« November 2005 | Main | January 2006 »

December 28, 2005

Our Newest Images- December 28, 2005-Gambling, National Parks, Wildlife Refuge, Education, Pharmaceutical, International Locations

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 03:47 PM | Comments (0)

December 20, 2005

Firsts In Innovation

By Bahar Gidwani, CEO of Index Stock Imagery

Over the past fifteen years, the stock image industry has been transformed from a “mom and pop,” manual, low tech, artist-driven industry into a high-tech, marketing-driven, Web-dependent battleground. A driving force in this has been a long string of technical and marketing innovations.
Index Stock Imagery (www.indexstock.com) has been a leading source of these innovations—and one of the beneficiaries of the new and expanded image marketplace they have created. Index was either the first or one of the first companies to introduce more than 30 changes to its industry. This review of its history shows both how different things are today, and indicates how many more new things are probably coming, over the next fifteen years.

 1991. Index was one of the first agencies to implement bar coding of images. Prior to this, images were often labeled in ink, by hand.

 1992. First stock agency to start digitizing images (adopted JPEG as a standard and set the sizes currently used by most of the industry for its image thumbnails and previews).

 1992. One of the first agencies to buy smaller agencies and combine their artists and collections into a larger file.

 1993. First commercially available on-line stock image browser (TeleFocus).

 1994. First agency to convert all in-house image research to on-line approach.

 1995. First agency to release a CD version of a printed catalog.

 1995. First effort to reach lower end image users (Photos To Go—www.photostogo.com).

 1995. First e-commerce-enabled image licensing site (Photos To Go).

 1995. Introduced first ”royalty free” product from a major traditional agency via partnerships with PhotoDisc, Corel, and Digital Stock.

 1995. One of the first to resell through third parties. Signed partnerships to distribute images to the newspaper marketplace, school libraries, and in digital games.

 1996. One of the first to represent other agencies. Eventually agreed to represent images from more than 80 smaller agencies, in its digital system.

 1997. First agency to offer search filters. Allowed customers to easily separate images by orientation (horizontal vs vertical), model release status, and to look at only black and white images or illustrations.

 1997. First agency to offer free screen savers of its images, as a promotional device.

 1998. First agency to offer high resolution, 28MB size, imagedownloading of images to customers.

 1998. First agency to offer narrow search option on its Web site. Allowed customers to do Boolean logic without having to re-learn high school math.

 1999. First agency to sell advertising space on its sites.

 2000. First agency to purchase inbound advertising for its sites.

 2000. One of the first agencies to outsource scanning, overseas.

 2001. One of first agencies to accept digital camera files from artists, including RAW files.

 2001. First agency to offer “royalty free” and ”rights managed” images on the same search.

 2001. First photo subscription product from a major stock agency. For less than $100, a WebSpice (www.webspice.com) user got both 2 million pieces of clip art AND access to more than 40,000 thumbnail-sized images.

 2001. First agency to offer custom postcard production on a site.

 2002. First major agency to start offering image management services to large corporations.

 2002. First agency to offer custom brochure production tools on its site. With this tool, users could select the images, fonts, and write text for a two page to six page brochure, all on line. They could then have the printed and delivered directly to them.

 2003. Second major agency to publish an anonymous UDDI access method to its search engine to encourage the development of photo-based applications.

 http://webservices.indexstock.com//ImageSearch/2003/07/15/imagesearch.asmx

 2003. First agency to offer a Mac version of its site. With a single click, a Mac user can get a “chrome” version of the site that conforms to standard Mac look and feel.

 2003. Second major agency to offer a Web Services interface to its library. This interface allows anyone in the world to access Index’s library of images. Of course, the interface includes appropriate controls for protecting the library, including automatic watermarking of images, for anonymous users.

 2004. First agency to offer cell phone photo wallpapers on a site (see www.photostogo.com).

 2004. First high-resolution subscription from a major rights managed agency (Index Open—www.indexopen.com).

 2004. First US agency to implement PicScout image rights infringement search technology.

 2004. Second photo agency CEO blogger (www.dimdump.com).

 2005. First daily photo offering based on Web Services (Daily Photos To Go). Now, anyone who has a personal Web site or blog can spice it up with a high quality photo. Index’s Daily Photos To Go delivers a fresh new image each day via an easy-to-add Web Services-driven interface. There are already 30 different image topics available, and more on the way.

