August 24, 2010 by pmelcher.

I don’t know, but it seems to me that the advice in this book are good for any stock shooter, not just Microstock

If you don’t take this opportunity to find out a little bit of what Ellen Boughn knows about this industry, you are making a HUGE mistake.

Posted in license, commercial stock, Midstock, Search, Royalty free, prosumer, Microstock | Print | No Comments »

July 15, 2010 by pmelcher.

Stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about your clients. Here and there, and almost everywhere you hear, or read, photographers and photo agencies complaining about this or about that. Their complains can be resumed to : ” But what about me”

Always starts with “I “. I used to make more money, I used to shoot this, I , I , I. aie.  Maybe the reason you are not making any money is because you do not think about your clients. They have shifted, evolved, not because they wanted to, but because they had to. Budgets or content, they needed to find other sources of photography. You, as you were continuing to think about “I”, you lost them.

The funny thing about sales, in any business, is that you always know how and why you gain new clients, but you never know why you loose them. They are tons of matrix to analyze  where new clients come from, what they do, how they purchase from you. But if they stop visiting you, you never know why. The reason is obvious : they are gone and you cannot communicate with them.

However, it is one of the most important piece of information that you might ever need; Why do you loose clients. Sure you can speculate. It’s my competitor pricing, it’s because I am too good, etc, etc. Because you do not have any hard data, the assumption is that it’s always someone else fault, not yours.

Well, recession or not, your clients retention should be the most important activity you have. You want them to come back, over and over again, even if you are not the cheapest. Because, unlike your new clients, you know them, their needs, their payments, their tastes. So much emphasis is made these days in new client marketing while nothing is done for current customer retention.

The same you probably managed to grab someones customer, someone else will take yours. Because you obviously do not care. You want new, now. Shouldn’t your growth of your business be measures as much by how many customers you retain than how many new you sign up ? Do you pay attention to their needs instead of looking for new markets ? Sure you can find yourself a niche, but what happens to your faithful customers, will they follow you ? Do they even care if you tweet ?

So turn the chair around. Stop looking at what you could do and focus on what can be done. Stop wasting energy ( and cash) on prospect and start fixing the leaks. Why are you loosing clients, why do they go for cheaper ? Do they feel that your content is not worth that much anymore? Did you even notice they left ?

Start building a sound and safe foundation instead of thinking about the tower . Sure new client marketing is cool and graphically challenging. But your stuff was cool too for those that still purchase from you. Why ignore them? So stop with the”I” complain and start listening to them.

Posted in technology, lens, commercial stock, focus, license, transaction, photojournalism, Midstock, editorial | Print | No Comments »

February 1, 2010 by pmelcher.

Finally..all in one place. Micro and traditional RF have finally united in one, simple to use, website. The entity behind it ? Well, Getty Images, of course. Some were already playing with it, others were staying away from it, Getty jumped in it, two feet at a time.

No more of this ridiculous RF branding that presupposed that RF image buyers are actually faithful to brand like they would be to a car manufacturer ( oh, dear, I only buy Honda’s) . They need an image quick and easy, and that’s all. They don’t care if it was shot by Joe Boobleeboo or that guy that grossed millions of dollars last year ( ya, right).

Because the pricing is by subscription only, there is no price comparison. Thus images are downloaded based on their value to the customer, not by how much they save. Amateurs are now on the same level as super pros ( are they any left in the RF space ?) . Meta search engines like SpiderPic can stuff it as the cannot compare pricing.

Getty has finally broken a few old barriers here and fighting back against its odd competition. Shutterstock, as well as the Alamy’s and other volume based image banks must be shaking in their winter boots. There is volume her, there is extreme ease of pricing, there is very strong search capabilities and most important, there is superb ease of use. No more of this pricing on size, no more pricing based on collections (or brand), no more of different offering/different sites. All in one place.

Furthermore, once downloaded once, an image can be used over and over without any additional license fee. Thus big companies ( book publishers, corporations, small image intensive design companies) can easily create a in house database and store images until they need them again: for free.  Why need to go anywhere else? This is going to suck the air out of a lot of RF based businesses ( that was predictable) by attracting a lot of customers.

Pay once, download once, use infinite time is something that we are probably going to see expand like a wildfire through the industry for a multiple of reasons : Poor or nonexistent DRM, inefficient tracking systems, expensive legal process, especially for RF.

This new launch by Getty will certainly have a huge impact across all aspects of the RF photo sector. It will be very interesting to see who will try to compete via others means, and those that will just decide to shut down. One thing is sure, there is no turning back now.

