Once upon a time,
there were stock photo agencies
that valued good photography,
the photographers who created it,
and the media buyers they enjoyed
serving with great images.
Today, there is Picade.
See who you
and your pictures
will be keeping
Company with...
|
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Why Picade?
We are a diverse, international group of experienced,
independent stock photographers who are concerned
about the changes that have occurred to our industry
in recent years. Changes that have had negative
impacts on us as independent business people, artists,
and content creators.
Royalty-free licensing, Internet portals, digital cameras,
microstock - have all combined to put the world awash
in readily-available images, undermining the value of
our work.
Giant corporations have gobbled up the once numerous,
inventive, photographer-friendly stock agencies leaving
few conduits to the market for good photography.
These mega-agencies now art-direct stock photo shoots
utilizing employees, thereby gaining copyright and
depriving the photographer of what would have been future
income. Or they renegotiate contracts and reduce the
commission they pay independent photographers on sales.
We didn't get into this business to become hourly employees
or receive paltry commissions. If we are to survive we need
to do something different...
Let's Own the Company!
Where there's chaos, there's opportunity. Certainly we are not
going to change history or the way that supply and demand works
in a dynamic economy. But we do think that there is a place
in the market for a mid-sized stock agency that focuses on:
- Great photos
- Quality over quantity
- A significant portion of images unique to the agency
Maximizing value through Rights-Managed licensing
Knowledgeable and responsive customer service
Industry-experienced, professional management
By implementing these things, we can create a picture agency
that is appealing to the client and fair to the photographer -
just like stock photo agencies were, once upon a time.
A Company, Not a Coop
While in essence we are a cooperative working together for our
mutual benefit, a photographer's cooperative would be too much
like herding cats. This is why we are structured as a
professionally managed LLC - a Limited Liabilty Company -
where each Member is a shareholder, a co-owner. Your Membership
acquisition cost is not a "pay to play" marketing expense but
rather, an investment; one you will have a voice and a vote in
how it grows.
Not only will you receive a better-than-50% commission on your
photo sales, but as an owner-member you will share in the financial
success of the Company as well.
Come Join Us
We're open to all types of professional photographers -
commercial, conceptual, editorial, photojournalists, fine art,
etc. About the only requirements are that you have a body
of work that is consistently excellent, have images that
can be marketed with Rights-Managed licensing, and you're
willing to make a financial investment in your future.
Picade is not a place to dump more images.
It's a place to highlight your selects and let them earn
their true value. It's where photographers and business
make good.
For complete information, please contact:
Michael Beasley, Chairman
telephone: +001 (773) 857-2882
(US Central Time, GMT-6 hours)
or
Brian Seed, Owner-Member Committee Chair
telephone: +001 (847) 782-7414
(US Central Time, GMT-6 hours)
or
Send us an email
We Look Forward to Welcoming You!
|