It’s been over a year since Getty Images partnered with Flickr to launch the groundbreaking Flickr Collection on www.gettyimages.com.  We wanted to provide a quick update on how the Collection has grown and some of the exciting new developments in our partnership.

When launching the Flickr collection, our goal was to choose photos that created a commercially viable collection, while preserving the inspirational and unexpected nature of the kinds of images that are so prevalent on Flickr.  We’re proud to announce that today the collection has grown to over 60,000 images, many of which have been license by customers from around the world.

As you may remember, for the last few months, editors at Getty Images has been busy exploring the Flickrverse to find the right photos to be part of the collection.  While we know they’ve enjoyed viewing your work, with over four billion images, it can sometimes be an overwhelming experience!

In the past, the Flickr community could set their account settings to reflect that they wanted to be contacted by Getty Images, but could not proactively present a portfolio of photos for consideration. We know how eager Flickr members have been to showcase their work and wanted to develop a solution.

That’s why, today, we’re very excited to announce a formal Call for Artists, meaning ANY Flickr member can submit their work to be considered for the collection through the Call for Artists group on Flickr.

Detailed guidelines can be found here but a submission should include exactly 10 images that represent what they consider to be the best of their work.  The Getty Images create team will evaluate submissions based on style, subject matter and technical skill.  If some or all of the photos – or other images from that member’s photostream — are selected for the Flickr Collection on Getty Images, they will receive an invitation via Flickrmail.  This invitation will clearly show Getty Images’ initial selection of images and introduce the enrollment process.

When we first launched, we aimed to create a “living collection” — one that mirrored the vibrant Flickr community itself.  Now, with the community’s help, the collection will continue to grow and bring a new flavor of photography to Getty Images and its customers — an authentic view into the daily lives of people around the world.

We at Getty Images truly can’t wait to review the portfolios of the accomplished and experienced photographers that contribute to Flickr. With the community’s help, the collection will better represent, what is, in effect, the world’s image library.

Andy Saunders

Vice President of  Creative Imagery for Getty Images

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Lars Borges/Getty Images

When we talk about making commercial imagery that feels more “real,” what is it we’re actually saying? There’s no question that imagery you once would have only found in an editorial context is increasingly being seen in advertising…but what else do we mean by “real”?

My take on it, is that we’re saying there must be some kind of emotional route into the image for it to connect with the viewer and feel believable. We want to feel connected to the message.

Some of the best communication in advertising occurs when an idea that has perhaps been lurking on the edge of a common consciousness is brought to fore front. Combine that with great visuals and you have something original that has broad appeal.

In some ways, it’s like hearing a great song for the first time – it feels very new, but there’s also something familiar about it.

Using a straight-forward term like “real” or “authentic” to describe imagery makes the issue of creating it seem a lot more simple than it really is.

What kind of authenticity are you after? Is it that you want to see exactly what your mind’s eye demands, or are you after a true emotional connection with the image regardless of the content?

If it is the first of these two, then perhaps what’s required is a technical understanding, or particular style, demonstrated through model choice, location, lighting and styling. Authenticity in advertising doesn’t happen by chance.

If it is the second of these, an emotional truth that’s required, then there are certainly no limits to the fantasy that may appear in the image…it doesn’t have to be real at all, but the message created needs to feel real – it needs to connect.

Let us know what you think the boundaries of “real” are…I think I’ve kept it pretty simple so far…

In the meantime, here are two of my favorite ads from the past that demonstrate the two approaches mentioned above:

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