You may be wondering why I dropped off the face of the earth recently. Well, I got swamped with shoots when I got back from Disney World. Plus, I haven’t had anything really important to say or share on the blog in the last few days. I’ll post some cool pics from some recent shoots sometime soon. But not now… I’m off to yet another shoot.
Youtube, and why I hate it so very much…
So, everyone knows how easy youtube is to use. You make a video, click a few buttons, and it is up for the world to see. I prefer using it and embedding the video in the blogs I do for clients over wrestling with all the steps each different client has to put the video directly on their server.
Well, I covered a concert for a client recently, and I needed to get the text, pics and video up right away. So, what do I do? I toss the 42 seconds of video on youtube and embed the video into the blog. What happens? A couple days later, the video gets flagged and locked down for copyright infringement!
By the way, I’m not going to mention the artists or the publication, because they are innocent in all of this. Youtube is the evil entity here and Motown Records is semi-moronic for flagging the video to begin with. And, I know what you are thinking… How is Motown stupid for flagging a video, if they had no clue it was embedded in a legitimate publication that had approval to shoot the content in the first place? Let me answer that with a common sense statement…
The video was professionally shot (it sure didn’t look like a camera phone took it), it was only one verse of one song and they could’ve EASILY sent an email or inquiry to me first. The fact that it was obviously shot from the photo/video pit and not the crowd, should’ve been their first clue. The fact that I was following normal editorial guidelines and publishing an incomplete song (normally media is allowed to shoot and display 30 to 45 second snippets of songs, so it doesn’t interfere with regular album and video sales) should’ve been the second clue. And the third… what ever happened to civility? A quick email asking about the video would’ve been much quicker than going through the hoops of a copyright infringement claim and then a counter-claim.
So, now I’ve started my counter-claim, which is filled with steps to complete and hoops to jump through. I thought about just pulling the video and uploading it to the publication’s server, but at this point I’m on a mission against Youtube. It’s the point of the matter that I uploaded legal video and they blocked it without asking questions first. Then they make it an uphill battle to get it unblocked. This is why I’m fighting it. It shouldn’t be so hard for their users to prove their innocence.
Maybe I should just mess with the extra hassle of uploading the videos directly to my clients’ servers? Or, maybe I should check out Vimeo.com and the other video hosting sites that people seem to like more than youtube?
Behind the scenes: Kevin Winzeler
This post from the Strobist blog is worth reading and watching:
A Tattoo is Forever…
I would never do this:
So sorry…
I’m sorry if I’ve been absent for the last several days. I’ve been super busy with photo shoots, editing and photoshop work. And any free time has been spent with the family. I’ll blog about some of my recent shoots very soon. I promise!
Hassie Digi…
I only need $14k to buy a Hasselblad digital back for my medium format cameras. Anyone have that kind of spare change stuffed in between the cushions of their couch? Wanna share? No? I didn’t think so…
By the way…
If you still haven’t figured it out, you need to ask for the sale, so to speak. I’ve had a few people state this fact, since the economy took a dive this year (I think Hal Samples can be credited to one of those times). And guess what… It is true!
I used to be able to do my work, and new clients would call me. I’ve heard a few people say their business was the same way. Those same people are saying they have changed gears and are now calling up potential clients and asking for the shoot. This doesn’t mean that you call them and start begging for work. It means you need to put your name out there and let them know that you are interested in working with them.
This proactive mindset isn’t as easy as the old days, when I’d have a new client call me. But, you know what? It is paying the bills. So, find a list of people that you think you should be working for (don’t call up Nike and ask to shoot their next campaign, if you are fresh out of college. Look for REAL day to day clients that you know would be a good fit for your shooting style and level) and call them. You’d be surprised what will come of asking for the work, instead of just sitting and waiting for the phone to ring.
Really?!?
I’m speechless…
and, the pinnacle of the portfolio:
Screech?
Considering the fact that most professional photographers need to use Photoshop on a regular basis, I figured I could just barely make this story relevant. Of course, I really just wanted to post a link about Saved By The Bell:
Finally, a shortcut I can love!!!
I just noticed that Photoshop CS4 FINALLY has a shortcut for Canvas Size and Image Size adjustments. Why did it take them so long to add this?!? I’ve been using Photoshop since 1996 or so, and they just now add this?!? It may be late to the party, but it’s still a welcome sight! Thank you Adobe…