It’ll Be Photographer’s Choice on a Web Site From Corbis

By Katie Hafner, The New York Times

Recognizing the growing market for inexpensive online photographs, Corbis, the online stock photo company founded and owned by Bill Gates, plans today to introduce a Web site that allows anyone to upload photographs for sale.

Called SnapVillage, the site is the latest entrant into the realm of so-called microstock agencies.

Microstock sites take advantage of a phenomenon known as crowd sourcing, whereby thousands of amateur and semiprofessional photographers submit pictures and charge as little as $1 an image. Unlike some other microstock sites, SnapVillage will allow its contributors to set their own prices, ranging from $1 to $50 an image....

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Mike   (thanks to Micah Marty)

Comments

[Anthony Collins]

I am amazed at the number of photographers queueing up to make big corporations rich in exchange for a 20c pat on the head. Crowdsourcing, like pyramid selling only works for the early joiners. As the crowd swells the chances of getting enough downloads to trigger the minimum payment reduces and the Big Corp's bank balance swells at the expense of all those unpaid photographers. Isn't it amusing that all those designers who demand fair trade coffee in their lattes and boycott major clothing brands for using sweat shop labour are happy to commoditise photography and then drive down the price of this commodity to near worthlessness. A dollar for a front page of a million selling magazine or major advertising campaign? Photographers of the world unite. The web gives you the power to choose a fair trade agency, sell direct individually or group together for mutual benefit. Don't be fooled by the happy clappy microstock cults. Or even eschew commercialism altogether and turn amateur, take pictures just for the pleasure they give to you and others who see them.

Tony Collins

[Warren Parsons]

It looks like the site's down at the moment.

I'm real interested to see how Microsoft handles this and I'll likely give it a try.

[Svein-Frode]

Personally I don't see what all the fuzz about microstock is all about. If a bunch of amateurs want to sell crappy and boring stock photos, please let them. I would consider them worthless. 99% of the images on most microstock sites aren't worth more than $1 IMHO. I would like to see the glossy million selling magazines and the serious ad campaign using $1 photos. Please give me ONE example...

I have been selling my stockimages RF for many years now. To me it makes sense. I can use one price, one contract for each sale and the administration of my business is as a result next to nothing. All I have to worry about is tracking the invoices. That way I can spend time on my fine art.

Compared to most other MS sites, I like that the photographer can set the price. $50*30% for a snapshot isn't bad at all.