PhotoStockNOTES http://photostocknotes.com/psn/ Can I Sell My Photos Online? The Answer is Here! en-us Nucleus CMS v3.51 © Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://photostocknotes.com/psn//nucleus/nucleus2.gif PhotoStockNOTES http://photostocknotes.com/psn/ http://photostocknotes.com/psn/index.php?itemid=3211

--]]> General http://photostocknotes.com/psn/index.php?itemid=3211 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:43:32 -0400 http://photostocknotes.com/psn/index.php?itemid=3210


July 29th 2010
]]> General http://photostocknotes.com/psn/index.php?itemid=3210 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:43:12 -0400 http://photostocknotes.com/psn/index.php?itemid=3205



Keeping Up




Technology these days has wings -- sometimes rocket fuel. Both stock photobuyers and photo suppliers have learned that by paying attention they can keep up -- and by keeping up with the changes - they can survive. The good news is that the standard rules for success in our stock photo industry haven’t changed.

The photography budget for a medium-size publishing house is between $20,000 and $40,000 monthly. For a major publisher, it's twice that amount. Stock photographers who have said, “ I want to sell my photos,” have learned to identify certain markets that match their own areas of interest. Once they become a "regular" at a specific publishing house, they receive a steady stream of photo requests and assignments.

One way to succeed in our new digital era is to avoid failure. Here are some marketing mistakes you want to avoid:


CREATE FIRST THEN FIND A MARKET

This number one is probably the most oft-repeated marketing mistake. Creative people tend to produce their product first and then attempt to find a market for it. This is a recipe for disaster. The Boulevard of Broken Dreams is strewn with bodies of creative people who never learned: "Find the market first, and then create for that market."
This doesn’t mean just “take whatever sells.” It means identify markets that want photos in the subject areas you like to photograph.

SPREAD TOO THIN

When you try to be all things to all people in the publishing world, with a huge variety of offerings, the photobuyer's reaction is: "No one can be that good!" Discover your photographic strength areas, and go for them. Many entry-level stock photographers try to go after the whole pie rather than a piece of the pie.
Become a specialist. Don't photograph everything you see. You'll burn out. Stay within a "segment" and become an expert in your area(s) of interest. This way you’ll earn recognition for your “brand.” Learn to speak the language of your interest areas. Become an expert in the area, or a select few areas, you like to focus on. You'll become a valuable resource to a specific group of photobuyers out there. If wild horses can't pull you away from your goals, you'll succeed. You'll fail or get bored if you aim for only those markets that “pay well.”

FOR SOUL NOT FOR SALE

Writers rarely can get their poetry published, and even rarer is getting paid for it. Similarly, in the stock photography field, don't expect your 'artsy' pictures to be frequent sellers. Consider them your poetry. Ask yourself next time you're taking (making) a picture, "Is this for sale or is it for soul?" Spend Sundays to take pictures that feed your soul, take nuts and bolts marketable pictures during the week to feed your family.

PASSING THROUGH
Give the appearance that you are a 'permanent' resident. Creative people as a group tend to change their address once every five or six years. Photobuyers shy away from the vagabonds, the wanderers, no matter how talented they might be. Buying photos is a business and photobuyers want you to be where they expect you be and to be businesslike in your dealings with them, and that means being 'reachable' five days before deadline. Your e-mail address will keep you reachable, wherever you are or move to. Stick with it, don’t change it.

LOOKING LIKE A BEGINNER

If you appear to be ' just starting out,’ photobuyers will pass you on by. They don't have the time to hold your hand or "train" you. They'd rather spend their time with someone who is "hassle-free". You should give the appearance of looking like a pro. Build a simple but quality website. Correspond on quality stationery, labels, and envelopes. Aim to get on the photobuyer’s “white list.”
If your photo specialty matches the photobuyer’s publishing theme (gardening, car care, environment, etc.) he/she will put you on their contact list.

TECHNICAL FAILINGS

Want to read more?
http://www.photosource.com/psn-article/frontjump.html]]> FrontPage http://photostocknotes.com/psn/index.php?itemid=3205 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:20:00 -0400 http://photostocknotes.com/psn/index.php?itemid=3208

For our recent 2010 Survey of Photobuyers, Mikael Karlsson of PSI asked photobuyers this question.

If you receive a great electronic promo piece from a photographer, are you likely to forward it on and share it with colleagues in your office/business?

Answer Percentage
Yes 50.85%
No 23.73%
No answer 25.42%

Mike's Comment:
This is an important aspect of marketing and something to keep in mind. If the recipient of one of your promotions like what you have to offer he or she will likely share it with others. Not only does this give your marketing piece much more impact, but it also gets your name out there with a positive note. As in, “...that photographer who just sent us that neat promo piece that NN shared with the rest of us”.
This kind of marketing is something money can't buy. Not only does your message get spread. It gets spread by someone who likely has a lot of goodwill with his or her colleagues. Try it out on yourself. If someone you respect and trust comes to you with an offer from a store, are you more likely to react positively compared to if you see an ad from that store in the paper? The delivery method – in this case the photobuyer you initially sent your promo piece to – can make or break any marketing campaign. If you are fortunate enough to get extra spreading power for your marketing pieces consider yourself lucky because it is likely to make a big difference.
This is also a good challenge to yourself to keep up the good work. See it as a challenge that the next marketing piece you send out should be better than the one sent before. This way your promotional pieces get better and better and you'll reach more and more people. Which in turn will reach more and more people because some of these “new” photobuyers that get to hear about you and your stock photography through their colleague are likely to license images from you spreading your name/credit line even further.
Consider the “spreadability” of your electronic promotional pieces. Small files are better than large one. Uncomplicated image files (such as JPG, TIF etc) are better than animations or huge slide-show files. Avoid anything proprietary like the plague. If a recipient has to install new software simply to view your promotional materials chances are your stuff will never get even looked at. As with all marketing you want to make it easy for your recipient to access and view it. Add ease of sharing your promo pieces with others as well because this is absolutely something you want to encourage.

