Comments on: The Sites that Changed the Photography Business

By: Daniel Padavona

Daniel Padavona — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 16:25:13 +0000

I believe Facebook will have a much larger impact than it already has, as new tools are developed and artists discover new ways to market themselves.

By: John

John — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 03:07:29 +0000

Here's another one that you missed: fineartamerica.com It's been around since 2007 and is a true sales and marketing tool for all artists.

By: Linkin

Linkin — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:35:00 +0000

In June 2009, CafePress began competing with the artists for whom it acts as printer and shipper.

CafePress rents web shops to its artists. The artist creates a website page and manually loads the desired blank products. The artist imports his image onto each product, arranges the products on the page, describes the products, titles the products and tags the images.

Initially, the artist would set a markup and received the markup for each product sold.

However, recently CafePress began competing with its artists, using the artists' own images. CafePress created a marketplace where a customer can search a keyword. That search brings up artist products. When the customer buys from the marketplace CafePress pays the artist 10% of the price CafePress set. Both the customer and the artist lose money. If the artist's shop sells a t-shirt for $21, the artist makes $3.01. If the marketplace sells the same shirt for $25, the artist gets $2.50. The customer pays $4 more, and the artist gets $0.51 less.

CafePress tells artists to "promote your own shop," but CafePress buys Google adwords using the very image tags the artist provided.

CafePress justifies this bait and switch of service terms by telling artists they can opt out if they don't like the new terms; however, many have spent as much as 7 or 8 years creating as many as 88000 images.

In spite of their sweat-equity, many shopkeepers (content providers) are building shops at other print-on-demand companies and then closing their CafePress shops due to the broken faith and trust, the financial hardship CafePress has delivered into so many lives, and the huge amount of time and dedicated effort all lost in the momentum of their own businesses. Would you keep your AMOCO station franchise if AMOCO built a company store across the street from you?

By: Tom Baumker

Tom Baumker — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:50:29 +0000

I now have a new web site it is called redbubble.com I have had over 9,000 views of my photographs since May 2008. Tom Baumker

By: Phil Wessells

Phil Wessells — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 18:40:48 +0000

Nice article. I'd be interested in a similar article on the evolution of the technologies that changed the photo business. None of the above sites take foot without computers becoming cameras and the series of steps that has made the flow of digital content so easy and of such high quality.

By: stephen mitchell

stephen mitchell — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 13:08:27 +0000

This list is not complete. You've missed the most recent website that's gaining massive membership, audience and popularity: Redbubble.

By: Tom Baumker

Tom Baumker — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:26:44 +0000

All the information was very helpfull. Thanks for all the help & advice. I myself don`t believe in selling my photo rights,I have found that over the years selling them for a one time use only has worked out very well for me and everyone that purchased photos was very pleased & it worked well for both of us. I have never solicited one time in fifty one years they have all come to me. I give out my business cards only.

By: Emily

Emily — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 21:20:14 +0000

Etsy is for handmade items only, rather like a crafty ebay but without the bidding, sure people sell there prints there but it's not the same as cafepress,zazzle or redbubble where you just upload an image and the company takes care of the rest.

By: ilovephotoblogs

ilovephotoblogs — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:48:25 +0000

...I believe Walmart is now the largest photo finisher in the US...most of it online

By: Matt Antonino

Matt Antonino — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 07:43:50 +0000

Agree with Flickr & Istock. Cafepress changed some things but "the photography business"? Not sure. Craigslist has changed the wedding photo market for very-low-end photographers but most middle to high end photographers can't even get a sniff on there.

Also - Facebook. I can share photos, tag clients and their friends can see my work DIRECTLY. That books us jobs - the tagging, photo-loving Facebook has definitely changed a bit about how we do business.

By: john andrews

john andrews — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 06:10:20 +0000

The Boston Globe's "the Big Picture" blog is industry-changing. Also PBase and Smugmug, two forms of photographer archive (rights-managed and non managed), have changed the industry.

By: Mark Rakocy

Mark Rakocy — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:47:46 +0000

Great summary of what has happened in the online photo world in the past few years!

By: Vitezslav Valka

Vitezslav Valka — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:57:56 +0000

It's a great analysis guys! Same as the nice article about "How does it all started"...

Thank you for what you're doing!

Vitezslav, designer of Pixmac's look...

By: BRoberts

BRoberts — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:01:29 +0000

Sites that changes the photo world are the ones like DPReview and such. Flickr, yes, and just maybe the ones you listed in their own mild way.