ABSTRACT
Stock agencies, or image banks as they are also called, play a crucial role in the
production of visual information in contemporary mass media. They provide
mass-produced, ready-made images for editorial purposes, advertising and
design, and allow media professionals to save time and costs. With the evolution
of digital image editing techniques and worldwide internet access, the stock
photography market has rapidly expanded and largely moved online since the
mid-1990s. Following a series of mergers and acquisitions it has been marked by
the emergence of a few ‘super-agencies’ – Getty Images being currently the
largest – as well as by the global expansion of these agencies’ activities.
