Thousands of people produce parodies every day...but what if some of them are pretty funny ?
9 March 2008
Angry at the Metropolitan Police’s advertising campaign ? Then try one of these instead…
Overheard at Corbis this week...
27 January 2008
Overheard in a 6th floor boardroom at Corbis’ Seattle HQ: three men in black polonecks are having an intense discussion.
Oi! Minkey - Do You ‘ave A License For Zat Camerabehm?
16 December 2007
Like many people we here at EPUK Towers have been shocked – shocked! – by the recent incident involving Suffolk police and a self-confessed amateur photographer.
Stiffed By Staffs: It's Bubble Gum Nation
14 November 2007
Education is a good thing, of that we have no doubt. Broadens the mind, and in the case of a good university education, can set one on the path to a glittering career. Sadly, professional photographers are often critical of the standards – especially the business standards – set by UK universities when it comes to the teaching of photography. So it’s heartening this week to learn of an award-winning university-funded scheme that seems set to teach photography students some business realities.
New From EPUK: Plodshop Creative Suite™
3 November 2007
In keeping with EPUK’s tradition of innovation, we are this week proud to announce the launch a new software suite for professional photographers. First Strike™, developed by Warren Terror Software, is designed to address major security issues in industry standard photo manipulation software such as Adobe Photoshop and Tesco PhotoRestyle.
Night Of The Blunt Nibs
28 October 2007
Oh. My. God. Not again. In truth we’d rather stick pins in our eyes, sub an edition of The Journalist and struggle for a correction from Jeremy Dear – all at the same time – than return to the subject of the Union Whose Name We Dare Not Speak. But some things will not be denied, and the National Union of Journalists’ latest initiative, the grandly titled Commission On Multi-Media Working, has created such a rumpus it would be churlish to ignore it. Those of a nervous disposition should look away now.
If only she'd had breakdown insurance...
14 October 2007
And this week’s prize for tasteful and appropriate advertising goes to the Sun, with it’s highly appropriate adverts next to it’s pop-up slideshow of photographs from the it’s coverage of the Diana Inquest…
Dotcom 2 : The Movie
7 October 2007
Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth with Nikon Fs things were simple. Photographers took photographs, writers wrote, newspapers and magazines published information that readers wanted or needed enough to pay for. Advertisers paid to reach readers and publishers tried to put together titles that tempted both to part with their money, whilst unions sought to balance the interests of their members against exploitation. Then there was TV, a different medium altogether, populated by people with clipboards and strange job titles.
The NUJ's Parallel Universe
28 September 2007
Some people are just s-o-o sensitive. Take one Kyran Connolly for instance. Earlier this month the woefully ill-informed National Union of Journalists Book Organiser queried whether the union had any involvement in running EPUK [please, stop sniggering at the back]. This was during the Emergency National Executive Committee meeting where Connolly and his cronies were busy putting the boot into Irish photographers.
Kidnapped By The Forces Of Freedom
25 August 2007
There was justified and highly public rejoicing last month when BBC correspondent Alan Johnston was released 114 days after being kidnapped by the Army Of Islam in the Gaza Strip. This was hardly surprising: four months of enforced hospitality in a Middle East basement is nobody’s idea of fun. But now that the fuss has died down it’s interesting to compare Johnston’s ordeal with that of some other journalists held against their will.
Climate Camp Clampdown
17 August 2007
Woolly liberal types, democrats, press freedom lovers and actual working journalists and photographers might be best avoiding west London for the next few days. On the other hand the British Airports Authority, nuclear power companies, would-be leaders of the world’s most polluting nation, tinpot dictators and trigger happy cops will feel right at home at the Heathrow Climate Camp.
The NUJ’s War On Photographers
26 July 2007
We’re kept so busy at EPUK Towers following the antics of big time scam artists that it’s easy to overlook the little guy. At first glance they don’t come much smaller than the Drogheda Independent, a weekly published in a small town on an island off the west coast of Britain. And it’s true that the paper is resolutely parochial: recent front page stories included ‘Woman uses child to steal teddy bears’; ‘Local men face trip to Dublin for semen tests’; and ‘Father Crilly fraud trial resumes’.
