stockthatdoesntsuck

JORDAN BOWER - WALKING TO MEXICO

2010-07-16T10:45:00.004-05:00

We are excited to support one of our photographers, Jordan Bower, who has decided to walk from Vancouver, British Columbia to Mexico. Jordan is one of those rare people who can connect with everyone. His photography is extraordinary because of this ability. People are immediately trusting of him and let their true selves come out in his portraits.
We would recommend that you go to his site and view the project - the link is provided here:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/904479314/walking-to-mexico-an-experiment-in-cross-cultural?pos=1
And if you are able please support him in his work. We can't wait to see the images he will come home with.
The staff at STD-S

TRUE BODIES / KLAUS KAMPERT

2009-12-01T17:48:00.004-05:00

THE OLIVER GORDON GALLERY
November 23 - December 15, 2009

OUR NEW AD CAMPAIGN

2009-09-08T11:41:00.001-05:00

MADC BUSH FIRE APPEAL

2009-06-18T11:23:00.002-05:00

16 STD-S Photographers donated 17 prints for Auction to the Melbourne Advertising Design Club Bush Fire Appeal. Please go to the link and read the valuable effort you have all made. Australia thanks you.
http://www.madcbushfireappeal.com/?page_id=2

CLOSED FOR JUNE / NEW ROOF

2009-06-04T15:37:00.002-05:00

THE MANDRAKE ROOT by RON BAXTER SMITH

2009-05-05T13:51:00.006-05:00

MAY 4, 2009 - MAY 28, 2009
The Mandrake Root has since biblical times held a mythical quality. Shakespeare wrote of the powers of these insane roots. Anthropomorphic in shape, they have the ability to poison those who eat them, delude those who find them and aid in fertility. They are said to scream when pulled from the earth. And should a dog find one, it will surely die before sunrise. While gardening, photographer Ron Baxter Smith, unearthed an entire colony of these little creatures. His black and white photographs are portraits of his new friends.

MELT: PORTRAIT OF AN ICEBERG / SIMON HARSENT

2009-05-05T10:03:00.005-05:00

INSTALLATION PHOTOGRAPHS BY SIMON HARSENT

GIJSBERT HANEKROOT IN TORONTO

2009-04-20T13:30:00.001-05:00

Simon Harsent Installation by Gijsbert Hanekroot

EXHIBITION IN SUPPORT OF THE AUSTRALIAN BUSH FIRES RELIEF

2009-04-08T14:37:00.001-05:00

Dear STD-S Photographer,
OGGI is a new Blog for the STD-S / Oliver Gordon Gallery.
We would like to begin by asking your support and direct you to our latest post.
http://olivergordongallery.blogspot.com/
We hope you will be able to assist in the exhibition and the support of our friends in Australia.

MANY ARE CALLED, FEW ARE CHOSEN

2009-04-08T12:45:00.007-05:00

A LETTER BY DJANKA GAJDEL
Copyright Versus Public Domain - Please See Link Below to CBC.ca/spark for Radio Interview

Here is a letter written in response to an interview with a gentleman who suggests that we might consider all created material become in the public domain.

