Stock CDs

[pixelfiesta]

We all use stock images from different websites like getty, corbis, imagebazaar, photoindia, dinodia, etc. the list is endless.

But apart from these sites, there are also stock CDs/ DVDs available in the market which cost about 8-10k for hundred of discs. I guess these are Korean or Chinese stock, but one also finds the same kind of images on Shutterstock, Dreamstime and other stock websites.

I want to understand how many people actually use these CD?
Sometimes one single image can cost you anything from 5k to 10k. How do they afford to sell the entire collection at 10k. Is it legal?

Any views, insights?

[Paromita]

i think a lot of these pictures are low quality (creatively, I mean) without any kind of model release etc. Also you wont find to omany good shots to use. Maybe some of the pictures are also pirated! be careful!

[pixelfiesta]

But you know what, if some clients get the images free, they are OK with the idea of sacrificing creativity!
Infact some clients or client servicing tell me to think of concepts which doesnt involve any images. WTF!

And what do you do when you have to get the work out — pressure from servicing, billing pressure and all such pressures. Then one has to go ahead and use those uninspiring, lousy visuals.

And moreover sometimes you just need shots of say beaches, hourglass, pets, aircraft, etc... So then it makes sense to pick them up from cheap libraries than shoot. Even for in house shoots there are cost attached internally.

How to others manage such situations?

[basant kumar]

I tried typography or illustration, which I created myself. What to do? the cost pressures are really huge! The clients install giant LED tvs in their reception, but when it comes to paying for photography???

Also I have seen it helps that I can shoot a bit.

[raja ghose]

sad. very sad. we should get clients to become members of this forum. they shoudl hear what we are talking about. clients should be let in on our worlds a bit more.

[basant kumar]

clients dont bother. for them its an expenditure that must be reduced. no one thinks of the whole eco system.

[Saumya]

some of our clients dont go for photography at all. many a time they want us to use something off the net without paying for it!

[pixelfiesta]

I don't know how to handle such clients. They think everything that is google-able is free!
They just don't realise the implications of using copyright stuff.

Has anyone got into a problem because of this.. like using images from stock sites without paying or using something from google, etc.

It would be nice to discuss how stock agencies find out about this thing and how they charge or send notice.

From what I remember these agencies use a bot (a piece of online software) called PicScout which keeps crawling into different websites and maps those images with the ones on their server. If it finds similar looking ones, it generates a report and sends it to the stock library.

Also abroad, the business model of these agencies is quite different. They actually don't make much money by selling images. But they make a lot by sending notices to innocent people or people who are actually innocent. When people get scared, they pay up.

Any view point on this?

[raja ghose]

this could be a way.. a very interesting site.. check it out http://tineye.com/

[Ek Kanya]

pixelfiesta, you point is very interesting. these people make money from suing others? what about IP? dont you think creatives should have rightful ownership to the revenues generated from their work?