The 12 Step Course To Cash Free Pictures
20 July 2007
We’re sometimes accused of being a hard-hearted bunch at EPUK Towers, but occasionally we see a plea that truly melts our collective heart. One recent such was this on the UK Press list:
‘My name is James Watson and I am a first time editor on a Yorkshire newspaper. I was wondering if anyone could advise me on how to get my hands on free images for general news stories? It is increasingly difficult to have a high impact front and back page with limited options for quality up-to-date pictures!’
The Pornographer, The Virgin, The Flickrite, Her Lawyer
3 July 2007
Question: what do a virgin and a pornographer have in common? Answer: they both pick up under age girls on Flickr and have their way with them. If you’re tired of reading about Flickr rip-offs – and who isn’t? – you might feel inclined to skip this week’s blog. But stick with us: this one is worth it.
Every Day Is Non-Photography Day
30 June 2007
You’ve heard of it: now’s your chance to be part of it! In anticipation of the Second World Non-Photography Day on July 17 EPUK is proud to announce the Every Day Is Non-Photography Day ® contest, with great prizes, including your chance to win a Non-Photography Diploma: free!
One hand Schmapping
23 June 2007
If the first Dotcom bubble was all about selling imaginary businesses to stupid venture capitalists, Dotcom 2.0 seems mostly to comprise ingenious new methods of grabbing free photos from gullible amateurs on the wide-eyed web and repurposing them to make a corporate mint. Crowdsourcing is the buzz, and few venues are as crowded with willing sources as photosharing site “Flickr.”
Dear Portrait Photographer, Thank You For Your Submission, You Suck…
1 June 2007
Photographers looking forward to Visa Pour L’Image, especially those who had submitted work for consideration, will have been happy to receive this year’s preliminary press release: until they read it. For the twenty page list of exhibitions is prefaced by an editorial by Visa Director General Jean-Francois Leroy that can only be described as brutally frank.
Zooomr Stumbles After Flickr Fumbles
26 May 2007
There’s nothing new in business rivals exploiting their competitors’ misfortunes to promote their own companies. So when the Great Rebekka Rip-off scandal erupted last week it was no surprise that the ‘Flickr=Censorship’ campaign was led by one Thomas Hawk.
The Web Giveth, The Web Stealeth Away
16 May 2007
It’s no secret that Web 2.0 has provided a launch pad to success for people who previously would have found it difficult, if not impossible, to achieve their aims. And nowhere is that more true than in the photo business: step forward Rebekka Guoleifsdóttir.
Th*s H**dl*n* C*ns*r*d B* *d*b*
8 May 2007
Recently some people have reached the conclusion that Adobe® are nothing but a Shower Of Greedy Bastards®. News that the latest version of the company’s flagship software – which cannot be named for legal reasons – is priced substantially higher in Europe than the USA has led to unkind accusations such as Rip-Off®. But there may be another reason. Perhaps Adobe® are Simply Bonkers® [patents pending].
Deadbeats
4 May 2007
Every so often a television programme comes along that is so utterly wretched, so totally lacking in any redeeming features whatsoever that the only solution seems to be to stuff the neighbour’s cat through the screen. Right now, Deadline is that programme.
Small Forum At Alamy: Not Many Hurt
29 April 2007
An Alamy executive once quipped that he could only bear to read the Alamy forums while peering out from behind the settee. He was referring of course to the unofficial forums back in the bad old days before the agency decided to get in on the act themselves with the Alamy Blog.
Cashing In On Flickr
20 April 2007
At last week’s VII European seminar photographer and agency founder Gary Knight commented in an aside that he was scared of Flickr although not quite sure why; sharp eyed audience members will have noticed Getty’s Aidan Sullivan nodding in agreement. But now, right on cue, up pops one Dr Augustine Fou to provide the why.
Trouble In TinyTown
1 December 2006
The citizens of TinyTown are not happy.
TinyTown, for those who haven’t visited, is where contributors to microstock agencies such as iStockphotophoto, Shutterstock, Fotolia and others gather, in part because the agencies’ own forums often take exception to the language of their contributors. Yes, it’s the C-word again: censorship. Fed up with the mysterious termination and disappearance of threads critical of their agencies, the microshooters launched a forum where they could discuss their 20-cent careers free from interference…
This season, the cool photographers are mostly wearing scarves…
23 February 2006
“Spend two and a half days with the photographers of VII”. I’d rather not, thanks. Have you ever seen such a dour bunch of miseries ?