There’s a new service that is seeking to match clients to photographers in this age of iPhoneography. It’s called Togally.com and is a new San Diego based company created by Jon Margalit and Jason Kirby. The idea behind Togally is for people to find and hire a phoTOGrapher for any sort of occasion – be it a family portrait or a new Facebook profile picture.
The idea came to Margalit while he was at a birthday party for his 4 year old twin nieces. Their mother, already burdened with the tasks of being the hostess, was frantically also trying to take photos. He asked her why she didn’t just hire a photographer, and she told him, “I didn’t want to spend $300. I wasn’t sure how to find one, anyway. And I didn’t have time to bother with it.” And thus, Togally.com was born. With Togally, the premise is that anyone can find a photographer quickly by browsing through photographer’s profiles. Photographers get a free portfolio on the site and also are able to bid on jobs listed. Togally wants to encourage people not the settle for their cell phone pics and hire a “Tog” to come and take their photos.
[REWIND: WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY INFOGRAPHIC: IT’S NOT ALL JUST ‘IN A DAY’S WORK’]
“Togs don’t have to be professionals to put up a portfolio and bid on gigs,” Kirby told Times of San Diego. “There’s work for Togs all the way from amateur to experienced, in all specializations.” The clients also have to leave a review before being allowed to download their photos, so the ratings are from legitimate customers. Togally then takes 20% of the money paid to photographers as they are the ones doing the advertising and generating leads.
Clients have two pricing options: a customized job where they set a budget or a fixed price option which they can choose from hours and number of images to fit their needs.
The service is currently only available in the San Diego and surrounding areas, but the company hopes to expand nationwide.
My question is: in an effort to create more jobs for photographers – professional and “good [hobbyist] photographers,” is Togally just adding to the already saturated market, especially when their prices “start as low as $30-50?” Or is this a good resource for finding new clients and booking more jobs? What do you think?
[Via Times San Diego]
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