What is Stock Photography? Licensing and Money-Making Option for Stock Photographers

Have you ever found yourself in a condition where you needed images to be used for creating a graphic element, to add to your blog, website page, or marketing material, packaging, book cover, or for any other purpose, but don’t want to create one yourself? You might have had. This is when you look to find images created by other people, available for free or at a license fee. These images are called stock photos.

What is Stock Photography?

Stock photography means creating images that can be illustrations, captured photos, icons, logos, and much more which are then licensed, free, or paid, to be used by others for their use. These images are created or captured without having any particular objective in mind. And these images can be used by either individuals or organizations.

Stock Photography Types

There are different types of stock photography, but primarily there are three including:

• Macrostock

Traditional form of stock photography, these include photos created or developed by agencies that are exclusive and are sold at a higher licensing fee. The photographer earns through royalty. An example of such type of agency is – Getty Images.

• Microstock

Contrast to macrostock, this type includes images that are sold at a much lesser price or fee. Here, the photographers do not get any royalty but are paid per download basis. Examples of such agencies or websites include – iStock, Shutterstock, Depositphotos, etc.

• Midstock

As the name suggests, it lies between Macrostock and Microstock photography, wherein the images are priced in the middle range, and the photos are often used through the exclusive and non-exclusive models.

Out of all these, the most common and used is the midstock photography, for users as well as it attracts the majority of photographers to contribute their work.

Stock Photography – Ideal Business or Money-Making Options for Professional and Passionate Photographers

If you are a professional, full-time photographer, or one who is passionate in capturing images, creative and holds expertise behind the camera, then stock photography could be a great money-making option, whether taken up as full-time or as a side hustle.

The popularity of Stock Photography

If you are thinking that stock photos are popular and effective, then it can be assessed that there are a lot of graphic elements used on a daily basis by individuals and organizations for their purpose. And not all the times they create or capture images themselves. This is where stock photography comes to their aid. Another aspect that makes stock photos more popular is that users can personalize and modify these as per their requirements. Stock images are greatly effectual when they are used with a personal touch and don’t look like stock photos.

Types of Stock License

• Royalty-Free

This is preferred by users, wherein they don’t need to pay any fee and use the images free of cost. Examples of these include Creative Commons and Public Domain, but sometimes with special attributions.

• Rights Managed

Images come with a pay-per-use basis and are licensed depending on the period of time, geographic location, or project basis.

• Extended License

These come with additional elements to the standard license, like multiple use of images, or re-sale, and as such.

When users want to use stock images, irrespective of the license, these often come with conditions of additional attributes like standard attribution, share alike attribution, no derivatives, non-commercial, and much more.

Why Stock Photography Could be a Great Option for You?

Do you think that stock photography is right for you? Make sure that you assess certain factors related to this before jumping in:

• There isn’t any requirement to have a strong portfolio to upload your images on stock photography platforms
• You need to have high-quality images to upload
• You should be creative and have an imaginative flair that gives your images a distinctive touch and essence
• You have full creative control as there is no objective beforehand, and you can devote as much time you want to develop your images
• You have the liberty to take this up whether full time or part time
• Your stock photography portfolio or profile can be used by you to pitch for other photography jobs and projects

Making Money with Stock Photography

For creative and enthusiast and professional photographers, stock photography is a great way to earn money. However, you should know that for most stock photographers, and especially in the earlier stages, it is like passion income. And how much you make depends on your photos, the skills you bring forward, how much you share to stock platforms, and the licensing type of your stock photos. You can make from anywhere between $50-$100 and $1000. There are several popular stock photographers who make quite a decent amount of money.

Improving Your Game as a Stock Photographer

• Make sure you are able to capture or create images that are distinguished, creative and attractive.
• Always keep the end-user in mind which will help you churn out images with a higher probability of being used by the users.
• When you upload the images to stock photography platforms, ensure you follow the keywords and phrases concept so that users are able to find your images as per their search and requirement.
• Upload photos regularly, which will not only enhance your photos' use-case chances, help you earn more, but will also help develop you as a brand in the field.
• If you are interested to become a real estate photographer in stock photography there are many real estate photo editing companies that help you with perfect photographs

So, ready to start working as a stock photographer? Start slow and steady and keep learning with time and always assess how your competitors.