Author Topic: Selling your photos before shooting it (Read 4921 times)

NorArt · « **on:** July 12, 2016, 09:52 »

I've worked with many art directors over the years and I've seen how desperate they get when they are having trouble finding the photos they need.

So I came up with a way I think will benefit both clients and photographers.

The idea is simple. Next time you plan to do a shoot, post the details on-line. Clients who are looking for something similar can find your photo shoot and ask for small adjustments based on what you're already shooting. This would make the client happy because they have the specific photo they need for their project, and of course, it's good for you because you'll shoot the photos that someone already wants to buy. You deal with the client directly so it's up to you how much you want to charge for your photos.

We call this concept a LiveShoot, Check it out on focalpool.com and let me know what you think.

60D · « **Reply #1 on:** July 12, 2016, 10:47 »

Good idea. Cheers!

alno · « **Reply #2 on:** July 12, 2016, 10:57 »

Quote from: NorArt on July 12, 2016, 09:52

I've worked with many art directors over the years and I've seen how desperate they get when they are having trouble finding the photos they need.

So I came up with a way I think will benefit both clients and photographers.

The idea is simple. Next time you plan to do a shoot, post the details on-line. Clients who are looking for something similar can find your photo shoot and ask for small adjustments based on what you're already shooting. This would make the client happy because they have the specific photo they need for their project, and of course, it's good for you because you'll shoot the photos that someone already wants to buy. You deal with the client directly so it's up to you how much you want to charge for your photos.

We call this concept a LiveShoot, Check it out on focalpool.com and let me know what you think.

Seems good. No footages yet?

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #3 on:** July 12, 2016, 11:13 »

So you take a 10% to 20% service fee prior to handing money over to the photographer?

https://focalpool.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/203127605-How-much-does-it-cost-to-sell-on-FocalPool-

Meaning that the client pays FocalPool? But the licensing terms section says the deal is between the client and the photographer

https://focalpool.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/203127655-How-does-media-licensing-and-pricing-work-

You say regarding storage: "You'll start off with 10GB. There are plenty of other ways to increase your storage for free. If you need mass storage email us."

So this storage is for work uploaded to FocalPool by the photographer for delivery to the client? And how quickly and by what methods do you pay the photographer? Minimum or maximum prices?

I'm now completely confused about your business model and charges to photographers. What are you doing for this rather vague 10% to 20% fee other than operating the web ads for future shoots (and how does the percentage get set)? Don't you think it'd be a good idea to get the details straight before inviting people to participate so they know what they're agreeing to?

Pauws99 · « **Reply #4 on:** July 12, 2016, 12:17 »

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on July 12, 2016, 11:13

So you take a 10% to 20% service fee prior to handing money over to the photographer?

https://focalpool.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/203127605-How-much-does-it-cost-to-sell-on-FocalPool-

Meaning that the client pays FocalPool? But the licensing terms section says the deal is between the client and the photographer

https://focalpool.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/203127655-How-does-media-licensing-and-pricing-work-

You say regarding storage: "You'll start off with 10GB. There are plenty of other ways to increase your storage for free. If you need mass storage email us."

So this storage is for work uploaded to FocalPool by the photographer for delivery to the client? And how quickly and by what methods do you pay the photographer? Minimum or maximum prices?

I'm now completely confused about your business model and charges to photographers. What are you doing for this rather vague 10% to 20% fee other than operating the web ads for future shoots (and how does the percentage get set)? Don't you think it'd be a good idea to get the details straight before inviting people to participate so they know what they're agreeing to?

Once the photographer is in contact with the client couldn't they simply bypass the site or am I missing something? Its an interesting idea but not sure I fully understand how it works

NorArt · « **Reply #5 on:** July 12, 2016, 14:02 »

Jo Ann, you're completely right. We should update all the information on our site so people know exact details coming in.

Here are some details about LiveShoots:

- The photographer will take 80%, we take 20% to keep the site up and running.
- The transaction happens on FocalPool, we act as an escrow until the client gets the photos, after that the money is available for the photographer to collect.
- The photographer and the client communicate directly and agree on the licensing terms and the price with each other.
- The 10GB storage is not in regards to LiveShoots, it's for the stock photo marketplace. Again, we will update all the information so there is no confusion.

Quote from: Pauws99 on July 12, 2016, 12:17

Once the photographer is in contact with the client couldn't they simply bypass the site or am I missing something?

Good question. Technically they can bypass the site just like any other two-sided marketplace. (e.g. ebay, uber, airbnb, etc.)
What we want to make sure, is that both sides get a lot of value by using our platform. Everything from posting, getting discovered, communications, licensing, transactions and file transfer/management happens right on the platform in the most secure and easy way. If someone bypasses, they will have to do most of the process manually and pay for it out of pocket. Also, your current work helps to get your future work. Other clients see the history of your completed work and will be more likely to work with you. If you bypass there will be no history to show. And lastly, there are negative consequences for violating our term of conditions.

