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Key words in this issue: Marketing Help | Uniqueness | Photobuyer Changes | Story Ideas | On the Go | Sell Photos |

NEWSWORDS: FinePix Digital Camera | Italian Photography | New Agency | Fine Art | Best Colour Entry | Autumn Exhibition | Web Use High | Inspiration | Getty and NBA | Digital Rivalry | Highways.tv |

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## PhotoAIM weekly newsletter for 09/20/02 ## 384c

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PhotoAIM, the weekly newsletter from PhotoSource

ISSN 1530-0511

If you no longer wish to receive PhotoAIM, see the instructions at the end of this newsletter.

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HOW TO STAND UP TO BIG CORPORATE STOCK AGENCIES...

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The Great Equalizer

Can you compete with the large corporate stock agencies? Yes, you can become a monopoly.

"A monopoly?" you say. "Me, become a monopoly?"

My WEBSTER'S tells me a monopoly is a "commodity controlled by one party..." Translated to our stock photography industry on the World Wide Web, that means if you have very extensive photo coverage of one subject -- you have a mini-monopoly. When photobuyers are meeting a deadline and are up against a stone wall trying to locate a specific picture, you are the Knight on a White Horse when you can supply them with that highly specific photo. Monopolies already exist in stock photography. As an example, my friend Flip Schulke has a near-monopoly of photos of Martin Luther King Jr. When photobuyers need photos of the civil rights leader, guess who they turn to? You may already have an emerging monopoly of highly specialized photos: insects, daffodils, table tennis, giraffes, and so on.

HOW TO DO IT.

In the world of commerce, marketing people say, "Find a need and fill it." In the creative world, we say, "Determine what I love to photograph and find buyers who need that." In other words, if wild horses couldn't pull you away from your avid interest in some subject area, you have discovered where you can easily become a monopoly. Why? Because you don't have to worry about failing at it. You'll fail sometimes but you won't quit. If you really love what you're doing, you won't mind failing until you get it right. Begin now to ask yourself where your interest area(s) is (are). If it's animals, examine your photos. Do you lean toward certain animals? Domestic? Wild? North American? European? African? Asian? Be specific, because when photobuyers come calling, they will be looking for a specific animal (Abyssinian cat, dromedary camel, etc.), not animals in general. When photobuyers can target their search on the Internet, they will avoid large general stock photo agencies that probably won't have a broad selection in their interest area to choose from. They'll go to you with your highly specific file and up-to-date depth of coverage that gives a variety of choices. This approach results in you "automatically" developing an in-depth historical collection. Most commercial stock agencies (because of space and storage considerations) throw out-dated pictures away. You have the capability to save them, let them mature, and feature them later as historical photos.

And how do you know when you've achieved "monopoly" status? When you find your marketing posture has become a "them-coming-to-me" system. You may find you have three or four "monopolies." You can build your files in those areas.

HOW TO BE UNIQUE

Uniqueness is like beauty. Uniqueness can be in the eye of the beholder. What one photobuyer will consider unique, another will consider commonplace. From a marketing point of view, you can use this truism to your advantage, and position yourself and your photography to be considered unique.

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This week's featured photographer on PhotoSourceFolio: Ray and Ellen Ridenour:

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As a special service to our PhotoAIM subscribers, we provide you with a fresh, up-to-date list of photobuyers every month. Look for this list every third week of the month, to update or add contacts to your personal Market List.

CHANGES

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KAREN PUGLIANO, Freelance Photo Editor, former address: One Lake St, Upper Saddle River NJ 07458; current address: 4 Willows St, W Harrison NY 10604.

THE CREATIVE COMPANY (123 S Broad St, Mankato MN 56001) former contact: Laura Munsermann, Photo Editor; current contact: Anne Fitzpatrick, Photo Editor.

DESIGN FIVE (503 Oak Lake Ave, Santa Rosa CA 95409) Contact person Diane Austin, Photo Researcher. Former phone: 1 707 539-7172; current phone: 1 503 528-9522.

