Photographer Shannon Fagan Answers The Question: Why China?

Photo©Shannon Fagan

 Shannon Fagan Reports: ”I’m an interesting character in China when I shoot. I wear gloves, I wear knee pads, and I cover myself in the white ghosting of 70 SPF sunscreen. I laugh with my models to get them to laugh.  In China, this is often met with a stare and occasionally a smirk. But for this gentleman, we had a downright belly-roll.”


Friend and fellow photographer Shannon Fagan recently relocated from New York to China. Shannon is one of those people that are referred to as "thought leaders" and has been very active in the photography world. He is a past president of the Stock Artists Alliance, and has had leadership roles in the American Photographic Artists, the American Society of Media Photographers and the Young Photographers Alliance. I could go on...but I won't. 


I recently fired off an e-mail to Shannon in Beijing asking him "Why China?".  His answer was pretty cool, so with his permission I am sharing it here.


Shannon, why China?

• Alongside the recession and economic changes for online image licensing, my stock photography earnings declined rapidly from late 2008 to mid 2009.  I reassessed what I wanted out of my business, and out of my personal life.
  

• I had burned out of managing disinterested parties on photo shoots for production outlays that were taking longer than I felt was wise to break even.  I found that I could not cut costs further and still forecast an adequate income; nor could I maintain a happy and healthy lifestyle as I squeezed the expenses whilst raising my crews’ stress to unnecessary levels. I chose to stop, take profit on my royalties, and change what I was doing.
  

• I found, through a lot of personal introspection and external research, that I was no longer interested in shooting stock imagery nor assignment work within the current market conditions. I wanted a new challenge, and as I assessed that need in my life, I found that there had been indicators to that end for some time.
  

• I looked analytically at the industry and at my options.  I knew commercial photography was permanently changed and knew that my interests as a person within that were quickly migrating to other areas of visual communication and business.
  

• This all leads me to late 2009, when I went to China to do research on relocating.  I formulated the basis of that investigation from the continual pull that I had felt to the emerging marketplace and success that I had had working in China from 2006 – 2009.  Several very close, intelligent, and long term friends also put the bug in my ear.  By spring 2010, I returned to China again for another test trip; and by late 2010 I had closed out my operation in New York and was ready for relocation.  I knew that I was moving for the right reasons; even if not all reasons had manifested yet.
  

• I did not move blindly.  During a period of 18 months, I worked on the ground in Beijing, Shanghai, and in New York to establish and refine long term contacts and relationships that would fuel me upon arrival.  I did a lot of business coursework.  When I arrived to Beijing in December last year, I hit the ground running with a multitude of projects carefully orchestrated in China and abroad.
  

• The economy in the US assisted my decision. Our industry has consolidated and as you’re likely aware, there is a prejudice for photographers interested in shifting into business roles. In one way or another, I not only felt that prejudice, I experienced it enough to understand intelligently that there would be no easy nor efficient movement for me in the US from a role of photographer to the business side of the industry.  Instead, and quite literally, recruiters and big picture thinkers told me “...go to China, it’s where all the new action is.”
  

• Moving forward to the present; I am glad that I moved. My happiness and daily fulfillment is at an all-time high recently, and I hope (fingers crossed...) that the opportunities for me here will continue to grow. It reminds me of my relocation to New York City post-graduation from college ten years ago.
  

• I am acutely aware of the converging economies of the US and China; and it is clear that this market will grow robustly over the next 50 years. It is also clear that it is under-served. China is not an easy place to live; but I wasn’t looking for easy. I knew all of the back story  going into this decision, and I am daily reminded of just how difficult it is to live and work here.  For entrepreneurs in China, we tease that we “I love it and I hate it”....which is to say that we feel neutrally pragmatic about it.  I’m lucky.  If September 11th, a blackout, two economic recessions,  and a fiercely competitive market in New York didn’t chew me up and spit me out, well then, hopefully my new digs won’t do so either.
  

