Photo Archive News

Kent News & Pictures Closes

journalism.co.uk reports: 'Photo agencies suffer as newspapers slash fees, says Kent News and Pictures founder'
....Kent News and Pictures closed yesterday [27th], with its founder blaming poor national newspaper rates and tough economic conditions.
The agency, which covered stories both in the UK and abroad, made the news when it became the first UK agency to send staff to report in Iraq in 2003.
Chris Eades, a former Evening Standard journalist who set up the agency in 1993, told Journalism.co.uk he knew of several other major photography agencies also threatening to pull the plug. "Their management are saying 'we're not sure how long we can hold it together'.....
Full article here: journalism.co.uk

Thoughts Of A Bohemian - The Paul Melcher blog

“This business has too many Surveyors and not enough Bohemians” Roger Therond, legendary photo man, once said to a good friend of mine, Eliane Laffont. This blog is about restoring the balance and letting the Bohemians talk.
http://blog.melchersystem.com/

Topfoto Represents The IMAGNO Collection

TopFoto has secured a new distribution: the breathtaking, Vienna-based IMAGNO collection, with over 1 million images formed from the private collection of Christian Brandstatter, who began collecting photographs in 1972.
The archive includes an extensive portrait collection of world-famous personalities and literary figures; fine art from key artists of the 19th and 20th centuries including rarely seen and seldom reproduced works from private collections; and it contains images from globally successful contemporary photographers supported by Brandstatter during their careers.
Take a look: Topfoto Gallery/ IMAGNO

The Apple iPad has launched !

The UK Guardian are blogging live from the event NOW!
....OK, he's got one out from behind a chair - it's smaller and more square than most of the mockups, but otherwise pretty much what we expected: a big iPhone.
The web browser, he says, is "way better than a laptop, way better than a smartphone"......guardian.co.uk

Pictures here: buzzfeed.com

The 'Subscription Model' : An Observation

Industry observer Paul Melcher writes: Desperation Strikes Deep In the Heartland
We are going to see a lot of desperate moves this year, in the photo industry. In an attempt to stay afloat in a depressed market, photographers, as well as photo agencies , will resolves to off the chart, crying for help, strategies. There has been many examples already, like the name your own price to pennies a pictures, none succeeding in making anyone rich or successful. RF is already plagued with so many discounts and “special offering” that last all year that it is now almost impossible to purchase them at full price anymore, even if you wanted too.

In the footsteps of Getty Images, other smaller agencies believe that the subscription model is the way to go. Enter Photoshot ( at least in Germany) . Owners of such collection as : NHPA, Bruce Coleman, UPPA, Woodfall Wild, Oceans Image, World Pictures, Photos Horticultural, StarStock, Talking Sport, World Illustrated, Photoshot Archive and Photoshot Creative, it is now offering…are you sitting down? Unlimited use of Photoshot’s rights managed images for 3 months for a flat monthly fee of only Euro 400 per month........
Continue reading the full article on Paul's blog

Auction: Be-Hold - New York Tomorrow

BE-HOLD AUCTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS
THURSDAY JANUARY 28, 2010
2:00 PM
New York Time
-- MANY CELEBRITY PHOTOGRAPHS BY MAJOR PHOTOGRAPHERS-- 35 VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPHS CONNECTED TO THE "FLOATING FOUNDATION OF PHOTOGRAPHY"-- MASTER PRINTS BY ANDRZEJ JERZY LECH.
Detail: Be-Hold

Focal: Additional Training Week Added

Interested in the world of audio visual archives, research, rights, preservation and data management?
FOCAL International and its industry partners supported by SKILLSET are now inviting applications from those who seek continuing personal development to attend the: FOCAL International - Introduction to the Audiovisual Archive World, Manchester 8-12 March 2010
Details here: focal.org

Keywording Course March 4 - UK

Electric Lane is offering its popular keywording course at last years prices, as a special new year offer. The course is run by keywording and controlled vocabulary expert Liisa Kaakinen who works for major stock industry clients. It covers the principles and practice of good keywording for any size of business.
Detail here: electriclane.co.uk
electriclane.co.uk

Photo Archive News Interview: Phil Coomes picture editor At The BBC

** EXCLUSIVE **

Name: Phil Coomes
Position: Picture Editor and Photographer - BBC News website.

Do you actively source images from independent picture libraries for news features?
....."Agencies and freelance photographers regularly pitch features to us and some of these we buy in, depending on the quality and if it fits our site. Often we get sent a strong picture story but have to turn it down as we have already covered the story on the site, in text or video. That said, if there is a new angle then we may well run the pictures anyway".........
Do you work to a brief when choosing picture content?
......Not really, there's obviously the news agenda or at least a news angle, a peg. Otherwise it's down to what we like, and if the images are from freelancers have they done the research on the story, have they got good captions, quotes from people in the pictures, etc.......

Read our full interview with Phil on our Interviews page

FREE SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDE From Photoshelter

PhotoShelter, a provider of photography websites, photo sales and archiving tools for photographers, today released the latest in their series of free downloadable research reports for photographers. PhotoShelter's Social Media for Photographers, a free 55-page e-book, provides essential internet marketing guidance for serious professionals and aspiring hobbyists looking to grow their photography business online. The guide is designed to share insights with photographers who want to get started or optimize their productive use of social media platforms like blogging, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn as part of their overall marketing strategy.
Get your guide here

Does journalism exist?

Guardian reports : The Hugh Cudlipp lecture: Does journalism exist?
The full text of Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger's Hugh Cudlipp lecture
Here: guardian.co.uk

Picapp Teams With Google Knol - Provide Auto Picture Researcher

Google Knol publishers searching for photos of newly elected senator Brown, Jennifer Aniston at the Golden Globe Awards, or Peyton Manning, or looking for photos of the Golden Gate Bridge, an image of a human brain or a wildflower, can now use Picapp to add relevant images to their knols.
Google announced today that it has integrated Picapp’s Partner API into the Knol editor, along with other embeddable object features. The Picapp integration will enable Knol publishers to access fresh, premium and free images. Knol has more than 100,000 articles, and is considered one of the most innovative and fastest growing knowledge base platforms.
More on the PicApp blog
and here for the Google announcement

Photographer Protest London - update

Paul Treacy at Demontix covers the mass photographer gathering of the "I'm a photographer not at terrorist" campaign in Trafalgar Square, London yesterday.
more here - Guardian.co.uk report: More than 2,000 photographers demonstrate against police using terrorism laws to prevent photography in public places....guardian.co.uk

see yesterday's posting for more detail...

