International Business: October 2011

PhotoPlus Re-cap: Seminars & Tech

PhotoPlus Expo was enlightening this year, for a number of reasons. Among them, a big hit at the show when it comes to continuous-light sources, but more on that in a minute. American Photographic Artists (Yes, that's the new name for what used to be referred to as Advertising Photographers of America, or APA) brought myself and Michael Grecco in for a rousing discussion about the value in licensing, and how to generate revenue over the life of your image's viable (and valuable) time. PDNPulse did a very nice write-up on it here -
PhotoPlus Panel: Why Licensing Matters (10/31/11) so I won't recap their piece except to encourage you to read the review and learn a few of the tidbits that you missed if you weren't in attendance.) PhotoPlus Panel: Why Licensing Matters, summarizing the presentation by saying "making extra money on photographs you’ve already taken, that’s just a smarter way to do business."

On the technology side, several companies caught our attention.

(Continued after the Jump)

First up, is the company ikan, which has an amazing array of CLS lighting. Just when you thought you had every strobe you needed, all of a sudden you're now "shooting just a little bit of video" for that still client (or branching into multimedia all-together) and realize that strobes just don't do it for your video needs. Enter CLS, and ikan, with amazingly reasonable prices on their lighting products with blindingly bright LED units that are small and mount on camera, to 1' x 1' units that seem like they could burn out your retinas. Sure, they also sell camera cradles, bags, and countless other production tools (all with a craftsman's approach to quality), but the lighting, that's worth a long look, because you'll never have to suffer under "hot lights" again if you go this route, not to mention these LED's are battery-powered and highly efficient, so that means no blown circuits with a few hot lights plugged in! Our go-to source for these units is Mac Business Solutions, which is a top-end boutique for all things mac (from computers to still gear to video, to, yes, even high end printers). Be sure to ask for Sonny, the owner, when you call.

Next was GoalZero which has some amazing portable battery power. We picked up a set of these packs, and have used them to power dying laptops, and hope to use them to power our ikan lights when they arrive! Not only can they provide a wide range of power, but they also have portable, small, and efficient solar panels to recharge your kit. No more looking for a shack with a bunch of car batteries when you're in the middle of nowhere to charge your gear. These babies do the trick.

Our last tech company that peaked our interest that we're featuring (trust us, there were many), is onOne Software. They launched Perfect Suite 6 on October 25, right before the show, and Brian Kraft, VP of Sales talked about how advanced this new version is, and we're a believer. The resizing, focal point features, and the portrait retouching capabilities make this thing a dream for those looking to save time. Further, there are plug-ins for both Lightroom and Aperture, so check the specs to see how these can integrate into working where you do, or, if you prefer, as a standalone application (or module of all of them combined.)

A worthwhile presentation was the always enlightening Sam Abell, who spoke at the Canon booth. If you missed (or didn't want to pay for the 3 hour seminar (which you should have if you'd have had the option), Sam Spoke for a brief period of time at the Canon stage, and if you couldn't make it to NYC, Canon was saavy enough to live-stream it. Suffice to say, I'm biased when it comes to Sam, but his stories are always so engaging and inspiring. Rumor has it he's in the Amazon working on a book project, so stay tuned.

All in all, I was impressed with the integration of the WPPI portion of the show, following the merger (or aquisition?) of WPPI by Neilsen/PDN, which was announced at the 2010 show. Well done, integrators. The show was, as always, not to be missed. If you did, don't miss it next year.

Please post your comments by clicking the link below. If you've got questions, please pose them in our Photo Business Forum Flickr Group Discussion Threads.

Barriers to International Business

Firms desiring to enter international business face several obstacles; some are much more severe than others. The most common barriers to effective business are cultural, social, and political barriers, and tariffs and trade restrictions.

The first one to effective business is the cultural and social barriers. A nation's culture and social forces can restrict international business activities. Culture consists of a country's general concepts and values and tangible items such as food, clothing, and building. Social forces include family, education, religion and customs. Selling products from one country to another is sometimes difficult when the cultures of the two countries differ significantly. For example, when McDonald's opened its first restaurant in Rome, it was met with protest. The people of Rome objected to the smell of hamburgers frying. McDonald's overcame this objection by changing the exhaust system of the restaurant.

The second barrier is the social forces that can create obstacles to international trade. In some countries, purchasing items as basic as food and clothing can be influenced by religion. In many nations, individuals do not have the same choices in food, clothing, and health care.

Risks in International Business

Just as there are reasons to get into global markets, and benefits from global markets, there are also risks involved in locating companies in certain countries. Each country may have its potentials; it also has its woes that are associated with doing business with major companies. Some of the rogue countries may have all the natural minerals but the risks involved in doing business in those countries exceed the benefits. Some of the risks in international business are:

(1) Strategic Risk
(2) Operational Risk
(3) Political Risk
(4) Country Risk
(5) Technological Risk
(6) Environmental Risk
(7) Economic Risk
(8) Financial Risk
(9) Terrorism Risk

Strategic Risk: The ability of a firm to make a strategic decision in order to respond to the forces that are a source of risk. These forces also impact the competiveness of a firm. Porter defines them as: threat of new entrants in the industry, threat of substitute goods and services, intensity of competition within the industry, bargaining power of suppliers, and bargaining power of consumers.

Marwoods FINAL.pdf Download this file

I'm excited to be part of the amazing White Night event, which lights up the streets of Brighton all night this coming Saturday, partly to acknowledge the Autumn Equinox, when the clocks go back and we get an extra hour to enjoy the hundreds of events… and partly just to connect and be fascinated by a wealth of happenings, performances, installations and (in my case) café talks. There's a parallel event in Amiens, and they share a strong theme around sound, which is why I'll be there. My talk is about the future of sound and listening. Come along to Marwoods café at 2230 if you'd like to learn how to transform your listening and just possibly to change your reality.

Check out White Night here. And here is a flyer for the Marwoods café talks. See you there!

Posted via email from Julian Treasure's posterous

Service Academy Representation at HBS

For those curious about historical military representation at HBS, I've done some research as to the number of military students at the business school since WWII. Historically the school did not have a way to capture military affiliation for its students, which makes precise numbers difficult if not impossible, but HBS does track undergraduate schools, which naturally includes military academies. I can therefore use military academy representation as a proxy for the total trends in veteran attendance at HBS. I'll explain more of this in a bit. For now, here is the data on US military academy representation at HBS (click to expand):

In the upper right hand corner of the above chart is the total number of military at HBS since 2000, which I have been able to calculate directly in the past (see note here). My data shows service academies roughly represent about half of the military at HBS over the past 14 classes (to be precise 54% average with a 19% standard deviation), so if that rule stands going backwards pre-2000, we can interpret the above chart not just for service academy interest, but also by doubling the numbers for the total number of military veterans at the school. The one exception of this is probably in the late 1940s, when the number of veterans was probably extremely high, and dwarfed the service academy students.

Here are some observations:

The peak years for veteran representation were during the HBS Classes of 1971-1973 (students entering from 1969 to 1971). It's unclear from the data whether the school was being proactive to admit Vietnam Veterans, or whether more veterans were applying. For those classes, it's likely there were over 100 veterans in each graduating class.
The average military academy representation since WWII has been around 15 per year, which would support the argument for an average of ~30 military students per year. Since 2000, the average however has been 20 service academy students and 39 total US military per class, so slightly higher than historical average.
The lowest representation was post-Vietnam, from 1975-1985.
Except for the peak Vietnam War years, representation was very consistent and flat from 1955-1995. Since the mid 90s, there have been some periods of high variability, and a general increase.

