Stock Photography

Recently, I've started playing with microstock images. I encourage other bloggers to join in on the fun. Microstock is an affordable way to add color to posts and articles. At present, a low resolution stock photo costs about $1.

I decided that, if a blog post is worth penning, then it is worth taking the time and expense to embellish.

The term "Stock Photography" refers to images that photographers are willing to license to the public at large at a low price (currently you can license images for about a buck a shot). These images can be included in blog posts, or other web projects. The image cannot be resold, nor included as a part of a product being resold. Read the license!

About This Project

When using microstock, it is good form to credit the artist who created the image.

I placed a stock image on an opinion piece, and wrote the photographer's name below the image. I realized that this structure of crediting the photographer would wrongfully associate the photographer's name with my opinion. So, I decided to create this program which creates a separate page with the photo credit.

The program works out nicely. I make the image link to a page with the photo credits, and the page links back to my site. By being a good netizen, I get a link to my blog post. So, if yo click on the MicroStock image below, you will go to a page with photo credits, a link to the Microstock source, and a link back to this page.

Open Invitation

This very simple rights management program lets you record the source and destination of Microstock. I invite the public to use the program. If you are a registered user of this site. Then you can use the add listing page to record your microstock project.

If you are interested in trying Microstock, the Stock Photography directory page lists web sites offering Stock Photography services. The ones marked (++) pay me a commission. I think Fotolia has the best deal for starters. You are able to buy 20 credits for $20. The other programs require a bigger commitment to get to the dollar a credit pricing.