Photographer Gathering - London - Today

Mass Gathering in defence of street photography
'I’m a Photographer, Not a Terrorist! invite all Photographers to a mass photo gathering in defence of street photography'.
'Following a series of high profile detentions under s44 of the terrorism act including 7 armed police detaining an award winning architectural photographer in the City of London, the arrest of a press photographer covering campaigning santas at City Airport and the stop and search of a BBC photographer at St Pauls Cathedral and many others. PHNAT feels now is the time for a mass turnout of Photographers, professional and amateur to defend our rights and stop the abuse of the terror laws'.
Details: photographernotaterrorist.org

Keyword Expert: The 90% Rule - Keeping Keywords Relevant

How do you decide which keywords are appropriate? Should you include every conceivable word which might be relevant to an image or video, or should you try to keep the number of keywords to a bare minimum? The answer is the 90% rule.

When undertaking keywording, there is a sure way to unwanted cost and a little madness: try to create the perfect set of keywords. Apart from the impossibility of attaining perfection itself, the process of trying to reach that goal is normally extremely time consuming as well as pointless.
Learn more at Keywording Central

Omnibus At Global ImageWorks

click the image to view the Omnibus story

Global ImageWorks is exclusively representing clip licensing for Omnibus, the award winning television show available for the first time since its original airing. This groundbreaking television series demonstrated that television could bring arts, science, social and political issues to a mass audience.
With Alistair Cooke as host, Omnibus was broadcast live from 1952 to 1961, and won more than 65 awards. Its 235 hours feature an extraordinary assemblage of entertainers and personalities appeared including Leonard Bernstein, Orson Welles, James Dean, Jack Benny, Gene Kelly, Les Paul and Mary Ford, Frank Lloyd Wright, Dr Seuss, William Faulkner, Senator John F. Kennedy, Sir Edmund Hillary and countless others from the era.

40 Editorial Staff To Go At The Guardian

Press Gazette in the UK reports:
Around 40 editorial staff have accepted voluntary redundancy as part of an ongoing headcount reduction at Guardian News & Media to help ease its £100,000 a day losses.
In November GNM management said that it needed to cut more than 100 of its 1,700 editorial and commercial posts through its rolling voluntary redundancy scheme.
Full article here: pressgazette.co.uk

LFI Open In LA - February

London based celebrity photo agency LFI have announced today that they will be opening an office in Los Angeles, in February 2010.
The office will be headed up by industry veteran Clive Howes, in the capacity of Managing Editor USA. Previously working for Getty Images as their Global Workflow Manager, Clive has also worked for agencies such as Action Images and Reuters, as well as Picture Editor at national newspapers.
LFI CEO James Claydon states “This is another exciting development in our short 18 month tenure of LFI, for us to work with Clive is a positive and dynamic step forward and to open an office in the home of entertainment makes perfect sense at this moment as we expand our offering to clients and contributors alike. The timing of this new venture is perfect as it coincides with the award season.
The LA office will be initially involved in supporting and recruiting entertainment photographers on the West Coast and will compliment our presence in New York and London.
Look out for the Photoarchievenews.com interview with Clive in March.

Millennium Explored In AG Magazine

The latest issue of photo industry magazine AG features specialist photo agency Millennium Images.
AG magazine: 'We take a close look at a stock image library that puts creativity and its photographers first'.
Magazine here
Article spread here

Wildlife Photo Winner Was Fake

The winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award has been disqualified after judges ruled that the featured wolf was probably a "model".
The 2009 winning image, dubbed the storybook wolf, was taken by photographer Jose Luis Rodriguez.
More here: bbc.co.uk

Russian Court Fine Novosti Photographer - Appeal Intended

MOSCOW, January 20 (RIA Novosti) - A court in Moscow fined on Monday a RIA Novosti photo correspondent, charging him with participating in an unsanctioned opposition meeting. Andrei Stenin was detained on December 12, 2009, while photographing an unsanctioned protest in front of the president administration's building that RIA Novosti had officially assigned him.
The court ordered the journalist to pay a 500-ruble (about $17) fine. It said Stenin was among the protesters who were standing in line holding 81/2 x 11 sheets of paper with letters which all together formed the word "solidarity" in Russian.
Stenin has denied the charges. He said he was performing his professional duties but not taking part in the demonstration when he was detained. The journalist's lawyers showed the judges Stenin's pictures he took during the demonstration proving he could not have been standing in the protest. However, the court said it "did not confide" in the provided evidence. "The judge relied completely on evidence provided by police, who I didn't even have a chance to see while I was being detained," he said. RIA Novosti intends to appeal the charge.

Haiti Survivor Image Makes All UK Papers

This photo, 'one small moment of joy amidst overwhelming tragedy in Haiti' and credited MATTHEW McDERMOTT / POLARIS IMAGES / EYEVINE made every UK newspaper today including covers of the Daily Telegraph and The Independent.
'Two children were pulled from the rubble of a collapsed two-storey building in Port-au-Prince after being trapped for seven days. The children, an eight-year-old boy called Kiki and his ten-year-old sister were taken to an Israeli tent hospital for treatment and were reunited with their parents'.

Photo Archive News Interview: Phil Coomes - BBC News

** EXCLUSIVE **

Name: Phil Coomes
Position: Picture Editor and Photographer - BBC News website.

How long have you been with the BBC?
A long time. My stock answer is that I'm on my fifth Director General of the BBC so you can work it out.

What were you doing before that?
A little assisting, freelance press photography and having a good time.

How many people work on the news picture desk?
Let me see, there's me and there's Emma, that's it, two.

Are you able to work remotely?
Yes and no. When working as photographers we can of course transmit our pictures and text for features back to the office and I can edit and publish my photo blog (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/photoblog/) when outside the office. But the main production system we use to create pages and picture galleries for the BBC news website (http://news.bbc.co.uk/) require us to be logged in to the BBC network.

Do you get most of your content from photo wire services?
The majority of the pictures used on the BBC News website are indeed from the main photo wire services we subscribe to such as PA, AP, AFP, and Getty Images.

