About stock photography

For designers, stock is a method to obtain professional photos or other images for a reasonable price. Also the buyer has the advantage of choosing the right picture from a big number of photographs and images. Designers can buy stock photographs in more then one way: through a subscription (method used by buyers who constantly need pictures for their business, they can download a number a pictures for a certain periodic fee), single picture download (for occasional buyers, or for personal purpose), purchasing a CD-ROM collection, etc.

Usually, becoming a contributor photographer to a royalty free stock photography site doesn't cost anything. You should avoid royalty free sites that ask you to pay for a fee to store or handle your images. To become a contributor first you have to search for a website that suites your needs. You should be aware of what kind of pictures they accept, is it aerial photography, wild life or general stock and what resolution do they need (can you supply pictures at that resolution?). Next you should read the Terms of service of the website. You need to know how are you going to be paid for your photographs, if the site is exclusive or not, read the Photo Submission Guidelines or anything else that may interest you as a contributor photograph. Next you may register to the royalty free site and submit a batch of photos for approval. Each site has its own procedure for submitting and reviewing images, and the process can take a few day. Once your submission has been approved, you are free to upload as many photos as you like and as often as you like. Each photograph has to be approved for quality before it is added into the picture database for sale.

The images from a royalty free photography site are bought by magazine editors, web designer, for posters, flyers and other graphic purposes. Each time one of your images is downloaded, you get paid a percentage.