On Assignment - Oman

I haven't been posting for a bit because I was in Prince Edward Island taking a break. I just wanted to say that I am back in the game, at least I will be when I return from this trip in Oman. I am on assignment for National Geographic Traveler and will be back in the Netherlands on the 8th. Till then.....

Desert Bound

When I tell friends that I am headed to Las Vegas, the question 'why' glazes over their eyes. It seems that I am perhaps not suited for the city, but, luckily all is righted when I explain that it is just an point of access to Death Valley and SouthWestern Utah.

I am really excited about spending some time shooting the South Western landscape and relaxing with my family who is meeting me in that wonderful corner of the world. I will be out of communication for a couple of weeks, but stay tuned for images of the SouthWestern landscape.

Winter Photography in the Netherlands

A freeze has bit the Netherlands over the last few weeks. It has become a great time to curl up with a book or a friend and sip hot chocolate, or a great time to take you kid out for a sleigh ride along the canals.

All across the country the skates are being dusted off and the flying dutch are back. It doesn't matter if you are Canadian, Dutch, Australian, or a global citizen, we can all rejoice in the cold.

Photoshelter - Pro Stock

You might notice a new little widget to the right of this page. I have recently joined the Pro Stock collection of Photoshelter. Photoshelter is a service that promotes the policy of 'fair trade photography'. Let me explain a little, the last few years has seen a boom in the sales of Royalty Free imagery and microstock agencies. It is no secret that this policy has benefited very few professional photographers and sites like iStock Photo which sell images for pittance turn around and give photographers a pittance of that pittance. The big boys in the stock industry, (Corbis and Getty) have welcomed the huge increase of amateur photographers that are willing to sell their images for nothing, and in the process have effectively cut the bottom out of the stock market and making it much harder to make any money on stock.

It is nothing new that our industry is changing and many of us, including myself, welcome that change. We must adapt and diversify but the microstock and Royalty Free has certainly brought the quality of our work down. A photographer that I respect greatly, Vincent Laforet, has more to say on the state of our industry here.

So we get things like Photoshelter and Digital Railroad. Both which offer photographers the option to set their prices and receive respectful amount of the final sale price (70% and 80%) respectively. It is my hope that more and more art buyers that are searching for stock imagery will recognize this effort of 'fair trade photography' and use more of these two services.

If you wish to see what I have in the collection, click on it below or on the right. I am in the process of adding plenty more so check back.