Stock Photography FAQ

How much does Stock Photography sell for?

The price photographers and stock photography libraries charge for licensing the right to publish their images varies widely - based on whether the image will be used for promotional reasons, and how many people will see it once it's published.  There are also other considerations that influence the negotiation of this price structure, including how badly the photo-buyer wants to use the image, how much expense or trouble went into making the image, and generally, how easy it would be to substitute the image with another or reshoot it altogether (Pickerell, 1992a).

The STOCKPHOTO Network does not set the licensing fees for those photographers and agencies listed on its pages.  Contact the individual photographer or representing agency of the photos you are interested in for details on pricing.

As a general reference, Pickerell Services publishes Negotiating Stock Photo Prices, with guides for buyers and sellers of stock that include industry average price lists.  In addition, Cradoc Corporation publishes fotoQuote, a stock photography pricing software guide for Macintosh and IBM-PC Compatible computers that has been highly recommended by many in the STOCKPHOTO Forum.  The Photographer's Index also has a smaller online database of stock photography prices you can look through.