http://rising.blackstar.com/what-does-the-getty-images-sale-mean-for-photographers.html Professional Photography Blog Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:01:51 -0300 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://rising.blackstar.com/what-does-the-getty-images-sale-mean-for-photographers.html/comment-page-1#comment-249 Jagdish Agarwal Tue, 11 Mar 2008 02:11:14 +0000 #comment-249 Why do photographers allow their images to be sold for one dollar? Why do photographers allow their images to be sold for one dollar?

]]> http://rising.blackstar.com/what-does-the-getty-images-sale-mean-for-photographers.html/comment-page-1#comment-247 Thorsten Overgaard Mon, 03 Mar 2008 09:59:00 +0000 #comment-247 I remember when I first laid eyes on iStockPhoto and iStockPhoto Pro. I was angry that they sold pictures for so little on iStockPhoto but decided to open an account on the Pro site where you could set your own 'normal' prices. After that I had evaluated it for some days I saw that the guys on the Pro site didn't sell any photos (and that site later closed) whereas a guy on the iStockPhoto site could sell one photo many times. So a guy with say 200 photos in his portfolio might sell for 20,000$ a year. This led me to the conclusion that micropayment might not be that stupid. I might sell normal pictures to 1,2 or 5 medias via Getty Images. But the same picture might sell 100 og 500 on iStockMedia. Only the special pictures on Getty will sell those numbers, because they are really special. So I see micropayment as a potential way to utilize your stock to an audience who doesn't care if the same picture has already been used by 300 other people or medias. I traditional stock photography and traditional media world, most photos are used by one media in one country. Then it's used up. Anyway, that was my thought on this. As a photographer I look for major distributing channels that will allow me to sell pictures I do my way, allowing me to make good money. I feel the big stock agencies have not moved in that direction, providing only a major distributing channel but not asking for - or allowing - potentially great photography done in ways and about things outside a narrow mainstream viewpoint. - Which reminds me a few years ago when I started to see more accountants than repair men in the Mercedes repair shops: The repairs wasn't the same quality and later their cars started to rust. And who wants a car that can't drive and which rust even the accountants found ways to produce them much more effective? I think this has relevance to photography today as stock agencies, not unlike the music industry, have lived from the fruits of great photography and creativity of the past. I remember when I first laid eyes on iStockPhoto and iStockPhoto Pro. I was angry that they sold pictures for so little on iStockPhoto but decided to open an account on the Pro site where you could set your own 'normal' prices.
After that I had evaluated it for some days I saw that the guys on the Pro site didn't sell any photos (and that site later closed) whereas a guy on the iStockPhoto site could sell one photo many times.
So a guy with say 200 photos in his portfolio might sell for 20,000$ a year.
This led me to the conclusion that micropayment might not be that stupid. I might sell normal pictures to 1,2 or 5 medias via Getty Images. But the same picture might sell 100 og 500 on iStockMedia. Only the special pictures on Getty will sell those numbers, because they are really special.
So I see micropayment as a potential way to utilize your stock to an audience who doesn't care if the same picture has already been used by 300 other people or medias. I traditional stock photography and traditional media world, most photos are used by one media in one country. Then it's used up.
Anyway, that was my thought on this. As a photographer I look for major distributing channels that will allow me to sell pictures I do my way, allowing me to make good money. I feel the big stock agencies have not moved in that direction, providing only a major distributing channel but not asking for - or allowing - potentially great photography done in ways and about things outside a narrow mainstream viewpoint. - Which reminds me a few years ago when I started to see more accountants than repair men in the Mercedes repair shops: The repairs wasn't the same quality and later their cars started to rust. And who wants a car that can't drive and which rust even the accountants found ways to produce them much more effective? I think this has relevance to photography today as stock agencies, not unlike the music industry, have lived from the fruits of great photography and creativity of the past.

]]> http://rising.blackstar.com/what-does-the-getty-images-sale-mean-for-photographers.html/comment-page-1#comment-237 ian campbell Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:34:24 +0000 #comment-237 Live, or love... whatever Live, or love... whatever

]]> http://rising.blackstar.com/what-does-the-getty-images-sale-mean-for-photographers.html/comment-page-1#comment-236 ian campbell Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:32:16 +0000 #comment-236 Sadly true. It may be historians look at the heyday of photography as existing in the same era as weekly newsmagazines and no television. I'm looking at an old Time-Life world library book on India,(1961) and the names in the back -- Cartier-Bresson, Margaret Bourke White, Dmitri Kessel, Marc Riboud -- just remind you that book and magazine publishing paid the groceries. The books they were in sold for about $1.98. As photographers, our futures also may be in producing books, for $1.98, and driving Kia Rios. The price you pay for doing what you live once again will not be measured in wealth... Sadly true. It may be historians look at the heyday of photography as existing in the same era as weekly newsmagazines and no television. I'm looking at an old Time-Life world library book on India,(1961) and the names in the back -- Cartier-Bresson, Margaret Bourke White, Dmitri Kessel, Marc Riboud -- just remind you that book and magazine publishing paid the groceries. The books they were in sold for about $1.98.
As photographers, our futures also may be in producing books, for $1.98, and driving Kia Rios.
The price you pay for doing what you live once again will not be measured in wealth...

]]>