Stock Photos

Stock Photo Sales April 2011

2011-03-25T15:21:00.000-07:00

A week ago I received a photo-usage-rights price request. This potential customer wanted to make a print of one of my Fenway Park photos. The print would be resold for display in a local restaurant at like 45 x 60 inches.

I quoted $200.00 over the phone. After telling me the price was "high" the person told me he was not sure if so and so would be willing to pay it. I've not heard back from them.

After a few weeks of working out the deal with their client, the buyer paid the invoice for rights to the Fenway Park image.

On a related note, rights to one of my New England Aquarium photos was requested via e-mail today. The use would be in a promotional brochure. I replied with quotes based on the image size. I'll update with the the outcome of this potential sale soon.

It's likely these people found my stock photos via Google Image Search.

Photo Use - No Charge

2010-12-08T14:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday a woman called asking about usage rights for my American Flag Waving photo. She wanted to use the image in the cover of a pamphlet which would be handed out at the funeral of a man in her community who recently died. I told here there would be no charge.

She wanted to give me a credit on the back of the pamphlet. I told her to make the credit read "Photo courtesy of SlideScanning123.com"

She found the image via Google images searching for "American Flag waving". She thanked me for making my contact info so easy to find. (in image borders)

On a related note, I recently sold rights to an F-16 in flight photo for use on a t-shirt. The shirt will be produced for employees of a company which make parts for the F-16. In addition to the check already received, I asked for a t-shirt to be shipped to me and no charge.

Photo Sales 2009

2009-12-27T16:41:00.000-08:00

Photo sales (aka usage rights) have been increasing, apparently proportional to the photos I add to my stock photo collection at photo.net.

Accurate photo captions and keywords there help the images come up number one when Google Image search is used by potential photo buyers. The word "photo" as the domain at photo.net name helps too.

My butterfly in flight image sold for use on the cover of a report. I sold rights to 5 images for use on a Hampton Beach Hotel Web site.

A large company bought rights to one of my helicopter photos for multiple uses. They paid me $725.00. Trips to air shows can be profitable photo outings.

Print sales from my Photos for Sale at Zenfolio have been moderate but enough have sold to cover the annual hosting fee. Most of my pages (galleries) there come up number one in a Google search for my targeted search strings.
I target strings like:

As of 12/27/09, My Zenfolio main page is currently coming up number one with the Google search generic term "photos for sale". That will vary over time.

Copyright Infringers

2009-10-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

Here's more news about my photography, and a copyright violator.

Over a year ago, I licensed rights to a photo of mine for use by a business owner, a small photo for his Web site. I made it clear that the rights were limited to that specific use.

About a year later I was in the area where his business was located and I picked up a free local magazine. There, on the inside cover was my photo at 1/2 page, promoting his business.

40,000 copies of this magazine had been printed for distribution all summer long.

I billed this person $535.00 for that unauthorized use and he paid it.

Some photographers bill at 3 or 4 times their going rate when they find find unauthorized use of their images. I billed him at the going rate. I didn't want a court battle. I only wanted fair compensation.

Thanks for listening, Jim.

Photo Sales and Copyright Violation

2009-07-17T16:19:00.000-07:00

A record company in the UK paid the invoice I sent. They had used my Freak Out Carnival Ride image on a CD cover without my permission.

Ironically, the copyright was infringed upon twice. First by a Lion's Club Web site creator. When the image was copied to the Lion's Club site, my contact info and copyright notice had been cropped off.

The "artist" who created the CD cover claimed:

"As you can see there was no visible copyright or rights of ownership for the image and from looking at the other pictures of the ride on the site I just thought these were personal snaps from the fair. I do apologize for the misunderstanding here and I am happy to remove the artwork from the release if necessary."

Now the photo is everywhere:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQnhj1iSqVg

Print Sales

2009-05-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

After a recent request for a quote on four 12x18 prints of Hampton Beach, I set up on Zenfolio.com for the sale of prints.

The selection of images there is quite small as I just set it up the other day.

I've recently added galleries of:

Many more photos and categories will be added,... as time allows ;-)

If there is a photo of mine which you like to buy a print of, let me know and I'll set up that image on Zenfolio for prints up to 24 x 36".

Photo Sales - Rights and Prints

2008-12-22T06:15:00.000-08:00

December has been a good month for photo sales.

A woman in FL, a former Saugus resident, bought 9 prints of Saugus scenes. She wanted them for Christmas gifts. She chose Saugus River Lobster Boats, Route 1 Traffic at Night and Kane's Donuts.
A new book called "Amazing and Unusual USA" will feature 3 of my photos of Clark's Trading Post. Printing is schedule for April 2009.
The Sea Ketch Restaurant owner bought rights to one of my images last month.
This month I received another request for usage rights for several photos on a different Hampton Beach Web site. 2/5/09 Follow-up: (I was willing to allow free usage if they could have provided hyper-linked credit, since they were a non -profit. They were not willing to do so.

