Who knew? With all of the stock photo prices dropping, and as the big suppliers keep buying up the small upstarts, the market has changed dramatically.
The folks at Photoshelter , known for being a photographers online sales service, are poised to make a strong logical move in this world, and they did their homework.
By polling the people that BUY stock photography, they found out what was lacking.
Specifically, what categories of shots.
And with the current, more natural, or UGC style trends in marketing, the existing images seem staged or worse, outdated.

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This is a HUGE opportunity for photographers to jump in and service the needs of your future clients. Ad agencies, publications and broadcast networks are waiting for your work.
The door for these new images is wide open right now.
But MAINLY for certain categories.

Someone else did the research for you and found out what the buyers are buying.
Now you just have to shoot it.

This next part will give you all the info you need:
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After coming to the Lions festival for many years, for some reason this is the first year that ACT has come onto my radar.
It’s a separate, yet supported exhibition of public service advertising. Including many who couldn’t afford to pay the submissions fee for the Lions competition.
Why this year?
Maybe this year the promotion is better. Maybe the location. Maybe the free coffee. Maybe it was just time.
Whatever it is, here you can find some of the best print, TV and online work for just causes from around the world.

Between the corporate sponsors and the ad agencies involved, they have ponied up the money to present free to the public a showing of this work, plus panel discussions on the causes they champion.

When you have a client whose goal is to only make life better, not cleaner, sexier, bigger, shinier, tasting better, thirst quenching, softer, harder, faster, or any of the rest of our needs, sometimes the creative work comes from a different place in the creative mind. The heart part.

[photopress:act_logo.gif,full,alignright] “ACT – Advertising Community Together – is a non-profit initiative.
Its goal is to federate, promote and inspire responsible communication on sustainability, equitable development and social responsibility. ACT shows how advertising professionals from all continents can use their core talent – creativity – to play a significant role in addressing today’s crucial world issues.
Our unique strength – The Advertising Community Together – Federating an array of partner, ACT Responsible brings together Industry key players, keen to share their commitment to Responsibility. Its reach helps gather forces and build a network facilitating the sharing of good practices. These partners finance and contribute to 100% of our action.”

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Title: “Alligator”
Agency: Almap BBDO Comunicações
City: São Paulo
Advertiser: O Boticário Franchising
Tagline: The devestation of nature threatens more animals than you think.
Photographer: Maurício Nahas

And this is another site from Cannes you can share everywhere in the world. It’s all online. Worth your time to click through and look/watch this work.

Sure, love the friends, the parties, the food, the scene, etc. but you have to remember to give back. there’s an old expression that says “take what you want from this world, but pay for what you take”.
Maybe work like this begins to pay back a little.

After a canceled flight, some rescheduling, and many marginal meals, we’re finally i Cannes at the Lions Ad Fest which kicks off today.
The entry was excellent, meeting a friend at the airport and sharing a cab into town. Best part was all of the luggage arrived. Whew.( have had 25% failure rate on that one).

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by the way, the photo above has been geotagged to you can click on it and see exactly where we were.

So……The first things to great us were the huge Getty Images display in front of the palais. Sure, palais sounds great, but it’s actually a convention center with outstanding theaters.

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Anyway, we’ll explore the display called Advertising Activism later today, but so can you. Online.They do have to check some grammar on the kiosk though. Oops!
But look who’s talking? We’ve been guilty of it PLENTY of times.

And there was a MASSIVE billboard touting Henry Diltz speaking on rock photography and rights coming this week. A big week for the still image.

We’ll be back later with more.
Almost Twittered this stuff but seems they may be having an issue or two these day.

And a big hug to the one who makes this Hallmark Holiday of Fathers Day mean something.
You know who you are and privacy prevails, but lots of love to you today and every day.

To the all of the dads out there, Have a great day.
Take a lap, grill it up, watch the playoffs, spend some “me” time, but most importantly hug the ones that make it a special day for you.
They know what you do to make life better for them.
‘Nuff said.

More from the Adfest this week and a special announcement tomorrow!.

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First meal. Of course, a salade nicoise. And some Rose.Trite? Maybe. Delicious? Completely.

Of course we just did a review, so it’s only fitting that we send one of this excellent tool, complete with bundled software for you.
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The Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet.
We’ve discussed some of the cool working features of this pen/tablet/wireless mouse combo, and a bit of the software you get: Photoshop Elements, Corel Draw, and Nik plug-ins for Photoshop to give you amplified color control.
yeah, thats all well and good, but did we tell you about the colors?

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yep, that’s right. how many pieces of gear can you get that.
And they are very well done and stylish colors. Want to match your MacBook?, or maybe the MacPro.
Anyway, it just shows how Wacom pays attention to details. Their tablet is unique, and for us, indispensable.

This week we have a small Bamboo Fun, in the color of your choice, for one of you.

This is how we play the game:
First of all you MUST be signed up for the NEWSLETTER. then Continue Reading »

The gear is back in the bag for another hand carried adventure to Europe.
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Back to the Cote D’azur for the biggest, baddest, advertising festival in the world:
The Cannes Lions!.
We’re going to this full out, massive event to find out what the current trends in photography are in the world of marketing.
Not the gear. Not the galleries. The work that is commercial. The work that gets the money.
With Getty Images as huge sponsors of the event, there will be a ton of photography to discover.
we hope.
Worst case, some Wine, old friends, great food and the Riviera. It’s not a Vegas trade show, but what is?

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Seriously, this is the place to see what the global standards are for great work. They will be awarded, discussed, dissed, mis-understood, applauded, and then after the week is done, perhaps go down in history.

Plus we will be bringing you a very cool announcement for photographers on Monday. It will affect a ton of you, and hopefully open some huge doors for the rest.
I can’t talk about it yet, but the phone calls this morning were outstanding.
Make sure you come back on Monday for that. Continue Reading »