ART DIRECTIONS, former address: 4 Second Ave Ste 106, Denville NJ 07834; current address: PO Box 397 77 Castle Rock Road, Lake Hopatcong NJ 07849.

AMOR MONTES DE OCA, former address and phone: 1510 Wesley Ave, Evanston IL 60201-4122, 1 847 475-5029; current address and phone: 1349 Chase, Chicago IL 60626, 1 773 274-4178.

FERRARI COLOR (601 Bercut Drive, Sacramento CA 95814) former contact: Grant Rockwell, Sales; current contact: Charlotte Angerer.

TIME FOR KIDS (TIME & LIFE Building RM 2556B, 1271 Ave of the Americans, New York, NY 10020-1393) contact person Jacqui Wong, Photo Editor. Former phone: 1 212 522-1252; current phone: 1 212 522-6124.

KOKINAKES DESIGN (535 Anton Blvd Ste 450, Costa Mesa, CA 92626) former phone: 1 714 424-2507; current phone: 1 949 809-6760.

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CAN'T FIND TIME FOR MARKETING?

We can help!

For more than 25 years photographers have increased their sales thanks to our marketing tools.

The 2003 edition of the photographer-tested PhotoSourceBOOK photographer directory is going to press soon. Take advantage of the strength and marketing power of this desk-top reference that 3,000 top editorial buyers keep handy all year long. You also receive a year's membership in the electronic PhotoSourceBANK when you sign up for the book.

Hurry! Only a limited number of participants. Deadline for signing up is October 15th, 2002. Don't miss out, sign up today! The cost is $365, and if you sign up before September 30<sup>th</sup>, 2002, you’ll save $65 in our Early Bird Special.

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HOW THE WEB BECAME A VIABLE MARKETPLACE

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The Web is changing the way we do our shopping. What was once the dominion of the mail-order catalogs is now becoming the realm of the Web.

As recently as six years ago, it was useless to use the Internet as a source for stock photography. Now, just as the Web is fast becoming the medium of choice for consumers who like to "catalog shop," this transition is also occurring in stock photography.

What has contributed to this change in the picture-search process for photo researchers?

The convergence of technological developments, plus hardware and software innovations, have improved the Web to where it is now becoming a workable alternative marketplace for stock photographers and photobuyers.

Here are contributing factors:

Computers: speedier, more powerful, cheaper

Modems: more powerful, swifter, cheaper

Storage: lower cost of digital compression

Scanners: more selection, lower prices, finer quality

Telephone lines: speedy and becoming user-friendly (with speedier cable technology, e.g. DSL, satellite)

Browsers: easy to use and free

Computer literacy: steadily rising in publishing circles

Software: easy and simple Web authoring tools

CD-ROM: catching on; DVD-ROM on the rise

Digital delivery: scan previews already acceptable; hi-res delivery soon to become commonplace

Royalty-free: creating new markets and educating new buyers

World Wide Web: For photographers: several services to choose from; for photobuyers: increasing numbers of photographers to choose from, speedily found by using search engines with text descriptions of images and photo specialties; virtual portfolios available upon request; light boxes now commonplace.

TRAVEL NOTES

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On the Go

Travel photography can be very tiring, especially in severe climates, hot or cold. You can end up doing a lot of walking, as it’s the best way to see a place. I usually follow my own advice about not shooting during the middle of the day, but sometimes this is not possible, because of limited time.

Summer in Rome, Italy is stiflingly hot, and it's where I currently am, house-sitting for friends who escaped to a cooler climate. With my partner and a friend, I walked round the main visitor sites in a couple of days as the city is so compact. One day was very flat light and so offered little opportunity for scenic work, while the other had a brilliant azure sky that gave possibilities. On both days I carried the cameras and did shoot a little, but I used the opportunity mainly to work out what was the best time of day to shoot at various sites, and what lenses would make the angles look good.