By the way, this is the same model that they plan to roll out for editorial usage very soon. (more on that another day)

Posted in license, technology, commercial stock, Midstock, Search, Royalty free, getty, prosumer, Microstock | Print | 8 Comments »

January 18, 2010 by pmelcher.

When smart people are combined with top end technology, something magical happens. Spiderpic is such a example. Brainchild of Ginipic, who had already launch a multiple database desktop application, Spiderpic is not only an image search portal but also serves as a price comparison site.

To top it all, it is very simple to use : enter a search parameter and hit enter. You will be offered a variety of images  from different sources. Up to now, nothing really revolutionary. However, once you decide which image is right for you, you can click on it and there it will show you its price on different site. Same image, same size, all the  different prices. Thus, you can make the right choice and purchase it at the lowest licensing cost.

Of course, SpiderPic only works with microstock companies for now. but it works extremely well. The implication of such a deal are multiple. First, if widely used ( it is in Beta for now), it will drive the microstock companies into a price war that might leave many on the floor. It might also convince more users to go exclusive with one provider, as too avoid a drop in their revenue. Finally, it will put a full stop at the slowly growing cost of microstock.

Since about 90% of the microstock content is available on different competing sites, price shopping, especially with such a great application, will certainly be the new microstock sport very quickly.  The company, Spiderpic, will make its income via the referral programs of the  providers. The more usage, the richer they will get. Furthermore, since the hole process is automated, they can run it with as low as two people.

Some microstock companies might be tempted to block access to their database to hide their prices. Not a good idea if and when Spiderpic becomes popular. They might just be ignored by image buyers altogether. Others might decide to make their pricing less obvious, by having a very low call price, enhance at download time by “hidden” fees. Finally, others might require more obstinate memberships ( Shutterstock, subscriptions, etc) in order to keep their current customer base.

Regardless, this tool will put the microstock industry in a tale spin, forcing  marketing department to find other means to attract buyers than just low pricing . It will also make very difficult for  any company wishing to increase their prices to do so without loosing a lot of customers. Finally, its ironic, that the microstock industry finds itself pin down to their original appeal at time when they all thought they could slowly and discreetly increase their rate.

Regardless, this is a great tool. Now, if it could also do traditional RF and maybe one day, RM, that would be great. In the mean time, I very highly recommend you try it..and use it.

Posted in Midstock, license, technology, commercial stock, Search, keyword, Royalty free, transaction, prosumer, Microstock | Print | 4 Comments »

October 20, 2009 by pmelcher.

Commercial stock photography has been walking on its head. Since its beginning, it has approached its own business space with an upside down approach.

Let me explain : At the beginning, Photographers would shoot images that ended up on  online storage system with the hope that one day there will be a demand for these images. As the number-crushing corpocrates invaded this business, past sales report became the investigative tool to predict demand. The principal is quite simple : If someone, somewhere, licensed an image then someone else, somewhere else, surely needed the same one. To predict future demand, some even hired “experts” to perform field research on trends and gather market intelligence. The result ? a quite imperfect method of prediction investigation that currently results in a very imprecise production.

Enters a company called Demand Media. Self titled “The leader in social media”, the company is a huge automated content analyst and producer.  Using a combination of sophisticated algorithms and millions of Google search entries, it delivers what keywords, or group of keywords, are, or will be, the most frequently entered. It then spits out a list of topics that it posts on freelancing websites where anyone can produce the desired results in exchange for a few dollars. It then takes the newly created content, posts it on You Tube ( They only deal with video for the time being) and sells the space to advertisers. Videographers get paid a flat fee of about $20 per video.

Since their algorithm predicts the popularity of a search query, they can guarantee a substantial level of traffic to their advertiser clients. It is working so well that Google (owner of You Tube) has signed a deal with them, too happy to finally find a way to monetize their video hosting site. The videos are mostly self-help, DIY ( Do It Yourself) and tips.

Demand Media, according to Wired magazine, posts about 4,000 new videos a day thanks to a worldwide army of freelancers pumping thousand of clips, or articles, based on what an emotionless algorithm spits out everyday. ” This year, the privately held Demand is expected to bring in about $200 million in revenue; its most recent round of financing by blue-chip investors valued the company at $1 billion.” continues Wired Magazine.

It is an industrial use of the “database of intention“. The database of intention, for those who are unfamiliar with it, is what Google made a fortune upon. It is all these search queries that are entered on Google.com every second that explicitly shows what people are looking for. While Google monetized upon it by selling ads linked to the query, Demand Media is making its income by producing content.

