The day has arrived.  You have the opportunity to build a viable industry again.

General world news and published opinion have become commodities. Anyone can publish to the Web. The traditional standard of presentation — print — is dying.

Stock photography is a commodity now that everyone has a digital camera to create good images and our traditional form of presentation — film — has died.

Both photography and publishing  have suffered similar declines.  We are not alone. Many industries have fallen victim to new technology.

We can both benefit from a new direction in publishing. The revolution and opportunity are here  if you take it seriously.

First, I have a question: Why are 50,000 eyeballs in print worth more than 80,000 eyeballs online?  Chances are you are charging for the printed product because it costs more. Are the print ads more effective for your advertisers?  Maybe the ads look better, but it’s hard to cultivate good data on the quality of success other than general assumptions based on sales.

Online ads are cheap in comparison and the data is much stronger. Advertisements and their locations can be adjusted quickly based on the success of published content.

Soon, products such as the Apple iPad will be available to consumers. These new products are innovative, interactive entertainment and information centers. Delivery systems similar to iTunes are being developed for publishers that will allow people to subscribe to your publication.

Will they subscribe?

If you continue down the path of  cutting writers, photographers and designers to make margins, you are doomed. If you continue the practice of  slapping anything between the ads to keep short-term investors’ profits in line, you are doomed.

If a photographer wishes to stay in business today, he has to invest more time, knowledge and money into the products and services he produces.  Photographers need more than the right equipment. Photographers must be highly creative to survive. So do you.

Once the new technology and infrastructure are in place, you must wow your consumer with incredible and unique information.  The layout and design of your publications must be spectacular. The writing needs to be top-notch. The images have to be amazing.

People will not continue to buy average on a monthly or annual basis.  This opportunity is available to local and international publishers. Now is the time to plan. Let the new horse race begin. Make it about creativity and innovation — not about how much can you cut to survive another year. Get ahead of the curve. Invest and prepare to make a profit again.

Rosh

This week Rosh talks about the importance of photography, e-paper and choosing a camera.

• Time 30:00
• Hosted by Rosh Sillars
• This podcast is about social, digital and new media and how it relates to the photographer.
• Topics on this week’s show:  Photo media magazine, Don’t count out the power of traditional media, Olympus stylus, samsung, photoshop elements, Photoshop elements, photoshop, Picasa, Picnic, fotoflexer, pixer.us, Canon 7D, Digital cameras, screentweet, ignite 4, The importance of great photography, E-paper
• This week new media photographer – news headlines: Canon 7D

• Photography news by Trevor Current: Ushareimages blog twitter – @ushareimages (off this week)
• New media photographer comment line link love: Ten Golden Rules Podcast – Jay Berkowitz.
• New Media Photographer Twitter @newmediaphoto
• Tumblr.com New Media Photographer
• Friendfeed – New Media Photographer
• Itunes New Media Photographer subscription
• Comment line 206 202 3568
• Email New Media Photographer
• New Media Photographer
• Rosh Sillars Photography Portfolios
• The Rosh Group, Inc.
• Prosperous Artists
• The Driven Business
• Tags: new media, digital media, social media, photography, photographer, photography marketing, business of photography.
• Do  you have a recommendation for the new media photographer award?
• e-mail

Yahoo! launched its new front page about a week ago.  It’s clean, it integrates social media, and it offers local news on the front page. This is a great deal for local print media; unfortunately, it is 10 years too late.

Yahoo has enough issues of its own. They have made a lot of bad moves over the last few years. But, the addition of local news as part of the front page news stream is something I believe viewers will appreciate. It should have been there a long time ago.

Local news and advertising have become a focus again over the last few years. Google finally jumped into the local news game in February 2008.  Although I’m sure it’s easily accessible, I don’t believe I’ve actually looked at their  news offerings. But, it has been hard to miss their aggressive efforts to display local searches in the last year.

In the social media realm, Facebook has been very successful with its local focus,  earning a majority of its revenue from local advertising.

