Elevation Photos Blog

The Next 100 Days For The Photo Industry

As much as the country lauded President Obama's first 100 days in office, I am wondering what will take place over the next 100 days in the Photo Industry.  Imagine if our industry had a real leader like the President who can shape effective policies, come up with new ideas and take the "business as usual" approach that has so often plagued Washington and the White House and turn it upside down.  Whether you support the President or not, one must give him and his team credit for being pro-active and managing crisis after crisis since taking the oath.

Where are the leaders in our business?  At a time when the industry is ailing, business is dropping off for many and owners of agencies are acting like nothing has changed really troubles me. Where are the innovators of change and who will step up to meet the challenge and combat the 800 LB gorillas of our industry? I beg of you to act now, be smart and take all that you have known and write a new chapted called change 101.

As I have mentioned before in previous posts, I am a big fan of Thomas Friedman from the NY Times.  All his talk about the need to re-boot America, taking back controls to our countries' direction all in the name of change for the better and understanding that the time is now to make the moves necessary to push our country into the 21st century and beyond shouldn't just be rhetoric or a nice  sound byte on the evening news.  No, he's talking about real, innovative progress. That's what I'm talking about now.

I couldn't agree more about that and this country but I don't see the same ideas necessary for the change that is needed in our industry.  Economy aside, I believe the time is now to utilize the smartest people in the industry, intiate that conversation and make a move to create the business the way it should be; smart, feasible, lean and strategic.  The bunker mentatilty that I so often find when talking to people I know ( photographers, owners , image folks) is frustrating and short sided. It's something that always surprises me but I am learing that perhaps those are the people that won't be around in 100 days.

Being an agent of change takes time and patience as I have learned but it is not impossible as others have tried to tell me. Thinking about the swine flu that is going around at the moment, you're talking to a guy who had Malaria twice, contracted Guardia, suffered a mildly severe case of gang green and trekked through the Fish River Canyon in Namibia drinking baboon infested waters to survive ! So challenging the status quo is nothing! In fact, it's a walk in the bloody park. But, it's a walk that others need to take, commit to and stay focused on. 

I will be sure to report back in the next 100 days because I plan to be here and no one should doubt that. In the meantime, get out of your bunkers and make friends with your enemies. Because the enemy of my enemy is my friend!

Chloe Boutique Store Launches In LA

Last night my wife told me my blogs are too wordy. 

I agree so without further ado, here are some great images from last night's event in LA!...Have a good weekend...read the comics.

 

 

 

(All Images  Angela Weiss/Elevation Photos)

Planned Obsolescence And Market Watch

In the Economist this month, I picked up a term that I had never heard in context before something called Planned Obsolescence. Basically the magazine used the nylon stocking industry as an example of this industry as a business strategy in which the eventual failure of a product is built in at its conception. Said company makes an ephemeral product, spends most of its budget on marketing and shelf space in retail stores and boom ( in homage to the late great John Madden) they go on to sell millions on an inferior product sold to willing and paying customers who don't have time to make an indestructable (sp?) nylon stocking.  So , the question arose from this short story as to how can this practice lead to better goods and services?

It's a good question and one that can have a lot of implications in the business we are all in of selling similar images as a commodity and whether or not what's happening in the current marketplace can lead to a better product and/service. Granted, I highly doubt that the creators of Micro Stock were building a product that would fail at its inception but rather planned on it as a business model that would take out its competition. Goodbye rights managed hello $1 images.

While a buck an image doesn't  help anyone in the business of selling creative images what it did do is create an entirely new market for budget minded customers who might be willing to settle for a lower quality image at a highly affordable price.  You can criticize micro stock pricing but I don't think you can question the move for them in to that space. Great for customers, bad for photographers.

Which begs the question; When will editorial images for print/web publications go lower? How low can they go? Can a Britney Spears image these days sell for $1?   I have seen some photographer statements from other agencies that have actually sold images for less than 60 cents so, in fact, it's already happening but when will that go mainstream? Will a big agency ever have the guts to pull the trigger and wipe everyone out?  Something to think about for sure.

So, what does it mean and where is it going to take us?

Obviously, this is a subject that demands more time and space for any of us to answer ( myself included)  but for now what it does do is create opportunites for looking at the industry whollistically with an eye on where the future of our business is going to take us.  Short sightedness and land grabbing as an independent agency and/or photographer will prove fatal in my opinion. The results may place high on the personal gratification scale but score poorly in the business acumen scale.

