18 MegaPixels & Stock Photography

It will soon be possible to buy an 18 megapixel SLR for less than $1,000.  Costco and other stores now offer huge (20″ x 30″) prints very cheaply.  With this kind of power in the hands of consumers and amateur photographers this size image should soon become the standard for stock photography.  If true, that will mean the value of existing stock photography archives will take a serious hit because they will be to small.

In fact, stock photography will now embark on a More’s law descent based on the rate of change in camera technology.

I think this presents an opportunity for photographers willing to grasp the new technology and move quickly.  I plan to start making this size images available on my own stock photography sites and will be publishing as many of them as I can as quickly as possible.  It should be an interesting time.

I did some checking into requirements and it will take more than just buying the camera to make a system selling these large images function.  Canon estimates you will be able to get 40 images onto each gigabit of memory chip capacity.  In other words goodby 1, 4, even 8 gig chips.  It will be the same thing with hard drives.

The new cameras will let you make both a jpg and a camera raw copy of your image from a single “exposure”.  I suspect that cuts that 40 picture estimate by at least a half.  However, it also means the originals can be kept completely untouched.  Buyers will know they are getting every pixel possible in it’s original condition so they will be able to tweak them to their specific needs.

The new camera will also do video with an external microphone.  There is a button on the back of the camera that lets you switch from stills to video and back without pause.  Should be a fun time.

I really do think this will open the door so a lot more small time photographers will be able to compete with the big stock photography houses and profit from selling their pictures.