
The Top 5 Premium Stock Photo Agencies
- Photocase. Photocase is a successful and well-established, Berlin-based stock photo agency specialized in premium images.
- Offset by Shutterstock. ...
- Getty Images. ...
- Adobe Stock Premium. ...
- Signature by iStock. ...
Full Answer
What are the best stock photo agencies?
Shutterstock is one of the biggest and most popular stock photo agencies on the web, famous for having the largest stock photo library around, and for being the innovators behind the stock photo subscription model.
Which stock photo websites do you offer?
The following companies are our partners in Stock Photo Websites: Getty Images, Shutterstock, iStock, and Adobe Stock. Adobe Stock currently has one of the more comprehensive libraries in the industry, because in addition to the standard stock photo, illustrations, and vectors, they also offer stock video, audio and even 3D models.
Is buying stock photos online a good idea for your business?
Buying stock photos online is the smartest way to get the media and visuals you need for your business or project. But once you decide to buy stock photos, you will soon see yourself submerged in a sea of microstock agencies and various stock photography sites.
What are the best stock photography catalogues?
Getty Images offers one of the largest stock photography catalogues in the world, with curated collections covering all styles, themes, and topics you can imagine, including editorial imagery. Their worldwide network of photographers ensures every event and scene in the globe has representation in their library and produced a lot of premium images.

What is the best stock photo agency?
5 Best Stock Photo Sites (2021): Biggest Websites for Stock Photography OnlineShutterstock - Best Stock Photo Site Overall. ... Alamy - Most Support for Buyers. ... iStock - First Microstock Agency. ... Getty Images - Best for Innovative Stock Photos. ... Deposit Photos - Best for Video Content.
How much do stock photography photographers make?
In general, stock photos earn approximately 25-45 cents per image, per month. This obviously depends on many factors, including how many agencies you upload to, your skill in keywording, and the uniqueness of the images.
Is iStock good for photographers?
iStock –formerly iStockphoto– is a renowned stock photo agency, famous for being one of the few in offering exclusive images (that can only be found on their site) and because for many years, they've been owned by Getty Images, one of the most prestigious stock photography powerhouses in the world.
How do you become a good stock photographer?
Here are the 10 things that I have learned about stock photography that might be helpful to you as well.Get model releases early. ... Take time to keyword your photos. ... Photographers are their own worst editors. ... Be the supply to the demand. ... Be aware of brands and logos. ... Be a thought leader. ... Master your domain. ... Keep the bar high.More items...
What kind of stock photos are in demand?
Images that have strong leading lines will continue to be in demand for stock photography. Photos that capture relaxing scenes like beaches, snow-capped trees and fields of flowers will be the most popular.
Is it worth selling photos on Shutterstock?
For most stock photographers and illustrators, Shutterstock consistently outperforms all other agencies. If you are thinking of getting started as a microstock photographer, make sure Shutterstock is at the top of your list to join. For many contributors, Shutterstock represents around 40% of their monthly earnings.
Is Shutterstock or iStock better?
iStock has cheaper price points for budget images. Shutterstock has a larger library and more variety in content. iStock credits are more flexible. Shutterstock has a simpler subscription structure.
Is Getty Images good for photographers?
If you are hoping to have your photos accepted on a stock photography site, there is no bigger name than Getty Images. Founded back in 1995 by Mark Getty and Jonathan Klein, Getty Innovations, LLC – later renamed Getty Images – is one of the most prestigious, longest standing, and biggest names in the world.
Which is better Shutterstock or Getty Images?
Of the two sites, Shutterstock has the largest library, offering 90 million stock items, and adding new ones every week. Talk about a selection! This means that if you're looking for variety, Shutterstock is for you. However, Shutterstock doesn't offer exclusive content, a niche iStock by Getty Images fills.
What type of photography sells best?
5 Things the Best-Selling Photos of People Have in CommonSingle Photos Sell Better than Group Shots. This one really surprised us. ... Candid Photos Sell Better than Posed Shots. ... Wide Shots Sell Better than Closeups. ... Looking Away is Better than Facing the Camera. ... Unidentified Subjects Sell Better.
