Amateur Photogs Hit the Big Time Online

Online image libraries combined with widely available pro-quality photographic equipment are creating a new—and potentially lucrative—outlet for amateur shutterbugs, USA Today reports. Stock photo behemoth Getty Images officially joins forces with Flickr today, but the screening process is tough: From Flickr’s online library of 3 billion images, Getty editors have selected 10,000 commercially viable pics.

“Flickr was a major threat, because it has so many photos—more than all the agencies put together,” one observer said. “By joining with Flickr, Getty heads off any competitors getting a deal.” Getty pays $200 to $500 per Flickr photo, which is chump change for some dedicated amateur stock photographers. Just ask the med student who pulls in six figures with his work for "micro stock" site iStockphoto. (More internet stories.)