Need Beach Picture for Brochure? Get Photo Network on the Phone
You’ve seen them before: those everyday photographs of active people, families playing together or panoramas of the Newport Beach skyline with sailboats in the foreground.
There is a real market for stock photography, those generic photos that fill many needs. When an advertising agency or calendar maker needs a particular shot, it’s easier and less expensive to buy it from a stock photography agent than to go out and shoot the picture.
One such agency is Photo Network in Tustin. It offers a variety of pictures to advertising agencies, graphic artists and designers, audio-visual companies, newspapers, magazines, greeting card companies, post card and calendar companies, and textbook publishers.
“A stock photo has to catch the eye,” says Gerry McDonald, co-owner of the Photo Network, which keeps 125,000 images on file. “It needs to be generic, like a sunset on the beach.”
McDonald, along with Cathy Aron, opened the Photo Network in late 1979, having seen the need for a good stock photography agency in Orange County. Clients were finding it too inconvenient to drive to Los Angeles to look for photographs.
“It was very difficult at first and it (the local market) is not as good as Los Angeles, but there is a big and terrific potential,” McDonald says. “There is just as much need for photos” in Orange County.
McDonald considers Newport Beach to be the hottest spot for photographs in Orange County. She says clients are always asking for pictures of boats, the beach, Newport Harbor and Fashion Island. Other popular county locations include South Coast Metro Center, Saddleback Valley with Saddleback in the background, and John Wayne Airport.
Life style photos are always in demand. Among the more popular subjects are people jogging, bicycling or hiking, because Orange County is a health-conscious area. Construction photos that depict the tremendous growth of the area are also great sellers.
“We have to keep up constantly because they keep putting up new buildings,” McDonald says. “Scenes can be outdated within a year.” Files are edited regularly to reflect current styles, such as in hair and clothes. “Scenic-type pictures,” McDonald says, “are best without cars. Cars date a photo.”
McDonald also must stay attuned to what is popular and what is a cliche. “Things go in cycles as to what’s popular,” she says. “Three years ago it was hang gliding. Next it was ballooning. Now it’s windsurfing.”
The Photo Network maintains a “wish list” of often-requested photos. Its current list includes the following in-demand subjects:
Active elderly people (playing cards, doing volunteer work, golf, tennis, jogging, swimming).
A family barbecue in the back yard.
Large groups of people on a city street.
An upscale couple shopping and purchasing expensive articles.
For photographers, the biggest problem with shooting stock pictures is that the work is done on speculation. If models or a special set are used, the cost must come out of the photographer’s pocket. Also, the price of the film and processing must be figured into the overall cost.
McDonald offers an alternative.
“Friends are a good source of subjects,” she says. “They must be relatively good-looking and be comfortable on camera. We have one photographer who has two children that are marvelous. They are accustomed to taking direction. They are built-in models.”
The Photo Network uses about 55 photographers, 15 of whom contribute on a regular basis. Most photographers use stock photography to supplement their income. Serious stock photographers may turn out 2,000 to 5,000 images a year. If a picture is purchased, the photographer gets 50% of the money and the agency gets the rest.
“We do the advertising, we do the marketing, we do the classification, we do the billing and collecting,” McDonald says. “We also make sure and get the pictures back and get samples of the published work.”
The cost of a stock photo varies greatly. McDonald recently sold a picture of the sun coming through tree branches for $5,000. The minimum price (for use in a small brochure, for example) is $125, and the average sale price is $250.
“The price a photo sells for is based on usage,” McDonald says. “It’s like buying advertising. The larger the newspaper or magazine, the more you’re going to pay for it. It’s based on exposure.”
The photography column, which runs each Saturday in Orange County Life, is intended to help both the serious amateur and the weekend shooter. Send questions and ideas to Robert Lachman, Chief Photographer, The Times, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626.