As someone who has represented photographers for the past 25 years I think the idea of making everything public domain is fine in theory provided the creators of that material have been financially remunerated for all the potential uses that exist for that creation to appear in.
There is a perception that the public has that Photographers are some how raking in the dough and therefore their images should become public domain which is a huge misconception. The creators of editorial photographic art have not had their fees
change since after the Second World War. Protocol at that time was to commission an image and the first rights would go to the magazine for $400.00. Immediately following that it was the responsibility of the creator to generate any revenue to cover their overhead and costs. Fast forward 70 years and with the onset of technology the fees have remained the same and in some cases even lower which is anywhere from $250 - $500.00 per commission. Except this time there is a minimum embargo of 90-120 days that denies any further revenue from being generated. This is especially difficult when it's time sensitive material that you need to resell. Therefore, that income is naturally lost and the fees haven't risen in close to 70 years. Furthermore, the images are commissioned with the understanding that they are getting not only first rights for the magazines, however all the varied internet, marketing, reprint and web usages, as well as anything else they can extract from the artist.
Usages that in the late 70's and 80's commanded a few thousand dollars are now considered part and parcel of the $400.00 fee. The magazine profits off of the backs of the creators. It's a curious business model. Kind of like building a car and selling it for a profit however getting all the pieces for free. One page of ad space sells for thousands of dollars. Depending on the consumer magazine anywhere from five to thirty thousand dollars however the artwork that makes that magazine so desirable to advertise in is commissioned at only a few hundred dollars. Sure you can make the work of great living artists available to everyone to enjoy and learn from, this is the essence of a good thing, however you need to create a model where such contributions to cultural, spiritual and scientific evolution are enabled in a pragmatic sense. How do we ensure that they continue creating for the world and are allowed to enjoy the fruits of their creations? Right now currencies are those fruits. We have yet to establish a more enlightened economic model.
The contracts submitted to editorial photographers these days routinely have the word "Universe" in them to cover satellite as well as words like "technology that is not yet known or yet to be developed." All this for $400.00, there is a deal! This current group of image-makers has an incredible talent. They are archivists, historians, storytellers and skilled artists. Are we supposed to take even more from them? Any remuneration they would receive through their fees sadly doesn't even begin to cover their operating costs of which there are many from their capital expenditures like camera gear and studio to their insurance costs to cover a cornucopia of variables. Their expenses for such hard costs are not recognized. Furthermore, more often than not they cannot produce an image without the assistance of the make-up artists, stylists, assistants, set builders, caters and a host of others that they employ. No one can do that for $400.00. However if you're going to take what they make into the public domain you are taking more then you know.
A pen or a camera is nothing more then an enabler. In the same way that one might write a grocery list with a pencil another individual might craft a Rembrandt. With photography there are those that can document a sunset and those that can document that magical miniscule moment where they know their shutter must fall to make it truly an image that is worth a thousand words. Europeans understand intimately about celebrating and rewarding those that truly contribute to culture and North Americans know how to deny them of their livelihood. No profession that I know of has as many restrictions or ridiculous requests or even as many hurdles in place in order to generate a living, as does the profession of photography. I have witnessed several skilled artists declare bankruptcy and lose families because they couldn't generate the revenue to support them. These are talented people who are continually sold on the concept that in order to work they have to give more and more of their rights away until they have nothing left to give away. Others profited on what should have been theirs. Struggle seems to be intrinsic for those that have pledged an allegiance to this medium. I believe that photographers are dully entitled to generate a living. Furthermore they employ many people who contribute handsomely to the tax base.
As a 25-year member of CAPIC (Canadian Association of Photographers and Illustrators in Communication) and a member of ASMP (The American Society of Media Photographers), I would like to see fair and proper remuneration for all the incredible creators that exist; regardless of what medium they have chosen. Fortunately PLUS (Picture Licensing Universal System) is moving through the world and is the genesis of an American photographer who had had enough and didn't want to take it anymore. You cannot compare sites like Flicker where banal images are posted for free to Stock that Doesn't Suck where there are provocative, informative and breath taking images created by some of the worlds foremost visionaries and sold for commercial use to convey powerful messages and to stir conversation amongst the masses. At this time in our civilization this is the most powerful way of communicating - through compelling visuals. Why then shouldn't these creators generate an income off of what is their livelihood?
It is fundamentally clear what the difference is between a professional and an amateur photographer. In this time of economic turmoil I'm optimistic to believe that there is nothing left to take and in fact it is time that the pendulum swings in another direction where we as a community and a society begin to recognize those that have given so unselfishly of themselves to document for us historically what is transpiring in today's society. It will not be Flicker that are children's children will be reflecting on to catch a glimpse of who we were in history, it is the master photographers that have struggled financially to tell their tale whose images will supply them with their story. For those that believe the photographer was paid once and need not generate revenue I ask them to wear the shoes of a photographer and all encompassing aspects of it and after exercising that, then pose to them the question of surrendering their work to the Public Domain. I think they would best understand the great inequity that exists and why copyright is so fundamentally important in this area.
Photography is a mistress that calls so many and chooses so few. For those that are chosen, their work demands to be properly remunerated otherwise why bother inventing.