On top of that there's our own material from reporters, correspondents and grabs taken from video, something that is much easier to do now that all our video content is available on the desktop. We have a system that grabs key frames live from News 24 so it's a fast turnaround. Other material comes from other sources such as freelancers, other Picture Alligencies, handouts, all usual suspects.

How many staff photographers does BBC News have?
There's Jeff Overs who works mainly for television news and Emma and myself on the picture desk of the website.

By how much did footage content grow on the news site in 2009?
I’m not sure of the actual growth, but it’s certainly on the increase. I’m told we are now serving around 1.8m video hits worldwide every day with approx 750,000 daily unique users, of those 70% or so is in the UK. So there you have it.

Do you actively source images from independent picture libraries for news features?
Yes of course. We regularly source pictures from a wide range of libraries.
As you would expect we use whatever source has the pictures we want. Many pictures are sourced from local news agencies and although the main wire services, and of course their vast archives, provide us with a lot of what we need, there are times when you need a different type of Picture Allind we use agencies such as Magnum, Rex Features, Mary Evans regularly and many others from time to time.

Agencies and freelance photographers regularly pitch features to us and some of these we buy in, depending on the quality and if it fits our site. Often we get sent a strong picture story but have to turn it down as we have already covered the story on the site, in text or video. That said, if there is a new angle then we may well run the pictures anyway.

Do you only use agencies you have established pricing deals with?
No, we do have deals with some of the big agencies and set prices with others, but we have a standard rate card and are happy to negotiate.

How would a picture library approach you for the first time to introduce their images?
A quick email with link and follow up with a call.

Describe the first hour of your working day?
The day starts at 8am, so usually coffee, a quick browse around our site and other news websites and glance through the diary to see what stories are on the agenda and ensure that any galleries and features planned for that day are ready.

Check the front pages of our site and the pictures being used on the main stories to see if we can improve them. Check the inbox for any emails via the blog, complaints or comments.

Then, depending on news priorities, we start to produce our three images of the day and so on…

Is there a BBC 'style' of image?
Images that illustrate a news story on the website do have a style that's true, but this is to some extent governed by the fact that they are fairly small, so wide sweeping shots do not work. Crop tight, and then crop tighter, discard anything irrelevant from the frame and make every pixel count, that's what we keep telling all our journalists when they are preparing their pictures for their own stories.

Picture galleries and features use larger photos so you can be more expressive, but unlike a layout on the printed page where you can have one dominant picture backed up by smaller ones, the web usually means that you will view one picture, click to the next and so on. Thus the pictures have to flow, wide, mid, long shots, sequence them, this is especially true in an audio slideshow.

Do you work to a brief when choosing picture content?
Not really, there's obviously the news agenda or at least a news angle, a peg. Otherwise it's down to what we like, and if the images are from freelancers have they done the research on the story, have they got good captions, quotes from people in the pictures, etc.

Which independent picture library web site has recently caught your eye?
I have always loved Mary Evans collection, and of course Magnum Photos is where my initial love of photography came from some years ago.

How is your personal photo project 64 x 64 going?
It’s going well so far. I set out to publish a photo-a-day on Kodachrome 64 for 64 weeks to mark its passing and as a way to shoot some pictures for myself. It’s a good way to get the film camera out again and take pictures I’d otherwise overlook. So far, as you’d expect it’s a mixed bag, but my aim is to edit it down to 64 images at the end of the year. You can follow it here: www.64x64.co.uk

Do you get time to shoot stock?
Thorny issue. I do try to shoot stock when out and about and then upload to the BBC library, but I have to confess the pictures often just get dumped to my hard disk. Must do better!

Are you submitting any of your personal images to libraries?
No, pictures I take for the BBC belong to them so they remain in the archive and my own stuff just stays with me.

Which websites do you visit daily other than Photoarchivenews.com?
Obviously the BBC, Flickr, Twitter, Flak Photo, a number of Picture Alligencies, the Guardian, NY Times and loads more...

Which newspapers and magazines do you subscribe to?
We get all the newspapers in the office so I tend to read those there, otherwise I use online. Magazine wise then Foto8, Publication, BJP and I usually pick up the latest copy of Dispatches.

Cinema or pub?
Tough one, well ok mine’s a Guinness.

Ideal Sunday afternoon?
Given that I’ve got two young children then I’d have to say with the family, long walk, the pub and maybe a game on the Wii, and I might take a few snaps along the way too.

Lastly, what photo agency website feature would make your life easier as a picture editor at the BBC.
Tough one. Many of the big agencies have pretty good sites now. The main challenge is wading through the thousands of pictures on offer, making initial selections and then breaking those down to the image we want.

In terms of content, then more real life stock pictures to illustrate stories that are, how shall I put it, visually challenging. So repetitive business stories, UK based education and health issues and so on, so many stock pictures are just too glamorous to be of use to us.

ENDS.

Phil Coomes is a photoarchivenews.com reader and subscriber

Oeil Public 1995 - 2010

Dear friends,
Oeil Public photographers have made a decision to end the 15 years old agency's story. We thank you all for your faithful support.
Oeil Public was a team of independant photographers, united through their involvment. And a tool adapting to its members' practices to fight for their independance, their points of view, their freedom.
From its very first stories, Oeil Public photographers asserted their involvment to understand the world after a strong editorial line. They investigated for the press, giving priority to an in-depth approach over simple illustration.
Its photographers have permanently explored the ways of story-telling in documentary journalism. They such made Oeil Public a research lab and a united undertaking.
The press economic crisis has now made production of photo-stories impossible. Photojournalism practices have to be thought hard today.
Oeil Public is no longer fitted.
Oeil Public closes eyes today, to allow its members to keep theirs wide open.
See you soon...
Oeil Public
The agency closed yesterday, here is a portfolio of their Fifteen Years Of Stories

Matrix Photos Donates To Haiti Appeal

UK based celebrity photo agency Matrix Photos is supporting the Haiti Appeal donating £1 for every picture sale in the next 30 days.
'Over the last few days, we have all been watching the horrific scenes on our screens from Haiti. We feel that this is a charity that needs as much support as possible'.
Trevor Adams from the agency says “ having worked extensively in the Caribbean over many years, I feel this is a cause that is close to our hearts”.

Condé Nast Traveller Launches In India

Condé Nast Traveller magazine will be launched in India with its October 2010 issue. This launch follows the successful launch of Vogue and GQ in India. Condé Nast Traveller India will be a bi-monthly magazine.