Pauws99 · « **Reply #6 on:** July 12, 2016, 14:05 »

Thanks yes it makes sense...would be interesting to see if anyone on here has had success with them ands if clients require exclusivity

Shelma1 · « **Reply #7 on:** July 12, 2016, 15:02 »

Sounds like Odesk or Elance or whatever they're called after their merger.

Microstockphoto · « **Reply #8 on:** July 12, 2016, 15:41 »

how about an art director calls a photographer and commissions him to do a photoshoot? i believe that concept is around since 1826

cathyslife · « **Reply #9 on:** July 12, 2016, 16:04 »

Quote from: Shelma1 on July 12, 2016, 15:02

Sounds like Odesk or Elance or whatever they're called after their merger.

Upwork...or Downwork as most call it because the site never works correctly.

Shelma1 · « **Reply #10 on:** July 12, 2016, 17:05 »

I was on Elance many years ago for a bit in its infancy, and many of us fought very hard for minimum payment amounts, deposits, approved credit cards for buyers, etc., only for Elance to eventually do away with most of it again after I got a job and lost track of them.

What happened there is that people bid less and less for work to compete with each other, until you had folks designing logos with unlimited revisions for $5...and now we have Fiverr, the lowest of the low.

I imagine photographers underbidding each other on this site until they're being paid $5 for a full day's shoot with models and locations and all custom shots insisted on by their customers.

Sorry...feeling pessimistic today.

Shelma1 · « **Reply #11 on:** July 12, 2016, 17:05 »

Double post

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #12 on:** July 12, 2016, 17:10 »

He already posted about this a year or two ago if someone wants to search.

NorArt · « **Reply #13 on:** July 12, 2016, 18:38 »

A year ago I posted about launching our site. This is a post about a new feature that we've been working on.

Quote from: Shelma1 on July 12, 2016, 17:05

I imagine photographers underbidding each other on this site until they're being paid $5 for a full day's shoot with models and locations and all custom shots insisted on by their customers.

Crowdsourcing is the reason why people underbid. It becomes a race to the bottom.

That's exactly why we came up with this approach instead. The clients discover your current photo shoot based on the photo they need. They contact you directly and privately because you're already in position to deliver what they need. No one sees their request and your quote. Everything stays one-on-one, therefore no one will underbid.

Ronnie · « **Reply #14 on:** July 12, 2016, 20:24 »

very intresting and interest idea for photographer~!

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #15 on:** July 12, 2016, 21:43 »

The chance of anyone needing a photo similar to something you're planning on shooting next week and the timing working out is zero. Plus they'll want to direct you into doing a custom directed shot that won't likely mesh with what you're doing, for a cheap price. It's just one of those things that won't work.

wordplanet · « **Reply #16 on:** July 13, 2016, 13:16 »

Interesting concept.

I was with elance in the beginning too. Got $650 for writing my first article on there and made thousands writing marketing copy for clients who flew me out to their locations. Then the underbidding started and it was a total waste of time.

I think you need to have minimums so the buyers aren't wasting people's time, as well as rules concerning exclusivity/non-exclusivity.

akaWinning · « **Reply #17 on:** July 13, 2016, 21:37 »

Agree with Sean Locke, just isn't gonna work for more than one reason..........

NorArt · « **Reply #18 on:** July 14, 2016, 01:31 »

Quote from: wordplanet on July 13, 2016, 13:16

I think you need to have minimums so the buyers aren't wasting people's time, as well as rules concerning exclusivity/non-exclusivity.

That's exactly right. There is going to be a minimum so photographers don't waste time and we don't attract the wrong type of clients.

charged · « **Reply #19 on:** July 14, 2016, 10:21 »

I think the website is trying to pull of a difficult concept. Art directors are usually always on some sort of timeline for their projects, few people are going to have the patience of describing what they want and wait for x amount of time in the hopes of getting what they want, unless they are onsite to direct the shoot in person.

I think the alternate idea is for the website to have a regularly schedule isolated on white background shoots, say like at 4pm every day. Then people can submit the type of poses they specifically need and can't find on microstock. I think that idea has a market. I used to be an art director, I've come across the problem of not being able to find the cut out pose I needed many times. What I then did was find someone in the office to pose for me. Usually these were for pitches for work, so professional quality not necessarily, as I was just illustrating ideas to potential clients.

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Author Topic: Selling your photos before shooting it (Read 4921 times)

NorArt

60D

alno

Jo Ann Snover

Pauws99

NorArt

Pauws99

Shelma1

Microstockphoto

cathyslife

Shelma1

Shelma1

Sean Locke Photography

NorArt

Ronnie

Sean Locke Photography

wordplanet

akaWinning

NorArt

charged

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