Last summer, Nick Hannon was working as a photographer in Los Angeles and put his pictures on the Internet. Hannon had initially invested in IMAGE4.com, a business that allowed him to sell digital photographs through social media sites. After that company declared bankruptcy in August 2010, he began working with Orbit Imaging in the Netherlands. Orbit Imaging offered to photograph international shipping containers and sell the digital images to companies and consumers overseas.


At the time, international shipping companies shipped nearly $500 billion worth of goods to consumers in North America. For just a small fee, international shipping companies were willing to let anyone photograph their shipping containers and provide a print of that image.