Which stock photo site pays the most?
Alamy1. Alamy. With over 60 million images, Alamy is the largest stock photo website, but they also pay well too. Photographers earn 50% of every sale, and aren't restricted to selling exclusively with Alamy.
Where do I start with stock photography?
If you are looking to start a stock photography business, there are five key steps that you should take first:Write a Business Plan.Be clear about your costs.Get some good photography gear and learn how to take stock photos.Build an online presence shooting stock photos.Create an Online Portfolio.
What is stock photo?
Stock photos, like many other products and services, come at different quality levels. While most suppliers grant image resolution and commercial value to match professional usage of their images, sometimes you may want photos that are better than the average, photos that are of a higher value, and have greater visual impact. Sometimes what you want are premium stock photos.
What is Shutterstock famous for?
Shutterstock is one of the biggest and most popular stock photo agencies on the web, famous for having the largest stock photo library around, and for being the innovators behind the stock photo subscription model.
What is a photocase?
Photocase is a successful and well-established, Berlin-based stock photo agency specialized in premium images. For over 15 years they offer a superb collection of artistic stock photos with the highest quality and a great sense of uniqueness. They put special focus on curation to ensure the premium level of their offer. Find out more details in our Photocase review.
What is Adobe stock?
Adobe Stock is a stock photo service directed by Adobe, that is fully integrated into their Creative Crowd platform, making it a seamless solution for designers and creatives using the said platform. Besides a regular library of budget photos, the services include Adobe Stock Premium, a collection of high-end imagery from top photographers and production studios. Learn more in our Adobe Stock review.
Is Getty Images royalty free?
Royalty-Free images are much cheaper as they include a set of usage rights on a fixed one-time fee. Like this, Getty Images' files can cost from a couple hundred up to a few thousands of dollars. But now they have a great way to buy premium stock photos without spending astronomical sums: Ultrapacks.
Is stock photography safe?
Every serious stock photo agency reviews and curates all of the images they include in their libraries. They ensure they are legally safe, technically accurate, and commercially valuable. However, most of them tend to focus on offering customers images for their every need, at super low prices.
What is istock photography?
iStock is another popular name in the stock photography industry. As such, it can provide a good platform for displaying your images (and of course a better chance of selling).
How many assets does Getty Images have?
Getty Images is undoubtedly a beast on the contemporary stock photography market, with an astonishing number of assets in its gallery: more than 200 million. It’s also one of the oldest stock sites, operating since 1995.
How long does it take for a submission to be reviewed?
One is the time it takes for the editors to review your submissions. It can easily take more than 2 weeks, which is far too long. Secondly, they used to have a team that was responsible for keywording, which in my personal opinion is quite time-consuming and annoying.
What does it mean when a photographer chooses non exclusive?
If the contributor chooses the non-exclusive option, it means that the photographer can upload the images not only to iStock, but to other stock sites as well. In this case the photographer gets a flat commission of 15%.
Is Dreamstime a microstock?
The company was founded 15 years ago, making it one of the oldest stock agencies out there. Dreamstime is a microstock provider, and its direct rivals on the market nowadays are iStock and Shutterstock. It’s considered by many contributors to be one of the best places for photographers to sell their work.
When was Depositphotos founded?
Depositphotos has been on the stock photography market since 2009 when it was founded by Dmitry Sergeev. For 10 years the company has grown significantly and it’s continuing to expand its collection rapidly.
Where is Pond5 based?
It was founded back in 2006, and it started out as an agency to help video producers license content to third parties. Pond5 is based in New York and it’s a marketplace for royalty-free media. Aside from photos, they also offer stock footage, music tracks, sound effects, 3D objects and After Effects templates.
How many points does Shutterstock have compared to Adobe?
This proves how Shutterstock is still the biggest player of the market having 57 points compared to Adobe’s 20, Getty’s 19 and iStock’s 14. All other agencies didn’t get anything close to these 4:
Is Alamy a good photographer?
