Since setting up office in India in late 2005, Getty images already has five corporate offices across the country and it is growing.
MUMBAI: Seen the Hutch Pink puppy staring out at you from a hoarding? Or the floating dias in the Deutsche Bank ad? The one thing these images have in common is that they are stock photographs taken from Getty Images, an international photography image bank which has recently opened office in India, represented by Visage Media Services.
Chandni Jafri, vice president, SAARC, Visage Media Services, describes image banks as a collection of photographs and videos that are put together after in-depth scientific research and study of society and its changing patterns. “Image banks act as a barometer to society’s changing attitudes, predict trends and needs and then capture them on film.” Getty either solicits contributions from existing portfolios or commissions new shoots.
Since setting up office in India in late 2005, Getty images already has five corporate offices across the country and it is growing.
Estimated market for pre-shot digital images is $12 million and Getty Visage is a major player in the SAARC region. Sales are largely driven by India, with an 85% contribution to the overall revenue, followed by Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
For Sagar Mahableshwarkar, group creative director O&M, image banks have redefined photography. “Through the net, there is a vast choice of images, both domestic and international; out of five campaigns, three are done using stock pictures.” The new ‘Surprisingly SBI’ and ‘Hutch Pink’ outdoor campaigns were done using stock images.
Getty has all major agencies like the WPP, Lowe and Publicis Group on their list apart from many small-level agencies and corporate houses. Other growth drivers for Getty will be radio and internet and film production. Image banks are more than just still photos; Jafri describes how the shot in the Bollywood film Rang de Basanti of the three MIGs flying over-head as the actors jump is a stock-photo altered for the film by adding the actors into the frame.
“Image banks have given a great fillip to photographers worldwide by opening up a global gateway to showcase their work and receive royalty for it even beyond their lifetime,” says Jafri. “With new tools like mobiles, iPods, or advertising on the web and on blogs-the field for using stock images is really wide and endless.”
With its huge entertainment and media industries, India is big market for stock images.
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