Since 2007, more than half of the world’s population has lived in cities. By 2050, that number will reach 70%, say United Nations statisticians. Corbis’s latest trends report offers a stock-industry perspective on how this rapid, unplanned upsurge in the numbers of city dwellers has influenced today’s visual culture.
Should all Web usages be of equal value just because all the customer needs is approximately a 600 x 800 pixel file?
Grover Sanschagrin of PhotoShelter has published a very interesting analysis entitled “What Google Trends Says About Wedding & Stock Photography, and Photo Websites,” complete with charts that illustrate the trends.
Tom Grill recently offered Selling Stock readers his predictions on where the stock photo business is headed in the next five year. While I agree with a lot of what he had to say, I believe the vast majority of photographers will find stock offers much less of an opportunity than the picture he paints. In the next five years, it will become increasingly difficult to earn a decent living—or even a profit—from producing still images on speculation.
Recently, a new country album by Taylor Swift shocked the music industry by selling over 1million copies in its first week. This is unheard of in a music business, which has suffered similar woes to stock photography. In the past decade, album sales have declined by more than 50%, yet Taylor Swift managed to buck the trend. Is there a lesson to be learned by stock shooters from her success?
Most still photographers say their best pictures tell stories. To a limited degree, this is true. But photographers need to start thinking about more complete and complex stories, not just the best story they can tell in a single frame. This is where the opportunities lie.
In the story above Tom Grill offers his thoughts on where the stock photo business will be in five years. (If you haven’t read it yet
click here.) While I agree with a lot of what Tom has to say, I believe the vast majority of photographers will find that stock photography will offer much less of an opportunity than the picture Tom paints. In the next five years it will become increasing difficult to earn a decent living, or even a profit, from producing still images on speculation. Remember profit is defined as revenue earned minus expenses and time invested to produce the product. There will always be a handful of photographers who are exceptions to the rule and buck the trends, but there will be fewer of them.
The December issue of U.S. News and World Report will be the last printed on paper. Beginning in 2011 and marking a three-year transition to a new business model, the publication will go entirely digital, though it still plans to continue printing a series of print products.
PicScout, which says it now commands the world’s largest index of fingerprinted and owner-identified images, released a new user interface for Google and Yahoo! The company is acting on research findings that show 70% of creatives using the two search engines to find images.
Footage retailer Pond5 has released a collection of Adobe After Effects project templates, saying it is a natural extension of its video and audio business lines.
LIFE’s photo collection has come to the iPad at never-before-seen resolution, via an ad-supported free-to-user app.
Inspired Photography: 189 Sources of Inspiration for Better Photos is the newly released 400-page softcover from the editors of popular blog Photopreneur.
Eye tracking studies by Jakob Nielsen, a Web site consultant and author of a number of books about design and user interface, show that users pay close attention to photos and other images that contain relevant information but ignore fluffy pictures used to “jazz up” Web pages.
Based on some recent discussions with producers of video stock John Lund offers some thoughts on the possibilities, and limitations, of motion stock and how stock footage might fit into a photographer’s future.
Six-year-old Dreamstime is expecting to add image number 10,000,000 to its archive some time this month. On that day, Dreamstime will pay 100% contributor royalty on all licensed images—and exclusive contributors will collect 110%.
Universal Images Group and Virtual Picture Desk announce new representation agreements.
Skeptical photographers are struggling to understand whether Corbis’ new Contributor Gateway and the elimination of foreign office fees will actually benefit them. Many have focused on the royalty reduction from 40% to 37.5%. In order to participate in the Gateway, contributors must sign a new contract with Corbis and agree to this lower royalty rate. However, the 35% foreign sales office fee that is currently being deducted from sales made by any office outside the contributor’s home territory will be eliminated
Masterfile’s new agency, Rethink Canada, has developed an new ad campaign that centers around Master Creative, whom the company describes as “ancient, all-knowing, wise-cracking guru of the advertising and design industries.” The campaign is designed to promote Masterfile’s Web site in North America and Europe.
If you’re a professional image producer looking for assignments, and you live or would like to work in remote parts of the world, the new World Assignment Web site may be for you.
Paul Melcher recently wrote a story that asked, “Are You Carving a Photography Niche – or Digging Your Career in a Hole?
” Melcher argues that there are few inadequately covered niches left and points out that perhaps those niches that do not already have thousands of images available exist because there is no demand for the subject matter. He also asks: “If you do not know who your customers are, if you do not have your own data, how can you niche yourself?”
The British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies has announced that its flagship event, the Picture Buyers Fair, will not return in 2011.