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Image Portals
ProMediaserve is not an agency and does not take any commissions from any image sales, nor does it directly market or promote any of our clients work or web sites. Just by using a hosted system doesn't mean anymore people would ever see your work. ProMediaserve is actually a tool, like and piece of image editing software, and is initially to make sure that working with existing clients is faster and more efficient with an offsite back up. As for getting new clients or direct image sales from unknown customers, that requires marketing of the web site to drive traffic. Something which is not so easy.
From having several photographers hosting in one place on the same database allows ProMediaserve to develop portals that cross search photographer accounts. If several photographers where happy to work together it means that one entry point and search page would allow a potential image buyer to look at all of their images at the same time, buying direct on the photographer's own licensing terms and pricing.
If we look back at a few years ago, if an image buyer wanted a particular kind of image, they would have researched what photographer shot those kind of pictures and called up one or a few photographers to submit their best shots that fit their request. The photographer would then do a search through his files and pull out a selection, and send it it by registered delivery or courier. The process would take time and it would only be possible for the client to approach a limited number of photographers. Nowadays, the same image buyer needs only go online and go to one website to see thousands of images from numerous sources with the possibility to download instantly, Why waste time calling photographers and waiting for the selection to arrive in the post? Even image buyers who traditionally bought direct from the photographers are now buying from agencies portals as they get instant results...
How does a photographer compete? In reality, with difficulty. Having images online with instant access is one step in the right direction, but image buyers still do have the time or patience to o visit the photographers websites and search each site individually in the hope that they have a download system. By grouping specialist or niche photographers in one place however might allow image buyers to consider going direct to photographers again if the images can be found and downloaded instantly. ProMediaserve, once there are enough quality or specialist photographers on board, can create portal entry pages easily so marketing can be concentrated on one one web portal rather than each photographer individually.
An example of a portal idea is being tested at One Stop Images... http://onestopimages.com
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