Our wanderings also gave me ample time to see what other photographers had come up with, by looking at the numerous postcards for sale. Some were fine pictures which had been taken from vantage points not accessible without knowing the right people, so I discounted these, while many were good because they simply had been taken at the right time of day, something I could easily do.

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"Maybe those photographers are laughing all the way to the bank..."

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There were also a large number of fairly mediocre pictures, but maybe those photographers are laughing all the way to the bank! Although it is very easy to be judgmental about quality, buyers have endorsed them by purchasing them, so maybe they are right.

Having made my plans on paper, I can now organize a schedule that will accommodate all that I want to shoot, at (most importantly) the right time of day. This will make it fairly easy with the right weather, brilliant sunshine for daylight and the ‘magic hour’ around twilight for others, my personal favorite.

I should end up with a good set of Rome pictures. They might look similar to the work of others already in the marketplace, but they will be mine and I know that new images are always in fashion however hackneyed the subject. I re-shoot Piccadilly Circus in London most years because I live in the city, because of changing fashions with clothing and cars, and the updated photos always find a home.

As I carried the cameras on my two days of just looking in Rome, I did actually shoot a number of pictures that seemed right at the time, in spite of it being in the middle of the day. One of the great rules about photography is that really there are no rules; if it works for you then it’s right!

LET YOUR PASSIONS FUEL GREAT STORY IDEAS

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The greatest source of ideas for potential articles should be the subjects and destinations you're passionate about. What are these? Make two lists of your passions: (1) estinations you have most enjoyed visiting and those you would most like to visit. Come up with a list of around 20 destinations. Also think about how many countries you would like to visit in total in your life. (2) Activities you enjoy most and which you could incorporate into travel writing stories.

You should feel excitement as you're creating your lists. You should feel inspired to visit your chosen destinations and get involved with your chosen activities. If for any reason you don't feel inspired or excited, go back and revise your lists until you do. Once you have lists of destinations and activities you're truly passionate and excited about, our mind will fill with more ideas for articles than you could possibly write in a lifetime.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

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"Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but, unlike charity, it should end there."

–Clare Booth Luce

FREE THIS WEEK

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FREE Training your dog. Here’s how you can get a free treat to use while you are training your dog.

THIS WEEK'S WEB FEATURE

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Keep up with what you need to know in the editorial stock photo industry. Our newsletter PhotoStockNotes will put you on the leading edge.

Watch for developments in the field of stock photography in PhotoAIM's

PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE NEWS

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You'll be the first to know…

Note: If the URL is long, it may extend to two lines. In that case - clicking on it won't work. Instead, "copy and paste" the URL.

Fujifilm announces a new FinePix F402 compact digital camera.

Italy Decides to Embrace Photography in a country that once largely treated photography as a kind of niche hobby unworthy of attention by important museums and art galleries.

Former Gamma Editor Starts New Agency

Photography as a Fine ART! Gallery One -- American Museum of Photography. An exhibition of photographs in which dogs behave like people... and people are transformed into dogs!

A Journey Through Autumn Following The Color South

"I took the picture at night because the light was different." Mary Hatcher, 52, of Shipley, won the best colour entry for her picture of the former Odeon Cinema and Alhambra Winning visions of a striking city

US web use at record high despite downturn

Not-so-sweet inspiration....Assisting in the darkroom of Man Ray's Paris photography studio one afternoon...

Getty's Deal With NBA Stirs Controversy- Last November, with little fanfare, Getty Images announced a five-year deal to be the official photo agency of the NBA, WNBA and NBDL basketball leagues.

Rivals add flash to digital photos Hewlett-Packard, Kodak vie for sales for growing market

Getting the most out of a photo workshop

What you really need to know about digital cameras -

Highways.tv Covers Road Conditions, Provides A Resource For Travel Writers and Local News Sites -a handy collection of Web links arranged by state.

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Have questions about marketing your editorial stock photography? Put your questions on our Kracker Barrel and find the answers.

Feel free to forward this issue of PhotoAIM to your photographer friends.

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