MAGNUM - a new website

[matthew_ogston]

Thanks JinJu for your response. Although Magnum is a co-operative, we still have to protect our assets, our images. I can assure you that although we ask for your phone number, we won't be bombarding you with sales phone calls! We just need a record of who uses our image archive.

Magnum are now almost 60 years old (birthday next year), so you can be assured that your personal details are safe and respected within Magnum.

Regards
Matt

[jinju]

I still dont understand why you need to know so much about me for me to simply look at the photos. Again, what use does a 400x350pix thumbnail with 10 watermarks all over it have, anyway? Who is going to use it?

As someone once said, from rebels to elitists in 60 short years. And judging from some of the work recently coming out of Magnum, this sort of calcification is taking its toll on the quality output.

[maciekda]

Rafal, come on, if you don't want to register then don't, what's the problem with providing your phone number? it is such a minor detail... they will never call you, unless you start buying their photos I guess. and you always can type a fake phone number if you really don't want to give your real one. and my new application has been accepted finally.

one thing I miss on the new website is that we cannot browse features done by photographers, before there was a list of photographers and under each bio there was a portfolio or selection of important features, and it was possible to browse them without loggin in
also we cannot enlarge photos in the recent features.

and it would be nice to be able to link to photos, many times we discuss photos here and it is hard to discuss sth without showing it

so what would be nice to have is to be able to browse some photos without loggin in - at least recent features and photographer' major features

but I must admit that after logging in the site works nicely, but sometimes you need to click much more than before to get somewhere

[greg]

There's no problem giving a phone number to a respectable organisation who have an understood and agreed use for it. Matthew says they're not going to call us up - that's good, but then why ask for the number? I presume, then, that they're not going to send me anything by post either - also good, so why the address? I might consider accepting some targeted emails - why not openly offer the choice?

I don't believe organisations collect databases intending not to use them. Of course I can can concoct more convincing details than "A. A. from Algeria, phone no. 1" - I could even give the real data, but I'd like to know why. Otherwise sooner or later the spam will begin arriving through my telephone...

[jinju]

Again, the point is this. The photos on the site are TINY. On the old site they were also full of watermarks. What good is a 300x250pix photo with 5 watermarks to anybody? Even to a thief? I mean why do they need any of our information? All I want to do is take a look at a few photos once in a while, certainly not to purchase or to steal. Basically this whole thing looks to me like the people at Magnum assume we are all thieves out to steal their precious images.

And we are told "hey, its easy, just register" only to have people rejected? I mean how do you reject somebody? On what basis?

Perhaps my admiration of Magnum has been really misguided. Yeah, they produce some good work, but is that all?

[Homerhomer]

I just got approved, at least now I can see the pics the same size as before, not being able to link them is a bummer.
Peter

[MKING]

I was approved two days ago, nice to be able to access everything but I don't like that I have to do so much more than before just in order to view 400X200 pixel image for more than 5 seconds.

MK

[matthew_ogston]

After listening to feedback on this and other forums, we have changed our policy back and now allow you to view the zoom/image detail pages without having to register or login. Therefore, you are again now able to link directly to images, e.g. Simon Wheatley, Lambeth Walk, London, or this one Jonas Bendiksen, Altai Territory, Russia.

Thanks everyone for your comments so far.
Matthew

[Homerhomer]

two thumbs up Matt.
Peter

[Luko]

And that'll make four thumbs up with mine.

That's some kind of decision seldom seen coming from established companies, and that should be to be put to your credit, Matthew!

Thanks a lot for putting our advice into the balance. We're not worthy, you know... ;) ...

Luko