On the Ground at Visual Connections in NYC

On Wednesday, October 25, 2017, a small throng of “picture” professionals gathered in the Grand Ballroom of the New Yorker Hotel.

These are the folks who decide what we see in magazines, book covers and calendars, on TV and film, and in all sorts of advertising. They came to see what's new in from the world of photographers and videographers.

A Visual Feast!

Over 50 visual imagery agencies were represented, ranging from stock providers like ShutterStock, Adobe Stock, and Alamy to highly specialized archives like the Grand Ole Opry and Medical Stock Images. Walking through the ballroom, you see a constant flow of stunning photos, gorgeous aerial footage, compelling historical moments. Eye candy galore!

The first thing you notice…. historical imagery predominates. Granger and NorthWind Pictures offer images showing scenes dating back to the Stone Age. Really!  Everett Collection features the history of the entertainment industry. Historical video collections include Critical Past and NBCUniversal, both with fascinating reels from the major episodes in the past century.  Lookandlearn is a collection of images derived British weekly educational magazine for children published by Fleetway Publications.

Some of the more specialized categories get really interesting. Illustration Web has an array of stunning images from over 150 illustrators, artists and animators.

Medical Stock Images offers engaging photography and illustrations for all types of clinical and diagnostic situations.

And of course, Map Resources, with an extensive stock map collection, plus a service for creating custom maps anywhere in the world.

 

Learning about Licensing Images

In addition to the perusing the latest imagery, participants got fantastic insight into the complex world of image licensing with panelists from CBS, Adobe, ShutterStock, and Cowan DeBaets Abrahams & Sheppard (a copyright law firm). All 4 panelists are steeped in the world of image licensing and provided great insight based on their work experiences.

The discussion touched on basic licensing topics such as editorial versus commercial use, releases, and licensing models. Then came a bevy of examples and questions from the audience which really helped to clarify some of the thornier points.

The moderator, Cathy Aron on Digital Media Licensing Association, directed folks to the association web site for information on licensing.