About Photoconnect

Photoconnect was launched as a business in the middle of 2003. It was originally envisaged by Scott Hortop as a means of selling his own work in the most efficient and effective way, but soon other photographers were recruited and an unique model evolved. In expanding the site the focus always was on ensuring that the content was searchable by search engines to get content found prominently in internet searches and this was and still is was the particular feature that sets the site apart.

Since that launch the landscape of online delivery of photography has changed substantially. So called 'microstock sites' have given the many amateur and semi-professional photographers who want to see their images used an outlet - these sites rake in a small fortune while the majority of contributors never achieve enough sales so receive a cheque. Traditional agencies meanwhile enter into sub-agency agreements (often with sub-sub agency agreements, which dilute the return to the photographer. Against this background, more and more photographers look for ways to market directly to buyers.

Scott sells his images through Alamy.com, Getty Images and since late 2009 has been testing the water with microstock at iStockPhoto. He also uses Photoshelter, primarliy as a means of storing images and delivering sales made away from Photoshelter to clients.

At photoconnect he has built in facilities such that a contributor can link to Alamy enabling an instant download; he also enabled the reliable import of IPTC data direct from images into Photoconnect. So what photographers will be suited to using Photoconnect?

• the starting point is high quality subject matter that can sell
• descriptions and keywords already need to have been integrated into IPTC data in files
• images will be images qualifying to be marketed through multiple agencies
• photographers must be familiar with delivering images and dealing directly with buyers in a professional manner
• they should have specialisms and be willing to load a critical mass of images to Photoconnect

This is how Photoconnect should grow:

• The aim is to establish and nourish certain niche areas - key collections. This means that accepting contributors is not a haphazard process. Contributors are recruited around these niches.
• All the time that photographers are providing images, Photoconnect will be marketed to buyers through its unique performance on search engines, through on line directories and other means that use the internet as a tool. The name crops up constantly in searches and brand recognition grows.
• Photographers, knowing their niches, can help identify likely buyers. Photographers can engage in successful direct marketing by traditional selling methods.

The success or otherwise of Photoconnect will depend only partly on the quality of the images on offer. But many businesses with quality products have not worked. In this regard Scott's credentials are not based on his abilities as a photographer (this, after all, will not help other photographers sell their images) but on his knowledge of the internet and its business possibilities.

There is no bloated marketing budget or array of back room staff handling accounts and commissions. This means that Photoconnect will be around for a long, long time and as a photographer you are not investing your time in getting images to another agency that looks the same as the rest that might not be here next month.

When independent photographers work together through constructively linking their sites, and/or consolidating at sites like this, they can collectively challenge the large agencies that extract huge commissions while either demanding exclusivity or devaluing images by placing them with multiple sub-agents.

Find out more about selling here.

You can find much more about Scott and his background at his separate site, www.imageindesign.com.

Copyright

All photographs on this site are the copyright of the photographer. Please be aware that any use without permission will be charged at a minimum at the full market rate applicable to a traditionally licensed image. No volume discounts or other incentives shall be applicable in calculating this rate. Further, if you use without permission you accept that damages will be payable should the value of future or current earnings of an image be adversely affected and you also accept that fair time and other costs of recovering amounts due should be payable.