There is a persistent thinking in the world of professional photographers that if you are not selling or licensing your pictures, you shouldn’t make them visible to anyone other than your friends and family. That, if you put your photos out there for anyone to use for free, it is bad for their and the Read More →

Some acquisitions have far wider implications than others. While it made perfect sense for Shutterstock to acquire a company like Rex Features in order to grab a foothold in the editorial space, it was just that. A simple acquisition of content along with established corresponding sales channels. Shutterstock recent acquisition of FlashStock, however, is vastly different. When a Read More →

The world of photojournalism has changed but photojournalists do not seem to have noticed. Either schooled by tired teachers repeating the same outdated mantra to wide-eyed students or self-taught by blindly following obsolete rules, they are hitting a wall of incomprehension and misunderstanding. The result is an unhealthy combination of painful frustration and very poor reach. Change is long Read More →

Similarly to what occurred a few years back with the introduction and rapid rise of low-cost microstock, current trend indicate the steady rise of free stock photos and its potential wide effect on the industry. Two years ago, when we produced a panel for the DMLA annual conference called the “Business of Free”,  attendees were Read More →

Google is about to help sell the content of images found in Google Image Search without sharing a penny with anyone.  Here is how it works: Using content recognition, it will scan all images found in a Google Image search and display the matching items to users that can, in turn, purchase them. In other Read More →

Word on the street was that if Getty sneezed, the industry was sick. But what about Shutterstock? Has it taken a dominant enough position in the marketplace to become the health barometer of stock photography? Is this week’s quarterly report, covering a less than stellar quarter along with a less optimistic forecast, a sign of a general slowdown Read More →

World Press 2017 winning image by BURHAN OZBILICI/AP

At a time when the world seems to have elevated opinions over facts, where beliefs are confused with truth, the World Press Photo jury made a statement of position by highlighting an image of undisputed clarity. The Burhan Ozbilici image of an assassin pointing to the sky in fury after killing the Russian ambassador who lays dead Read More →

At a recent DMLA panel I organized, Craig Peters, COO of Getty Images, pointed out that the vast majority of image consumption happens in places where images are not licensed. Which is true: People spend more time on various social media sites than anywhere else.  Just Snapchat ( 8,796 photos shared per second), Whatsapp (8,102 Photos Read More →

For most of the 80’s and throughout the early 2000’s, the recurring motto in the stock photo industry was “It’s the content, idiot”. Key to any growth of photo agencies and successful career of any photographer was the ability to offer great content. Rule number one was to appeal to clients and crush the competition by creating upscale, high Read More →

Confusion and mixed messages are creating a worried atmosphere in the world of Splash News contributors. First, the news broke that Silverhub Media signed a worldwide and exclusive distribution deal with Shutterstock. The news made no sense, SilverHub having little to no content of value for the microstock giant until it was announced not long after Read More →