Continuing my research into the origin of stock photos, I should point out that CTV’s Local TV Matters site makes generous use of microstock.
This woman with a bullhorn, which used to adorn its splash page, is from a stock photographer based in Poland.
And that giant “on air” sign is from a 3D animator. It even comes with an off-air version, or one that says “vacancy”. There’s no French version, though, which forced CTV to kind of awkwardly photoshop their own.
Save local TV!
I’m not sure if I get your point here, and I can’t help but think ‘so what?’. Why hire and maintain a team of artists to produce and adapt random images they need? Get it from the web, it’s easier, cheaper, more democratic. Or do you think those stock photos (or the artists that created them) are not worth being on a Canadian website?
I mean, it really doesn’t matter.
You’re right, it doesn’t really matter.
But these stock photos are a few extra dollars in the campaign by CTV et al that are being used in a national marketing campaign and aren’t being sent to local newsrooms, and it reinforces the fact that there’s very little local about this campaign.
Stock photos are a staple of ad agencies. Bitching about that is like cricitizing a festival administration because it uses printer ink that’s not manufactured $HERE.