The stock photography industry has endured an incredible amount of change since 1980 when Danita Delimont first started as an independent agent for Wolfgang Kaehler. In 2000, Danita started Danita Delimont Stock Photography, which specializes in worldwide travel, nature, and lifestyle, images. As the National President of the American Society of Picture Professionals (ASPP), from 2000-2001 she was propelled into the forefront of the photo industry and her expertise was sought by many including numerous photographers. Danita has also worked with the North American Nature Photographer's Association (NANPA) and is a member of the Picture Archive Council of America (PACA). With all of this experience Danita brings a wealth of knowledge to the photo industry.
It is for these reasons that we invited Danita to be interviewed by Jim Hunter, Editor-in-Chief/Chief of Operations of StockPhotographer.info. Danita graciously accepted our invitation and what follows should make for some interesting reading.
~ Jim Hunter, Editor-in-Chief/Chief of Operations
Jim Hunter: For those who may not be familiar with Danita Delimont Stock Photography, tell us a bit about your company and what got you started in this crazy business.
Danita Delimont: I first worked as an independent agent for Wolfgang Kaehler for 18 years, after meeting him on the Amazon River in 1980. We were both working on board the World Discoverer for Society Expeditions. He moved to Seattle and my husband and I helped him settle in where he bought a house in our neighborhood. He continued traveling and photographing for Society Expeditions and I was the only one he trusted with the key to his slide file.
Many magazines were calling for Antarctic and Amazon coverage for their various travel articles and I would send them out and negotiate the payments, etc., while he traveled the world. This business continued and evolved over the 18 years I represented him. In 1999 I made the difficult decision to start my own agency, which has led me to where I am today.
JH: The stock industry was a much different place in 1980 when you first started working with Wolfgang. What was it like to then start up your own agency in 2000?
DD: I knew I could easily make my move because I was already established with photo buyers across the country. Many photographers had been asking for help and I knew there were many more that I could sign up once I let the word out. I also knew the business really well and am the kind of outgoing person that can pick up the phone and call anyone.
Further I’m in the Seattle area, where Corbis and Getty are and I watched for many months as Corbis returned to Wolfgang’s again and again to select images for scanning. There was no question that I would have to scan the images and offer them up on an e-commerce website in order to compete, which is exactly what I did. Also, rather than be all things to all people, I specialized in worldwide travel destination coverage with nature and wildlife a sub-specialty. After all, travel companies need flora and fauna from the various travel destinations such as Africa or Alaska. With so many wonderful nature shooters, I also bring in habitat and ecosystems for the environmental clients I have.
JH: You've seen a lot of changes in the industry since starting your company. Give us some historical perspective on some of these changes.
DD: Right after starting my own agency in 2000, I was also elected the National President of ASPP during that time and served a two-year term. I traveled the country meeting with different chapter members and ASPP colleagues of every background imaginable. It was an extremely volatile time for the stock industry then. Everyone was experiencing enormous confusion as their various offices confronted the technology and processes necessary to make the digital transition in the workplace.
Ad agency and design firms were the first on board to upgrade their computer systems and technology but older publishing houses and freelancers working out of their home offices were the last. They simply didn’t have the budgets for the equipment necessary. Art Directors and Designers were ahead of the curve because they knew about Photoshop and its capabilities already. Photo editors and researchers as well as many photographers had to take the time to get educated on a diversity of new subjects, processes and technology.
It was during my two-year term as the National President that we developed an “Education Program” intended for just these reasons. We had our first 3 day program in Santa Fe at the Santa Fe workshop in May of 2001, thanks to Reid Callanan who was not only the owner, but also on the West coasts’ board at the time.
JH: The advancements in technology over the past few years have created many new opportunities for stock photographers, agencies and researchers alike. How have some of these advancements effected your agency?
DD: The internet is the great equalizer. If you develop your website with sophisticated enough technology, people will find you. Living in Seattle there’s no shortage of bright techno-oriented people and we’ve used that to our advantage. We’ve also signed with great service providers to our industry that help clients find our site as well.
Digital technology also gives us the opportunity to share image files with sub-agents in different countries to reach other markets. Also I can have my photographer’s initial submissions arrive via my ftp site which saves everyone a lot of extra work. I am moving more toward digital delivery, although I do still accept a few analog submissions. I either greasemark the pages and return them to the photographer to scan, or scan them in-house, depending on the agreement I have with the photographer.
