Purchasing Stock

I supply rights-managed stock photographs. The selection on this site is a very small sample from my bank of images. If you are looking for a particular photograph, please contact me and tell me your needs.

Understanding Copyright and Purchasing

The photographer owns the copyright to an image (the right to copy, reproduce, or publish and image), and will license certain rights for the use that is needed. Another party who would like to use a photograph pays a fee. This party is not actually buying the photograph, he is only buying or leasing the rights to use it in a certain way. Only the copyright holder (the photographer) can licence or re-license a photograph for another use. Just because a purchaser may have a transparency or digital image in his possession does not give the him the right to use the image in any way other than what was agreed to.

Usage Rights

Once you have found the photograph that will meet your communications goals, the next step is define your usage. The most common and economical type of usage rights licensed are one-time non-exclusive rights. One-time means that a buyer purchases the right to reproduce an image once for a particular use. Non-exclusive means that the photographer can sell the photograph to another client. This is good for the purchaser because this type of usage is not expensive, and is good for the photographer because he can re-licence the photograph to another client. You do not want to buy rights you don't need (and therefore spend more money). Rights not specifically granted are always reserved to the photographer.

Pricing

Prices are largely based on how visible or prominent the photograph will be. So, a large photo placed on a book or magazine cover, for example, would cost more than a small 1/4 page image placed on an inside page. Also, the larger the print run or the larger the circulation of a printed item, the more the price. Prices will also depend on whether a photograph will be used for editorial, advertising, or corporate uses.

Prices typically range from about $150 to $1000 depending on the photograph and its usage. There may also be instances, however, when a photograph's value is well over $1000.

Pricing is based on many factors, and I use photo pricing software (Fotoquote, which is the industry standard) and pricing charts to determine pricing.

So that I can give you an accurate quote, I need the following information:

• Print run or circulation for print publications.
• Size and placement of reproduced image in publication (e.g. 1/4 page or smaller, 1/2 page, 3/4 page, full page, double page, front cover, inside cover, rear cover, chapter opener, wraparound cover).
• Any collateral uses such as a digital version (this is a separate usage).
• Distribution (local, regional, national, international).
• How long you need to use the image.
• For Web use, the URL, where in the site the image would be used, and for how long the image is needed.

Selecting My Photographs

Select the photograph you would like to use and record the description. You may then telephone or email me with your request and I'll give you the publication rate for the usage you require. Photographs may be available only as a transparency or only as a digital image; some are available in either format. If you are looking for other photographs, please contact me and tell me your needs. I may have what you are looking for.

Sending

Once a purchase agreement has been obtained, I will send digital images via email or CD ROM. I provide high-resolution images but I need to know the size in dimensions and the resolution in ppi that you need.