Djanka Gajdel
Photographic Representative
Who's Who of Canadian Women - Art & Commerce

Episode 73 - April 8 & 11, 2009

2009-04-08T12:45:00.001-05:00

Episode 73 - April 8 & 11, 2009

Posted using ShareThis

MELT: PORTRAIT OF AN ICEBERG

2009-03-30T13:48:00.005-05:00

PHOTOGRAPHS BY SIMON HARSENT
April 3, 2009 - April 24, 2009

“MELT: PORTRAIT OF AN ICEBERG”, PHOTOGRAPHS BY THE AWARD-WINNING NEW YORK PHOTOGRAPHER, SIMON HARSENT, IS AN EXHIBITION WHICH DOCUMENTS THE FINAL JOURNEY OF MASSIVE ICEBERGS FROM GREENLAND’S DISCO BAY, IN THE ILULISSAT ICE FJORD, TO THE WATERS OFF THE EAST COAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND. BY THE TIME THEY HAVE TRAVELED HUNDREDS OF MILES, THEY HAVE BEEN SO BATTERED AND BROKEN THAT THEY ARE LITTLE MORE THAN GHOSTS OF WHAT THEY ONCE WERE. AT FIRST SIGHT, THEY ARE OVERPOWERING IN GRANDEUR, BUT AS THEY MELT, THEY DISSOLVE BACK INTO THE SEA. BOTH BEAUTIFUL AND HUMBLING, IT IS A METAMORPHOSIS WITH A LIFE-SPAN, WITH THEIR OWN STORY AND PERSONALITY. THIS PROJECT WAS A PERSONAL JOURNEY FOR HARSENT. A METAPHOR OF LIFE WITH ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS. JUST AS THE DECISIONS WE MAKE DETERMINE OUR JOURNEY, THESE CHOICES NOT ONLY DEFINE WHO WE ARE, BUT WHAT WILL BECOME OF OUR FRAGILE PLANET.

WHAT'S NEW? 04.2009

2009-03-30T13:46:00.001-05:00

ONE SHOT - MAX HIRSHFELD

2009-02-25T12:12:00.009-05:00

March 6 - March 27, 2009

WHAT'S NEW? 02.2009

2009-02-25T10:23:00.002-05:00

RAZE / RAISE - DAVID FIELD

2009-02-12T12:52:00.008-05:00

FEBRUARY 5 - FEBRUARY 27, 2009

RAZE / RAISE - DAVID FIELD

2009-01-22T14:08:00.004-05:00

PRESS RELEASE
The deteriorated remains of an era of irresponsible leadership, greed, and negligence set the stage for New York photographer David Field’s latest series, Raze/Raise. Field has created a post-apocalyptic landscape indicative of the economic and moral collapse he feels has happened in America. With faded political posters, David speaks of an American ideal to be razed, and then raised again. Also shown is an excerpt from David’s surreal Pleasures of the Flesh series and other new works. Collectively, this exhibition promotes the tearing down of a failing system, and the rebuilding of a better one.

The exhibition runs from February 5th-27th, 2009. Gallery hours: Monday-Friday 10am-5pm, or by appointment.

5 OF THE 200 BEST AD PHOTOGRAPHERS WORLDWIDE

2009-01-21T15:50:00.002-05:00

CUBA - EXPIRED / WERNER PAWLOK

2009-01-07T15:03:00.006-05:00

PRESS RELEASE
Award-winning, German-based photographer Werner Pawlok’s portrayal of the seemingly forgotten beauty of Cuba is romantic and vivid. Capturing grandiose, yet perfectly understated and sometimes neglected spaces, Pawlok reveals the magic of light in these fascinating locations.

Cuba - Expired / January 8th - January 30th, 2009.

