Callum Winton Photography. Commercial, Corporate, Product and Automotive Photography

Separated at Birth

CallumW — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 07:23:09 +0000

Bit of weekend humour for you.

Separated at birth….?
Doug McClure	Jo McNally

Copyright Vs Licensing

CallumW — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 05:45:51 +0000

Some photographers find the concept of copyright and licensing a bit confusing.
This post is aimed at helping those who may be struggling with this area of the biz.

Copyright is about who owns the images.

Licensing is about who has the right to reproduce the images.

A license is normally compiled to fit a clients specific needs.
It sets out what type of publications or advertising the images can be used, under what circumstances, what regions/countries they can be used, the duration this agreement and the exclusivity of the images.

If the client finds they need to use the images in a way that’s not covered by the license or if they wish to continue using them after the license duration has expired, then they need to contact the copyright owner (usually the photographer) to negotiate further usage.

For example, if someone like Evanescence really likes one of the songs written by our friends Luminaire (above), then they will have to request a licence to perform their song at gigs or to record it themselves and include it in their next album.

The license fee will be determined, by how they use the song and if it’s on a CD then Luminaire get a percentage of the sale value of each album sold (because the numbers sold can’t be accurately predicted in advance).

Colonsay Video

CallumW — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 08:01:48 +0000

I recently spent 9 days rattling around a small Inner Hebridean island called Colonsay, waiving my camera around and trying to shelter it from the sand, sea spray and rain.

The result is a lot of pixel pummeling that I’ll be doing this week making some (hopefully) pretty pictures of which I’ll make some limited edition prints.
In the meantime, here’s a small video from a time-lapse sequence I did on the Colonsay Port where the ferry comes in once a day (6/7 days in summer, 3/7 in the winter).

It’s my first time-lapse so I hope you enjoy

The basics of Copyright and Licensing

CallumW — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 10:32:16 +0000

I’m getting asked about this more and more so I thought I’d blog a simple answer for people to find
(or me to point them to )

Typical question:
"I have no idea where to start with licensing etc. I don’t honestly care what the client does with the images, as long as I can also use them in my portfolio. So how does that work?"

Scenario: A client asks you to take pictures for them. Product, commercial, event, whatever.
You do the job to the brief and you make the pictures and you ‘own’ all those images under creative commons copyright law.

For your client to use the images for their intended purpose, they also need to purchase a license for the selected images. Photographers will license for time, usage and exclusivity.

Time.
This can be from 1 day up to unlimited time.

Usage
From 1/4 a subpage on a website, a book cover, a billboard or broadcast on TV.
The potential usage is extremely broad and is normally grouped into braoder definitions

Exclusivity
Normally images are either non exclusive or exclusive to an industry sector only. Very rarely are they exclusive across the board and it’s effectively locking the image down for the client’s use only. But you still have the copyright.

If a photographer sells or signs over the copyright then the new copyright holder canuse and re-sell or license the image as much as they like.

For Photographers AND clients:
To get an idea on expected basic licensing costs, go to a stock library, select a picture and choose the advanced licensing options.
Select a Rights Managed scenario to see how much 1 picture licenses for.

And that’s the very basics.
There’s a lot more to it such as how to relicense and building contracts or working with selling/working in the media and if you want to earn from pictures then you need to know it fully.
[subliminal message]buy BTL ….. buy BTL[/subliminal message]

—————–

Footnote: The question included "I don’t honestly care what the client does with the images".
We should. One of the main reasons the industry is falling apart is because the uneducated are ‘giving away’ their pictures for virtually nothing.

But there’s a simple fix:
http://www.callumw.com/index.php/201006/it-only-takes-30bucks-to-make-a-profit-from-photography-and-save-the-industry-at-the-same-time/

Get the book
Read the book
Know your rights
Protect your business and more importantly protect your clients

For all you MAC Lovers out there

CallumW — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 10:46:29 +0000

I’m posting this article just after the release of the G4 iPhone. The latest and greatest mobile from apple that does everything faster and smoother than before

…..except making phonecalls which is a really stoopid oversite bordering on Darwin Award material

So for all the stalwart MAC maniacs out there looking for a morale boost, I thought you may like to see this.
A photoshop image I did a long time ago and found while clearing space …… enjoy

The funny thing is it’s been 22 years sinceI used a MAC

It only takes £30 to make a profit from photography and save the industry at the same time

CallumW — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 08:33:18 +0000

I was recently asked:
"this is my first commercial job and all I’ve done so far is agree a price. Presumably I’ll need some sort of contract? Or do I? And is there such a thing as an example or template I could adapt and use?"

It’s a sad fact that the imaging industry is being eroded by the uneducated.

When I say "uneducated" I don’t mean someone who’s sole objective in life is to get 5 stars on their name badge or to get home in time to watch Hollyoaks, but people that don’t invest any time to know their rights, how to manage their copyright/license or just how to run a business.

It’s fantastic that talented image makers get an oppertunity to be rewarded when asked to make an image for a client, but when they don’t know how to quote and they give away their pictures for virtually nothing or their objective is only to buy a new bit of kit… that’s where the problem lies.

All too often people are doing bits on the side without covering their basics never mind making a profit.
(It is a business after all)
Some companies are quick to exploit the uneducated, because it keeps their overheads down. It’s not their fault. They’re looking for the best price and so they may discuss a project with someone lacking in business knowledge and talk them into working under the market rate.

