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Photos Are Words
Here
at Photosource International we look at keywords and keyphrases from a perspective
different than most. Subjectively, rather than objectively. The old school way
to identify an image was by a “caption.” The present school is by
a keyword(s). And since the Digital Age is telling us the future is here, the
new school more precisely is by ‘keyphrases.’
Once users of the new search world on the Net realize they can look for very
specific image content the same way they can search out a specific ethnic restaurant
in a distant city, with keyphrases, keywording will advance to a new level.
Speaking of levels, buyers are getting to know they can please their clients
because they can target their searches down to more specific layers (levels)
than what was accessible by the old library science way of single-word searching.
We’ve all experienced the amazing speed and near-precision of today’s
search engines. And if you don’t find it on Google, you can try an assortment
of other search engines.
And now comes the issue of typing in those keyphrases. Spellchecker software
is fostering a situation where people today pay less attention to spelling correctly,
the same way hand-held calculators made the previous generation less able to
multiply and divide. Both buyers and photographers would do well in many cases
to identify images sought or images available by using several spelling “variations.”
How do you spell Ariondack Mountains? Or is it Aridondac? Because keywords may
be misspelled by both buyer and seller, here are some suggestions for keyword/keyphrasing:
Rule #1. Use many words and phrases to specify each image, including various
spellings of some key words. You never know how a supplier will spell them,
and you want to be sure to catch the variation that they might enter. And don’t
rely on Google to ask you if you meant “Adirondack.” You might miss
finding that needed photo.
Rule #2 Be subjective. If you are using keywords from a thesaurus, dictionary,
or keywording software, you can be sure that others are doing the same. The
result will be over-use of the same standard keywords. Yes, use keywords and
keyphrases that include standard emotions, identifications, nuances, but also
include highly specific info about a needed image.
Rule #3 Keyphrases, along the principle of on-line payments to the bank, and
credits to a merchant, are, in reality, money. Treat keyphrases and words the
same accurate, thoughtful, precise way you treat on-line exchange of funds.
Rule#4 Images can be a retirement annuity for a photographer and an inheritance
for their heirs, and a gold mine for photobuyers and researchers.
A number of photographers are keywording their photos and making them available
at museums, universities, and other institutions.
Many photographers have had 95% of their slides returned to them from former
stock agencies now taken over by Corbis, Getty, Jupiter, et al. How important
are these historical images? A good indicator is what Corbis has bought collections
for in the past. The Bettmann Collection (an historical file that includes pre-Nazi
Germany), 11,000,000 pictures, was bought for $1.23 an image. The Turnley brothers’
collection (documentary photos of the recent past), 600,000 images, was bought
for $3.83 per image. If you figure $2.53 average per image, a collection of,
say, 100,000 edited and keyworded images, could be worth $253,000.
Increasing numbers of images are being put collectively on the new largest-in-the-world
database of photos, the Internet. And thanks to extensive keywording and keyphrasing,
these images are increasingly easy to find and utilize. -RE
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