Recently, royalty free photography has experienced a surge in
popularity. By understanding the background of photography royalties,
amateur and more experienced photographers can learn how to submit and
protect their photographs.
With advances in technology, the Internet and digital photography,
thousands of photographs can now be accessed and downloaded for use on
websites, in brochures and as illustrations for other products. With
such open access to photographs, the landscape for selling and
purchasing these photos has changed. Traditional rights-managed or
contracted photographs have become the expensive alternative to royalty
free photographs.
What are photography royalties?
Photography royalties refer to the money paid to a photographer each time the photograph is used commercially.
When is a photograph royalty free?
Royalty free photography is photography that can be licensed
for continued use by a single user for a one-time fee. Different from
rights-managed photography that has a per use fee, royalty free
photography allows the purchaser to use the picture multiple times
(although usually a limited number) without additional fees.
Who can use royalty free photographs?
Anyone who purchases the rights to a royalty free photograph
can use it, within the limits of the agreement. Generally, agreements
allow the purchaser to use the photograph a specific number times while
forbidding him to sell or license the photograph to a third party.
Individuals or a business may purchase royalty free photography. If a
business purchases the photographs, the license may limit the people
that have the right to use the images. If this number is exceeded,
another license may be required or additional fees may be charged.
How can royalty free photographs be used?
Royalty free photographs can be used for private or commercial
use, including personal or business websites, company brochures, unique
artwork, presentations and advertisements.
Most royalty free photography agreements have clauses that the
photographs cannot be used in a defamatory way towards the creator.
Also, the photographs may have decency guidelines, stating that the
photographs cannot be altered to portray a pornographic scene that would
violate the government’s standards of decency.
How can amateur photographers submit work on royalty free photography websites?
The internet has many websites that offer royalty free
photographs. Each company has its own regulations for submitting work to
be used in a royalty free capacity.
Some organizations, like the International Library of Photography,
set up contests for amateur photographers to submit their photographs.
Winners are selected from the applicants to have their photographs added
to the website’s collection of royalty free photographs.
Other companies, like PhotoSpin.com, accept low-resolution samples of
your photography for review. They evaluate the submitted photographs
and contact you if they’re interested in using your photographs on their
site.
Shutterstock is an example of a firm that has a less rigorous
screening process to encourage amateur photographers. Interested
photographers can upload their royalty free photographs to websites that
automatically include the photos in their collection.
The best way to know the requirements of a company that deals in
royalty free photography collections is to visit the company’s website.
If, after reviewing the site, you’re still not sure of their policy,
contact the company directly.
How can photographers protect their photographs?
Since copies of digital photographs are usually the same
quality as the original, photographers can have trouble protecting their
photographs from unauthorized use. To limit unauthorized use, new
digital copyright protection techniques have been created. These
techniques include:
- encryption: Some companies embed virtual “fingerprints” on
photographs in their collection. While such fingerprints are invisible
to the naked eye, they can reveal ownership information when used with
Photoshop software.
- low-resolution distribution: This technique allows
interested buyers to review photographs only as “thumbnail” images.
While this method keeps the photograph from being illegally duplicated,
it tends to dissuade buyers from purchasing the photograph, since they
can’t see it clearly.
- watermarks: Similar to “proof” markings on physical
photographs, this method superimposes a semi-transparent watermark over a
photograph, preventing the theft of an image directly from a computer
screen.
Although none of these techniques is completely secure, each helps a
photographer protect his copyrighted royalty free photographs.