CREATIVITY March 2007

Applied Arts Magazine: March/April 2007 Volume 22, Number 2

THE STOCK REPORT / UPSETTING THE BUFFALO
According to respected commercial photographer Ron Baxter Smith, the overall quality of stock is being eroded by the proliferation of micro-payment sites fueled by"amateurs with cellphones."So, with a group of like minded investors, the Toronto shooter is launching stockthatdoesntsuck.com, a Website (currently under development) designed for successful commercial photographers who want to unlock the potential of their large archives to clients searching for stock of outstanding technical and artistic excellence. With offices in North America and Europe, stockthatdoesntsuck is looking to represent 50 global photographers who are of the right caliber, allowing them"the freedom to upload images that they feel are worthy and fit with the principles of our site." says Baxter Smith "We want the site to live in that grey area between art and commerce" Among the photographers represented so far are George Simhoni, Chris Gordaneer, Eden Robbins, Cheryl Koralik, Simon Harsent and Edward Gajdel.
So, why is "Upsetting the Buffalo" an appropriate, if obscure title for the first stock industry column? It's taken from the film, Ed Wood, starring Johnny Depp as the eponymous low-, low-, low-, budget director who in one sense, is enthralled by the cinematic potential of stock shots of A Bomb explosions and stampeding buffalo. Manic creativity ablaze, Wood says,"Why if I had half a chance, I could make an entire movie on these mysterious explosions. Nobody knows what's causing them, but it's upsetting the buffalo."
Here's hoping that these latest offerings on the stock market can fire up your creativity and help you upset some buffalo, too.
By Benita Aalto