| A photobuyer is searching for a photo of a jack oak | | | | access to thousands of picture suppliers, with files |
| (Quercus ellipsoidalis), taken in late fall or early winter, | | | | totaling millions of images, you might surmise your |
| before the leaves have fallen. People should be in the | | | | marketing approach should be to take pictures of |
| picture, including teenagers (13-19 years old), | | | | everything in sight, and enter them onto a website |
| animated and enjoying the outdoors.Get used to | | | | of your own. Big mistake.Put yourself in the |
| it.The old adage, "once you've seen a tree, you've | | | | photobuyer's shoes. She will seek out an Internet |
| seen 'em all," doesn't work anymore. Photobuyers are | | | | site(s) that provides strong coverage of "trees" |
| no longer satisfied with catalog shots of trees. For | | | | (there are 66 species of oak trees alone).If you keep |
| their project in progress, your image will have to | | | | this in mind, and specialize, the Internet is going to |
| complement the message of the text. If you haven't | | | | make you a valuable resource to photobuyers in the |
| traveled through Minnesota, Wisconsin, or the upper | | | | coming decade. They will be able to easily contact |
| peninsula of Michigan, you're not going to have this | | | | you directly, but they'll contact you because they'll be |
| image in your file. Get used to it.PICKY-PICKY | | | | seeking content-specific pictures. Start now to begin |
| PICSPhotobuyers in the 80's and 90's weren't | | | | building your stock photo files in a few choice vertical |
| picky-picky. They were usually satisfied with | | | | categories that have attraction for you (fly fishing, |
| "something nearly on-target," because readers didn't | | | | orangutans, the Chesapeake Bay, rodeos, gliders, oak |
| expect on-target illustrations. Besides, a decade ago | | | | trees) -- whatever subjects wild horses couldn't pull |
| the methods available to try to locate a | | | | you away from.As for those general-category |
| highly-specific picture were labor-intensive and costly. | | | | pictures in your files? If they are high quality, you can |
| Today, photobuyers are more selective. They know | | | | place them with one of the micro stock agencies and |
| they can tap easily into highly specialized collections | | | | figure on receiving a check once in a while.A good |
| of photos, thanks to the Internet. If you don't have | | | | rule to remember when marketing your pictures: |
| the exact picture they need, they'll quickly find | | | | Photobuyers buy pictures, not because they like |
| someone who does.The photobuyer looking for a | | | | them, but because they need them.Rohn Engh is |
| picture of Quercus ellipsoidalis, may need such a | | | | director of PhotoSource International and publisher of |
| picture just once. But if the photobuyer can find you, | | | | PhotoStockNotes. Pine Lake Farm, 1910 35th Road, |
| as a tree specialist, on the Internet, and you have | | | | Osceola, WI 54020 USA. Telephone: 1 800 624 0266 |
| the picture, you've captured that sale. YOUR | | | | Fax: 1 715 248 7394. |
| MARKETING APPROACHSince the Internet offers | | | | |