Gettyimages.com VS Istockphoto.com

The changing of the guard. This graph shows the cross-over of Gettyimages and Istockphoto. As you can see, it was a good idea for Getty to buy Istock. This is significant, because as many know, Getty images are very expensive, and this graph shows people are not willing to pay more when they can find a good image on istock. Corbis is the line at the bottom, and they have stayed very consistent over the years.

5 big players

Here is a breakdown of the 5 major players in Stock photography. Istock is well ahead of the pack, white the others are slowly growing too, with the exception of Bigstockphoto.com.

Where do I look for photography jobs?

Where do I look for photography jobs?

Well, this is something I am always doing, so I have some very valid advice. The first place to look would be craiglist.org. They have a very informal environment in which to look for jobs. I find that most of the jobs on this website are of a very temporary nature. I have found one steady gig, a couple hours every week, but for the most part, I have just found models who want to work on a TFP (time for photo) basis. And this does not pay the bills, because as many photographers know, it is a long climb up before you can make enough to live off from stock photography sales.

Also look at http://toronto.kijiji.ca/, or simply kijiji.ca. They are set up a lot like craigslist, but they are only for Canada. The have a more sophisticated looking website with more features than craigslist, but many may prefer craigslist's low tech design. Anyway, Kijiji is well worth a look.

If you want to look for more career oriented photography jobs, take a look at http://www.workopolis.com, or http://www.monster.ca/. These seem to be the big two with a wide range of jobs. Also, http://jobbank.gc.ca is a great place to look. It is run by the government of Canada, so they wouldn't steer you wrong.
I have just discovered http://www.specialeventphotography.ca/. You can sign up, as I just did and see what happens. As most places the specialize in event photography, they seem to be very wedding centric.

The future for Photographers looks bleak.

The future for Photographers looks bleak.

I can't speak for everybody, but I have been working hard for over a year and a half as a photographer, and still good work is next to impossible to find. Unless you know somebody important, or have great connections, finding work on the Internet is a damn hard game. And what work I have found, for me anyway, it is very dull and uninspired. The job that least appeals to me is working as a wedding photographer, and there are a couple of those gigs kicking around. When people ask me to do a wedding, I quote them a standard, fair rate, and they still think it is too expensive!! Why is everybody so cheap. How do they expect a photographer to make a living.

Anyway, I would far rather work as a product, event, travel or fashion photographer. The number of people with good equipment doesn't help either. The cost keeps coming down and down. I would guess that in the future, Photography may become a basic skill like hand writing, or operating a computer.

Well, my search for decent work continues........Maybe I should become a writer, lol.

perezhilton.com? Genius or Criminal?

I am amazed at the success of Perezhilton, but I wonder if he will win his case. He is being sued for 7.5 million by a large photography agency. As a photographer myself, I understand how angry I would be if my photos were stolen, but on the other hand, without interesting photos, it is hard to have a popular blog. Not everybody has the time to be an expert blogger and photographer. Does anybody have any thoughts on the perezhilton situation?

shareapic.net? Make money with photos.

This new kid on the block has been gaining ground fast. They claim to pay 22 cents for every 1000 impressions. Nice idea, however I tried signing up, but I am still waiting to see if my photos are approved. I would be keen to hear if anybody has had any success with this website? I wonder if I should bother with them.

Bigstockphoto in Trouble?

I have noticed that bigstockphoto.com has been having trouble. Their Alexa rank has been shrinking. When I logged into my account, I noticed that they will be paying the photographers more. I think they said a dollar. If they don't get more photographers with better photos, surely they will loose the battle against the other agencies. Can they do it? Wait and see.