Getty’s got a new scheme to turn flickr into a revenue stream. Now, flickr users can set their pictures up to have a “Request to License” link underneath all of their photos. When someone clicks that link, they will be directed by Getty through the licensing process. The licensing fees, all royalty free, seem to range from $5 to $425. Getty will keep about 70% of the licensing fee. The BBC has good coverage of the deal. And Amateur Photographer outlines why both amateur and professional photographers should be worried about the Getty-Flickr scheme.

‘Amateurs are not necessarily au fait with the value of their images and could be persuaded to license them to Getty for low rates, thereby undermining the rate that professionals work so hard to achieve.’ -John Toner quoted by Amateur Photographer

The previous Call For Artists partnership between Getty and Flickr, launched two years ago, drew a fair share of criticism. See on flickr member’s experience, entitled “I feel like I got screwed by Getty,” as an example. In the first two months, the photographer made about $200, but the royalties soon dwindled to just a few dollars for each sale.

(via Slashdot, of all places)

There is an incredible (and theatrical..) fire taking place right now in Beijing at the end of the Chinese Lunar New Year at the Rem Koolhaas designed Mandarin Oriental Hotel, which is part of the remarkable CCTV complex built for the Olympics. Link to New York Times’ story

(c) Reuters

I’ve started to peruse the images coming out, particularly from Getty Images Editorial (as of now you have to search ‘beijing fire’ to see), and they’re incredible and terrifying. Sounds like there weren’t many people in the building to be hurt, so there is some good news.

Keep your eye on this .. crazy event, insane visuals and plenty of interesting pictures to come. Hopefully too a big picture blog will pick this up .. cause I can’t find a decent sized image to see this anywhere! Looks like a Chinese lantern on its own, fireworks and all. Hell of a way the end the celebration… (pardon the joke..)

I just ran into this funny little film by Laurie Hill about the ridiculous requests that sometimes come into photo archives. The animation’s great, a bit reminiscent of Terry Gilliam’s Monty Python work. Hard to keep a straight face when a request comes in for a photo of Jesus or a dodo. “How about an etching, or a painting?” “Nope, we need a photo…and do you have a picture of Hitler at the 1948 Olympics? Or Neil Armstrong on the moon with a crowd of people?”