26-Traditionals getting better

If you haven't done business with a traditional, rights-protected agency lately-- you might be surprised at what you find.

Competition can be a wonderful thing, and, as a direct result of the competition royalty-free companies have presented to "traditional" agencies-- especially in the hassle-reduction department-- traditional agencies are responding in ways that hold significant benefits for you-- so long as you are aware of them.

As an example, many good traditional photo agencies are now issuing their "catalogs" on CD-ROM. No, the images are not royalty-free, but they reside on the disc, on your desk, in low-resolution "comping" format. Yes, if there's a picture you find that you want to use in your finished project, you'll have to contact the agency and negotiate a specific price (and have them send you a transparency or full-resolution digital file) but at least the first part of the process has been made a lot easier for you.

And what about traditional pricing?

Prior to royalty-free, traditional stock photo pricing-- and the negotiating process you had to engage in to arrive at a price-- could be onerous and, at times, frustrating.

But you'll find-- as a direct result of the hassle-reduced royalty-free pricing-- the better traditional agencies are simplifying their pricing structures, removing a lot of the arbitrariness, and making the process quicker and more predictable.

Look for continuing progress on all these fronts, and, if your project does call for the protection of a rights-protected image-- be prepared for a pleasant surprise when you call your favorite traditional agency.