It is not really the photo industry that is in danger of extinction, but rather a weird and strange animal that appeared about 50 to 60 years ago out of pure greed.

Let me explain:  When photography became a job, the first photographers were troopers who would get up in the morning with the firm intention to get an assignment, or 2, before the end of the day. They would look for both stories and clients and when they fit together, they would be rewarded with money. Publication or ad agencies would never dream of licensing images that were not specifically shot for them : how plebeian !! Photo agencies where then created mostly for photographers to share and organize resources. Since they became the repository of all images shot, they start to accumulate stock image made of past assignments. And thus, like any sound business, started to license those too.

And then, with the success of bigger Stock houses, like The Image Bank, a creepy, greedy little animal started to emerge. The stock photographer. Never did nor would talk to a client directly, they would get up in the morning with the sole purpose of taking images that could one day be licensed. Like movies that go direct to DVD, their images where exclusively shot for stock.

Armed with research analysis, spreadsheets, and a whole lot of corporate culture, they started multiplying. Mostly because their images where much cheaper than sending a photographer on assignment. There was no other cost involved than just the licensing rights. In a way, they murdered a large part of the assignment business and open the door for more photographers, with doubtful talent, to enter the arena.

For a while, a lot did well, as travel prices surged. They managed to live off the Rights managed tradition of exclusivity even thought they never shot those images for that client . And then came in the real experts. Marketing gurus with intense software licensing experience. They turned pricing around by licensing images as service rather than a product : the RF guys ( and girls).

The “stockers” got their first warning shot. Prices went down. Shields were raises, hundreds of thousands of email send out, forums, debates, heated conversation plagued the industry for a while until tales of high income started to surface. Some stockers where actually making more money than before. The second gold rush started. Everyone, suddenly started shooting RF. Agencies followed, as RF was to be the wave of the future. And it was, for a while.

Until file sharing entered the photo scene. People started exchanging their photographs, for professional usage. As the cost of maintaining  a server became too steep, these exchanges were tagged with a fee. A very low fee, but indeed a fee.And a flood of new stockers invaded the scene. Very smart ones, very talented ones, and very useful ones.If there was a market in stock photography, historically controlled by a few selected pompous “pro”photographers, then it should be for everyone.

You can still hear the stockers screaming as they are being trampled by the masses in a last effort to save their “territory” . But lets face it, we all know it is a dying breed of irrelevant photographers. Beside exploiting an immature market, they had no talent. They were the refuseniks of the assignment world, incapable of being hired for a photo shoot . And now, even their private grounds is being destroyed by the hungry masses.

So now what ? Well, besides microstockers who will, in the majority, not be able to sustain a living with their photo sales, there will be less in less “pro” making stock photos anymore. Not because they don’t want to but because they will not be able to make a living out of it. Some might be capable of moving up to assignment works, others, the majority, will leave the profession altogether. And that will be a good thing. Photoshelter’s Collection recent demise is a good example that these images are no longer welcomed on the market .The oversupply of images that we a currently experiencing, will be drained from the middle, that disappearing bread of stockers. They will no longer exist and no longer produce.

And finally, the photo world will be repopulated by photographers that really enjoy taking pictures, rather than analyzing spreadsheets. From the part time amateur to the full time pro, passion of great photography will reappear as being the leading reason for being in this industry, not greed. No more of these small business mentally photographers that thought of themselves as a superior breed. The playing field is leveled and the industry’s parasite, the pro stockers, are out.

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4 Thoughts on “The end of the stocker

  1. “a weird and strange animal”

    “a creepy, greedy little animal started to emerge. The stock photographer”

    “They were the refuseniks of the assignment world, incapable of being hired for a photo shoot”

    Sounds like someone’s been on the vino. I shoot stock because I love photography. How does that fit into your analysis?

    As for allegations of greedy photographers, some might say that greed is more apparent on the other side of the negotiating table. Remind me again please, what are the standard day rates and space rates for a leading UK or USA national daily newspaper?

  2. No, no..you tell us what kind of work it is to shoot for no one. To get up in the morning and shoot some pictures in the hope that one day, somehow, somewhere, they will be licensed. That is not a job, its a hobby. And I love photography too, that doesn’t mean I take picture that have the pretention to be everything to everyone.
    Admit it, you shoot stock because you have no clients.

  3. 1.>you tell us what kind of work it is to shoot for no one. 2.>To get up in the morning and shoot some pictures in the hope that one day, somehow, somewhere, they will be licensed
    3.>you shoot stock because you have no clients
    =====
    1. some of us have the passion & love the freedom of shooting for anyone needing our subjects, verified by the diversity of buyers contained in our commission reports
    2. some of us average selling X photos (X = 1,2,5,10,20, or whatever) per day, & we logically assume X+1 photos we take today will sell at some point in future
    3. some of us shoot stock because we don’t need a soccer dad or mom AKA photo editor yelling at us from the sidelines that we are no good — our commission reports yell “SALE, SALE, SALE” much louder

  4. 1. You do not shoot for anyone but for anyone. You have no freedom as you only shoot images that you think could sell. You do not even care if you are not published as you never see any or few of your publications. Passionate photographers want to see their images published.Not their sales reports.
    2. Accounting gibberish. Not worthy of a real photographer who is passionate about photography. worthy of a number cruncher. exactly my point. Greed motivates you.
    3. As if there was no photo editors in the agencies to whom you submit telling you the same thing. And if your experience with photo editors is as you describe it ( Yelling at you), then it just shows that you are not good enough to be hired.

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