ARC Photography sTock Galleries

Specilizing in stock images from Canada's Rocky Mountain National Parks, ARC Photography's online galleries are only a sample of the images available for purchase for print or web usage. Don't see what you're looking for? Contact Alisen at alisen@arcphotography.ca for a custom quote.

STOCK & Commercial PHOTOGRAPY 101

Stock and commercial photography is an ever evolving arm of the photography world with a wide variety of pricing models. The two main categories of stock photography ("stock" meaning photos created by a photographer on their own time and sold for print advertising, web or editorial us afterwards) are Royalty Free and Rights Managed. Royalty Free photographs are purchased more like a commodity in a similar way that retailers sell merchandise. Pricing is based on the size of the photograph (web or print quality) and there are no limits placed on how often or where such a photograph is used. Rights Managed stock photography takes into account the bigger picture and including the intended usage for the image and how many people will potentially see the image. There are benefits and drawbacks to both models, but at ARC Photography, we believe that quality photography, unique to a certain client or specific market's needs, can only be sustained through a combination of Royalty Free and Rights Managed pricing structures.

The COST of STOCK & Commercial Photography

How you value photography and it's role in promoting your business will play a large part in what route you want to go in purchasing or creating images for your marketing projects. At ARC Photography, we use PhotoQuote software developed by industry professionals to help determine our costs when quoting for custom photo shoots or charging for stock photography. For many businesses, photography is a significant investment and the commissioning of art created specifically for your business is something that should be well thought out. It's important to know what your intended message, market and usage will be for the photographs you want to have created.

Many businesses are unfamiliar with the true cost of stock or commercial photography. For a pricing guide and comparisons, I often refer clients to Getty Images – perhaps the most well know photography/ image company in the world. Just as with ARC Photography, their Rights Managed photography is priced depending the type of usage (web only or print & web), the amount of time that the client can use the image for (1 month to 10 years), in what areas (national or international), and if the client will get exclusive rights to use the photograph during that time. These are all taken into consideration when pricing a custom photography shoot. If you'd like to get an ARC Photography quote for a photography project you have in mind, having specific information before requesting a quote is essential.