CUBA - EXPIRED / WERNER PAWLOK

2009-01-02T15:04:00.008-05:00

January 8 - January 30, 2009

THE BIG PICTURE 2

2009-01-02T15:00:00.009-05:00

2008-12-05T14:22:00.002-05:00

THE BIG PICTURE

2008-12-05T14:09:00.007-05:00

Our Next Ad in Our Campaign

2008-11-12T09:21:00.002-05:00

"THE BIG PICTURE" Opening Nov.6th,2008 6:00-8:00 p.m.

2008-10-27T13:19:00.003-05:00

NEXT STD-S AD

2008-10-27T13:17:00.002-05:00

OLIVER GORDON GALLERY

2008-10-22T13:19:00.003-05:00

PRESS RELEASE

THE BIG PICTURE IS THE INAUGURAL EXHIBITION FOR THE OLIVER GORDON GALLERY.
WITH THIS EXHIBITION, THE OLIVER GORDON GALLERY PRESENTS THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE ARTISTS REPRESENTED AT THE STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY WEBSITE, STOCKTHATDOESNTSUCK.COM. OUR PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD. FROM NEW YORK, TORONTO, STUTTGART, MUNICH, LOS ANGELES, WASHINGTON, COPENHAGEN, CALGARY, STOCKHOLM, FLAGSTAFF, PARIS, HELSINKI, HALIFAX, MILAN, CHICAGO, BRUSSELS, SAVANNAH AND VARIOUS PARTS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM, ALL THESE ARTISTS HAVE BROUGHT A CREATIVE DIVERSITY OF CONTENT, STYLE AND TECHNIQUE TO OUR COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS. THEY HAVE OPENED THEIR ARCHIVES AND PRESENTED THAT WHICH INSPIRES THEM.
THESE PHOTOGRAPHS ELOQUENTLY BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY AND FINE ART. ALL IMAGES WERE INITIALLY MADE TO SHOWCASE A PHOTOGRAPHER’S OWN TALENT BUT WITHIN EACH IMAGE IS THE INTENT OF MAKING A GREAT PHOTOGRAPH. THE SAME INTENT IS THE MOTIVE FOR CREATING ART. WHICH IS WHY THE LINES BETWEEN ART AND COMMERCE HAVE BECOME SO BLURRED.
THIS OPENING EXHIBITION IS A COLLECTION OF BOTH PORTRAITS AND LANDSCAPES. THESE PHOTOGRAPHS HOLD MESSAGES THAT EMBRACE THE HUMAN SPIRIT. THEY SEE THE ORDER IN MODERN CHAOS AND FIND PEACE IN THE SIMPLICITY OF NATURE.
THE BIG PICTURE ALLOWS US TO SHOWCASE AND PRESENT FOR PURCHASE, PHOTOGRAPHY FOR PRIVATE AND CORPORATE COLLECTIONS THAT WOULD NORMALLY NOT COME TO MARKET.

OPENING: THURSDAY NOVEMBER 6th, 2008 AT 6:00 - 8:00 PM.

LOCATION: 80 SPADINA AVENUE, SUITE 501, IN TORONTO, ON, CANADA M5V 2J4

What's New?

2008-10-21T20:38:00.003-05:00

STD-S Ad Campaign!

2008-10-10T13:42:00.004-05:00

CREATIVITY March 2007

2007-03-16T13:28:00.000-05:00

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

2007-03-16T12:40:00.000-05:00

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

About The Image Article

2007-02-11T11:39:00.000-05:00

Hallelujah!

2006-12-15T13:49:00.000-05:00

Finally a stock site that has the pure intention of art dare I say executed by professionals. How novel.

At a time when technology has become so available to so many who all consider themselves professional photographers, we finally have a site that draws the line in the sand.

Photography is an elusive seductress who may call many but chooses so few. Those she chooses are the ones whom she has asked to document our history and culture at this time. She demands of them their integrity, their skill, their art, their interpretation, their vision as well as all their technical expertise both analogue and digital so that the creative palate can be exponential on which to draw from.

She calls upon those that have dedicated an allegiance and a life to her to know that it is truly a journey in search of capturing what is true to the artist. There is no point of arrival and there is no room for ego. There is only a calling and a conviction. Most importantly it is about the intention which they bring on that journey and how soulful they dare themselves to be during that quest.

