One thing that has become synonymous with the iPhone is the fact that everyone who owns the handset thinks they’re a photographer. In a gutsy move, a Swedish startup hopes to capitalize on this new wave of mobile phone camera shooters. The company today released an iPhone app called Foap for both the U.S. and U.K.
Foap is an innovative app that allows users to upload their photos to the company’s marketplace where they can be purchased for $10. The profit will then be split 50/50 between the photographer and Foap. That’s a heavy revenue deduction, but when you consider the fact that you’ll make five bucks off a picture that would’ve been posted to Instagram or Facebook for free — isn’t bad.
But wait, before you get ready to jam Foap’s servers with random photos, you must know that all pics uploaded are manually approved by the company’s staff. So in order to have your pictures published, there’s a review process first. I’ve been testing the app so far, and I uploaded some photos, my oldest pic is going on an hour long wait — so I’m not sure how long the review process is.
Overall, I think the concept of this mobile application is creative, and anytime there’s a way for the average consumer to score some extra dough is always good. Foap’s idea is to separate itself from the rest of the pack of marketers, by targeting companies that need to find natural looking photos with a “local feeling” for commercial or editorial purposes. Centering its marketing strategy around smartphone pictures is unique, but it remains to be seen whether this app is successful or not.
[via TechCrunch]