In this economy and, in particular, our industry even the largest of agencies will need to reset their business model, lower costs and find revenue wherever they can get it.  While at an awards show this past weekend, you would have to be blind not to see all the editors Getty Vast sent to work this event.  Nothing new to any of us who know how that works but one has to think that 6 months, 9 months a year from now the marketplace to where they are sending images 3x over is going to dry up.  Newspapers are dying if not dead already and for what they spent on manning that event will never make back on what the images actually sold for.  It's another case of scoring high in the "we can outman you, out edit you, out number you" scale but scores terribly low on the " this makes sense for our business and did we make money " scale.  

In conclusion, the notion of thinking outside the box in these times needs to go a step further to actually breaking it down, inventing a more durable , sustainable one and one that can withstand market pressures and obstacles in order for it to lead to a slow, yet continuously moving forward road back to profitability and common sense.  

Freelance Photographer Meet The Sherman Anti Trust Act

According to the definition used in Wikipedia a person who is described as a freelance worker is , " someone who is a self employed person who pursues a profession without a long term commitment to any particular employer."

The reason I am bringing all of this up is because I had dinner the other night with a bunch of friends and the topic of what defines a freelancer, what doesn't and what are the laws surrounding people and companies who can potentially be affected by it.

Iin 1890, The Sherman Act was passed to protect companies from creating and forming monopolies and/or cartels that would potentially eliminate competition and harm those in the same industry in competing fairly and within the limits of the law and fair practice.

Why these two topics go hand in hand are obvious.  At least I thought they were to anyone who freelances for anybody!

ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS NEED TO KNOW THEIR RIGHTS!

Let's say I was the best pizza maker in town and set up shop in my own kitchen and sold them out of my garage or back of my car.  After word got out that my pizza pies were the best, I was contacted by Papa John's to sell some of my own creations through their store on Sunset.  Papa John's never owned my recipe but we had a business relationship, we made money and everyone was happy.

Come the downturn the last 14 months and Papa John's sales are way down, customers are holding back but they still love my pizza!   They start calling me directly and since I am my own owner shouldn't have a problem selling what I create.  When Papa John's hears about this, they immediatley start panicking and calling all the dough makers in town to say if you work with that pizza guy, you will lose our Papa John's buisness.   They do the same with the sauce company, pepperoni company, etc. 

That my friends is illegal and in a pedestrian way I have described why the Sherman Anti Trust Act was created. To protect those in the marketplace that are in the same business who want to conduct it without a detriment to its business.   The same can be said for Freelancers as well.

Using the same pizza analogy, say you were the best delivery guy Papa John's ever had but you weren't paid a salary, no benefits and just worked on an agreement that paid you hourly plus you made tips.  All of a sudden, the market slows down, customers aren't ordering Papa John's Pizza and your tips have gone way down.   Enter my pizza company, where sales are doing well enough, staying competitive and I offer you a job to deliver pizza for me at the same time.

Wow, the pizza delivery guy thinks this makes sense.  If Papa John's isn't going to make me money, why shouldn't I have the opportunity to make money with someone else.  AFTER ALL I AM A FREELANCE DELIVERY PIZZA BOY!

Word gets out that he is doing this and Papa John's freaks out! They threaten poor pizza delivery boy and say if you work for the other guy you will never work for us.  Make the choice, sink or swim, give up other opportunites and remain loyal to the all mighty Papa Johns!   yada, yada , yada...

My point here folks is this;  If a company isn't offering you steady work, you aren't a full time staff worker, you aren't getting benefits, no rewards, no support then you have every right under the law to work for anyone you want to work for.  It works for both employer and employee. That's what the law does it protects all of us who want to be in business and make a living.

You as a freelancer should know this. You should be free to work for whomever you want to work for and not fear death by association.  You are just hurting your own opportunites, walking away from making money for yourself and giving in to the corporate demands that have been illegaly placed on you and your person.

The dinner was great; we ate great food, had good wine and at the end of the evening we all agreed that if we ever started a restaurant the first thing we would do is we would open it right across the street from Papa John's!

What Google Should Do With Their Pile Of Cash

Can you even imagine what kinds of things you and I can buy if we were sitting on a $8.6 billion boat load of cash?  That's what Google is sitting on right now.  If they were egotistical and had an irrational board of directors , they would probably end up buying the Lakers, Warriors and Clippers on top of bringing an NFL team to Los Angeles ( why the 2nd largest sports market in the universe doesn't have an NFL team blows my mind!)  and calling them the Google Gargantuans or some ridiculous name.

