Around about this time last year, I spoke briefly about the rise in popularity of Foto and how the future might look for us photographers.
Whilst other photography platforms have faded or even disappeared, Foto is still here and gathering pace. The promises on the R&D time scale front that Michael and his business partner put together have been faultless and the updates just keep coming and coming. The platform continues to expand and the browser version, for those of us such as myself, will be along soon and I’m told by Michael, there’s even more for us to come.
I put a series of questions to Michael recently and here’s what he had to say:
What is the end goal Michael? - Our big dream is to build the global home for photography with a mix of software and in-person experiences. Even though AI is here, we still believe humans will want to record their existence by making photographs and sharing them with others. Photography is a flexible medium that connects all of us around the world. Almost everyone takes photos and shares them with someone else. We want everyone to feel welcome on Foto, from seasoned professionals to casual users who want to share photos with their family. Photography is often a portal to different locations and times. We believe that creating a platform that exclusively serves photos rather than videos will create a unique experience compared to current social media apps.
How have you managed to stay afloat when others being self-funded have crashed and burned? - We are supported by our amazing Ambassadors who continue to subscribe monthly and annually to Foto. We also have a Pro Membership that continues to grow through our in-app subscription option. We will release more Pro Features this year, which we hope will show more people the value of becoming a Pro member. These Pro subscriptions keep us funded and allow us to continue to build Foto for the long term.
Will you continue to self-fund? Yes, our goal is to build Foto for our users and not investors or advertisers. We are committed to offering a quality product that people are willing to pay for. We believe that our transparency and willingness to listen to our users will continue to encourage more people to support us financially, given the value they receive from Foto.
When you've done what you've done, will you sit back and allow the platform to build itself? I think we'll always be involved with Foto. There are many things we are excited about that will embrace the rich history of photography and how photos are enjoyed. Sharing digitally is wonderful, but we believe in printing, photo books, and in-person events. Our goal isn't to build Foto and sell it or let it slowly die off after we reach a certain growth level. Photography is good for people, and we want to keep photography human.
Let’s not forget the journey here, from its conception back in 2021/22, Michael and his partner have been working endlessly and self funded Foto throughout the whole phrase of its development and just look where they find themselves today. Outstanding work guys.
I’d like to thank you on behalf of us all. Keep the faith. The future is more than bright, the future really is Foto. RD