Russian President's Photo Raises £1m

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's photograph of the Tobol Kremlin in Siberia fetched 51 million rubles ($1.7 million/£1 million) at a fundraising auction last Saturday. Medvedev, who is an avid photographer, took the black and white photo of the fortress from the air during one of his helicopter trips in Siberia.
The annual Christmas Letter event in St. Petersburg, usually features hand-painted scenes by famous politicians and celebrities. Each artist is assigned a letter from the Russian alphabet which he or she uses in creating a masterpiece that is later sold at the fundraiser. Money from the sales of the works is directed to a children's hospital, alcohol rehabilitation center and WWII veterans.
More picture from the event.
Pictures of the President with his camera.
Thanks to RIA Novosti for help on this report.

BAPLA Raises Serious Problems With The 'Digital Economy Bill'

From the BAPLA press release:click through at foot of this post for the full release

The British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies (BAPLA) is urgently calling for proposed clause 116B in the Digital Economy Bill, which could mean photographers and image rights holders losing the right to have a say in how their work is used, by whom and at what price, to be scrapped.......
....Paul Brown, BAPLA Chairman adds, “This clause could potentially destroy the principle of direct licensing, which is the most efficient means of ensuring that a rights holder is remunerated exactly and properly for the use of their work, and lose creators the right to control their own economic and moral rights. Imagine a photographer losing control of every image they shoot. Imagine not being able to instruct anyone how you want your work marketed or respected. Imagine not being paid directly for an image usage, but having to claim for a random share of an unknown pot of money. This is completely untenable and unacceptable.” ....

FULL PRESS RELEASE:

How the proposed Digital Economy Bill could kill parts of the photography business

For immediate release

The British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies (BAPLA) is urgently calling for proposed clause 116B in the Digital Economy Bill, which could mean photographers and image rights holders losing the right to have a say in how their work is used, by whom and at what price, to be scrapped.

BAPLA is extremely concerned Extended Licensing schemes will be wholly detrimental to the photography and picture industry as it will enable bodies outside the industry to grant copyright licenses in which copyright is not owned by the body or a person on whose behalf the body acts.

Thousands of companies whose role it is manage and market photography will, under these proposals, see their intellectual property rights as well as their living taken from them.

The Bill is currently going through the House of Lords and these changes are due to be debated imminently. It is imperative that these issues are dealt with in the right way by seeking proper and thorough consultation with the rights holders it will affect and assessing the impact of changes on a system which is already fulfilling the role required in a more efficient way than the new proposals suggest.

The creative industries have been operating against a background of copyright regulations that are growing hopelessly out of date in this new digital era and BAPLA applauds many parts of the Bill that support the longevity of our industry. But we view Clause 116B as economically unviable and would question its ability to work. Linda Royles, senior consultant to BAPLA, commented “There are some instances when photography transactions and relationships should and could be managed between clients and rights holders managed directly. However, there are 1000’s of instances when photographs must and should not be used due to the associated rights. For example these instances could be determined by the photographer (e.g. not to be sold in the US or in connection with a political ideology), they may be contractually agreed by the person in an image (e.g. all uses of the image of a celebrity must be cleared by their agent) or the object, building or skyline that appears in the image cannot be used without the appropriate permissions being sought (e.g. use of a leading brand logo may be considered an infringement of trade mark and many buildings and landmarks need approval before they may be used in a commercial context). Extended Collective Licensing carelessly assumes that all images can be treated equally.”

Whilst the Bill currently provides for an individual photographer to opt out of a blanket scheme – it doesn’t mean that their work will cease to be used in any extended collective licensing agreement. It just means that when you opt out you lose the right to claim the money that is being collected for the use of your work. This seems hardly fair; if you are against the principle of someone else having control over your work and your business, saying ‘no’ doesn’t mean no.

Many photographers do well from existing schemes that collect revenue, for example when a book is photocopied. So if these schemes are already running and in operation, it is unnecessary to single out one business model in law, in this Bill (116B) if the impact of this may be to the detriment of so many and the financial benefit of so few?

Paul Brown, BAPLA Chairman adds, “This clause could potentially destroy the principle of direct licensing, which is the most efficient means of ensuring that a rights holder is remunerated exactly and properly for the use of their work, and lose creators the right to control their own economic and moral rights. Imagine a photographer losing control of every image they shoot. Imagine not being able to instruct anyone how you want your work marketed or respected. Imagine not being paid directly for an image usage, but having to claim for a random share of an unknown pot of money. This is completely untenable and unacceptable.”

BAPLA also supports calls for changes to clause 116A to find a solution to the licensing of orphan works without prejudicing the copyright of photographers and other rights holders.
www.bapla.org.uk

New Site: CEPIC - soft launch

click above to explore the new CEPIC.org site

'The new site shows how the new CEPIC commitee is working for our Industry, from still photography to new media, in a time of transition. From now on you will see video clips, many more photographs and more useful information'.
'Our goal is to motivate you to become an active part of the CEPIC Community. You can get started right now with inputing your ideas to the blog. We want you to share ideas, with lively discussions and comments about industry topics for the benefit of all members and other interested people'.

Canon UK Roadshow - Get your Camera Cleaned For Free!

The Canon Professional Services (CPS) roadshow starts on Tuesday 26th January 2010 at Park Cameras in Burgess Hill concluding on Tuesday 30th March 2010 at The Flash Centre in Leeds.
- Bring along your 3 favourite images and get them professionally printed onsite with PIXMA Pro printers on different speciality and fine art papers.
- Get your professional camera bodies cleaned by our highly experienced Canon service technicians*. ........
Full tour details here: Canon.co.uk

NY Times May Have Pay Wall By End Jan

New York Times Chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr. appears close to announcing that the paper will begin charging for access to its website, according to people familiar with internal deliberations. After a year of sometimes fraught debate inside the paper, the choice for some time has been between a Wall Street Journal-type pay wall and the metered system adopted by the Financial Times, in which readers can sample a certain number of free articles before being asked to subscribe. The Times seems to have settled on the metered system.
Full article here: nymag.com

Picture Editor - Metrography - Iraq

Metrography is the first (and only) Iraqi photo agency. Our offices are in Sulaimaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan, but - we have photographers in every governorate across Iraq.