So what about stock photogrpahy ? Well, that is the next step for Demand Media. Already producing clips and article by the pound, they are now going to enter the photography space. Not by offering images that maybe someone somewhere might be looking for but actual response to real searches. Thus putting the industry back on its feet. Sure, the first steps will be to produce images to look at, and not to license. But it will not be long before someone ( Istock photo anyone?) will realize the huge potential of this image database and license its content. Imagine, a photo library entirely made of images that people are actually looking for. That would be a first.

The ramification of this game changer are enormous for the stock market. First, it will attract a lot of microstockers who will prefer to be paid on the shoot rather than a commission on sale. Some will actually make much more revenue than they currently do on current sites. The clientele of these microstock sites might completely shift away and use the Demand Media database since they will be sure to find what they are looking for. Finally, traditional Stock agency will finally be overwhelmed with a Ford like approach to their trade.

Demand Media has a lot of cash in its bank and a novel approach to the Stock Photography industry, cutting cost to a minimum while increasing productivity. It’s what Getty images or Corbis should have done if they had been smart, instead of wasting there time and money on “artists”. Might be too late for both. It is certainly too late for the traditional industry.

Full article on Demand Media here in Wired Magazine.

Posted in web 2.0, Midstock, technology, commercial stock, prosumer, finance, Royalty free, getty, corbis, transaction, Microstock | Print | 1 Comment »

August 25, 2009 by pmelcher.

The PACA is about to release their stockphotofinder. Or at least a Beta version of it. For those who do not know, PACA stands for Picture Archive Council of America and regroups hundreds of RM and RF commercial stock agencies.

They have recently decided, in committee, to create a photo portal for all its members to be included and released this preview video:

If you can get passed the crooner, late-at-night, crackling, I-want-to-be-sexy voice, of the commentator, you will see how a committee can destroy a potentially good idea. Where should we start? Oh well, the idea in general.

Between Newscom, Stockphotfinder, BrightQube and many others, such portal exist already, and for a long time. So you would think this one would bring something new, something compelling. Well, actually, it doesn’t.

It actually bring you back to 1990’s : a search will return…a list of agencies that have the existing keyword in their database. Not only that, but instead of returning the relevant images, it will classify the result with the agency who has the most result with the keyword you entered on top. Meaning that its not about the quality of the image but the quantity available. Does that mean that PACA favors agencies with the most pictures? Seems like it.

If you do not like that, you are offered another list. This one classifies the results by the proportion of the keyword relevant to the total size of the archive..mmm..who thought about that one? The claim is that this list will bubble up the agency who are specialized in the pics you are looking for. Maybe, but it will also highlight those with just a lot of images too . Again, no pictures here.

If you want to see the actual results with thumbnails, you have to click on an agency link. and then another one. If you use a Safari browser, one of the least-used browser on the internet, you can even open multiple tabs, if you twist your fingers on the keyboard a little bit .

Up to now, if you are not completely disgusted by the experience, you still have major hurdles left. Let say you like an image on one of the tabs you have open. well, you are now on your own and have to go register to that agency to license it. Great, how is that helpful ?

You also have to fight your way through so many exact similar that you might never license an image ever again. Some of these agencies represent each other content and if you add Newscom, or Stockphotofinder, who are  already portals , you might see the same image 10 or 20 times on different site. And probably at different prices.  Also, for some reason, DigitalRailroad appears as result option. Either this Beta is more than a year old, or someone forgot to tell PACA they are out of business. No sign of Photoshelter, by the way.

Maybe if you find the right image, they send it to you via messenger ?

We could go on and on with more comments. For picture professionals to regroup and to come out with a product like this is shameful. It clearly shows what is terribly wrong with commercial stock distributors who seem to have no clue on how to properly service their clients. It’s a monument to PACA’s archaism and its members complete ignorance of their market.

Posted in license, technology, commercial stock, Midstock, Search, Royalty free, PACA, No sense, Microstock | Print | No Comments »

June 23, 2009 by pmelcher.

Google just released a white paper on image pattern recognition, yesterday, in Miami. Not really a new concept and already developped by a few companies, like Imense, in the UK, this however is a sign that Google is going beyond text tagging to retrieve images.

In brief, this technology uses the “knowledge” of Picasa, Google image and Panoramio to define, locate and “recognize” a landmark. It then clusters all similar images. In the long run, this could tell you what you are looking at ( if you are that kind of touris)

The technology has a success rate of 80% and is not ready for prime time. However, it is on track to something we have been talking about here, over and over again. The slow disappearance of text tagging in favor of image recognition. The time is not so far when search engines will index automatically the content of an image making manual keywording obsolete. It will also deeply affect  how people will search for images, using more visual search then just plain text search. While objects and scenes will be the first step, it will take much longer to recognize concepts and ideas.

