http://www.fotegrafik.com
They are specialised in asian subjects. seems they have many quality in stock.
Don't know if they have many customers yet.

They are based in Singapore, the only location I trust in SE Asia. Thanks for the heads up. I'll call them when I'm back in the area there next week. What you saw is mostly from Blend Images. Their own content looks like tourist snapshots in Asia. I'm inclined to give them a chance since I tend to get fed up with the rush downward of microstock.

but what turns me off is that they are choosing to do business in the US Dollar, not exactly the currency of the future.

With the wild exchange rate shifts of the past year, the USD limits the risk for the customer and fee management is easier.
It's weird they didn't reply to your inquiry. Perhaps it's a one man joint that put up a front ("partner") for Blend Images?

Quote from: steve_b7 on October 06, 2010, 11:18

http://www.fotegrafik.com
They are specialised in asian subjects. seems they have many quality in stock.
Don't know if they have many customers yet.

They are based in Singapore, the only location I trust in SE Asia. Thanks for the heads up. I'll call them when I'm back in the area there next week. What you saw is mostly from Blend Images. Their own content looks like tourist snapshots in Asia. I'm inclined to give them a chance since I tend to get fed up with the rush downward of microstock.

Maybe you will have better luck than I did. I have about 300 images with them for 3 years. 0 sales.

Quote from: shiyali on October 06, 2010, 22:32

Maybe you will have better luck than I did. I have about 300 images with them for 3 years. 0 sales.

Perhaps they are not focused well on their niche, which should be Asia. I'm not aware of any stock site focusing on Asian real people and surrounds. There is Phildate of course, a Singapore photography celebrity. Why don't you start it? You have the domain already. 

Fotegrafik has some nice images, but it seems to be mostly a reseller for images from other agencies. There are agencies that specialize on regional images such as Indian stock, Chinese stock, etc. Yes, I have the domain but not the time, not the mind, not the brains, ha! 30 or 40 years ago it might have been a different story.

Quote from: shiyali on October 07, 2010, 04:43

Yes, I have the domain but not the time, not the mind, not the brains, ha! 30 or 40 years ago it might have been a different story.

All it takes is a KTools Photostore install. I'm currently busy with another project but East-Asian stock might be a niche. Later maybe... The fact you had no sales at that site is discouraging. Last year I had to stay over in Taipeh because of a flight problem and the girls are just gorgeous for Western eyes (where the market is). It would be a great model source.

Part of fotegrafik's problem could be their pricing. A full size RF image goes for about 300.-U$, web size is 49.-U$.

I have found MOST over seas photo agencies in emerging markets to be nothing more than very lousy resellers of content produced by western companies, and I'm always shocked at the lack of "indigenous" faces - which only highlights their lack of leadership, much less anyone actually curating the collections. "Dumping Ground" is something that comes to my mind every time I find one. If you look up the traffic stats for these sites, it paints a very bleak picture, no pun intended.

Thanks for your observation, which means there is a possible market niche. I could elaborate a lot on the deep cultural divide between the Asian and the Western shooters as to subjects, concepts and approach, but that would lead too far. Shiyali is one that bridged that gap, but he's an exception.
Which brings me to my bottom line remark: perhaps there is no Western market at all (except some media) for this kind of stuff. That's why there are no agencies to cover the need.