When I tell people I am a stock photographer they usually don’t know what that means, so here’s what I tell them. When you read an article in a magazine or on the web, there is usually an accompanying photo – that photo was likely purchased from a stock photo website, such as my Shutterstock site, and photographers such as myself provide photos to the website, and get a cut when our photo is purchased.
So photos on articles are primarily editorial photos. Stock photos are also bought for commercial purposes, for use in greeting cards, billboards, within books, for t-shirts, or anything else. You can see some of the places my photos end up at Sightings of my stock photos.
Alright, you get the idea. As a stock photographer you sell people the right to use your photograph either for editorial use or for commercial purposes. Read the upcoming entries for more information on how to get started with stock photography. Then give it a shot yourself!
Susan Montgomery Photos 