Stock photography is simply photos taken “on spec”. Stock photography is licensed in several different ways. The two most popular are Rights Managed, and Royalty Free Stock Photography.

Rights Managed photography is the use of stock photos that are licensed for a specific, limited time and purpose. If an advertiser for instance, needed a stock photo for one specific ad campaign, they could license a photo for that specific use.

Royalty free stock photography allows you to pay a license fee once, then use the photo multiple times. One of the most popular forms of photography for small and web based businesses, is royalty free micro stock photography. Quality stock photos can be licensed for as little as $1 in smaller, web friendly sizes. Royalty free does not automatically mean “public domain” or “copyright free”, and each micro stock photography site has their own particular use restrictions on the photos you license.