Ourspot will let you hire amateur photographers for as much (or little) as you want
posted Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 6:37 PM EDT
Ourspot is a new startup that lets people hire amateur photographers for any sort of photo shoot they chose, and pay whatever they want. Currently only running in San Francisco, but with plans to branch out to LA and New York soon, Ourspot lets users upload a job with any amount of money attached to it (even free), and then photographers on the site are able to take or leave it, depending on their needs.
The site doesn’t specify how much you should pay, but suggests $10 for a “fun” gig, $25 for “standard,” and $100 for “quality.” Creating an event also allows you to limit the number of photographers who can join, and lets you require approval before letting them in.
Talking to TechCrunch, developer Sam Yang said:
“...photography is something that you can run random gigs for. There are a lot of people who are into photography, but they might not have the means to be a professional or market themselves. I just wanted to create an opportunity for them to put their work out.”
Unsurprisingly, the newly launched service is already contentious, and accusations are already flying at Yang for undercutting the professional photography market. While the service does seemed aimed at amateur photographers, a quick look at the front page of their website shows some remarkably professional looking images. With some obvious pros on the site, you have to wonder if there will be gigs that pay enough to attract them to Ourspot at all.
This is hardly the first time amateur photographers have been tapped in a way that makes professionals worry. The entire existence of the microstock market relies on this business model, and tools such as Gigwalk and Rawporter have been willing to pay anyone with a smartphone camera who can be at the right place at the right time. The question is if this model will end up significantly influencing the freelance photography market or not.
So what do you think of the Ourspot concept? Should professional photographers be worried about being undercut by amateurs with this service? Or is this just a healthy part of the social marketplace that may help aspiring pros get some needed work before they go on to bigger and better paying clients?
(Via TechCrunch)