• I can be entrepreneurial here in manners inaccessible to me in the US economy.  Being a creative business in the West was getting more and more expensive for me, but here, I can put my expertise in visual communication and entrepreneurial strategy to ready use and it is met with great interest.  I’m an outlier.  My business interests are much more readily fueled by access to key meetings with top level individuals whom would not be available to me back home.  I am absorbing immense amounts of local knowledge daily and I am getting quicker and quicker on my feet in an economy that is elusive to foreigners.
  

• Lastly, to seal the deal, was a terrific full-time Chinese Operations and Project Manager here; Gan Chao. She and I are not only great friends, we also work extremely well together. She is my eyes and ears to China. She is in every way the bridge link that many foreigners have and need to access the Chinese daily personal and work life.  Her can-do-it and aggressive attitude is rare in this marketplace. I believe we’re on to something in this market.
  

• I’m now China’s Top Selling Stock Photographer, the only industry consultant with a core expertise for China, Director of the Young Photographer Alliance’s China Mentoring Program, an ASMP liaison to Asia, and more to come!

Glad I asked...thanks Shannon! http://www.shannonfagan.com

Under the Radar, Or In The Spotlight?

Putting yourself in the spotlight has risks and rewards. In my experience the rewards have been much, much greater!"

Ideas, Techniques, Photos and Theft

Over the years I have met, more than a few photographers and artists who are afraid of people stealing their work, their ideas and their techniques. Some of them have refused to put their images online, some keep their images at ridiculously small sizes, and some won’t even show their work at all. I kid you not, I have known a handful of photographers who are “building their body of work” and are so afraid of someone stealing their ideas, style, whatever, that they have gone years without showing the work to anyone.

Playing It Close To The Vest

In a similar vein, there are a ton of photographers who jealously guard their models, their locations, and how they execute their work. I have heard of photographers who make their assistants sign non-disclosure statements! The first time I ever gave a presentation to a photography audience on how I was using Photoshop to create stock images, back in the early 90’s, a stock agency owner approached me afterwards and warned me that I was making a mistake in sharing what I was doing.

In fact, over the years there has been no shortage of people urging me to play my hand closer to my vest.

Copycat Fears and Best Selling Images

I can certainly understand those fears of revealing too much.  I can’t believe how blatantly people rip off other people’s images.  With the speed, at least on microstock sites, with which images can be online, I agree that copycat image-makers are a royal pain and no doubt have a significant negative fiscal impact as well. My fear of having my own images copied keeps me from sharing which of my images are best sellers.  The same fear nags at me every time I put another stock photo online…oh well.

Staying Under The Radar Isn’t The Answer

One thing I have learned over the last twenty years is that staying under the radar isn’t the answer. The courage to share your process (within reason), to get your work out in front of everyone, and to rise above those very reasonable fears of seeing your work, ideas and techniques stolen in so many ways, brings with it rewards that cannot be denied. Do you think the benefits Chase Jarvis gains from sharing his world online out-weighs the risks of being copied and the threat from competition that is enhanced by the information he doles out?

The Benefits of Sharing

In my own experience the benefits of sharing have been enormous. The rewards have ranged from free gear (I was once given a $45,000.00 Leaf Digital Back on the condition that I share my results with the camera at trade shows…duh!), to important contacts (in the long run more important than gear), free film, and all manner of opportunities. If I hadn’t been open to sharing I would never have been invited to join Blend Images as a founding partner…probably the biggest opportunity in my career. The latest reward for putting my work and ideas out there is in the form of traffic to my website that continues to increase weekly. Yes, I get ripped off all the time, but my rewards are definitely greater than my losses.

The Risk of Sharing

Of course, along with the risk of theft, putting yourself out there brings the chance of rejection, embarrassment and, of being ignored…ouch! I once fell off a stage while not paying attention to where my feet were taking me, have been corrected by the audience more than once while demonstrating Photoshop, and have had my share of rejection.  But again, the highs are way higher than the lows.

Expansion, Contraction and The Spotlight

Sharing your work, your process, your thoughts and opinions all help integrate you into the photography community. Sharing expands you; playing it close to the vest contracts you. Sharing is a path towards greater commercial success as well as the rewards of appreciation from individuals whose lives and careers you touch. So if you find yourself tempted to stay under the radar, let me suggest that being in the spot light, while sometimes uncomfortable, is a far better approach.

