acjeske
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 p.1 #1 · Unique business plan/revenue streams? | |
Hey all.
Just found the pro spot on the forum, so here I am, like a 10-year-old who sneaked into a PG-13 movie.
I'm in a bit of an unorthodox position, and I hope some of you might think for a moment about my situation and offer your wisdom.
I'm a writer, from the US but currently living in South Africa with my wife and two little kids. We've been doing volunteer work while here (on AIDS/poverty issues), and my writing has kinda grown and surprised me a bit. Their are two veins--adventure motorcycle travel and AIDS/poverty/justice/faith/culture stuff. The former has been the bulk of my work, but the latter feels important and I press in that direction as much as possible.
With the travel writing, I started providing images to publications, to run with my words, ramping up my gear from a Canon S1 3.2mp PnS to a 20D with Sigma 17-70, 50, and telephoto to be determined, with increments in between. Some decent-sized (not huge) magazines in the U.S., U.K., South Africa, and maybe Oz have used my stuff. These are mostly mid-sized, on fairly tight budgets, but the pay for a 1000 words and a couple images is US$300-900 so far, which is really great as a fun/meaningful sideline to our volunteer work (for which we raise money in the US to be able to do). For the kind of things I write, I'm the only one who could have the shot I'm talking about in the piece (specific lady at the market, particular spot on the road, etc.).
So, given my circumstance--in South Africa, with writing skills, with shots satisfying but not wowing editors (though I did just get my first cover shot), connected to issues (the volunteer work), what kind of revenue streams can I open/tap? I've got a good mind for business, but don't know what's out there. Here are currents/ideas/brainstorms:
1. the bundling of my images with my words, as done now (generally included in my per-word rate)
2. begin billing my publications differently, with a per-word rate and a per-image-used rate (don't know what others do about 1. and 2.)
3. selling images only to publications (not sure how to go about this, really--they generally seem to want words. Maybe I need to start pitching "stories" that are really just a picture or two with a paragraph of explanation...)
4. a pro acquaintance here speaks hightly of Alamy, but I don't like post-processing much, nor the mindless loading/keywording/etc. Ugh.
5. sell prints from our personal website (have orders emailed to me, I upload and print from Mpix or Adorama or whomever research turns up as good and well-priced, and have it shipped to client, who has PayPaled me)
6. something keying off our current self-supporting structure--as I mentioned we raise our own funds for our work here, and thus keep in contact with donors through regular e-newsletters. Maybe make it a subscription thing, with stories from our surrounds and great images? $20/yr x 1000 subscribers = $20,000 (just as an example. Would have to work hard to get that kind of number of people...) A variation would be "The shot of the week"--a weekly email of an image with a very brief explanation of the person/situation/story in the shot, again by subscription.
7. print/matte/frame some images and try to sell in some of the galleries and cafes and stuff in touristy areas (one of which is near where we live at the moment)
Or other ideas? I'm thinking of things that seem immediately at hand and accessible, but if anyone can pass info along about breaking it with bigger publications, newspapers/news agencies, legit stock agents, other kind of photo agent (?), or anything, I am all ears. All those things still lie outside my realm of possibility/understanding, but I'm certainly interested. That's why I'm here.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Adam
acjeske at gmail dot com
jeskelife.org--there are a few pics on the site, but it's mostly for family and friends at this point and would be changed a lot to go more professional
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