Months before i decided to give stock agencies one last try (which if you read the previous post know it turned out pretty bad) i created a Flickr account. At the time, I was preparing to close up a website i had used for a couple of years to host my photos and obviously i was looking for another place to showcase them. Luckily, I’m long past the stage where i feel the need to protect my files with huge watermarks or post only small resolution versions. That’s why i went in the entire opposite direction by licensing them under Creative Commons Attribution and uploading the highest resolution available. Somewhere along the line i learned that sharing and helping others find content without particularly expecting anything in return can be just as rewarding if not more, rather than keeping them all hidden or selling them for prices that are downright insulting.
While I’m not a professional photographer, I’ve been doing this for quite a while now and for an amateur, I’ve certainly gathered quite a bit of experience. Although I take my camera bag just about everywhere, especially during trips and holidays, i do like to think of myself as a designer. Photography is just an added bonus and a nice way to help remember the places I’ve seen or strengthen my awareness of the world around me.
So why did i decide to make my photos available for free? Here are just a few reasons:
- believe it or not, i very much enjoy seeing all the various ways in which my work can be remixed by others or simply used within their websites. It’s really inspiring and it certainly helps you get new ideas as well as insight into what kind of content people really need. It’s like an ongoing effortless brainstorming.
- there are plenty of situations where paying for images on a daily/post basis wouldn’t simply make sense money wise. This is particularly true with blogs and other websites that aren’t really profit oriented. It always nice to see that your work enlivens an article or helps illustrate a certain topic.
- every bit of exposure is welcomed. Besides, keeping all these images to myself would definitely help no one, not even myself.
- when having to choose between selling your photos for literally 30 cents or giving them away for free, i prefer the latter option. For some “strange” reason, I’m thinking that any web service which endorses such low prices for a product with a relatively low average number of sales is clearly taking advantage of its contributors. It’s simple arithmetic which shows that those tens of millions of dollars paid to photographers often mean a yearly income of less than 10 bucks per image.
- i simply can’t stand supporting companies that have proven time and time again to be extremely arrogant and disrespectful to the very same people on whom they depend for their livelihood. It’s extremely distasteful using strength in numbers to bully users into unconditionally accept their rules. I also have a hard time buying into the whole “have the photographers’ best interest in mind” when the agency’s taking up to 80% of the income. Now that’s a percentage that would make even Steve Jobs jealous.
While I’m pretty confident about my decision to avoid any photo agencies from now on, i’m also quite aware that Flickr is generating no revenues whatsoever. As a result, increasing the frequency with which I can upload content will be limited just like it always has. Also, as you’ve probably noticed, I’m not a big fan of cluttering the pages with ads, nor have i found them to be effective. The affiliate banners currently present on this blog are more of a way of saying “Thank you!” to two products/services I’ve enjoyed for quite a while now and have really helped me when i really needed it.
That’s why I’m wondering if allowing donations wouldn’t be in everyone’s best interests. Here’s why i think if could be useful to the users:
- as of this writing my Flickr photostream stands at over 1300 Creative Commons photos with several hundred to be uploaded in the next couple of months. Most of these files are 10-12 mpx and can fit a large number of use case scenarios. In fact they’ve already been employed in a significant number of projects (blogs, online and print publications, expo artworks etc)
- if you were to spend 5-10 bucks on a stock agency’s website, you would get several extra small files or a large one. Since most of my photo sessions result in anything from tens to hundreds of images (depending whether it’s a concept, macro, travel etc) this can prove to be quite a sound investment over time.
- donations can go into supporting equipment upgrades or exploring further concepts that would otherwise go outside the scope of a hobby (both as far as time and money are concerned). Just like before, suggestions and requests are seriously considered and highly appreciated. The only difference is in the means available to fulfill those wishes.
- while you’re helping yourself by having access to a constantly growing array of files (both photos and video clips) you’re also helping non profit entities that otherwise would not be able to afford paying for such services and might eventually back out or opt for lower grade content.
With that in mind, I’d really love hearing your thoughts on this idea. What is the type of content you’d most likely be interested in seeing posted both on Flickr and on this blog? Also, what would you feel about a donation based system? Are any of the advantages mentioned above relevant to your own situation? Looking forward to hearing your feedback.