Creativity Tips For Photographers

The creative process is vital for the success of photographers and is a skill that can be nurtured and strengthened.

Creativity Is Vital to our Success as Photographers

Creativity is vital to our success as photographers, whether we are shooting assignments, stock photos or weddings. It is creativity that allows us to make images that stand out, and our creativity that can take our marketing to the next level. But creativity can be elusive and fleeting as well. But there are some things we can do to recharge our creativity and get it flowing again.

Concrete Steps To Think Outside The Box

We often hear the phrases “think outside the box”, and “think different”. But the question is how do we think different or outside the box? What are some concrete steps we can take when we are in creative doldrums? There is no shortage of tips for being more creative, but here we will look at just a few techniques that work for me.

Think Like A Superhero

One simple but effective way to expand your ability to “think outside the box” is to think like someone else.  Are you in need of an idea for a portrait shoot…try thinking like a still life shooter, or ask yourself how Alfred Hitchcock would shoot it, or even a superhero like Batman. No kidding, trying to look at a problem from the perspective of another person really can trigger a new way of looking at things. You still want to put your own stamp on the image, you don’t want to copy someone else’s style, but you are letting the exercise stimulate a new way of looking at the given challenge.

Ask The Question Again

Another technique for stimulating creativity is to reformulate the problem, to ask the question again. In one study it was found that participants who were forced to re-conceptualize the problem numerous times came up with more creative solutions. If you are creating an image about teamwork play with the challenge. Can you create a teamwork image showing only one person? Can you portray teamwork with cats?

  

Believe In Your Own Creativity

Studies have also found that people who are told they are creative respond with more creativity. That also works when people tell themselves they are creative…so convince yourself, perhaps I should say remind yourself, that you are truly creative. Then get to work.

Creativity Is Work

Contrary to the belief of many, creativity is work. To make the above and other techniques more effective, keep these two simple tips in mind. First, intent is a powerful tool. I consider it to be the foundation of creativity. Set the intention to come up with ideas and then actively pursue them and you will be amazed at the results.  Secondly, write down every idea. Ideas are fleeting and no matter how much you think you will remember them, good or great ideas will disappear as quickly as they come. I almost always have a pen and notebook with me for those spontaneous, or not so spontaneous ideas. Secondly, Intent is a powerful tool. I consider it to be the foundation of creativity.

Intent, Effort And Results

Remember, we are all creative beings, and creativity tends to get crushed out of us when we are judged, judge ourselves and let fear take us over. But we can boost our creativity and use it to reach where we want to be in our lives and careers. It just takes intent and effort…effort that is well spent!

Interviewed: Jonathan Ross on New Stock Agency Spaces Images

Jonathan Ross, co-founder of Spaces Images stock agency.

Jonathan Ross and his Wife Amy Anderson have risen to the top of the photography world as leaders in the stock photo industry. Prolific producers of stock stills and motion, they are also founding members of Blend Images. They freely share a wealth of information about their experience in the industry. Now they have embarked on yet another new venture, a new stock agency: Spaces Images.

Jonathan, I have long admired the proactive nature of your involvement with so many areas of stock photography…and now you have started your own new agency, “Spaces”. Can you tell us about how that came about?

 My wife Amy and I have been fortunate enough to be able to surround ourselves with some of the best minds in the business of running stock agencies. The past 7 years since we first started as a co-owner at Blend Images, as well as Cultura Images. People Like Tom Grill, Rick Becker-Leckrone and Anthony Harris have all been such valuable sources of support and information that has allowed us to realize what it takes to start such a venture. Similar to the man that ran the first 4-minute mile, he showed it could be done and removed the doubt from many to follow.

The agency itself was directly related to our own sales of imagery at Getty Images and the other agencies that represented our own stock imagery. I was shooting all lifestyle at the time and every now and then when we were on location and a model was late or something was being set for another lifestyle shot I would look around for a couple of good stills to add to the days production. After following our sales for over a decade now we started to see something we never expected. Our still images were selling as well if not better than our lifestyle. That was the moment when the light bulb went off and we started looking into what it would take to build a concept into an actual agency.