There are also a couple of things where Index is last, such as:

 Still no voice mail—you always talk to a human being!

 Still accepting physical images from artists. Even prints, if we have to!

 Still don’t own any images.

These are things that Index is proud of—especially the final point. Through all of the changes both in its industry and itself, Index has tried to remain focused on the needs of its artists. By doing so, it hopes to continue finding innovative ways to grow and improve its business, and to continue offering a diverse and exciting array of images, to its customers. It also hopes to keep having fun, finding new ways to market images and to change its industry.

Posted by Pat at 07:17 PM | Comments (0)

December 19, 2005

New Alliance With Isifa

New Alliance With Isifa

NEW YORK, December, 2005 – Index Stock Imagery, www.indexstock.com, continues to remain The Independent Choice For Your Imagination, and enjoy new alliances with impressive agents such as Isifa Image Service of the Czech Republic. Index’s top quality Rights Managed and Royalty Free images, along with its successful high resolution subscription product, Index Open (www.indexopen.com), will be expanded into the Czech and Slovak Republics.

“The Czech Republic is arguably the most Western-oriented economy in the former Soviet Republic, and has very good stock photo sales potential,” according to Peter McClusky, VP of Distribution at Index. He says, “We are confident that Isifa’s strong customer service, combined with Index’s ever-growing and diverse image collection, point the way to a very successful partnership.

Isifa is the “largest independent photo agency in the Czech and Slovak Republic,” and has been operating for ten years in both countries, with its head office based in Prague. According to Georg Hodek, CEO of Isifa: “The agency offers an extensive database of Rights Managed and Royalty Free imagery and editorial/press images. Isifa is the only media library in the Czech Republic with a unique archive featuring themes relating to Bohemia, Moravia, and Slovakia. The portfolio extends to film footage, produced from 1948 to 1989 in the Czech Republic. The company’s broad reach of 1.5 million images extends to advertising agencies, magazines, newspapers, and corporations, including bill boards, posters, print advertising and annual reports. Our goal is to be the #1 photo agency serving Central and Eastern Europe, in order to gain international brand recognition and to develop and distribute content worldwide. We are partners with about 70 agencies around the world and enjoy work from over 100 photographers mainly from the Czech Republic.”

Other points of interest on Isifa are its expansion plans into Poland next year, and its broad sales reach into Romania, Hungary and Slovenia. It is a brand known for quality and offers frequent promotions, client visits and bonus programs to interest customers. It maintains the only commercial film archive within the Czech and Slovak Republic; it is a partner of the Czech association of photographers known as “AF”; it is a partner and sponsor of the Czech Art Directors Club and the Prague House of Photography; it helps with distribution and production of “Lidove Noviny,” the second largest Czech newspaper, and it represents the Czech short film and documentary archive, “Kratky Film.”

George Hodek, CEO, founded Isifa in 1995 after enjoying management work for the Mitsubishi Automotive Corporation. Peter McClusky, VP International at Index, says: “We enjoy working with such forward thinking international companies as Isifa, and look forward to a long and prosperous relationship. This is a market that is growing rapidly for us, as the world becomes smaller and the image industry more interconnected.

About Index Stock
Index Stock Imagery, Inc.™ The Independent Choice For Your Imagination, is an award winning and innovative supplier of photographs, illustrations, and digital images. It represents over 1,700 professional photographers and 80 independent still image providers and has agents in 55 foreign countries. It represents dozens of domestic collections and has 1,000,000 images available online, of which 250,000 are Royalty Free images. Index was the first stock agency to begin storing and distributing images electronically. It started scanning its collection in 1992 and launched its first e-commerce site in 1994. Index’s million-image library is one of the largest and most complete collections of commercially available images in the world. Its four major Web sites, www.indexstock.com, www.indexopen.com, www.photostogo.com, and www.photostogounlimited.com, support emailable lightboxes, e-commerce shopping, prints, posters, postcards, cell phone wallpapers, and customized price grids and high-res comps, for qualified customers in the high end design, Web marketing, small business and consumer marketplaces.
Index Stock Imagery, Inc. and Photos To Go are registered trademarks.

