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[Now that my iMac is down, I’m taking the opportunity to catch up on some of my writing.]

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Back in April, I mentioned that Getty Images, the well-known distributor of image content, was interested in about 40 of my images.

At the time, I was wondering whether I should go ahead and license my images to them.  Since most of them involve people, the paperwork involved for submission was going to be a bit of a hassle.

After pondering it, and also taking into consideration some of your comments, I decided to submit just three.

After that, I kind of forgot about the whole thing.

Well, while I was away in August, I received an e-mail from Getty informing me that the rights to one of those images, Christmas at the Toronto Beach (the image above) had been purchased, and that I would be receiving a royalty payment for it some time in October.

Sure enough, the payment arrived a couple of days ago.

The amount:  US$154.50.

After accessing the Getty Contributor website yesterday, I learned that this amount represents 30% of the total Getty was paid, and that my image was licensed for world-wide usage, for a duration of two years.

The intended use?  Greeting cards (my guess is that you’ll see it on a Christmas card near you).

This was a bit of a learning experience for me, so I’m glad I did it.  Having said that, I don’t know if I’ll be submitting any more images to Getty.

I hope that this post was of interest to those of you considering licensing your own images.

—Peter.

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I’m currently having trouble with my almost 3 yr old iMac.

It’s faithfully helped me post-process all of the images you’ve seen on this site, both film and digital, but over the last few months it has slowed down to a crawl.

Often it just freezes, necessitating a re-start.

So, I had it checked out over the weekend and it turns out that the hard drive needs replacing.  It since has been sitting in my local Apple store, and is currently in “repair” status, so I haven’t been able to process any new images.  Instead, I’ve been posting my previously prepared images using another computer.

(The “spice” has to keep flowing, after all…)

As it turns out, I’m not the only one with the same problem…  a few days ago, I received a message from Apple, stating:

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Dear iMac owner,

Apple has determined that certain 1TB Seagate hard drives used in 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac systems may fail. These systems were sold between October 2009 and July 2011.

Our records show that you have an iMac with an affected 1TB Seagate hard drive. Apple will replace your hard drive with a new one, free of charge, under the iMac 1TB Seagate Hard Drive Replacement Program.

Please choose one of the following options to get a replacement hard drive.

• Apple Retail Store – Set up an appointment with a Genius.
• Apple Authorized Service Provider – Find one here.
• Apple Technical Support – Contact us for local service options.

Apple recommends replacing your affected hard drive as soon as possible. Before you go in for service, please back up your data. Learn more about backup options.

Additional Information

You will need to have the original Mac OS installation discs that were shipped with your iMac in order to reinstall your operating system, other applications, and any backed up data after your hard drive is replaced.

This worldwide Apple program does not extend the standard warranty coverage of the iMac.

Apple will replace affected 1TB Seagate hard drives, free of charge, for three years from your iMac’s original date of purchase or until April 12, 2013, whichever provides longer coverage for you. Apple will continue to evaluate service data and provide extensions to this program as needed.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,

Apple Inc.

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So, if you’re having trouble with your iMac, check to see if yours is affected.

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As an aside, along with the hard drive fix, my computer screen is also being replaced free of charge (thank you AppleCare), because it started developing some horizontal dark banding in the upper left corner.

I guess I could complain about my computer falling apart, but instead I’m pleased that Apple is standing behind its product, and its extended warranty.  Thank you Apple.

And, since I intend on holding on to my Leica M9, I don’t have a pressing need to upgrade this iMac.  Hopefully, when I get it back, it will give me a few more years of service.

—Peter.

“Hello Peter.

I was reading Steve’s [SteveHuffPhoto.com] and [this] led me to your wonderful pictures. Then [this] led me [to] thinking how do you shoot?

Do you “wear” your camera? Do you have those “one-a-day” projects?

And I LOVE your 21+1 from ’12 and 11 from ’11.

Then it led me to think again. Are the pictures “out-of-the-camera”?

Do you use photo shop to achieve those colours? Or it that really Leica magic?

Keefe.”

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Hi Keefe,

I often “wear” my camera, but I don’t really have a “one-a-day” project (having said that, I often post a photo every day on my site).

None of my photos are presented as they emerge out of the camera.  I shoot in DNG (RAW) format which produces rather nondescript files, so it’s up to me to work with the images and shape them as I see fit.

I use Aperture with Nik plug-ins for my post-processing.

And I try to learn as I go along… continuously.

As for Leica magic?  For me… yes.  It’s a combination of having a camera that suits my shooting style and that is accompanied by great optics.

Thanks for writing,

—Peter.

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“Hi Peter,

I love your work.

Read your article about shooting your family with the best gear on Steve Huff. I am located in [USA] and wonder if you have any private sessions on editing digital photos rather than walking sessions. Just wondering what that might cost… Thanks a ton.

Pete.”

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I’m often asked about my post-processing (see a previous Q&A here) and sometimes get a request — like the one from Pete above — to use my  1-on-1 teaching sessions as a tutorial for post-processing.

I therefore thought it might be useful to post my response to Pete:

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Hi Pete,

Thank you for writing.

To answer your question, I’ve always thought of the 1-on-1 teaching as an opportunity to teach anything… and I often do.

The only problem with teaching my post-processing is that I don’t follow a “cookbook” approach.  It’s a creative thing, so it doesn’t lend itself well to a “Step1, Step 2…” approach.

Having said that, I do have some techniques that I’ve developed over the years.

I’d be open to teaching them, but I would need you to supply a laptop loaded with Apperture (or Lightroom) and some of the Nik plug-ins (not absolutely necessary).  My fee would have to be the same for 2 hours, as I charge for time and not content.  And then you’d have to figure in your own travel costs.

So, as you can see, it would be pricey for you.  I will leave it up to you as to whether you think it’s worth it.

Either way, thanks again for writing, and for your kind words.

Cheers,

Peter.