What are some of the challenges in starting an agency from scratch?

The biggest challenge was not the concept or finding great photographers that wanted to help create the agency. I think the toughest part of starting a stock agency is definitely closing contracts with your distributors. We had 35 agencies at CEPIC (a conference held once a year where all the stock agencies meet and work on their contracts together) last year agree to carry our collection and now almost a year later we are still knee deep in contracts that need closing. I have spoken with several agency owners and they all agree that going from hand shake in CEPIC to paper after the conference takes a great deal of time and is very common in the signing process. Now we are nearing this years CEPIC and the deals are really starting to close, we hope to have all our distributors representing our work in the next two months.

On your Spaces website I noticed that you have far more RM images than RF images. Is that by design or did it just happen?

 Yes, we started the agency as an RM agency only but after to speaking to one of our top distributors they convinced us that it was to our benefit to cover both sides of the Macro market. These are very smart people and when they have an idea I try to listen and then work to incorporate their ideas into the Spaces Images collection. It allowed us to give our contributors two different choices and it opened some doors for us to distribute work to agencies that would have not been able to accommodate an RM company only.

What are your goals for Spaces?

I know this might sound a bit different than what you might expect but for us it was about finding a new niche and making sure it was a fun experience for ourselves, and our contributing photographers. There is no pressure from us for our photographers to produce a certain amount of images or meet a yearly requirement. We are photographers and the thought of myself, my mind and my camera alone, was a big part of the plan. I have been producing lifestyle for the past ten years and have loved it but the cost of keeping up in a market, where your overhead has a great deal to do with your revenue, we wanted to take it back to basics. Great photographers alone with their cameras, no need for a crew or a cast of models, just great photos of locations that are hard to find and conceptual image making that is fun for our contributors to create.

What sets your agency apart from others?

I think it is our niche. Our type of photography can be found at many different agencies but no one had put it in a box and tied a bow around it. We want buyers and our distributors to feel we are the agency to deal with when you are speaking of the best in environments. Spaces Images is based on where mankind works, lives and plays without the need for people; these images are used in so many applications. We focus on many areas in our collection but one area we are focused on for our buyers is to find the perfect location to drop their product or model into without having to go on location. This is just one use for our images. Many buyers are looking for an environment that supports their concept or product without the focus being on just lifestyle. Our images can be used as great backdrops for lifestyle but they can also stand on their own to deliver the buyers message.

How many contributing photographers do you have?

We have been signing a lot of new photographers but the core group that were there to help make this agency a reality was a base group of 20 and without them this company would not exist. I owe the believers a lot and it is my goal to make them very happy they rolled the dice and took a chance on a new, upstart agency.  I am truly indebted to them. Since the original core we have been recruiting only the best in the industry and we have added about 15 more photographers to the group. They are so new their work is not yet up on our site but from seeing what they have created in their careers we are very excited to see the quality level of the collection grow and diversify. We have several fine art photographers in our group and for the first time I feel we have some really beautiful images that could be shown at galleries. We have even discussed putting a gallery together of some of our work and sending it off to curators to see if we can also promote our work as fine art. People like Paul Edmondson, Mel Curtis and soon Phil Borges allow us to present images that are not just commercially viable but also offer the buyers an approach that I think will add value for their customers. It always comes down to the best images and if we can continue to add the best photographers I feel we are on the right track.

We photographers have always had our complaints about stock photo agencies…and now you have a chance to do it, how shall I say it…your way? What are you (spaces) going to do differently?

 I have had a learning curve over the past year and the biggest part that I am trying to support is to listen to our contributors and let then know they have a voice and someone on the other end of the phone to listen and help whenever they need support. This is very much about a community of photographers that share information with each other and we try in every way to leave the doors open for photographers to discuss any issues they might have together or with myself. We have all our photographers web addresses added to our site so if one photographer wants to speak with another Spaces photographer the option is there.