Yahoo has been working on the process of developing local news for years.  They started testing as early as 2004 with limited sources.  In 2006 they softly launched their local news and have continued to develop more sources since then. But the main focus has been national news. This is what has finally changed.

I’m excited to see the connections on Yahoo. Especially since I’ve worked at a few of the smaller daily newspapers that the Yahoo aggregator is now sourcing. It should be a real traffic driver for local media and added support for generating loyal yahoo.com viewers.

This alliance and prominent display of smaller local newspapers should have happened years ago when both Yahoo and the local print media had some strength left in them.   Local news aggregation is the starting point in a long process.  At this point I have to ask: Do Yahoo and local print have enough time to develop the relationship?  Is it too late to forge this new alliance toward new levels of necessary innovation and success?

I don’t know how this recent relationship developed. I do know that local newsprint media would have never bought into this idea a decade ago. Newspapers would have considered it a loss to share local content. If Yahoo had streamed local feeds to their front page,  the papers would have sued rather than celebrate the additional traffic directed to their Web sites.

Newspapers have traditionally devalued the Web.  They gave away advertising space for pennies if advertisers chose their medium of delivery.  The world continued to change and newsprint had no realistic plan.

I checked the unique visitors to the Web sites of the newspapers mentioned above.  They received two to three times the Web traffic each month compared to their print circulation.  Why can’t they monetize that?

Now that local media seem to have their heads out of the sand, can they make more deals with traffic-driving Web sites? Will they take advantage of the new traffic coming from Yahoo? Can sites such as Yahoo build more quality relationships with local media that would build loyalty?

Does anyone care anymore?

Rosh

After years of the newspaper’s decline from crown jewel of the local community to corporate investment, it is time to let the newsprint medium die. If we let the traditional resource die, we can invent the news source of the future.

The traditional media are killing themselves slowly every day with a short-sighted need to make a 30 percent profit on their product. The pressure of quarterly profits does not allow CEOs to create and develop a future for their products.

They have cut resources to the bone and little is left, except for a dire need for quality investigative journalism.

My local newspaper, the Detroit Free Press, won a Pulizer  prize this year for local reporting. I’m concerned that this might be the last. How can newspapers and magazines compete against free news? It is troubling that the public seems to feel that news should be free and provided by bloggers and citizen journalists who are happy to work for the same rate.

Bloggers and citizen journalists are fine for providing opinion or breaking-news content. Any accident, police situation or public event in the range of a camera phone can be documented easily. However, quality, in-depth reporting is best done by trained professionals, supported with a paycheck,  backed by an organization and legal counsel.

The average citizen journalist is not going to take the time, money and effort to investigate a city hall scandal.  Bloggers tend to use personal opinion, Google, fellow blogs and Wikipedia for fact checking.

I don’t know many photojournalists willing to risk their lives to capture war images for a photo credit or byline.

Even more of a concern is who the hell is willing to sit though a local city council or board of education meeting for free?

Newspapers must die quickly.

We don’t have time to test gimmicks that might save the print medium. The people in charge only know mass media. They are doing all they can to stuff a clunky old model into a sleek new media bag. It’s not going to fit.

Once print dies, it will be reinvented out of the ashes of necessity. Once the public is without quality resources — its value will be redeemed.

Demand and value will spark an innovative person or group of people to discover the way to make news reporting and distribution a viable venture.

No matter the outcome, news distribution will not look like it does today. If it does, they didn’t get it right and we will have to kill it again.

Baby new year arrived this year wearing a smiling face, a party hat, and 2009 glasses. After the fanfare came a stampede of fingers on keyboards, as folks signed up for social media accounts. Social media is here. The tipping point has arrived.

It seems like every week the death knell sounds for another traditional media outlet. New and social media are winning the information wars.

A good example of that happened on Feb. 27, when Twitter and Facebook users, many of them Rocky Mountain News employees, scooped their own paper with information about its final edition.

Marketing departments are fielding calls from demanding managers and clients. Everyone wants to know: Does the company have a Linkedin account? Do they have a  Facebook page? They’re asking if Twitter is worth their time. Last year’s business coaches and SEO experts are now popping up as social media strategists.

