The distinctive yellow stained walls of Hội An – Vietnam photos
Posted on April 19, 2011 | No Comments
The day bus from Hội An was an interesting (read: white knuckle) experience, Vietnamese driving is a little scary to say the least, but fortunately we arrived in one piece. As mentioned in our other travel blog, it’s kind of like walking into a film set, somewhat fake but charming at the same time. Some photographs for you today (I apologise for the text heavy last couple of posts) will hopefully bring us back to where we were before the diversion.
The main street in Hoi An which (near the waterfront) is predominately yellow, the faded colours creating a pretty backdrop – almost hiding the sheer magnitude of tourists.
View larger The Yellow stained walls of Hội An
Blue shutters and yellow walls in Hội An View larger
The hypnotic incense coils that burn consistently for a month View larger
If you would like to view these images much larger, or if you would be interested in buying a print, or downloading any of these images – please head over to my stock photography of Vietnam online store. Thank you.
Examples of Rights Managed (RM) photography pricing & costs, same image, different usage.
Posted on April 19, 2011 | No Comments
In my last article, Why do Royalty Free (RF) images look like a bargain and why do Rights Managed (RM) images seem much more expensive? What is the difference? I summarised that using RF images could compromise your brand identity if used incorrectly and that RM licensing provided the better, all-round favourable and better value solution. To further the last article I wanted to highlight a couple of examples of RM pricing, with both scenarios using the same image, but having differing usages.
The first scenario is for a local newspaper, needing an small eighth page sized image to illustrate an article. The print run of this regional newspaper would be up to 10,000. You can see the process of choosing the correct usage, print run, location and other variables that need to be entered for it to automatically calculate the price.
The second scenario is for a national advertising campaign in a traditional printed glossy magazine, the image to be used as a quarter page advert, the magazine having a print run of 250,000 copies.
Images used for advertising cost a great deal more than editorial primarily because you are using the image to sell a product or service though more effective visual advertising, for increased profit, so it’s only fair that the image that is being used to make money should cost more to use. Editorial costs will always be lower because they are supporting written articles, rather than selling products for increased revenue.
As I mentioned in the last article, RM licensing allows the picture buyer to have a specific license tailored to the exact requirements of their needed usage, so they both the buyer and the photographer receive a fair deal.
The final cost of the image is totally dependent on final exposure. It wouldn’t be fair on either party if both had to pay the same amount for totally different usages.
Tags: licensing > licensing explained > photograph licensing > stock photography
Why do Royalty Free (RF) images look like a bargain, and why do Rights Managed (RM) images seem much more expensive? What is the difference?
Posted on April 17, 2011 | No Comments
For the designer, buying a load of cheap $1 RF images seems like a total bargain, unlimited use, now and in the future, for any project, brief, assignment that needs imagery. Could using RF be compromising your brand identity?
You’ve seen it everywhere, iStock, Shutterstock et al, all offering Royalty Free (RF) photographs at incredibly low cost, or almost free when bought under subscription. There are numerous downsides to buying royalty free images, some of which I will highlight below. There are, however, justified reasons when Royalty Free images are useful and suitable, for instance when they are used in conjunction with other background images, or filler images, icons, patterns, textures, vector images and for bulking out websites and visuals. It’s just not a great idea to use RF images for the main feature, main focus or for promoting your brand identity.
We’ve all seen them, corporate faceless websites featuring shiny white offices, with multi racial groups of highly preened ’staff’ pouring over a clipboard. Yep, chances are we’ve all seem the same images. The vast majority of RF images are all available through the same distributors, therefore appearing on all the top sites you currently use to buy your royalty free images. Most publishing agencies use the same subscription based image libraries to buy their royalty free images from.
Perhaps you think due to the sheer number of images, the millions of RF photographs available, there’s never a chance you would end up using the same image as your direct rival competitor. Search for your specific images in these vast collections and you’ll narrow down to just a few of the top useable images, and as passing trends and recent statistics indicate you will be highly likely to be choosing from the same selection as your competitor. There are some great publicised and embarrassing occurrences. Have a look at some of these examples.
To convey an image of concern, both MetLife Inc. and Pfizer Inc.’s Viagra used the same image of a middle-aged man in a stripped button-down shirt resting his chin on his hands. And Bank of America and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.’s Chase Student Loans sites both used the same image of a collegiate-looking boy working on his laptop for their Web sites… (Source: Blackstar)
Herd mentality. Trends. Fads. We all end up following certain trends and fads, and this is no different in the world of design. Designers, image buyers, creatives, content fillers, web designers, like everybody else follow leaders, trends catch on, and that selection of cheap images somewhat loses it’s appeal when everyone is choosing from the same collections, again.
