Microstock Photography 101

Photo by Dennis Langerak

What is microstock? Microstock photography or micropayment photography is a kind of stock photography where the stock photo agency sources their images through the internet. Microstock photo agencies target a wider range of photographers unlike the traditional stock photo agencies where they only accept professional and reputable photographers.

Semi-pro, hobbyist or amateurs are welcome to join the microstock industry and contribute photos for the agencies to sell online. Images are sold at a very low price ranging from $.20-$10 for a royalty free image.

Microstock all started when Bruce Livingstone (creator of istockphoto.com) created a free stock photo site which is now one of the biggest microstock agencies in the world---istockphoto.com. Over the years, istockphoto.com has grown bigger and this led to the rise of other microstock photo agency websites.

Microstock websites don’t charge the photographers a fee to post their work on the site but they get profit share from every photo downloaded from their website. Photos submitted by photographers do not get accepted right away. Each photo is carefully reviewed by a team of photo screeners employed by the microstock agency to ensure that all photos in their database are of high quality.

Are you passionate about photography? Why don’t you try shooting photos for microstock and earn extra money? J

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Legal Rules in Stock Photography

Shooting photos that sell does not necessarily require expensive camera equipment. Using your creativity and imagination is enough. Everyday objects at home can be used as props. Your family members can pose as models and even your friends. There are so many ideas that can simply charm image consumers. But there are also rules that you need to know before starting to shoot photos for your stock photo portfolio.

Model Releases

A model release will be required for portraits. Full contact details should be obtained from the model. There are many model release template that you can find in the internet. You will need witness signatures as well. Please note witnesses cannot be you or the model.

Child models need a parent or guardian to sign the release on the model’s behalf.

A model release legally protects you and is one of the key elements in Royalty-Free images.

Property Releases

London Eye at Night by David Hart

Many photographers don’t realize that photos of buildings, artwork, and performances may also require releases. Photos of entertainment and sporting venues and museums require releases. This is because these facilities are usually privately owned. Likewise, a photograph of any place that charges admission falls under this rule.

A property release is only required for Royalty Free not Editorial. A property release is usually needed for recognizable buildings or homes, but architectural photos of generic-looking or unidentifiable buildings are okay in most circumstances. Again this protects you from the owner of the building making any legal claims.

Public property is fine and does not need a property release, like the local park or the Statue of Liberty. But not all public buildings are free from Copyright restrictions, for instance the Eiffel Tower at night would require a release because the lights on the tower are under copyright.

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