A confl uence of three events has led not to the extinction of tradi-
tional stock image libraries (which, to be fair, cannot be described as
“dinosaurs” at all and are in fact still thriving) but to the sudden evo-
lutionary development of microstocks—and I think that in this example,
the case is more easily established than for dino extinction. These
events involve the following:
- The Internet (or, more accurately, the World Wide Web). The need for expensive
catalogues of new images has almost vanished. Any buyer can search for what he
or she wants online, which is where you’ll now fi nd all the major image libraries
have a presence. Many libraries have their entire image collection searchable online;
others have a selection only. - Fast and cheap (sometimes free) broadband Internet access. Anyone with a com-
puter can access stock libraries in seconds from the comfort of the offi ce or home.
Download or order online what you want with no or little cost penalty for broadband
usage. Of course, what can be downloaded can also be uploaded, and the micro-
stocks have helped to pioneer the uploading of images directly to the image library
database. From there, they can be checked online before being made available for
sale (Figure 1.5). - Digital cameras. With digital cameras, there are no fi lm or processing costs to worry
about. Digital cameras offer instant feedback and the opportunity to experiment and
perfect technique. The cameras themselves are relatively expensive but no longer
much more so than their fi lm cousins. The quality of digital cameras is now also
very high.
In short, most of the costs that justifi ed high stock photo prices
have been stripped out of the equation. The photographer no longer
has expensive fi lm and development costs. Original transparencies
do not need to be hand catalogued and stored. The drum scanner and
its operator are no longer required. Glossy sample catalogues do not
need to be produced and distributed to clients. Photography is cheap
to produce, store, catalogue (using digital databases), manage, and
distribute.
Also, mirroring the development of the Internet, broadband Internet
access, and digital cameras, all of which have transformed the supply
chain, has been a simultaneous explosion in demand for quality images
from Web designers (pro and home), home desktop publishing outfi ts,
community magazines, and the like. The combination of a transformed
supply chain, new channels to market through Web-based technology,
and the evolution of new markets has inevitably shaken up the slightly
stuffy world of the stock library, the more traditional of which, in my
view, took too long to react to the new market dynamics. Step forward
the microstocks.
EXTINCTION OF THE DINOSAURS 7