Author Topic: Interview with Blend's Rick Becker-Leckrone (Read 10603 times)

Sean Locke Photography · « **on:** November 02, 2009, 16:55 »

Thought this interview was sufficiently interesting to post here. For some reason it's on a stock -market- board, which confunded me at first...

http://www.bigstoc.com/interview-with-rick-becker-leckrone-ceo-of-blendimages-stock-agency/

eta: http://www.johnlund.com/Interview-Rick.htm

WarrenPrice · « **Reply #1 on:** November 02, 2009, 17:35 »

Thanks, That was a good share.

diego_cervo · « **Reply #2 on:** November 03, 2009, 11:05 »

interesting article. Thanks for posting, Sean.

Diego

leaf · « **Reply #3 on:** November 03, 2009, 16:34 »

thanks for the link

stockastic · « **Reply #4 on:** November 03, 2009, 20:41 »

"... if more and more shooters pile in more and more similar content, each shooter will make less and less and at some point, its just not worth the effort. So, then the photographer will decide to make less fungible content unique content but truly unique content doesnt work well in the micro environment which requires massive multiples of sales..."

I think that says it all. Either compete with 15,000 other guys for the best "business handshake", or make $2 for a truly unique image.

PeterChigmaroff · « **Reply #5 on:** November 03, 2009, 21:08 »

Quote from: stockastic on November 03, 2009, 20:41

"... if more and more shooters pile in more and more similar content, each shooter will make less and less and at some point, its just not worth the effort. So, then the photographer will decide to make less fungible content unique content but truly unique content doesnt work well in the micro environment which requires massive multiples of sales..."

I think that says it all. Either compete with 15,000 other guys for the best "business handshake", or make $2 for a truly unique image.

It's always been a problem and still accelerating. 100,000+ images in one week submitted to SS. That used to be a decent sized library on it's own. Lots of similars I imagine but still such a big number of images for a single week.

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #6 on:** November 03, 2009, 21:26 »

Interesting article. Thanks for posting.

A shame whatever site that is can't afford a copy editor

I thought the most interesting part was Blend doing data mining to see what types of things were selling best (they gave the example of an ethnic group eating a meal vs. TV watching, etc.) and then sharing that with their photographers.

It'd be very interesting (although I don't see how they could making the sharing part work well) to adapt that to microstock. I bet they have the data, but it never gets back to the contributors...

grp_photo · « **Reply #7 on:** November 06, 2009, 03:11 »

Quote from: stockastic on November 03, 2009, 20:41

"... if more and more shooters pile in more and more similar content, each shooter will make less and less and at some point, its just not worth the effort. So, then the photographer will decide to make less fungible content unique content but truly unique content doesnt work well in the micro environment which requires massive multiples of sales..."

I think that says it all. Either compete with 15,000 other guys for the best "business handshake", or make $2 for a truly unique image.

exactly :-)

Jonathan Ross · « **Reply #8 on:** May 28, 2010, 14:33 »

Hi All,

Great for Rick. He is the CEO at Blend Images one of the companies I am part owner and he is a great friend. Rick has been in the biz a long time and knows how to play the game. Congrats Rick. There is gold in them there hills in Macro still and Blend Images is a great example. If you are interested in submitting to them contact Sarah Fix through the web site.

Best,
Jonathan

Jonathan Ross · « **Reply #9 on:** May 28, 2010, 14:37 »

Accidental copy of previous post. My bad : )

sharpshot · « **Reply #10 on:** May 28, 2010, 16:30 »

Quote from: stockastic on November 03, 2009, 20:41

"... if more and more shooters pile in more and more similar content, each shooter will make less and less and at some point, its just not worth the effort. So, then the photographer will decide to make less fungible content unique content but truly unique content doesnt work well in the micro environment which requires massive multiples of sales..."

I think that says it all. Either compete with 15,000 other guys for the best "business handshake", or make $2 for a truly unique image.

But it isn't true, come up with a concept that hasn't been done before and there is still money to be made with microstock. Luckily, there is still a lot that hasn't been touched because most people are obsessed with copying what is already there.

lisafx · « **Reply #11 on:** May 28, 2010, 17:22 »

Quote from: sharpshot on May 28, 2010, 16:30

But it isn't true, come up with a concept that hasn't been done before and there is still money to be made with microstock. Luckily, there is still a lot that hasn't been touched because most people are obsessed with copying what is already there.

