THE TRAVELS OF PHOTOGRAPHS WITHIN THE GLOBAL IMAGE MARKET. HOW MONOPOLISATION, INTERCONNECTEDNESS, AND DIFFERENTIATION SHAPE THE ECONOMICS OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Abstract

This article reconfigures the history of analogue photo agencies in the digital image economy. It traces the development of the global image market since 1989, discusses the mechanisms of expansion due to digitalisation, and explores its increasing impact on photojournalists and users. The fact that images travel because of corporate alliances assumes great significance because corporate actors regard images as commodities. However, images’ journeys are not visible to recipients even though layperson’s work is incorporated in professional photo agencies. After a critical description of the development of the global image market with focus on the merger of Getty Images and Corbis, the article discusses the power of stock photography as “joker images” according to Wolfgang Ullrich and their influences on the work of laypersons, as presented in the Flickr Collection by Getty Images. Furthermore, the article investigates the emergence of superagencies on the global image market, interconnectedness, and differentiation.