visit Stock Photo License.

Cutcaster Celebrates 1 Million Images, Quality over Quantity

Cutcaster Stats, Cutcaster Updates No Responses »

Feb 162012

Woman singing i
<div style= do my essay

nto a retro microphone” width=”224″ height=”300″ />Cutcaster.com, one of the internet’s premier sources of high quality, royalty-free stock images, announced a major milestone as its image collection surpassed 1,000,000 photographs, illustrations, and vector art.

“Everyone’s proud of the recent milestone,” says John Griffin, CEO of Cutcaster. “We weren’t the first or the fastest to a million but from the start we stressed quality over quantity and that guided our image growth strategy. Cutcaster is about providing world-class images to our customers and that will remain our top priority.”

The one-millionth image was submitted by Serbian photographer, iMarin, of a woman singing into a retro microphone. “I have been selling stock since 2006 and uploaded my photos to Cutcaster because of their high commission rates for sellers and their low $25 payout request for getting my earnings,” iMarin explained.

With a global customer base spanning many different industries including publishing, advertising, web design, blogging and product design, it’s crucial that Cutcaster provides images suited to a wide variety of applications as well as innovative solutions to meet their customers image needs. Image buyers have nearly limitless creative options when using Cutcaster images, which are provided under a royalty-free license with the option to purchase additional extended rights.

“Due to the smaller budgets, we are seeing an increased demand for affordable, premium royalty-free images,” Griffin noted. “As a result, Cutcaster is directly addressing the changing needs of the marketplace by providing an expansive selection of high-quality stock images via an affordable, user-friendly licensing model.”

The company attributes its tremendous growth to its innovative business model, which harnesses the power of talented photographers and illustrators worldwide, who regularly upload their work to Cutcaster’s website. Over the last 6 months, Cutcaster’s library has been adding 20,000 new images per week or nearly two images every minute. Cutcaster’s expert review team screens every image for quality and compliance, enforcing some of the strictest standards in the imagery business. “Two out of every three images submitted by approved artists are now accepted at Cutcaster,” Cora Reed, the companies creative director noted.

“The photos I find at Cutcaster feel authentic and work perfectly within my layouts and budget,” says Mike Armenta of Taylor Stitch in San Francisco, who uses Cutcaster’s affordable images to make the newsletters he creates more appealing. “The website is simple to use, has fast search and great customer service.”

Earlier this year, the company introduced the commercially available search engine, SpiralSearch that was custom built using a unique controlled vocabulary and faceted search. SpiralSearch is just one of the many features of “Spiral” which is their custom framework used to build Cutcaster. Today, customers can find great stock images faster, more easily and with precision using the Spiral framework.

Cutcaster was founded in 2007 and has grown into one of the internet’s largest pay-as-you-go and credit-based stock image agencies. The company crowdsources the talent of more than 30,000 digital photographers and illustrators from around the globe who collect earnings each time a customer downloads their images.

8 reasons Facebook photos aren’t just for voyeurs but perfect for your business

Photography 1 Response »

Jun 222011

How can you use Facebook to sell more of your images and promote yourself effectively? At Cutcaster, we have compiled a few basic steps, which will help you leverage the power of any social network but specifically for Facebook in order to effectively market your photography business:

1. If you do not already have a Facebook account you will want to create one. Make sure to fill out all the fields on your Facebook profiles so that people who visit your profile can learn more about you and the type of photography you do.

2. Sharing your images is critical. “Like” your images at Cutcaster by clicking the like button below your image’s thumbnail on any image details page. The number of times an image is “liked” at Cutcaster via the Facebook button is one factor that gives your images a boost in our search results.

3. Upload watermarked versions of your images to Facebook and make sure to highlight a wide sampling of your artwork and areas of specialties. You must always be aware of the Facebook user agreement which you should examine and why we tell you to use a watermarked version. Once you have them uploaded this is where you will want to link to your Cutcaster portfolio in the description area or specific images in your port. Make sure you use your referral links so you earn more money.

3. Ask some of your clients for permission to post some of your images to their page so other potential clients who are connected to them will see your images. In this case, anyone connected as a friend of your client on Facebook will see the posted image. This exponentially grows the group of potential customers you will reach.

4. Post updates of what you are doing professionally or shooting to the wall of your Facebook page. If you have an outside website or use a stock photo agency like Cutcaster, then use the wall to promote your other sites. If you’re about to publish some new photographs, then this is a good time to let your Facebook community hear about it!

5. It’s a great idea to create a Facebook fan page which you can use as a promotional tool for your photo or design business. Give people updates on upcoming shows, new images, new techniques you are learning, workshops you are attending or offer special deals to potential customers.

