As the holidays approach and we look forward to the New Year, we reflect on the many positive changes of 2009.

• A new and improved web site
• Better marketing of our Rights Managed collections through brand highlights
• A 50-percent reduction in average product load time
• More valuable creative research through global macro briefs
• The opening of the Sygma Preservation Facility to protect over 50 million images
• The critically acclaimed Storied campaign celebrating the 20th anniversary of Corbis
• A launch into the microstock market with Veer Marketplace

Your commitment and contribution to Corbis and Veer continue to make these critical and exciting endeavors possible. We look forward to our continued partnership, and we wish you and your family a peaceful holiday season and a happy New Year!

Corbis teams attended several industry events over the past few months to discuss challenges and opportunities, including:

• PACA International Conference (Miami) – Corbis talked with channel and media partners to strengthen relationships and discuss growth strategies.
• PDN PhotoPlus Conference (New York) – Corbis met with industry associations to listen to ideas, discuss market challenges, highlight the company’s progress, and address concerns.
• User-Generated Conference and Expo (New York) – Veer Marketplace sponsored a panel discussion about the microstock business and connected with other users and creators of user-generated communities.

Corbis recently signed a letter by the Copyright Alliance to President Obama asking him to recognize, respect, and advocate for creators’ rights. Nearly 10,000 artists — representing the full spectrum of creative disciplines — have signed the letter. Add your name.

Images from the recent Renewal macro brief are in the spotlight on corbisimages.com. This stunning collection was recently featured in the customer-facing Best of Corbis e-mails and on the Corbis Twitter feed.

Other specific initiatives to increase market share include more aggressive investment in search engine marketing, search engine optimization, and customer conversion and retention strategies.

Congratulations to UK-based Corbis photographer Ed Kashi, who was one of the 12 finalists of the 2009 Prix Pictet. Kashi’s series Curse of the Black Gold: 50 Years of Oil in the Niger Delta also earned him the Prix Pictet Commission to visit Madagascar and produce a series of photographs.

PHOTOGRAPHY NEWS

Corbis recently launched Blink, a new Rights Managed collection. Blink was created in response to a growing need for authentic, youthful imagery. It’s culturally diverse, expressive photography and is a fresh and highly current resource for commercial licensed imagery. See the show reel.

While there is an overwhelming need for up-to-date images of tourist destinations, there’s an even greater demand for images of people traveling — either in specific or generic destinations. Travel is one of the best subject categories to embrace the spontaneous, realistic photography increasingly requested by customers. Find out more or contact your art director/editor.

In September, we sent you the latest macro brief. The Us Generation focuses on baby boomers who contradict stereotypical behavior. The deadline for this brief is January 21, 2010. If you have questions or require shoot assistance, please contact your art director/editor.

Some of your work seen around the world recently.

MOTION NEWS

There has been a lot of excitement lately — in both the stills and motion communities — over the current crop of DSLRs. Able to shoot 1080p HD video with stunning results, these cameras open up exciting possibilities.

Although Corbis Motion does not currently accept DSLR submissions, we are exploring how to do so in the near future. If you’re interested in experimenting with one of these new DSLRs, visit Cinema5D or DVX User.

Corbis Motion recently revamped its submission ingestion process. To take full advantage of our streamlined selection queue, we encourage all contributors to submit their metadata and releases digitally, along with their content submissions.

Please complete the Shot Log form as thoroughly as possible. The more information you can provide, the better we can keyword your content, and, ultimately, the easier it will be for customers to find your clips. Finally, please include model and property releases with your submission. If you have any questions, e-mail motioncontributors@corbis.com.