But, fortunately, they aren't stupid. People thought they were nuts when they bought You Tube back in 2006 for $1.6 billion dollars. An overpriced video channel with amateur videographers uploading wedding videos, stupid human tricks,etc. Others are still trying to figure out how they are going to make any money since it hasn't made a dime since being purchased. But, eventually, You Tube will deliver key content from major music labels, artists in a legal money making way. It's only a matter of time.  Sure, major labels are trying to build from within and capture revenue from their own artists but just like they have relented and surrended to the ITUNES platform, so will they with their music videos. That will be the same with movie studios and television. Again, it's only a matter of time.

Who knows, a play for Getty has always been in conversation in the industry. Their collection would be a major compliment to what Google is already doing with their Google Book Search. Having a couple of hundred million images wouldn't hurt at all should people want to search through a real photo collection. If there is anyone who will make money on online ads it will be Google so supplying free images to its users will only make it a better experience.  While AP just put word out that they will fight copyright infringements from stories bundeled by online news sources, I am afraid to say that they won't have a fighting chance to get any of those revenues back. No one wants to pay for news anymore it's just the world we live in these days.

I think Google making a play for Twitter will be their next acquisition. It makes perfect sense to use some of that cash to buy Twitter not only because it can transition that technology over to their gmail or calender users but once they get serious about getting in to the enterprise business clients might find good, valuable uses for an enterprise type Twitter in their workplaces. Let Microsoft have Facebook, Twitter in my view is a much more compelling platform that matches Google's thought stream; create a simple, user-friendly tool, make the platform easy and voila you have droves of people signing up and lining up every day to punch out 140 characters or less on what you think is important.  That's unencumbered democracy in the board room and the sales floor, it's the ultimate decision maker for group think.

Whatever Google ends up doing with their cash, I do know that whatever they decide to do with it will make heads turn and googler's that much more happy along with the rest of us for sure.

Happy Easter....

What A Real Film Festival Feels Like

   See these guys on the left, well Ben (far left) and Malcolm ( yes, in the middle) were the first guys I met not 20 minutes into just settling in at my hotel when I arrived in Sarasota. On Wednesday night, we shared a shuttle down to a party by the bay celebrating world documentaries. On Saturday night, these guys won the Festival's Best Documentary Feature award for their film called Winnebago Man (http://www.winnebagoman.com). 

Congrats guys!

(All Photos By Hal Horowitz/Elevation Photos)

 

And Ingrid and Charles here on the right, two of the nicest most interesting people you'll ever meet. I met them at out on different events throughout the fest.  Turns out Charles directed and Ingrid produced this doc called Nurse, Fighter. Boy that won them this year's 2009 Audience Award For Best In World Cinema on Saturday night.  It couldn't have happened to the nicest people.

You see I've been to loads of Film Festivals the last 7 years of my life and this was the first time in a long while where it was really about the filmmakers, actors and people who love what they do and believe in the spirit of independent film making.

Now you get the connection here about why I really loved this assignment. Being an independent agency working for an independet festival speaks volumes.

On top of having Hal do a bang out job on all the images and both of us being treated so well by all the festival folks it really was a fantastic time had by all. Sure, there weren't gifting lounges or portrait studios or any of the typical trappings we've all been accustomed to but that's what I loved about this one.  You actually had to connect with the artists and that's something that's been terribly lost at all the festivals I have been to lately. It was an honor to be part of something so intimate and unique. From the press, writers and artists it really was a great group of people.

It's seeing an actor like Jon Voight who (personally I think the guy has had such a bad rap lately) has had such an illustrious career to take the time out to talk to Scott Teems (below), who directed a movie called This Evening Sun ( which won an award as well) .  These are special moments you just don't get at the larger fests. Artists talking about their craft because they love it and it wasn't sponsored by anybody.

   

Last but not least, it's being in the Sarasota Opera House (pictured below) built in 1926 with all the history and architecture that comes along with it on a balmy Spring evening paying tribute to Director Hal Ashby. Usually tributes for cinemagoers celebrate the end of a life of a person who has had a stellar, succesful career. In this case though, it was me who got an opportunity to see a montage of all of his work and what he stood for and how much of an American icon Hal Ashby was and still is in Hollywood. I really had no idea. I think Netflix is about to take on a deluge of Hal Ashby orders like never before. I can't wait to watch all the great films he has directed. It was a special evening indeed.

 

As I was heading up to Tampa to catch a flight earlier today, I was thinking about those really intimate moments you and I get to witness. Our industry can be so surreal at times in the sense that as much as all of this makes you roll your eyes at the same time those of us that are in it love the fact that sometimes you just are part of some cool experiences whether that be with an actor, musician, author, politician, you name it. A few years back, my good friend Mark Mainz and I found ourselves in a VIP holding area in the Palms Hotel with George Clooney and Brad Pitt. Just the four of us hanging out killing time.  That was pretty cool. My kids will like that story.

