What is AntiStock?

It's simple really. AntiStock is not stock photography. It's created and cataloged like stock photography, but there are two distinct differences. First, the imagery is produced with the intention of being 100% exclusive to the client. Secondly, the images are created specifically for the client, the client's market, the client's brand and the client's overall marketing strategy.

I created AntiStock for a Pentacostal Church in Chula Vista, California just last month. There are lots of sappy images in the Royalty Free stock photo marketplace that Lighthouse Church could have purchased for about 15 dollars each. But if you know anything about the Pentacostal denomination, it is to Christianity what Esspresso is to Hot Chocolate.

They want nothing to do with sappy because their worship is deep and powerful and their experience, like their congregation, is real. They want you to see their people when you look at their website, brochures, powerpoint presentations, worship cds and web videos. In short, they want consistency in their image, their brand and their message clear through to the Sunday Morning Experience. The First Edit from this shoot yielded 1400 images to draw upon. Within the first week, the client and their ad agency had downloaded a dozen high resolution images directly from their secure gallery on my website.

I created Anti Stock for an Ohio based company named VersaSpa, a division of MagicTan sunless tanning systems. This was a very productive two day shoot in Oceanside California where we created more than a hundred unique images for immediate marketing needs, future marketing needs, including updating product shots, packaging photography, and hero shots of their primary product, the VersaSpa Tanning Booth. Most of these shots included their gorgeous spokesmodel who flew out from Ohio for our two day marathon AntiStock shoot.

Their First Edit is a password protected gallery on my site that includes nearly 2000 images. Another secure Invitation Only gallery houses their final selection high resolution images that have been carefully processed, photo retouched and made print ready. Their graphics departments, both in Oceanside, California, and Cincinatti, Ohio can access and download these images 24/7 by simply logging in and selecting the shots they need to work with. No ftp protocols, no waiting for FedEx to bring DVDs. Once downloaded, they archive their final images in their system as Digital Assets, otherwise known as AntiStock photography.

If you have any questions about AntiStock- -what it is, what it isn't- -please don't hesitate to contact me. As one of my clients recently told me, "I've got too much at stake to risk using pictures from microstock agencies. The cost of hiring a professional photographer to produce unique and exclusive images is a drop in the bucket compared to what I have to lose. It's money well spent and a good investment."