Microstock Photography: Images for Pennies?

The business of selling photographs has survived some shifting landscapes over the years. The digital revolution shook the tripods of many photographers in the last decade, but more recently the competitive distribution wars being waged online have sparked controversy. Companies like istockphoto and shutterstock stormed onto the scene peddling photos for mere fractions of traditional licensing fees, hence giving birth to the age of “microstock agencies.”

While microstock agencies can fill an occasional image need, their talent tryouts are relatively brief—in fact all it takes to post photos for sale on many of these sites is a digital camera and an opposable thumb. While we’re never one to toss water on a meaningful fire, there are a few finer points of “traditional” stock agencies that we feel translate into direct benefits for folks on the receiving end of the transaction.

Circumerro Stock was set up to help talented valley-wide photographers have a broader reach. They key word is talented. The photographers represented on Circumerro Stock are handpicked and at the top of their craft. They represent a range of skills and subjects, specializing in destination imagery on Jackson Hole, the greater Yellowstone region, coastal beach towns in South Carolina and more.

We pick a focus and cover it well. Microstock agencies may be able to offer a smattering of photos from subjects all across the board, but they lack the ability to offer compelling imagery that can be truly unique to your brand. True, some occasional gems do pop up on microstock sites, but with typical unlimited licensing rights at bottom-dollar prices, you can only guess how often these images are used, eroding their uniqueness faster than the latest shutter speed.

Microstock agencies offer some conveniences with keyword searches and the ability to purchase image usages online, but the services typically end there. At Circumerro Stock, we have over 6000 images that can also be delivered electronically on a typical same-day turn around, but that is just the beginning.

Not exactly sure what format or size you need the image in? With an office full of designers and photographers, we work with you to optimize the image for your needs or educate you on what format will work best. Need some assistance selecting images from more than keywords? We have the local knowledge to help you select photos that fit your content needs, the ability to search archives and even go out and obtain new images if we don’t have exactly what you’re looking for. In short, we offer the conveniences and the services to complete the package.