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Articles from January 2019

Decline Of Images Requiring Production Planning And Costs

By Jim Pickerell | 719 Words | Posted 1/29/2019 | Comments (3)
In the not too distant future there will be few, if any, new professional images created that require pre-planning, paying for models, renting locations, building sets, acquiring props, or anything that adds to the cost of producing such images. Currently the costs of producing a large segment of images in demand far exceeds the revenue generated from licensing such images. Producers trying to earn their living from such production will find it necessary to drop out of the market.

Visualsteam’s 6th Annual Survey Of Image Buyers

By Jim Pickerell | 129 Words | Posted 1/29/2019 | Comments
Visualsteam has just released it’s 6th annual survey of image buyers. This 35-page report prepared by Leslie Hughes who has decades of experience in the stock photo business always offers deep insights into what image buyers are looking for and the problems they face.

Direct Selling Of Stock Images

By Jim Pickerell | 2110 Words | Posted 1/25/2019 | Comments (3)
The stock agency sales model no longer works for most photographers trying to earn a portion of their living from the images they produce. Prices for the use of photos have declined so dramatically that it no longer makes much sense for professional photographers to spend much time or effort producing stock images on speculation.

How Much Has The Value Of A Great Photo Declined?

By Jim Pickerell | 259 Words | Posted 1/23/2019 | Comments (1)
Want to know how much the value of a great photo that is used in advertising has declined? In 2001 Microsoft paid $135,000 to use Chuck O'Rear's image of a green rolling hillside with a pale blue sky to launch a major advertising campaign for Windows XP software. How much do you think Apple is willing to pay for an iPhone photo that will be used heavily in iPhone advertising? Hint: If you're a photographer you won't be surprised, but you also won't be happy!

Copyright Office Outlines Challenges Facing Visual Creators For Congress

By Jim Pickerell | 226 Words | Posted 1/22/2019 | Comments
The U.S. Copyright Office has submitted a letter to Congress detailing the results of the Office’s public inquiry on how certain visual works, particularly photographs, graphic artworks, and illustrations, are registered, monetized, and enforced under the Copyright Act of 1976. The document is entitled, “Copyright and Visual Works: The Legal Landscape of Opportunities and Challenges.”

Mint Images Representing Londolozi Photography Collection

By Jim Pickerell | 380 Words | Posted 1/22/2019 | Comments
As of 1 September 2018, Mint Images obtained worldwide distribution rights for The Londolozi Photography Collection.  Both companies are very excited to be working together.  The collection is available for direct licensing from Mint Images, and through Mint’s distribution partners around the world. 

Shutterstock’s 2019 Creative Trends Report

By Jim Pickerell | 561 Words | Posted 1/16/2019 | Comments
Shutterstock has published its eighth annual 2019 Creative Trends Report. This year’s eleven design styles, many of which echo the past in a playful and in a decadent way, predict the top influences for design and visual production in 2019.

Copyright Thief

By Jim Pickerell | 279 Words | Posted 1/14/2019 | Comments
A reader called my attention to an article I wrote in 2010 where the “The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that online rights infringements costs the U.S. economy roughly $58 billion in total output every year.” The reader wanted to know how much that might be today.

ABACA and ddp group Announce Strategic Partnership

By Jim Pickerell | 268 Words | Posted 1/14/2019 | Comments
Paris based photo agency ABACAPRESS and German ddp group, each a leading press
photo agency in their country, will join forces to increase photo production for their
core business, and to develop innovative services for new markets and corporate
brands.

Shutterstock Launches New Ad Campaign

By Jim Pickerell | 331 Words | Posted 1/9/2019 | Comments
Shutterstock has announced it is launching its first brand marketing campaign in six years. The ‘It’s not stock, it’s ShutterstockTM’ message is designed to showcase the unparalleled quality and depth of Shutterstock’s creative asset repository driven by more than 550,000 contributors from around the globe, as well as highlight the proprietary search and discovery technologies that inspire the creative professionals who use Shutterstock to find the perfect asset every time.

Aurora Photos Sold To Cavan Images

By Jim Pickerell | 319 Words | Posted 1/8/2019 | Comments
Aurora Photos has been sold to Cavan Images. The official transition date is Feb 1, 2019. Aurora was founded in 1993 as an agency specializing in offering images related to Outdoor Adventure, Healthy and Active Lifestyles, Nature’s Beauty and remote travel to adventure destinations.

News Photography In The Digital Age

By Jim Pickerell | 259 Words | Posted 1/4/2019 | Comments
According to, The State of News Photography 2018, published by the World Press Photo Foundation and authored by Adrian Hadland and Camilla Barnett photographers and photojournalists are finding working patterns in the media world increasingly difficult and many are facing more financial stress.

Fake Assignment Scams

By Jim Pickerell | 224 Words | Posted 1/4/2019 | Comments
PhotoShelter has reached out to its more than 80,000 photographers to alert them to fake assignment scams that are being sent through the contact form on their PhotoShelter website. There is no reason to believe that the scammers are only contacting PhotoShelter member as it would be easy for then to run the same scam on any photographer who has a website and offers a way to be contacted.

Don’t Ignore Customer Needs

By Jim Pickerell | 1279 Words | Posted 1/3/2019 | Comments
In response to the article I published last week where I suggested that what is needed is a system that enables photographers to deal directly with customers Macintosh Smith commented “Isn’t this what PhotographersDirect.com has tried to establish?" Photographers Direct is a good first step, but in my opinion it has some major flaws. Consequently, I suspect it is generating very little traffic.

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This stock photography news site focuses on the business side of photography with a special emphasis on stock photography. Our goal is to help photographers maximize their earnings based on the quality of their work and the commitment they are prepared to make to the trade. The information provided will be applicable to part-timers as well as full time professional photographers. We’ll leave it to others to teach photographers how to take better pictures.

Jim Pickerell launched his career as a photographer in 1963. In 1990 he began publishing a regular newsletter on stock photography. In 1995 the information was made available online as well as in print and was gradually expanded to a daily service. Click here for Pickerell's full biography.

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