Author Topic: Is this a stock agency? (Read 3521 times)

Sean Locke Photography · « **on:** November 26, 2019, 18:29 »

Can anyone explain what this site is? I cannot figure out what the model is here.
https://www.twobrightlights.com/home.php

charged · « **Reply #1 on:** November 26, 2019, 19:05 »

I had a quick look though just now, it appears it is a way for you to efficiently submit your work to publishers for 'exposure'. You give your work away for free, they credit you in their publication, and you hope to get commission work in the future from the exposure. For anyone that maybe reading the publication and likes your style, they may contact you for commission work. And/or you save a tear sheet and plug it in your own marketing efforts, ie your website, and say you have been published in "GQ" or "Real Simple", etc. Being able to say you've been published in a big publication can be a helpful in getting perspective clients for commission work.

Under their pricing page, both you the content creator and the publisher both pay this website to be on their platform.

Giving your work away to large publications for free for exposure is not uncommon. Though of cause one would only do it if there is a need for exposure. Exposure would be good for someone just starting out and is still building out a name.

I looked through their list of current publishers, it is almost entirely of no-name brands. Thinking through it some more, big publishers probably don't really need free work and it may not make sense for their work flow. Meaning the inconsistency in quality of free work would actually make it quite expensive in human labor to deal with for a publisher, versus just hiring pros like they have always done. With pros, they know what they are getting, and they get want they want in the time frame that they want.

cobalt · « **Reply #2 on:** November 26, 2019, 19:07 »

I don‘t think so. You hav to pay a monthly fee as an artist for their service.

If I understand them correctly, the idea is to push examples of your work for free over various channels with the intent to get exposure that leads to paying client work.

Probably the benefit would be that it saves you time or you can multiply the results from your own social media work.

emjaysmith · « **Reply #3 on:** January 04, 2020, 07:19 »

Slightly off topic but I couldn't work out how to start a new thread.
Does anyone know anything about GoGraph or freeart.com. Both are selling and/or giving away my images but without links to an agency. Are they affiliates or just thieves? I hope someone here can give me a definitive answer before I contact them.
Thanks,
Mike.

Hannafate · « **Reply #4 on:** January 04, 2020, 08:51 »

They're affiliates. If you look at the author names, you'll see they're code for where the images are from, and who they are by.

emjaysmith · « **Reply #5 on:** January 04, 2020, 10:24 »

Thanks for that. I couldn't find the links to the agency which supplied them. If I tried the link with my name it just took me to the rest of my portfolio but without attribution to any agency. I will try again and see which agencies they are affiliated to.

Newsfocus1 · « **Reply #6 on:** January 04, 2020, 14:57 »

Freeart is an affiliate of Canstock. Read more here https://www.microstockgroup.com/canstockphoto-com/exciting-announcement/
From memory (may be wrong) but GoGraph is a Dreamstime partner. Regards, David.

emjaysmith · « **Reply #7 on:** January 05, 2020, 03:51 »

Thanks,
Mike

Noedelhap · « **Reply #8 on:** January 05, 2020, 08:01 »

You have to pay THEM $14.16/month for "exposure" and the empty promise of future commission work...from "big" brands like local wedding planners and magazines? Oh yeah, that will really pay the bills.

Whoever puts up with this nonsense? TwoBrightLights' entire business model consists of leeching off of naive and desperate photographers who are looking to get published. Don't fall for it!