Proportion of Service Academies at HBS

One can look at the chart above to see which service academies were represented when, but I also normalized the data to more clearly show the proportion within the academies themselves (click on the following graph):

Some observations:

The dominant sources are USMA and USNA, which both have averaged around 7 per year since WWII, with a standard deviation of 5.
USMA slightly leads on USNA, with a total of around 500 USMA alumni versus 450 USNA alumni.
The third highest is USAFA alumni with 78, followed by USCG with 39, and Merchant Academy with 25, although the latter has only had 2 since 1990.
Since 2004, USMA alumni have outnumbered USNA alumni by a factor of over 2 to 1.
The greatest disparity occurred during the HBS classes of 1965-1969, meaning application years of 1962-1966, when USMA representation was only around 20% of the service academies. If one tries to analyze this as a phenomenon of the Vietnam war years, and compares it to post 9/11, it leads to inconsistent results, since USMA/USNA representation held largely steady post 9/11.

Before reading too much into any of this data, one needs to remember that:

Admissions to HBS depends a lot on the philosophy and leadership of both the Dean of the school and the Dean of Admissions, which naturally change over time, and shape the makeup of the admission classes. It is therefore difficult to know if these results are more due to the school or the application pools changing.
This data is not official, and while very accurate, it is not 100% accurate... it carries a slight margin of error, though it is the most accurate data I'm aware of.
One should not interpret anything here to imply whether one undergraduate source is any more competitive than another, as from an admission point of view, all are highly respected, and one's personal and professional performance far outweighs the actual academy itself.

I hope this helps provide some historical context.

Import Export Business Q&A And Warning

Import Export Business Questions-Answers-Warning

1) Use the search box in the upper left side of this blog to help you in search through this blog and the many years worth of valuable posts.

2) There are nearly 6 years of posts in this blog, you are encouraged to use the archive date links located on the lower right side of the navigation bar --> --> --> - they are listed by Month/Year.

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QUESTION Part 1: I have no experience and/or knowledge of import/export business.

Answer: I had no experience when I got started - that is why we offer a self study course, the best one that "I" believe is available and I could offer you any number of courses that would earn us a lot more money than the one we offer does, however, I like to sleep at night and know that I have provided you with the BEST course I feel is available.

QUESTION Part 2: I was born in the Philippines.

Answer: Great! You have an advantage over other Americans in having connections there or the ability to speak the native language - think of this fact as an asset instead of a liability.

QUESTION Part 3: What is my chance to be become successful in this business?

Answer: Subjective question that I cannot answer - I would be lying to you if I told you everyone becomes successful who purchases the course we offer - as I told you above, I like to sleep at night - I simply cannot answer this question because it is up to you. I strongly suggest you take advantage of all the free materials we offer on our website and blog and after you have digested that information, then consider purchasing the course we offer ONLY if you feel the business is something you REALLY wish to pursue.

This isn't buying a lottery ticket, it is a training course and how you apply what you learn and how persistent and patient you are in doing so has more to do with your success than anything else, but MOST of all you have to WANT to succeed in this business. It is NOT an opportunity, it is a BUSINESS.

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QUESTION: I am entering an agreement with a company in Belize, CA and will be shipping Solar Products to them. The bank is asking of an Export Contract. Is there a form for this contract? I looked in Forms.gov but could not find an official form.

Answer: There are various places on the web that you should be able to find an example or an explanation of what goes into an export contract.

But, first and foremost, ask your bank what they expect to see in the form of an agreement and ask if they have any examples - no use going thru the motions if what you present them with does not meet their requirements.

Pro-forma invoices often spell out the payment, products, quantities, delivery etc. and may suffice, however, in today's strict financial lending rules, your bank may need more. Pro formas are the easiest form of contracts to work with, but again, your bank may not deem that sufficient.

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Import Export Business Job Market Fraud Warning!!!

I receive an email every day with links to the latest new information available on the Internet relating to import, export, international trade, international business, etc..

On an increasing level I am seeing ads being posted to many of the free classifed ad sites online, especially Craigslist for entry level Import Export agents, clerks, whatever. Most cite legitimate daily activities that an agent or clerk might perform but they never give ANY type of direct contact information for the prospective employer.

They will generally ask you to either contact them for an interview which is through Craiglist's email system which protects their identity and many will be brazen enough to ask you for your resume because they know many people are simply so trusting of their fellow human beings that they will send it.

If your resume has your social security number and other personal identity details, you have just handed an identity theif what they need to steal your identity. If it doesn't contain this information and they will generally evolve the conversation by email, phone or skype as a means of getting it.

In some instances they may forgo stealing your identity to steal from you via your bank account, even if you do not have much or any money in your account.

I have explained the fake cashier's check or money order scam elsewhere in this blog so rather than repeating what is stated elsewhere, understand that jobs like they are offering, simply do not exist. They are going to potentially make you financially liable for thousands of dollars that you "will" have to pay so be smart, use the search engine box in the upper left of this blog and search for either the word(s) scam, fraud, fraudulent and read how the real world works and remember I am simply the messenger.

Contract Analysis: Gannett/US Presswire

Photo Business News has written extensively about the acquisition of US Presswire by Gannett. Recently, Photo Business News was provided this contract that outlines the proposed new contract between US Presswire and their contract photographers. Below is a review and analysis of the contract, as someone who is very familiar with contract language for photographers. As the laws in every state are different, and more importantly, as I am not a lawyer, the analysis and commentary below should not be construed as legal advice, and you should seek competent legal counsel should you need such to consider this contract before signing it.

(Commentary and analysis after the Jump)

This Active Photographer Agreement (“Agreement”) is made effective as of September 1, 2011, by and between US PRESSWIRE, LLC, having offices at 1230 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 1900, Atlanta, Georgia 30309 (on behalf of itself and its affiliates, “Agency”), and {Photographer Name}, a photographer having an address of "{photographer’s address} (“Photographer”).

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This is a standard clause, which sets forth who is actually entering into the contract.

W I T N E S S E T H:

WHEREAS, Agency is in the business of creating, distributing, delivering and licensing the use of photographic images and video images or footage, primarily through its website, www.uspresswire.com, and through various other internet or electronic means;

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: While this is a common term, there are several points worth addressing in this clause. The first is that this is not a typical “agency” relationship. They are not “representing” you as much as they are themselves. They are using “Agency” because it has entered into the common parlance as they, and Getty have. However, they are not looking out for your own interests first and benefiting at a percentage, they are looking out for themselves first, with your images (and video) as the value, and you get a percentage. That brings up the next point – they are allowing for the distribution of your video as well, which is new. I would suspect that an organization that is now in the business of licensing video will raise a few eyebrows with the TV rights-holders. Further, they say “through various other internet or electronic means”, which likely refers to a Gannett branded service, or their own proprietary network not accessible to the general public.

WHEREAS, Photographer is in the business of creating photographic images and/or video images or footage; and

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: Actually, We are in the business of licensing, not creating. We create in order to license. That said, while this too is a standard clause, again, it includes video. It will only take a few photographers to post video clips from the sidelines of a major league sporting event before the networks take issue. Further, this contract now will preclude you from doing anything with video outside of this contract that might compete with USPW.