6. You need to be posting fresh new images to your Facebook pages regularly that highlight your improvement and continued education as a photographer, that highlight new areas you are experimenting with or new aspects of your work. These subtle hints will serve as reminders that your photo or design services are available.

7. Like and participate on groups at Facebook which are related to your photography work and interests. Make sure your comments are insightful and thought out i.e. not “it’s good to be here” or “nice shot” spammy. Pose questions if you want to get a response. By providing valuable information on other users pages you will be actively helping their community and growing your own reputation as the go to person for your area of photography.

8. When posting an image to your facebook page or someone elses’ fan page, you are able to change the title name which serves as an anchor link back to your image’s page. Since you are able to manipulate the title by choosing your own, you can pack it full of relevant keywords you are trying to target through search engine optimization.

Have you joined the other Cutcaster fans on Facebook? Our Facebook page highlights useful design and photography tips as well as connects our contributors with our buyers. Login to Facebook and visit http://www.facebook.com/Cutcaster to like our page.

Search for photos and vectors in German, Spanish, French and more

Cutcaster Updates, Uncategorized No Responses »

May 312011

We have been re-thinking the way buyers can search for stock photos via Cutcaster and are excited to release the first of many updates to our image search engine.

Presenting- Keyword search translation.

What does that mean for image search at Cutcaster?

Going forward, any non-English keyword entered into the search area will be automatically detected, translated and return the relevant image search results in that language. Visitors can search in their native language.

We currently offer support for the following languages via our new search engine feature:
Arabic, French, Latvian, Swedish, Bulgarian, German, Lithuanian, Thai, Chinese (Simplified + Traditional), Greek, Norwegian, Turkish, Haitian Creole, Polish, Ukrainian, Czech, Hebrew, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Danish, Hungarian, Romanian, Dutch, Indonesian, Russian, Italian, Slovak, Estonian, Japanese, Slovenian, Finnish, Korean, and last, but not least, Spanish. Phewww.

That’s a mouthful of new languages that our picture search engine now supports and will improve the search experience for non-English speaking visitors. For sellers, this should lead to more views and sales for you.

Be on the lookout for more updates from Cutcaster regarding our new checkout area, more search engine updates, more translation features and our growing image collection. Sign up at Cutcaster to receive updates.

Thinking Outside the Box – Huge opportunity in stock

Buyer Requests, Cutcaster Updates, Photography, Uncategorized 1 Response »

May 252011

In the last year, Cutcaster has seen an incredible improvement in the quality of photos and vector artwork, which are uploaded to the site. The quality bar keeps getting raised as we reach 1 million images at Cutcaster in the coming months. With that said, we still see gaps in our collection that have created massive opportunities. Find out here about what type of images we are actively looking for and are under-represented at Cutcaster. Fill these holes and you might find yourself with a hot seller.
To expand your portfolio into an untapped arena of stock photography, we urge you to create a portion of your portfolio that really shows your “outside of the box” thinking, i.e. get granddad out there on water-skis, or place your old credit cards in your kitchen’s blender or use Photoshop to create unique situations in your images by combining different elements. Get as creative as possible. Take chances and see what works and doesn’t work. Then carefully keyword and upload your new creative shots to Cutcaster.
Here are some examples of pictures we currently have but we’d love to see more of this type of photography and illustrations:

Crescendo Collection

We strive to provide our picture buyers with the unique images they seek. Thanks for your help creating more jaw dropping images that will impress our buyers and increase your long-term earnings potential!
Regards,
Your Cutcaster team.

The difference between Editorial and Commercial Stock Photography

Uncategorized 1 Response »

May 242011

The Difference:

Commercial stock photography can be used in posters, ads, promotional brochures, etc. that advertise and/or endorse services or products. One could define it as any photography for which the photographer is paid for images rather than works of art. Commercial images usually include: better than average to normal looking, everyday people or models; subject matter that is politically correct; or the year’s latest trends, colors and hues. These photos frequently are taken by a commissioned photographer on assignment, or or licensed via a stock photography agency like Cutcaster.com. All images included in commercial stock photography must have a model release signed by the person depicted in the image, since commercial photos purpose are to endorse or help sell a product/brand.

Editorial stock photos are used in magazines, as illustrations in books, educational materials, informational periodicals and electronic media, etc. Generally these images illustrate a story or idea within the context of a published piece of work. Editorial stock photos can include people in real-life situations and capture a specific real life moment in time. Photojournalism is considered a subset of editorial photography. Photographs shot in this context are accepted as a documentation of a newsworthy event. Obviously editorial photos are inherently more unique and content-specific than their counterpart, commercial stock photos. Editorial buyers look for “authentic” pictures, not images that appear staged. Model releases are not needed for editorial usage, in most cases, because their purpose is to educate and inform.

Checklist for using Pictures, Images or Clipart you found online. What is royalty free?

