When to Use Assignment Photography, a new e-book published by 74-year-old New York agency Black Star, has been released “to help corporate communications departments, corporate marketers, advertising and public relations agencies, Web design firms and other photography buyers assess when to use corporate assignment photography rather than stock or other options.”
In an economic climate where budgets often mandate the use of least-cost stock imagery, Black Star says there is often no substitute for commissioned art. President Ben Chapnick said the e-book presents specific circumstances in which buyers should commission shoots “rather than to settle for microstock or other cost-cutting options.”
Without offering specific examples, Black Star’s statement describes the “hidden costs” of using low-cost images by alluding to instances where image buyers have been embarrassed by using images “from microstock sites like iStockphoto or photo-sharing sites like Flickr.” The statement elaborates: “Major companies, including direct competitors, have used identical photos in their respective marketing materials. In other cases, corporations have been sued for using photos pulled from the Web without obtaining a model release or meeting other legal requirements.”
When to Use Assignment Photography is available for download.