While the agency is still in its infancy, our market is the Iraqi press. However, once we've got the ball rolling, we'll be targeting the international press.

The Photo Editor's Position:
1. To caption and keyword the existing archive
2. To caption and keyword incoming photos
3. To stay on top of the news and make sure Metrography is covering it
4. To commission photo stories from around the country

The Photo Editor will have a translator to help with contacting the photographers as well as keeping on top of the news. The translator will be instructed to watch Iraqi satellite television as well as scan different news websites to help the photo editor.

Prerequisites for Photo Editor:
Fluent command of written and spoken English
A good sense of humor and lots of energy

Hours:
It will be a 5 day work week from 9am to 5pm, although the hours will be flexible as news ebbs and flows.

The position will be minimum one month. For the time being, there's no maximum...

$:
As I mentioned in the post, for the time being there just isn't the money to pay the Photo Editor. This is a purely volunteer position. I wish it weren't so.

As "payment" we can offer the Photo Editor:
Room and Board
A 3 month visa to Iraqi Kurdistan. FYI, this is NOT a visa to the rest of Iraq and CANNOT be used outside of the Kurdish region.
Transportation and Translation for days off when you want to go and do your own stories.

Start Date:
We're looking for someone to start within the next 4 weeks. Please let me know asap if this is possible for you.
We're also interested in summer positions, but I'll be in touch about those after the March elections.

Thanks again for all your interest.
-Sebastian and Kamaran - Contact: sebastian@sebmeyer.com

About Metrography:
Iraq's First and Only Independent Photography Agency
- We are a photography agency covering all 18 of Iraq‌s governorates from Al-Basra to Zakho.
- We use local photographers which gives us unrivaled knowledge and access in every region of the country.
- Our 65 photographers come from all the different regions of Iraq and speak Arabic, Kurdish, English, Assyrian, and Turkmen along with dozens of local dialects.
- We cover everything from News to Features, Sport, and Publicity.

Job: Photo Editor - Iraq

The Photo Editor's Position:
1. To caption and keyword the existing archive
2. To caption and keyword incoming photos
3. To stay on top of the news and make sure Metrography is covering it
4. To commission photo stories from around the country

As "payment" we can offer the Photo Editor:
Room and Board, a 3 month visa to Iraqi Kurdistan. FYI, this is NOT a visa to the rest of Iraq and CANNOT be used outside of the Kurdish region.
Transportation and Translation for days off when you want to go and do your own stories.
For full details of this job and others visit our Industry Ads page.

Obituary: Mark Ellidge - Sunday Times photographer

Timesonline reports:
Mark Ellidge, who died last Saturday, started working for The Sunday Times on June 1, 1971: his first staff assignment was to photograph the boxer Georges Carpentier. In those days photographers printed up their own film in a darkroom just off the newsroom. Almost 40 years later he was still at work for the paper, now whizzing his digital haul over to his picture editor by email from his computer. He was an early adopter of the new technology, astutely recognising how it would enhance his work. Yet somehow the old-style urbane, charming gentleman never went missing among the high-tech gadgetry.
Full obituary here timesonline.co.uk

WENN Exhibit Shows The Best Of 21 Years

Celebrity photo specialist WENN have a photo exhibition at New York City's famed Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Avenue, NYC, from January 8 through February 28, 2010.
WENN has assembled a vast array of candid celebrity images to produce a vibrant and compelling exhibition featuring the works of many of the world's leading celebrity photographers. From the gleaming red carpet to the dark side of celebrity, these are the very best examples of paparazzi, major award ceremonies and live performance photography.

Lloyd Beiny, CEO of WENN told photoarchivenews.com, "We're thrilled to be able to bring our exciting images to a unique venue like Chelsea Market, where thousands of people will be able to enjoy the best of our work from the past 21 years."
In addition, a 'virtual' version of the exhibition will be hosted online by AllVoices.com, who will also enable attendees to text commentary from the exhibit, which will posted online in real time.

Photographer & Photo Agency Directly In The Frame Over Royal Xmas Shots

Guardian.co.uk reports: Kate Middleton launches legal action against photographer.
'Kate Middleton is pursuing legal action against a photographer who took pictures of her on Christmas Day, a month after the Queen warned the media over publication of paparazzi photographs of the royals.
Law firm Harbottle & Lewis, which acts for the Queen and Prince Charles, is understood to be demanding damages from the photographer and Rex Features, which distributed the images, for invasion of privacy, and for the pictures to be withdrawn from circulation'.
Full story here: guardian.co.uk

Update here by Roy Greenslade at the Guardian: Why Kate Middleton's lawyers are pursuing paparazzo for harassment.
....It appears that she decided to take action because the photographer - now identified as Niraj Tanna of Ikon Pictures - pursued her and her family over Christmas......
It is even suggested that he was responsible for trying to obtain pictures of the Middleton family during their Christmas lunch. It is claimed that he was spotted with his camera outside the window of the Middletons' home.
More here: Roy Greenslade

Nancy Landin From Millennium Images

Self taught with powerful influences. Nancy Landin has exhibited her work in many groups and solo shows since 1991 to the present. She was published in issue 23 of B&W magazine “Solitude” given the cover image and a personal special spotlight section. Her newest colour work was featured in the November issue of COLOR magazine. Nancy has been represented by The Stephen Daiter Gallery in Chicago and most recently with Flatfile Galleries in Chicago. In October of 2008 one of her photographs was selected for a short story collection titled Things That Pass For Love. Her work hangs in several private collections.
UK based contemporary photography agency Millennium Images is offering reproduction rights to these images. View: Nancy Landin Portfolio

Be At The World Cup With Image Source

Customers purchasing any product directly from imagesource.com from the 1st January to the 31st March will be automatically entered into a prize draw to win flights, tickets and accommodation to Cape Town, South Africa. To tie in with the launch of the new Image Source Cross-Media product, customers will additionally gain an extra 10 bonus entries with each purchase of a Cross-Media Pack containing matched still images and motion clips, a special bonus which is exclusive to customers purchasing via imagesource.com as opposed to through an Image Source distributor. Full details here

FotoDocument - Offers Photo Documentary Commissions

Grants of £2,500 for documentary photography commissions.
FotoDocument has launched its first photo documentary project with the Environment as the theme. We will be commissioning photographers who have a proven track record in creating dynamic documentary photography and can present an exciting project idea highlighting solutions to the environmental crisis facing the world. Professional photographers who are interested to submit an application by 31st March 2010 : www.fotodocument.org/commissions.htm