Contact:
Pat Hunt
path@indexstock.com

Posted by Pat at 10:43 PM | Comments (0)

December 14, 2005

Our Newest Images- December 14, 2005- Lifestyles, Wedding, Education, Medical, Night Life, International Locations

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 04:16 PM | Comments (0)

December 12, 2005

From Niger to Bhutan

Angelo Cavalli

Angelo Cavalli has passion. He has passion for people, adventure, travel, color, vision and life. He feels everything he creates, and creates to feel. That is why his imagery is so beautiful, and his travel so vast. That is also why he is a top Stock Photographer and holds the honor of having the one millionth and first image in Index Stock Imagery’s recent “Million Image Celebration” of the first ten on line photographs to pass the million image mark in Index’s collection.

As a news photojournalist, Angelo has chased chaos, revolution, and excitement from country to country. Now he has stopped running in order to live among the people of the world, know their joys and sorrows, live their excitement, and see their depth. He takes the time to “know the people, enjoy their company, share in their daily life and develop relationships that mature to lifelong friendships.”

At the height of Costa Rica’s “gold fever,” Angelo embraced the excitement to become a “Desperado.” Roaming the jungle he partnered with a miner from San Jose, and the two amateur prospectors headed for adventure. Anteing up the money for pick axes, boots and food, the two headed out. A month and a half later, working like beasts all day brought them enough nuggets for plenty of cheap rum in local bars, very colorful conversation, and characters you would only expect to find in a history book or a movie set. The memories and photos will be Angelo’s riches for years to come. By the way, the mining area is now Corcovado National Park.

No one would expect that the Sahara Desert of Niger would be a good place to look for a wife, but Angel has that kind of karma. Chasing the Paris to Dakar auto race brought him to a small village on an oasis in the middle of the desert. Looking for a quick coffee in a place this remote brings you to the village chef, who communicating with his hands, brought the best food the village has to offer. In spite of their obvious poverty, Angelo found himself honored with a newly killed goat. It’s wise to take care when accepting such bestowed honors far from home, as Angelo was being courted to take the fifteen year old daughter as his wife. To save the day, the car racers came and duty drew them away, but he felt privileged to “experience the deep dignity and serenity of the place and its people.”

Moving from wives to movie sets, he wandered the streets of Thimpu, the capital of the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, by chance running into Bhutan’s top movie director, who wanted him to star in their current film. That’s the place to go when you can’t make it in Hollywood! Angelo finally decided that his place is behind the camera, not in front of it, but he keeps chalking up life’s experiences that will remain in his photo stock log, forever.
(#1000001)
For more of Angelo's images:
http://www.indexstock.com/store/search.asp?SearchStr=///direct 4002PHOTOGCODE

Posted by Pat at 10:38 PM | Comments (0)

Adventure in High Places

Russell Burden

Russell Burden is an adventurer in search of beauty. To him, lighting is almost spiritual and composition holds life in form. He leads tours to where few people go. For example, towering 1300 feet over Monument Valley, Hunt’s Mesa in Colorado inspires his heart and excites his mind. “With the grand scenic, the valley floor takes on an aerial perspective and gives the feeling one is flying in an ultra light.”

Camping on this Mesa is what dreams are made of, as one drifts off under stars of the Milky Way. “With absolutely no city lights, the number of stars that can be seen gives the appearance that the sky is actually white in color.” The charm of this experience is enhanced by enjoyment of a fresh steak dinner with all the trimmings prepared by Navajo guides. Imagine the tastes, coupled with the smell of a wood fire. Feel the history, as told though the legends of the Indians.

Emerge from sleeping under the stars in a 35 degree night and be “driven to a sunrise location in the pitch dark to watch the light provide dimension and definition to the monuments below.” Feel refreshed when the sun gets high, with fresh coffee and outdoor breakfast waiting.

“Four wheeling” up and back is not for the faint of heart, as at times, the road totally disappears, leaving only rock faces or sand dunes. Less than 400 people make this trip each year. “It’s more than just a photo tour, it’s an experience.”

