It’s stock Jim but not as we know it a.k.a. Are Photoshelter having a laugh?
photo credit: Mzelle Biscotte
As I’m sitting here typing this, my other monitor is displaying a slideshow of contemporary images from the Photoshelter stock agency. Photoshelter is a new agency that launched in November 2007, promising a fresh take on traditional stock to their image collection.
So why are so many professionals who post on their forums so discontented?
First off, let me start by saying the I applaud Photoshelter for introducing a minimum charge of $50 per image. They are very certain that they do not ever want to be a micro stock agency. They are also very certain that they do not want to be a traditional stock agency, like Alamy.
It became apparent very quickly to established photographers that Photoshelter was not the norm. The initial uploading frenzy (that often occurs when a new agency with a big outlook and promising a big budget on marketing and advertising) quickly identified the type of images that Photoshelter’s new team of image editors were choosing. And it wasn’t theirs..
Established professionals uploading images that were already selling rather well on other nonexclusive agencies, found that many of their best-sellers were being rejected by Photoshelter. Instead, photoshelter editors preferred the type of imagery often seen on the image sharing sites such as Flickr. It seemed the more avante-garde, the more underexposed, the more left-field the image, and the less conceptual relevance it had - the more the editors liked it.
Nevermind, thought the professionals, there’s room for both of this type of imagery in the world of stock.
But it soon became clear that the contemporary imagery collection of Photoshelter was their primary aim. Most of the promotion, marketing, advertising, is pushing the contemporary collection.
The Photoshelter forum was buzzing. How are these images going to make any sales? What are you playing at? Is this agency for real?
The Photoshelter buzz kept on rolling. Inducing a heavy community feel, not unlike micro stock agencies, Photoshelter reached out and appealed directly to Flickr users who had never considered selling their imagery before as stock. So much so they ended up placing image requests directly on Flickr forums, ignoring many of their professional contributors.
Most stock shooters are a pretty mercenary bunch. They are in it for the money. They are in it for the sales. They are not in it to produce art, nor are they in it to collect gold stars.
My take on this?
While it’s admirable that Photoshelter’s own mission statement suggests that “photography is an art and a profession”,they seem to be missing a fundamental point.
Art photography is not Stock photography.
It remains to be seen whether Photoshelter are going to be ploughing a lone furrow to create stock sales from art - but early indications of sales (if forum posts are anything to go by) are not promising. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t.
Time will tell, but this old dog thinks that if they continue to push their version of contemporary art over and above images with a solid track record of sales, they may regrettably go the way of many recent start-up stock agencies. Down the big image plug hole in the ground. And that would be a great shame for all concerned.
PP
PhotoShelter are on the slippery slope me thinks…It’s a nice idea that buyers were just waiting to find contemporary art stuff so they could snap it up. But they’re not! That’s the stuff they commission! They buy stuff that looks like all the other stock on all the other agencies! You know…How did PhotoShelter’s one & only ad campaign (did that really cost $1million?!)go…Photos you won’t find on Getty…Yes, well there’s two reasons for that 1)It doesn’t sell so Getty won’t take it & 2)You might not be able to find it on Getty but you can find the exact same images on Alamy & loads of other stock agencies because Getty is exclusive & PhotoShelter isn’t…..
PP,
did you sign up with PhotoShelter?
Yes i did Noni,
I thought it was going to be another good non-exclusive outlet at first. Then I saw what was getting “gold stars” :)
Thankfully I haven’t put too much time into it (the taxonomy screens are very slow) and so I’ll wait on the sidelines and see if their much vaunted transformation of the stock industry into a hybrid of “art and photography” actually starts making regular sales.
PP
Just my OP, but what PhotoShelter (PSC) really needs is “Adult Supervision.”
I have deleted most of the images that I originally submitted to PSC because my other agents were making sales on them. Unfortunately I did receive a lot of pretty Gold Stars and I never had an image rejected by PSC or any of the agencies that I allow to represent my work.
I have not been impressed by the “Editors” at PSC
I am also bothered by any agency that posts ads on their pages.
Have you seen the “Sponsors”?
Chuck
Thanks for your thoughts Chuck,
Yes, I’m not sure “sponsors” (i.e. ads) have any place in a professional stock library. You have to ask yourself just why they are there?
Is it perhaps, because Photoshelter currently has the feel of an online camera club? Whole thing is way too “community” based. If it wasn’t for the prices it could be iStock…. :)
PP