What is Stock Photography?
Stock photography is the supply of photographs, which are often licensed for specific uses. The stock photo industry, which began to gain hold in the 1920s, has established models including traditional macro-stock photography, mid-stock photography, and micro-stock photography.
What is a stock photo?
Stock photos (stock photography) are professional photographs of common places, landmarks, nature, events or people that are bought and sold on a royalty-free basis and can be used and reused for commercial design purposes.
What's in it for the model?
Photo selections are carefully made by the photographer, professionally processed in jpeg digital format for models own personal use.
What is the models personal use of the photos?
Professional photos taken and processed by the photographer with a model release of the subject (Model) may be used for social media, personal prints, email sharing with friends and family, online profiles, acting or modeling portfolios, and personal blogs. However, these images are not to be sold, given away or used for commercial advertising marketing, business use without written consent from the author (Photographer).
No monetizing of any photos is allowed by anyone prior to written consent of the author (Photographer).
What's in it for the photographer when photographing for stock photography?
My ultimate goal is to connect real everyday people into a more realistic approach to advertising instead of a fantasy world of perfection.
For me, it's more of a passive income with no guarantees of ever selling the image for stock use. If it does sell it may take up to 10 years to receive the full payment of what a traditional photoshoot costs.
The person photographed in a relevant environment contributes to producing quality photos along with a steady flow of images is key to the survival of a creative artist. That makes it a mutual win-win situation for the model and photographer.
What is a Model Release?
A model release is not about granting permission to take the photos, but rather to publish them for commercial use. You don’t generally need written permission to photograph anyone.
A model release is a contract.
It is a written and signed agreement between the photographer and the person (model) in the photograph.
The purpose of a model release is to allow the photographer to sell the photo of the person photographed for commercial use and protect the model from an invasion of privacy, defamation of character, etc.
