How to Buy Rights to Stock Photos

Stock photos are a great option for websites, books, pamphlets, magazines, print advertisements and other projects that require a professional photo for commercial use. Stock photos depict a wide array of subject matter, from everyday objects to plants, animals and nature, to humans. The photographer typically retains ownership of a stock photo, essentially "renting" it to clients for a one-time fee. This is called purchasing usage rights (also known as nonexclusive rights) to the stock photo.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internet access
• Computer
• Credit card or PayPal account
• CD burner and CD or thumb drive
• Pen
• Paper
• Knowing the required size of the stock photo
• Knowing about the project in which the photo will appear

How to Purchase Stock Photos

1. Determine the type of stock photo you require and come up with a few keywords that represent the related objects or themes. If you need a photo for a pet-sitting-company advertisement, some good keywords might be "pets," "dogs," "cats," "pet sitting" and "pet care."

2. Log on to the Internet and browse some stock-photography websites using the keywords determined in Step 1. Some popular stock-photo websites include iStockPhoto.com, Stock.Xchng and ShutterStock.com. (See References)

3. Write down the URL or use your web browser to bookmark stock photos that really appeal to you, along with any notes on your thoughts about the photo.

4. Review the photos you found appealing in Step 3 and select the stock photo that you'd like to purchase. When comparing the stock photos, look at attributes like the photo composition, relevance of the subject matter to your project and color scheme.

5. Review the available sizes for the stock photo you'd like to purchase. The size of the photo will directly affect the resolution. The photo you purchase should be at least as large as the size of the photo in your finished project. So, if the finished project will display the photo at a size of 5 by 5 inches, then you'll need to purchase a photo of the same size or larger. When in doubt, always purchase a larger photo than you think you'll need. Photos can be reduced with no impact on quality or resolution, both of which suffer when a small photo is enlarged.

6. Purchase the stock photo. Photo-rights prices are based on the size/resolution of the photo: the higher the resolution and larger the size, the more expensive the photo. Many stock-photo sites use a credits system, with a small photo worth one credit, or a large photo worth five credits. You purchase the appropriate number of credits using a credit card or PayPal and then cash in those credits to buy a download of the photo.

7. Download the stock photo (usually in JPEG format) onto your computer's hard drive or directly onto a CD or thumb drive. If opting to store the downloaded photo on the computer hard drive, it's best to copy the photo file onto a CD or thumb drive to avoid accidental loss of the file.

8. Use the stock photo in your project. Once the stock photo rights are purchased, you are free to crop and edit the photo using photo editing software.

Tips & Warnings

• If your photo will appear in copyrighted material or if it will be used in a logo or other "branding" projects, you may wish to purchase full rights (also known as exclusive rights) to the photo. While this is more expensive than purchasing nonexclusive usage rights, it means you own the photo and others cannot use it without your permission. Not all stock-photo websites offer this option. This is only available for photos that have never been downloaded.
• You must purchase rights to a stock photo to use it on your website, in print or in any other project. A stock photo is usually watermarked for display on the stock-photo website; downloaded copies do not contain the watermark. Using the photo without purchasing it constitutes theft.

References

• Stock.Xchng
• ShutterStock.com
• iStockPhoto.com