At the same time that stock agencies began to promote
their top-shelf lines, royalty-free libraries arrived offering low-
budget clients many images (remarkably similar to the original
simple iconic stock shots), which now can be purchased in large
quantities for one low price.
The two-hit punch of high-level stock and low-level royalty-
free images took its toll. In a market where supply and demand
rules, assignment photography at every level has been deeply
affected.
While we now find buyers of top campaigns and accounts
still purchasing assignment photography, these prospects are
demanding more of assignment shooters.
In fact, buyers at every level have a new definition for
assignment photography. Prospects now have so much imagery
at their disposal that their visual expectations of assignment
work have been raised.
For instance, a buyer’s ideas of what a lifestyle assignment
image looks like has shifted. Images that just two or three years
ago were considered assignment quality are now considered
“stocky.” I have had many clients tell me that when they show in
their portfolio an assignment lifestyle image where everyone is
looking into the camera smiling, everyone is happy, and the
image is beautifully composed and lit, buyers tell them it’s “too
stocky.” Is this because they have seen smiling people ad
nauseam in stock catalogues? Are buyers lacking the sophistica-
tion to discern quality photography? Or do they simply want to
see more variety in expression? Are they done with happy? Are
they looking for images with a deeper expression? Everyone is
asking whether this is simply a trend or whether the stock indus-
try has truly shifted buyers’ habits, pushing them to demand
more visually sophisticated images from lifestyle assignment
photographers.
We will need to continue to watch buying patterns in order
to know the answer.
However, what we do know is that higher-level assignment
buyers seem to be asking assignment shooters to bring more of
their creative juice to the plate. They see so much in stock that
it has raised the bar in regard to their expectations of
assignment photographers. I think this is as wonderful as it isCHAPTER17 / HABIT ORTREND?Chapter 17.qxd 6/25/07 7:21 AM Page 107