Leverage is suddenly a dirty word, after many years of its exhortation by investors and managements. Just think of all those managers who are wishing they had never spent money buying back stock at much higher prices! There are managements, however, who have always scorned debt and leverage and kept pristine balance sheets with tons of cash just in case. Here are a few for you to consider in your
Over the years I have noted a shift and or change if you will towards a more secular, cold, numb society that does not express much emotion or compassion. Sympathies run abound. People can feel sympathy all day long because it asks nothing of you but to agree with the person who feels wronged, pat [...]
or is it? Tim Eby used it on Twitter:
timjeby @MoInColumbusOH - Thanks… have you blogged yet about the SCOTUS - MLS decision? Curious to what that means for you. about 3 hours ago from web [...]
News Anchor Sue Simmons Uses a Dirty Word: WNBC’s Sue Simmons says the f-word live on TV. Sue Simmons Uses a Dirty Word from Alexander Zalben on Vimeo.She has since issued an official apology.We need to acknowledge an unfortunate mistake that I made in one of the teases we bring to you before this program.While we were live just after 10 p.m., I said a word that many people find offensive.I a
Please feel free to check out Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of this series.After starting this experiment with micro-stock, here are some of my 'wrap up' thoughts.Cons:I don't think there is anyone that would say that the fees that photographers earn are adequate. Nonetheless, the micro-stock industry is surely not going away. Even the 'big boys' like Corbis and Alamy have figured this out, with Corbis recently starting their own micro-stock portal called Snap Village and Alamy now offering royalty free images on their site as well. Gone are the days when micro-stock sites offered dull, technically poor images taken with a point and shoot camera (if there ever were such days). The images accepted at this point in time are technically excellent (if not art...but then again, they are usually not m
Please feel free to have a look at Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 of this series.So I am sure people are interested in knowing exactly how much are we talking about in terms of sales. Clearly, the amount one can make is dependent upon how much time and effort they are willing to put into it. Let's just say there are not many people who make a living doing micro-stock, but there are many people who use it as an adjunct to their earnings, particularly if they are a professional photographer who has many images from photo shoots that they are not going to otherwise use.But, of course, that isn't really the question at hand. The question is how much can someone like me (or you) make? Let's assume that you have a regular day job, that you enjoy photography and try to go out to photograph at least once ev
Please feel free to check out Part 1, 2, and 3 of this series. So, having decided to give micro-stock a try, the next issue was to find out more about who the ‘big players’ were and how their systems worked. I will talk about them below, with links to the sites, but first want to mention one other aspect of generating revenue with micro-stock. In addition to getting paid for photograph downloads, one also generates revenue through referrals. How does this work? If one signs up for a micro-stock site using a referral link, then the person that refers them gets a few cents every time that person sells an image. The best part (and the part that makes it work) is that there is no penalty whatsoever from any micro site to the person signing up......they make the same amount per imag
If you haven’t had the chance, feel free to check out Part 1 and Part 2 of this series. One of my foremost concerns when considering the whole issue of participation in micro-stock was whether it somehow ‘degraded’ one as an artist and if it in any way compromised the ability to sell one’s work. The first question was the most difficult one in my mind. Does selling the same image in (hopefully) large numbers for a relatively low price change the way one perceives themselves, the way others perceive them, or the way their work is perceived? Several things became clear to me as I did some research about micro-stock and took time to peruse various micro-stock sites to see what images tend to sell. For one thing, what sells best is not what one would call traditional fine a
Check out Part 1 of A Dirty Word here. Just so everyone is on the same page, I would like to define my perception of the difference between Rights Managed and Royalty Free stock photography. I am not a lawyer, so my definitions reflect my understanding and their ‘everyday’ usage. In Rights Managed stock photography, the agency that handles one's images arranges a specific usage contract when an image is sold. That contract or agreement is very specific and generally states what the image will be used for, how many copies will be made, how many times it will be used, and for how long the buyer has exclusive rights to it. Generally speaking, major changes to the image are not made unless negotiated. Of course, the specifics, as well as how many of these types of issues are cover
Micro-stock. That’s the dirty word. At least it has seemed like a dirty word to me for quite some time. It has certainly been something I would never, in a million years, have considered.But lately I have been re-examining this whole issue. I have been giving it a considerable amount of thought and self assessment. Of course, this consideration and my thoughts can’t possibly be fully applicable to everyone. In fact, it is quite possible that they may only be applicable to very few people who might read this. However, since this is, after all, a blog…..I thought that over the next several posts it might be of interest to explore the issues, and, of course, to hear comments and thoughts that anyone might want to make. Just remember that I didn’t invent micro-stock nor did I have anyt
It seems over the last few years main stream media has increasingly taken the position that main stream media is “professional” and that bloggers and podcasters are “amateurs”. When did “amateur” become a dirty word? I am an amateur, after all I have a podcast that proudly proclaims myself the “Amateur Traveler“. But what’s so [...]
