The economy is fraying at the edges having been battered by multiple storms and the outllook still looks gloomy. So what are the prospects for the jobbing photographer and stock image producer?

With austerity, recession and credit crunches on every page it is easy to feel pretty gloomy about business prospects at the moment. However they do say this is often the perfect sort of time to start a business and whatever the economic climate there should still be demand for images. In fact if plenty of new enterprises do spring from the ashes of redundancies each is a potential new image user. The thinking photographer will need to be on their toes to find and grab these opportunities! I think the same can be said for stock photography; there will still be demand but it may well change to reflect the times and require a fresh approach from image suppliers.

Stock photography comes in all forms and shades obviously but it is traditionally accepted that images with a positive feel are usually the way to go for sales, especially for shots looking to appeal to more commercial users. Blue skies are better than grey, healthy smiling attractive people outgun  the gloomy and prosperity oozes from each perfect picture.  There will always be a market for these often unimaginative but simply effective images; they sell an ideal that in itself encourages us all to continue to consume in one form or another.

However with it seeming increasingly likely we’re in for at least a sustained period, if not an age, of austerity with the odd recessionary dip thrown in to deepen the gloom I wonder how the demand for images may change. I’m not suggesting we’ll be in for a visually impoverished period; publications and advertisers will still want and need to use images, but that the style of images that may be in demand could shift considerably to reflect the reality of current economic times. Perenially ‘sunny’ images will just start to seem less and less relevant in many contexts and could even be counterproductive for some users by alienating their audiences. If you’re struggling to balance budgets, are out of work, facing cuts etc endless images of easy prosperity are going to start to grate. I think cute smiley girls with colourful shopping bags may have had their day for the moment. This will be true particularly for editorial stock where there is obviously a more immediate need to portray reality but I think even in advertising image buyers will increasingly be looking for images that while remaining positive and aspirational still reflect a reality that people struggling with a tougher economic times can connect with.

Alamy austerity stock photos lightbox.