A Primer on Stock Photo types…

Do You Know the Players?

Advance Notes : Who are the players in the stock photography industry ? The players, of course, are the photographers and the buyers – but there are two separate "games" they can play in, and the stock photos differ, depending on which game they're in.

To get a clear picture of the players and the games in the stock photo industry, take a magazine and tear out all the advertisement photos . The photos that are left, (remain) are what we call "editorial photography" [game 1]. The ads, are "commercial photography" [game 2].

Stock photography is used in both “games,” but with some big differences.

Most commercial photos are shot in studios or on contrived locations and conform to the wishes of several parties:

The client, the ad agency, the art director , and only slightly, the photographer.

Editorial photos, in contrast, meet the wishes of the editor of a magazine, web owner, book, or newspaper, and/or, a photo researcher, but first and foremost the photo meets the wishes of the photobuyer.

Commercial stock photos can be designed and produced by the photographer, but are still under the dictates of having to conform to "what sells." The photographer must gear the photos to fit into commercial clients' needs, trends in the industry, and to appeal to a wide, general audience. The resulting photos are often called generic images, because in many cases they can fit a variety of uses.

Editorial stock photos are produced by a different approach. Rather than conform to the commercial needs of a client , the editorial stock photographer follows his or her own interests, needs, and enjoyment, in photographing certain segments of life and culture. Examples: medicine and health, sports, social issues , travel, etc. The photographer then sells these photos to markets that use images in those specific subject areas.

Buyers in the commercial field range from Graphic Design Houses , to corporate art directors, to ad agency creative directors. There's much turnover in these positions, so developing consistent working relationships with these markets is frustrating and difficult for the photographer.

In the editorial field the buyers range from photo editors at books and magazines, to photo researchers -- the people who are hired by publishers and art directors to seek out highly specific pictures. There's less turnover and more l ongevity with editorial buyers, and editorial stock photographers can enjoy strong long-term working relationships with their buyers -- which translates to more consistent sales.

Rohn Engh is director of PhotoSource International and publisher of PhotoStockNotes. Pine Lake Farm, 1910 35th Road, Osceola, WI 54020 USA. E-mail: info@photosource.com . Fax: 1 715 248 7394. Web site: www.photosource.com .