Index Stock Imagery, Inc.: June 2005 Archives

« March 2005 | Main | July 2005 »

June 21, 2005

Our Newest Images - June 2005 Nature, Cuba, and Paris

We are always adding new, fresh images to our already spectacular collection. Take a look and see the newest images we have added.

Our newest Rights Managed Images

Our newest Royalty Free Images

Check back to see a whole new set of images next week.

Posted by Valerie at 08:21 PM | Comments (0)

June 09, 2005

Jeff Randall, and Frank Christopher offer us an opportunity to see through their experience

By Pat Hunt

Pictures tell stories - emotional stories, life-changing stories. But, sometimes stories need to be supported by words. Words that give background to the stories and tell of the creators, their inspirations and their dreams. Stock photographers are storytellers by nature, and have a need for adventure, travel, learning and excitement. This is the background of three of those storytellers, allowing us to follow along with the artists as they go on their creative journey.

Jeff Randall, and Frank Christopher offer us an opportunity to see through their lens and capture their experience:

THE WAR ON DRUGS

Jeff Randall

“Narco-terrorists, guerrillas, paramilitaries” - How many of us think of these words on a daily basis? Jeff Randall does. Jeff is a freelance photojournalist covering Latin American conflicts and indigenous cultures. Jeff’s travel stock photography does not include glamorous girls on beautiful beaches while relaxing with a drink between takes. In fact, tourists don’t go where he goes, so he attempts to stay in the background and away from governmental bureaucrats. As he puts it: “I figure if I get hurt, killed, or kidnapped, then there’s not much the U.S. government can do so why waste time detailing my trip to them.

Jeff’s recent trip to Colombia to investigate “Plan Colombia” gives us some background about what he is able to learn, trekking through areas where few others go. Plan Colombia is a multi-billion dollar U.S. aid package to fight the proliferation of the cocaine market. It encompasses “training Colombian military, upgrading hardware, eradicating coca, introducing alternative crops, building infrastructure, and developing education programs.” However, the cocaine market, kidnapping trade, and the decades old war with FARC guerillas grinds on. FARC receives funding from the narcotics trade by protecting the fields and labs where the cocaine is grown and prepared. Trying to shut these operations down creates more “violence, death, and retaliatory terrorist acts.”

Jeff is a friend with members of the U.S. Marshals Service, whose activities he photographs. He says they are the best in the business, and their training incorporates such initiatives as “safely moving a principal through crowded streets, how to protect the principal during an attack, counter-measures during an assault, situational awareness, man/team operations, and detail formation and organization.” Jeff also observes the activities of the “hired guns” in the area. They are also usually paid to protect, and have been Special Forces, SEAL, or CIA in a former lifetime. As Jeff puts it: “With all the twists, turns, and corruption associated with this ultimate cat and mouse game, having experienced operators with in-place networks is essential to eventually winning the war in South America.”

Jeff observes that FARC has sophisticated explosives equipment and the best terrorist trainers in the world, including the deadly IRA (Irish Republican Army). They play with such charming devices as book bombs, shoe bombs, large explosive devices rigged with pressure triggers, proximity switches, timers and heat sensing detonation. Jeff says that Bogotá is relatively safe as compared to remote areas of Colombia because training has worked to quell violence in major cities. A little south in Peru, where cocaine flows freely, such groups as the U.S. Special Forces and the Navy Special Boat Teams work under the radar and “some even deny their presence in the country, but they are there and working to further the goals of the U.S. Foreign Policy.

According to Jeff, the surrounding jungle “is a spider web of trails and makeshift roads” used by the cocaine producers to transport chemicals, coca paste and pure cocaine. “The leeching wells and processing labs are almost impossible to find in the dense jungle and difficult to get to once they have been located. This unforgiving terrain is ruled by those who loathe any outside influence, so booby trapping, weapons caches, and camouflage is common practice.”

“If every American citizen could see the death and destruction this business has caused on a global scale, then I doubt they would be so quick to question the resources being used to combat the problem,” observes Jeff. He says you can’t understand the magnitude of the War on Drugs unless you are on the ground with the officers and soldiers who fight it. Even though they are under funded, they are making a difference. “This war in ‘winnable’ but it will take dedication and an understanding of South American cultures to finally put an end to the age-old violence.” This is one of Jeff’s goals as a Latin American photojournalist. His theory is that we should clean up or own streets and drug culture in the process.
WWW.JUNGLETRAINING.COM

THE COLLECTIVE INSANITY

Frank Christopher

“The Collective Insanity” - what better way to describe all segments of society as we cross the “lines of mythology” from country to country? This is Frank Christopher’s description of the world and its cultural interactions, as he has studied it for the last 50 years through his photography and international exchanges. At eighty-five years old, Frank is still honored for being the first US citizen to foster detente between the US and the USSR in the cold war era of the 1960’s. Even today, Irina Popova, Cultural Attaché and First Secretary to the Embassy of the Russian Federation, credits Frank as being responsible for setting up the new dialog between the East and West in the Cold War. As Frank puts it: “The leaders at that time were dictating who was going to survive and who wasn’t.” Frank wanted to offer the people of the world an opportunity to get to know each other and appreciate each other’s “intellectual acuity,” as belief systems contributed to “the degradation of common sense.”

