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Author Topic: Micro-Payment Stock  (Read 5459 times)

svein-frode

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« on: July 12, 2006, 11:21:23 am »

It is impossible to see the changes in the photo stock business isolated from business in general. The current changes are sadly caused by politics and the religion known as "the free market". We live in a world infected with the Global Commerce virus, where the big fish eat the smaller fish and make no apologies for it. The Economic climate of today is all about growth, super profits and satisfying shareholders. Gone are the days of the Mom and Pop stores where building long lasting customer relationships and giving service were important. Gone are the days when corporations were founded to take on large projects for the good of society. Maybe I paint a historic picture with to many bright flowers, but there used to be a time when moral and ethics meant something, and young people gave their seats to the elders on the bus. To quote Martin Sheen (representing the older generation) in the movie Wall Street: "What you see is a guy who never measured a man's success by the size of his WALLET!". The film, for those who haven’t seen it, must be one of the most accurate prophecies ever made.

I work as a banker (to pay for my cameras) in the World's 400 and something largest corporation. I know from the inside how the business world works, and have seen it change dramatically over the last 10 years. I also know for a fact that most people, even stockholders and the CEOs, would have loved things to be different, but it's a matter of being predator or prey. This is a development caused by blind market thinking which has taken the power away from the people and given it to the big players in the business world. So how can this go on? Simple, we are intoxicated by our own wealth. With the help of legalized slavery in third world countries we can afford a material wealth, never before experienced by so many people at once. Just think about all that can be acquired by an average individual these days, compared to just fifty years ago. Houses, cabins, cars, clothes, electronics, travels… The only thing we're missing is more time, to spend even more!

So how does this relate to stock photography? It should be obvious! There is some poetic justice in all of this. Just as most of us can afford high-end cameras and digital darkrooms to make professional grade images, the market seems to be disappearing before our very own eyes. We can't have the cake and eat it too. Does this cheapen the status of photography and possibly threaten it as "Art"? Yes, just as fast food is an insult to real food, samplers and synthesizers are and insult to real musicians, and IKEA is an insult to every furnituremaker that ever lived. Mass production equals less art and more consumption.

If there is to be any hope in saving the Art and craft of photography we need to see the bigger picture. What comes around goes around. One can't enjoy the cheap and abundant availability of merchandise in a supermarket and at the same time cry over the rise of micro-payment stock agencies. To save the Art and craft of photography we must change as individuals, parents, neighbors, members of society and the human race. If less truly is more, then we must support and value only what matters.
« Last Edit: July 12, 2006, 11:23:57 am by svein-frode »
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Svein-Frode, Arctic Norway
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svein-frode

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« Reply #1 on: July 12, 2006, 11:29:15 am »

[span style=\'font-size:14pt;line-height:100%\']Please move over to the "Coffee corner" forum. I just saw there was started a thread on the topic there![/span]
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rennie12

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« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2006, 10:17:27 pm »

Quote
It is impossible to see the changes in the photo stock business isolated from business in general. The current changes are sadly caused by politics and the religion known as "the free market". We live in a world infected with the Global Commerce virus, where the big fish eat the smaller fish and make no apologies for it. The Economic climate of today is all about growth, super profits and satisfying shareholders. Gone are the days of the Mom and Pop stores where building long lasting customer relationships and giving service were important. Gone are the days when corporations were founded to take on large projects for the good of society. Maybe I paint a historic picture with to many bright flowers, but there used to be a time when moral and ethics meant something, and young people gave their seats to the elders on the bus. To quote Martin Sheen (representing the older generation) in the movie Wall Street: "What you see is a guy who never measured a man's success by the size of his WALLET!". The film, for those who haven’t seen it, must be one of the most accurate prophecies ever made.

I work as a banker (to pay for my cameras) in the World's 400 and something largest corporation. I know from the inside how the business world works, and have seen it change dramatically over the last 10 years. I also know for a fact that most people, even stockholders and the CEOs, would have loved things to be different, but it's a matter of being predator or prey. This is a development caused by blind market thinking which has taken the power away from the people and given it to the big players in the business world. So how can this go on? Simple, we are intoxicated by our own wealth. With the help of legalized slavery in third world countries we can afford a material wealth, never before experienced by so many people at once. Just think about all that can be acquired by an average individual these days, compared to just fifty years ago. Houses, cabins, cars, clothes, electronics, travels… The only thing we're missing is more time, to spend even more!

So how does this relate to stock photography? It should be obvious! There is some poetic justice in all of this. Just as most of us can afford high-end cameras and digital darkrooms to make professional grade images, the market seems to be disappearing before our very own eyes. We can't have the cake and eat it too. Does this cheapen the status of photography and possibly threaten it as "Art"? Yes, just as fast food is an insult to real food, samplers and synthesizers are and insult to real musicians, and IKEA is an insult to every furnituremaker that ever lived. Mass production equals less art and more consumption.