We also love to work closely with photographers that like feedback. I spend a great deal of my day speaking directly to our photographers about their next shoot. We brain storm and are always working towards the same goal. The more revenue I can create for our contributors the more secure our agency will be. Photographers are the ones that make or break agencies so success for us lies in the belief that without our photographers and their hard work and talent we would be out of business.

That is also why we don't play favorites. If you just started in stock, or you are an older professional that has worked in the industry for decades, you still both get the same 50/50 commission split at Spaces. The day of name recognition is getting to be part of the past and it really comes down to who has the best images out there.

What are your royalty rates for your contributors?

As I was just saying all our photographers receive the same 50/50 commission split and all we ask for is a title above their images when they send them, we do all the rest from there. I want our photographers out pushing the button making images not stuck behind a computer having to deal with key wording or tracking their images to make sure they are being distributed properly.

Can you tell us about your distribution?

 Yes, we are closing distribution through 35 agencies across the globe. We also offer Multi-distributional RM. That allows us to have our contributors RM images represented by all 35 agencies that carry RM. When an RM image is licensed by a client who desires particular control over the use of that image for a period of time, that same image is pulled from all our other distributors for the time that that license runs. Once that license is completed we then have that same image reposted to all of our distributors. This gives the high-end image of RM quality a much broader audience without the buyer worrying about their image not remaining exclusive.

Are you promoting direct sales through your own site?

Yes, we started this year with an e commerce sight and we will be continuing to develop our own site to help promote direct sales. Having this option allows buyers, that get to know us, a place to come and see all of our content when it has just hit the market making buying from our site the best option for our new updated imagery.

Can you share you social media strategy for Spaces?

 So far we have been using Facebook and Twitter to share our vision. We post a new image every day at Facebook if you want to check out our FB page you can find it through this link http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spaces-Images/147053568681803. The main reason for this is not only to draw more traffic to our site but also for our photographers to see their work up and check in every day or so to see who was chosen and what image is up. It is always fun as a photographer to see your work up and appreciated by others; I think most photographers share that feeling.

It has also been a great opportunity to meet and review contributors from all over the world. They don't have to find us, as we are also busy trying to find them. To locate a photographer in Israel would have been difficult for a small start up agency 5 years ago, but with the growth of social media we can locate and speak with photographers from all over the globe.

I know it is still very early in the game, but do you any early “successes” you can tell us about?

I think our first was right after launching seeing the work of Will and Deni Mcintyre on a Super Bowl add. We were so young and to see our work up during the most expensive add time really was a great victory. My Football team also won so it was a good day all around. Having photographers as well known as Phil Borges joining us, in addition to so many other great photographers, is humbling. To be representing photographers whose work has been such an inspiration for me from the beginning of my career as a photographer is an amazing experience. Just as it is with you, I was so influenced by your work for so many years and to have a chance to get to know you, and see how you work, is really a dream come true for me.

This kitchen interior was a quick success for Spaces Images with a Corbis sale for $6,000.00!

For photographers, why Spaces instead of Getty, Corbis or any of the other agencies out there?

I think the opportunity to come to us and have someone to communicate with and help guide or answer any questions with a phone call is one reason. But the main reason is to have your work represented by all the top agencies in the business at the same time and having to only send your images to one agency and let us to the heavy lifting. We are also are in direct contact with our distributors and provide the feedback we get from those channels in our newsletters.

Besides you and Amy, who else is on board in the way of principles and staff?

We are very lucky to have Patrick Donehue to help guide us through this industry and help steer us in the right direction. Patrick consults for our agency and has been an integral part of our existence. It was Patrick who we first went to see if what we had was a good concept. His support, and his knowledge from so many years in the stock industry, is a big reason why we have had the chance to grow and meet the right people in the industry to make this company a success.

We also have Megan Smith working with us to help with some of the heavy lifting. Megan is a sponge when it comes to learning and developing our companies’ strategy and is willing to get her hands dirty when it is needed. Not one person in our company is micro managed; we all do our work to the best of our ability and when you have the right people that love their work and truly care about the success of the company, you need to grab them and keep them happy. There aren't many in this day and age that are willing to take a risk and support a concept with all their heart. At this time we are interviewing editors to add an even larger ear for our contributors and offer the guidance that will help them in making the most salable images for the markets needs. As the company continues to grow we see most of our future additions in the area of creative support for both our contributors and distributor relations.