JH: Have you seen an increase in the volume of images submitted with the increased usage of digital cameras?
DD: Yes. I will say that some photographers send me way too many similars that I have to wade through and it takes up my time. They just can’t edit themselves, although they’re starting to get better.
JH: Has the quality of stock imagery improved over the years?
DD: Yes of course. When I look back at the faded Ektachrome or Kodachrome, it doesn’t compare to the Velvia and Provia that followed. Digitally captured images taken on professional high-end cameras are really sharp.
JH: How many photographers are currently signed with Danita Delimont Stock Photography?
DD: I have around 175 photographers, although there are many that I really don’t work that much with. I realized when I needed to have “the world” for all my various travel clients that I would have to bring in shooters with on-going worldwide travels, many based globally.
JH: Are your photographers' contracts exclusive or non-exclusive?
DD: I started with non-exclusive contracts and am moving toward Image Exclusive contracts at this point.
JH: What is your commission percentage paid to contributors for images licensed direct?
DD: Most of my contracts are a 50/50 split, but I take a little more if we do the scanning.
JH: How many of your photographers are engaged full time in stock production?
DD: I would say 65% of my photographers are full time pros.
JH: Tell us what it takes for a photographer to be accepted by Danita Delimont Stock Photography.
DD: I’m not taking too many new photographers at this point because I simply don’t have the time to do all the editing for so many images. I’m always looking for depth and breadth in a subject. I like photographer who have on-going access to a particular area or subject because he/she keeps going back to shoot it in all its faces. I also look for serious behavior specialists that have species or habitat.
JH: Unlike most of the big image distributors your agency still develops close relationships with its photographers. Tell us a little about that and why you think it is important.
DD: I actually care about the photographers I represent and I consider many of them friends. I know how hard it is to make a living as a photographer so I like to give them many opportunities... I meet them all over the place when I travel around for conferences and try to get to know them better. I know I can call on them for special coverage if I don’t have it on my site yet and they’ll deliver. They have given me their trust and loyalty and are with me for the long haul. They know how it takes time to get images onto the website and sales in the pipeline.
JH: Do you think that it is still feasible for a photographer working full time at stock production to make a living licensing Rights Managed images only or will most eventually be forced into licensing Royalty Free also to one degree or another?
DD: That’s a good question really. RF continues to rise in its use, although I attribute a lot of it to the younger researchers working without understanding the value of relationships and negotiation. I will often license a use less than the cost of the average high res ($474) RF. Young researchers think the only way to keep the budget down is to license RF when often all they need to do is pick up the phone and talk about their needs. They will be surprised….
I think photographers need to understand that the dynamics of buying images is continually changing worldwide. The more variations of stock they have to offer the more types of buyers they can reach. There is a misconception out there about RF that could be better understood if one studies the different markets and business models out there. Many photographers and agencies in particular are seeing big numbers in the amount of times an image sells and resells itself. In the end, it seems to be working very well for those involved in RF stock. Once you wrap your head around the psychology of RF and why people look for RF, you may better understand there may be a chance for your images in a RF market.
JH: It seems that with a few notable exceptions, many of the agencies and distributors that once licensed Rights Managed images have now gotten into the Royalty Free business as well. Why have you chosen not to do so?
DD: Up until now I haven’t offered a royalty free collection because I’m still studying it. I’ve also wanted to stay true to my photographers who gave me their images for RM sales. In the 5 years that I’ve been developing my agency a lot of changes have occurred on many levels. Because I regularly attend industry conferences such as PACA, (Picture Archive Council of America), ASPP, (American Society of Picture Professionals) and NANPA, (North American Nature Photography Association), I’ve had a chance to learn from many colleagues and hear the voices of photographers as well.
I need to find a balance for both my photographers and my agency when I put up an RF collection. I’ve had several photographers approach me, saying they'd give me their stock for an RF collection, but there’s probably a lot of RM content mixed in it as well… I need to figure out how to sort through it all and make that determination which takes so much time. At the same time, as I develop an RF collection, I need to let my RM photographers understand why I’m doing it, so they can be part of it if they so choose.