“The Iron Curtain was parted” as the result of the introduction of American photography to Russia in 1961. 107 mounted prints were sent to the former Soviet Union, supported by the State Department and then-Vice President Hubert Humphrey, launching a cultural exchange which bridged the gaps in understanding between the two countries. Already an international celebrity in his field, Frank was chosen by the US State Department to “take over all cultural negotiations with the Soviets, and bring the lifestyle of the American people to that of the Russian people.” With the help of the Photographic Society of America and the Photo Section of the Union of Soviet Friendship Societies, Frank initiated a show that drew 34,000 visitors by the time it had traveled from Moscow to Tallinn to Leningrad.

This resulted in a reciprocal show at the Arts Club in Washington, DC displaying the first all Russian photography show depicting the Soviet way of life. The strength of both shows was in demonstrating the every day life of both cultures at home and at work and at play. Similarities between peoples were hard to ignore, as a Washing Post reporter in 1961 wrote - “small boys and old men lose their teeth in Russia just like us.” Photography is the universal language of understanding that surpasses words. These shows achieved better communication than any political debate or policy making up to that time.

At that time Frank’s invitation to go to Russia came from Vladimir Shakhovsoi, who was President of the Moscow Photosection, part of the Ministry of Culture, and considered to be “dean of Soviet photography.” Shakhovsoi was considered to be the “driving force for the progress and adoption of photography as a recreation, an art form, and a means of communication.” He made Frank his personal guest in Russia, and was then in charge of opening the exhibit in the United States.

Over the years Frank had over 1,000 acceptances in international competitive juried salons and won awards in Russia, New Zealand, Iceland, South America, Australia, Wales, Japan and Romania. He has been an “Exhibitor of Honour” at salons in Romania, Taiwan, France and Yugoslavia. Widely published in the US, his work on Russia was used in educational filmstrips by McGraw Hill and distributed throughout the US and Europe. He has been an international journalist, and today is working on his book - “I To Eye.” He is the only permanent member of Honour of the famed Bordeaux Salon in France, and he represented the famed artists, Aubrey Bodine and Manuel Carrillo for 35 to 40 years.

In 1961 an Auckland, New Zealand photographic society reported some of the novelties of Frank’s trip in describing the language barriers. Frank claims, “They didn’t really exist. Ten million Russians are already learning English and I had the services of a young Russian woman as an interpreter, who spoke perfect English with an Oxford accent.” He was using a Contax-2A camera and had taken over 4000 frames on his tour. Building on his theme of “collective insanity,” he quoted: “In the 6,000 years of man’s history people have quarreled and fought wars. Can this ever be stopped? I went to Russia with pictures, to talk to people. If we have to argue, let’s not argue with guns and rockets…let’s argue over pictures!”

Posted by masterjay at 03:45 PM | Comments (0)

Mitch Diamond, Bob Winsett, and Mike Hipple offer us an opportunity to see through their experience

By Pat Hunt

Pictures tell stories - emotional stories, life-changing stories. But, sometimes pictures need to be supported by words. Words that give background to the stories and tell of the creators, their inspirations and their dreams. Stock photographers are storytellers by nature, and have a need for adventure, travel, learning and excitement. This is the background of three of those storytellers, allowing us to follow along with the artists as they go on their creative journey.

Mitch Diamond, Bob Winsett, and Mike Hipple offer us an opportunity to see through their lens and capture their experience:

LIVING ON THE EDGE

Mitch Diamond

Photographers are adventurers by nature. It must be something in the creative spirit. Otherwise why do they travel to remote corners of the world, getting in the middle of war zones and standing in harm’s way?

Well, Mitch Diamond has been the epitome of a dangerous adventurer, and each trip begins to sound like a death wish. However Mitch has an undying curiosity, desire to learn and love of the unknown. This is exemplified by a few of his adventures:

One outing took him on a trip for National Geo to the Outback of Australia. The Outback is the size of the United States but all dessert. There is a 2000-mile straight road called Nullarbar, that is so rough one seldom sees human life. Along the way, there are occasional roadhouses as rest stops and gas stations. Some contain more "town” than others.

