The line between professional content and user-generated content is becoming ever more blurred; and for many brands this is great news. They often seek the authenticity of ‘real’ stories and situations.

Take, for example, pictures. There are plenty of places to buy low-cost imagery with easy-to-understand licenses (everything from Getty to IStock, for example). Yet these stock libraries often fall a little flat in the viewer’s eye.

For starters, what if you want something more authentic, less staged? Aren’t we all bored of the endless ethnically-balanced group of businesspeople shaking hands?

Second, what if you can’t quite find what you want?

There are a range of new services which allow the global crowd of amateur and semi-pro photographers (and frankly,, these days, you can shoot magic on a smartphone) to go out and get just the shot you want. Scoopshot is one of these new players, and is carving out a cracking niche working directly with agencies to crowdsource imagery on demand. Check out,  for example, this beautiful and engaging campaign for Finnair. Imagine an Annual Report full of pictures from real customers…

Not surprisingly, Scoopshot has also signed content deals with media outlets too, like the London Evening Standard.

But the service is open to everyone – agencies, direct to businesses, and one-man-bands, too. It’s a perfect way to get the perfect pic.