The stigma of RF is out there and I want to present my collection in a positive light in terms of my contributors. The hardest part is that the RF collection will compete with the existing RM collection and I don’t want my photographers to be upset with me about that. It’s hard to maintain a RM collection when it’s obvious that adding RF is an important and significant step.
One last thing…because I have many non-exclusive images, they may be out there with other agencies so I really can’t turn any of my existing content into RF. I need an entire new group of images that I can have control over. Whew!
JH: Over the past several years there have been many new, young photo researchers entering the industry who are technically sophisticated and have simply jumped into searching online. Many of these have probably gone straight to the RF sites because they think it's simpler and cheaper to do so rather than considering Rights Managed imagery. Why could this be a big mistake on their part?
DD: I addressed this earlier but would like to add the following: In the past, researchers would pick up the phone and develop relationships with photo sources. They would negotiate a price that worked for both sides. Today, young researchers are so enraptured with their computers and email that they haven’t developed telephone skills. Many are hesitant to pick up the phone and talk to an actual person, but have no fear when interacting in cyberspace. For this reason I believe, when their boss says “go get this list of images, and we have to keep the budget down”, they automatically think that Royalty Free is their only option, not realizing that every photo is negotiable with pretty much any agency. (They won’t tell you that on the website of course, but they are!) They see the prices via the shopping cart and automatically bolt to the next website, rather than making a call to talk about their needs.
This I believe is one of the reasons RF is steadily rising! As young researchers, art directors and editors right out of college move into the workforce, they may have the computer skills to find images but they don’t have the inner personal skills to make the calls, let alone know how to negotiate a price. This is not something taught in school, but rather is learned hands on. Further, their bosses, who most likely have these skills from developing them over the years, are so maxed out and overwhelmed with their own work load, they don’t have the time to teach them, which is a real shame.
JH: What is your view of the RF subscription model and microstocks and do you think that they have caused a devaluation of stock photography or are there other causes?
DD: I shudder at the whole concept of subscription and micro stock models. What’s in it for the photographers? By the time you dibby up the number of images downloaded and pro-rate the money to the photographers, there’s not much to offer. I can understand the strategy for the agency or business owner, but this clearly is not a healthy turn for the industry as a whole.
I can see it working if what you’re offering is “wholly owned” stock which is a growing trend, whereby the agency pays photographer’s X $$ to go out and shoot specific subjects for their “wholly owned” collection. This really is nothing more than “work for hire” in a different guise for the new millennium. Once the agency has paid off the photographer there will be no royalties to pay out and thus all the money for images downloaded go back into the business. I can see this being a way for your shooters to make some money while getting started, but for seasoned and skilled pros…I don’t know what to say except that it’s out there and it’s a growing trend with many agencies, including the big ones.
JH: Does your agency accept photographers who also market their images through RF and microstock sites?
DD: I wouldn’t accept images (non-exclusively) if I knew they were being sold through RF Micro stock, no. I don’t care if the shooter offers some other images, and as I mentioned, I’m moving to Image Exclusive contract these days anyway.
JH: As I'm sure you are aware, Getty Images recently purchased iStockPhoto and Jupiter images acquired the assets of The Beauty Archive. Do you see the industry consolidation continuing for sometime yet or is it nearing the end of that cycle?
DD: The consolidation of the industry will continue in one form or another. The big agencies can’t seem to get enough and they’re making millions of dollars. Still, I’ve found there is room for a niche agency like mine, because photo buyers are frustrated with having to wade through so many images to find what they need. There are so many “brands” on the big sites it’s overwhelming for many image buyers. Where does one start? It’s like going into one of the great upscale department stores when all you need are some black slacks and every department offers one version or another of them. Who has that much time to shop? Researchers want clean uncomplicated websites that are easy to search on.
JH: Does your agency currently have any agreements with sub-agents in other parts of the world for third-party distribution?
DD: I do have a few sub-agents that I’m developing alliances with in Germany, Japan, the Czech Republic, France and the UK. I also put many images up on Alamy and Agpix but the photographer remains anonymous until the client is ready to buy the image. I’ve had plenty of experiences when buyers have gone directly to the photographer to get the final image. We spend an enormous amount of $$ and time getting images in place and to have clients go directly to photographers after seeing an image put there by me, is unethical and inappropriate. Thus the anonymity until the transaction is made.
JH: What is a typical price range for images licensed through your agency?
