Years ago, if a buyer needed a stock photo, the photo would have probably cost big bucks. Individual stock photos cost hundreds of dollars (sometimes thousands for 'rights managed' photos). There is good reason for this. The number of photos and stock photographers were fewer, and the number of potential buyers far smaller.

Film came before digital, and photographers had no choice but to experiment with different types of film and lenses, writing down their f-stop and aperture settings on a scrap of paper, and then sending off their film for processing (always at a cost) or perhaps processing it themselves as my grandfather did in his own darkroom. Only then could they study the results afterwards, learning how to operate their camera through trial and error, upon reflection. The drawn out process only appealed to the more serious enthusiasts.

Today, nearly everyone has a digital camera, or experience of digital photography which provides instant feedback and offers a vastly accelerated learning curve when compared to film. The number of photographers alive today is greater than the number of photographers who have lived in recorded history.

The Internet is made up of tens of billions of photos. Literally millions of new companies and small businesses are started globally each year, nearly all of which need a website - the need for stock photos has never been greater!

Enter the traditional stock photographer. Until recent years, he was making a good income using a film camera shooting stock photos, with little in the way of competition, and he supported his family doing something most people simply couldnt do, and sold his photos for hundreds of dollars each.

Then along came the microstock photographer. Or more correctly, tens of thousands of microstock photographers! Many of whom were merely part time enthusiasts, amateurs, fly by nights, students and dabblers. Suddenly we have millions of new images, which only cost a dollar each. Tens of thousands of them are stunningly good photos, of this there is no debate! Search for an image of "healthy food" or "business" and not only do thousands of images pop up, but the photos conveniently appear in order of "best ones first". Buyers are spoilt for choice, and thats that. Its happened. Its here. End of story? Well yes, sort of.

FACT: Good images now cost a dollar each. Are you one of the many photographers who feel this is somehow bad and wrong? If so:

The diagram simply illustrates a point. Good stock photos DO only cost about a dollar today. Its a buyers market. Yes, perhaps it is tragic for the traditional stock photographers (some of whom are still dragging their heels and grumbling) that good stock photos can be purchased by buyers for a mere dollar. Just as the steam powered weaving loom put thousands of people out of work during the industrial revolution, the Internet, along with affordable high quality digital cameras, has left some traditional stock photographers feeling cheated too. Life moves on, change is inevitable. The only sensible choice is to adapt. Most of us do, including Getty Images who went and purchased iStock Photo for $50m.

Traditional stock photo prices will remain. There is a perceived value which will continue to draw business from the larger corporate buyers. But at microstock prices, millions of small businesses and new buyers (including those who create non profit personal websites and blogs) are now able to afford high quality images at rock bottom prices. Sales have never been better! Of course a photo is worth far more than a dollar to the photographer. But one Great microstock photo should sell hundreds of times per year! My best photos certainly do at shutterstock. And Im making a great deal of money from them too.

Nothing is stopping any photographer from submitting photos to both traditional stock photo web sites like Alamy, as well as microstock photography sites too. Why not reach more buyers by trying both.

There will always be the need for custom shoots too: Wedding photography, portraiture, modelling assignments, portfolio work, product and commercial photography. In fact, there is more work out there than you could ever hope to do yourself. Like any 'business' in life, your task is to ensure you find the work, for there is plenty of competition too. If photography is what you do for a living, if you are good at it, and good at marketing yourself, then you should do well. What you choose to do with your time (and attitude) is of course up to you.