True^^, but once you do the research and come up with a new concept that sells well, what's to stop the copiers from descending on you like a pack of vultures?

It happens so fast now (within 1-2 months) it almost isn't worth bothering to come up with new concepts. Time is probably better spent improving on tried-and-true concepts that will bring in the most likely sales... JMHO.

sharpshot · « **Reply #12 on:** May 29, 2010, 02:21 »

By the time the copy vultures descend, you can be working on something else. Some people have copied a few of my concepts but they haven't taken away many of my sales yet. Luckily buyers seem to go for the images with the most sales and it isn't that easy for the copiers. I think it is easier for me because I don't do people, that is such a competitive category.

click_click · « **Reply #13 on:** May 29, 2010, 06:57 »

Quote from: jsnover on November 03, 2009, 21:26

... I thought the most interesting part was Blend doing data mining to see what types of things were selling best (they gave the example of an ethnic group eating a meal vs. TV watching, etc.) and then sharing that with their photographers.

It'd be very interesting (although I don't see how they could making the sharing part work well) to adapt that to microstock. I bet they have the data, but it never gets back to the contributors...

In Microstock I think it would come close to a death sentence if the agencies released that information to the shooters. Having so many contributors, especially the new ones will immediately produce whatever is on the top selling list, overloading the agencies.

Blend has 70 photographers - what's the harm if 70 shooters take on their own approach of the results of their data mining? Compare that to more than 100.000 photographers at a microstock agency shooting the same concept?

Quote from: lisafx

... It happens so fast now (within 1-2 months) it almost isn't worth bothering to come up with new concepts. Time is probably better spent improving on tried-and-true concepts that will bring in the most likely sales... JMHO.

That's the bad part! We are practically robbed of our time to start planning and executing niche concepts (even for RM) because we almost can't keep up shooting the stuff we know that sells well. If you're only supplying a niche then microstock is the wrong model for you.

Suljo · « **Reply #14 on:** May 29, 2010, 21:41 »

I do know what are you talking about. First and only one link from Sheans post is scumble of referal links for scam industries?!

http://www.bigstoc.com/interview-with-rick-becker-leckrone-ceo-of-blendimages-stock-agency/
for me it opens only links for scam sites???

ShadySue · « **Reply #15 on:** May 30, 2010, 03:29 »

I had prsumed the post Sean links to had expired - all I can get is a links portal, from at least 12 hours ago. Tried clicking through and cutting and pasting.

sharpshot · « **Reply #16 on:** May 30, 2010, 03:57 »

I just stuck it in google and found this link:-
http://www.johnlund.com/Interview-Rick.htm

ShadySue · « **Reply #17 on:** May 30, 2010, 05:32 »

Quote from: sharpshot on May 30, 2010, 03:57

I just stuck it in google and found this link:-
http://www.johnlund.com/Interview-Rick.htm

Thanks!

Jonathan Ross · « **Reply #18 on:** May 30, 2010, 12:39 »

Click Click,

Getty does it and they have quite a few photographers. We get a photo brief every month and I can talk directly to my editor there to find out what is selling and what the collection needs. It is possible with larger groups.

Best,
Jonathan

FD · « **Reply #19 on:** May 30, 2010, 12:57 »

Quote from: Suljo on May 29, 2010, 21:41

I do know what are you talking about. First and only one link from Sheans post is scumble of referal links for scam industries?!

+1. I couldn't read the article but I was thrown on a shark site.

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #20 on:** May 30, 2010, 15:27 »

Sorry - way back when, when I posted the link, it was good. Of course, they just sourced it from John's site, which is full of good stuff, so go there first.

Konstantin Sutyagin · « **Reply #21 on:** May 30, 2010, 17:22 »

Quote from: sjlocke on May 30, 2010, 15:27

Sorry - way back when, when I posted the link, it was good. Of course, they just sourced it from John's site, which is full of good stuff, so go there first.

Sean, could you edit the first post to update the link?

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Author Topic: Interview with Blend's Rick Becker-Leckrone (Read 10603 times)

Sean Locke Photography

WarrenPrice

diego_cervo

leaf

stockastic

PeterChigmaroff

Jo Ann Snover

grp_photo

Jonathan Ross

Jonathan Ross

sharpshot

lisafx

sharpshot

click_click

Suljo

ShadySue

sharpshot

ShadySue

Jonathan Ross

FD

Sean Locke Photography

Konstantin Sutyagin

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