DD: I would say between $250--$450, although I sell lots of covers and more and more commercial licenses as people are finding my website. My website was only launched in the fall of ’03 (w/15000 images) and we now have over 120,000 up. It takes awhile to put up content and then get people coming back again and again, but I’ve seen 50% growth from the last year and it’s steadily rising as projects come to fruition and billing is issued.
JH: In addition to the standard keyword search, you also have two innovative ways to help researchers find the right images. You call these Visual Power Sort and Image Match. Tell us a little bit about these.
DD: These are cutting edge technologies that I think are still ahead of their time. Visual Search is based on pixel recognition after an initial keyword search is started. You select images that are closest to what you’re looking for and it resorts the many pages of image returns, putting the closest “look” on the first page or so. Thus you don’t have to sift through 20 pages of 120 images, but rather just a few.
Image Match is an entirely new capability. Art Directors and Designers etc. can take an existing sketch or picture, maybe from a magazine or book they’ve seen, scan it, and then upload it to our website and then see if we have anything like that comes close to “the look” they are seeking. It’s a pretty cool idea, but again, I think we’re ahead of the curve on this one. We’re trying to market these new capabilities to our client base, but it takes a little time to figure it out. Also creatives have told us they don’t like to “read instructions” much so we’ve made a Visual Search instructional video on our website to walk them through the “how tos”.
JH: What kind of feed back are you getting from clients about these features?
DD: The clients that have taken the time to use these features love them! Still, it’s one more thing to learn and most researchers are flying through keyword searches from one site to another. Few seem to take the time to learn the new technology, which I find disappointing, but I think they’d find them pretty interesting and impressive if they did!
JH: What do you feel are some of your strongest marketing selling points?
DD: My strongest marketing points are that I know the subject matter that I sell. I’m very experienced with worldwide travel destinations as well as adventure and expedition travel. I know natural history subjects, species and behaviors. I’ve also worked with many textbook specs over the years and I know what educational publishers need and keep that in mind when editing submissions. I make it my point to learn all about these subjects so that when a client contacts me, I can speak intelligently about the subjects, often offering much more than some of the younger researchers even know about it! That, coupled with my inter-personal relationship skills, are key. I also take an interest in my clients and get to know them in many ways. The relations I’ve forged over the years are so important. People move about from one company to another and if you’ve established a meaningful relationship with them, they’ll take you with them.
JH: Your agency specializes in worldwide travel, nature and lifestyle images. What are your most popular subjects in each of these categories?
DD: The world revolves and so do the requests. At one point of the year the Caribbean and Mexico is hot, while later, it may be Alaska and Europe. I really sell all parts of the world equally because my travel clients are constantly producing brochures to one place or another throughout the year. Travel is definitely the main subjects that I sell, but nature and scenic beauty is part of that and often illustrates travel in its own way.
JH: Are there still clients out there who are interested in licensing exclusive rights to particular images for higher fees and if so, which segment or segments of the industry do these clients come from?
DD: The few Exclusive Rights sales I’ve made usually evolve around large cruise ship covers. I also had a shot sell exclusively in the financial banking industry for three years recently.
JH: What trends, challenges or opportunities do you see in the future for your company and the industry as a whole?
DD: I think the biggest challenge for me will be to put together a RF collection that doesn’t offend my existing RM photographers. I do feel it’s important to embrace that model and test the waters with it soon.
JH: What sort of tips would you give photographers wondering how to break in to stock photography today?
DD: Photographers trying to break into the stock photo market should shoot their subjects in as many ways as possible, i.e. a beautiful scene in a National Park is lovely for a calendar but add people walking down the trail, or interacting with a Park Ranger and you have a new way to sell it to travel magazines featuring that destination. Shoot it with a mountain biker zooming past in blurred motion and then it works for the edgier needs of some clients, or adventure sports magazines. The more variations that you shoot a subject, the more diversity you’ll have in the market place. Further, get releases in exchange for prints and then you can sell it commercially.
JH: Do you have any parting thoughts or comments you'd like to make?
DD: I think the most important thing is to educate oneself. Learn from many different sources and venues. Too many photographers get caught up in the negativity of the stock industry today because they’re only talking among themselves about the “injustices” being done to them. Know what’s going on from the agencies and the client’s perspective as well. The more well rounded you are in the entire industry, the better you can understand why decisions are made and how you can best position yourself for success!
