1. THE INTERNET AND
COMMERCIAL
PHOTOGRAPHY
Gary Miller
Chair – Photography Dept, The Art Institute of Houston
Owner – Red Photo

2. Summary
• About me
• Changes in the Photography Industry
• Buying and Using Photography
• Changing Roles of Web Designers
• Future Trends
• Questions and Answers

3. About Me
• Commercial Photographer
• Fine Art Photographer
• Educator for 12 years
• Chair – Photography Dept, The Art Institute of Houston
• Owner – Red Photo, fine art wedding photography and
commercial photography divisions

4. Changes in the Photo Industry
• Film Era
• Print based
• Photographers role mostly as image creator
• Digital Era
• Print
• Web
• Multimedia
• Video
• Mobile Devices

5. Changes in Photo Industry
• Photographers role has changed and can include;
• Image creator
• Retoucher
• Designer
• Producer
• Pre-press production
• Printer
• Videographer
• Web designer

6. Buying and Using Photography
• Photography sources
• Hire commercial photographer
• Client provided images
• In house (DIY)
• Stock

7. Buying and Using Photography
• Stock Photographs
• Free images – Stock Exchange (http://www.sxc.hu/), Google
• Low cost images ($1-$15) – Stock Exchange (http://www.sxc.hu/),
iStock Photo (http://www.istockphoto.com/)
• Premium images ($200 and up) – Getty Images
(http://www.gettyimages.com/), Corbis
(http://www.corbisimages.com/)
• Free images vs. Royalty free images vs Rights Managed images
• Free – no cost to download, no use restrictions
• Roylaty Free – low to medium cost, no use restrictions
• Rights Managed – higher costs, use is limited

8. Buying and Using Photography
• In house (DIY)
• Someone at the company creates
• Large companies can afford an in house photographer or someone
with some photography expertise
• Underutilized resource

9. Buying and Using Photography
• Client provided
• Client is responsible for providing all images
• May hire professional photographer
• May produce in house

10. Buying and Using Photography
• Hiring a Commercial Photographer
• Most expensive solution
• Fully customizable
• Working with an expert (hopefully)
• Talented photographer can provide creative input
• Provides photography expertise
• Can provide alternative views of your project

11. Changing Roles in Web Designers
• Website producers
• may be part of a larger team hired by an advertising agency or
graphic design firm
• may control the entire project
• may produce the entire project including all assets

12. Future Trends
• Video
• In photography
• In web design
• In multimedia use
• In mobile devices
• Convergence
• More Full Service Companies
• Portable Device Market Growth
• More Outsourcing
• Internet Domination of Media

13. Questions and Answers
• ?

14. Contact
• Gary Miller
Red Photo
www.redphotophotography.com
info@redphotophotography.com
713.725.5620
The Art Institute of Houston
gamiller@aii.edu
713.821.7040