"Going Back to Hong Kong"

At the time, I was fortunate and I knew it.

From 1991 to 2001, I would get on a plane and fly off to a country or region which sounded exotic and exciting, to make photographs for my Photonica, my wonderfully photographer-friendly stock agency at the time. In addition, a small selection of the images that I would make would also be used for a calendar by the shipping giant, Maersk. A few of the places that I photographed were the Canadian Rockies & Denali, French Polynesia, Patagonia, Western Europe and Africa. Those were definitely the "good old days"!

It was in 1995 that I traveled to Hong Kong and China, when it was still a British colony. Two years later it became one of two Special Administrative Regions (SARs) of the People's Republic of China. (The other is neighboring Macau, which I also visited.)

It was one of my favorite trips, but it was also one of the most difficult, because in those days I would fly into a major city, stay a few nights and plan the next parts of my trip from there. The circumstances were much more difficult in China, as I did not speak Chinese, nor did I have a guide. What an adventure! Fortunately I had worked hard to also get a corporate assignment by researching corporations that were doing business there; I found a client who was involved in the massive construction project that would become Hong Kong International Airport, or Chek Lap Kok Airport. That assignment helped to underwrite the trip.

The stock images from that trip still sell today, but it's been fifteen years, and it's time for another adventure.

On May 9th, I will fly to Hong Kong for two weeks, to make new photographs and to experience this bustling city once again. During my first visit, I was amazed at how dense Hong Kong was, and I was awestruck by the vibrant activity & colorful culture that was everywhere and I'm looking forward to going back.

(This time it will be a pleasure not to worry about hauling lead bags filled with more than 250 rolls of 35 mm film through airports; and the cumulative effect that x-ray machines might have on my film.)

Stay tuned and please email me know if you have any great tips regarding hotels & restaurants.

Forever is a long time....

During recent negotiations for the usage of one of my images in a prominent travel magazine by a well-known publisher,  I made changes to the all-encompassing/one-sided contract which was presented to me. Basically, the unaltered contract stated that the publisher could use the image in any way shape or form, and that they could authorize anyone else to use the image-FOREVER!
Ultimately the changes were accepted and I licensed the image for what I felt was a fair licensing fee.
Because of the changes to the contract, in the past year, I have licensed the same image to the Chinese, Korean, Italian and Russian versions of the same magazine for more than $2500, and I'm waiting to hear back from the Brazilian edition.


Moral of the story? Stand up for terms & conditions which are fair to both parties.

What is a "Corporate Image Collection"?

© Jake Wyman

When people ask me about the kind of photography that I produce, I tell them that for over twenty-five years I have been making photographs of people, places & things, mostly for corporations and sometimes that entails the creation of what I call, "Corporate Image Collections".

Basically, a "Corporate Image Collection" is collection/library of images for a specific client, showcasing relevant people, places & things. The client has the right to use the images as they like (yes, they pay well for this option). In some cases there is a transfer of copyright, but I've never been asked to do this. Retaining the copyright allows me to use the images for promotional purposes-such as on my website & mailings. Just to be clear, I would never use the images for stock.

For example, the image above of a young girl & her father in Bangalore India was one of the thousands of images which were made a few years ago as part of a huge project for the pharmaceutical giant, Novartis. The project took over fourteen months and we traveled to England, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and India, photographing actual patients and street-casting "real people" as models. Using "real people" saves considerable time and money, but working with non-professionals can be great fun and a challenge. The models were paid for about 30 minutes of their time and model releases were obtained.

Another more industrial "Corporate Image Collection" was created for APMT/Maersk, the largest shipping company in the world. We were commissioned to create a collection of images of worker portraits & the port activity at six of their ports and terminals around the U.S. The project involved spending a few days at each location photographing from the tops of cranes, on board massive container ships, and driving around the terminals, photographing stack after stack of colorful containers. And yes, it was as fun as it sounds!

Why was I chosen for the Novartis Project?
I'll explain in a future post.

More images can be found on our website:

www.jakewyman.com
and

www.corporateimagecollections.com

© Jake Wyman

©Jake Wyman

©Jake Wyman

©Jake Wyman

©Jake Wyman

© Jake Wyman

Contact us to find out more about Corporate Image Collections

jake@jakewyman.com

All images © 2012 Jake Wyman and may not be used without permission

A Jade Screen Update

In the previous post I mentioned a letter I had received from a woman who had visited the Huangshan Mt's., after seeing my Jade Screen Hotel image in Conde Nast Traveler, while she was receiving treatment for cancer.
Jamie's letter and a photograph of the magazine spread showing the Jade Screen image has just been released in the March issue. And once again, Conde Nast Traveler has somehow "dropped the ball", and neglected to give me a credit for the image! Instead, they gave a credit to the photographer who photographed the magazine spread! Aargh!

My contact at CNT has apologized and she has promised that it will show up as a correction in the next issue.

The good news is that the online version of CNT has published her letter and there is now a "Going To Extremes" slideshow from that story. Both include a credit & link !

Jade Screen Hotel & CNT-Revisited

Once in awhile I get an email or a note about one of my images which helps me feel good about being a photographer.

About one year ago Conde Nast Traveler licensed my Jade Screen Hotel image to lead a story called "Going to Extremes"; a portfolio of images of remote hotels from around the World. I wrote about it in a previous post.

In December, I received a very moving message from a woman in Montana who had seen the article.
With Jamie's kind permission, here is what she wrote:

 12/14/11

Jake, 
I saw your photo of the Jade Screen Hotel in Conde Nast Traveler when I was in the hospital undergoing intensive chemotherapy for leukemia. That picture was good medicine. It took me far away from a place that I really didn’t want to be.I saved that shot, even made it the wallpaper on my phone. It just made my jaw drop every time I looked at it—both because of the scenery itself and because of the magical way you captured it. It looked like something straight out of a fairy tale, so remote and elusive.When I finished my last treatment, I took my new lease on life and headed straight for Huangshan. I climbed those stairs, and I stayed! at the Jade Screen. It was a dream come true. Is there any way I could get a copy of that print? I feel like I have carried it around for many miles… or maybe it has carried me. 

And then.....

12/16/11

Jake,
Many thanks to you for taking that photo! From the first moment I saw it, I wanted to go there. On my way to China, I kept showing people where I was headed. Like me, no one could quite believe that such a place existed. Someday, I’d like to hear about your trip. How did you possibly discover Mount Huangshan?
BTW, thanks for asking about my health. I am in complete remission and done with all my treatments. It was a long haul, but now my hospital visits are simply routine checkups.

It really was a thrill to climb those steps.... such a far cry from the days when I couldn’t breathe without being on oxygen and when a few steps around the room was a major accomplishment.

Thanks again for inspiring me to go!

Jamie

Jamie & I have corresponded many times since I received her email, and she has sent a letter to the magazine, letting them know about her trip to the Huangshan Mt's. It will be published in the March 2012 issue of CNT.



Thank You Jamie! I look forward to meeting you someday!