Stock Resources
The following resources are free and all provide a wealth of information, insight and guidance on the business of stock for current and aspiring stock photographers.
STOCK
COLLECTIONS
RELEASES
BLOGS
PUBLICATIONS
MARKET RESEARCH - CREATIVE TRENDS &
INSPIRATION
LICENSING STANDARDS
DIGITAL IMAGING STANDARDS
COPYRIGHT REGISTRATION
INTERNET TRACKING
STOCK
COLLECTIONS
Google for stock and spend some time exploring the industry from the buyer's perspective. Find stock sites in your areas of interest, search for images by entering keywords and cost out licenses. Look for specialty collections in your area of interest. Following are some of the major stock sites to start searching, and directories to help you find many more.
Getty Images http://www.gettyimages.com
Corbis
http://www.corbis.com
JupiterImages
http://www.jupiterimages.com/
Alamy
http://www.alamy.com
Masterfile
http://www.masterfile.com/
Stock distributor trade organizations offer comprehensive listings of their member archives, along with information on their programs.
CEPIC (Coordination of European
Picture Agencies) www.cepic.org
PACA (Picture Archive Council of
America) www.pacaoffice.org
BAPLA (British Association of
Picture Libraries & Agencies) www.bapla.org.uk
PIAG Directories are a resource listing stock agencies, associations, researchers, experts and links of picture industry internet resources.
www.piag.de
Stock Index Online enables a search for specialist stock photography libraries by category and name. www.stockindexonline.com
Picturehouse has created a unique series of events in major cities worldwide to bring picture buyers and suppliers together for networking. Their site also offers a directory of general and specialist stock suppliers. http://www.picturehouse.org
RELEASES
Getty Images Model and Property Release Forms. The leading stock distributor Getty Images has made their standard release forms publicly available, translated into a number of languages. These forms could be used "as is" or can provide an excellent foundation or reference for release forms.
http://contributors.gettyimages.com/home.asp
BLOGS
The following blogs are a sampling of sources for news, interviews, opinion and images that offer insights into the creative and business trends in photography. Some are dedicated to stock. Bookmark these sites or subscribe to the feed.
StockPhotoTalk http://www.stockphototalk.com
Black Star Rising http://rising.blackstar.com/
PDNonline http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/newsletter/index.jsp
PDNPulse http://www.pdnpulse.com/
AboutTheImage http://www.abouttheimage.com
A Photo Editor http://aphotoeditor.com
Photoshelter's Shoot! http://blog.photoshelter.com
John Harrington's PhotoBusinessForum http://photobusinessforum.com
StockPhoto listserv http://www.stockphoto.net
Stock Industry Press Releases. The StockPhotoTalk blog provides a comprehensive archive of industry releases. http://www.stockphototalk.com/the_stock_photo_industry_/
PUBLICATIONS
These publications are by subscription, but post some content online with open access.
Visuell is the leading journal specifically about the picture industry published in Germany. The International English edition offers a European perspective on stock industry trends and developments. http://www.piag.de
Selling Stock is a subscription-based online newsletter that provides news, analysis and editorials on developing trends in the stock photo industry with an emphasis on the U.S. market.
http://www.selling-stock.com/
The Picture Professional is a quality publication from the ASPP-the American Society of Picture Professionals-that features insightful reporting on stock related topics. http://www.aspp.com/pages/173/0/0/
MARKET RESEARCH - CREATIVE TRENDS & INSPIRATION
Here are a few of our favorite online resources that will provide plenty of inspiration for future stock shooting and get your mind buzzing about the next big thing.
Market Research for Image Makers. Download a sample of spark*y, an interactive newsletter from consulting firm, Spark and find out about range of services including seminars and consulting for artists and archives. http://www.sparkvisualresearch.com/
Trendwatching is packed with tips to get you thinking about the next big thing.
http://trendwatching.com/briefing/
Getty Images EDIT, described as "a magazine by the people who create images for the people who use them."
http://corporate.gettyimages.com/edit/source/article.aspx?article=200&page=2&bhcp=1
Corbis "Creative Boutique" Look under the menus called "Trends and "Insights" for in depth reports. http://pro.corbis.com/creative/boutique
Wired covers technology, culture, business and politics. http://www.wired.com
CScout is a consumer trend research firm that uses a global network of scouts with local knowledge to sniff out innovation, culture and new things we've never seen before. http://www.cscout.com/blog/trends/trend-blog
LICENSING STANDARDS
PLUS-the Picture Licensing Universal System. The PLUS Coalition is an international non-profit initiative on a mission to simplify and facilitate the communication and management of image rights. Check out the following resources at http://www.usePLUS.org
o PLUS Glossary: A free online reference with standard definitions for more than 1,300 terms used in image licensing transactions. Other resources are in development.
o PLUS License Generator: Use it to create a PLUS Universal License Statement, describing the rights information that you have granted to a licensee. This free tool will allow you to export your license metadata in an XMP file that you may use to embed your license in a digital image.
o PLUS Packs: Learn more about this universal licensing standard for a streamlined form of image licensing. With licensors of all sizes worldwide offering the same conveniently standardized, numbered packages, Rights Managed image licensing will be easier than ever.
SAA PLUS Packs Calculator. SAA developed this free open source software tool to spur adoption of the PLUS Rights Managed licensing standard by licensors of all sizes-from stock The Calculator automates selection and pricing of PLUS Packs on one screen, with just a few clicks http://www.stockartistsalliance.org/pluspacks/index.htm
DIGITAL IMAGING STANDARDS
UPDIG-Universal Photographic Digital Imaging Guidelines-is a global initiative of industry organizations working together to identify, define and share best technical practices for reproducing, exchanging and archiving digital images. Download the UPDIG Guidelines and other supporting documents at http://www.updig.org
Metadata, Digital Asset Management, Keywording and More. On ControlledVocabulary.com, you'll find a generous array of resources from SAA's digital guru, David Riecks. http://www.controlledvocabulary.com
COPYRIGHT REGISTRATION
U.S. Copyright Office
Register your copyright for all stock images before they leave your desktop. OU can now do so online, usng the new Electronic Copyright Office (eCO) or alternatively, use their new new fill-in Form CO. Read the tips, tutorial and FAQs. http://www.copyright.gov/forms/
Copyright Tutorial. An excellent guide to copyright registration from the ASMP-the American Society
of Media Photographers. http://www.asmp.org/copyright
INTERNET TRACKING
TinEye is an image search engine built by Idée currently in beta. Give it an image and it will tell you where the image appears on the web. http://tineye.com/login
PicScout Image Tracker� is the stock industry's leading solution to protect images on the Internet, serving most major collections along with photographers and smaller archives. PicScout scans commercial websites, looking for the images and reports any matches that may represent an unauthorized use.
PicScout also offers a compliance service to recover licensing and other fees on your behalf. http://www.picscout.com
