The great microstock debate…or is there even much of a debate to be had these days?

When I first got into all this online photography promotion stuff I looked into microstock, read the statement from Photographers Direct, among others, and pretty much concluded that they were right. Selling an image for such a low amount does de-value the image and maybe harms the industry…

I joined a few agencies and tried my hand at traditional stock, but a year on I’ve reassessed my original conclusions.

After a year of big losses Getty images have now bought IStockPhoto, and Corbis have launched their own microstock site, Snapvillage, which will apparently be used as a sort of ‘talent farm’ for the pro-stock agency.

There is no doubt that in the changing field of digital photography microstock is here to stay, at least for a while! Initial speculation was that devaluing images would harm photographers in the long run, and de-value the skills of the industry. The hard to swallow truth is, an individual image does not hold the same value that it did 10 years ago. Proliferation of new technology and the broadening skills of the amateur and hobbyist field mean that a quality image in itself is not worth as much as once it might have been. Images are worth less than they were – that is plain fact in my opinion.

What is still highly prized, and in my opinion always will be, is the skill and experience of a photographer. No amount of microstock sales can devalue the professional training, experience and approach of those at the top of these fields.

If I was to compare the two approaches, microstock selling, and on-tic photographer agencies, I would say that where microstock does de-value the image, request based agencies devalue the skill-set, time and effort of the photographer.

It was a particular photo request I read that got me thinking about this whole subject. Someone requested an image of a jet, ‘taking off or landing, with clouds behind it forming the shape of the bottom of a lyre’. Now…that’s quite specific! They also included a link to a “similar” image, available for sale on Getty. So, rather than pay for usage rights for the image they wanted, someone thought it would be better to ask as many photographers as possible to try and deliver this image, so they can choose one they like and pay one photographer.

I’m not here to put down Photographers Direct and similar agencies. In my experience there are some brilliant photographers selling top-end work this way, and it clearly works for them. However, as someone who would simply like to make some money from my more generic images, I feel my time is worth more than my photos – it is my time that enables me to take the photos! If I was to spend a week at an airfield hoping for the right cloud formation as the right jet lands…I would certainly be expecting a sale at the end.

This is turning into a long post – but it is a subject that requires discussion imo!

On the other side of things we now have Yuri Arcurs – microstock celebrity. He is now the highest selling microstock photographer in the world. He earns a six-figure wage and employs 12 people. He has clearly capitalised on the new world of microstock, and earns a full time living from it. I imagine it was more than just top notch photography and good timing that made him a success, but is indicative of where the industry might head. With low labour costs in many countries it would not be difficult to establish a company with plenty of employees, taking hundereds of photos for microstock sites every day. I do think this is the next shift in the field, but can’t really  speculate on what changes this would bring.

Microstock is still a changing market, and new changes such as this will shift the balance again. Once the microstock agencies are saturated with saleable images from large companies, will tere stil be room for individual amateur to make money this way, or will the balance shift back to the most talented individuals making big sales through traditional stock agencies?

I don’t doubt Corbis, among others, have been thinking these things over for a good while now!

I have no great advice to give though – it’s up to the individual to decide what works best for them. For me, I have decided to leave traditional agencies and signed up with some microstock sites (more on this in a later post!).

I think the best advice I could give is to keep well informed and be prepared to change! I’ve said it so many times – it’s a changing market and photographers must be willing to change with it!