How can interested photographers submit their work?

Thank you for asking. We are always open to new or experienced photographers.  Once again the support is what we are trying to always improve. If our contributors feel part of a team then the rest just falls into place. If you are interested in becoming a contributor to Spaces Images there is a page on our site that explains the steps it takes to join our team.

Are you still contributing stock photos to other agencies?

Yes, although the past two years I have had to take a break in order to put my full attention towards the starting of Spaces Images. I will be returning to shooting for all the agencies that carry my own work. They have been there for me from the start and it is important to me to reciprocate their trust by producing content to keep their agencies strong and growing.

I didn’t see a microstock offering. You and Amy put a considerable amount of effort in to producing a microstock collection, and now you have had some time to see the results and possibly draw some conclusions about the viability of the microstock model. Can you share some of your insights and conclusions with us…and if Spaces will have a microstock component?

 Yes, we tested the market to build data for our business and I am so glad we did it. It allowed us to establish ourselves in the emerging and constantly growing new market of microstock and helped us meet some great people from that portion of the stock industry. I think microstock offers an opportunity for the market that needs very generic images that meet many buyers needs and do so for a price the customer can afford.

What is interesting is there seems to be a slow transition into Macro RF and Micro RF as becoming one and the same just with different pricing tiers. Spaces Images has not looked into the opportunity that Micro might offer us but we always try to stay fluid in this industry. It is very hard to speculate where tomorrows stock industry will be showing it's strongest returns so staying involved and on top of our research for all the models of stock is a daily investment of our time.

Do you plan on handling motion stock as well as stills?

This is another emerging market that we have invested our own time in to see what kind of returns the market offers and what areas the market has a demand for. I believe we will be offering motion in the near future not just for the growth in that market share but especially to be able to offer all our customers a broad range of products to fulfill their needs at one location.

I would think that starting an agency would indicate that you are optimistic about the future of stock. Can you share some of that optimism with us?

I am very optimistic about stock. I have seen a drop in sales over the past 6 years as has everyone, but if you do the math and look at return to investment, it is still clearly a very high returning business model. I don't know if there is a higher return to investment out there in any business, especially at this time. My own sales have dropped the past six years, however over the past two years we have seen them level off to what seems to be the new base return for each model we produce images for.

One interesting fact to back that statement is that over the past two years as we have been building Spaces Images I have not been able to shoot and add images to other agencies that represent my own work. Last month without adding any new images to our collections we saw a drop from the same time last year of only $200. Without producing any new work our older stock work is still holding very strong and the opportunity for passive income, especially in this time in our history, is almost a dream come true.

I want to thank you so much John for letting us share our story. Having the opportunity to meet people like yourself that have been such a huge influence in the stock industry cannot have a value placed on it. I hope you realize how many of us out there dream of being John Lund.

Yeah, and I dream of being you guys…oh well!

Note: Previous Jonathan Ross Interview.

http://www.spacesimages.com

Space Images on Facebook.

Facebook For Photographers

Social Media including Facebook, Twitter and Linked In have become part of the vast over supply of information that is bringing me to my knees!

How To Promote Your Photography Business With Facebook

For the past week I have been trying to figure out how to use Facebook to promote my photography business…and to no avail. I feel a huge amount of pressure to come up with an answer because of the overwhelming success and growth of social media, and of Facebook in particular.  Facebook, it appears, can be good for some photographers, but for my particular needs…well, I just don’t see the value…yet.

Facebook For Wedding Photographers

The most obvious use of Facebook for a photography business seems to me to be for wedding photographers. A wedding photographer can upload the wedding images to Facebook and tag the individuals in the photos. All of those tagged people, who have Facebook accounts (isn’t that everyone?) well then see those photos. Some might order additional prints, and some might decide to use said photographer for their own nuptials. 

