Royalty Free Photos

We all know it: You can´t use a photo for public presentation without having the right to do so. But don´t mind: Royalty free photos are a simple way for licensing. Pay once, and off you go! A little introduction....

Stock Photography

First you should get an idea about the term "Public Presentation". That goes without saying, you might think. But there are still guys, who don´t care about that by claiming that their website is just "private".
The point is: It doesn´t matter, whether a website is private or not. Everybody can see it, and here we go: each website is public! So using a photo for a website is the same as using a photo for a flyer or a print magazine. That means: If you want to use an image, you must acquire the right. Getting a royalty-free photo (sometimes also called Stock Photography) is a good way to get along. Nevertheless, prices may differ between "commercial use" and "private use".

Picture Stocks

Royalty free photos are offered by stock photo archives or picture stocks. But when licensing a photo, there is one thing you should keep in mind: Paying the fee gives you the right to use the image, but not the right to resell or distribute it. You do not own the photo! In any case, you should read the Terms of Use. Royalty free pictures are delivered on CD collections, or as download.

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Free Photos?

Don´t muddle up: Royalty free photos are not free in terms of "gratis". Royalty free photos are charged with a license fee; but you pay that fee only once and then you can use the image as long as you want, without an additional charge (sometimes this is called "Buy-out", although it is not exactly the same....).
However: that makes it easy, because no sophisticated rights management with the owner of the photo is necessary, and prices are moderate for non exclusive material.