Gryf Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 I'm still relatively newbie so sorry if this is a naive question or if it was discussed already (couldn't find, so please share a link if it was a case): I see that there are agencies submitting through Alamy, some bigger, some smaller (those having some 100k + immages)... Just out of my curiosity I was wondering how it works. I guess a photographer submits photos and the agency does the rest - key wording, uploading and eventually sharing the profits.. Is that so? What are your experiences? Does it make a sense for a photographer to get engaged with them? What are pros and cons? How does it work exactly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
losdemas Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 Many other agencies sell via Alamy, as well as directly. If you have an account with one of those, then you may have been offered the option to opt in/out of third party licensing. Best to check your contracts with other agencies and go from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cryptoprocta Posted December 3, 2017 Share Posted December 3, 2017 3 hours ago, Gryf said: I'm still relatively newbie so sorry if this is a naive question or if it was discussed already (couldn't find, so please share a link if it was a case): I see that there are agencies submitting through Alamy, some bigger, some smaller (those having some 100k + immages)... Just out of my curiosity I was wondering how it works. I guess a photographer submits photos and the agency does the rest - key wording, uploading and eventually sharing the profits.. Is that so? What are your experiences? Does it make a sense for a photographer to get engaged with them? What are pros and cons? How does it work exactly? I have no direct experience, but from what I read, some agencies keyword for you (some better than others), some don't. If they sell one of your files via Alamy, you share the money three ways. That may or may not be attractive to you, IMO it wouldn't be a smart move unless they were generating lots of sales on their own, and if that was the case why would you want to have them submit to Alamy and have Alamy split the share from there? I guess it might be worthwhile for some people or they wouldn't do it, but who can tell? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert M Estall Posted December 3, 2017 Share Posted December 3, 2017 In my own small way, I did function as a stock agency. There were a good number of photographers doing quite nicely and more than a few medium sized agencies working well and making pretty good money. In only 20 years a handful of really big agencies have pretty well scooped up the whole market. Hardly any small agencies have survived selling significant numbers direct to publishers, but many were bought up by the big two from Seattle and the rest either perished or put their images out through "portals" which pretty well describes Alamy. I did have a photographer who seemed determined to get her images out there and had her (same) images with as many agencies as she could manage. Some of those agencies tidied up her keywords and loaded them up on Alamy. At one point I reckon there were as many as seven versions of her photos answering to an Alamy search. Then she discovered Alamy herself and went about withdrawing from most of her agents. Good photographer! Obviously a photographer will get a better percentage if they do their own submissions to Alamy or another agency or even, dare I suggest, microstock. But everybody works slightly differently. Some agencies put a lot of effort into keywording, some scarcely bother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert M Estall Posted December 3, 2017 Share Posted December 3, 2017 Over my soo many years in this business, I've seen many playing pretty fast and loose with the concept of image exclusive. Of course agencies seek to obtain exclusivity as it puts them in control but I've never heard of a photographer getting anything more than a rap on the knuckles or some guidance towards the door. Alamy are the exception, they make it quite clear that we are free to diversify. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gryf Posted December 3, 2017 Author Share Posted December 3, 2017 6 hours ago, geogphotos said: The only agencies I am aware of that do the key-wording and then place images on Alamy ( and other agencies and networks) are image exclusive. So if that is what you want the option exists. This is definitely not what I want I was just curious to see how it works Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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