WHEREAS, Photographer desires to engage Agency to represent Photographer with respect to certain photographic images owned by Photographer, and Photographer desires to photograph certain events for Agency, all in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: “represent Photographer” here seems to be a perversion of the concept. The Agency is the sole arbiter, and you (and your images) are along for the ride.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing premises and agreements contained herein, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This clause, while standard, essentially causes you to acknowledge that the rates that USPW/Gannett are paying are “good and valuable”, and they meet a “sufficiency” test, neither of which are, in reality and fairness, true. However, this clause will preclude you down the line from bringing a suit with much likeliness of success, with the claim of unreasonable compensation.

1) Grant of Authority. Photographer hereby grants to Agency the exclusive worldwide right to use, copy, perform, display, market, distribute, license, sub-license and negotiate the production rights of all photographic images, digital files, video images or footage and all other photographic materials that are delivered to Agency by Photographer (including Stock Images (as defined below), collectively the “Images”), in any and all media, now known or hereafter developed, whether such Images are created by Photographer while working under credentials issued from or through Agency or otherwise. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Photographer shall retain the copyright to the Images and Photographer shall have a limited right to license the Images to Photographer’s own editorial clients provided that:

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: In this clause there seems to be a problem, because you are granting “the exclusive worldwide right”, which means that everything they get from you can’t be used anywhere else in the world, except for where they permit you to do so. Further, this clause forces you to accept whatever fees they deem appropriate, from free, to, frankly, a situation where you pay to have your work placed somewhere. In other words, if they deem that it’s worthwhile to USPW to pay $100 to have your photo used somewhere, then they could legitimately debit your account that amount, and you would have no recourse. Further, this clause encumbers all of your “stock images” too under this same agreement. They acknowledge the obvious, telling you that you retain copyright, however, they then begin to set forth a very narrow window that you can service only “editorial” clients. So, if you are on the sidelines, and decide to make an image of the goal line marker because it could be used as a nice stock image for advertisers, despite the fact that there are no NFL markers or other branding on it, you can’t do anything with it. A photo of a fan that gets your card and wants to order a print from you? Nope – that’s not editorial, so you can’t do that either.

a. such editorial clients do not compete with the Agency or its customers;

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: There are essentially no editorial clients that don’t compete with USPW/Gannett, because both are in the business of licensing stock images, so this essentially kills all editorial clients

b. the Images do not violate the issuer’s credential language or policies or infringe upon the intellectual property rights of any third party;

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This is a reasonable clause, but since your credential was issued to USPW/Gannett, any use by you likely would violate credential language.

c. the Images shall not be distributed on any website, including but not limited to competitors, agencies, photoshelter (where any image can be made for sale) or any other photo service website worldwide;

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: With almost all images being displayed on websites, this makes your use of the internet unacceptable to USPW. It’s interesting that they particularly single out Photoshelter. Of specific curiosity is the fact that the business “Photoshelter” (with a capital “P”) is identified as “photoshelter” (with a lower case “p”) and that is either a typographical error, or there was an intention to do so for legal reasons.

d. Photographer has secured all intellectual property rights and clearances to the Images; and

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This is a necessary clause to protect USPW, however, it is fraught with hurdles that make it all but never likely you’ll get past them.

e. Photographer notifies Agency in writing of any intent to license the Images to Photographer’s own editorial clients.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This is untenable on it’s face that they are asking for this. This means you’ll notify them of EVERY potential licensing opportunity, which makes it easy for them to object to every sale, and then contact them with the same image and sell it themselves, take their cut, and then give you the fraction you are owed.

2) Images Created Under Agency Credentials. Photographer hereby covenants, acknowledges and agrees that with respect to all Images that are created by Photographer while working under credentials issued from or through Agency and while on assignment for Agency, including Images that are taken but not delivered to Agency by Photographer (“Outtakes”):

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This clause closes a loophole that Photo Business News pointed out when analyzing the last USPW contract, whereby even outtakes are encumbered by USPW. In the past contract, anything not delivered to USPW wasn’t governed by the contract.

a. Photographer shall be prohibited from using such Images and Outtakes for any non-editorial and/or commercial purpose, exhibition, reproduction, display, performance, adaptation or publication of any kind (including, without limitation, advertising, sales, marketing, merchandising or resale purposes);

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This means, among other things, that you can’t have a gallery showing, sell your work as art, and, really, as written, it’s confusing if you can even do an editorial sale at all. This clause essentially prohibits you from doing anything with your images not approved by USPW/Gannett.

b. Photographer shall be prohibited from selling or licensing such Images and Outtakes on any website; provided, however, Photographer may use such Images and Outtakes in accordance with the issuer's credential language or policies for self-promotion on Photographer’s personal website;

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This reinforces you can’t do anything with the images, except self-promotion on a personal website. This differentiates from a “professional website”, which would be for your business, which might compete with theirs, and as such, wouldn’t be allowed.

c. Photographer shall not place any such Images and Outtakes on any social media network including, but not limited to Facebook, My Space, Twitter, Linked-In, etc.; provided, however, Photographer is permitted to post a link to the Images and Outtakes to the US PRESSWIRE.com website and/or Photographer’s personal website or blog and will be permitted to place the Images and Outtakes on Sportsshooter.com; provided further that Agency credit accompanies Photographer’s name; and

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This clause will be a problem for many of the hobbyists who shoot for USPW for bragging rights amongst their friends. Again, it’s interesting to see that they’ve identified SportsShooter.com as a venue they want to place some restrictions on.

d. Photographer shall ensure all such Images and Outtakes shall be co-credited to Photographer and Agency when placed in any and all self-promotion campaign including, websites, blogs, print, brochures, galleries, photo contests, etc.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This clause really makes clear that they’re not your “agent”, and that whatever marketing or promotion you do for yourself (obviously at your expense) is also marketing for USPW/Gannett.

3) Representations of Photographer. Photographer hereby represents, warrants, covenants, acknowledges and agrees that:

a. Photographer is and shall at all times be the sole and exclusive owner of the Images, or if Photographer is not the owner of any Images, Photographer has the right to provide such Images to Agency, and Photographer will acquire the copyright owner's permission for Agency to use the Images;

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: While this is standard, it could create some problems. If you set up a remote, for example, and have an assistant trigger the camera, that’s could be a problem depending upon your contractual arrangement with the assistant. Further, as Photographer is warranting they are the sole and exclusive owner, and further, that this contract is an exclusive contract, whomever photographer gets the copyright owner’s permission from also is covered by all the restrictions of this contract.

b. The Images are original;

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This is a normal clause.

c. The Images do not and will not infringe upon any copyright, trademark, right of privacy, right of publicity, proprietary right, intellectual property right or any other right of any third party anywhere in the world;

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This is a wholly unworkable clause, as the infringing they are detailing often takes place in the final use of the photo. So, a photograph taken of an athlete wearing an NFL Jersey and a Nike swoosh could be used editorially and fit into this clause, however, if the image was used commercially, it could be a violation of this clause, and the photographer could be at fault for not securing those rights. Further, anyone in a photo could sue for any reason. Photographer's liability should be limited to providing model releases, and where they are absent, the agency takes the sole risk, and the photographer does not warrant anything.

d. Agency reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to refuse to accept any Images;

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This is, to a certain degree fair, however, if you have a body of work you wanted to submit, and an editor objected, you couldn’t submit it, and further, if you covered a game/event, and USPW/Gannett didn’t take the images, you couldn’t submit them to anyone else.

e. Photographer has the right to enter in this Agreement with Agency and to perform the obligations set forth herein;

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: Standard clause which sets forth that you aren’t encumbered by a contract with someone else

f. Photographer has the exclusive right, power and authority to make the grant of rights to Agency in this Agreement;

