Scoopshot, the mobile and professional photo pool, has opened up its Pro service so that media, ad agencies and others can commission professional and amateur photographers.
Earlier this year we noted that Scoopshot was planning this as part of the Finnish company’s move to open up its service to include more in the way of setting professional tasks.
On Scoopshot’s site, those looking for photographers can search by location and experience and take a look at portfolios of recent work. They can then request quotes, send a brief for an assignment and set them to work once the details have been agreed.
There are four licensing options available on site from one-off use through to unlimited use in editorial work and advertising. Transactions are conducted on Scoopshot’s secure web platform.
The service is currently available from today on Scoopshot’s website and will be rolling out across its Android and iOS apps soon. Photographers using the app will also be able to have an alert sent to them when an assignment becomes available.
Photographers can join Scoopshot for free and the company takes a commission fee per assignment. By arranging payments through the Web platform, the company hopes that photographers will prefer this method as opposed to chasing invoices each month.
Scoopshot’s CEO Niko Ruokosuo feels that his service helps people find photographers at the right location at the right time. Not only does this help to cut the costs of finding the right photographer, it also means that buyers can pay someone to get the right shot instead of trying to find stock photography to fit their needs.
In its early testing stages, Scoopshot Pro has already attracted interest from both photographers and media companies. To date, more than 2,000 photographers signed up and 700 qualified. Photographers from around the world have applied including many in the UK and the US as well as in battle zones like the Middle East.
Scoopshot Pro works alongside Scoopshot’s existing crowdsourcing service for mobile photography and video, which gives companies and the media access to a network of more than 167,000 mobile photographers in 177 countries. To date, Scoopshot has paid out more than $300,000 to mobile photographers.
Image Credit: Christophe Simon / Getty Images
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