Many thanks to Josiane Faubert, Founder and Managing Partner of
PICHA-Stock for taking some time to talk with us about this important new offering to the stock photography world.
Diversity and Authenticity – the need to have visual media accurately reflect the world has perhaps never been so urgent and necessary. Tell us about yourself and how PICHA Stock came to be:
PICHA, is a RF stock photo library specialized in Africa. I started PICHA in 2014 because I felt we needed better representation of Africa in this industry. I am from Gabon and from France and I was always frustrated when trying to find contemporary images of Africans, so I started PICHA with my own collection and now we have contributors from South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Morocco. My goal is to be able to get contributors from all over Africa.
What is your process for sourcing and working with your photographers to create relevant imagery? Are they exclusively from Africa or do you work with photographers internationally?
We work with photographers internationally, although our sourcing efforts are dedicated to photographers on the African continent. We get a lot of referrals, people who refer photographers they know/love, and we also scout social media a lot to see what people are producing. Word of mouth and social media are key for us.
There is also an investment in time educating on what works and what is relevant in the stock industry.
The RF business model is certainly the prevailing and most popular at the moment. Sustaining and growing business with lower price points has got to be a challenge – Where do you see PICHA Stock in the market place and how do you plan to firmly establish the collection?
Finding the right balance is a big challenge. The RF model makes things easier for buyers and is becoming the norm. Surviving in this market means finding ways to differentiate yourself. PICHA is very different, we focus exclusively on Africa. Our goal is to show Africa in many ways, especially the modern Africa. PICHA has been growing and buyers especially in Africa are starting to embrace PICHA too.
Distribution is such a vital cornerstone for any collection – what are your plans for reaching markets outside Africa?
PICHA is very careful with other channels of distribution. We have been talking with a few other agencies but we value agencies who can really see PICHA’s collection with real added value, and not just another source for more photos. We are testing a few partnerships at the moment.
Tell us about some of your favorite photos in the collection.
Recently we showcased a few photos for Valentine’s Day and they were quite funny, people’s engagement on social media during valentine’s day quite high.
I am normally fond of images that depict ‘everyday workers’, people who have small shops or who sell on the street. I feel like everyday workers are the soul of any city.
What else would you like the readers to know about PICHA Stock?
PICHA means ‘image’ in Swahili and it is a collection of warm and rich photos of Africa. PICHA is very young and very dynamic. If you are looking for something original and out of the ordinary, PICHA is the site to check.