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: Standard clause which sets forth that you aren’t encumbered by a contract with someone else

g. Photographer shall obtain any and all releases necessary to allow Agency to license the Images;

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This is a potentially huge problem – you’ll be required to get model releases – and as such compensate the persons you get releases from. This is because you are granting agency the right to license commercially, exclusively, and the way this clause is written it could be you that would be liable if an image of an athlete was licensed by USPW/Gannett for commercial purposes – the would merely point out that you were required to get the releases, and did not. If it said “….for any non-editorial uses…” but even still, you’re now the one required to chase down every recognizable subject, and every trademark holder, as this clause is written.

h. Images created by Photographer while working under credentials issued from or through Agency shall not be used by Photographer for any commercial purposes whatsoever anywhere in the world;

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: As such, even if a player saw an image you took and wanted to use the image on his sports drink line, you couldn’t do it. It is understandable that most credentials preclude commercial use, however, it could be argued that an Agency license is a commercial use, and it could also be argued that having a photo on a blog alongside ads is a commercial use.

i. While on assignment and working under credentials issued to Photographer by or through Agency, Photographer will conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times in accordance with the highest industry standards and code of ethics, within the rules set forth at any venue, league, team, sport, or any person or organization having authority and Photographer shall not violate the terms of the issuer's credential language or policies;

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: While it would seem obvious to some, this clause is important so that it is clear that photographers don’t, for example, decide it’s appropriate to clap/cheer and/or participate in the jubilation. The contents of this clause should go without saying, yet it’s being stipulated.

j. Photographer shall use all reasonable means to become familiar with the rules set forth by any organization, governing body, venue, sport, team, league, security personnel, etc., while on location working an event or assignment;

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: Reasonable given that there is a continually revolving door of photographers that are new to the profession and likely unaware of the rules and nuances of covering important sports events. This clause allows for USPW/Gannett to, for example, discontinue their relationship with a photographer that forgets (or never new) that they can’t click a shutter when a pro golfer is about to (or is in mid-) swing.

k. When Photographer accepts an event or assignment from Agency, Photographer shall photograph the event or assignment and transmit the Images either during or immediately after the event or assignment as specified by Agency in accordance with the policies in the stylebook guidelines or specified by Agency editors, managers or personnel. Images shall be fully captioned with Photographer's name in the caption field as set forth in Agency's guidelines for captioning and transmitting in the Agency stylebook;

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This would be standard for any professional accepting an assignment. New photographers may not understand the timely nature of the news business, and may not recognize the importance of delivering images in a timely manner.

l. Photographer shall not cancel any accepted event or assignment within 72 hours (3 days) before the start time of the event or assignment provided such cancellation is not a medical, family, or other unforeseen emergency acceptable to Agency;

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: Interesting that the Agency deems itself the sole arbiter of the nature of an emergency, and not the person with the emergency.

m. Because Agency is a news organization, Photographer shall not crop, modify, alter or manipulate the Images in a manner that alters the fundamental nature of the Images;

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: Sadly, this clause is necessary as there may be some photographers who did not formally study photography and may not realize the ethical considerations that go into delivering images that are not manipulated into something that didn’t happen, or is re-created because the moment was missed.

n. Photographer shall use Photographer’s best efforts to promote Agency's name and good reputation throughout the world at all times, and Photographer shall not make any disparaging remarks about Agency or its affiliates; and

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This means that when USPW/Gannett is late to pay, or a USPW photographer gets criticized at a sporting event, you’ll defend USPW/Gannett. Further, if someone criticizes USPW/Gannett in an online forum – even if it’s a justified criticism, you not only can’t say “I see your point”, you must use your “best efforts” to promote USPW/Gannett, which means posting a positive comment.

o. Photographer shall use its best efforts to submit a second edit of Images while working under a credential and on assignment by Agency (“Stock Images”) within ten (10) days following the event or assignment in accordance with the policy guidelines set forth in the Agency stylebook.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This means that not only are you doing the $100 assignment for 4-6 hours, and spending 2-4 hours doing your first edit, but you also are doing another 4 or so hours on a second edit – not to earn you much more money, but rather, to expand the library of images.

4) Indemnification. Photographer hereby agrees to indemnify, defend and hold Agency, its affiliates, successors and assigns, and their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents, harmless from and against any and all claims, demands, actions, causes of action, settlements, damages and expenses (including reasonable attorney's fees and court costs) arising directly or indirectly from: (i) the breach or alleged breach by Photographer of any representations, warranties, covenants or agreements made by Photographer hereunder; (ii) any erroneous or inaccurate information supplied to Agency regarding the Images; and (iii) personal injury (including death) or property damage caused by Photographer while working under credentials issued from or through Agency and while on assignment for Agency.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This is indemnification without parity. You are not indemnified if Agency does something wrong. However, if you mis-credit an image, have a football player crash into your 400mm 2.8 and crush it, or the Agency gets sued for your actions, you’re on the hook for everything. Further, clause "(i)" may be okay provided that the other terms that require photographer to warrant that no 3rd party rights have been violated, be revised.

5) Use of Images. Agency and its affiliates, successors and assigns shall have the right, in their sole and absolute discretion, to: (i) determine how the Images will be marketed, displayed and distributed to Agency's customers; (ii) edit, crop or modify the Images, including the captions and metadata that accompanies the Images; (iii) establish the terms and conditions, including the fees, for the license of the Images to Agency's customers; and (iv) perform its services without Photographer's further approval. Photographer agrees that any Image or Stock Image given to Agency for distribution shall remain available for distribution by Agency for a minimum of five (5) years from the date of receipt by Agency.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This is where USPW/Gannett licenses all the photos under a subscription where you earn nothing, or next to nothing. You have no say whatsoever in anything having to do with your image and how it gets used.

6) Compensation.

a. Assignment Fees

i. Agency will pay to Photographer an assignment fee in the amount of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) per day per assignment for the remainder of the 2011 calendar year. Commencing January 1, 2012, Agency will pay to Photographer an assignment fee in the amount of One Hundred Twenty-Five Dollars ($125.00) per day per assignment. Photographer shall receive an Agency code for each event or assignment. Assignment fees will be paid by Agency on a monthly basis based on such Agency codes. The assignment fees include basic expenses for local area assignments. For clarity, Agency will pay to Photographer one (1) assignment fee for any assignments that have multiple events in the same day, such as a baseball double header or basketball tournament.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This is basically an allotment of $100 to cover your parking and mileage as well as a meal, as all of this is a part of the $100. Further, unlike most other organizations, if there is more than one sporting event you get paid extra, USPW/Gannett will not. This seems unreasonable on it’s face, but I am sure that there will always be someone who will say yes, no matter how bad the deal is.

ii. Photographer acknowledges and agrees that the assignment fees shall be paid to Photographer in lieu of any compensation for the use of Images or Stock Images by Agency’s editorial subscription based customers worldwide where applicable and in the Agency’s sole discretion. This does not include licensing proceeds for any commercial use or editorial a la carte sales.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This means, as it is written, that anything you have had in the USPW archives may well not generate income for you, as this “new deal” where they pay you for assignments, covers whatever you might have earned off stock licensing. Of course, for the rare commercial or a la carte sale, you still generate revenue, however those are few and far between, at best.

iii. In the event any additional expenses are required, reimbursement must be pre-approved in writing by assigning editor and agreed to in advance by the Photographer. The pre-approved expenses must be submitted on an Agency expense reimbursement form and submitted to the assigning editor for review and approval within 30 days after they are incurred.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This is a reasonable clause to have in.

