SINGAPORE - American imaging technology firm Kodak has launched an online service dubbed Kodakit that helps consumers find, book and pay a professional photographer.

Images are also delivered over Kodakit, tipped to address issues of late payment, disputes over copyright, price variations and a lack of quality control.

Mr Eric Yves Mahe, chief executive officer of Kodakit, said that Kodakit was designed to streamline what is currently a "fragmented, complicated market for photographers, businesses and consumers".

While forums and sites such as ClubSnap and PhotoShelter do have a directory of photographers, they do not provide the level of structure that Kodakit does.

To be listed on Kodakit, professional photographers have to register and submit a portfolio, which will then be reviewed by the Kodakit team. Once they have been approved, their portfolio will be available on the platform, alongside information about the photographer, their schedule and their rates.

Clients can then book photographers through the Kodakit app, and make an upfront payment via PayPal or credit card.

After the job is complete, the photographer will upload the images to a secure Kodakit cloud, and the fee will only be released to the photographer after the images have been delivered.

Singapore is the first city in the world where the platform has been released, and it will be made available in 148 cities over the next few months.

Mr Mahe said that Singapore was chosen to kick off the launch, as the market here is highly connected. "Everybody is always on a smartphone, and the market is well-educated... Singapore is also a contained market, so we can easily see trends in the way that people are reacting," he said.

Kodakit takes a 20 per cent commission from each transaction. Currently, there are over 200 photographers listed on the app.