Alamy is also a good agency to sell photography. Sales are not as frequent as they are in Shutterstock, but they’re known for getting the highest pricing sales. Many contributors have experienced sales above $100 there.
What is shutterstock.com?
Shutterstock.com. Shutterstock is considered by many photographers to be among the top three stock imagery sites today. Shutterstock offers free registration, and commission rates start at 25%. Since Shutterstock is one of the main hubs for stock photography however, photographers face a decent amount of competition.
What is the stocky business model?
The Stocksy business model is something that most photographers can appreciate; its stated focus is on fair pay and creating sustainable careers for its members. Unlike many stock imagery sites that tend to be stingy with their pay outs, Stocksy pays out 50% commission; a fair deal for most photographers.
What is Getty Images?
Getty Images was one of the first companies to start licensing stock imagery online. Today, it is one of the most popular stock imagery websites. Getty’s entry requirements are more stringent than many of the other agencies, and they only pay out 20% commission to photographers, but the amount of traffic that Getty receives means more potential sales, making it worth it for many photographers. Getty looks for images that convey emotions or concept, and images that are engaging, exclusive, and unexpected.
How much commission does Crestock get?
Crestock is a relatively simple site to use. After setting up a free account, you can upload photos for review. If approved, you will receive 20%-40% commission on each photo that sells. Signup is simple, and once you’re registered you can start uploading images immediately.
Why are stock images so popular?
Stock images that look good as thumbnails tend to be more popular. This is because viewers on stock imagery sites browse photos as thumbnails, so make sure your images look good small.
Why do photographers sell stock photos?
Many photographers are finding that selling stock imagery is a great opportunity to turn their creativity into cash. One of the benefits of stock photography is that it offers you the chance to earn a passive income. Once you shoot your photos, upload them to the stock imagery site, and set the metadata for your images, your work is mostly done!
What is the advantage of being an expert?
Being an expert in your field gives you an advantage over the competition.
How long does a photo in the public domain last?
Any photo or creative work in the public domain may be used freely, since no one person or legal entity holds its copyright. In the U.S., copyright expires 70 years after the copyright holder’s passing, starting in 1933.
What is royalty free image?
Under a royalty-free license, you pay once for a specified set of usage rights which allow you to use the image without additional royalty payments, so long as you use it as agreed.
What is Creative Commons?
Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that aims to build a worldwide public knowledge database, encompassing everything from works of art to scientific knowledge. One of their most well-known tools are their Creative Commons licenses, which allow copyright holders to make their work freely accessible to the public, while still allowing for basic copyright protections.#N#They offer six license types ranging from their CC-BY, which allows for any use of the image so long as the author is credited, to CC BY-NC-ND, which means the image can only be used as-is and cannot be used for commercial purposes. They also have the CC0 license, which is equivalent to putting your work in the public domain, releasing all copyright protections.
What are the technical considerations when choosing a stock photo?
There are also technical considerations when choosing a stock photo such as: making sure the photo has good lighting, the angle at which it is taken, the emotions displayed by the people in the picture, and ensuring the picture has a natural quality. In Curbelo’s words, “some stock photos look really staged.”.
What is rights managed image?
Unlike royalty-free images, rights-managed images are much more specific regarding their usage. When requesting one of these images, you need to specify the dimensions of the image, the length of time it will be used for, what sort of project will it be used for, and so on. If the image is going to be used for commercial purposes, releases will have to be signed for any models or locations present, which translates to much higher prices.#N#Because the terms of rights-managed images are much more specific, you have to use them exactly as requested, as opposed to royalty-free images. On the other hand, RM images can often be negotiated for exclusivity, larger print runs, and in some cases, you are even able to access the image’s usage history, letting you see who has used it before and for what particular purposes.
Why are vector images better than photographs?
The main limitation of vector images is that they are better suited to illustrations with easily identifiable lines and colors rather than photographs, as real life subjects are often more visually intricate and nuanced than logos or stylized illustrations.
What is editorial stock photo?
Editorial stock photos, on the other hand, are used exclusively for journalistic endeavors. Think of any recognizable image from legendary sports moments to historical news events, and you’re likely thinking of an editorial stock photo.