b. Editorial and Commercial Licensing Fees.

i. Agency shall retain a commission from the fees collected from the licensing of any editorial or commercial a la carte Images and Stock Images, in accordance with the Commissions Schedule set forth on Exhibit A attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference. Agency shall deliver to Photographer the net balance of the fees collected from the Images and Stock Images in accordance with Exhibit A, along with a report listing the origin, description, and amount of sales. Agency will deliver all reports and make all payments to Photographer on a quarterly basis, during the month following the quarter and only after Agency receives the fees from its customers for the Images and Stock Images.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: Aside from the ridiculous notion that a “commission” is a figure is in excess of 50%, this concept is reasonable. The challenge will be how they define “net balance”, because they can attribute all manner of expense to the marketing of an image.

ii. Photographer's share of any fees collected from the Images or Stock Images will not be paid until Photographer’s account equals at least One Hundred dollars ($100.00); provided, however, if there is a lesser amount in the Photographer account and Photographer makes a written request to have the lesser amount paid, Agency will pay the amount currently due Photographer. In the event that no fees have been collected from the Images or Stock Images, Agency will not deliver a report or make a payment to Photographer. In the event that Photographer is no longer submitting Images or Stock Images to Agency on a regular basis, or the Agreement is terminated for any reason, Agency will pay Photographer's share of any fees collected from the Images on an annual basis, commencing on the first anniversary of the last date that Photographer submitted any Images to Agency.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This is a reasonable clause.

iii. A la carte fees licensing fees and quarterly reports of Images or Stock Images shall be paid in addition to the assignment fees set forth above.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This is a reasonable clause.

7) Unauthorized Use of Images. In case of damage, destruction, loss or unauthorized use of any Images by any customer who lawfully obtained Images from Agency, Photographer hereby grants Agency full and complete authority to make claims or to institute proceedings in Photographer's name to prosecute such unauthorized use. In no event, however, shall Agency be liable for such unauthorized use nor shall Agency be required to take any action to prosecute such unauthorized use. Any recoveries shall be divided between Photographer and Agency 50/50, after deduction for the costs of any such actions incurred by Agency, including, without limitation, legal fees or other expenses. All settlements shall be made in Agency's sole and absolute discretion. If Agency chooses not to pursue any legal action, Photographer reserves the right to do so after notification from Agency.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: So, if a publication infringes your copyright, you are not allowed to sue – only the Agency – if they decide to, at their sole discretion. However, if they do, and win, they get half . So, all the legal fees get paid (or attributed by in house counsel at out-of-house rates) and then whatever is left over, you have to split with Agency. Only after Agency opts not to pursue a matter, can you – if you notify them. That said, you would still be required to split whatever you won, as this clause is written. What would be fair instead would be that agency has the first option to sue, and as long as they don't exercise that option within X months of the notification, you then have the right to sue and keep 100%.

8) Term. This Agreement shall commence as of the date first set forth herein above and shall continue for an initial term of five (5) years, unless sooner terminated by Agency, or otherwise terminated as provided herein. Upon the expiration of the initial term, this Agreement shall automatically renew for a term of five (5) years, unless written notification is given by either party to the other at least sixty (60) days prior to the termination date. Agency may terminate this Agreement at any time, with or without cause and for any reason or for no reason at all, upon ten (10) days prior written notice to Photographer. Agency will pay Photographer's share of any fees collected from the Images or Stock Images after the termination date on an annual basis, commencing on the first anniversary of the termination date.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This is a lengthy term, and it should be a year, at most two.

9) Return of Original Images. Upon the expiration or termination of this Agreement, if requested by Photographer in writing, and provided the Images have been in Agency's custody for at least five (5) years, the original Images and Stock Images will be returned by Agency to Photographer, and digital formats will be removed from Agency's database within one (1) year from the date of the written request. If Photographer requests faster retrieval, Photographer agrees to pay Agency its cost of labor necessary to perform the removal, retrieval and return of analog Images or Stock Images. Agency is not obligated to return any digital formats to the photographer. Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything to the contrary herein, nothing in this Agreement will require any of Agency’s third-party customers that license use of the Images from Agency to remove the Images, at any time, from any archived editions of the media properties through which such customers had the right to distribute the Images pursuant to a valid license from Agency.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: The notion that you could produce 4 years of images and then have your relationship end, and then the Agency not be liable for the return of your Original Images is unreasonable, at best.

10) Confidentiality. The contents of this Agreement are confidential in nature and shall not to be shared, copied, distributed, discussed, either whole or in part to any third party by Photographer during the term of this Agreement or after the expiration or termination hereof. At any time any other information, proprietary technology or any company business or operational information, including but not limited to discussions with Agency management or personnel is made available to Photographer, be treated as “Confidential Information” and shall not be shared with or to any third party anywhere in the world. Furthermore it is acknowledged by the parties that any violation of this provision will do irreparable harm to Agency and its affiliates.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This type of clause has often been struck down by courts. Further, when you get some “amendment” document, the original contract, and the amendment, become confidential. As such, it will be no problem for USPW/Gannett to say “oh, we’ve made changes to the contract for the better…” and they can’t comment on it to anyone (publically or privately).

11) Miscellaneous.

a. Independent Contractor. This Agreement is not an employment agreement between Agency and Photographer. Photographer is acting as an independent contractor. This Agreement does not constitute a joint venture or partnership. Neither Photographer nor Agency shall hold themselves out to any third party contrary to this understanding. Photographer possesses Photographer’s own medical, life and liability insurance at all times or agrees to be self-insured.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This is a standard contract term, however the addition of the sentence about agreeing to be self-insured if you don’t have coverage is interesting.

b. Arbitration; Governing Law. Any dispute arising under this Agreement shall be determined and settled by arbitration in the Commonwealth of Virginia, pursuant to the rules of the American Arbitration Association. Any award rendered will be final and conclusive upon the parties hereto and judgment thereon may be entered in any court having jurisdiction over the parties and subject matter. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed and interpreted in accordance with, the substantive laws of the State of New York, without regard to the conflicts of law principles thereof.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: Submitting – and being required to submit – to arbitration – is a bad deal in most instances.

c. Notices. Any notice relating to this Agreement shall be in writing and delivered in person, by registered or certified mail or overnight courier. Notices shall be addressed to the parties at the addresses set forth in this Agreement. Either party may designate a new address by notice to that effect given to the other party. Notices shall be deemed given (i) if by registered or certified mail, three days after mailing, (ii) if by overnight courier, the day after delivery by such courier service to the proper address and (iii) if delivered in person, the day of delivery.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: Standard clause.

d. Successors and Assigns. Photographer may not assign or otherwise transfer this Agreement without Agency’s prior written approval. Agency may freely assign or transfer this Agreement. Subject to the foregoing, this Agreement shall be binding upon Agency and Photographer and their respective heirs, executives, administrators, representatives, successors and permitted assigns.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: Standard clause.

e. Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding between Agency and Photographer and supersedes any prior understandings or agreements, oral or written, including, without limitation any existing photographer agreement between Agency and Photographer (“Existing Agreement”), which such Existing Agreement is hereby terminated. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any Images delivered by Photographer to Agency under the Existing Agreement prior to the date hereof shall become subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement; provided however:

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: While the top of this clause is standard, the clause also folds in all previous images into the subscriptions and pay models.

i. Prior Use. Photographer shall be compensated for any such Images licensed by Agency prior to the date hereof in accordance with the Commissions Schedule attached to the Existing Agreement; and

