Photographer-owned Viewfinders has redesigned its Web site with an emphasis on improving search. The 10-year-old Portland agency that focuses on imagery of the Pacific Northwest also implemented PLUS Packs, the standard developed by the Picture Licensing Universal System Coalition.
According to the company, the streamlined site redesign was based on buyer input. Viewfinders chose what it refers to as a headache-free visual approach: founding photographer and owner C. Bruce Forster stresses the lack of Flash intros and annoying pop-ups.
While many in the industry still question the validity of the PLUS system, mainly because of its perceievd complexity, Viewfinders sees the introduction of PLUS Packs as a way to simplify rights-managed image licensing “by providing conveniently bundled rights packages, and eliminating the need to select granular license details, such as image size, quantity and placement.” Viewfinders managers say that PLUS Packs eliminate confusion while retaining scalable rights-managed pricing.
Forster also says the agency is growing. While Viewfinders plans to continue sourcing images from Pacific Northwest photographers, it has added a number of new artists to provide a wider offering with a stronger emphasis on portraiture, sports, adventure and lifestyle imagery.