Accolades to Ron for navigating through the mediocrity and enrolling the award winning roster of worldwide photographers whose work appears in the most respected visual journals in the world and allowing them a forum where they can just be and express in their most authentic and artistic way their intentions on life at this time, in this moment.

Djanka Gajdel
Photographic Representative

Max Hirshfeld - Comment

2006-12-13T12:53:00.001-05:00

Just got the ad annual of CA...way to go! I'm proud to be part of something with such style and good will. Here's to thousands of hits (and a few sales? ) Best of luck to the group.

For The Collective Good by Fred Licht

2006-12-08T13:01:00.000-05:00

INTRODUCTION

I helped to found SAA (Stock Artists Alliance) about five years ago. I am not and never have been a stock shooter. That said, I recognized the harm that the stock industry was doing to the photographic profession and wanted to learn more about it and, to some degree, become active in assessing the problem and finding a way to limit the damage. I became a member of SAA's first board and I have been an official and unoffical advisor since then.

The stock industry is in complete turmoil, primarily, but not solely, the result of the business dealings of Getty Images. As a result, the product and service that professional photographers offer has been negatively impacted both in terms of it's perceived value as well as it's economic potential. The situation has become so fluid that, recently, Getty Images announced that they are seeking the work of rank amateurs as contributors and microstock sales rates can be as low as one dollar per licensed usage.

This situation is also to be blamed on the end user as well. Even the more sophisticated end user, which would include graphic designers, art producers/buyers and art directors, have chosen to use generic, modular image solutions as an easy way out. In some cases, an agency or design firm may choose to use cheap stock and bill their client for a higher end product.

The end result of this progression has been a lowering of the bar in terms of quality and a reduction of price point in terms of sales.

I remain in touch with the SAA forum and will keep STDS contributors abreast of any major developments that are of importance to all of us.

Ron has asked me to quote from a reply that I shared with him that I recently posted on the SAA Forum:

RESPONSE

You cannot be all things to all of your potential customers. I have no intention of diluting my message and deluding myself by thinking that the images that I create will work for everyone. I am especially not interested in creating crap simply because someone might want it. I would rather create something that I can be proud of and, hopefully, it will find it's own audience.

Mike S. wrote in an earlier post the notion of attempting to create "cutting edge, perfectly relevant, timeless images" as a way of reinventing RM. I think that "cutting edge" and "timeless" are mutually exclusive notions and "perfectly relevant" is impossible because no generic solution (generic by definition as is the case with any image made specifically for stock usage) can be perfectly relevant all of the time. There seems to be this notion that one can
proceed without risk simply by taking information from focus group research and placing all of your eggs in that basket. When you ask someone what they want they will always give you an answer just to shut you up. But what they really want is the thing that you show them that they haven't seen before (or so it seems in the moment).

Someone is paying for your vision, not your technical prowess. Digital technology is just another invention - albeit, a powerful one - that will eventually be overtaken by something else. Digital cameras may allow a rank amateur the opportunity to create an image that is well exposed and in focus most of the time, but none of this makes the image worth looking at. At least snapshots had the soul of someone wanting to innocently reveal the innermost secrets of their family, friends and personal adventures. Amateurs copying artists will eventually lead the serious amateur towards the revelation that they have a long way to go before they achieve what they are looking for.

If Getty really feels that they can use the droppings from digital cameras as a way to fill their image library then they are even more stupid then I give them credit for.

Fred Licht

David Field - Comment

2006-11-17T00:36:00.000-05:00

Thank you so much for the immediate response / action on your part. This seems very interesting. I also really like that you bring a "family" sort of climate to the bunch of us. We should all keep track of each other, and make an effort to learn what works and what doesn't.

Welcome Photographers

2006-11-16T10:30:00.000-05:00

Hello Everybody,
Welcome to the stockthatdoesntsuck blog. We thought it might be a good idea to create a venue for us to post ideas and share our thoughts. A place for us to discuss how to communicate, exhibit and become a stronger community of artists. An opportunity for us to share amongst ourselves information that will make our careers stronger. We welcome your ideas.
Best regards,
April and Ron