But it can turn out like printer ink……

I stocked up on some cheap ink off the web for my document printer at 1/3 the price of branded ink.
Bargain I think. Keeping my overheads and expenses down.
The TV adverts said "Buy branded ink – it’ll last up to 30% longer than unbranded ink".
I sit there thinking "Yea, but I can get 3x the ink for the same price."
I get the ink, I put it in and it doesn’t work or the results are unreliable and no good, not what I wanted.
I end up trashing all the cheap stuff and having to go out and buying the branded ink to do the job right.
Waste of my time. Waste of my money.

You’ll notice that larger companies skip the ‘cheapest is best’ approach when it comes to their public image and they’ll go straight for the right person who can deliver the desired results first time.
They understand the value that they will bring to their product.

It’s easy to spot how we get programmed as it spills into other areas of our life too.
For example, if you go to a restaurant, and we find ourself looking at the prices more than the fare, then chances are we rarely end up with the best plate of food in front of us and we’re left unsatisfied.
If we ordered our favourite dish then we get what we want – even if it cost a few percent more

You can spot the entrepreneurs … they order their 2 favourite dishes and get the best meal of their life
Plus they have fantastic leftovers for the next couple of days

I’m happy that people get out there and sell themselves, there is plenty room for everyone, but to properly exist side-by-side with full time photographers, they need to correctly quote and bill for the job.
Even if the license is free/included, we still need to know how to create the paperwork to protect our commercial and private clients.
Clients also need to protect themselves by making sure they get hold of the right paperwork.

I did a couple of years semi-pro before I moved to full-time but I always quoted and billed a proper price, even though it wasn’t my main income. Ironically it was easier then as I had an income from the day job so I had some security. If the job didn’t go through then I had my weekend free to relax or do my own projects with no fiscal dent. Win-win.

So, how do we get educated?

If you’re interested in making money from photography then there’s really only one source that’ll answer all your questions. It’s the best investment you’ll make and is useful for clients that need to know their rights too

*Free Commercial Photography in June

CallumW — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:51:59 +0000

Yup, I’m offering my services for free to a registered business or charity in June.

More information is available here: http://offers.callumw.com

CallumW.com has moved to the UK

CallumW — Sun, 30 May 2010 05:46:21 +0000

I bought CallumW.com back in March 2000 – not realising then quite how integral it would become in my day-to-day and my identity (online).

10 years ago the internet was still relatively unused by the masses, but nowadays business are beginning to push their IT to internet outsourcing specialist companies via cloud computing thanks to internet speeds and cheaper storage.

Slightly unimaginable to the dial-up culture we had even just a few years ago.

The price of WebHosting has always been exponentially higher in the UK than the USA and so CallumW.com moved to live in a Data Center in Florida for 10 years, soaking up the sun, partying, trying to avoid ‘tropical’ computer viruses and hiding under the desks when hurricanes blew through.

But finally, the hosting company I’ve always used (and were always best value for money) have opened up a datacenter in the UK and have closed the gap in hosting fees. It’s still marginally less value than what you get in the USA, but it’s still more than I can use and as it’s so much faster being local in the UK, that’s good enough for me

So on the 28th of May, CallumW.com packed it’s bags, bought some woolly jumpers and on the 29th (circa 16:00) it came home and is now living in a plush brand new box in a secret location somewhere in London.

You may notice (if you’ve visited before) that the site is much more responsive now that it doesn’t have to travel 6,000 miles before splatting itself all over your screens …… [maybe I should rephrase that?]

Welcome home my wee site … Take your sandals off, I’ll get the kettle on

Luminaire Band Pictures

CallumW — Thu, 27 May 2010 14:03:14 +0000

I was asked recently to do some promo shots for up-and-coming rock band Luminaire

So we found ourselves on a warm sunny day running about in Hearfordshire looking for interesting backgrounds and shots.
The bassist said they wanted dark shots … as they’re rockers, but when I asked what Luminaire is supposed to mean, he said light

In the end I incorporated light as a theme into some of the shots and they were veeery happy with the results

Below is a selection of the 30 images they chose for their posters and CD sleeves
Although they look serious, we had a blast on the day, jumping around and laughing – but as a rock band they went with the ‘serious’ selection

A couple of the shots as used by the band:

A Link to their online prescence is here:
Luminaire on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Luminaire.online
Luminaire on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/luminaireband

What’s the worst thing you can say to a photographer?

CallumW — Sun, 16 May 2010 10:05:47 +0000

I recently took some snapshots of the Subaru P1 anniversary which I shared here on this blog and also shared with some Subaru forums/sites and it sparked a comment which, I think, is the worst thing to say to a photographer.

The statement was something like: "Wow!! Great pictures. You must have a great camera"
There then followed a line of people asking what camera I use

While I appreciated the enthusiasm and intended interest, I don’t think people quite realise what they’re innocently saying when this line pops out.

Imagine, if you will, going to 3 Michelin Starred Fat Duck in Bray (voted the second best restaurant in the world) and feasting on the concoctions of Heston Blumenthal….

At the end of the evening you sit back sated … resting your hands on your full stomach with the remnants of your 3 hour taste sensation still fizzling over your tongue and saying: "Wow!! Fantastic!! He must use amazing pots and pans. I wonder what make they are?"

While I hardly class myself in the same league as Heston is in the culinary world, the statement still has the same effect regardless (If i had the same pots and pans then I could make the same food).

If you ask a pro photographer what camera he uses, don’t be surprised if you hear back
"A disposable one"
Camera’s get replaced, but the photographer remains

So what about you, what’s the funniest or worst things you’ve heard said about your pictures ….?