As Mitch hitchhiked everywhere, he ventured on a trek from Perth to Adelaide over the only road available. Hospitality is keen in Australia, and a helpful ‘pick up’ may net some dinner in a home and a bed for the night. After waiting 8 hours for someone to come along, Mitch found a helpful soul who trucked him to the Kalgoorlie Roadhouse and village. He strolled the town while awaiting the gas-up, and returned to a vacant lot - the truck missing and his belongings disappeared. Gone were his water, food, clothes and precious address book of all safety contacts to the outside world. At least he had his money and camera equipment in his backpack. As luck would have it, this criminal, wanted for ‘grand theft auto’ was later found 400 miles away, and Mitch was able to recover most of his belongings - Is that luck or what?

If that wasn’t enough, Mitch decided to take his new bride on a honeymoon to Zambia in Africa. Well, this was no Niagara Falls! Unbeknownst to them the government had just raised the price of the country’s staple of maize. It seems that this act of injustice merited a raft of looting and rioting in the streets. As Mitch and his wife were waiting in the bus shed with 12 Africans, they found themselves sprayed with teargas, a skin burning sensation so severe it felt fatal.

Upon hearing shots they ran to an alley of shack houses and attempted to hide. Once again, as luck would have it, one gate was left unlocked and they found a small hose to wash off the teargas, waiting for hours to venture out. Soldiers and tanks were in abundance, and thirty people had been killed. They got to a phone, located a friend for shelter and remained in home lock down for days. So much for a leisurely and glamorous honeymoon.

Mitch’s recent travels drew him ‘North to Alaska’. Not being satisfied with safe views from the ground, Mitch decided to join a small six-seater plane, venturing toward the famous Mt. McKinley. Mt. McKinley is not only the highest mountain in North America, but it sports one of the highest vertical rises in the world. We’re talking 18,000 feet, as compared to 11,000 feet of Mr. Everest, the world’s tallest peak. In addition to that it is considered to be one of the most dangerous mountains in the world because of the severe and sudden weather changes. The mountain is so massive that it makes it’s own weather, and the peaks can only be seen once or twice a month in summer because of the moving weather patterns.

These bush pilots are top pros, whose job it is to fly into remote areas for fire and emergencies that can’t be accessed by boat or road. They took off sixty miles away from Talkeetna, Alaska, and the range was barely visible. Approaching Ruth Glacier, which goes straight up into Mt. McKinley, they began to see some awesome views. According to Mitch: “One moment we were looking at sculptured snowy ridges, and the next moment we were in cloud cover with mountains surrounding us. Not knowing when we would pop out into blue sky, or how close we were to giant peaks was scary and unnerving, yet exhilarating!” The plane hovers at 11,000 to 12,000 feet, and Mt. McKinley is 20,000 feet, so the fear of flying right into the mountain was ever present.

They made a daring landing at base camp, which has a very small landing strip, visible by a very short break in the clouds. Climbers are dropped off at base camp to get their gear ready, and only 50% of the climbers make it to the top. As Mitch was there in July, climbers were only coming down as they were approaching avalanche season. It took 1 ½ hours to catch a break and make for the sky through the clouds, as the weather varied wildly. Mitch returned with some rare photos of breathtaking peaks and glaciers, only possible with someone who is willing to “live on the edge”!

BHUTAN - REMOTE PARADISE

Bob Winsett

Who goes to Bhutan? Where is it? This remote and exotic country is at the foothills of the Himalayas. Only 7000 tourists a year make it into Bhutan. Anyone coming in has to spend a $200/day surtax to be allowed. This gets you room, board and a visa. This was a perfect draw to outdoor stock photographer Bob Winsett, who made the trek in 1999.

The country was only open to the public in the late ‘70s, as it is sheltered from Tibet, on the other side of the mountains, and its main political ally is India. It’s Oxford educated king is very protective of the indigenous people, whose lives are totally engulfed by the national religion - Tantric Buddhism. Religion permeates all of daily life, from the plating of crops to doing business, to family life and getting married.

Bob steeped himself in the culture and the beauty. Trekking in Bhutan is not for the faint of heart, as adjusting to passes over 15,000 feet above sea level requires some stamina. These trails lead to monasteries, like that of Sangchoeher, looking over a 1000-foot cliff. Being greeted by monks who seldom see foreign faces, was “mesmerizing, as we were invited into the centuries-old temple and stepped back in time. Incense mingles with the sounds of metal, Tibetan-style horns and ceremonial drums, and the chanting monks read from hand-written Sanskrit manuscripts wreaking of history.”

On the third day they hiked to Laktsang Lhakhang, a temple complex and pilgrim site of thirteen holy places in three buildings. They met the spiritual equivalent of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and took the spirit of the Holy pilgrimage as their own.

