Who Purchases Stock Images?

If you’re earning or planning to earn from microstock agencies, you might be wondering who buys stock photos from them.

I believe newcomers also have the same question. Honestly, many are likely curious about who pays for the work of microstock authors.

Understanding the Stock Photo Buyer Landscape

If you haven’t figured it out yet or have doubts about your assumptions, and if you’re interested in how to buy stock photos or how to buy an illustration from a microstock agency, then today’s article is just for you.

Many designers often encounter a shortage of new ideas or quality materials, such as photos and illustrations.

This is where popular microstock agencies come in handy; with sufficient funds, a wide variety of photos and illustrations can be purchased for brochures, magazines, newspapers, books, website designs, and more.

Additionally, purchasing photos and illustrations from microstock agencies is often more cost-effective and quicker than hiring a professional photographer or illustrator. Microstock agencies offer a vast collection of images.

For example, agencies like Shutterstock have over 10 million high-quality images in their databases.

Royalty-Free images from microstock agencies can be used in multiple projects without incurring additional fees. The primary limitation is using the photo or illustration as a standalone product.

Having outlined the opportunities microstock agencies offer to image buyers, let’s identify the main categories of these buyers:

• Newspapers and Magazines: Key Buyers of Stock Photos

  Mass media outlets, including newspapers and magazines, are significant buyers of microstock content. Why do they need photos and illustrations from microstock agencies?
  I think that’s pretty obvious – to illustrate articles and covers.
  A decade or 15 years ago, to illustrate new material or design a cover, one would resort to clipart, search the Internet, sift through old disks, or attempt to create the necessary image themselves.
  Now, all publications have modernized, using advancements made possible by technical progress; nevertheless, they still consider the cost ratios between hiring external photographers or designers and purchasing images from microstock agencies.
  Newspapers and magazines allocate quite decent budgets for purchasing photos and illustrations from microstock agencies, allowing them to receive significant discounts on their purchases. However, they tend to buy exclusive, non-republished works, paying attention to the plot and quality of the work.
  They most often purchase photographs, while vector illustrations are bought less frequently. A significant percentage of their purchases includes extended licenses, although they opt for RF licenses when suitable.
  Interestingly, in recent years, the proportion of newspapers and magazines from the CIS acquiring photos and illustrations from microstock agencies has been increasing. Are we becoming more civilized?

• Design Agencies: Building with Stock Images

  This class of buyers is perhaps the most significant. Why is that? Simply because it’s their job. They have to illustrate everything: articles in brochures, brochures, banners, stretchers, all kinds of printing, web design, and website illustration.
  Design agencies mainly buy isolated images on white backgrounds and vectors.
  The images acquired from stock photo sites are used by design agencies as building blocks for the structures they envision. By the way, design agencies also take advantage of the subscription options offered by stock photo sites, as it provides significant savings.
  Exclusivity of images is rarely demanded by them. However, there is one peculiar aspect in their purchases. They often buy an XS size image before purchasing the main one. Why? This is usually needed for preliminary approval with the client of the layout being prepared.
  Design agencies usually don’t focus much on the prices of works on stock photo sites because these costs are included in the client’s estimate, and saving $5-10 on a project won’t benefit the agency’s employees.

• Freelance Designers: Budget-Conscious Buyers

  This class of buyers is no less extensive than the previous one. In principle, freelancers work in the same areas as design agencies. Their needs are similar to those of agencies. However, the attitude towards the possibility of saving is completely different for this class.
  Since the estimate for the design being prepared is agreed upon in advance, the budget allocation falls on the designer themselves. Accordingly, the money saved on the project goes into the freelancer’s pocket.
  Therefore, freelancers often scour stock photo databases for extended periods to find the cheapest options or select images from the free sections of stock photo sites. This class usually isn’t interested in subscriptions and does not qualify for stock photo discounts due to the insignificant volumes of purchases.
  They purchase extended licenses very rarely, except for really large projects. They also rarely buy the XS size before purchasing, mostly getting by with previews. They most often work with stock photo sites like fotolia and dreamstime.
  For freelance designers, these stock photo sites are ideal in terms of the conditions offered.

• Bloggers and Webmasters: Small but Significant Buyers

  This segment of stock photo buyers does not generate significant purchase volumes compared to the previous three. Their needs are usually limited to the necessity of illustrating new materials for a website or blog.
  It is clear that in this regard, the most commonly purchased sizes of photos and illustrations from stock photo sites are XS and S sizes. They most often buy a variety of graphics or ready-made designs, initially prepared images.
  This is quite simple to explain. Most bloggers and webmasters are not designers and have neither the skills nor the time or desire to make any modifications to illustrations.

Tips for Contributors

Now that you understand who most often and significantly buys your photos and illustrations from stock photo sites, it will be easier for you to prepare and create new works for stock photo sites. When creating images for a stock photo site, try to imagine yourself in the buyer’s position and understand how your image might be used.

A very good image for a stock photo site, in terms of potential demand by buyers, is one that conveys a single idea (concept), uncluttered by unnecessary details, preferably against a uniform background. It is also an advantage if there is space for advertising text in the image.

Images meant for “cropping,” that is, on a white background (isolated objects), are more frequently purchased from stock photo sites. By the way, a white background achieved through lighting is more valued in photographs, without the use of Photoshop.

The photograph should also be well composed and of sufficient resolution. And if you are creating a vector illustration, don’t forget to embed a basic idea and composition into it.