Getty Images and Flickr
by Jess on May.19, 2009, under Flickr, Getty Images, microstock, photo agency, photo editor, photographer, stock images
Some Flickr members may have recently received invitations from Getty Images to have their images added to Getty’s ever-expanding collection. I think it is just a way for Getty to obtain cheap content.
While it may be flattering to be asked to be part of Getty Images, you should ask: How will my images be featured? What visibility will my work receive? Will they show up when a photo editor does a regular image search? Will Getty advertise my photos as “budget” images? Another concern is that Getty wants exclusivity to the images and you might not necessarily get a say as to how they are used.
Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of talented photographers on Flickr and I’ve seen some incredible shots. Just don’t sell yourself short to make a quick buck. If you are serious about a photography career work on building your portfolio and if you choose to shoot stock images, there are premium collections with traditional agencies where your images are more likely to end up being used in a higher quality publication. I question Getty’s motives in this and while it may be a sufficient arrangement for the amateur (as is selling to microstock agencies, but that is a whole other post…), if you’re embarking on a professional career as a photographer, there are many other avenues to take that’ll be more lucrative and more dignified. It seems to me this is just another way for Getty to control more image sources and unfortunately it will be at the expense of both the photographer and the client.
© 2009, The F Stops Here. All rights reserved. (Jessica D. Korman)
May 19th, 2009 on 10:28 pm
Good post, Jessica. I think you’re spot on, especially about being advertised as budget images, or Getty just acquiring images to be able to market, “We have 100,000 images for you to choose from!” Let’s not forget that Yahoo have been having difficulties; how much do you think Getty have offered them in this partnership?
May 20th, 2009 on 4:29 pm
This a really interesting topic and I have continual debate about this with my colleagues on the Desk all the time.
May 20th, 2009 on 4:35 pm
Thanks for your comment, I would love to hear what others think about it!
May 20th, 2009 on 6:46 pm
I question why people would not want to feature images on Getty, they are the Nike of stock photography. The site is seen by millions of people and so would your work.
I sell my work on Getty and recieve a nice check from them each month, enough to pay for a huge chunk of my photo studio space.
Lets be honest, if you have photos sitting on your flickr site or on your hard drive just sitting there, why not put them to work to bring in extra cash for your photo biz. Sell them, buy a new lens, new computer, new camera body what ever else you need to perpetuate your photo biz.
How far of a stretch is it to think that an art director at a million dollar advertising agency is going to contact you through Flickr and want to purchase a photo from you? Not as likely if that same image is on Getty.
Just something to think about…
May 20th, 2009 on 6:55 pm
Very good post! I’m writing something about it for my italian blog about photojournalism.