For Time magazine’s April 27th issue they used a photo of coins in a jar from iStockphoto. And they paid $30 for it. If they had commissioned such a photo they would have paid thousands of dollars. 

In this article, Salon highlights the back-and-forth on the Photography Talk forum, which included the photographer himself, Robert Lam. While Lam was thrilled about the exposure, predictably, people were pissed (as they always are on any forum anywhere). Commenters charged Lam with everything from aiding and abetting a corporate behemoth in taking advantage of the little guy to devaluing photography in general.

The cold, hard, sad reality is that magazines and newspapers are being squeezed – to such a point that most of them won’t be around in 10 or so years. So they’re cutting corners, using stock photos, and what does that mean for photographers? Even less opportunities to work.

This recession has exacerbated the fact that editorial work is shrinking. For anyone who produces content, they will find themselves (if they haven’t already) with less and less options. 

If I were Lam, I would just wish I’d gotten my name on the thing, not iStockphoto.

Article from Salon