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This should be expected.

ii. Future Use. Photographer shall be compensated for any such Images licensed by Agency on and after the date hereof in accordance with the Commissions Schedule attached to this Agreement.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This is a problem if you had a contract you were happy with before, as now it’s governed by this one.

f. Exhibits and Schedules. Each Exhibit and schedule referred to herein is incorporated into this Agreement by such reference. Agency reserves the right to change, adjust or modify such Exhibits and schedules with the prior written consent of Photographer, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: Standard clause.

g. Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is held illegal, invalid or unenforceable such illegal, invalid or unenforceable provision will not affect any other provision hereof. This Agreement shall, in such circumstances be deemed modified to the extent necessary to render enforceable the provisions hereof.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: Standard clause.

h. Waiver. The failure of either party to insist upon strict performance of any of the terms or conditions of this Agreement will not constitute a waiver of any of its rights hereunder.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: Standard clause. However, if say USPW/Gannett don’t insist on you doing, for example, a second edit, you can’t decide on your own on the next assignment to not do one.

i. Amendments. This Agreement may be amended only by a written instrument duly executed by Agency and Photographer.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: Standard clause.

j. Counterparts; Facsimiles. This Agreement may be executed in any number of original or facsimile counterparts, each of which when executed and delivered shall be deemed to be an original and all of which counterparts taken together shall constitute but one and the same instrument.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: Standard clause.

k. Survival. The provisions of this Agreement that by their nature or as specified hereunder are intended to continue beyond the expiration or termination of this Agreement, shall survive the expiration or termination hereof.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: Standard clause.

(signatures)

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EXHIBIT A

COMMISSIONS SCHEDULE
This Commissions Schedule is made an addendum to that certain Active Photographer Agreement (“Agreement”) by and between US PRESSWIRE, LLC (hereinafter referred to as “Agency” and {Photographer Name} (hereinafter referred to as “Photographer”.)

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: Standard clause.

WHEREAS, Pursuant to Section 6(b) of the Agreement, Agency has agreed to remit certain payments to Photographer for fees collected by Agency for the licensing of Images and Stock Images (as defined Agreement) on an a la carte basis, and Agency is entitled to retain a commission for the fees collected by Agency for the Images.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: Standard clause modifying original agreement.

NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

1) Third Party Fees. Photographer agrees and understands that Agency has entered into certain agreements with third party agencies (hereinafter referred to as the “Third Parties”) pursuant to which such Third Parties have been granted the authority to distribute the Images and or Stock Images on their respective websites and via other electronic means. The Third Parties will remit commissions to Agency from sales made by the Third Parties of the Images (“Third Party Fees”), in accordance with such Third Party agreements. Thereafter, Agency will remit to Photographer fifty percent (50%) of the net Third Party Fees, and Agency will retain a commission of fifty percent (50%) of the net Third Party Fees. Agency will remit Photographer's portion of the Third Party Fees pursuant to Paragraph 6 of the Agreement.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This is horrible, because essentially, if USPW uses Gannett’s wire service to distribute a $50 photo, then USPW would only get 50%, and then you would only get 50%, or $12.50. Yet, Gannett would, through the revenues of it’s wire service and USPW, as two separate corporate entities under the one parent company, get 75%.

2) Agency Fees. Agency will remit to Photographer fifty percent (50%) of the net fees collected by Agency from editorial and commercial sales made by Agency of the Images and Stock Images (“Agency Fees”), and Agency will retain a commission of fifty percent (50%) of the net Agency Fees. Agency will remit Photographer's portion of Agency Fees pursuant to Paragraph 6 of the Agreement. Agency reserves the right to change, adjust or modify Agency Fees with the prior written consent of Photographer, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: Standard clause.

3) Uncompensated Use. Photographer agrees and understands that Agency may, from time to time, allow Agency's customers to use certain Images and Stock Images without compensation. As a result, Photographer may not be compensated for the use and distribution of certain Images and Stock Images. This will be for, among other reasons, the purpose of revenue generating usage commitments or for promotional trials for the customer. Photographer agrees this action can be performed in Agency's sole and absolute discretion and without further compensation to or consent from Photographer.

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS: This is a horrible deal where the photographer gets the short end of the stick while the Agency benefits. For example – a prospective client says they want their first month free, and your images are a part of that, and then on the second month, when the Agency got a check, none of your images were a part of that, and so you get nothing. Or, if some other USPW/Gannett photographer screws up, and in order to make it up to the client they say that the next assignment is a freebie, clearly they won’t use the one who screwed up, so you could end up getting the call, and there would be no compensation for the customer to use your images. Further, they have the right to use your images for barter arrangements, where they collect "in kind" compensation without collecting any money, and the photographer gets nothing. The examples of how this can be exploited to the photographer’s severe disadvantage are seemingly endless.

(Signatures)

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Business School vs. Law School

Most business school applicants are certain b-school is for them. Others though debate business school versus law school. The following is more food for thought...

In defense of lawschool
By an HLS Graduate (former USMC)

It will come as no surprise to most people reading this thatB-school is the most common choice for EASing service members, and not withoutreason. Here is the simple truth, mostpeople who enjoyed their time in uniform will enjoy B-School more.

I remember my first Marine Corps’ birthday in grad shool. It was at the business school, and prettymuch everyone there was from the B-School. They were collegially chatting and having a laugh, and then there were wethree sad souls from the law school joking about how we would make a prettygood fire team. Frankly I think we wereoutnumbered by the exchange officers from France. And aswe mingled with the B-schoolers we all had the same reaction: We may have madea mistake.

But as I reflect on my choice to get a JD I become more andmore certain that it was the right choice. I wont say it is the right choice for everyone, it isn’t, but I dobelieve it offers something an MBA doesn’t, and that is that it is rock solidevidence that you can sit in a chair for hours, synthesize vast amounts ofwritten information, and write an iron clad analysis of it. And I hate to say it, but that is what eventhe sexiest civilian jobs demand.

So with that in mind here is a framework and some seed ideasabout which graduate program is the one for you.

Cost: Time, money,and experience

Direct costs: Of course tuition+room+etc varieswildly but due to the extra year law school will be about half again moreexpensive than B-school.

Opportunity cost:That third year of law school is a year of salary you are missing out on, sothat is a cost.

Subjective costs: without giving a comprehensive listI will submit that most vets will enjoy their classes, extra-curriculars, andclassmates more at B-school than at law school.

Total cost: So with the above in mind some very roughnumbers might look like this: 120K for an MBA vs. 160K for JD tuition + 70K ofmissed salary your third year or 230K, making law school almost twice asexpensive, and significantly less pleasant.

Revenue: Reinforcestrength or be the total package

Despite the extra pain upfront I think that the combinationof a law degree and military experience is an especially powerful pairing inthe long run. Employers look for basically the same things: leadership ability,work ethic, and intellectual horse power. And for the average student and MBA covers the bases, but as a veteranyou’ve already checked a few of those boxes.

Leadership: Employers are not worried about this one,as an officer or NCO you’ve had more leadership experience than anyone elseyour tenure. They are also not worriedabout putting you in front of clients. The military taught you to be respectful, to dress well, and to have thekind of bearing that sets clients at ease.

Work ethic: They also know that you are a hard worker, sort of. Most employers’ views of the military areshaped by TV and movies, so they expect that you can run, drill, and executeSaving-Private-Ryan-style missions without complaint. But they are worried about whether you can sitbehind a desk for hours a day and crank through towers of reports or draftkiller memos. And a JD will put their mind at ease since you don’t get throughlaw school without becoming an expert at sitting and cranking.