The fundamental issue with RF is that you never know what that image has been used for in the past, or what it will be used for the same time your ad campaign goes to market. There is no data, no history, no accountability or even the knowledge if your competitor is using the same image on a project right now. Rights Managed licensing changes all that.
So how does Rights Managed stock come into this?
If RF stock is both anonymously and freely available, Rights Managed imagery (RM) offers a middle ground between the cost of hiring a photographer for a commissioned photo shoot, and the lower ground of choosing cheap RF with the distinct chance you compromise your brand identity.
Rights Managed (RM) stock is selectively and carefully licensed specifically for your requirement. The photographer may have many thousands of images ready for rights managed license, but you can guarantee that the photographer knows the history of each image, when, where and what it has been used for in the past, and if it’s currently being used in the same industry.
Although seemingly not as lucrative for the photographer as a specially commissioned photo shoot, it does allow for multiple licenses over the course over the lifetime of the image. For the client, agency or picture buyer this offers a great half way solution by offering the knowledge that the history of the unique image is known. A rights managed photograph is available to multiple buyers, but total exclusivity can also be licensed. It is quite common for a client to buy total exclusivity to that specific image for the duration of the adverting campaign, or a specific time frame.
So, Rights managed stock licensing allows a transparent way for the photographer to retain total copyright of the image and allows revenue over the lifetime of the image, whilst allowing the image buyer to know that the image they have chosen has ben specifically licensed or them, and history known. By using the rights managed licensing model, the photographer can make sure that the buyer has all options available, to take into account any marketing scenarios that may arise, the licensing is totally flexible enough to cover every eventuality, with totally transparent pricing based entirely on the final image exposure.
Rights Managed stock pricing is flexible, scaleable and based on exposure
Rights managed stock allows for a totally flexible pricing strategy by making sure that that the image buyer gets the best value for money, and by making sure that the license and cost is specific to their needs. This allows the same image to be sold for seemingly multiple prices which are explained below. We are using an example of a single image, the same image in each scenario.
If this photograph is to be used as an 1/8th page size in a regional newspaper with a print run of just 20,000, this would command a lot lower price that the same photograph used as a two page spread in a national, 1 million print run glossy magazine, even though they are both using the same image. It would be unfair to ask the small newspaper to pay the same license fee.
Fundamentally, you only pay for what you need, the more exposure, or the more ‘use’ the image will have, the higher the licensing fee.
11 advantages to buying Rights Managed (RM) stock (Source: Black Star)
1. Rights-managed photography continues to be the industry norm.
2. Wider range of topics.
3. Protection from reuse of the same image.
4. Top photographers sell RM.
5. Clients can purchase exclusive use licenses.
6. RM is not always more expensive. Depending on the end use for the photo, a single use RM license may actually be the less expensive option. Since pricing on RF photos is based on size, for the small buyer looking for a photo for a single use, the better option could often be the RM license. Not only does the buyer get a better quality image, he is also assured that he will not see the same image in use repeatedly.
7. Higher quality images.
8. Weeds out inferior images.
9. Avoids imitation.
10. Cheaper than commissioned work.
11. Protects the buyer. While protecting the photographer’s revenue, the specifics of the RM licensing also provide protection for the buyer. The photographer is aware of what the intended use of the image is and can therefore make the buyer aware of any likely conflicts in the use of the image. The nasty arena of brand confusion can be bypassed simply by making use of RM licensing.
The next article will look at some actual examples of editorial stock photography licensing, as well as using rights manage stock photography for commercial advertising.
Thanks to Chris at Photoasia & Craig Ferguson for their help with this article.
Tags: licensing explained > photograph licensing > rights managed > royalty free
True luxury at ‘The Paradise’ Koh Yao – A well deserved mention!
Posted on April 12, 2011 | No Comments
I don’t often mention our accommodations, but we had the opportunity to stay as guests at the wonderful ‘The Paradise Koh Yao‘ luxury boutique resort and spa in Thailand. It is located roughly 45 minutes private speedboat journey from Phuket, a winding scenic journey around the incredible towering limestone islands surrounding Koh Yao Noi island. I don’t often come across a hotel or resort that I am genuinely sad to leave, but we literally had to tear ourselves away from this place. So I decided that The Paradise certainly deserved a dedicated blog post to thank Josef, Michael, and the staff.