###

Russell Burden is a well-known nature and wildlife shooter, with an additional focus on portraits, weddings, and pets. He leads photo tours to various parts of the country and teaches composition, lighting, and “how to look for a great photo.” Russell is a frequent contributor to Petersen's Photographic magazine—he just won the Backyard Habitat Division—and was Highly Honored in the Digital Imaging Division of Nature's Best Magazine International contest.

Honored for creating the “Millionth” image uploaded onto www.indexstock.com, Russell claims: “The shot chosen of my son was made as I saw him develop an interest in the garden hose. He's actually ‘watering’ a newly planted dwarf maple in our backyard. My wife and I dressed him in primary colors that would contrast against the background, which is out of focus grass. I shot the image with a 200mm lens wide open, to make sure the background would be soft. I used fill flash to add light to the shadow side of his face. The fact that he stuck out his tongue, and the drop of water appeared, was serendipitous and lasted an instant when I clicked the shutter and captured the moment.”

Posted by Pat at 10:31 PM | Comments (0)

December 07, 2005

Jack Gesheidt's Tree Spirit update

Dear Friends of The TreeSpirit Project,

Photographer Jack Gescheidt here, with a brief update on TreeSpirit for the upcoming holidays...

First, if you missed the TV segment KRON 4 News anchor Chris Murphy created, a QuickTime Movie version is now on the TreeSpirit Project website. Go to http://www.treespiritproject.com and click on this image:

Posted by Tear-n at 11:04 PM | Comments (0)

December 06, 2005

ISOPIX INTRODUCES INDEX STOCK IMAGERY TO THE BELGIAN MARKET

NEW YORK, December 2005 – Index Stock Imagery, www.indexstock.com, is pleased to announce a new agent alliance with Isopix in Belgium, www.isopix.be. Isopix has two distinct divisions, Press and Stock, each of which represents both Rights Managed and Royalty Free imagery. Isopix will offer a broad mix of both rights managed and royalty free Index imagery, alongside its very popular subscription product, Index Open, www.indexopen.com.

Index just launched its “Millionth” image, and offers an impressive line up of lifestyle, business, travel, technology, concepts, history, and much more. The Index Open continues to grow—it now offers 85,000 RF high resolution images for download at a monthly rate.

Isopix was created in 1984 by Paul Marnef, the current CEO, with partners Bernadette Lepers, Sales Manager, and Gino Zamboni, Chief Editor. By 1992 Isopix had expanded by creating its on-line graphics server, and by acquiring Nadia Senepart Press Agency. Isopix acquired Travel Pictures slide library in 1994, and their new RF brand, Verypicture, was started in 2003. Isopix now has 2,500,000 images on its website.

Paul Marnef commented: “Our photographers cover Belgian current events, politics, social life, the Belgian Royal family, International institutions and show business. We also publish numerous news magazine reports, and stock graphics. Our photos and reports serve the daily press, magazines, book publishers, advertising agencies and corporate offices. Our photographers do assignment work for these same institutions. We are pleased to work with Index and its innovative collection.”

According to Peter McClusky, VP International at Index: “We are happy to broaden our alliances abroad with such an impressive company as Isopix. They serve their market well, and our imagery will be an excellent compliment to theirs.”

About Index Stock
Index Stock Imagery, Inc.™ The Independent Choice For Your Imagination, is an award winning and innovative supplier of photographs, illustrations, and digital images. It represents over 1,700 professional photographers and 80 independent still image providers and has agents in 55 foreign countries. It represents dozens of domestic collections and has 1,000,000 images available online, of which 250,000 are Royalty Free images. Index was the first stock agency to begin storing and distributing images electronically. It started scanning its collection in 1992 and launched its first e-commerce site in 1994. The agency million-image library is one of the largest and most complete collections of commercially available images in the world. Its four major Web sites, www.indexstock.com, www.indexopen.com, www.photostogo.com, and www.photostogounlimited.com, support emailable lightboxes, e-commerce shopping, prints, posters, postcards, cell phone wallpapers, and customized price grids and high-res comps, for qualified customers in the high end design, Web marketing, small business and consumer marketplaces.
Index Stock Imagery, Inc. and Photos To Go are a registered trademarks.

Contact:
Pat Hunt
path@indexstock.com

Posted by Pat at 10:19 PM | Comments (0)