Tips for Microstock Buyers

 

The foremost thing to remember when buying microstock images, is that the same group of photographers are submitting the same images to all the sites in most cases. Also important is the fact that these self same photographers tend to use the same username wherever they submit so it's not too difficult to find the same image you have your eye on elsewhere.

The upshot of this being that you may well find the image you want cheaper elsewhere. There are also slight variations in the licence details from site to site too, so you may find you have more freedom with a particular image, depending where you buy it. FeaturePics is a good site to bookmark, as the photographers set the price. Of course this can work against you if you get a greedy photographer.

Regrettably, the one site where the aformentioned practice may not work for you is iStockPhoto, where there are a number of exclusive photographers. If the photo you view on iStock is exclusive to them, it'll say so to the right of the image. Although most of the major agencies have the facility for photographers to upload an image exclusively to them, iStock is the only one that insists on photographer exclusivity. Meaning that if a photographer or illustrator signs up with them on an exclusive basis they are forbidden from selling ANY images with other agencies.

If you are buying large quantities of microstock images on a regular basis it's worth considering a subscription package with one of the major sites as this means you can usually end up acquiring ALL of your images, regardless of their size or resolution for a dollar or less. Shutterstock is the king of the subscription offerers, with the biggest range and a wealth of new content available daily.