Do you have a studio?
No.
Do you charge GST?
Yes. Stephen Kiers Photography is a part of AIM Design Inc and therfore is required to collect GST on all photo shoots, prints and weddings. Our GST number is 829332568RT0001
I am a photographer, can I shoot with you?
Please feel free to contact me via the online form. I am always interested in some quality help, and am more than willing to share my knowledge with assistants.
Do you do family, couple, etc pictures?
Yes. Although this is not my main field of work, I am available for portraits.
Do you do corporate photography?
Yes. In the past I have done architectural photography, real estate promotion shots, CEO portraits, advertising campaigns, food and drink photography, product photography and special event photography. Please feel free to contact me for rates and booking information.
What is Stock Photography?
Wikipedia says,
"Stock photography consists of existing photographs that can be licensed for specific uses. Publishers, advertising agencies, graphic artists, and others use stock photography to fulfill the needs of their creative assignments. A customer who uses stock photography instead of hiring a photographer can save time and money..."
Still doesn't make sense? This is how I usually explain it to the hundreds of people who ask me this all the time. If you think about it, whenever you see an advertisement by Nike, Visa or Apple Computers, you know that they went out and hired a advertising company, who hired a model, a photographer, got a location and paid exhorbant amount of money to get that advertisement done. Often one picture can cost thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars. Yet we see local businesses, churches and non-profit groups advertising all the time with great pictures, that we know they didn't spend thousands on. Where do you think they come from?
Most images in advertising come from Stock Photographers. What happens is a photographer, like Stephen Kiers, predicts what types of images are needed and takes them in advance. Then, when a business wants to run an ad, they simply go to a Stock Photography website and purchase and download the pre-made image for a fraction of the price.
How much does Stock Photography cost me?
Being a Stock Model costs you nothing except your time. All regular sitting fees and other charges are completely waived once you sign a Design Pics Model Release Form. You also may download all of the edited images from the shoot to print yourself, so you don't have to pay extra for printing.
If you want any pictures printed through Stephen Kiers Photography, you do have to pay for the price of printing, but that is your choice after the shoot.
What are stock photography images used for?
Stock images are used for a variety of design projects: websites, advertising, packaging, personal projects, Cd or Dvd packaging, multimedia presentations, commercials, books, greeting cards, posters, postcards, business cards, articles, software GUIs, church bulletins, menus etc.
Who represents Stephen Kiers?
Stephen Kiers is proud to be represented by the ethical, Christian-based Design Pics Inc, based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
What's in stock photography for me?
Not only do you get a full photo shoot with a professional photographer, but every image that makes 'the cut' and is submitted to Design Pics is touched up and digitally edited to be the highest quality possible. You get these magazine cover quality pictures for download.
You also don't pay a cent for the shoot. You get the regular sitting fee I regularly charge waived, and all images I take are still available to you for print. As well as any images that are uploaded to Design Pics are available for you to download free of charge (contact Design Pics directly for this service) after which you may print them at whatever printer you want as much as your heart desires.
If you own a company or lead a church, Stephen Kiers can take a company/church photo shoot, and you get copies for free. Larger shoots may even have multiple photographers attend, giving you more results, and costing you nothing.
For aspiring models, it is a great opportunity to get quality pictures taken for free, to perfect your craft.
One of the best reasons though is that you get the chance to see your face on product ads, the side of busses, book covers and more. Design Pic pictures have been featured in Kingsway Garden mall ad campaigns, Concordia College, various other local companies. A model once even found his picture on a "Learn English Now" ad in South Korea. The possibilities are endless, and a lot of fun!
What do I need to bring?
Attire and such will be discussed when a session is planned. Please have taken the time to read the Design Pic Inc model release. I will be happy answer any questions you may have regarding this release.
Can I bring a friend to a stock photography shoot?
The more people involved often make a better shoot, but please mention anyone interested in coming while planning the shoot. Please don't just have them show up.
How much are prints of stock images of me?
We suggest that you download the images and print images yourself at a printer of your choice. Since Stephen Kiers has already edited your images, you will get superior quality prints at the printer of your choice.
If you do wish to print via Stephen Kiers, then standard print charges will apply, minus a 20% discount.
How long will it take to get the images?
It will take several weeks for Stephen Kiers to choose images from today's shoot and process them for inclusion in the Design Pic library. Also note, there is a chance that no images containing your likeness will be uploaded due to various technical reasons. Contact Stephen Kiers if it has been over 2 months and nothing has appeared on the Design Pics library.
How can I use the copies I get?
You can copy them, send them to friends, print them, hang them in your house, use them as Christmas cards, make cool little pins for your friends to wear on their backpacks, etc etc. You can use the images in any personal, noncommercial way. You also cannot make the full resolution image available for download to the general public.
How am I protected?
Design Pics Inc is an awesome Christian company that goes over and above when it comes to morality and legal issues. Design Pics Inc's License Agreement says that,
"You may not use, or permit others to use, Images, or any portion of an Image, in such a fashion as to create or have the Image be associated with any pornographic, libelous, defamatory, obscene, immoral, demeaning, fraudulent or objectionable design, image, website, publication, document, record, or use of any kind; You may not use, or permit others to use, Images to create an endorsement or opinion, for or against, any political party, product or service, cause or organization or with respect to “sensitive” subjects which include by way of example, but are not limited to, hygiene products, promotion of sexual enhancement drugs, promotion of adult materials, sexual topics, sexuality, pornography, brochures with respect to child abuse, mental health issues, or similarly potentially controversial topics without express written permission from Licensor; Images may not be used in association with any discriminatory content, whether with respect to age, gender, racial or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, marital status, physical or mental handicap, or similar matters, or content constituting hate literature;"
You can read the entire agreement online by going to the Design Pics Website and clicking License Agreement at the bottom of the screen.
What if my picture is used unlawfully or inappropriately?
If you ever find a picture that is questionable, please contact Stephen Kiers or Design Pics Inc directly to look into it.
Can you tell me where I will see my picture?
No. Sorry but we are unable to keep track of the thousand of images sold every day around the world through hundreds of distributors.
What companies have bought my picture?
Like said above, we are unable to keep track of the thousand of images sold every day around the world through hundreds of distributors.
