Do you want to revamp your wall space every month? You can now rent original, framed photographs. Framio, started by Balaji Palani is a photo-lending library that sources works from photographers and rents them out to homes, hotels and offices.
Balaji says, “I realised people liked framed photographs to adorn their walls and change them after a while. However, original framed prints are very expensive. At Framio, you can rent specific pictures from any category. This also avoids the problem of storing old frames and pictures.”
Balaji’s team comprises a marketing executive, a techie and an architect-cum-interior designer. Framio has tied up with a Chennai-based photography association for a database of photographers for sourcing photographs, with already about 200 photographers in the database.
Many themes
“The photographers first send us links to their online portfolio. We select photographs that appeal to us… street photography, landscape, wildlife and so on. The photographers can monitor the status of the transaction online. Whenever their picture is chosen by our clients, they get paid a royalty.”
Framio has a monthly, three-month, six-month and annual package. “Our architect visits the venue and suggests the genre and sizes of the photographs. Once the deal is finalised, we outsource the printing and framing of the pictures,” says Balaji, who plans to digitise the whole process.
“Once we get traction in the commercial segments, we plan to approach residential consumers. We are focussing on Chennai now and plan to expand to other cities later,” says Balaji.
(For details, visit >www.framio.in )
