The Take Stock Project

Challenge

Creating stock photography is expensive, with the creator taking on all the risk until their work finds a buyer. This favors established creators with more capital to burn, and puts creators from underserved communities at a disadvantage.

Inspiration

In our research, we discovered that the high barrier to entry has resulted in libraries of content that over-index on whiteness and heteronormativity, and portray marginalized people as stereotypes. The lack of new voices has also led to a perception of stock as flat and fake.

Idea

With Take Stock, photographers are paid their full commercial fee by Best Buy, but retain the rights to re-sell their photos wherever they want. Not only can we help creators gain a foothold, the work also benefits from their insider perspective on their own communities and is more authentic. They avoid the risk and we all reap the reward.

Growth

The profits generated from these images will stay within the communities that created them. Other brands will be able to use them, improving the overall ecosystem of stock photography. And more people will be able to see themselves authentically represented in Best Buy’s marketing.