Marketing
iStockphoto has announced a new app that lets anyone create fast, fun
and free e-cards for use on Facebook. Customer surveys have revealed
that e-cards have become more acceptable and often preferred to
traditional cards.
Corbis Images (
www.corbisimages.com) and The Associated Press (
www.ap.org) are rolling out a monthlong social media photo showcase called “Perceptions.” The showcase on Facebook seeks commentary from people who view selected images from the cross-distribution collaboration between the two companies announced in January.
According to an eMarketer study in 2012 U.S. marketers are expected to
spend more on online advertising than on newspaper and magazine ads
combined. Marketers are expected to spend $39.5 billion this year compared to $33.8 billion on print.
Given the existence of these contributors stock photography is unlikely to be a dependable way to earn a living in the future. Those that are trying to earn their living taking pictures should focus on getting assignments or doing something that guarantees a certain level of compensation before they undertake the work.
Recently I wrote about
PhotoShelter’s survey of 500 buyers of stock in their new Free guide to
Selling Stock Photography.
PhotoShelter has published a new Free guide to Selling Stock Photography that can be found and downloaded
here. The guide includes results of a survey of 500 buyers of stock that shows which collections they search most frequently.
The big distributors are missing a huge opportunity to capture an even larger share of the market than they already control. Learn how visual search could help them grow revenue and take market share from the small suppliers.
Recently, a new stock agency asked if they should develop a pricing
strategy based on fixed prices, or prices based on how the images would
be used? Here are some things to think about.
SuperStock, a leading stock photography agency specializing in
Contemporary, Travel, Fine Art, and Vintage imagery, has launched
SuperFusion, a new collection of value-priced royalty-free images
gathered from around the world. The collection features images from top
professional photographers including microstock stars Yuri Arcurs, Ron
Chapple, and Andres Rodriguez.
Many who enjoy photography and have had some success at licensing rights
to their images dream of quitting their “day job,” giving up a regular
pay check and taking pictures full time. This story offers a few things to
think about that apply both to photographers who hope to do commercial
assignments and those who want to license rights to stock images.
Corbis Images (
www.corbisimages.com), has highlighted nine of its signature collections and described some of what went into the thinking when creating the collection. The imagery in these collections ranges from commercial images, to unforgettable moments in history to natural wonders and iconic celebrities.
Stipple Marketplace, the San Francisco based company with the goal of turning editorial images into e-commerce storefronts for consumers, has developed a system that allows publishers to earn money from the images they publish, not just sell ads around those images.
Spaces Images is a niche agency founded by people and lifestyle Jonathan Ross about a year ago. However, there are no people in the pictures this agency represents. In tracking 13 years of sales he and his wife and business partner Amy noticed that
many of their best selling images did not include people. They then set out to build
SpacesImages.com a collection that contains property released images of
locations where man lives, works and plays, but without any people in
the images. Most of the have strong graphic and design elements.
In an effort to engage with the next generation of picture professionals,
Alamy and
Dreamstime have launched separate initiatives to benefit students.
According to
eMarketer world advertising spend is expected to be about $500 billion this year. The online portion of this spend will make up about $80.2 billion, or 16.1% of the total. By 2015 online advertising spend is expected to reach $132.1 billion and be 22% of total advertising spend.
Masterfile has upgraded its website with a suite of timesaving tools for creative professionals. "The new
Masterfile.com is a game changer. It makes the task of sifting through millions of images an enjoyable, rewarding and ultimately creative experience," says Steve Pigeon, President.
Equidyne Holdings LLC, innovating in the field of digital and visual media, has announced the launch of a new subsidiary,
Visual Steam. Visual Steam is a new kind of sales services organization supporting the content licensing and creative services industries. The company’s goal is to generate revenue for clients. Visual Steam offers contract sales services to handle all or part of a client's sales efforts, customized training programs, workshops and complimentary marketing services.
In May Peter Phun published an article on BlackStar Rising entitled “
It’s Time for Pro Photographers and Hobbyists to Call a Truce.” The article has received a lot of comments. I would like to weigh in with my thoughts on the difference between professionals and non-professionals.
PhotoShelter (
http://www.photoshelter.com) has released a new e-book entitled
The Photographer’s Guide to Selling Like a Pro. The book provides photographers with concrete strategies and firsthand insight on how to grow a photography business through better sales tactics. It provides key business tips direct from veteran sales leaders in the fields of advertising, automotive, travel, insurance, and home shopping industries.
Getty Images has notified agencies (Image Partners), whose work is currently being licensed by Photolibrary, of Getty’s intention to “retire” (close down) all the Photolibrary websites during the last quarter of 2011.
Given Internet capabilities, society is rapidly moving away from
Business to Business (BtoB) transactions and more toward transaction
where small Businesses sell all types of things direct to Consumer
(BtoC). Some images will continue to be used in major ad campaigns and
there will be other sales of stock photography at traditional prices,
but the number of such requests will decline. Meanwhile image use by small businesses and individuals will increase dramatically. Photographers need to start focusing on how they can prepare themselves for the new market.
PhotoShelter (
http://www.photoshelter.com) has unveiled a full redesign of its e-commerce checkout process in addition to several new e-commerce features that can help photographers sell more images from their PhotoShelter websites. Over 70,000 photographers use PhotoShelter websites and tools to sell photo prints and products, or license their photography as rights managed, royalty free or personal use downloads.
At the CEPIC Congress in Istanbul a panel of Asian stock agents provided insights into the current market for stock photography in Asia. The panel included: Sandeep Mahewsari of Imagebazaar (
www.imagebazaar.com) in India, Daphne Fu of Panorama Images (
www.panoramastock.com) in China, Daniel Kang of Image Republic (
www.irepublic.kr) in Korea, and Ryusel Yoshimoto of amanaimages (
www.amanaimages.com) in Japan.
Have you given Getty Images exclusive rights to represent some of your
images? Are those same images available for licensing on Veer or Corbis
under the brand name Ocean Photography? Many photographers will be
surprised to discover the answer is YES. Photographers who produced images for PhotoDisc and Photographer’s
Choice RF have recently found some of their images on Veer being
marketed through the Ocean Photography brand.
Stipple, a San Francisco-based technology company, has released a suite
of products that will turn editorial images into e-commerce storefronts
for consumers. The principle behind this new development is that
consumers often want to purchase something that is pictured in an
editorial image. It might be a T-shirt, a dress or the jeans a celebrity
is wearing; or a purse; or shoes; an electronic gadget; or golf clubs –
you get the idea. How does the consumer find the brand name of product
pictured and where to buy it