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PHOTOGRAPHER INCOME & EXPENSE SURVEY
February 6, 2001
The Photographer Income and Expense Survey is now
available online for photographers to fill out. We are interested in getting
as broad a base of data as possible, so any stock photographer may go to
the site and fill in the informamtion. Go to
Stock Photographer Profits Survey .
(The results will be collated and made freely available in a public section of the SELLING
STOCK site at : www.pickphoto.com/sso by the end of April. All stock photographers are urged
to respond to this survey.)
This survey of photographer Income and Expenses for 2000 may be the most important survey
SELLING STOCK has conducted to date.
There are indications that in 2000 the number of rights protected sales decreased compared
with 1999. At the same time many stock agencies report receiving higher use fees on average
than in the previous year. In addition, we may be facing a downturn in the U.S. economy that
could change the sales environment for 2001.
Reliable trend data is important. The more photographers who answer these questions the
better our data will be.
Long lead times between planning, production and income make producing stock photographs a
particularly difficult and risky business. An accurate understanding of industry trends is
necessary to anticipate the rapid shifts in the industry and plan for the future. Old
strategies are no longer adequate.
Industry consolidation in the past 18 months has dramatically changed the income potential of
many photographers. Most photographers need to develop new marketing strategies to
effectively compete in this new environment. Detailed information about the market is critical
when making such decisions.
This survey looks at production costs as well as income. We want to make the point to
agencies that photographer costs must be taken into account when pricing usages. Currently no
one, but the poor photographer trying to survive in a very competitive environment, is
considering the cost of production.
We are asking for very specific detail. We have made arrangements with Integrated Statistics
in Massachusetts to collect and collate the data so no one in the stock photo industry will
have access to your private and personal data.
We urge every stock photographer to take the time to participate in this survey, and to supply
accurate information. Coupled with the baseline result of the surveyœs in the last two years,
this information can help us track trends and aid everyone in the stock photography industry.
The survey can also be found and filled out on-line at www.pickphoto.com/sso. Click on the
"2001 Survey" button.
Thank you.
Jim Pickerell