Animal imagery: Classic Stock Edition.

I see this image everywhere. It’s one of those classic vintage stock shots that have made it from calendars to mugs, to cards, to… I don’t know– balloons? I swear I see it every time I go to Duane Reade. This is the kind of image that seems to have existed forever, so I decided to do a little hunting and find the person who actually took it. Because, you know– someone must have.

Our Director of Photography told me she thought it was on Alamy, among other stock sites, and I looked, and it certainly was. There was a credit line there, which said Ronn Niebrugge, which led me to google, and to Mira Images, which turns out to be a contributor to PhotoShelter’s collection. Huh. Mira’s philosophy:

“Mira is a small general stock agency which operates under the
cooperative business model. Collectively owned by the artists whose
work is represented in the collection, Mira was founded in the spirit
of cooperation amongst photographers and with the intention of building
a top notch visual resource for discerning image buyers.”

It seems that Mira is quite good at spreading its seed. So to speak. In any case, I was quite curious to contact Ronn and see how much moola those little bears have made him, but he was less crass than I am and wouldn’t give up the ghost. He did, however tell me that he started shooting stock ages ago because he lived in a tiny town in Alaska, and it was one of the only ways to be a professsional photographer out there. He started off by marketing to the Chamber of Commerce, and then moved to stateside organizations all over the world. And the rest, I suppose, is history.

Ok, I know you need to know exactly how these muffins were captured, so here’s the story:

“That
was a lucky morning.  It was before sunrise – which in the summer in
Alaska means it was probably 3 a.m.  I was hoping to photograph
Mt.McKinley at sunrise since it was such a beautiful morning, and as I
drove through the park I came across a grizzly sow with 3 really cute
spring cubs.  As soon as I saw them, I shut my engine off and began to
photograph. I had to use a 600 f/4 lens because of the distance.
They were really fun to watch! I’m on the road, so I don’t know exactly
how much that image has made, but it has sold many times.  We have
images that have made us more money, usually because of a large
advertising sale.  This image has usually sold for lower dollar amounts
for cards, magazines and calendars, but it has done very well. It is also my most stolen image. I guess that is a good measure of popularity!”

Thanks, Ronn. Anyone else have an image that you see every time you get a prescription filled?