MINNESOTA-BASED STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY SITE ASSISTS NEW ORLEANS NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

The Art Institutes International Minnesota Photography program has developed a photographic database with an innovative mission: to provide photography to non-profit organizations in New Orleans.  Christopher Tetreault, a Web Design & Interactive Media student at The Art Institutes International Minnesota, created the NOLAstock, New Orleans, Louisiana Stock database.

In March 2008, The Art Institutes International Minnesota’s Photography program began a semi-annual program to study documentary photography in a travel and study format in New Orleans, Louisiana. The basis of this program is to instill a sense of community involvement and awareness in the students as they learn that photography can evoke great change. Additionally, the students continue to examine the concept of ethical practice in the field of photojournalism.

States Photography Academic Director Colleen Mullins, "I believe this site is the first of its kind.
NOLAstock was created as an access point for non-profit organizations to download photography when they need it.  It provides the organizations with high quality images to use in furthering their missions, but it helps the students have an efficient way to make these donations, while building their portfolios.”  Colleen is quick to add,   “Too much editorial and journalistic photography is based on first-response devastation imagery that ends up in a second market of gallery print sales with no meaningful long-term gain for the community from which the profit is being gained.  We are teaching our students to break that cycle.”

NOLAstock is a stock photography website that catalogs the images from the New Orleans' bi-annual travel and study courses made by Photography students attending The Art Institutes International Minnesota. Photography students wishing to participate in the NOLAstock program develop an account online, fill out the appropriate release form(s), and upload their photographs to the database.  The photographs are taken and sorted into different galleries for easy reference for various non-profit organizations in New Orleans.  Each non-profit organization also sets up an account with the site, fills out the online form which includes who is using the images, where are the images going, and how they will be used.  A notification to the photographer is sent so that the student photographers may update their resume accordingly.  For more information about the NOLAstock website, visit http://aim.aiiresources.com/nolastock.