Nine days of trekking brought them yaks, blue sheep, culinary experiences, breathtaking views and gracious kind people, who did not want them to leave. According to Bob, “on the usual steep trip down, the sounds of cuckoos and the occasional Buddhist shrine encountered on the trail were constant reminders of how truly special and unspoiled this place is. It is important to protect and preserve a way of life that has existed for centuries.” WWW.BOBWINSETT.COM

SECRETS, LIES & VIDEOTAPE

Mike Hipple

Not everyone shoots harried CEO’s for annual reports, or widgets on seamless for product catalogs. Some folks stir up the mud and make us wonder about the society in which we live. One of these adventurers is Mike Hipple from Washington State. He’s been hanging nearly upside down in bi-planes, and working with drug companies to help cure MS. But his most harrowing adventure was an assignment for a story about government whistleblowers in the Hanford Nuclear Site in Washington State.

A four-hour drive over arid desert in the middle of nowhere to the eastern part of the state brought him to a sign on the road that read: “Welcome to the Middle of Nowhere!” According to Mike, the stage was set, as the whole area looked “arid, black and tan - it seemed like the end of the world out there.” Oddly enough, the roads were built three lanes wide in either direction with no one on them to allow aircraft to land in the event of an emergency.

For such a lonely place, he had no trouble being shadowed by cops, who eyed him and let him keep driving. The first “whistleblower” he met still lived in the area. The interview was full of harrowing stories of contamination, strange barrels, people with large tumors and women with deformed children. This fellow had been a truck driver assigned to pick up barrels and transport them from point A to point B. He had the nerve to ask what he was transporting - seeping, rusting barrels were a curiosity, to say the least.

The rewards for his questioning were slashed tires in his truck and smashed windows in his home. His foreman chased him with a bat and forced him to hide in a storage closet; his co-workers handed him a “Spoon Award” - a large spoon given because he was “stirring up shit.” Needless to say, he got fired with no warning and sued under the protection of the “Whistleblowers Act, winning a undisclosed settlement. He’s now on a plant ‘watch list’.

Mitch and the Whistleblower drove to the plant and were stopped by a cop for allegedly trespassing. The cop offered the information that they were standing on “contaminated soil, and that nuclear waste was now clinging to the soles of our shoes.” They grabbed a few pictures of the plant and moved on. Luckily without harm. Makes you wonder!
WWW.HIPPHOTO.COM

Author, Pat Hunt, is VP of Corporate Relations at Index Stock Imagery, and a writer for various photographic publications. (path@indexstock.com)

Posted by masterjay at 02:05 PM | Comments (1)

June 07, 2005

INDEX STOCK IMAGERY LAUNCHES A NEW IMAGE SEARCH SYSTEM

NEW YORK – May 2005 – Index Stock Imagery, www.indexstock.com, is always striving to create a better user-friendly image search system for its customers. The new “user option panel” was launched this week to “let you control your own search.” As their email promo says: “You have the power!”

After logging into the site with an email and password, the user can search by keyword to pull up desired images. To the top right of the selections is an icon with the user’s name and “Options.” After clicking on the options, there are eight settings to choose from which will help to narrow the search to exact matches and help with visualizing layout:

- The “Search Depth” offers Exact Matches or All Matches, filtering keywords to the specification of the user.
- “Images Per Page” will allow viewing as many as your screen will scroll – 12, 24, 36, 60 and 120 images.
- “Time In Collection” will bring up All images or only the newest images, entitled Fresh.
- “Background Color” allows the images to be framed in white, black, cool grey or any of 8 colors from red to blue. It’s a great way to visualize the background of a layout.
- “Typical Use” offers two choices – All/Editorial or Ad/Marketing, which separates style and release issues.
- “Site Style” is a fun design offered only by Index, which allows the whole site to appear as usual or in the style of the Mac chrome look for those Mac addicts out there.
- “Color Adjustment” adjusts gamma and allows matching to a monitor. Choices are Darkest, Dark, Average, Light, and Lightest.
- “Caption Display” gives two options – Show Caption or Hide Caption.

These options can be left as default settings and can be changes each time the site is visited.

“It’s a new and creative design,” says Brent Phelps, Product Manager. “We are always trying to listen to the needs of our customers and give them better ways to find and enjoy our extensive image collection, whether they are in need of Editorial content or Advertising content.”

New York City-based Index Stock Imagery, Inc. is an innovative supplier of digital images to publishing, corporate, and consumer users. Index markets more than 900,000 images from a diverse group of 1700 individual artists and corporate collections worldwide.

Index Stock Imagery, Inc. is a registered trademark.
Contact:
Pat Hunt
path@indexstock.com
800-729-7466
212-929-4644

Posted by at 07:57 PM | Comments (0)