Facebook & Social Networking

2008-11-20T16:51:00.000-08:00

I recently signed up for an account with Facebook after hearing other adults talking about their use of it.

After seeing so many MySpace pages cluttered with all kinds of unsightly stuff, I wasn't interested in social networking sites, assuming they were all like MySpace, which allows users to customize pages to a point where they become an assault on the eyes.

FaceBook is different, cleaner, more organized, more useful, easier on the eyes! I understand Facebook is becoming more popular than MySpace, and I can see why.

I'm finding Facebook very interesting. I'm amazed at how many people that I know are using it. For me it's mostly relatives, nieces, nephews etc.

Upon signing up, users can find FaceBook friends via their AOL Instant Messenger Buddy Lists or from e-mail address books. (I chose not give FaceBook my ISP e-mail account password.) Users can also find other facebook members by searching their high school by year of graduation. Watch-out cla$$mate$.com! (Classmates wants you to pay before they'll allow users to reach each other.)

Once a Facebook member, you're able to see all of your friends content, their friends etc. One of the features is a rolling list of things friends have recently done, like pictures posted, comments on pictures, where people are, what they are doing etc. Having only been a FaceBook member for 1 day, I may add more to this blog after I learn more.

Comments on this and other entries in my blog are encouraged.

Stock Photo Sales

2008-10-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

I've been spending more time uploading image to the Net. Today I got a call from someone at a Hampton Beach restaurant. They were looking for rights to use this photo when they update their Web site. I outlined my reasonable fees for Web use. I expect I'll hear back from them.

Summer is Gone...well, mostly ! Sept '08

2008-09-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

We had one of the coolest Augusts here in Saugus Massachusetts, in my recent memory. The AC wasn't on much around the house. Even the heat bug was quiet most of the time and rarely heard before noon. Didn't seem to be a good year for the spider crop either.

Founders 2008 day almost got rained out. Clouds and a soggy forecast may have hurt the turnout.

My son and I attended this afternoon's Red Sox game, a 4-3 victory over Toronto. Riding the Green Line gives me motion sickness!

Andre Rieu & Johann Strauss Orchestra

2008-05-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

I guess I have a wide range of musical tastes or maybe I'm just getting old.

Last night we attended the Andre Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra concert. Fantastico!

I would probably have not have known of this Andre and his orchestra, if it had not been for my mother, would would call me up so I'd tune in when his concerts were aired on PBS.

The show began at 7:30pm at the TD BankNorth Garden and ran almost 2 1/2 hours. A 40 piece orchestra, Andre Rieu and a variety of tenor and soloist singers made for a fantastic evening of music.

"Binoculars might have been nice to bring" I thought, as we drove to catch the Orange-Line train to Boston. Turns out binoculars were not needed. To the left and right of the stage were two HUGE monitors, each about 50 feet wide. Live close-ups of the performers were simulcast during the show.

Selections included, The Blue Danube Waltz, a Mozart Medley, America the Beautiful, Amazing Grace, to name a few. A tear-jerking rendition of Ave Maria was sung by Mirusia Louwerse.

The one selection I was hoping to hear most, was not in the line-up, The Second Waltz.

The music was drastically different than the rock concerts I attended on the same site in the old Boston Garden during the 70's. Bands like Jethro Tull and Aerosmith and left my ears ringing.

I wish my mother was still around to have attended the concert with me last night. She would have loved it, as I did.

Florida Photos

2008-05-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

Below is a link to photos I made during a recent trip to Florida. Thirty four Florida beach and wildlife photos are featured. One is in twice, by mistake.

The slide show a Flash presentation, which might not display properly on all browsers and might not display at all, on others.

The Flash slide show presents the images at different sizes, depending on the size of your Web browser window.

Did you know that most Web browsers can toggle from normal view to full screen view using the F11 key? Try it now. Hit your F11 key. Hit it again to return your browser to normal. During full screen your task bar will likely disappear.

I recommend viewing the slide show at full screen view. I don't recommend changing (F11) during the slide show. Toggle the thumbnails off during the slide show by clicking the small icon under the photo at the lower left.

The Florida Stock Photos presentation was made with Adobe LightRoom. Feel free to comment on this or any other entry in my blog using the comments link under each.

"Finding Myself" on Google Street View

2008-05-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

As a long-time fan of Google Earth, it has been fun to view all kinds of places from above, especially my neighborhood and house.

Now Google has taken earth viewing down to the street level.

