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Platnum Offers Curated Image Search With Rights
29 July 2015
Trolling Google Images or Flickr for source images and creative ideas can be tedious and, perhaps worse, addictive. Susanne Abatenni, founder and CEO of the newly-launched image database Platnum, has the cure. Platnum is "a curated forum for inspiration and exchange, which connects agencies and editorial departments with first-class visual artists."
WORKING REALITY
"Our focus is on the working reality of creatives," said Abatenni. "Previously, a moodboard and scribble proved sufficient to convince clients. Nowadays, even the initial ideas are presented in finished images.
"In the worst-case scenario both are lacking. In the best case, a production is commissioned. Then a photographer has to be found quickly. Ideally, he is also the rights owner of the image that was used for the visualization of the idea during the presentation phase," explained Abatenni.
SEARCHING WITH PLATNUM
That's where Platnum comes in. At Platnum, high-quality photos can be discovered using both "familiar and new search functions" to find talented artists, successful contract photographers and licensed works to which you might otherwise would have no access.
Platnum shortly plans to offer searches targeted for a special aesthetic or for the specific style of magazines, newspapers and major brands. "Then our users will be able to search, for example, for the photography style of a Sleek or Paradiso," said Abatenni.
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Unlike Google Image and Flickr, Platnum selects the photographers whose work it displays. "We only admit into our network photographers who, in addition to first-class craftsmanship, also demonstrate artistic quality and originality," Abatenni said. "During the archiving process, we screen each image personally and assign keywords which not only match the visible motif, but also the style and original idea."
Platnum also has plans to curate videos and illustrations in addition to photography in the future.
For more information see the news release below.
Innovative Image Database Brings Professional Photographers Together With Discerning Image Buyers
New image database Platnum is a photographic source of inspiration and archive for outstanding photography
BERLIN/NEW YORK -- Limited budget and tight schedule in search of top quality photos and inspiration? Now, advertising agencies and magazine picture desks can enjoy the benefits of Platnum's one-stop solution. "Even art directors and photo editors of well-known magazines use search engines such as Google Images to source images and creative ideas," explains Susanne Abatenni, founder and CEO of the newly-launched image database Platnum. But given the overwhelming plethora of visual material, finding the ideal motif is often akin to searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack. Combining extensive search options with exclusive, high-quality results, Platnum brings professional photographers together with discerning image buyers.
"With conventional search engines, the image rights are often unclear, the visual quality inadequate and there is no direct contact with the owner," says Abatenni. With its carefully curated selection of commercial photographs and photo art, Platnum offers a superior, efficient solution. "From the outset, the search for the right image is not conducted via the name of the photographer or his agent, but via the photo itself. So we have seized this as an opportunity to turn the system around and curate, categorize and tag the images -- thus uniting Platnum photographers with creatives and designers, who would otherwise be unable to find each other," continues Abatenni. Yet as the creative force and founder of the company points out, Platnum is about more than merely selling images. "It is important to break through the protectionism in our industry and replace it with systematic networking and common objectives. Consequently, Platnum is conceived as a network, a source of inspiration and as a sales platform." But, in contrast to stock agencies, not all the images displayed at Platnum are necessarily for sale, since an artist's best works are not always rights free. "However, they showcase his entire skillset and are therefore essential to his oeuvre."
"Our focus is on the working reality of creatives," says Abatenni, looking back on over 30 years in the production and marketing of images. "Previously, a moodboard and scribble proved sufficient to convince clients; nowadays, even the initial ideas are presented in finished images." Yet today either time or budgetary constraints often preclude new photo productions. "In the worst-case scenario both are lacking -- in the best case, a production is commissioned. Then a photographer has to be found quickly. Ideally, he is also the rights owner of the image that was used for the visualization of the idea during the presentation phase," explains Abatenni, drawing on her wealth of experience. "And this is where Platnum comes in. Hitherto, commissions were awarded on the basis of contacts or personal recommendations. In the wake of growing globalization and the overwhelming flood of images now available, this is becoming ever more difficult." At Platnum, high-quality photos can be found through an extensive range of familiar and new search functions. These afford the user the opportunity of discovering talented artists, successful contract photographers and licensed works, to which he otherwise would have no access.
Within a few weeks it will be possible to target searches for a special aesthetic or for the specific style of magazines, newspapers and major brands. "Then our users will be able to search, for example, for the photography style of a Sleek or Paradiso," says Abatenni. The comprehensive selection options and the high quality of the search results are guaranteed through stringent curation. "We only admit into our network photographers who, in addition to first-class craftsmanship, also demonstrate artistic quality and originality," stresses the head curator. "During the archiving process, we screen each image personally and assign keywords which not only match the visible motif, but also the style and original idea." Apart from pure photography, it is planned to show other media, such as videos and illustrations, in future.
Platnum at a Glance
Platnum is a curated forum for inspiration and exchange, which connects agencies and editorial departments with first-class visual artists. An excellent network for the sale and sourcing of high-quality photos, Platnum combines the service of an image database with the benefits of an agent, thus ensuring added value for image providers and buyers alike.