Travel Photographers Enlist Copytrack to Fight Image Theft

By Jonathan Appleby
Copytrack.com 2018

Lance and Laura Longwell made it their life mission to travel. Despite both working 9 to 5s they found time to explore the world and in doing so set up TravelAddicts.net, an amazing site full of their adventures and stunning images from all corners of the globe.

However, they soon had issues with image theft as their images were being used without permission. The Travel Addicts turned to Copytrack, the online compensation recovery portal, for help.

Travel Addicts Lance and Laura Longwell
Lance and Laura Longwell of Travel Addicts (www.traveladdicts.net)

Now the couple incorporate the Copytrack service into their day-to-day business lives.  In less than a year’s time Copytrack has settled over 50 copyright disputes for the on-the-go duo!

But that’s just the beginning, the travellers are still in the process of resolving more claims with Copytrack. Here’s what Laura had to say to Copytrack about their life, their work, and their experience with Copytrack.

Tell us a bit about the website.

Travel Addicts was born in January 2008. Initially, it was like a lot of early blogs and was essentially a journal in which we updated friends and family on our travels.

Somewhere along the way, we realized thousands of people were reading it. Since then, our focus has been on showing working professionals how to maximize their vacation time. While Europeans are used to long holidays, most North Americans get about 10-15 days of vacation per year, so it’s important to make the most of it. Now we have readers from all over the world who take advantage of the destination information and travel advice we offer.

Photo of a blue dome in Santorini, Greece by Lance Longwell and Laura Longwell for their blog Travel Addicts (www.traveladdicts.net)

A few years ago, I decided to turn our hobby into a business. The decision was actually prompted by our photography. We were contacted by a major European capital city that wanted to use one of my photos as the focus of their tourism campaign. We ended up licensing the photo, and it changed the way we thought our website and our photography.

What place is a favorite from all the places you’ve visited?

This is the most common question we get, and it’s one that we really struggle with because we love every place we go for different reasons. We have a favorite city (Rome) that we both agree on. However, we split on our favorite travel experience.

I would say the South of France, while Lance’s favourite was our trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. Yet, there are some countries that we visit over and over again because there is so much to see and do: Mexico, Germany, Ireland, and Slovakia.

Photo of Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland by Lance and Laura Longwell of Travel Addicts.

What tips would you give to anyone getting into travel photography?

Think beyond the obvious. There are 10 million photos taken of the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero every single day. We all know that shot. There are other photos waiting to be captured. Seek out the unusual and the untold. Try to tell a story.

In our photography, we seek a balance. We need shots that both create a sense of place as well as images that tell a story. For the story, we are always thinking about the caption.

Photo of canal cruise in Bruges, Belgium by Laura Longwell of the Travel Addicts blog (www.traveladdicts.net)

What would be the caption on this shot?

Practice, practice, practice. Nobody becomes an incredible photographer overnight. It involves lots of practice and experimentation. Get your camera out of auto focus and try to experiment.

When did you first notice your images being used without your permission?

It was probably about a year and a half ago that several things happened within a few weeks of each other. First, we noticed that a handful of our photos were being offered up by Google as featured images in search results. Second, a good friend of ours had one of her images taken by a business and turned into billboards. Third, we stumbled on a tour company that was using one of our photos to promote their tours in Africa. Those three things drove our decision to look for a solution that could protect our work.

How did you hear about Copytrack?

We heard about Copytrack from a fellow travel photographer. We didn’t sign up right away and spent a few weeks researching the company and their process for intellectual property protection. Ultimately, I decided that this was the right solution for me.

How do you find using Copytrack?

I appreciate the updates from the Copytrack team on the status of outstanding claims. I’ve been very pleased with the success rate to date of my legal claims and the speed of payment for recovered funds. The portal is quite straightforward and easy to use. And I particularly like the image overlay tool.

And what have the results been like?

I have been very pleased with the results. Copytrack has provided me with sophisticated software to monitor the Internet for illegal image piracy as well as a defined process for legally enforcing our copyrights. Working with Copytrack has become an important step in my business activities.

Learn more about Lance and Laura and their work at Travel Addicts, as well as on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

About Copytrack

Copytrack was founded in 2015 by Marcus Schmitt and currently employs around 25 people from legal, IT, customer service and finance. The service helps photographers, publishers, image agencies and e-commerce providers detect and resolve illegal use of their images on the Internet. Copytrack assists with the image search, and the legal process to help ensure photographers receive money whenever their images are used online.

