While there is much I don’t like about cell phone photography (see my previous blog post “Why I Hate Instagram”), I cannot deny that there is commercial potential. Heck, Time magazine just ran a cover shot with a cell phone photos! Stories are beginning to abound about the success of photographers using cell phones as their cameras. But most importantly for me is the announcement by Blend Images of their new MEMENTO collection, a collection of commercially relevant images shot on cell phone cameras. With this new collection there is no doubt in my mind that I can be making money with my cell phone pictures.
A shout out to Blend’s Jasmine Hartsook who designed the new logo!
My First Cell Phone Stock Photo
As a matter of fact, I just finished my first upload to Memento. My very first cell phone stock photo is that of the hand of my girl friend holding a color sample card in front of a color display for paints. It is a great example of one kind of image that is greatly facilitated by cell phone cameras…being there! I had my cell phone in my hand, the color display was sitting there…and within a minute or two, with no fuss, muss or unwanted attention, I got the shot. Uh, I should mention that I used Photoshop to eliminate all the little logos on each card…but it didn’t really take much time, and I used my laptop while watching mindless TV. BTW, so far I am avoiding the filtration apps and just using the standard iPhone camera. I am such a luddite that trying to figure out the ins and outs of the apps and so forth…well…I just don’t have the patience for it. Maybe in the future….
A walk across the Golden Gate Bridge…and a stock photo!
The Best Camera Is The One You Have With You
As they say, the best camera is the one you have with you. Today I walked across the Golden Gate bridge with my fiance. I didn’t have my regular cameras with me…but I did have my cell phone and managed to get this image (I did remove the ship’s name from the stern). This is probably how the iPhone camera will most affect my own stock production…shots of opportunity…rather than pre-planned shoots.
A Supplement For Stock Imagery Production
Again, for most us shooters this represents a chance to add the occasional image to our output. For some, however, this could be a bigger opportunity. If you have a love affair with your cell phone camera or “pocket camera” and are constantly shooting I can see how a sizable body of work could be produced that might just result in a significant amount of revenue. Only time will tell….
Great Money In Stock Photography
Those who jumped into Stock Photography in the early 90s made some great money. Those who jumped early into RF made some great money. Those who jumped into microstock early made some great money (okay…not All of them). For me, it just makes sense to at least test the waters in this latest direction of the stock photo industry.
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