John Mitchell Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Not to sound overly pessimistic, but whenever I think of the current state of affairs in the stock photo world -- prices all over the place, RM licenses that look like RF, buyers binging on microstock, etc. -- these lines from "The Second Coming" by W.B. Yeats start going around in my head. Somehow I think Mr. Yeats might have got it right. "Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world..." Where is all this heading? Is this state of affairs even worth worrying about since there doesn't seem to be a heck of a lot anyone can do about it? Will there likely be a "second coming" of some kind? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Morrison Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Or Bob: "The times they are a'changing"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted April 16, 2014 Author Share Posted April 16, 2014 Or Bob: "The times they are a'changing"... Bob's your uncle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Not to sound overly pessimistic, but whenever I think of the current state of affairs in the stock photo world -- prices all over the place, RM licenses that look like RF, buyers binging on microstock, etc. -- these lines from "The Second Coming" by W.B. Yeats start going around in my head. Somehow I think Mr. Yeats might have got it right. "Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world..." Where is all this heading? Is this state of affairs even worth worrying about since there doesn't seem to be a heck of a lot anyone can do about it? Will there likely be a "second coming" of some kind? THat's a bit deep for a Wednesday. I think I'll just sit down stand up with another bag of crisps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted April 16, 2014 Author Share Posted April 16, 2014 Not to sound overly pessimistic, but whenever I think of the current state of affairs in the stock photo world -- prices all over the place, RM licenses that look like RF, buyers binging on microstock, etc. -- these lines from "The Second Coming" by W.B. Yeats start going around in my head. Somehow I think Mr. Yeats might have got it right. "Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world..." Where is all this heading? Is this state of affairs even worth worrying about since there doesn't seem to be a heck of a lot anyone can do about it? Will there likely be a "second coming" of some kind? THat's a bit deep for a Wednesday. I think I'll just sit down stand up with another bag of crisps. I should have waited until Thursday? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 No, the Ides.We're past April so 15th May would have to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Brooks Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 I think Mr Yeats did get it right, and the poem is appropriate for stock photography today. The poem describes the period between world war 1 and WW 2. In stock photography WW 1 was the period of consolidation of mom and pop photo agencies, the dawn of RF, and the internet. Total we are just before WW2, which will be fought out, on a cheap subscription all you can download basis, between the big 3 joined by Flickr. The internet changed everything. The second coming will be when we all enjoy our photo hobby, and stop worrying about sales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nacke Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Yeats No. David Bromberg Yes, when he sang, "You Gotta Suffer Before You Can Sing the Blues" Don't know if it is on iTunes, My original copy is on an LP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted April 17, 2014 Author Share Posted April 17, 2014 I think Mr Yeats did get it right, and the poem is appropriate for stock photography today. The poem describes the period between world war 1 and WW 2. In stock photography WW 1 was the period of consolidation of mom and pop photo agencies, the dawn of RF, and the internet. Total we are just before WW2, which will be fought out, on a cheap subscription all you can download basis, between the big 3 joined by Flickr. The internet changed everything. The second coming will be when we all enjoy our photo hobby, and stop worrying about sales. Interesting analogies. I think W.B. got it right on a lot of levels. I like your version of the "second coming" as well, but I hope we can all continue to make some pocket money at our hobby for awhile longer. However, if I were 30 years younger, I'd really be worried about where things are heading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reciprocity Images Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I hope we can all continue to make some pocket money at our hobby for awhile longer. You have to remember though, it's not a hobby for everyone. -Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin P Wilson Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 And as economies recovered after WW2 we faced a bit of a surge (as demand increased) followed by cheap foreign imports as markets went global (The rise of digital) and over supply pushed prices down (cars, textiles, steel, ...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alamy Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Not to sound overly pessimistic... Well....not sure we can agree with you there. This is one of the gloomiest topics we've had in Alamy Forum history - not sure it's really suitable for 'Ask the forum'. Spring is in the air, there is a long weekend to look forward to and more people are buying images than ever before... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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