Welcome to Sun Crest Photography
Stock photography is a class of pictures that are usually sold to magazines, text book authors, advertising companies, and even filmmakers. These pictures are usually of common objects or animals that can be used to illustrate something in regards to education or to make a simple point. They are in no way designed to be artistic, but rather to be useful and to serve a purpose. There are many large companies today who specialize in stock photography. These photos are stored in a database, and companies who wish to purchase them may do so individually or as a package deal, giving them many different pictures to choose from. In some cases, you may find that more than one company has used the exact same picture in their advertising! This is because stock photos are not licensed or copyrighted and are therefore considered fair game for anyone to use, as long as they have been purchased from the company who first obtained them.
There are different ways that photographers can be paid for stock photography. The most common form of payment is royalty free. This term means that the original photographer can sell his or her photo to as many companies as they wish, and an unlimited number of times. The rights-managed way of selling stock photography is different. This form makes the buyer pay each time the image is used. In addition, there is usually a time limit on how long the buyer can use the image (such as in a commercial, on their website, or printed on a brochure). Once this time frame is up (usually a year or so), the buyer must renew their license or they lose all rights to the photo. While stock photography is touted by many as a cheap means for photographers to make extra money, it is a very productive, lucrative, and effective business, particularly in the world of advertising.