MAKING A LIVING FROM PHOTOGRAPHY

Making a Living as a Stock Photographer Find out what it takes to earn your keep selling your photos to a stock image company. learn more about The Staff of Entrepreneur Media, Inc. BY THE STAFF OF ENTREPRENEUR MEDIA, INC. • JUN 15, 2021 ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED OCT 22, 2019 In the early-to-mid 1900s, stock photography images were basically leftovers from commercial assignments, commonly referred to as "outtakes" or "seconds." Stock image libraries and agencies cataloged the images and sold them for purchase and republication in ads, books, annual reports, and the like. As time passed, customers realized they could save considerable time and money by using stock images instead of hiring a photographer for an assignment. By the 1980s, stock photography had become a specialty in its own right, with many photographers enjoying the flexibility of shooting stock instead of working on assignment. Today, thanks to the proliferation of online consumerism and marketing, stock imagery is a multibillion-dollar business. As a stock photographer, you'll be paid based on residual income (royalties), or in some cases, rights to your images will be purchased outright. In recent years, the stock imagery business has become very competitive, and the prices companies are willing to pay for stock photography has decreased rather dramatically. Thus, unless you have a vast collection of images being offered by stock agencies and your photos are often selected by clients, this will more realistically be a way to supplement your income as opposed to generating a full-time (or even a respectable part-time) income. One of the most successful stock photo agencies is Getty Images. It's among the world's leading creators and distributors of award-winning still imagery, video, music, and multimedia products as well as other forms of premium digital content, available through its trusted house brands, including iStock.