Art Directors, Art Buyers and Client Relationships

Facebook might also be useful for keeping up a relationship with clients, art directors, art buyers, designers and so forth. If I were doing assignments I would seriously consider shooting, or having my assistant shoot, behind the scenes shots that I could then post on Facebook with tags to the individuals in the shoot. Even the account executives could be tagged. Those behind the scene photos could help cement a relationship.  Got to be careful though…just in case there is something of a proprietary nature going on at the shoot. Facebook could be a double-edged sword if one doesn’t proceed with caution.

Facebook Fan Pages

I have started a fan page…well, two fan pages, on Facebook. I have a fan page for my funny cat, dog and other animal photos, and a fan page for my photography business in general. My reasoning is twofold: If Facebook does prove to be important I want to at least have my feet wet; and who knows, maybe, particularly with the pet photography, there are people out there searching Facebook for the kind of images I make. It can’t hurt, right?

The Cost of Opportunity

Actually, in a way it could hurt. Where it could hurt is in the cost of opportunity. That is, the time I spend on Facebook is time that I can’t spend elsewhere.  I know that time I put into my SEO efforts, into uploading new material onto my web site…and potentially more important, time I put into creating new imagery, is earning me a return on that investment. I understand the dynamics of ranking highly on search engines and I experience people finding me, licensing my images, buying prints (sold two yesterday), and buying imprinted merchandise after finding me on those search engines.  I keep going back to the thought that when someone is searching for a stock photo, whether they know what a stock photo is or not, the overwhelming odds are that they will be using Google and not Facebook.  I do have to admit, though, I have not been putting a lot of time into my fan pages. Worse, I am still confused about how to use them, upload and link things, and execute basic functions. Is it just me, or is Facebook a little less than intuitive? Geez, in putting my Facebook fan page links up, just now, I clicked on something and I think I lost my main Facebook page altogether!!! Oh well...I'll deal with that later....

Stock Photographers And Facebook

Being a stock photographer, particularly one who rarely licenses his own work (almost all of my stock photos are with agencies), I just am not seeing much potential for me on Facebook. I will continue to dabble in it, and keep my eyes open for photographers who are making it work for them. Along those lines, if any of you reading this have any knowledge of Facebook proving valuable in advancing the career of a stock photographer, or heck, any photographer, I would love to hear about it!

Art Directors/Buyers Searching Google For Images

This image of a conductor orchestrating a vivid fireworks display was just found via Google on my site and then licensed through Blend Images. Art Directors and buyers do find images on Google!

What Buyers Want From Photographers

What particularly caught my eye in the new survey by Photoshelter “What Buyers Want From Photographers” were two statistics. First, 61% of buyers search Google for images, and secondly, 87% go to stock agencies for images (though it is a little unclear on whether the survey was indicating that 87%  go to stock agencies for images…or 87% go to agencies other than Getty and Corbis…(but either way you can’t beat the agencies in terms of getting art directors to see your stock images). 

Getting Work In Front of Stock Photo Buyers

Think about it. If your images are not on your site, and your site isn’t optimized for the search engines, you are missing out on the chance of getting your work in front of 61% of image-licensing art buyers (be they designers, art directors, art buyers, editors or whatever). That is huge! On the other hand, if you are not with stock agencies your missing out on the 87% of image buyers (or more) who turn to agencies.

Fatter Stock Photo Royalty Checks

I would propose that you are well served in having your images online on your optimized site whether those images are with agencies or whether you license them yourself. It just makes sense. If you are with agencies you can link your images directly to where people can license them through the agency. That way the process is automated…no negotiating, answering e-mails or phone calls or anything else. Just get a fatter royalty check each month (or quarter).

Additional Stock Photo Income

I don’t take the trouble to track down how many of the twenty to thirty people each day that go from my site to the agencies actually license my imagery…I imagine it is a relatively low percentage. And yet, with Blend Images in the last week I happen to know that two art buyers found the images on my site, and then were directed to Blend where the licensing transactions were completed. In both cases I had forgotten to provide the link from my site to the Blend Images site and had to manually provide that link to the buyers. In those two cases the increase in my own income amounted to just over $800.00.  Yesterday I also completed a transaction in which I licensed two more images, that are not with any agencies yet, for a total of $600.00. My stock photography income would be noticeably lower at this point without my efforts at getting my pictures online and putting the time and effort into SEO. The downside thus far has been the tremendous amount of time and effort I have put into the site...time and effort I believe will be well rewarded over the coming years.