Buyer Info, FAQ, Licensing Matters No Responses »

Apr 262011

Checklist Tick boxes in black with pencil and drop shadow

Photo Checklist

The checklist of considerations and questions below are important to think about when you found an image online and want to use it for whatever creative or editorial reason. Here is a checklist of things to ask yourself when licensing and using an image:

Ask yourself, how am I using the image exactly?

If the image is going to be used on a t-shirt design, within a mobile app, on a road-side billboard, for an e-device, on your client’s homepage or within a college textbook just to name a few, you will want to make sure that the license covers your particular usage. If you don’t know if you are covered, then don’t assume. You can always call up the photographer or stock photo agency to ask if your specific usage is covered by the license they offer. Better to be safe then to assume.

I need to be able to use an image forever. Will the license I buy ever expire?

This is very important. Start by asking yourself, “how long do I want to use a particular image for any project?” Check if the photo license expires in the future or grants you rights to use the image ‘in perpetuity’, which is just legal jargon that means the license doesn’t expire. Always check to make sure there isn’t a time restriction on your usage. Royalty free licenses are almost always ‘in perpetuity’ and won’t expire. Rights managed licenses have restrictions and limitations on how long you can use an image. Make sure you record if the license expires on a certain date and save that information along with the image. If someone created a website for you make sure that the images they selected for you don’t expire. The last thing you want is an unexpected bill or an email from an angry photographer or agency questioning why you are still using an image, whose license has expired.

Does the amount of times I print the image matter?

This is a good time to double-check how many times you want to print, reproduce or otherwise use an image. This is sometimes called “print run.” For example if you are going to print an image 10,000 times on a poster or use the image for a book cover that will be printed over 250,000 times, you want to make sure that the license doesn’t have a “print run restriction” that might require you to pay extra for any excess prints you make over the allotted amount. If you know your usage will exceed the number of times you can print it according to the license, you can purchase an additional license exemption in some cases called an extended license so you increase your print run to unlimited.

Am I licensing Royalty Free images or Rights Managed images?

Knowing the difference between these two license types is extremely important and will affect how your able to use the image. Clicking the checkout button and paying for the image doesn’t mean that you can use it anyway you like. You need to know the rights you are obtaining through the license.

If I use a subscription service to license images am I still allowed to use the images I downloaded after my subscription ends?

No, unless you used a specific image for a project during the time of your subscription. In that case, you can re-use the image but if you do not use the image during the time of your subscription and then use it after your subscription ends you are in violation of your licensing agreement and subscription sites will send a team of lawyers after you. You have to be very careful of subscription sites and their license. A person who cancels their stock subscription can not stockpile, download, or otherwise store images not used within a few months of the expiration of their subscription. This means you can not use any image which was downloaded but not used in a personal project or clients project during the time of your subscription. All subscription sites have a provision that limits how you can use images you downloaded during the subscription period that have not been used in a project. This is called image warehousing.

Ask yourself, Are there recognizable people, famous landmarks or artistic works (such as paintings or sculptures) in the image?

For commercial use, you need to double-check that your supplier holds the appropriate model or property release for that image. A simple email asking the photographer or agency for confirmation that they hold the releases is a good start.

Does the photographer or stock agency offer legal protection with the image license?

You will want to find out who assumes the liability and costs if a claim arises and you have to go to court. Does the license that you are considering buying cover you from these types of claims? Ask yourself and check the license to determine what kinds of claims are covered by the legal protection.

Where is a good place to ask for advice if you are not sure?

Stock Photo License is a good place to start for information and you should bookmark the resource and link to it from your site to help others. You can email them at team@stockphotolicense.com or ask them a question on Twitter by using @stockphotousage. Next, you could contact the photographer or stock agency. However, the best advice is to contact your legal counsel if you have specific questions.

What is royalty free?

If you are looking for amazing royalty free photos and vectors please visit Cutcaster.com.

Create amazing photo lightboxes for better organization and sharing

Cutcaster How To, Lightbox No Responses »

Apr 152011

Here are just a few of the latest photo lightboxes that have been created using our new picture lightbox tool. Have you tried using the lightboxes to organize pictures and share them with colleagues and friends? Play the short video below to see how convenient they are.

Here are a few of our newest lightboxes created by our creative team.

Traveling by Air. Let these pictures from above lift you above the earth and get you that aerial pictures from high above the ground of cities, bodies of water, buildings or New York City aerials pictures. While you are up there, if you need pictures of globes or Mother Earth, Cutcaster has a wide selection. If you dont like air travel, then drive off with these automobile pictures that will get your creative engines purring like a lion from the moment you start browsing.

Or browse a few of the selected picture collections below.

It’s almost Mother’s day. Don’t forget