The short answer? It’s cost efficient and its timely.
In today’s word, there are a ton of resources available to designers and agencies for general photography. It didn’t used to be like that but now with companies like iStock that have made stock photography not only accessible, but affordable. It is positive for both photographers and designer/agencies looking to buy photos as well.
Let’s think about it a bit. No longer do photographers have to produce work and then go around trying to sell it. Now they can upload it to a photography site where it can be purchased if someone has need of it.
As far as the designer/agency end of needing photography though, it gets more complicated. Even if you have a photographer on staff, the time needed to take your own photos (depending on the project) is pretty extensive. What you’re looking at for that as a minimum is:
- If the photo needed includes people you’ll need models. (Which can mean extra costs and paperwork in the form of model release forms)
- Time to set up the scenery and acquire the right lighting
- Possible extensive photo equipment
- Props
- Travel time
- Photo editing
All of these items can end up meaning each project takes longer to finish and ends up being more expensive for the client. In a deadline driven world where there are often multiple projects going, all of which need photography, logistically it becomes impossible to have original photography for every project.
So then the answer becomes to look for stock photography because logistically it is much simpler. With the huge libraries offered by iStock, Bigstock, and other stock photography companies, usually you can find exactly what you are working for or something that can be quickly edited to fit your needs. The time and cost involved for stock photography is roughly:
- Time for searching for a photo that will work
- Possible change of original concept to fit stock photography available
- Purchase image
- Photo editing
While the first option lends itself for more customization. The time and cost involved is much higher than using stock photography. The most important thing for designers and agencies is to meet deadlines and stay within the budget. Having the expertise and experience is a huge part of navigating these problems effectively.
Similar issues are needing stock illustrations and music. When you are looking at saving time and budget, there are a lot of affordable stock options.
If you have a project where you need experienced designers, contact us! We’d love to help you put your best face forward and meet your advertising needs.