Picfair – Set Up Your Images to Sell
Keeping it simple
“Using our services photographers don’t have to do anything other than take their photos, upload them and send out a link to their to their audience, and away they go,” says Picfair founder Benji Lanyardo. “Ultimately, we’re aiming to be taking on all of the tricky bits, and we’re offering a solution to those that don’t want to be dealing with any of the complexities of print production and global shipping, let alone such things as digital rights management.
“This approach has particularly appealed to the hobbyist photographer, but we’re now seeing a fascinating convergence happening. Our hobbyist users are starting to graduate towards more professional practices and habits – they’re using better kit and software, and are taking their photography a little more seriously.
“At the same time, we’ve had thousands of pro and semi-pro photographers, including many servicing the event genre, signing up to the site over the last few years, ‘hacking’ our store functionality to deliver images to clients. They’re doing it because our set-up is simpler and more affordable than the professionally-focused tools currently out there. Hobbyists and pros have both been asking us for private album functionality, so we’re now delivering it to them.”
Benji sees the service that Picfair offers as a way for those serious about their photography to do something more worthwhile with their images than simply slinging them at Instagram or Facebook and hoping for the best. “Our stores offer a proper home and showcase for their images that they can personalise,” he says, “and there is the added benefit of ecommerce built in. So, if someone does want to buy your images it’s all dealt with for you, and you don’t have to worry about anything else: you just get an email to let you know how much you’ve made.
“For those who are more full-time professionals, private albums offer a safe and easy-to-manage distribution system, and we have the capability to manage volume as well, so if an event photographer, for example, is selling several hundred prints at a time it’s not a problem.”
