The picture you see above is from Getty Images. No, I didn't steal it from the internet. I used Getty Images latest salvo against piracy of their pictures by giving them away and, in return, giving credit where credit is due. This picture of my good friend (and client for a dozen years), Per-Ulrik Johansson, was taken by Andrew Reddington and you can clearly see the credit underneath the picture. The free download service is not an option on some pictures, especially those that are current or newsworthy - who can blame them - it costs a small fortune to send a photographer to an event.
Getty have clearly observed what happened in the music business who were years behind the free downloaders and decided the better option is to give away certain images in the hope that people are more likely to want to pay for other images. It's smart thinking and one that will serve them well. Just look at the rise of the monthly music subscription services like Pandora and Spotify. 99.9% of people would rather pay for something than steal it and Getty are now testing this theory with their extensive photographic library.
See it here - www.gettyimages.com
