Comments on: around the net, volume 13, getty and flickr partner

By: Jim Talkington

Jim Talkington — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 01:32:12 +0000

I feel like trying to figure out the value of stock photography right now seems like trying to balance a scale with three stages. Getty has all of these way-different monetization models, they’re just throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. And since they’re getting close to owning everything it’s pretty easy for them to do.

I think this move is brilliant for Flickr, with billions of photos in the library they have surely labored over how to monetize the collective. As providers of an “open community” I think it would be sticky for them to get into monetization, though. With this partnership it seems like they’re both endorsing Getty and maintaining a distance, clearly separating their roles.

By: Phil Nealey

Phil Nealey — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:50:00 +0000

In my opinion Getty scored big on this one. The motivation behind this move was the same as what drove Getty to buy iStockphoto. If Flicker somehow was able to do this themselves, it would have become a major pain to Getty. Getty was willing to spend $50 mil on iStockphoto to control the competition. This seems like a sweet deal for them. As long as they control the commercial licensing of Flicker images they can keep millions of images out of the marketplace while cherry picking only a few. I don’t know all of the details yet, so I’m not sure if this prevents Flicker users from licensing on there own (not CC licenses). They get to have their cake and eat it too.

By: intermayer.com

intermayer.com — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:42:24 +0000

Blick durch den Sucher – 2008-W28…

Der Blick durch den Sucher – der Wochenrückblick auf die Fotografie-Szene – für Kalenderwoche 28.

Fototechnik / Fotografen über die Schulter geschaut: Joe McNally über eines seiner Mammut-Projekte, wenig Geld und wie er es trotzdem schafft. Erschütter…

By: Bill Rhodes

Bill Rhodes — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 05:49:46 +0000

This is fascinating.
I too wonder how Getty will pick the images they want? Will their editors just do a flickr search for keywords they need that day, or will there be more automation involved?
I used to make money in stock, back in the day… it is a beautiful way to earn if you can make it work.

By: Craig Lee

Craig Lee — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:11:24 +0000

I think that it is a sign of how things are changing. It is an interesting approach to try to get some “fresh” imagery into Getty’s portfolio. There certainly are some very good photographers on Flickr that could add some value to Getty.

However, getting into Getty’s Flickr collection will be somewhat hit-or-miss. Without the submission system, photographers hoping to use Flickr as a marketting tool to get to Flickr might not get the feedback from Getty that they are looking for. It will be interesting to see how this works and what sorts of problems come poking out from behind the curtain. I wonder if we will see similar stock / gallery site partnerships in the future.

By: Jim Talkington

Jim Talkington — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:16:40 +0000

John, I think you’re right: for most flickr members it will be “business as usual”.

I’ve looked long and hard at the various possibilities in stock photography and decided that, as an established commercial photographer, my energies are best spent trying to get new commercial clients and keeping present clients happy. The stock market seems especially competitive right now and I really don’t know what I could personally add to it. I used to co-own a small regional stock agency and really do love the thought of doing stock photography again, though.

The biggest thing about the Getty / flickr merger, from my viewpoint, is a new influx of stock images will be coming from photographers not necessarily trying to market their work. Will flickr become a vehicle for people to market their work (as Noah has asked)? Or will photographers abandon traditional marketing methods and just hope that Getty discovers them on flickr? It’s very interesting from a marketing standpoint.

As you’ve written, Matthew, it’s a bonus for casual photographers but the merger is of little benefit to established professionals. As I say from time to time, “it’s easier than ever to make money in photography but getting harder to make a living from it”. The sands keep shifting in the world of stock photography.

By: Debora

Debora — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:21:19 +0000

I hope he was misquoted too. I am an iStock contributor and certainly didn’t like those words. Nothing to take to the photographer that upload their work to flickr to showcase it but disregardful to the “amateurs” that have made of iStock the no. 1 royalty-free stock site.

By: Noah

Noah — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:03:17 +0000

I’m not sure where I stand on this concept. On the one hand I think it’s great that Getty is actively seeking out talent to fill their library. Possibly a lot of unknown talent as well. On the other hand, I really liked that flickr has been letting photographers set their own boundaries using creative commons licensing. Bringing Getty into the mix I feel muddies the waters somewhat. I’ve also seen what stringent guidelines Getty sets for their image submissions and wonder how those will apply to flickr images.

On a more personal side of things what I’ve always liked best about flickr is the stream of consciousness aspect of it. I’ve got a portfolio site, so my flickr is where a decent number of “oops” shots, experiments and set-ups go just for giggles. This amusement factor is what I like best about it. I can browse any given photographers stream just for fun and interesting shots. I’d hate to think that some people will start to restrict themselves more just because they think an editor from Getty might be browsing their profile. I just don’t want people to feel like the teacher’s on the playground and now everyone has to behave.

On a logistical note, I wonder how Getty is going to comb through flickr. Keywording?

Just my $0.02

By: Mike C

Mike C — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:56:09 +0000

Hey Jim,
I know you are a Linux user at home so you might be interested in photo software for Ubuntu. Here is a link to an article that I found on slashdot.org
http://www.ubuntuproductivity.com/journal/ubuntu/07/2008/ubuntu-photo-manager-experiment/

The free HDR software looks interesting, perhaps an alternative for Photomatix and it works on PC, Mac, and Ubuntu.

By: John Brainard

John Brainard — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:38:34 +0000

The news of Flickr teaming up with Getty Images doesn’t really change my perception of Flickr or my use of it now. It may down the road, as my photos get better. I think for a lot of people it will just be business as usual.

That’s just my perception though. I’ve only been using Flickr for a few months.