Stock photography has grown in popularity over the past decade or so, thanks to the Internet – we can find stock photos everywhere, from memes and news articles to gambling websites that people visit to have fun. If you have ever dealt in photography, design, digital marketing, publishing, or something similar, you must’ve also heard about it. Stock photos are a great way to find the appropriate high-quality design/images by paying less. If you are interested in more about stock images, stay tuned!
Stock Photos & Stock Photography
Stock images are made from photographers around the world and upload it to the stock photography provider’s platform. These photos will remain in the photo gallery on websites such as Shutterstock, PIxabay, Foter, etc. and most importantly the user can pay a fee to get a license to use those photos.
This way, the buyer can use them legally in their personal, commercial or any other projects.
Why Stock Photography?
First of all, let’s mention that there are more than just photographies included in stock photography. Anyone looking for an illustration, certain design, UI design, different patterns, and vectors will be able to find them at any of the stock photography platforms.
There are many benefits to this, for both individuals and companies. First of all, cutting down the cost of images is one of the greatest perks. Then, there is the fact that you can find a certain type of image in a matter of minutes – so it makes it pretty much an instant solution for whoever needs it.
How to Use Stock Photos?
When it comes to using these stock images, anyone who purchases a license will be able to use them in some editorial, commercial or even personal projects. There are also different types of licenses available, and they depend on how the photographer listed their stock photos.
The first and the one with the widest spectrum of use are the Royalty-Free photos – what it means is that you can use this photo as many times as you want and on various types of projects. Then there are Rights Managed photos, in other words, you can use the photo just once.
The users are further allowed to edit and modify the images they download. This is a quite beneficial feature as it allows you to tweak the design according to your own needs. Sometimes the licenses will vary depending on the provider, and the best way to learn them is by reading their T&C.
The Price of Stock Photos
The price of stock images will depend on the type of license or subscription you purchase. As far as the licenses are concerned, the photos with a Royalty-Free license will always be more affordable than other solutions. The price can be as low as $1 and maybe go up to $15. But if you choose to subscribe and choose your subscription plan that might include downloading many photos, the average price would be much lower.
Speaking about the Rights Managed license, it can be quite pricey, depending on many different factors. The price could be someone between $50 to hundreds or even thousands of dollars.