If there is to be any hope in saving the Art and craft of photography we need to see the bigger picture. What comes around goes around. One can't enjoy the cheap and abundant availability of merchandise in a supermarket and at the same time cry over the rise of micro-payment stock agencies. To save the Art and craft of photography we must change as individuals, parents, neighbors, members of society and the human race. If less truly is more, then we must support and value only what matters.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=70464\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
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rennie12

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« Reply #3 on: July 14, 2006, 06:51:33 pm »

Sorry about the mistaken post.

AS to Microstock - unfortunately the genie won't go back in the bottle.

I am not a pro but as a photographer using 35mm since 1950 I am aware that underneath the problem is the fact that modern digital cameras make it possible for ordinary hobbyists to occasionally make excellent images.  Particularly the sort of "I happened to be there" image of the sailboat that the original writer bemoans the loss of.

Good heavens I remember when it was a real problem to take images in mixed light - now auto WB is so good most amateurs don't even know there was a problem.  

Like all of life's problems you pros will have to live with it.  It won't go back in the bottle.  There is a solution but (a) I don't know what it is and ( trying to put in back in the bottle is NOT gonna find it.

A good sign of the art times is that an excellent photographer - Michael - apparently finds publication of his DVDs and seminars for rich amateurs more productive than devoting time/sales to photography.

What I have commented is another way of saying "don't fight the problem - solve it."  Or as Henry Ford - who I am sure the original write sees as the devil incarnate since he feels mass production is the root of our problems - said "Don't place blame, solve the problem".   Speaking of mass production as evil - shades of the LUddites ! (look them up if you want) - it AIN'T going away.  Neither is the modern world.  And 3rd world countries are poor and exploited because their cultures are non-functional - not because of the big bad first world cultures.

Good luck and best wishes to all - rennie12
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Provokot

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« Reply #4 on: July 19, 2006, 08:40:54 am »

As a graphic designer and photographer of 25 years' experience I believe that as with all the changes to our industries through technology, the cream will rise to the top.

In the 1980s there was the DTP revolution when suddenly everyone and their uncle became "graphic designers" thanks to applications like CorelDraw.  I remember losing a lot of money whilst looking at dreadful brochures created in-house by my smaller clents.  They all came back when they saw that some of their competitors were presenting much better, properly designed material to their prospects.

Then along came the various applications that made everyone a "web designer"  the same thing happened - with the same eventual result for the client.

Right now I have to contend with clients who "no longer need me".  They have bought a digital camera that takes lovely pictures. (Yes, the camera does but they don't) After several dresssings-down from me about their lack of sharpness, poor composition, exposure, depth of field etc the cameras have quietly been taken home for holiday snaps - and I'm back in businesss.

So on to Stock shots:  I forsee the stack-'em-high, sell-'em-cheap concept evolving.  I'm guesssing that micro payments will become part of a tiered system; anyone and everyone will be welcome to submit pics to the agencies who will then evaluate their suitability for either their top-end rights managed libraries, their RF libraries or their micro payments libraries.

I kind of like the fact that the market has been given a shake-up; I believe outstanding new talent will be exposed this way. This is the "Punk Rock" revolution that is happening to all media thanks to blogging (which has delivered us some excellent new writers, You-Tube which has revealed outstanding creativity in film making, etc.)

To the professionals, I say this: Raise your game.  Market yourselves more effectively.  And make the stock libraries work harder for your images. Oh, and watch out for the many brilliant amateur photographers who are capable of producing pictures that are the cream of the crop.
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wynpotter

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« Reply #5 on: July 24, 2006, 04:20:40 pm »

Take your own destiny in your own hands and create your own stock agency. Why, because if it is important enough to you then mark out your spot and hold it. Oh, you say I have another job that pays the bills and can not afford to stop the gravy train, well too bad. Pick the hill you are willing to die on and fight. Whether it's art or ???.
No one is going to step aside, why should they.
Micro stocks don't exist in a vacuum, there is a need that's being filled. Are the photogs being taken advantage of? I doubt it, not to the extent the third world countries exploit their own people, that's evil greed.
In a better world, people would stand up and help the 3rd world people, but that would mean going to war to help the oppressed. Hard to put down the Latte for that.
Yes I'm cynical, but isn't this the theme of this thread.
We just need to take personal responcibility, Wyndham
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dlashier

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« Reply #6 on: July 29, 2006, 04:23:24 am »

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Take your own destiny in your own hands and create your own stock agency. [a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=71650\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
This is exactly what many photographers have done, and what I'm planning on doing. In particular, searching istock and alamy, the scenic images available are pretty horrible. There's room for a "mid tier" quality site with prices higher than the microstocks but still affordable. I've already registered a couple domains (scenicstockphoto(s).com) and hopefully within a couple months I'll be up and running with around 10,000 of my own images and opening up to other approved photogs with around 50% payout rather than the 25% or less the microstocks pay, plus I'm not interested in providing prints so will link artists to their own sites for fineart prints, and the usage agreement (unlike istock etc) will specifically forbid fineart print sales. Stay tuned for updates.

- DL
« Last Edit: July 29, 2006, 04:34:47 am by dlashier »
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