Copytrack is fully responsible for an out-of-court solution in over 140 countries as well as a legal solution in the areas relevant to copyright law. If the image has been successfully licensed, the rights holder receives up to 70 percent of the agreed sum. The pure search function is free of charge.

Guide Advises Photographers How to License Their Images for Social Media

To help photographers get fair compensation for photos used across social media platforms, PhotoShelter has released an educational guide, Licensing Your Photos For Social Media. The free guide was produced in partnership with the portrait photography community, Pursuit of Portraits.

cover of PhotoShelter guide on licensing social media

The guide can be downloaded free here: http://bit.ly/2ysZG3A

In the guide, you’ll get a firsthand look at the ever-evolving business side of social media, with insights from influential photographers, photographer representatives, design agencies and brands.

“Photos are the cornerstone of social media success and photographers must be nimble, understand the opportunity each platform provides, and know how to push for the fees they deserve,” says PhotoShelter CEO Andrew Fingerman. “This guide is meant to get photographers thinking about just that.”

The guide includes
– Examples of how creative influencers are leveraging large followings to make money
– Contract-negotiation tips from a photographer representative
– Social media-specific licensing language to consider including in contracts
– Insights into what design agencies and brands look for when hiring photographers for social media content

Comments throughout the guide make it clear that photographers must continue to adapt to the ever-evolving social-media landscape. Social-media platforms are continuing to develop features for monetization and photographers can offer but ancillary services in addition to photography.

Licensing Your Photos For Social Media is the latest in PhotoShelter’s ongoing series of free business guides for photographers and marketing professionals. PhotoShelter’s e-book library includes more than 60 educational guides on topics such as photo contests, email marketing, publishing photo books, and mapping out a photo business plan.

The PhotoShelter platform gives professional photographers an easy way to store images, create beautiful websites, deliver work, and sell or license photos.

Pursuit of Portraits is a global creative community that unites portrait photographers and enthusiasts of all skill levels and backgrounds, facilitates collaboration, and fosters supportive relationships within this creative community.

Brand Storytelling Agency Opens Creative Studio for Visuals

Pace, a large, independently owned brand storytelling agency, has opened a 2,900 sq. ft. studio space for video, photography, editing, collaboration, and creative innovation. Adjacent to the agency’s office in Greensboro, North Carolina, the studio space is called “The Outskirts.”

The expansive, airy studio is an inspiring environment for all types of teams to collaborate and create compelling work for the national and global brands Pace serves. The studio includes:

–Ideation and innovation labs to explore virtual and augmented reality, 360-degree video, and multi-dimensional animation
–a client collaboration lounge and social bar
–Edit bays and stop-motion and retouching labs
–a 25-foot cyclorama (cyc) wall for photo and video shoots

With the new studio, Pace is prepared to meet the growing demand for new forms of digital media.  In addition to custom photography services, Pace can support live-stream interviews and presentations, cinemagraphs and loop videos, broadcast-quality video finishing and editing, stop-motion videos, 360-degree video capture and editing, set design, newsroom editing and publishing, social content, and more.

“The Outskirts is a resource for any and all clients,” said Jason Whiting, president of Pace. “Pace can develop visual storytelling with amazing quality that delivers on a diverse set of creative needs, channels, and price points across digital, broadcast, social media, and events.”

Visual storytelling is becoming an increasingly important element of brand communications. According to a 2017 study published by Google, one in three adults between the ages of 18 and 54 view video from mobile devices and that number is growing. AdWeek reported that 47 percent of brands publish four branded videos each month.

According to Pace executives , the name The Outskirts is an “invitation for thinkers and dreamers to mine great ideas from the furthest reaches of their imagination.”

“Creative ideas are born and nurtured in space like this,” said Cinnamon Pritchard, VP Executive Creative Director.”The Outskirts is going to be a garden for great ideas —to shape them, grow them, and send them out into the world.”

The Pace creative agency develops integrated experiences for a diverse client base that includes some of the world’s most iconic brands. It has more than 370 employees and offices in: Dallas and San Antonio, Texas; Greensboro, North Carolina; New York City; and Bentonville, Arkansas.

