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.
apartment cleaning near Wilmette ..One of the major problems of the larger cities of... Read More
There are two sources for obtaining the moulding for making... Read More
The digital camera being a fantastic and technologically advanced device... Read More
Photography is a diversified field of creating a spectral variety... Read More
Imagine taking your new digital camera on a vacation and... Read More
IntroductionModern cameras are highly automatic in operation. They have auto... Read More
There are a few very important tasks associated with using... Read More
You are anxious to purchase your new digital camera! You... Read More
Even though Nikon entered the camera world by 1948, today... Read More
The warm feelings are flowing all around when the pet... Read More
Love is in the air at the Venice Rookery. The... Read More
When you're driving through the mountains somewhere, and you... Read More
Most digital cameras today boast of greater resolution and picture... Read More
Being such a fascinating device as the digital camera, this... Read More
We all love our animals. They do such funny, adorable,... Read More
So, you have taken lots of pictures with your new... Read More
I've been practising wildlife photography on safari for over twenty... Read More
One of the biggest debates in the photography world is... Read More
The photos you took of the party are really great... Read More
Wholesale disposable cameras are disposable cameras bought in quantity. Bulk... Read More
For years I wondered how big the bucks were that... Read More
A common problem with old photos is that they often... Read More
Point and click. The new life of digital cameras gives... Read More
Almost all of us will have seen this particular photographic... Read More
Did you know that in many cases digital photos are... Read More
reliable home cleaners Arlington Heights ..Babies make the best and the worst subjects to photograph.... Read More
Night photographs express a special something that cannot be seen... Read More
It's hard to find sometimes but it's making a resurgence,... Read More
Dots Per Inch is a useful measure of relative resolution.... Read More
Underwater digital cameras are fun and easy to use under... Read More
Youv'e taken that perfect photo in the perfect light at... Read More
Your first thought when you read "Alligator Farm" might be... Read More
The most important part of buying a digital camera is... Read More
Probably one of the most common problems you will be... Read More
Using a digital camera to take pictures is great. It's... Read More
In a device such as a digital camera it is... Read More
Children are naturally photogenic. Ive worked in studios and children... Read More
Digital SLR Camera or Digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera is... Read More
Fuji digital cameras entered the market in the late 90's.... Read More
Why is a 3 megapixel camera better than a 1... Read More
Choosing the right digital camera for general use can be... Read More
When should you use hyperfocal focusing? Well, sometimes when shooting... Read More
Elephants in the Sky[1980s, Lee Evens in Mali, Timbuktu/Africa]Advance: Lee... Read More
A few years ago I became interested in digital photography,... Read More
Portrait is defined as, "A likeness of a person, especially... Read More
What Is... Exposure BracketingExposure bracketing is a simple technique professional... Read More
Babies make the best and the worst subjects to photograph.... Read More
Good wildlife safari photography is not only about composition and... Read More
Disposable wedding cameras (also called single-use cameras) will never replace... Read More
One of the oldest companies, Olympus has had a long... Read More
Photography |