Photo Sales 2009

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:

• New Hampshire Photos for Sale
• Nature Photos for Sale
• Florida Photos for Sale
• Red Sox Photos for Sale
  

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

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.

Read similar copyright violator facts in the Hall of Shame on my Copyright Notice Page.

Thanks for listening, Jim.

Photo Sales and Copyright Violation

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

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:

• Red Sox Photos for Sale
• Saugus Photos for Sale
• White Mountains New Hampshire Photos
• Florida Anna Maria Island Photos for Sale
  
• Boston Photos for Sale
  

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

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

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

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.