Intellect: Finally there is the issue ofintellect. I won’t say that a JD is moreintellectually or academically challenging than an MBA, but I will say thatthat is the perception. To succeed onthe GMAT and in B-School you need intellect, presence, leadership, quantskills, and a lot of common sense. Atlaw school the only one that matters is the first, and a bit of the last.

Fundamentally I think that a veteran with a law degree isespecially attractive to the top consultancies and corporations because you checkall the boxes. If you know you want tobe a banker and do finance then go to B-School, but if you want to consult orgo to industry I encourage you to think about how you would look to anemployer, identify any gaps, and then choose the degree that fills those gapsmost effectively.

	Business School	Law School
US presidents	2	12 started 7 finished, 3 more became lawyers through independent study
Current Senators	5	55
CEOs of fortune 100	32	12
Opportunity	Business, finance, consulting	Law, business, finance, consulting, public sector, social sector
Typical early tenure salary (top 10 schools)	~124K	~160K

-Geoff, guest blogger, former Marine Officer, Harvard Law School Graduate, and currently a consultant at a top management consulting firm.

Inspiration For Import Export Business Success

Inspiration For Import Export Business Success

I hope you will take a few minutes to read this post in it's entirety because it will hopefully provide you with some inspiration to succeed whether in the import export business or any business.

When I read the commentary provided below in an electronic newsletter I subscribe to this morning it really hit me that much of what was being quoted was so important to everyone searching for success in this business, any business or life in general.

The commentary posted below is appropriate to you if you are considering the import export business or any business and includes some of the BEST quotes about business and life in general that I have read in some time so I hope you will find them as inspiring as I did.

I have never owned an Apple computer or an Iphone, Ipad or anything that Steve Jobs helped bring to the world but when I learned of his passing last evening and the accomplishments that have helped literally millions of people around the world it really hit me that we have lost what can only be equated to our generation's Thomas Edison.

It is sad that our illustrious government leaders from all parties are not declaring what a true American and World hero Steve was? The real creation of jobs is having government get out of the way and allow entrepreneurial ingeniuty move forward with out the heel of government bureaucratics squashing it from existence before it has a chance to flourish.

It is also sad that we elevate people who are great at one sport or another to 'hero' status when in reality they have done nothing to elevate the level of mankind for anything other than a period of game played.

So to conclude my intro to the excellent, excellent commentary below I simply say Steve Jobs, may you rest in peace and know that the world is a far better place because of the time you were here and know to that not only were you the hero of those younger than you those older than you (me).

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The following is the word for word commentary by Mr. Simon Black, Senior Editor for SovereignMan.com and is published with the authorization of his organization:

Sovereign Man
Notes from the Field

Date: October 6, 2011
Reporting From: Hong Kong

You've undoubtedly heard by now that Steve Jobs passed away yesterday after a long battle with cancer; it's been all over the news with wall-to-wall coverage, and iCandle vigils have sprung up all over the world. Jobs is being remembered as a pioneer, a technological revolutionary, a visionary. Rightfully so.

But it's important to give credit where credit is due, and the world owes a tremendous debt to Steve Jobs for something else. He was perhaps the greatest living example of 'philanthropy' in action.

While people like Warren Buffet are pleading with the government to raise their taxes and give away their wealth to sycophantic bureaucrats, Jobs showed time and time again that the best way to improve people's lives is to create value and be productive.

Steve Jobs was one of the most productive human beings to have ever lived; he started several successful companies which directly employed tens of thousands of people. Indirectly, his businesses improved the livelihoods of millions across the globe, from Chinese factory workers to iPhone app programmers to Apple shareholders.

In building an empire and unimaginable wealth for himself, Steve Jobs enriched the lives and livelihoods of others by creating value. Not by forced redistribution. Not by giving things away. By creating value.

Ironically, just as I write this I am watching President Obama on Bloomberg Television trying to explain how many jobs his new plan will create-- 1.9 million in his estimate:

"We're just going to keep on going at it and hammering away... until... something gets done. I would love to see nothing more than Congres act... so aggressively."

Politicians would do themselves and their constituents a great service by comparing their own track record for enriching people's lives against Steve Jobs' performance, and then kindly stepping out of the way. The path to prosperity is not paved in votes, but rather in freedom: the freedom to create, produce, risk work hard... and be rewarded for your efforts.

If you have the time, I'd encourage you to take a few minutes and read some of Jobs' own words; there are boundless sources online that will praise his creativity, drive, and intellect, but perhaps no one is better suited to explain Steve Jobs than the man himself.

Below I've pasted in some key quotes taken from his 2005 Stanford commencement address, and an old 1985 interview with Playboy magazine that the folks at Zero Hedge dug up. Enjoy.

Jobs on -not- following the crowd:

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma-- which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

Jobs on change and politics:

"We're making the largest investment of capital that humankind has ever made in weapons over the next five years. We have decided, as a society, that that's where we should put our money, and that raises the deficits and, thus, the cost of our capital."

"I think it takes a crisis for something to occur in America. And I believe there's going to be a crisis of significant proportions in the early Nineties as these problems our political leaders should have been addressing boil up to the surface."

Jobs on charity... and the importance of failure:

"And that's the problem with most philanthropy-- there's no measurement system. You give somebody some money to do something and most of the time you can really never measure whether you failed or succeeded in your judgment of that person or his ideas or their implementation. So if you can't succeed or fail, it's really hard to get better."

Jobs on careers:

"Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. . . As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. . . So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."

Jobs on making it count:

Most of the time, we're taking things. Neither you nor I made the clothes we wear; we don't make the food or grow the foods we eat; we use a language that was developed by other people; we use another society's mathematics. Very rarely do we get a chance to put something back into that pool. I think we have that opportunity now. And no, we don't know where it will lead. We just know there's something much bigger than any of us here.

Jobs on [the blue screen of] death:

"[D]eath is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new."

Well done, Mr. Jobs. Be thou at peace.

Simon Black
Senior Editor, SovereignMan.com

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Remember, there are over 5 1/2 years of posts in this blog and you are encouraged to use the archive date links located on the lower right side of the navigation bar where they are listed by Month/Year to access them or you may wish to use the search box located in the upper left side of the blog to search for specific words or phrases.

Until next time.

Ron Coble

The Legitimacy of Schools Teaching Photography

Photo District News, about a month ago, posited the question "The Art Institutes: Legitimate Photo Schools or Accessories to Fraud?", and as someone who's been a guest speaker in their business classes, and given the commencement address at their 2009 graduation in Washington DC, I was a bit surprised. I know of many schools that couldn't care less about the future success of their freelance graduates, which seems a bit self-defeating since these students therefore have a diminished capacity to pay back their student loans. Yet, in the end, the school isn't taking the loss on the unpaid loans, it's the student, or the taxpayer/lending institution. I do know that the Art Institute of Washington takes very seriously the graduated success of its' students, and I suspect that mindset carries over to their other schools as well. "Fraud" is surely not a word I would use to characterize the AI schools when it comes to teaching photography students.

In 2008, Brooks Institute resolved a multi-year issue whereby, according to the Ventura County Reporter (here) "...emerged victorious early this year over charges that prospective students were attracted to enrolling there with guarantees of gainful employment post-graduation." Yet others are continuing to make further claims, which will likely result in further losses for students. I know that Brooks turns out exceptionally talented photographers (from a creative standpoint) and that they also teach business skills. It would stand to reason that a Brooks graduate could be skilled enough to start out their career taking well-paid photography assignments, and, if managed right, could be highly successful. Yet, if creatively talented photographers don't focus on business, or don't have the business acumen to succeed, they will likely fail, despite their talent.

