Bob Hendriks is a man in motion. And it appears he’ll keep moving upward, even if an unbalanced force tries to knock him off course. Who in this industry hasn’t felt a bit kicked around the last few years? But with In Transit Images (www.intransitimages.com), Hendriks seems to have charted a success course that might well be bomb proof.
At first glance, the company he formed with partner Dick Evans seems to be a typical online stock agency. Their name suggests travel or destination imagery will be found. Start clicking around for a few minutes and see if your head starts to tilt. Licensing, publishing, art consulting and photo trips? Wow, ambitious! But is there cohesiveness to all this energy?
Really, there is. As photographers, Hendriks and Evans began with their own experiences in the industry. Donning business suits, they started to fill in the gaps they knew existed between creator and client. The agency’s first image batches came from Evans, who found himself “in transit” shooting intensively as he travelled the globe. That led to image sales, an imprint and destination workshops. Adding in Hendriks’ background as a content producer it seemed natural for the two to merge their offerings into a spectrum of services and products for the marketplace.
This idea might not sound remarkable yet, but here is the beauty: in their contributor agreements, photographers include the rights for In Transit to license their images as digital files, use them in their published works, create merchandising and produce fine art prints via In Transit’s pro lab joint venture partner. Top that off with managing their photographer’s workshops through the Voyages division and the strategy seems unstoppable.
Hendriks explains how their model uses a layered approach with digital image licensing at the core.
Licensing
Currently, about 15,000 images are available online and are sorted into four collections: Argento, Mauve, Emerald and Wonderlust. Those are further organized into four galleries: Macros, Scapes, People and Countries. The collection names correspond to In Transit’s three logo colors, with Wanderlust providing an anchor to the branding. Contributors are both scouted and chosen from queries with all final edits curated by a small team. They also co-brand with like-minded houses including the admirable image collection from Italian agency TIPS. Images can be licensed through a shopping cart using the EvoRights simplified pricing tool or through independent staff located in their Montreal, New York or European-based offices.
Publishing
Book production had an informal start with private publishing. When Evans’ In Transit title series became a hit they found themselves going back for second runs. They now have deals for books and merchandising with boutique California publisher Cameron + Company and for distribution with Publishers Group West. Their pipeline includes a series on San Francisco featuring Haight-Ashbury. This division will remain hands-on with Hendriks and Evans being very select in their acquisitions, making sure market demand for the proposed subject matter is high.
Art Consulting
Hendriks envisions this component to the business as nearly equal to the licensing potential. And maybe it’s the most personally rewarding, too. Here, delivery of images is through physical prints engaging their love of the senses of photography. Clients include designers, interior architects, private companies and individuals who are looking for very selective office and location decoration. Fine art photography is offered as an affordable solution where original art is desired. Hendriks and their pro lab partner help clients select sets of In Transit images to match the aesthetics of their interiors. Along with digital printing they also use chemical printers, wide format printers, techniques such as sandblasting onto glass and other creative environmental graphic applications tailored for each space. They stay very involved throughout the process and follow through to the final installation of the photography.
Photo Trips
Tagged as “Voyages,” these trips offer anyone—even non-shooters—expertly guided tours of exclusive getaways. Small groups and professional, personal guides are intrinsic to the special travel workshops offered by the company. Iceland, Burma, Namibia and Ethiopia are destinations being offered now. The idea is to find ideal settings that inspire creativity and maybe discover future In Transit contributors along the way.
Through all of these intersecting, multi-channel photography business endeavors, Hendriks knows he must keep his balance. His creative momentum flows through to his personal art; it’s no surprise he is an abstractionist. When does he find time to shoot or paint given the above mentioned undertakings? He says he plans to delve into his Dutch roots with a series inspired by his native country’s beloved trademark porcelain. He’ll be studying versions of blue and white. Maybe In Transit traveling exhibitions is imminent?
