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Thursday 24 April 2008

What is Microstock Photography?

What is microstock photography?

(the short answer is, it is like Flickr though with earning potential for you... but read on).

Before understanding what microstock photography is, it is worth knowing what stock photography is.

All the images you see in your daily life have to come from somewhere.

These images are primarily supplied by photographers and designers, though typically they will get into the media via a stock agency. Stock photography consists of existing photographs that can be licensed for specific uses. Publishers, advertising agencies, graphic artists, and others use stock photography to fulfill the needs of their creative assignments. Professional photographers submit thier work to a stock library, or stock agency. When a publisher, for example, needs an image to illustrate a book, they will approach a stock agency to supply them with their needs. The publisher will be supplied with an appropriate image under licence from a stock agency for a fee, which is split between the agency and the photographer. Traditionally the cost of these images can range from hundreds of Dollars, Pounds or Euros up into the thousands. It would be easy to think that professional photographers are well paid - they do still have equipment to pay for though. But let's move onto microstock photography.

Microstock photography puts the earning power once mainly enjoyed by a professional elite into the hands of the amateur or hobbyist.

In other words if you are an amateur or hobbyist, your images no longer have to sit on your hard drive doing nothing - they can now earn you at the very least enough money to pay for your hobby - at the most a very good living (the reality is that the majority of 'amateurs' use microstock photography to earn a few extra quid or dollars to help pay the bills, but cash is cash).

Microstock photography is an offshoot of traditional stock photography. What defines a company as a microstock photography company is that they

  • source their images almost exclusively via the Internet,
  • do so from a wider range of photographers than the traditional stock agencies (including a willingness to accept images from "amateurs" and hobbyists), and
  • sell their images at a very low rate (anywhere from Pennies to pounds, Cents to Dollars or Euros) for a royalty-free image.

Initially some photographers are put off by the apparent low-earning potential per photo BUT, where a traditional stock photographer would earn a healthy amount on one image ONCE or maybe TWICE, the nature of microstock photography is that you can be earning small amounts per image OVER and OVER and OVER.

A number of microstock sites also sell on your behalf, vector art, and some sell Flash animations and video, as well as images.

Each microstock company uses a different pricing and payment scheme. Photographers can upload the same pictures on multiple sites or, with some agencies, become an exclusive supplier and receive an increased commission and additional benefits.

There is no fee to post photos on a microstock site. However, microstock companies do not accept everyone or all photographs, though if you can take a technically sound image of 'typical' stock requirement your images will be accepted. Each employs a team of reviewers who check every picture submitted for technical quality, as well as artistic and commercial merit. Photographers add keywords that help potential buyers filter and find pictures of interest.

Have a look for yourself, I have included links below to my favourite microstock agencies.

Don't blame me if you become addicted!
Royalty Free Images


Fotolia


Stock Photos, Royalty Free Stock Photography, Photo Search




Unwatermarked versions of these images are offered at the following sites, for use in a variety of situations from simple website illustration to top-end advertising campaigns.
Alternatively rather than buy images, you might like to sell your photographs and artwork.

The following links are agencies where you can buy and sell photos and artwork.
Most of the photos you see on this blog are images I sell regularly through these agencies. If you can take a better picture than those I have on this blog, you will easily make money. Good Luck.

istockphoto

Fotolia

Dreamstime

Bigstockphoto

Yaymicro

Mostphotos

Featurepics

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