So you need some photos for your site or other project. In my last post, I explained why it is a really bad idea, not to mention illegal, to copy photos or other images you happen to find while browsing the web. In this post, I’ll talk about where to get images responsibly and legally, that is, how to source photographs and other images.
Stock agencies or libraries are companies who sell usage licenses to existing photographs or other images. In other words, the images are “in stock.” These agencies represent photographers and other artists such as illustrators who want to market their imagery for stock usage. The agency does all the marketing and selling and takes a commission from every sale an artist makes. The commission varies by agency, with some taking more than 50% of the sale. 50/50 splits are common and some agencies take less than 50%.