Building Traffic For Photo Sites

Further, by doing this work now, if at some point it makes sense to be licensing more, or even all of my own work, I will already have the hardest thing to achieve in place…the traffic!  If that sort of back-up plan is important to you, then the time to start is now. Building traffic for your photo site takes time…and a lot of it. Plan on giving it three to five years to achieve decent results.  Of course, what "decent" means can vary. It has taken me two and a half years to go from one person a week to well over a thousand a day...and my goal is ten thousand a day (got a ways to go).

Online Photos and SEO Is Good Business

One more thing. As any successful business can tell you, success comes from servicing your clients well. When you put your images online and provide proper SEO, you are making the lives of art buyers easier. You are helping them find the images that solve their visual problems. Simply put, getting your photography on the Internet, and making it easy to find, is good business.

Airport Control Tower Inspired by Sleeping Traffic Controllers!

An airport control tower, and a dramatic cloud photograph were combined to create a concept stock photo about management, control and vision.

Air Traffic Controllers, Hawaii and A Photograph

Two weeks ago, before all the controversy and news around air traffic controllers sleeping on the job and watch Samuel Jackson DVDs, I found myself on a jet landing at the Maui airport. On my lap was my Canon 1DS MKIII with a L-Series 100-400 zoom lens mounted. As we taxied towards the terminal I scanned the scene through my window for anything interesting to photograph. The only thing that caught my eye was the airport control tower. I squeezed off a half dozen frames with the lens fully zoomed in to 400 millimeters.

Shooting From A Moving Aircraft

I have to say I love that lens! Mine is exceedingly sharp. Even shooting from a moving aircraft, and through a well-used porthole window, I managed to get one pretty sharp shot of the tower. The trip to Hawaii, I might add, was intended not for any specific shoot, but rather to “harvest” images for future projects…and to do so in a pleasant environment. An aside here, pictures of Hawaii still sell even though one has to question how there could ever be a need for another tropical beach scene! I have had great success at making travel into profit centers through my stock photography.

A Control Tower, A Dramatic Cloud and Photoshop

So here we are two weeks later and air traffic controllers are dominating the news. Hmmm, says, I, an opportunity for a stock photo!  This is one of those insanely easy to create images. I simply used the Photoshop Pen Tool to create a clipping path around the tower, turned it into a selection with a one-pixel feather, and then hit my good old “Command-J” to create a new layer of just the control tower. I went back to my Hawaii photographs and found a dramatic cloud I had photographed at Ho'okipa Beach Park (near Mama’s Fish House).  I copied it and pasted it underneath the control tower layer. I duplicated the tower layer again, used a layer mask to “paint out” the actual room at the top, then dragged the remaining structure down to create the effect of a much taller structure. A little “dodging” around some of the antennae, and of course spotting, and Voila, a new stock photo!

A Digression To Sensor Cleaning

BTW, I bought the 1DS MKIII when they first came out…and have never cleaned the sensor! Hey, it is dirty, and I do need to clean it…but how clean it has stayed, with repeated lens changes, is pretty amazing! I was even changing the lenses between the 100-400 and a 16-35 zoom on the beach with the wind buffeting me like crazy. But I digress…back to stock photography!

A Concept Stock Photo About Management, Vision and Change

This airport control tower image is about not just the turmoil around the air traffic controller problems, but is a concept stock photo about management, vision and change. It can be used for editorials about everything from turmoil in the air traffic controller industry, to airport expansion plans, to more general advertising uses for products and services that can help companies manage operations and communications more effectively. This tower image can be about management, control, communications, change, and who knows how many other uses. It took less than an hour from start to finish for the post-production and other than my general travel expenses cost me nothing to photograph.  How cool is that?