The Paradise resort is set right on the beach in a marine park, the only hotel like it on the entire island. It has a private beach and jetty and you feel totally isolated from the real world. This was the most ‘honeymoon’ moment our trip, and it was everything we could have hoped for – The Paradise had set us up in one of the top deluxe suites, featuring a private jacuzzi pool right outside our huge sliding glass doors, right on the beach. When we arrived there were flowers on the bed, champagne at the ready and complete luxury throughout. We had the opportunity to experience the honeymoon spa package, which is a combination of spa treatments (massage, body scrub, steam room), that we could enjoying together. Awesome.
The highlight of our stay was on the last night, the manager Michael (incredibly experienced chef) personally cooked us an incredible meal on our own private table on the beach, surrounded by candles and flowers. This was something we will never forget – thank you Michael.
I’ve been fortunate to stay at some amazing hotels and resorts over the years, but this firmly sits at number one. It’s not often you find a business that just does it right, every time.
If you would like more, we have a much longer and detailed review of The Paradise here, and if you would like to have a look at their website, photos and videos please head over to The Paradise resort & Spa website.
Thanks to Josef, Michael & staff.
Tags: koh yao > koh yao noi > luxury hotel > phuket > thailand > the paradise
New travel photography albums ready for your veiwing
Posted on April 11, 2011 | 2 Comments
I’ve been adding new photographs very sporadically to my archives over the last few months whilst away, so I thought I would take just a minute to show you some of my new travel photography galleries. The most recent gallery is the Cambodia album, followed by Vietnam, then Bali, then Qamea, then Vanuatu. I hope you like the albums so far. I’d love to hear which images you like, it’s great to hear which you think stand out. I do hope you enjoy. All other travel photography albums can be found here, on the travel photography archive page. All of these travel photographs are available as prints, and also available for rights managed license.
The incredibly beautiful blossom season in Vietnam.
Posted on April 7, 2011 | No Comments
We were fortunate enough to visit Hanoi, Vietnam in the middle of the peach blossom season. Almost every shop, hotel, building has a beautiful spray of colourful blossoms to ensure good luck for the New Year (Tet) festive season. The top photo of this post is one of my favourite photographs from Hanoi, I love the bright pink agains the golden glow of the early morning light – it makes it easy to forget the shock we had from the cold weather in Hanoi, coming from the much warmer climes of Indonesia we had gotten so used to. The blossoms soon faded away as we headed away from the North of Vietnam, but the warmth of the South was a pleasantly welcome.
To view these images much larger, or if you are interested in buying a print or downloading a copy of any of these images please head over to my Vietnam Stock Photography Gallery archive. Thank you.
Sculpting headstones for the not quite dead and purple dolphins in Vietnam
Posted on April 6, 2011 | No Comments
A few interesting street scenes for you today, taken whilst walking around the back streets of Hanoi, Vietnam – an amazing city to photograph, I really loved it here. First up, the rugs on a moped. An incredible weight of heavy rugs laden on top of this poor, tiny CC moped – I didn’t actually see him leave again, but I’m sure they did. If it balances above, they’ll move it.
The purple balloon caught my eye like a magpie, nodding up and down in the wind as it was cycling past on an electric push bike, clutched for dear life.
Bamboo for sale, fresh, dried, made into ladders, ready for action. I love the colours and the pattern of it all, and the little white cat in the corner.
Finally, my favourite. A man sculpting head stones and memorials, surrounded by walls of past efforts, perhaps examples, or perhaps head stones for not quite dead people? When we walked past later on that day, he was outside the front of the shop building up the layers of shiny black lacquer.
To view these images much larger, or if you are interested in buying a print or downloading a copy of any of these images please head over to my Vietnam Stock Photography Gallery archive.
Kid with gun, burning money & security guards in Hanoi, Vietnam
Posted on April 5, 2011 | No Comments
Couldn’t resist grabbing a photograph as I wandered past this little guy shooting the tourists with a gun almost as big as him. It was great fun getting lost on all the tiny side streets in Hanoi, every street selling something different, from coffins to caged birds.
Another quick photograph whilst wandering the streets of Hanoi. It was quite a common sight to see adults burning fake paper money as a token gesture, or offering, but I hadn’t seen a child this young do the same. He was burning a couple of notes each time, dropping them smouldering into an upturned box on the side of the street.
A security guard deep in thought about something…
To view these images much larger, or if you are interested in buying a print or downloading a copy of any of these images please head over to my Vietnam Stock Photography Gallery archive.