I can't imagine the irresponsibility of a school sending a graduate off with a diploma and degree without a skill so key as business. The bigger issue is new graduates entering the marketplace with rose-colored glasses, wholly unprepared for the reality of the photography market in the 21st century.

In the end, we find our markets dilluted with hungry idealistic photographers being churned out only to find there isn't a marketplace to bear them.

Why is that?

They're educated, regardless of social position. They're smart(er), they're more savvy, and by default, artistically talented. Yet, being a photographer - having the drive and passion to create visually stunning images, is not enough for you to survive as a photographer. There is a critical need for techical and business saavy for all photographers. Setting the camera on "Program" and hoping for the best, isn't the solution, nor is ignoring the pile of bills and thinking the elves in the middle of the night will pay them and send out your invoices.

So, what's to be done? The original school of thought of the wise photographer, was that, at some point, starry eyed students would flock to institutes of higher learning under the promise of education leading to higher dollars in our profession.

According to the US Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, (here) , "Median annual wages of salaried photographers were $29,440 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $20,620 and $43,530. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $16,920, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $62,430."

Lots of people graduate, and think things will be handed to them on a silver platter, and then get upset when succeeding as a freelancer requires....oh yeah....work! For those of us in the industry, work is just not enough. We are faced with a new dynamic. Gone are the days of a picture being worth an average of almost $1k ( the average stock license, according to a Getty report several years ago).

Where is that yellow brick road? Or, to cite a well-known book "Who Stole My Cheese?"

(Continued after the Jump)

The US Department of Labor says about photographers (here):

"Most photographers spend only a small portion of their work schedule actually taking photographs. Their most common activities are editing images on a computer—if they use a digital camera—and looking for new business—if they are self-employed."

That's right, most self-employed photographers spend most of their time looking for new business.

The DOL goes on:

"Photography courses are offered by many universities, community and junior colleges, vocational-technical institutes, and private trade and technical schools. Basic courses in photography cover equipment, processes, and techniques. Learning good business and marketing skills is important and some bachelor's degree programs offer courses focusing on them."

SOME? Seriously? Some?!?!

And the DOL goes on...

"Photographers who operate their own business, or freelance, need business skills as well as talent. These individuals must know how to prepare a business plan; submit bids; write contracts; keep financial records; market their work;"

...and on....

"Those who succeed in landing a salaried job or attracting enough work to earn a living by freelancing are likely to be adept at operating a business and to be among the most creative."

It's remarkable that only "some" schools are teaching the business side of photography, when clearly almost all of the graduates who end up being photographers will be freelance, and thus, operating their own businesses. It seems to me, that it's a dereliction of a responsible school to not teach the business skills necessary to succeed.

Is the problem education?

Those in the marketplace have done substantial damage to the value of images and assignments. This isn't the schools' problem, it's the problem of the marketplace, and, the community.

Hmmm, let's think about that. newspapers are downsizing at the same time their ad revenue is up. Why? well, it's because of an expectation of free, thanks to the internet. That genie has left that bottle.

There are no magazines, newspapers, or, really, other publications that don't use photography (or illustrations.) The reality is that photography IS worth something - a lot - dare I say, a thousand words? We are so used to getting everything for free, we expect everything to be free - the content we view, CNN, etc. We are perpetuating a cycle of free that is now bleeding over to our own bottom line. You should be paying for your news, for example. A major part of the problem is that people think photos should be free, and they should not. Our images make or break most magazines, ads, and so on. A pair of jeans sells on the strength of the ad campaign. A president is elected on the strength of the photojournalism surrounding his campaign. Public opinion is formed on our wars overseas by the pictures that come out of those events. And, your wedding day was a success after the dust was settled if your wedding album is fabulous. You don't remember having the good time - you rely on the photographs to show you that you did!

Is there a responsibility for full disclosure? This is full disclosure.

- if you continue to pay photjournalists $200 an assignment and they lose all their rights...this is not a sustainable business model.
- Photography licensed with huge rights being granted at $1. This is horrible for the profession.
- Magazines who make tons off advertising are not paying rates commensurate with what they paid even 10, 20, or 30 years ago, yet for almost all of them, ad rates have increased even within the past 5 years. Mark Loundy, who writes the Common Cents column for the NPPA's News Photographer magazine, reports in this month's Common Cents (here) - "If you've seen Sports Illustrated's "Leading Off" feature of full-bleed double-truck images you know how impressive they are and how important the magazine clearly considers them. Just not in the iPad version of the magazine, for which they pay a whopping $50." In that same column, Mark (who was a technical editor on my book) notes that even his optometrist never learned business skills during his time in school. Sheesh!

Now is the time for a sea-change.

It's becoming all too common for images to be free, or next to free. Pictures make things happen. The PDN article cites several examples of students who feel wronged by the recruiters, and I am sure there are more bad-apple recruiters at other schools as well - that issue isn't limited to AI recruiters (if they were at all misleading) - not by a stretch. I see nothing wrong with a recruiter citing an income level of $62,000+ as something that is possible when selling their education - it's a real figure from the US Department of Labor. I also see nothing wrong with, say, Brooks Institute surveying their graduated photographers and learning their income levels of, say, $75k (or more) and then citing that, as well as citing that their graduates earn above the top government estimates for income. Whether this has happened or not, I can't say, but it wouldn't surprise me, and would be a reasonable marketing approach.

People coming out of the doors of higher learning instutions must say no when a bad deal is offered. Good professors that I know of have saved more than one student from giving their work away, by teaching them the value of their work. In fact, I know of some professors who, when someone comes-a-callin' to a photo school for photo students to complete an assignment, will lecture the person calling about that attitude, and won't turn over unreasonable requests to their students.

Make no mistake about it, schools - all schools - need to be profitable. Just because, say, the Art Institutes, or Brooks, make a profit, or are a part of a for-profit business model, isn't evil. Profit isn't a four-letter word. Further, state-run universities, and private schools like, say, American University, all make some form of profit. If a school has a class with insufficient attendance, or a degree that's not generating enough students to make it cost-justifiable, they cancel the class, or the program.

All schools that teach photography should have a responsiblity to teach the business side - the core - you are a business and you are worth the money you are going to make. in the same way that somebody who gets a law degree charges for their time. Regardless of the countless styles of photography, the countless genres (wedding, pj, commercial, portraits, etc etc etc) the one core requirement is how to operate their business.

Does this guarnatee the pot of gold? no, but we as a community are to blame for the dwindling prosperity prospects.

There is no photographers union, and there never will be. While we have trade associations that do all they can, until we have photographers en masse who not just say no to bad deals, and not just focus on their own business skills, but also take on the roll of helping those around them be better about business. There is a critical need for a new generation of photographers - visionaries who can make a difference - whether they come to us through an institute of higher learning, or as an apprentice of an experienced photographer, they are a necessity. We as a society need to understand and recognize the worth of the photograph, and those who create it - they are a business, we are a part of an industry. We need health insurance. We take vacations. We want a retirement plan and a good standard of living.

Hard work doesn't guarantee success. There are no guarantees in life but death and taxes. If you're such a poor business person that you don't even earn enough to pay taxes, then your only guarantee in life is death, in poverty. Good luck with that.

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