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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 'micropayment 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 also sells his images through Alamy.com. He built in facilities
such that a contributor could link to Alamy enabling an instant
download; he also enabled the import of IPTC data direct from images
into Photoconnect. These and other features were put there because
they fitted with Scott's workflow. They will also fit with the
workflow of other photographers and Photoconnect is now, going
into 2006, looking to align itself firmly with photographers whose
workflows and aims fit with Scott's:
- start with subject matter that can sell
- capture it professionally
- integrate descriptions and keywords into IPTC data in files
- market through multiple agencies
- be willing to deliver images and deal directly with
buyers in a professional manner
- use stock as the base to illustrate one's abilities to accept
commissions
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 until a critical mass of images
in the various niches is attained.
A new area can then be turned to and the process repeated.
- 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.
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