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Home , Alamy, Getty Images, Photojournalism, Pixel, Stock photography

Alamy presents...

1947 1920 The Stock Timeline colour key: is formed Robertstock by four - founded by Bright text Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, indicates a company and David H. Armstrong "Chim" Seymour, with a focus Navy blue text indicates on . Magnum . Timeline a key milestone is an exclusive 'club' of the world's finest photographers.

1951 1957 1973 1975 1989

PACA is established, which The first digital French photo The British Association of Corbis is founded by Bill later became DMLA (Digital Picture Libraries & Agencies Gates in . Rumour has Licensing Association). scan of a photo agency Sipa Press (BAPLA) is estabished as a it, imagined a world The company’s mission is is established. trade body to encourage best where instead of a hanging "to promote and protect the Russell Kirsch makes a practice in the industry. picture, everybody would interests of the media licensing 176 × 176 digital have big screens on their walls community through advocacy, by scanning a of displaying art. education and communication". his three-month-old son. The first recorded attempt at building a digital - the camera takes 23 seconds Tim Berners-Lee, a British to take its first picture in scientist at CERN, invents December 1975. the World Wide Web.

Early Pre 1995 1993 1992 1990s 1990s

Getty acquires Mark Getty and Jonathan Klein The first digital photograph Conceptual become Until the early form Getty Investments, appears online of Les Horribles front and centre in the stock Tony Stone, marking looking at opportunities in the Cernettes, an all-girl science rock world, and a myriad of ‘global 1990s, all photo the beginning of the creative world. band, uploaded by Sir Tim communication’, ‘success’ and libraries used Berners-Lee who asked the band ‘teamwork’ shots become Getty portfolio. for scanned images to upload to the new clichés. physical archives. “some sort of information system CEPIC (Coordination of European he had just invented, called the Corbis acquires Picture Agencies Stock, Press and ‘World Wide Web.'” Royalty-free is born - Photodisc is Heritage) is established in Berlin, established in Seattle, selling CD Bettman. Germany. CEPIC federates 800 picture ROMs of imagery. Once you’d agencies and photo libraries in 20 The Photo CD created by . bought the images on the disc, countries across Europe, with the aim you could use them again and of being a united voice for the press, again without paying a further stock & heritage organisations of ‘royalty’ or fee. Europe in all matters relating to the photographic industry.

1996 1997 1999 2000

Getty acquires Getty Communications acquires is founded by James West, along with Microstock enters the industry as PhotoDisc to form . his uncle Mike Fischer. At this time, a handful of large iStockphoto is founded by Bruce Hulton archive. agencies dominate the stock photo industry and Livingstone. iStockphoto began is still in its infancy. Alamy enters as a site where designers could First known publicly the market in a unique position, offering a higher share images for free. shared picture via a percentage to photographers than it retains. cell phone, by The selection criteria for image uploads is solely Dreamstime goes onlineas a royalty- Philippe Kahn. based on technical quality, giving photographers free website. more freedom with their image uploads. Google Images starts as a new place for people to find image content online. Getty buys The Image Bank from Kodak.

2006 2005 2004 2003 2002

Getty Images The royalty-free microstock Wikimedia Commons is created JupiterMedia is created by CEO image library 123RF is founded. – an online repository of free- Alan Meckler. From 2004 onwards, buys iStockphoto use images, sound, and other is founded by JupiterMedia begins acquiring and enters the Fotolia is founded by Thibaud media files. in image assets, creating a separate Elziere, Oleg Tscheltzoff stock photography division called microstock market. and Patrick Chassany, and City. Jupiterimages, operating two becomes the biggest European is created by websites, one for free-to-use microstock agency. Ludicorp as an image and images and one for low-cost hosting website. microstock images.

2008 2009 2010 2014 2015

Getty Images Canadian online photography Instagram launches Getty announces its embedded community 500PX is founded viewer, where images can be used Adobe acquires Fotolia. acquires by Oleg Gutsol and Evgeny as a free mobile for free in exchange for an JupiterMedia. Tchebotarev. The site was app, founded by embedded link. formerly a portfolio site, which later converted to stock Kevin Systrom and Alamy launches the Stockimo app, 2016 photography. Mike Krieger. making it possible to turn your iPhone images into cash. Flickr announces a partnership with Getty Images in which Snapwire is opened to the public Corbis sells its image licensing selected users could submit by founders Chad Newell and Sky business to VCG, and VCG then for stock photo Gilbar. On this platform, buyers gives exclusive distribution rights use and receive payment. post a creative image brief or to Getty Images for those images. 'request' for the images they're looking for, and photographers respond by submitting their photos through the Snapwire website or iPhone app.