'Author Pictures' From Lebrecht

Colm Toibin, Irish writer and winner of the Costa prize, and contender for outright winner of the Costa award, has had his portrait painted by the well known artist Zsuzsi Roboz. This painting (above) is not only uniquely represented exclusively by Lebrecht Music & Arts Photo Library but is part part of a large on-going commission of author portraits undertaken by Zsuzsi Roboz to celebrate the launch of the Lebrecht literary website at www.authorpictures.co.uk

Take Stock Now At The Image Works

Independent editorial stock photography agency The Image Works is now representing the photography of civil rights photographer Matt Herron and the Take Stock collection. Founded by photojournalist and activist Matt Herron, Take Stock focuses sharply on two subjects; the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Migrant Farm Workers Movement including images of Cesar Chavez. The Image Works is the exclusive licensing and distributing agent for Take Stock.

Dennis Stock, Magnum photographer, 1928-2010

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Dennis Stock, 81, on Monday night. A photographer with Magnum Photos for nearly 50 years, he was one of the first Americans to join the agency. Dennis was particularly well known for his intimate and now iconic photographs of James Dean for Life magazine, which were taken shortly before the young actor's untimely death in 1955. He’ll also be remembered for his unique and often atmospheric photographs of the New Orleans jazz scene of the late 1950’s, which were published in his book, Jazz Street. In the 1960's, he documented the world of the counterculture, ultimately publishing the noted monograph, California Trip. Later in life, he began to work more extensively in color, attracted especially to the natural world. Dennis was the author of 27 books and his work is in museum collections around the world, including the International Center of Photography, New York, the Chicago Institute of Art, and the Musée d’Arte Moderne de la ville de Paris. He will be greatly missed.

Here is how Dennis described his life as a photographer: "I have been privileged to view much of life through my cameras, making the journey an enlightened experience."
- Alex Webb, President, Magnum Photos

Dennis Stock images at Magnum

Dennis Stock 1928 - 2010

just breaking......
'It is with a heavy heart that we must inform you that Dennis Stock passed away late last night. Full statement will be issued later today'.
Announced on Magnum Photos twitter page.

Onne van der Wal Is AT Bluegreen

click for image selection

Originally a professional yacht racer, Onne vander Wal discovered his passion for photography while competing in an around-the-world yacht race. He used every available opportunity to capture on film the drama of racing across vast oceans, often dangling from a mast 75 feet above the rising swell. His work from this race launched his successful marine photography career - a departure from a life of racing to a life of "chasing" racers! click the image to view a selection of his images

Brian Duffy Documentary BBC4

'Brian Duffy was one of the greatest photographers of his generation. Along with David Bailey and Terence Donovan he defined the image of the 1960s and was as famous as the stars he photographed. Then suddenly in the 1970s he disappeared from view and burned all his negatives. With the first ever exhibition of his work due, Duffy has agreed to be filmed to talk about his life, his work and why he made it all go up in flames'.
BBC 4 - The Man Who Shot the 60s
Wed 13 January
9pm
Watch now: BBC Four
Brian Duffy is represented by Chris Beetles view a selection of images here: Chris Beetles

Job: Picture Librarian - NMM Picture Library

'We are looking for an experienced picture researcher to join our team. The successful candidate will be a diligent and communicative person with a meticulous eye for captioning and presenting images. We are particularly looking for someone to conduct in-house image research for future Museum guidebooks, exhibition catalogues and other publications'. Salary: £18,000 - £22,000 per annum.
For full details of this job and others visit our Industry Ads page.

Picture Librarian: NMM Picture Library

Job Description: Picture Librarian

The National Maritime Museum at Greenwich is the leading museum of its type in the world. Its Picture Library licenses the Museum’s images to commercial media clients across the globe, with www.nmmimages.com as our dedicated resource for image buyers. The Picture Library also runs a print sales business through www.nmmprints.com. The department’s primary remit is income generation and it sits within the Museum’s Commercial Division.

We are looking for an experienced picture researcher to join our team. The successful candidate will be a diligent and communicative person with a meticulous eye for captioning and presenting images. We are particularly looking for someone to conduct in-house image research for future Museum guidebooks, exhibition catalogues and other publications.

Reports to: Picture Library Manager

Main duties will include:

* Responding promptly to customer enquiries
* Sourcing relevant images and presenting them to image buyers
* Negotiating licence fees for image use and invoicing accurately
* Supplying digital files to clients via download, email or FTP
* Undertaking picture research for Museum publications and projects
* Captioning and preparing new images for our websites
* Researching print sales enquiries for fulfilment via www.nmmprints.com
* Collaborating with Commerce colleagues in Events, Publishing and Retail
* Advising colleagues on copyright and our image collections

Skills and experience

Essential:

* Picture library and research experience
* Experience of licensing images from external sources
* Confidence in learning and using digital asset management software
* Able to deliver projects with input from colleagues across the Museum
* A flexible team player with excellent interpersonal skills
* Strong negotiating skills, whether on the telephone or in writing
* Confidence with digital imaging and using Adobe Photoshop
* Educated to A-level standard or equivalent

Desirable:

* An interest in maritime history and/or history of art
* Experience using Capture image management software
* Sound grasp of copyright law

Terms and conditions:

The post holder will work a 41 hour week, core hours Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm with an additional hour to be worked in agreement with line management. Occasional overtime, often at short notice, will be required.

Salary: £18,000 - £22,000 per annum

For full details of how to apply please visit our website www.nmm.ac.uk/jobs

Topfoto Responds To Picture Researchers - Launches New service

'50 years ago today is now easy for you to see'

UK based picture library Topfoto have tuned their new homepage to helping you find a gem or two from the millions of images in their historical collection.
They have digitised pictures and captions for 1960 day by day. They are in the raw and you see the original images and captions with no watermarks when you log in with your username and password. To view the whole day’s production, just as the busy news editor did fifty years ago, visit www.topfoto.co.uk

Getty Signs Distribution deal With Washington Post

Getty Images has announced an editorial distribution partnership with The Washington Post.
'This strategic relationship provides customers around the world with access to imagery captured by one of the most respected news organizations, The Washington Post, and enables Getty Images to offer the most comprehensive editorial imagery coverage of today’s top stories'.
'Under the terms of the agreement, Getty Images will have exclusive rights to license The Washington Post’s imagery captured by its award-winning team of photojournalists to commercial and editorial outlets worldwide. In addition to its extensive political news coverage, The Washington Post also documents national and global issues, as well as sports and daily slices of life'.