http://www.photosource.com/shop/index.php?app=ccp0&ns=prodshow&ref=ps2008
]]> Sidebar http://photostocknotes.com/psn/index.php?itemid=3208 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:00:00 -0400 http://photostocknotes.com/psn/index.php?itemid=3213

FINDERS KEEPERS -- Ansel Adams Trove, or a Pile of Glass? Negatives Purchased for $45 a Decade Ago at a Garage Sale Stir Controversy Over Authenticity; 'It Could Be Anyone'. Experts enlisted by the negatives' owner said the images were early works by Adams, famous for photographing the West. If authentic, they would represent rare works from the '20s and '30s. A set of 65 glass photographic negatives was identified Tuesday as vintage work of Ansel Adams by a team of experts enlisted by the owner, eliciting cries of skepticism.
If authentic, the negatives, purchased for $45 at a garage sale 10 years ago, would represent a major addition to the body of work attributed to the iconic American photographer. SOURCE: Wall Street Journal. Lauren A. E. Schuker at lauren.schuker[at]wsj[dot]com http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748703292704575393671879091924-lMyQjAxMTAwMDIwODEyNDgyWj.html

]]> How-To http://photostocknotes.com/psn/index.php?itemid=3213 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:50:00 -0400 http://photostocknotes.com/psn/index.php?itemid=3168


NIGHT WORK -- Night Photography Tips For Exceptional Photographs. Photographs taken between the hours of dusk to dawn are generally referred to as night photography. Photographers taking photographs at night usually have a choice between using a long exposure, exposing the scene for seconds or even minutes, or using artificial light. http://photographytechniques.phoenix-blogs.com/night-photography-tips-for-exceptional-photographs/


BE YOUR OWN MODEL -- From HINXU. “If you can stay aware and observant you will find your own life can provide some great inspiration, locations, models and more. Your life can be a great source of inspiration for your stock photography. I am going to provide a number of examples of how I have used my life experiences including visits to the doctor and even my own surgeries to directly benefit my stock photo career. Stock pictures are all around us, but often we just fail to realize it. SOURCE: HINXU. http://www.hinxu.com/turning-doctor-visits-into-hot-selling-medical-stock-photos.html
TAKEAWAY: Ths idea is laudatory but the part about avoiding people in your pictures is faulty. –RE

PLAN AHEAD -- Often times we find ourselves just being wherever we are, taking advantage of what light is available, taking pictures of what sights are available. It really helps to know, ahead of time, exactly what you want to photograph, and how you want to photograph it, for any particular destination. Here are a few tips. http://www.beyondmegapixels.com/2010/07/plan-your-shots-ahead-of-time/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BeyondMegapixels+%28Beyond+Megapixels%29
]]> How-To http://photostocknotes.com/psn/index.php?itemid=3168 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:50:00 -0400 http://photostocknotes.com/psn/index.php?itemid=3178

OLD FAITHFUL -- US Congress still a loyal customer of the print - With the launch of the iPad, the internet, social media, mobile applications ... who is still reading the newspaper? Congress has not forgone the print and still remains a loyal customer of the paper version. In total, Congress spends roughly 1.2 million dollars a month on news and research. http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2010/07/us_congress_still_a_loyal_customer_of_th.php

]]> Book Publishing http://photostocknotes.com/psn/index.php?itemid=3178 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:40:00 -0400 http://photostocknotes.com/psn/index.php?itemid=3171

GET SEEN -- Press Releases That Win Publicity for Photographers - When it comes to spreading the word about a photography business, large or small, nothing is more effective than a write-up in a newspaper or an appearance in the news. Not only do you suddenly get all of the recognition and awareness that usually costs a fortune in advertising dollars, you’re also seen by viewers as an expert and an authority. http://blogs.photopreneur.com/press-releases-that-win-publicity-for-photographers?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PhotopreneurBlog+%28Photopreneur+Blog%29 ]]> Marketing Tips http://photostocknotes.com/psn/index.php?itemid=3171 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:35:00 -0400 http://photostocknotes.com/psn/index.php?itemid=3198


]]> Lesson http://photostocknotes.com/psn/index.php?itemid=3198 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:30:00 -0400 http://photostocknotes.com/psn/index.php?itemid=3172

ETHNIC DIVERSITY -- Photo Buyers Still Asking for More Ethnic Diversity in Images - For as long as John Griffin has been running CutCaster, he’s been hearing the same request from buyers. They want to see more “everyday” people in stock inventories, they tell him, and in particular, they want to see more “ethnicity” represented. http://blogs.photopreneur.com/photo-buyers-still-asking-for-more-ethnic-diversity-in-images?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PhotopreneurBlog+%28Photopreneur+Blog%29 ]]> Business Notepad http://photostocknotes.com/psn/index.php?itemid=3172 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:25:00 -0400