You should know from the start: Some photographers hate the royalty free stock photography model. They feel that photographers devalue their work along with the work of all other photographers by licensing the photos so cheaply. This is especially true with royalty free micro stock photography is concerned. There are many debates about this issue around the web, so we won't dig deeper into those here. Instead, we'll try to take a closer look at general differences, in the hopes that we can help you make a more informed decision with your own stock photography career.
My personal choice is micro stock photography. I chose this option after researching heavily online for several months before starting. I personally like the Rights Managed options better and may move into that area of the industry in time. I don't however, like the added work involved with submitting photos to Rights Managed Agencies, so I opted to leave them for a later date.
This is a long article so I've broken it into two sections for you:
Section 1: Rights Managed Stock Photography
Section 2: Royalty Free Micro Stock Photography
© 2006, Kathy Burns-Millyard. All Rights Reserved.
• Photographers: Rights Managed vs. Royalty Free Micro Stock Photography
• Stock Photography Tips: Creativity vs. Saleability
• Can Photographers Make Money With Stock Photography?
• Stock Photography of People: Model Releases
• Are You Using Stock Photos In Your Business Illegally?
• Fotolia
• Bigstock