A Lighthouse, Contribution, and Giving Your Best

A lighthouse and it's keeper looking out across the sea as the storm clouds clear is a photograph of hope and the future and appropriate for a program to improve the lives of those less fortunate.

A Photographer’s Desire To Help

Photographer Gabriela Medina recently voiced a desire to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Sometimes speaking out can result in some pretty wonderful things. Lanny Ziering , CEO of SuperStock, picked up the ball and ran with it and has come up with a very cool program in which both agency and photographer can contribute and have confidence that their contributions will really make a difference.

Direct Sales, Global Distribution and Sustainable Development

SuperStock is working with Heifer International, one of the world’s most highly respected NGOs. The combination of SuperStock’s direct-sales machine and global distribution, and Heifer International’s expertise in sustainable development, can and will make a difference for less fortunate people not just in Haiti, but around the world. If you aren’t familiar with Heifer International, it has a unique program of providing needy people in under developed countries with everything from Heifers, to Lamas, to Goats, and even honey bees.  Check out their Gift Catalog…it really is an amazing program.

SuperStock, Heifer International, and Emetaworks

The way the SuperStock program works is that photographers assign Heifer International the copyright to stock photos they want to donate. Emetaworks will donate keywording services, and SuperStock will distribute the images, paying 100 percent of both the photographer and agency royalties to Heifer International. It doesn’t get any better than that!

A Lighthouse, Storm Clouds and Giving Your Best

My first contribution to this effort is the above image of a keeper standing watch on a lighthouse as storm clouds begin to clear…an appropriate image I believe for an undertaking to help those in need. The storm has passed and it is time to look to the future, to rebuild and start anew. This is an image I am proud of, and one I am confident will have an impact. When giving, it is important to give your best.

For more information contact Carolyn Nolte (Carolyn@SuperStock.com), Creative Director of SuperStock/RGB.

Design Your Photography Career Around Your Life

Plan your career around the life you want to have.

Helping others is an important part of a rich and rewarding life.


Super Models, Celebrities, and Priorities
When planning your photography career, and make no mistake, it is important to really PLAN your career, be sure you have your priorities worked out first. Is your priority to live a satisfying and meaningful life, to make lots of money, to become famous, to hobnob with super models and celebrities ( I once turned down a job to shoot the Rolling Stones because the shoot had to start after 1:00A.M. and I am NOT a night person)? Whatever you want your life to be, you are much more likely to achieve it if you plan for it. A plan does not mean a ball and chain either. You can change your plan whenever you like! But the point I really want to emphasize here, is that clarity in what you really want is essential.


Happiness and Money
The older I get the more I realize that my happiness isn’t totally tied to how much money I earn. Of course there is a monetary threshold that really does contribute to my happiness, but once I reach that amount there are so many other things that are more important. I won’t go into them all here…they actually sound a bit trite when I write them down.


Stock Photos, Profit, and Service
I made the choice many years ago to pursue stock photography and to let the assignment world go. I didn’t like the pressure…and I didn’t like shooting what I didn’t want to shoot. It has worked out well for me so far, though you never know and I might have to dip that toe back into the assignment world. But with my stock photo career I am able to use my photography to enhance my life. I figure out fun things to do and shoot, and then figure out a way to make those fun things turn a profit via stock photography. Lately, though, that hasn’t felt like enough. I am now adding a new element: service. I want to help others with and through my photography.

Stock Photos and Contribution
The Compassionate Eye is a organization founded by photographer Robert Kent in which photographers contribute via their stock photos. Robert has set it up so that Getty takes the images and gives the photographer’s share of the royalties to The Compassionate Eye. The Compassionate Eye has an interesting tactic of having everyone devote a Summer Solstice shoot to the cause. It is great fun for a good cause. They in turn use the stock revenue to build schools for 3rd world kids. They work with the parents to build the schools, as it has been determined that the greater the community involvement, the more long-term success is realized. It has been, and will continue to be, a great experience. The next step for me is to make service even more personal, a personal project that improves the lives of others. I am working on a solution for that…stay tuned!


A Career, and a Worthwhile Life
Getting back to my point, as you plan your career be sure and pay close attention to what makes life worthwhile for you, and how your career can work towards that, towards a truly satisfying, rich and meaningful life. Things to consider are where you really want to live, what do you really enjoy shooting, what kind of community you want to be part of, and how you can make room for both a photo career and the friends and family that grow increasingly important as we grow older. Don’t get me wrong, money is important. I do not miss those days of trying to decide which bills I could pay and which I would have to put off. And I cherish the ability to decide on the spur of the moment to take a trip, and not have such decisions weigh on me financially. What I want to remind you here is, just don’t forget the really important things!