Photography Information

Terms Used The In The Stock Photography Business


So you are a small business person or web designer and you want to purchase some stock photography for your website. Great. Photography is a wonderful way to improve the emotional impact of your site. But there are a few terms unique to the stock photography business that you should know.

Royalty Free - you'll see this term often. What it means is that you pay a one time fee for an image and you can use it for as many times as you want for as long as you wish. It is a great way to get inexpensive photos. Now if you are concerned that your competitor would or could use the same image as you, photographers and agencies can continue to sell the image after you purchase it, then you need:

Rights Managed - this one is next term you'll see. This means that you pay a fee for the image based on how, where, how long, and how many people will see the image. This one will cost you a lot more in most cases. This is worth it if you do not want your competitor using the same image for the same purpose. Usually the stock agency or photographer also agree not to sell the image to others in your field for the time that you are using the image. So you can see why this option protects your use of the image but you'll also pay much more for this protection. Remember too that, at some point, you decided to discontinue using/paying for the image the agency or photographer can then sell the image to someone else, even someone in your field.

Flat Rate - this term isn't quite at common but it is similar to royalty free. Usually this means that you pay a one time fee for an image, but it can only be used for one purpose by one person. Pricing will be higher than royalty free but less than rights managed.

Copyright - even with royalty free you are still only purchasing the right to use an image not the image itself. All images are property of the agency or photographer who owns them. How do you know who owns them, there is usually a © symbol with date and name of the person or agency who owns the image. No matter what you paid for the image you are NOT the owner of the image. This means you cannot remove the copyright information, alter the photo, use it as part of a logo that you own a copyright, or resale the image as your own.

These terms will get you started but remember there can be differences in these definitions from agency to agency and photographer to photographer. Every agency and photographer selling stock images should have a legal or license page to explain these terms and any others that they use, if they don't you may want to move onto another site. Be aware, read all the information, and know what you are buying.

About The Author

Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.


MORE RESOURCES:

New York Times

Landscapes Framed by a Chevy
New York Times
That perverse thought seems to have inspired a recent series by another photography great, Lee Friedlander. Mr. Friedlander's “America by Car” has just been ...

and more »


Community briefly: Photography begins for 'Trespass' thriller
Shreveport Times
The new thriller from Nu Image, Inc./Millennium Films, directed by Joel Schumacher, stars Oscar winners Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage. ...

and more »


Guardian Camera Club: Puppkin on pet photography
The Guardian
This portfolio starts with 'Tim'; it's a fantastic image; perfect viewpoint, excellent composition, with great low contrast tonality. ...



Honeycomb Archive Named Digital Asset Management System for New Free Stock ...
Online PR News (press release)
Honeycomb Archive has recently been named the Digital Asset Management System provider for Pure Creative Commons, a new stock photography website. ...

and more »


Pawtography – Intro to Pet Photography
Boston Globe
Join Cheryl Colombo of Boston Dog Photography for this informative and fun two-day introduction to pet photography. Topics will include: discovering your ...



Brisbane Times

HDR comes built into iOS 4.1, bad news for developers?
Today's iPhone (blog)
One of these features for the iPhone 4 and new iPod Touch was HDR photography. The HDR (High Dynamic Range) feature being introduced on iOS 4.1 takes 3 ...
Eye-Popping HDR Photography Now Standard On iPhoneCult of Mac (blog)
iOS 4.1 HDR Photo Capabilities Previewed on VideoPhones Review
Ios4.1.Hdrtuaw.com (blog)
Evansville Courier & Press -Geeks are Sexy Technology News -PhoneReport
all 336 news articles »


Art Barn features Digital photography
White Mountain Independent
Matt Suess displays his unique fine art digital photography prints at the Art Barn for his premier season. Posted: Friday, September 3, ...



Sept. 15 photography show depicts Galapagos Islands
Madison Eagle
Brennick, interested in photography for many years, is a watercolor artist, a teacher and a reading specialist. She has been a jeweler and a health care ...



Keep bird watching and photography respectful
Kansas City Star
Wildlife photography and bird watching go well together, provided nature shutterbugs minimize the impact on subjects, and respect resource managers, ...

and more »


Jamaica Gleaner

Adrian Creary clicks with photography, graphics
Jamaica Gleaner
In music, literature, film, dance and photography, young Jamaicans are making strides inside and outside the country. The generation coming is innovative ...


Google News

home | site map
© 2009 Professional Photographers Guild Of Abilene, Abilene Texas