I feel an unusual sense of having "arrived," as it were, as yesterday I attended a digital photography seminar at Getty Images. We make jokes about having been assimilated by the Borg, and on a corporate level something of the sort has occurred. But, like the Borg, it is not the worst that thing that can happen. In fact, I think the merger of Photonica and Getty is only going to be a positive for us photographers. If Getty has gotten anything right, it is an internet platform that works. If Photonica ever did something seriously the wrong way, it was their internet platform and sales.
My goal was to glean what I could of the culture and demands of my new corporate mommy. Their file requirements are actually lower than Photonica: 48mb vs. 100mb. (The contract is also friendlier too, but I can’t disclose anything about that). Even though there are many cameras that can attain that size of tif file (including my 20D), there are only three digital cameras that meet the Getty requirements. My new Mark II is one of them, which was a major reason for the purchase.
There are a host of "Getty Approved" procedures for me to learn and acquire. Some of them are available on the website (to Getty shooters) as Photoshop actions, like a "One Button Wonder" that will resize, sharpen and set levels, all to Getty standard.
The details of just how much of Photonica Getty Images will digest is allegedly undecided. Like where the creative team will be located (oh, wouldn’t I love a local editor!). One decision that has, apparently, been made, is that the entire web presence of Photonica will be imported intact. This is very good news for me. I have nearly 800 images on the Photonica site.
Howdy - I just wanted to say that I'm enjoying your blog, and finding it really interesting. I manage one of Getty's "Image Partners," and it's really interesting to hear about how things work for photographers dealing with them directly. Congrats on the Mark II purchase, by the way - a fantastic camera.
I'm sure the Photonica "assimilation" will be smooth, and that you'll be overwhelmed by the higher paychecks over the next few months.
Posted by: Anon Stock Industry Dude | June 23, 2005 at 12:51 AM