Or how to use modern technology to reverse the way stock photography works. For the purpose of this article, we can call this service social photography.
Introduction
Stock photos were very popular before. Now, they are not so much — according to Google Trends. The issue with Stock photography today is that in some cases it doesn’t look authentic.
Typical search result for phrase
“business meeting”
There are some websites that are trying to solve this problem by offering more genie look for stock photos.
Here are some examples:
http://www.gratisography.com/
http://picjumbo.com/
http://publicdomainarchive.com/
And they are ok. But, let’s go forward in time a bit more...
The idea
This idea came to my mind when I was doing some research for a motion graphics video that I was working on. I needed five people from different demographic groups that had shocked expression on their faces. And I needed them now. Fastest way to get that is to google the word “shocked”.
So I’ve tried:
Nothing that I could use was here.
Also, there was a problem regarding copyrights. Second guess was refining Google search phrase or heading to the stock photo site. But then it hit me:
“Is there a way to have the right photo when you need it, the way you need it and as soon as possible?”
The Concept
“Everyone” now has a smartphone. And every smartphone has a camera built in. The piece that’s missing is an app.
Imagine this situation. You need a particular photo. You reach out to your pocket and open the social photography app. Type in your request:
Male / female subject
25–35 years old
shocked face expression
interior photo
Boom! People from all over the world are shooting pics from their phones responding directly to your request. You see photos as they are uploaded in real time. After a few minutes, you pick what’s the best fit for you — selected ones get paid for the effort.
You have the right photo at the right moment, the way you need it. Best of all, every new search request generates new photos delivered to your phone. Almost instantly.
If service like this exists, please let me know. I’d be very grateful to find out.
