| If you're a ball player, you know the secret | | | | (specialized) self-assignment. You'll be |
| of success: anticipation. You position | | | | ahead of the game. |
| yourself where instinct tells you the action | | | | |
| of the play is going to be. Where's the | | | | 5. DIGITIZE. Learn to take, scan, and |
| action heading in this "digital age" we find | | | | manipulate digital pictures. Borrow the |
| ourselves in? Where are you going to | | | | equipment if you can't buy it. But remember, |
| position yourself? Translation: Where | | | | the best word processing program can't |
| should you invest your photo business time | | | | produce a good story without a good author. |
| and money in the digital age? | | | | Film is dead. KODAK told us so. (See |
| | | | PhotoStockNotes, May '95, Pg. 1). It's still |
| 1. KNOW THY BUYER. Once the under-30 art | | | | taking awhile for film to fade completely |
| directors take over the photobuyer scene, | | | | out, but shake hands with those folks you've |
| look for on-line services to supply buyers | | | | been debating with. They won. |
| with discount generic pictures. But look for | | | | |
| photobuyers to opt for your rights-managed | | | | 6. RF has always been around in the form of |
| (RM) photos because RF (royalty-free) photos | | | | Clip-Art - but there was not a way to produce |
| won't be specific enough for their quality | | | | massive digital versions of it. Now there is. |
| publishing projects. | | | | Naturally, this reduces fees. Don't fight |
| | | | it. |
| 2. CONTENT-SPECIFIC pictures will always | | | | |
| sell for higher fees (rights-managed). Most | | | | 7. CD and DVD are delivery methods. Like |
| RF (royalty-free) pictures will sell for | | | | all delivery methods they will become |
| pennies. Informational magazines and books | | | | outmoded. However, your images (the content) |
| will require unique documentary pictures | | | | can easily be transferred to the newest |
| (rights-managed--RM). Since there are fewer | | | | on-line delivery methods. Your investment in |
| of these specialized-content pictures, | | | | CDs and DVDs will not be lost. |
| they'll sell for high fees. The massive | | | | |
| numbers of "exquisite cliché" (RF) photos | | | | 8. COPYRIGHT. You can expect we will see |
| will fall in price, because, well, there are | | | | some new copyright laws coming. But few will |
| so many of them. And the number keeps | | | | be enforceable. Foreign copyright |
| growing. | | | | infringement is rampant. As the saying |
| | | | goes, "Build a bigger lock and someone will |
| 3. SPECIALIZE. Attorneys do it. Doctors do | | | | build a bigger hammer." Put your energy to |
| it. Musicians do it. You do it. You are | | | | making more pictures. |
| much more valuable to a photobuyer if you can | | | | |
| match that photobuyer's "theme" area with | | | | 9. MARKETING. Your marketing methods remain |
| your stock files | | | | unchanged: Figure out what you love |
| | | | photographing. Find the markets that need |
| 4. ANTICIPATE. Ever notice that book stores | | | | photos in those interest areas of yours. |
| seem to know the current trend in reading | | | | Meet their needs. Your buyers won't care |
| matter? Most of the time. It's because | | | | what delivery method you use (on-line, CD, |
| publishers, who plan their press runs far in | | | | FEDEX, or horseback), if you deliver what |
| advance, do heavy market research. You can | | | | they need when they need it. |
| use book stores to inspire your next | | | | |