A contact form was submitted:

title: Contact

subject: Contact Form Submitted

name: Jim Pickerell

email: jim@scphotos.com

phone: 301-251-0720

message:

Hi Inti: I’m trying to make an assessment of the future of Premium stock photo licensing (both RM and RF). Any information you care to share with me will be for background only and I will not reveal the source in any way. I’m finding that more and more premium stock photo producers are cutting back on new production because it takes so long to earn a return on the cost of production, let alone the time invested. Many tell me that the costs of models, props, sets, locations, etc. average $25 per accepted image. At today’s average prices for traditional RM and RF with so few images being licensed at reasonably high prices and so many licensed for gross fees (before royalty split) of under $25 and under $10 it is hard to earn a return on an image that cost $25 to produce. I’m being told by some with large collections that it is now taking 3 to 4 years before they see a return on their investment. Couple that with the growing oversupply and the fact that anything produced today will likely be buried, where no customer can find it in less than four years, it becomes to justify continued new production. If production costs are somehow offset because the stock is outtakes from paid assignments, or in some other manner, then maybe continued production still makes sense. I’d appreciate any insights you might have from your experience. I’ve also heard from a few producers who are playing both sides – Premium and microstock/subscription – that they are now earning more from microstock than from their Premium suppliers and the trends seem to be growth in microstock and decline in Premium. Have you make any effort to sell any of your content through microstock and what has been your experience. Thanks for your thoughts. Jim Pickerell Selling Stock10319 Westlake Drive, Suite 162Bethesda, MD 20817phone: 301-251-0720jim@scphotos.comwww.selling-stock.com