Dennis Buys Health & Fitness Magazine

Dennis Publishing today announces the acquisition of women’s fitness magazine and website, Health & Fitness.
Currently owned by Hubert Burda Media UK Ltd, the acquisition of Health & Fitness extends Dennis Publishing’s fitness presence in the UK, which already includes the fast-growing Men’s Fitness magazine and website, events and numerous MagBook publications.
James Tye, CEO at Dennis Publishing, said: "The acquisition of Health & Fitness underlines our commitment to grow our publishing presence in the UK fitness market. This is in line with our intent to continue to grow Dennis Publishing as a whole and this is now the fourth acquisition we have made in the last 12 months. As a brand, Health & Fitness has tremendous potential, in print, online and overseas, and I look forward to welcoming the entire team to Dennis."

Sunday Mirror Reporter Killed And Photographer Wounded - Afghanistan

Mirror.co.uk reports: Tributes poured in last night for highly regarded Sunday Mirror war reporter Rupert Hamer, killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan at the weekend.
Gordon Brown praised the 39-year-olds courage, skill and dedication in bringing vital news from the front.
Dad-of-three Rupert was the first UK journalist killed in Afghanistan. Sunday Mirror photographer Phil Coburn was wounded in the attack that also claimed the life of a US marine and injured five other soldiers.
Full report here: Mirror.co.uk

Agencies In The Snow

Specialist Stock HQ - Bristol UK - "Business as usual for us… BT Business Broadband has finally come up trumps by being one of the few national services not to fold up under the weight of snow. Staff also working from home on shared server access".

send us your 'office in the snow' photo to: will@photoarchivenews.com

Harry Diamond: Photographer 1924 - 2009

The Times Newspaper Obituary - Harry Diamond: Photographer
Harry Diamond never enjoyed the recognition that he deserved as one of the heroes of British 20th-century photography. A rough diamond he was, but his acutely observed pictures showed a polish and hue not often seen in the canons of British photography. A street photographer by nature, he covered Soho in all its shady glory and its brilliant underbelly during the 1960s and 1970s. Luminaries appear in his photographs, some standing in the middle of Old Compton Street. Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Dan Farson, Bruce Bernard and Frank Auerbach, to name a few, were photographed by Diamond.
Full obit here:
timesonline.co.uk

Vocabulary - The Never Ending Story

'The cornerstone of any consistent keywording system is an excellent vocabulary. Investing time and energy into creating one is vital'.
It is possible - in fact much amateur keywording is carried out this way - to simply look at an image or video and decide what seem like worthwhile words to include. A template of keyword topics such as appearance, concepts and so on can help this.
Read the full article at keywording expert: Keywording Central

Looking For: Warhol Photo Archive

New York Times reports: In Search of an Archive of Warhol’s Era
.....Billy Name, who lives in a neatly kept apartment in a run-down house near the train station here, has never had to make that case for himself because his photographs have always done it for him. For seven years, beginning in late 1963, when Warhol gave him a 35-millimeter Honeywell Pentax camera, Mr. Name was the resident photographer of the Factory, capturing the perpetual swirl of superstars, celebrities and hangers-on......
....But sometime in the last two years, Mr. Name’s archive of negatives went missing. Mr. Name left it in the care of a photography agent, Kevin Kushel, a former director of The Associated Press’s photo archive who went on to form his own stock-photography company, and whom Mr. Name said he had not been able to contact for months. The disappearance of the negatives has alarmed not just Mr. Name and his circle of friends and supporters but also scholars, who describe the images as an important historical record of a pivotal time in art history.......
Read the full article here: nytimes.co.uk

Book: The Hero Inside

The Hero Inside is the officially authorised fundraising book for Help for Heroes, the charity founded in 2007 to support servicemen and women wounded in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Conceived and photographed by Gill Shaw, this inspirational book is a thought-provoking and, at times, emotional record of the experiences and traumas both on the battlefield and at home.
Gill will be signing copies of her book The Hero Inside, to raise funds for the www.helpforheroes.org.uk charity, at the SWPP 2010 Convention. Visit the Societies Book Shop stand (Chablis Suite), on Friday 15th January at 15:00hrs to have your copy signed by Gill. The book will be on sale throughout the Convention at the book shop.

Got A News Tip? - call 07802 437827

Have you got a story we can investigate or expand on? - send the details to will@photoarchivenews.com or call/text: 07802 437827.

NANO CALVO - The Natural Collection

At photo agency Image Quest Marine NANO CALVO submits some of her NATURAL COLLECTION giving a glimpse the serenity to be found on the Balearic Islands of IBIZA & FORMENTERA - click the image to view the set.

Mary Evans Launches 'story behind those pictures' Magazine

Historical images specialist Mary Evans have launched a brand new magazine, "ME & You".
'The magazine, which is compiled and designed by members of the Mary Evans team, aims to give picture buyers a more in-depth perspective on many aspects of the library's collection. Its first issue features a retrospective of the swinging sixties, a peek into fascinating material held on the notorious Mitford sisters and a set of topical illustrations on the crossword craze of the 1920s - to complement the prize crossword at which readers are encouraged to try their hand. Above all, ME & You is designed to be informative and to be enjoyed'.
MD at Mary Evans, Paul Brown, says, "Obviously, the focus will always be on pictures, but, as a historical image library, we also like to tell the story behind those pictures, and believe that the chance to read, learn and enjoy will still appeal to our customers."
The magazine will be sent to all Mary Evans users, to register for your copy email: me&you@maryevans.com

PhotoAsia Boosts Collection

Malaysia based stock photo library PhotoAsia has announced the addition of twenty-two new image collections that are available through PhotoAsia, bringing the total number of images to over 4,000,000.

