Stock photography

Adrian Wirz
Jul 13
3 min read

Although the topic is almost as old as photography itself, it's always a topic of discussion. Here, I'll explain why I react so strongly on social media when photos that are "my own work" are copied.

What does this have to do with a double cheeseburger? A double cheeseburger also contains almost the same thing twice, just like the photos we're discussing here. The reason is quite simple and already in the title: stock agencies! One stock provider is Adobe, for example. You can buy photos there cheaply, which is why my ideas regularly end up on these platforms. Let's take Adobe as an example: I pay around 20 Swiss francs a month for my Adobe Photoshop subscription. I still remember the outcry in the photography community about 12 years ago when Adobe introduced its subscription model. But that's only a side issue. If someone uploads my ideas as a photo there, Adobe earns twice from me if someone buys the photo.

The idea for the photo above by Christian Bieri was 100% my own.

CBS-Photography uploads the photos to Adobe and other platforms, which isn't illegal. I put in all this effort for years, waiting for the perfect moment for my photo, and then someone comes along, copies it, and offers it for sale on Adobe for 3.50 Swiss francs. Maybe they get 1 franc from that? I have no idea. Apparently, CBS-Photography has deleted the images from the stock agencies, or requested their removal. They informed me of this by email. I know there's not much I can do about it; I won't reveal any more locations, but I haven't done that for a long time. If you happen to find someone with a social media photo, I'll tell you to get lost. But I'm fighting against my photos, or rather the ideas behind them, ending up as stock photography. I don't want to help Adobe profit from my ideas. For several years, I traveled with a photographer friend, and I offered to always tell him what I was currently planning. For example, why I set up my tripod so close to the ground, etc. Partly as a reward for his long journeys. At some point, I realized he was exploiting my kindness and helpfulness, offering his same photos for free or for 20 francs directly to the hotel, inn, or whatever. A complete and utter disgrace, especially among colleagues. And now, dear Christian, you come along, having "hunted" me for years, doing something similar. Incidentally, I wasn't the one who noticed you selling your photos to stock agencies. Just delete my ideas, or rather, your photos with my ideas, from the stock agencies, and that's that! And if anyone's thinking, "Oh wow, that's so cool, I can make money there!" Forget it. You probably won't earn more than 10-20 francs a year at stock agencies, right? Stay away from it, it's really not worth it! Where have all the Adobe subscription critics gone? There were protests for days, as loud as a Turkish bazaar! And today? Where did they all go? Did they become stock photographers themselves? What was Adobe all about back then? You could buy Adobe Photoshop for around 1600 Swiss francs. If you had a child in school, it was cheaper, around 220 francs. Luckily, I was able to take advantage of that. But if someone had to pay the full price, they were almost certainly not happy that Camera Raw profiles for the new cameras would soon stop being available. With Nikon, it was the end of the line with the D850. So, you had to get a subscription. I still think that's unfair! Someone pays 1600 francs for the program and a few years later isn't allowed to buy a new camera unless they get a subscription. It doesn't really matter to me, I look out for myself, and if something doesn't suit me—and it definitely doesn't suit me when other agencies are cashing in on my ideas—I'll make sure you know it! Just so we're clear: I have no problem with you wanting to use my ideas, but if you're approached about selling the photo, go ahead, but demand a fair price! Not under 200 CHF. And stay away from stock photography platforms! And let me finish this project first; there's nothing more annoying than you interfering! Do your own thing first; next year you can always chase after my ideas. Thank you for your attention, and I would be happy if you subscribed to my blog. The subscription button is at the very bottom.