4 Understanding the Microstock Revolution
would have been much higher. The images in Figures 1.2 and 1.3 cost
around two dollars each. I used iStockphoto for this search, but my
research shows that I could have used other microstock libraries.Shop until You Drop
The best analogy I can think of for purchasing stock photography is
going to a shopping mall to buy a new item of clothing (Figure 1.4).
Unless there is a special occasion, you expect to be able to look through
items already manufactured and available for immediate sale. You just
browse through a catalogue (where you will see more photos—I expect
you are, quite literally, getting the picture) or rifl e through the items
on sale.
Exactly the same principles apply to stock photography as apply to
the shopping mall example. You really can shop until you drop on the
microstock sites without spending a fortune.The Early Days
The earliest stock photography libraries relied on unused images from
commercial assignments. Stock photography evolved from the mid-
twentieth century onward to become an industry in its own right, with
photographers specializing in supplying stock photo libraries with new
work. In the predigital age, this was done by the photographers sub-FIGURE 1.3 Businesspeople in a boardroom. As with Figure 1.2, this image was found in a few moments. Although not perfect for all uses, this
image is a good stock image and has a number of useful qualities we’ll cover in more detail later in the book. How many can you see? ©
iStockphoto