| As a stock photographer, what's your objective in | | | | Similarly, photographers, too, should "hide" the |
| contacting a photobuyer? "To show off the | | | | scope of their talents, and specialize if they want |
| variety and depth of my photographs, with the | | | | to move forward. Pick an area that you know a |
| purpose to make more sales," you might answer. | | | | lot about, one that interests you, or even one |
| If you were a service (commercial) photographer | | | | that attracts you and that you'd like to learn |
| travelling door-to-door to advertising and pr | | | | about (and then busy yourself learning about it). |
| agencies with portfolio in hand, your answer would | | | | Your interest and knowledge of the subject will |
| be fitting. But if you are an editorial stock | | | | shine through in your photographs. The |
| photographer attempting to interest an editor in | | | | photobuyer will say, "This photographer speaks |
| using your work, the above answer will lead to | | | | our language." |
| disaster. | | | | Editors will recognize your expertise, whether it |
| Ad agencies, yes, want to see variety in | | | | be in sailing, tennis, or aviation. Don't consider |
| photographs and versatility in a photographer's | | | | photobuyers as "them" out there on the other |
| use of their equipment. Photobuyers at publishing | | | | side of the fence. Instead, see them as individuals, |
| houses, however, want to know if you can supply | | | | each looking for photographers who can fill their |
| pictures in the specialized subject area that they | | | | highly specialized needs. |
| represent. | | | | HOMEWORK |
| If you do your homework and identify their | | | | There are more than 15,000 editorial markets in |
| particular focus area, and then present good | | | | the USA alone, that buy photos for publication. If |
| pictures that fit their subject area needs, they'll | | | | you did some homework and discovered ten who |
| buy them. Period. Ninety-nine percent of the | | | | want pictures in subject areas where you like to |
| magazines published today (this excludes the | | | | photograph, each with a $10,000- a -month |
| general newsstand magazines) are published for a | | | | budget for photography (which is a modest |
| specialized audience, and for specialized | | | | budget, many are much higher), you would soon |
| advertisers. Your task is to identify those | | | | cease dropping leaflets from your airplane. |
| publications that want photos in subject areas that | | | | As publisher of a photo marketletter, I do |
| you like to photograph, and then work with those | | | | business with both photographers and |
| markets. | | | | photobuyers. Photobuyers like to work with stock |
| Most newcomers to photomarketing tend to think | | | | photography specialists. The photographer who |
| of photobuyers as a mass of people on the other | | | | becomes successful at marketing pictures is |
| side of a fence. The photographer erroneously | | | | almost always the photographer who analyzes |
| figures if she/he can send out enough | | | | the market and goes after those markets that |
| photographs to enough photobuyers, like dropping | | | | want photos in his own particular specialty areas. |
| leaflets from an airplane, enough of their pictures | | | | This holds true in most all professions. If we have |
| will score. In today's targeted markets, and | | | | a copyright infringement situation, we don't deal |
| today's specialized economy, that kind of | | | | with a tax attorney. The same in medicine. If we |
| broadside marketing doesn't work anymore. | | | | have a particular medical problem we feel more |
| Publishing houses themselves have become highly | | | | confident going to a physician who specializes in |
| specialized. It's more cost-effective for them to | | | | that problem. |
| focus on special-interest subject matter. Publishing | | | | THE KEY |
| companies look for writers, for example, who are | | | | Photobuyers look at photographers the same |
| knowledgeable in the theme of their particular | | | | way. No one can believe a doctor can be "all |
| publishing venture, be it hunting, cars, archaeology, | | | | things to all patients." Likewise, a photobuyer feels |
| medicine, early childhood learning, and so on. The | | | | more comfortable coming to you when he knows |
| publisher feels uneasy giving a writing assignment | | | | you specialize in his subject area and he can count |
| to an author who is not totally familiar with their | | | | on work from you that's right on target. |
| subject matter. An author, then, stands to gain | | | | Versatility is a virtue, but in today's economy, it's |
| more by hiding his/her versatility. Cultivating the | | | | something to relegate to Sunday photography, |
| look of a specialist results in finding a home quickly | | | | where you're more concerned with artistic |
| for writing talents. (The writer can devote | | | | satisfaction than with sustained marketing |
| Sundays to engaging in versatility, or in writing his | | | | success. |
| or her Great Novel.) | | | | |