Sunday, November 22, 2009

NEW TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY AGENCY

I have collaborated with a number of other photographers to form a web site called Circle Stock Images. "Circle" alludes to the fact that we're from all around the globe, and hence circle it. Here is our recent press release:

Stock Travel Photography Agency Launched by International Photographers

Circle Stock Images is proud to announce the launch of its stock photography web site, circlestockimages.com, featuring stunning travel-centric images from around the globe.

The site was created by a small team of photographers to provide photo buyers with better access to the photographers and their images. On large stock photography web sites, photo buyers are often overwhelmed by inappropriate results from online keyword searches when seeking a specific travel image. Circle Stock Images’ tightly-edited collection, however, means searches are quicker and more relevant.

The photographer-managed agency differs from traditional photo agencies by offering commission-free competitive pricing and the ability to contact and negotiate with member photographers individually. All the features found on other stock photography sites, including themed galleries, lightboxes and keyword searching are provided. Low resolution watermarked comps are also provided at no charge.

Through the site’s e-commerce facility, buyers can instantly download high resolution files and pay using PayPal™ or major credit card. Other payment methods and terms may be negotiated with individual member photographers as appropriate. This flexibility is one benefit of the photographer-managed agency versus more traditional ones.

Member photographers are located in Estonia, Germany, England, Thailand, Canada and the United States. Between them, they have captured over 45,000 beautiful images of the people, culture, scenery, food and environment of every continent.
The collection is constantly growing as members continue to travel to new locations. Upcoming destinations are China, South America, Australia, Hong Kong and Europe, as well as specific U.S. and Canadian regions. Contact Circle Stock Images to determine approximate dates and times.

About Circle Stock Images:
Circle Stock Images is a web-based collaboration between photographers from various countries, offering competitively-priced stock photography for travel and related markets. The web site, circlestockimages.com, features individual galleries submitted by member photographers. Keyword search capability is provided on the home page and accesses all galleries. Pricing is set by each photographer, but a common pricing model is used as a guideline. Contact information for members is also available on the site.

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Wednesday, November 04, 2009

TABLET SAVES MAN'S WRIST (MAYBE)

For quite some time now, I've been trying different ways of relieving wrist pain from mousing all day long. Special "floating" wrist supports that move with the mouse as well as bandaging up my hand and wrist so they don't move relative to each other may be helping, but aren't totally relieving the situation.

As far as I know, I don't suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome. My doctor looked at it, said "ganglia", then quickly changed the subject. It's a small bump at the base of my thumb, where the wrist starts, that supposedly contains bundled nerves. Presumably, I pushed them all there by leaning on it continuously while mousing. Thanks,doc.

Most people would say "Change jobs", but as a technical writer and photographer, tearing me away from FrameMaker and Photoshop are not options. The pain from this condition is quite distracting. I feel like Hercules after a haircut; with grip comes pain, so I've effectively lost strength in my right hand.

I had a V8 moment recently. The bonk on the forehead came when I read a product announcement in a photography magazine about pen and touch tablets. Due to my finely-honed reasoning powers, I went "Hey - I'm left handed. If this tablet thingy replaces a mouse, I can give my right hand a rest".

They're not expensive, so this weekend, I trotted out and bought one. While every new device requires some adaptation time, I'm loving the concept. With the supplied pen (or stylus), I can navigate menus and precisely touch up photos. I don't use the touch feature (like the glide pad on laptops) as much, but do find it handier than the pen for scrolling through documents.

It's early days yet, but it certainly feels good not to be leaning continuously on my "bump". Will it allow my hand pain to cure on its own? Maybe not, but I'm willing to look into exercises that will.

I just wish I had thought of it sooner.