Corbis offers bloggers free images

Corbis, the stock photography company, is offering photos for bloggers like me to use on their websites. The catch? Each image contains an embedded advertisement, either overlaid on part of the image, or in hidden "roll-over" format. This offer comes from a partnership between Corbis and PicScout, whose website PicApp.com will be the location at which bloggers can download their images. Ad revenue will also be generated, and bloggers will have the opportunity to earn their share with enough images through PicApp.

From Corbis Chief Executive Gary Shenk, via Reuters:

"We work with a partner so that those pictures are tracked, and if they're being used illegally, we can figure that out. But as long as they are downloaded through this application, you're legit and you're ready to go."

This is part of a growing trend amongst stock photography businesses that find they must grow and change with the times. Fast-growing online offers like these have been developed to deal with the ever-encroaching amateur market, with low-cost photo purchase sites and micro-payment sites. Snapvillage.com is another project that follows this vein: a site for user-submitted photos which allows photographers to sell their material for $1 to $50 each.

Click here to find out more about Corbis, or here for PicApp.