Kodak Launches On-Demand Photography Service for Global Businesses

Kodak’s new KODAKIT on-demand photography service can help professional photographers in major cities gain access to a steady flow of assignments from global brands who promote services related to travel, food, and real estate. The KODAKIT service provides a central hub through which global brands can find and hire qualified photographers to provide high-quality digital images.

“Companies understand the power and benefits of high-quality photography. Consistent, high-quality images are vitally important for brands, especially when selling products and services online. Yet this has been a time-consuming challenge for companies to manage, especially across borders of currency and language.” explains Eric-Yves Mahe, chief executive officer of KODAKIT. “Similarly, for photographers, global brands generate a lot of work. But it’s hard for individual photographers to connect with them.”

KODAKIT solves pain points for both photographers and companies by managing all of the end-to-end operations and logistics.

For photographers, KODAKIT eliminates a lot of the nitty-gritty of marketing, booking, pricing, scheduling, invoicing, and payment processing.

Companies only need to indicate when, where, and how they want to a photo shoot to be conducted. KODAKIT handles all of the other aspects of the process and delivers the images in a dedicated private cloud.

Quality Photography Delivers Results

According to research from MDG Advertising, companies with compelling, professional photography see their businesses soar. In the travel market, businesses using quality photography see a 46 percent increase in conversion rates. In real estate, properties with quality photos see a 47 percent higher asking price per square foot and stay on the market an average of 10 days less than those without quality photos.

Photography is a $30 billion business globally, but has remained a hyperlocal business. KODAKIT makes it easy for businesses to acquire consistent, high-quality imagery in many markets. Photographers can gain assignments that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to.

“KODAKIT has boiled down a complicated process into a user-friendly platform that addresses a huge and growing need in the market,” said Jeff Clarke, chief executive officer of Kodak. “Kodak founder George Eastman once said, ‘You press the button, we do the rest.’ For photographers and companies, KODAKIT operates on this same principle.”

KODAKIT is now live in 92 metropolitan areas in 37 countries. In the U.S., KODAKIT is live in New York, San Francisco, Miami, Chicago, Portland, Seattle, Las Vegas, Washington, DC, Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Diego, Minneapolis, Boston, Philadelphia, Charlotte, and Atlanta. In Canada, KODAKIT is live in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal.

Drone Photography Survey Shows Interest is Rising Among Pros

A “PPA-DronePhotoDrone Use Survey” conducted by Professional Photographers of America shows that interest in drone photography is rising.  In a recent survey of more than 1,000 professional photographers, nearly one-third of the respondents who aren’t currently using drones said they are “very likely” to include drone images as part of their product offerings in the next two to five years.

Other findings from the survey revealed:

Drones are being used most frequently in these four specialty areas: real estate (25.3 percent); commercial (19.1 percent), wedding (11.8 percent) and nature (11.4. percent).

Forty percent of respondents who currently aren’t using drones have had customers inquire about using them as part of their paid assignments.

The results from the PPA survey parallels data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that projects that sales of drones (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) will grow from 2.5 million in 2016 to 7 million in 2020.  The FAA also projects that the sale of drones from commercial use will double from 600,000 this year to 2.7 million in 2020.

PPA Resources

At PPA’s annual Imaging USA conference from January 8-10 in San Antonio, TX, PPA will share additional findings the from their organization’s survey. The conference will also include a first-of-its kind drone photography exhibit and live photography drone demonstrations.

“We pride ourselves in helping our members stay ahead of the latest and greatest technology resources available to professional photographers,” said PPA CEO David Trust. “As our survey and new FAA data revealed, drone usage and regulations are growing and changing. Our goal is to educate photographers so they can make informed decisions about when and if to add drone photography into their service offerings.”

Adding drone photography to a photography business involves more than the cost of the drone itself. For example, operators must comply with evolving FAA guidelines, pass TSA background checks, and take a UAS operator test. PPA publishes information about news related to drone regulations on their website.

Find Info about Drone Photography at Adorama Drone Experience

Drone photography and videography are being used in dozens of fields, including commercial and residential real-estate photography, insurance assessments, land use surveys, event photography, marketing, and construction-site monitoring. Creative niche applications are being explored every day.

The Adorama Drone Experience is a digital hub of inspiration and information for photographers and videographers who want to take their drone photography to the next level. The website includes jaw-dropping aerial content, gear guides, tips and techniques from experts, and the latest on flight rules and regulations. The content was developed by Adorama, one of the world’s largest photography, video, audio, imaging and electronics retailers.

