Stock Photography: Right Managed vs. Royalty Free
I have been reading a lot about stock photography lately and actually I even joined one of them as an experiment. So what do you need to know as a photographer to start your career in stock photography? If you have been using Lightroom, you should already be familiar with keywords. Keywords help users to find the kind of photos they are looking for from the stock. If you have recognizable people in your photo, you should also have their written consent. All the places have their own criterias for the size and the type of the photo. So read their guidelines very carefully! Stocks are a great way to make some money even when you are sleeping ;)
Right Managed means that the photo will be sold for a limited time period and for a certain type of use. It also means that you can only sell that photo for one time until the time period ends. Different type of use usually have different price range also. Photos that include people or trademarks are usually sold as Right Managed. This kind of photos are usually sold with a higher price. It is perfect choice for a customer that wants to build a brand, because nobody else can use it at the same time. For a photographer, this can be like waiting to win in a lottery. So when to choose Right Managed then? Fine art and other photos that are considered as unique are usually sold as Right Managed.
Royalty Free means that the photo can be used anywhere and anytime, but not given out or sold to a third party. It is only for use of the person or company that purchased it. It also means that you can sell that photo for several times and depending from the stock you have chosen in most cases you can also sell the photo in several stocks. So read their terms of use very carefully! This kind of photos are usually sold with a cheaper price. It is a perfect choice for a customer that wants to have quality photos with cheaper price and doesn't care if somebody else is using the same photo. I have also heard that nowadays Royalty Free photos sells more easily, mostly because of their price and because the usage is not limited to any type of media. So when to choose Royalty Free then? Any other photos than mentioned in the second paragraph are usually sold as Royalty Free.