More detail info on the Google blog

Posted in Midstock, technology, commercial stock, Search, google, filter, web 2.0, Microstock | Print | No Comments »

June 15, 2009 by pmelcher.

Your stock photography at work :

For those who have never been, this is a CEPIC congress. Rows and rows of tables and chairs. Every hour, on the hour, people move from one table to the other, looking at another computer screen while listening to a used pitch.

Really, it is a bunch of suplliers looking for new content to propose to they customers back home. Like a big fish market. There not much talk about photography here, instead its more about volume (size of a collection), percentages and distribution. They then break for lunch where they all eat bad food. And then they start again. If that is not enough, they have the option to go in stuffy break rooms where bored people listen to panels about the business of photography for hours on.

Once they are finished, they all get together for a cocktail party where they try and enjoy themselves while eating some more bad food. All this for three days. Non stop.

If  a real photographer would walk in this room, they would cry ( they are not allowed in) . It is like walking in a warehouse full of accountants. And this is being going for decades. The same companies, the same people, doing the same thing. None try to grow and none never did. If they are lucky, they will sell for few millions to one of the big ones and forever retire. If not, maybe their kids will take over. Maybe not.

Every year they all sit down and look at those screens hoping not to be left behind, in this incessant race to survive.  Microstock is eating them alive, and they all talk about jumping in, maybe. Or hope it will disappear. Video footage? yes ? no ? maybe ?.It’s too much, too fast, too soon. None, however, feel that they are a dying breed. They hang on.

This is no different than any other distribution trade. You have a shop, you go and fetch products to please you customers. By the pound (sorry, the thousands of images). People come from all over the world, China, Korea, India, Pakistan etc to make these exchanges. I will represent your stuff, you will represent mine. Hours on of these repetitive discussion and deal making. An hour at a time. Every hour, for three days. A mini marathon of meetings that leave you drained and exhausted. And empty.

No one really leaves happy because there is no reason to. It’s just another season and summer vacations are not so far .  No giant leaps, no creative destruction, no innovation, no waves. The goal here is to stay alive, to survive another year, another term. Certainly not to take any risks.

All return home their pockets full of notes, business cards and their ears full of comments and opinions. Mostly reassuring, because that is what they were seeking. The deals made will be executed and some secrets will be passed on.

But none, not one, will ever come home a say : ” Man, I saw this incredible picture when I was at Cepic”

Posted in commercial stock, Midstock, CEPIC, Royalty free, Microstock | Print | No Comments »

June 15, 2009 by pmelcher.

There is only one certitude in the photography business : If you don’t spend money, you will not make money. Everything else is educated guess that some confuse with a lottery game.

As much as we never know for sure if an image will sell, and how many times, as well as for how much, one thing is certain : if you do not shoot it, it will never sell.

Even before the downturn of the world economy, photographers and photo agencies alike, seeing prices falling and competition eating at their market shares, took the approach of saving money. Cut any excessive spending. The first to go ? financing photo shoots.

We see it in both the editorial and commercial world. The attempt to try and keep status, market share, branding, while saving on the cost of shooting.

If a photograph doesn’t exist, it will never, ever be published.   On the commercial side, seeing the crowd succeeding in making fortunes on a tight budget has pushed many pro stockers to beleive they shouldn’t spend in production so much anymore. They are now copying the copiers would initially copied them.

On the editorial side, while not affected so much by the same crowd, it has been the rising cost of travel that has been the main factor. But if you do not send a photographer to shoot an event, there will be no images . And as we have seen, crowdsourcing just doesn’t work in that space. So, a lot of revenue is being lost. Even so much more, as everyone seem to focus on events that are easy and cheap to cover, increasing the coverage and the offer. The result is also affecting pricing.

The smart agency or photographer should be spending more today. Taking some risks  that could offer returns even the wall street stock market can not match. This is  the perfect time to separate oneself from the pack of the scared and conservatives. This is the time to create unbelievable images at whatever the cost. This is the time to shoot more of the unseen and reach for the deserted air of original creativity.

Those who ignore this will be soon swallowed quickly by the crowd tsunami that is well on its way.

Posted in Midstock, license, commercial stock, photojournalism, finance, Royalty free, editorial, transaction, Microstock | Print | No Comments »

April 22, 2009 by pmelcher.

“In five years? Maybe the only stock businesses are companies that add value by scouring the web for the best work within a genre….sort of back to photo research services.“

When the great Ellen Boughn speaks, the world of photography listens : read the whole interview here :

http://learnaniche.com/blog/2009/04/22/ellen-boughn-and-the-future-of-stock-photography/

Posted in focus, commercial stock, Midstock, prosumer, transaction, PACA, Microstock | Print | No Comments »