DronesTakeOff

“Drone photography and videography is a rapidly evolving trend that isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon,” states Lev Peker, chief marketing officer, Adorama. “Unlike other aspects of digital imaging, there are far more complications, rules and know-how to safely and successfully use drone gear.”

For four decades, Adorama has been a leading authority in the field of digital imaging, Peker adds: “We are deeply rooted in the community and have extensive partnerships with artists and manufacturers.”

The Adorama Drone Experience is an immersive environment designed to make you feel as if you are seeing the world through the eyes of the drone. In addition to stunning footage, the hub offers drone gear buying guides for all levels, product reviews, videos, and tutorials to help you successfully navigate each stage of evaluating, purchasing and using drones.

Drone Photography Experts Share Insights

One Adorama Drone Experience contributor is Nils Granholm who has worked with remotely piloted vehicles since 1986. Granhom’s diverse aerial imaging work includes Hollywood productions, commercial entities like Volkswagen, and agencies such as the US Department of Homeland Security.

Drone photography enthusiasts can get a taste of what to expect from Nils on AdoramaTV and the Adorama Learning Center by reading his latest article on new drone purchases  and video on drones, “FAA and You.”

Designer, educator and photographer Dirk Dallas, who has taken the aerial photography and cinematography world by storm, will also be among the A-list contributors to the Adorama Drone Experience.

“After making images for 10 years at eye level, I needed a new challenge,” says Dallas. “Capturing photos and video from the air with a drone has fulfilled that need because it allows me to see the world in a completely unique way.”

A fan favorite from Adorama’s “Through The Lens” series, Dirk’s knowledge and creativity can be seen in recent AdoramaTV videos and Adorama Learning Center articles.

Photographer Creates Single-Image Art Photography Wallcoverings

In late 2014, celebrity photographer and designer Don Flood launched his first collection of FLIEPAPER art photography wallcoverings produced by Astek Wallcoverings. He followed that with the Palm Springs collection earlier this year.

Graphic and sophisticated, each FLIEPAPER art photography wallcovering is symphony of color, texture, and design with an emphasis on scale. Designs range from immense florals and bold textures to quirky, unexpected found objects. FLIEPAPER designs are digitally printed using an eco-friendly process and can be customized in color and design.

FLIEPAPER by Don Flood (www.fliepaper.com)
FLIEPAPER by Don Flood (www.fliepaper.com)

Flood’s FLIEPAPER designs have appeared in environments as varied as a high-end café in Santa Monica to a private elevator in a Redondo Beach luxury home.

Quartz art wallcovering
FLIEPAPER by Don Flood (www.fliepaper.com)

At the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in May, Flood introduced his newest line of art photography wallcoverings called BIGS. Images in the BIGS collection include amethysts, minerals, crystals, sea coral, abalone, roses, sunflowers and butterflies.

FLIEPAPER art wallcovering
Crystal is part of the new BIGS collection of FLIEPAPER (www.fliepaper.com)

Inspired by the single-image wallcoverings of 1960s and 1970s interiors, Flood devised a proprietary process for shooting each subject in ultra-high-resolution and at very close range. He then had the images printed on a variety of new digitally printable wallcovering materials, including mylar. The results lend themselves to nearly any interior application from residential living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms to commercial environments such as restaurants, office lobbies, and hotel public areas.

art wallcovering
This close-up photo of coral is part of the BIGS collection of FLIEPAPER. (www.fliepaper.com)

“We are very excited by what Don has created in BIGS,” said Aaron Kirsch, founder and CEO of Astek. “FLIEPAPER has proven popular with retail customers, interior designers, art directors and architects. It combines highly artistic, high-resolution images of beautiful things combined with the practical applications allowed by the material itself. We love partnering with Don, and we think BIGS will prove highly successful with both the residential and commercial marketplace.”

“When single image installations were in vogue some decades ago, the subject matter was usually a sunset or treescape, and the resolution was incredibly low,” notes Flood. “Inspired by an interiors shot I came across from the late ‘60s, I began to experiment with various images at extremely high resolution. Given the printing technology and materials available to us today, BIGS became a reality very quickly. I am excited to show how beautifully a high-resolution, single-image wallcovering transforms a space.”

art wallcovering of butterfly wing
This extreme close-up of a butterfly wing can be produced as an art wallcovering through FLIEPAPER (www.fliepaper.com)