Image Connector

Unless the image you sell becomes very popular, the money you will earn from stock photography websites is usually very small. So these sites are useful for  hobbyists.

Animals, plants and flowers are some of the most popular categories at stock photography websites,  but unfortunately every one submits the same kind of images .  So many of these websites reject new submissions in these categories.

To increase the chances that the photographs will be accepted, it is important to study the market and demand and supply for photographs of a particular category.  There may some niches, where there are very few photos available and it is advisable to concentrate on these sections.

Most stock photography websites follow a subscription model. The user pays a monthly fee with discounts for subscriptions for a longer period like six months or one year. To prevent misuse, there may be a limit on the number of photographs that can be used in a month.

For users who do not need photographs frequently,  some websites have a option of paying on the basis of the number of photographs used.  Also certain images like high resolution photographs may command a high price.

Some websites like to use  photographs of female models on their home page (though I personally dislike it , since images increase the time taken to load the page).   Since getting a model can be expensive, they use stock photographs.

Most of these photos are non-exclusive, so if  2 large companies use the same photo, visitors to both the websites, who see the same photo are confused. Is there a tie-up  between the 2 companies?  Or are they trying to copy each other?

So using plain text is a much better solution.

The photos are usually offered by the stock photography website in the following categories:

Abstracts & Backgrounds
Animals
Buildings & Architecture
Business & Occupations
Entertainment & Music
Food
Hobbies & Crafts
Holidays & Celebrations
Household items
People
Places & Scenics
Plants
Religion
Signs & Symbols
Sports
Technology
Tools & Equipment
Transportation

Most photography websites make it mandatory to get a model release form if the image of a person is used. This is to be prevent disputes at a later date as the person may demand royalties from the stock photography website.

Many magazines, newspapers and advertisements have custom photo shoots when they need images for their publication. These are expensive to organize , but the costs can be recovered quickly, since advertising rates in the print media and television are high. The advertisement rates online are often low, so it is difficult for an average website owner to have photographs taken specifically for his website.

This has led to demand for stock photography websites, where thousands of amateur and professional photographers upload their digital photographs and are paid a royalty every time the photograph is used. With the decrease in the cost and improvement of the resolution of digital cameras available in the market, it has become very easy and inexpensive for any one to take a high quality photograph and upload it to a stock photography website.

Once the photograph is available online, it can be then viewed by thousands of potential buyers  for use in print and online advertising, in books, magazines,newspapers, on websites, in publicity brochures, packaging materials, and a number of custom applications. The use of the photograph varies according to the licensing terms to which the photographer and buyer have agreed.

A photographer can join the stock photo website free, but the company / individual using the photograph has to pay a weekly, monthly or yearly fee.

It is often difficult to get your own images for your website , and a professional model can be expensive. A stock photography website is a cheaper and better option