While using Google Maps I recently discovered Google Street View. Many heavily populated areas have been mapped out using a 360 degree field-of-view cameras, mounted on moving vehicles. The photos are taken about 10-15 yards apart and they have been incorporated into Google Maps.

After entering an address on Google Maps, the user can then select "street view". (Not available for all areas.) This brings up 360 degree photos taken as these roving recorders drove past the address.

Not only can you see your house, but people on your porch, cars in your driveway, license plates etc.

My son and I were using street view when we entered our address. We "drove" up the street just a bit and I said, "Hey there's someone walking." We pulled up along-side and my son said, " Hey Dad it's you!) sure enough, there I was, walking to the nearby mailbox to ship a slide scan order !

Click and drag on photos to look around or click on the arrows on the photos to "drive" up the streets

Although Google Maps Street View is a cool toy, I can see potential for it to cause some people trouble.

Examples: Spouse calls home from work after viewing pics of home on Street View: "Honey, who owns the blue sedan I saw parked in our driveway?"

Workman's comp investigator: "Dave, how is your injured back? Was that a washing machine you were lugging up your front steps?"

Woman to husband: "Hey Joe? Who's the woman you're sitting with on our local park bench?"

With millions of people looking at millions photos of their own neighborhoods, things like this are bound to occur.

Read someone else's blog about street view.

Readers are encouraged to post your comments and thoughts on this subject by clicking on the comments link below.

Water Heater Leak

2008-04-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

The night before leaving on a 1 week vacation, we discovered water on our cellar floor. A leaking, 10 year old water heater was the culprit.

I'm glad we found the leak before our departure. Otherwise our basement would have flooded.

After getting a 3 prices from local plumbers I chose a Melrose based plumber. For $850.00 he replaced the gas fired 40 gallon tank, with a warranty extended to 12 years.

Rubber hoses to washing machines are another potential weak point in any plumbing system.

After this, I'll turn off the water main before leaving town for extended periods.

Saugus Pizza Choices

2008-03-26T12:34:00.000-07:00

Being a pizza lover, I'm eager to try new pizzas at local restaurants around Saugus. Today, for the first time I tried Peter's Pizza, located at Hamilton Plaza on Hamilton St.

The pizza was,...well, not bad at all. I'll certainly consider them next time I'm ordering a couple of pies to go. The have a special, two large 16" pizzas, $14.99, any time, any day, no coupon needed!

Everyone loves delicious pizza at Prince Pizzeria on Route 1. Certainly some of the best pizza anywhere!

I like the pizza at the new Nick's Place in Saugus Center. However, it can be difficult to eat when the crust is so thin and soft at the center, not self supporting!

Comment on this blog at the link below with your recommendations for pizza in Saugus!

Rainy Days

2008-03-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

Cold, rainy days like today make being indoors more enjoyable for me. Speaking of rainy days, I read somewhere only 1 out of 3 days are mostly sunny here in the Boston area, a stark contrast to sunny Florida.

Living in the often bleak New England weather conditions makes me appreciate warm sunny days. Wet conditions can make photography a bit more interesting too.

Readers are encouraged to post comments on my blogs by clicking on the comments link below. Comments will be moderated by me before going public.

Batteries and HDMI cables, at a good price!

2008-03-11T16:21:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd give a new blog a try. I had a blog a while ago here on blogspot, but it never went anywhere. This blog will serve as an outlet for whatever I decide to write about.
It might be photography, or slide scanning or local Saugus stuff.

Maybe I'll use it to complain about the weather or the price of oil. Maybe I'll share some new bargains I've discovered on the Web.

Speaking of bargains, most of us lots of AA and 9 volt batteries around the house. There's never a good set around when you need it. Or, you've got a drawer full of half dead ones, and no battery tester.

Several months ago I needed a slew of 9 volts to refill smoke detectors. After about 33 seconds of a discriminatory search of the Web, I found http://www.batterywarehousedirect.com/

The per battery cost is MUCH lower than you ever find at local stores. The online ordering was easy and quick. Batteries were in my mailbox 2 days later. Shipping is less than $5.00, no matter the weight! After the first good experience ordering batteries there, I ordered 32 more AA batteries the other day. Once again, fast shipping, good price, no complaints. Did I mention the batteries are Duracell Alkaline?

HDMI Cables Price Gouging:
Many of you techno geeks are probably in need of HDMI cables for your new HDTV, cable box, Blue Ray player, Playstation 3 etc.
Some places are charging OUTRAGEOUS prices for HDMI cables. Average in-store prices run from about $15.00 to over $120.00 for the same product. A cable, is a cable, is a cable. If it's got gold plated contacts great. If it's got a heavy duty sheathing over it, it's a monster! Does that affect performance? No.

A quick search on Amazon.com should bring up HDMI cables for as little as $2.00 each.