Reprised and re-edited from a blog post published on Absolute Arts in December 2006
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Every artist was first an amateur.”
If you examine any professional artist who paid the bills from their creative output in his or her lifetime, you’ll find each of them more than made peace with making commerce, they embraced it. Most were or are salespeople in their own right. Not necessarily the quintessential back slapping variety, but at least someone who could be counted on to explain the work in a compelling fashion even if it meant getting out of their introspective comfort zone for a time. A few may have had family, friends or management to take on the marketing duties for them, but most were involved in the process of getting their art to market.
It's no different for actors or writers. Part of the gig is press junkets, media exposure, book signings, author parties, etc. While fun and glamourous to a point, they are wearisome, repetitive and time-con
1 Timothy 4:16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (NIV)
Doctrine is a word that we don’t use very often these days. We tend to associate it with the word ‘dogmatic’ and so it has some negative connotations for a society full of free-spirited people. The New Testament Greek word for doctrine is
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.
Titus 3:1-2 (NIV)
There is an old adage that states, “if you want to keep the peace don’t discuss religion or politics.” I’d say, at least in the United States today, that religion is the tamer of the two. I have yet to witness a religious discussion that matches the conflagrations I’ve seen emanating from political discussions. For the most part, religious discussions maintain some sense of decorum, an unspoken reverence for an unseen God. In contrast, today’s American political environment is supercharged and volatile. The same could be said of the global political environment. The Red State – Blue State (and now Purple) metaphor has been burned into the American conscience. As emotional as the contemporary political env
Sometimes Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) made his triumphant return to the Capitol today, taking credit for the immigration deal he never helped negotiate thanks to his busy campaigning for President schedule, only to be met with resistance over his tardiness.He got into an argument and told a colleague "F--- You" and claimed he knew more about immigration than anyone.The colleague?Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) who complained that McCain was out of line due to his lack of presence during the negotiations. McCain had complained that Cornyn's objections, which he termed "petty," would kill the deal (which he probably is planning to campaign on.)McCain, by the way, has missed four of the 14 votes on Iraq, including the most recent, this year and has not showed up for a single vote in the month of May. The other presidential candidates from the Senate; Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), Joe Biden (D-Delaware), Hillary Clinton (D-New York), and Barack Obama (D-Illinois) have missed none in May.
Last night I watched Coffeekid putting on his tennis shoes and rather hesitantly asked;
"I suppose your track shoes from last year aren't going to still fit are they....?"
He let out a short laugh and responded, "No way! Those were like, a size 9 1/2 and I'm in 11's now."
"Oh." Sigh.
Yes, another $75 pair of light weight track shoes with cleats will be in our future. This could be bad news
Last night I watched Coffeekid putting on his tennis shoes and rather hesitantly asked;"I suppose your track shoes from last year aren't going to still fit are they....?"He let out a short laugh and responded, "No way! Those were like, a size 9 1/2 and I'm in 11's now.""Oh." Sigh.Yes, another $75 pair of light weight track shoes with cleats will be in our future. This could be bad news, except for the fact that about 6 or 7 years ago I started using the online 'coupon' sites that give you codes to use to get discounts, free shipping, sales and a heads up on clearance products. Sites like Go Go Shopper, Coupon Chief and Deal of Day, etc. So... I'm off to search EastBay for some $75 shoes for about $40.... I hope!