New Rights-Managed collections include Glow Cuisine, Glow Decor and Glow Images RM by Glow Images Inc.; Prisma and Travelpix by Prisma Bildagentur AG; and Hornbil Images RM by Hornbil Images Pvt. Ltd. New Royalty-Free collections include American Spirit Images, Asiastock, Bold Stock, Gourmet Images, Health Head Images, Lushpix, Lushpix Illustration, Passport Stock, SassyStock and Value Stock Images by Unlisted Images, Inc.; Atoz by Prisma Bildagentur AG; Score by Alfo and Ink by Alfo Co., Ltd.; and Hornbil Images RF by Hornbil Images Pvt. Ltd.

APA Awards 2009 - Aurora Photographers Featured

Aurora photographers Celin Serbo, Scott Markewitz, Heath Korvola and Dennis Welsh were all honored by the APA Awards 2009. To view the entire winners gallery, click through Scott's image above.

Picture Allilliance supplies app pics

Wolbee publishing from Hamburg has used imagery from German based photo agency Picture Allilliance to produce it's first application for iPhone and iPod touch. Philipp Wolde, managing director of wolbee publishing said, "Picture Allilliance’s wonderful images easily made it possible for us to develop a children’s book combining pictures and sounds, which is fun to look at for children as well as their parents.”
The app called “animal babies & funny sounds” is available now at itunes.

New Magazine: goodtoknow Recipes

IPC Media has launched a new monthly magazine today: goodtoknow Recipes.
'A brand extension from the hugely successful www.goodtoknow.co.uk. goodtoknow Recipes hits the newsstand today priced £2.20.
The food monthly will target busy mums aged between 25 and 44, providing them with cooking inspiration, plus tips and advice to feed their families cheaply, quickly and healthily. Its 100 pages will be packed full of recipes, in addition to weekly meal plans, quick solutions and offers.'

Celebrity Photo Sales - WENN

Celebrity Photo Sales
The World Entertainment News Network (WENN), one of the worlds leading celebrity news & photo group of companies, is seeking an experienced celebrity photo sales professional to join its London sales team.

The ideal candidate will have at least 3 years experience in a photo agency dealing with the syndication of entertainment & showbiz photos and have good working relationships with picture editors on the UK tabloids.

The person we seek will have a lively and outgoing personality and will have already proven themselves in this highly competitive industry. We seek someone with a thorough understanding of the structure and machinations of a modern celebrity photo agency and the ability to instinctively assess the value of photos and the sales skills to realise that value.

This is a key position and as such the company is offering a most attractive package to include a top level salary, commission & bonus, which will be commensurate with the applicant’s experience.

WENN is a global operation, headquartered in London, England with offices in Los Angeles, New York & Berlin.

For more information about WENN, see our website at http://corp.wenn.com

A long term career in this exciting and colourful environment awaits the successful candidate.

Please email your application to :-
Lloyd Beiny, CEO, WENN
lloyd@wenn.com

Your application will be treated in strict confidence.
We regret that we are only able to reply to successful candidates.
WENN is an equal opportunity employer and encourages diversification in the workplace.

World Press Photo Contest 2010 Deadline

The deadline for applications is Friday, 8 January 2010, 23.59 Central European Time.
View 2009 winners

Paparazzi earnings report

Timesonline.co.uk reports - Paparazzi: A flash in the pan.
The paparazzi used to earn big bucks from snapping celebrities, but their moment in the limelight is over. - report by Giles Hattersley.
.......After a decade of steady pay for any old snap of celebrity detritus, in the past 18 months the spoils have shrunk. Dramatically.
“It’s got tough,” says Ken Goff, who runs GoffPhotos, a top agency that supplies candid sleb shots and red-carpet fare to the tabs........
Full article here: Timesonline.co.uk

Job: Celebrity Photo Sales

The ideal candidate will have at least 3 years experience in a photo agency dealing with the syndication of entertainment & showbiz photos and have good working relationships with picture editors on the UK tabloids.
For full details of this job and others visit our Industry Ads page.

Washington Times Cuts Photo Dept

NPPA reports: Washington Times Slashes Newsroom Staff, Wipes Out Photo Department
When owners of The Washington Times cut their 170-member newsroom staff yesterday, the entire photography department – with the exception of photography director Joseph M. Eddins Jr. and imaging tech Melissa Cannarozzi – lost their jobs.
....Calvert said the photographers picked up their papers and then it became clear how extensive the cuts were going to be. "All of us stood around in photo with our envelopes and realized, 'I'm out,' 'I'm out,' 'I'm out' ... and then we started moving our stuff out.".....

Full article here: nppa.org

Exhibition: Maverick Photographers

Work from photographers at Maverick Photo Agency is now showing at the Arts Complex in Edinburgh The exhibit highlights images from the UK, Europe and Asia.
-Main gallery on the 3rd floor.
-Until 14th January 2010.

Looking For Fleet Street - A History Of Press Photography

As part of an ongoing project at Photo Archive News we have been mapping the photo agencies and photographers who worked in and around Fleet Street. We aim to produce a 'family tree' to include dates, names and 'where-are-they-now' information to preserve and highlight the press photography industry - from the beginning. This information will be used to help find original owners of content and provide an educational resource centered on the history of press photography. Some agencies and press photographers are still located close to the famous street, but most collections have been sold into larger companies or have just disappeared.
Photo Archive News has already been involved in reuniting press photographers with their photographs particularly where a photographer was a staff photographer working for a fleet street photo agency. We have mapped the path of many newspaper photo libraries, many of them having been split between various owners over the years. Many sections of the photographic archives of newspapers and agencies are still lost or, in one case we know about, buried under tonnes of concrete!

The work will be ongoing, presented via a website and a book is planned.

We are now seeking:
- Project sponsors.
- Early press photographic equipment particularly telegraphic transfer machines.
- Stills and Footage of working photo agencies or newspaper picture desks.
- Signs, stationary, day books, press cards, written company details, staff lists, expenses forms, travel information.
- Press Prints with agency/photographer stamps on reverse.
- Photographer memories.
- A Fleet Street premises.
- Photo agency timelines (history), photographers names and acquired brands.

Services offered by the project - available NOW:
- Preserve or buy collections at risk or offered for sale.
- Photographic collection valuation.
- Photographic collection sales and acquisitions.
- Advice on storing negatives and prints.
- Advice on scanning and digital storage.
- Locating lost images - negative and print.
- Press Photo History magazine - quarterly.

To register your agency and for more info on the project contact Will Carleton tel: 07802 437827 - will@photoarchivenews.com