The world is not changing. It has already changed.

Not everyone has a social media account. But, if you are not learning the basics now, you will be left behind. Some people still refuse to use computers or cell phones. But from now on, your address should be found at Facebook.com.

Here’s how it’s working right now:

We share information and receive the news of the world faster than ever via Twitter.

Stories of your life are posted on Flickr and YouTube. You may even participate in niche forums and unique social sites that pertain to your interests.

Your favorite RSS (Real Simple Syndication) reader is designed by you to deliver feeds from your favorite, blogs, podcasts, and news outlets. It’s a one-stop information source. It’s perfect.

Social media is new, exciting and cutting edge for the masses. But, before you know it, the thrill will be gone and this crazy new world will be normal.

Over the next few years the technology will continue to form and shape. New platforms will emerge and replace the old. Just like e-mail and cell-phones, initially they will be resisted and called a waste of time.

Whatever your opinion, the new standards of communication and information distribution have arrived. Understand or be irrelevant.

Rosh

My wife Shirley is stepping back into the working world after taking a break to stay home with our youngest daughter.   She worked as a copy editor for a local newspaper; now she is setting sail as  a professional freelance editor and writer.  During the two-year break, the world of editing and publishing that she once knew has turned upside-down.

What did she discover?

As she was leaving the ship two years ago, it had already been hit by the iceberg and was leaning hard port.  She had planned to return to work after a year. But that first year turned into two when we felt all was well on the home front. All was not well on the business front, however.

Six months after she left the newspaper, the company eliminated the photography department (and my part-time position). Last month the company did not renew its lease of  the newspaper office and laid off more workers. The paper is still being published, although half-heartedly and 25 miles away from its coverage area.

Shirley has set up her Web site, filled in her Facebook page and signed up for a Twitter account.  She is a witty writer. Over the last couple years she has gained a small following writing an anonymous blog.

Recently she found an opportunity to participate in a book with another blogger curating the project.  Yesterday she received the contract. 

The contract, as with many contracts these days, demanded all the rights to her work.  She mentioned it to me and I encouraged her to pass on the opportunity.  She offered reasoning why it might be OK sign such a contract. Her thought was it really won’t go anywhere, it would be fun to be published in such a book project,  and she might get a little publicity out of it. It’s just one blog post being used — not worth very much.

I then explained that it was important not to sign such contracts.  Allowing someone else to reap the rewards of your work without compensation is unacceptable.  It is very rare that the “promotion” will offer new opportunities other than more free work.

The bottom line is that if a creative person’s copyright is not valuable, then why is everyone working so hard to get it? If her rights were worthless, the clause would not be in the contract.

Shirley was quick to agree and then remarked: It’s amazing the number of opportunities there are out there. Too bad no one wants to pay for them anymore.  She is right.

The digital age has lowered the barrier for entry for many professions. Today she will compete with local professionals, amateur bloggers and writers stationed across the globe from New York to Bombay. 

The competition seems overwhelming! What to do?

Many professionals have to face the technological global challenge on a daily basis.  It is not easy, but opportunities still abound.

First move away from the crowd.  Where there is great competition you will find your profession has turned into a commodity.  The lowest price wins in this losing game.

Develop a niche.  Because we live in a global world we are not limited by the county in which we reside. At one time, a good niche professional might only find a few clients within their neighborhood, but today hundreds of opportunities are available around the world.

Start now and practice, practice, practice.  It will never be the perfect time.  So be a Google – just start and make yourself a little better each day.

It is important to keep tabs on the competition.

In the old days, it was harder to know what was happening on the cutting edge until it was commonplace and old news.  But new, social and digital media have eliminated that disadvantage.  Today, old news is what happened three hours ago and what is happening now can be viewed via your favorite browser or RSS feed reader.

Don’t forget the basics. Although there are more people to compete with, they are still human and most of them don’t show up.  Make it easy to do business. Follow through and say thank you.

