Crowdsourcing doesn’t Deserve to be a ‘Dirty Word’
ImageBrief Director and Content Manager, Meg Moss argues that in the big gap between commissioned work and the five-buck stock shot, crowdsourcing can deliver a ‘win-win’ for the buyer and photographer.
The term ‘crowdsourcing’ is only five years old but has already earned ‘dirty word’ status, especially amongst graphic designers. But does it deserve its bad rap across the board or would photographers be wise to take a closer look?
Crowdsourcing as a method of transacting business is not inherently evil. The devil is, as always, in the detail. What has really got the designers breathing fire is the ‘on-spec’ aspect of the platforms that have sprung up in their industry. Creatives object to being asked to put in the hours with only a slim chance that they’ll be the one to win the competition and get paid. They also object to giving up the rights to their work. Many photographers know how that feels.
The term ‘crowdsourcing’ means “the act of taking a job traditionally performed by a designated agent and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people in the form of an open call.” The term ‘on spec’ means to do work, spending time and resources, without guarantee of payment. All crowdsourcing platforms require some time and resources to be spent up front. This is not, in itself, unreasonable. Creatives often have to spend time to secure work before payment is guaranteed – credentials meetings, concept presentations and pitches are common. How much time and resource is required and for what potential reward is the critical question.
ImageBrief is a crowdsourcing platform. But it does not ask for hours to be spent on creating new work on-spec. It doesn’t require you to go out and shoot at all. You read the buyer’s brief and decide whether you have an existing image that meets it. If you do, you spend a few minutes uploading your image in low-res. If the buyer chooses your image you get paid. In any case you keep your rights to your work. Importantly, you can see the amount the buyer will pay for the image and the way they intend to use it before you decide to submit work.
It’s also worth noting that you have to apply to belong to the ImageBrief photographer community and are accepted on the strength of your portfolio. In this case the ‘open call’ goes out to a defined group. ImageBrief is one of many platforms across a range of industries that would be more aptly termed ‘poolsourcing’.
The growth of crowdsourcing websites has been phenomenal. In the space of 14 years the trend, which started with open source software development, has spread to a diverse range of industries. In some, such as data input and analysis, it has created a seismic shift in the way business is conducted. We’re betting it will have a similar impact on photography as demand for images grows at the same time that budgets are squeezed and buyer satisfaction with stock library results plummets.
Contact: Meg Moss [email protected], www.imagebrief.com