The Army Museum in Hanoi – Vietnam
Posted on April 3, 2011 | No Comments
The Army museum in Hanoi is an odd place, it’s hard to describe. The imposing American fighter jet laden with bombs dominating the courtyard outside, flanked by a bullet holed US tank and beside sit massive stacks of war debris such as parts of shot down planes, ammunition, shells, you name it – it’s all here. A stark reminder of the unfortunate reason why everyone thinks of Vietnam as a war, rather than a vibrant, cultural and amazing country. Elsewhere in the city there are still the remnants of a US bomber, nose down in the middle of a small lake, parts still visible above the water line. Just left, abandoned and untouched, as another reminder of what happened here.
To view these images much larger, or if you are interested in buying a print or downloading a copy of any of these images please head over to my Vietnam Stock Photography Gallery archive.
Tags: army > Travel > vientnam > war
First impressions of Vietnam & first day in Hanoi.
Posted on April 2, 2011 | No Comments
So after a excellent month or so in Bali, Indonesia we headed to Vietnam. We didn’t really have much clue as to what to expect in Vietnam, and with so many cliches from tv and films over the years coming to the forefront of my mind just added to the confusion. We had decided that we would start in the North, at the city of Hanoi, then head south through the country and along the coast, ending up somewhere near the Cambodian border.. On reaching Hanoi it was a lot, lot colder than we had anticipated – and having been wearing shorts and t shirts the last few months we headed straight to the shops for thicker attire. First impressions of Hanoi – cold, freezing, busy, crazy motorbikes everywhere – on the road & the pavement, blossom season & avoiding death on the roads… amongst much more.
If you would like to view these images much larger, or if you would be interested in buying a print, or downloading any of these images – please head over to my stock photography of Vietnam online store. Thank you.
Scuba diving & finding a unknown human skull on a desert island… Bali
Posted on March 28, 2011 | No Comments
So there we were, eating our little pack up lunch so kindly prepared by the scuba dive center, gazing over the beautiful sea on Menjangan island, Bali… when we discovered a human skull and bones sitting under a bush. Yep, that’s right. On further enquiry it turned out that it had been dug up on the beach, and there are a few more a bit further along. Skull and bones on a tiny desert island, with a dive company that calls itself ‘The Pirate Divers’. Interesting!
Thanks to Paul and the crew at Sea Rovers in Pemuteran. Highly recommended for scuba diving in Pemuteran.
Pics from our little point and shoot.. I don’t have a waterproof case for my normal camera.. yet.
Boiling hot black sand volcanic beaches & bat caves in Bali
Posted on March 21, 2011 | 1 Comment
There is just something strange about seeing jet black beaches, everything in my head just screams that they should be coral white.. not black. What I totally didn’t think about as I walked barefoot on the sand was how hot it would be compared to white sand beaches in the mid day sun. Basic physics soon forced me to put my flip flops back on asap.
I’ve never seen so many bats in one place before.. in the aptly named ‘Bat Cave’.
If you would like to view these images larger, or if you would like to purchase prints of the images, or would like to license these images rights managed, you can buy my stock photographs of Bali, Indonesia - here. Thank you.
Roasting coffee beans from the poop of the Asian Palm Civet. Tasty
Posted on March 15, 2011 | 1 Comment
We visited a local coffee plantation just north of Ubud in Bali, Indonesia. It was a special area for growing coffee in Bali as they collect the droppings of the Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxus hermaphroditus) which has a taste for the ripe coffee cherries on the plants. It then poops them out beneath the the coffee plant and these get collected. As you can imagine, the process of ‘passing through’ the Luwak gives this coffee the distinctive taste. The droppings are then cleaned and scrubbed to get to the beans, which are then dried and processed to be ground. Tasty!
Also they had a cocao plantation, with beans ready to be roasted:
If you would like to purchase prints of the images, or would like to license these images rights managed, you can buy my stock photographs of Bali, Indonesia - here. Thank you.
Tags: bali > coffee > indonesia
Incredible skull bone carving in Bali – Indonesia
Posted on March 14, 2011 | No Comments
I just love this intricate skull bone carving, found on a street in Ubud, Bali. The level of detail was amazing, I hadn’t seen anything quite like that before. I think the detail, contrast and pattern in this photograph just asked to be black and white.
If you would like to view these images larger, or would like to purchase prints of the images, or would like to license these images rights managed, you can find the stock photographs of Bali, Indonesia - here. Thank you.
The stunning dragon bridge, like something out of the movies. Ubud, Bali
Posted on March 11, 2011 | No Comments
This beautiful bridge was like something out of the movies, high up and spanning a ravine of fast flowing water, covered in moss as if something connecting worlds. With long vines hanging down and around it, it just looked stunning. Ubud, Bali – Indonesia.
If you would like to view these images larger, or purchase prints of the images, or would like to license these images rights managed, you can find the stock photographs of Bali, Indonesia - here. Thank you.