Go where there is less competition

You will find less competition at the top.  Even if you don’t feel you have earned it yet, I assure you hanging out with the commodity brokers will not build your career.   Learn from the best. Present yourself with confidence. Price yourself at the top of your profession and act like professionals act. Professionals understand their work has value. Professionals never deliver work or copy rights without fair compensation.

The world and the way business is conducted will continue to change. But remember, the only way to win the new game is not to play the old game. 

 Rosh

photo by Rosh Sillars

The most exciting part of being a media photographer is that you have the opportunity to meet great people and witness events first hand.

Unlike commercial photographers, whose work remains nameless, the photojournalist’s identity is revealed to the world through the photo credit. Most importantly, a photojournalist is given the awesome responsibility of recording the history of a community, perhaps the world, from his perspective. 

I spent about 20 years working for newspapers. I’ve photographed rock starts, professional athletes and presidents as well as the local heroes. I’ve seen death. I’ve captured birth and true love in front of my lens. But, just as important as all the history passing in front of me is the style in which I depict it. Each image needs to tell its own story.

Some people would say many of the great early photojournalists such as Robert Capa where not very good photographers. I’ve heard it said that what made them great was that they were there and they got the shot. That may be true, but today with cameras found in every device and in the hands of more people than ever, being there is generally not enough.

You must be able to capture the decisive moment. This is the point in time that reveals the peak moment of a story. This requires the ability to read the scene, use your gut, and prepare yourself for a once-in-a-lifetime event or opportunity.

Photojournalism is a style of photography. Many wedding photographers present themselves as using the photojournalistic style, but all they are really offering are candid images. Photojournalism is not about candid photography.

Good photojournalists, including true photojournalistic wedding photographers, have studied the style. They understand the difference.

Being a photojournalist is a never-ending quest to better tell the stories in front of you with the photographic tools you carry. It’s mastering the wide lens by layering subjects to better tell the story. It’s the ability to use a long lens, composing fast-moving subjects while considering the interest of the foreground and background. It’s always observing and thinking about better ways to use light.

Although photojournalists may have a look or style to their images, their portfolios will show a variety of images: overall shots that set the scene; medium photographs that help tell the story; and close-up images to add drama. A good portfolio is packed with shots of emotion jumping off the pages.

Photojournalists are generally not the highest paid photographers, but are generally the most well known. They build relationships with editors, reporters and the community around them.

Some of the best commercial photographers were once working photojournalists. The ability to create beautiful imagery out of chaos translates well into the world of  commercial photography.

Photojournalism is a lifestyle and a rewarding career. However, the opportunities for the photojournalist are changing. Print media is shifting to the Web.  More editors are depending on citizens and stock photography to supply imagery. But, the ability to be able to tell a story well will always be in demand.

The future of the traditional photojournalist is unknown. But, the need for good imagery is growing. The photojournalist needs to continue to understand his value, not give in to pessimism and harmful pressure. Photojournalists will decide their own fate.

Rosh

This week I talk about social media such as twitter, facebook, flickr and friendfeed.  I also offer a few thoughts about print and photography.  This podcast is a little rough. I almost re-recorded it, but what the heck.  Let it run, don’t be too critical.  

If you have topics to share, call the comment line 206 202 3568

Upgrade in online color print
management

I found this to be an important upgrade for printing images in the new
media photography world. Note this is a UK company.

The information below is taken directly from Theprintspace press release.

London, England (PRWEB) July 9, 2008 — theprintspace has extended
their groundbreaking ‘DIY’ photographic printing process to the web.
theprintspace.com will be the first online service to incorporate an easy
to use professional colour management process. The result – enabling
accurate soft proofing of images by clients on their own systems using
bespoke print profiles, meaning prints that are as accurate as possible -
first time! The process is explained in easy-to-follow video tutorials
filmed exclusively by theprintspace, making theprintspace.com the first
specialist professional photographic printing lab to utilise the web 2.0
spirit of innovation to its full potential.

Full Release

In this weeks podcast I talk about the blog posts coming up. I also refer
to Leanard Pitts column on the future of newspapers (The links will be in
Tuesdays post). I chat about my experience with the old media
newspaper industry compared to what Mr. Pitts writes about.

Rosh