Last but not least, I just want to thank the following people for making this week happen and for allowing Elevation to be part of your world;  Gary, Jen, Mark, Mollie, Christie, Melissa, Michelle and to all the rest of the SFF staff!...you guys are amazing!

See you all soon...

Elevation Photos Quarterly Earnings Up 33% Year to Year

Despite the skittish and somewhat unsettling economy, I am proud to announce that Elevation Photos earnings this quarter is up 33% compared to that of Q1 2008. Elevation Photos has not only increased its assignment work to generate revenue but we have also seen a slight uptick in its licensing sales to entertainment weekly publications. It's been an ancillary revenue model for Elevation Photos but one that serves a purpose on many levels. Without a doubt, licensing revenue has been effected by the over saturation of the market and a lowering of price points by all the entertainment weekly publications. Additionally, and this is no secret, the tabloids are veering more and more to pap coverage while limiting its red carpet and event pages. The key thing to note here is that the fundamental business platform that Elevation Photos was built on has and always will be to secure key assignments in the entertainment arena. It's our lifeline in these troubling times and so far so good we have been successful.

The first three months of 2009 have certainly been challenging for the industry as a whole. But, Elevation has seen some bright spots as well. As I have posted on previous blogs, our assignments vary throughout many sectors of entertainment that will never be posted on our website. It's this area where Elevation Photos has found most of its success and seeing what's ahead in Q2 makes me feel confident that this trend will continue.

With a vast network of photographers, Elevation Photos has been able to remain competitive in major markets and fringe medium market cities where clients are seeking professional photographers for all sorts of work. It's this area where we continue to grow our relationships and build an even stronger foundation for success. As I have told many a photographer, to place all your eggs in one basket in these times puts you in a disadvantage in terms of what the market has to offer in terms of work and price points. Basically, be selective but understand that the agency/photographer relationship is symbiotic at best and risk /reward at its worst. But selective, consistent shooting is the modus operandi in today's world.

Having read on PDN today ( can someone please create an alternative photo industry news source!), two things that were of interest. First, reading about how WpN is retreating from the assignment business doesn't surprise me since their business was based on news and editorial markets around the world. A marginal revenue generator at best, that business has more to do with the love of being a photojournalist and all the talent involved with it rather than making money. It's a shame to see something like that come apart so quickly. I don't know the folks over there but I wish them luck. The world needs an agency like WpN but like so many agencies and publications based on the hard news business, it's a dying breed that has seen its market homogenized by the wire services and the images they pump out.

The second item of note on PDN is the soon to launch agency by photographer Frank Micelotta ( a boss of mine at one point!) called Picture Group (http://www.picturegroup.com) I am happy to see Frank branch out on his own (again) and his former agency Image Direct was THE pioneer for online entertainment agencies that was bought by Getty Images back in 2003. I worked for Image Direct in the Summer of 2000 until late 2001 even before Wire Image launched, Frank was always ahead of the game and saw the future of digital photography and its impact on the world he worked in. He also helped his clients make the transition to the digital platform and embraced the technology earlier than most. Looking back on that time ( '98-02), it's amazing to me all the people I know now who I used to work with that have been so influential in our industry. They know who they are but one of these days me or someone else needs to write a book about that time, what it was like ( dot com boom, bubble and bust) and how influential a company like Image Direct was for entertainment. The story I love the most are the people that came out of that company and have now moved on or have been part of some key positions in broadcast, editorial, online, photography and the executive suites…it really was (and still is) a talented tentacle of people. Good luck Frank! I wish you only the best success!

As Elevation rolls on ( I head to Sarasota, Virginia, D.C and Kansas today in to late next week) to new challenges and heights, it's the last 15 months that have really shaped what this company has done for me. Not only has it allowed me to finally call myself President (LOL), but it has shown me that if you work hard enough and cast off the pundits and critics you will only find a sea of success. Whether it be marginal or large scale, I think that in this environment and the way our industry is shaping out, Elevation Photos has done pretty damn well despite the obstacles me and others have had to overcome. It's the pull up your boot straps mentality that not only has made us meddle and rise above the mediocrity but it has also created an outlet for those seeking an alternative shelter in these stormy times. I will be the first to admit, I have made mistakes and will continue to do so, but at the heart of this is that I love what I do and I will fight hard to keep Elevation Photos relevant not only to make an impact when I need to, but more importantly to keep the notion that an independent agency can survive, exist and help make people some money along the way. It's not easy but success never is and I hope that this time next year I will have more great news to report, more tales to tell and that I weigh 12 lbs less than what I do now!....

Until then, happy hunting …opening day is just around the corner!