Stock Photography

Stock photographyshooting a multitude of generic images, cataloguing your photographs, and making them available for quick retrievalis a business opportunity you can explore. Let's face it, everyone is in a rush. Instead of setting up a photo shoot, it can sometimes work for a client to purchase an existing image available from a stock agent or on the Web.

Until several years ago, some photographers shot almost exclusively for stock. There were a number of independent agencies licensed photographs. Recently, however, there has been a lot of consolidation in the industry and only a few agencies remainlimiting the number of opportunities available to photographers. Today, some photographers license images directly through their own Web sites.

Food photographers can supplement their income by licensing photos and making them available through stock agents, but don't count on doing this as a livelihood. Also, be careful to protect the rights you have to your own work before making it available as stock photography. Always obtain appropriate property and model releases so you won't encounter legal hassles down the road. The price charged for stock photos is negotiable, depending on how the image will be used. There are many different levels of usage, such as royalty-free and rights-managed use. Be sure to do your research before signing any contracts.