The Business of Photography

I was planning to write some tips on how photographers can protect their images on the Internet, but then Dennis Rito beat me to it, and probably has better advice. Dennis and I, and three other photographers, form a core group that’s working for the establishment of a community to protect the rights of photographers.

Here are Dennis’ tips:

http://dennisrito.blogspot.com/2007/07/tips-for-protecting-your-images.html

Oprah, more than once, has said that the people around you are like the marinade in your life – they have a way of sharing their flavor with you.

Surround yourself with cheerful people, and you’re likely to be cheerful yourself. At the very least, you’d hear new jokes to share with your office mates or clients. People can be transformed, influenced or inspired by the friends or colleagues that they keep, so look around you and check who’s in your marinade.

I suppose the same is true in business. Check to see who’s in your business marinade. To eliminate frustrations at work, fire your incompetent employee and don’t be afraid to hire someone who may seem to be more intelligent or promising than you. Leave clients who are only interested in working with the lowest bidder and look for those who respect your work, and are willing to pay what you are worth. Stop socializing or competing with competitors who pull you down and join more congenial or more inspiring groups.

Surround yourself with the best people. It’s time to check who is in your marinade, and while you’re at it, check how you’re flavoring those who come in contact with you.

On Tuesday, July 24, a small group of about 6 to 8 photographers will meet at Adphoto to begin talking about forming a Copyright Collective Management organization. As a core group, they will do the daunting task of collating materials, sorting out what is relevant and what is applicable and beneficial to Filipino photographers. The group will also do preliminary studies and discussions on what would be required to form a larger yet effective organization on collective copyright management. They will also research on the benefits of this collective action, how to connect with foreign-based counterparts, how to set up such an organization in the Philippines (SEC and othe government requirements), what assistance we can get from the local Intellectual Property Rights Office and other government and non-government agencies and how to reach photographers to spread the gospel of collective rights management.

For basic information on what this effort is about, please go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_collective

We will keep you posted on developments.

I stumbled on David Parrish’s website (http://www.davidparrish.com) in another blog, http://burnsautoparts.blogspot.com, which I read regularly. Oh, don’t be misled by the title of that website – burnsautoparts is definitely for photographers.

David’s website refers to him as an International Business Adviser for Creative People – just the kind of writer I need to read. His book “T-Shirts and Suits – A Guide to the Business of Creativity”, in e-book form, gives so many tips and advice that I want to run to the nearest bookstore to order the published full book version.

Go to either site for a free download of this very useful e-book.

Once upon a time, John was in Banaue to take pictures – not for any client, but just for himself. He drove eight hours in his yellow Ford Fiera, and was busy photographing Ifugaos on the rice terraces when he saw a helicopter land on the parking lot of Banaue Hotel (the only place where it could land). Two sounds are music to John’s ears – the click, click, click of his camera and the sound of a helicopter propeller whirling. Hearing them both at the same time was like heaven.

He ran to chat with the pilot, who volunteered the information that he had room for one more passenger. Like an eager child, John asked him, “Can I come? Can I come? Please, please, Can I come?” He was ferrying some foreign guests and would be flying back to Manila through Baguio that same day. “Sure, hop on,” said the pilot to the photographer, and away they flew, for a little over two hours over the terraces, over the mountains of Bontoc and Benguet. They made a stop over in Poro Point, La Union to refuel, and continued on to fly over scenic Hundred Islands in Pangasinan and over the rice fields of Pampanga and Bulacan and back to Villamor Air Base, in Metro Manila where John immediately grabbed a cab and asked to be taken to the Pantranco Station in Quezon City, so he could ride a bus for the next 8 hours to go back to Banaue.

He grinned ear-to-ear, and whistled happily while driving alone all the way from Banaue through Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Metro Manila and finally to his home in Makati – in his yellow Ford Fiera.

His take from this joyride? Priceless photographs to show a bird’s eye view of the Ifugao rice terraces.

(Note: Our archivist is still looking for those vintage aerial shots).

A lesson to be learned: Scan those film images now before they fade away. Or before you lose them.