Fully Funded! Modeling & Stock Photography Website

Hello everyone, my friends call me Ciku and I love photography. As I was growing up, I hoped to be a model but unfortunately am not as skinny and tall enough to fit the modeling stereotype. The good news is that I have discovered stock photography – a business type whereby people are paid to take functional photos engaging in everyday activities. The photos are bought for use in magazines, websites or in many other applications. Even the projects people post here at MaveCORE can be more appealing with more photos.

My project involves creating a studio website where aspiring models like me can come together for coordinated photography. Lack of access to studios is a major hindrance for people who would make money with photos online easily. There is no shortage of beautiful or interesting people in Kenya from a photography perspective. I will also sign my studio with major stock photography companies like Getty Images and Shutterstock because they have established sales networks for such photography so that once the pictures are captured the models do not have to worry about payment. I’ll buy photos from models locally then sell them through those platforms. It will be a great opportunity for those seeking modeling jobs in Kenya.

Project Details

My project seeks to create a content creation opportunity for regular people and professional models who would like to make money from photography in Kenya. Just as people earn from freelance writing, photos too can create a great source of income and with a platform like mine, you will not have to waste time looking for modeling agencies in Kenya any more.

The first phase of my project will be centered on a website where models can submit the photos they take and perform other administrative functions like signing model releases and identity verification among other things. Depending on the success level the business achieves, I can progress to having a fully equipped physical studio where models can visit to take photos. In the first phase of this projects, models will either use their resources to take photos or I will pay professional photographers to take photos. While it might seem like buying professional cameras would cost the same, paying a professional cameraman adds an aspect of flexibility that most modeling agencies in Kenya lack. If a model is in Kisumu, Mombasa, Nyeri, Garisa etc, he or she can get photographed by a local photographer saving time and money that would be wasted traveling to a studio.

There is a great opportunity of making money with photos on the internet. A photo can sell for diverse prices like $10, $30 or $100 yet it just takes seconds to capture one. Comparing this with something like article writing that takes hours of research and typing and the opportunity is ‘picture perfect’ in the case of creating photos. A stock photo can also be sold many customers which generates even more money.

Creating photos also requires less skill on the part of the model. With guidance from professional photographers, the right setting and clothes, it is possible to create world-class photos. Not forgetting, stock photos are about story telling (functional) than beauty of the models.

Finally, a when the photo site gets many members, it will be able to earn residue income from advertising services.