Glossary of Stock Photography Terms

 

Stock photo or stock image

An existing photograph that is available to be rented (licensed) for reproduction use to a wide variety of clients.
   
Licensing  of reproduction rights Often shortened as "license rights". By the way of the license, the client receives permission to reproduce a photograph for the usage specified on the invoice / license. 
   
Copyright
The exclusive right to make copies, license, and otherwise use an image.
   
Copyright Infringement The use of an image protected by copyright law without permission. This is a criminal offence and can be prosecuted via the criminal justice system.
   
Image Includes digitised images or images in electronic or any other medium.
   
Web display images Low resolution digitised images for display on One Shot. Not for End Use.
   
Comp or Comping images Medium Resolution digitised images available for download from One Shot for evaluation by you prior to committing to a License for End Use.
   
Hi-res or High Resolution images Print quality digitised images made available to you after the issue of a Licence.
   
Rights Managed (RM) License Refers to a copyright license which, if purchased by a user, allows the use of an image as specified by that license.
   
Royalty Free (RF) License Refers to a copyright license where, for a one time fee based upon the size of the file being purchased, there is no need to pay ongoing royalties for each use or period of use.
   
Price Calculator Online tool that allows you to price an image.
   
End User The entity for which the Images are being Licensed for use.
   
End Use The final application(s) or purpose for which the images are being Licensed.
   
Stock photography collection or agency Company who has been assigned the right to licenses copyright protected stock images to clients on behalf of the copyright owners (e.g. photographers).
   
Contributing photographer or contributor Photographer whose pictures appear in a stock photography collection.
Click here to learn more about joining our team of contributing photographers.
   
Resolution The detail an image holds. Both image file resolution and monitor resolution are measured in either pixels per inch (ppi) or pixel dimensions; and printer resolution is measured in dots per inch (dpi)
   
Pixel Basic unit of programmable color on a computer display or in a computer image. The specific color that a pixel describes is some blend of three components of the color spectrum - RGB.
   
Print output size The size of the medium on which the image is going to be printed.
   
Dots Per Inch (DPI) Measure of spatial printing dot density. This corresponds to the number of individual dots that can be placed in a line within the span of 1 inch.
   

Pixel Per Inch (PPI)

Measure of the density of illuminated points (also known as sharpness) on a display screen. The pixels per inch for a given picture resolution will differ based on the overall screen size since the same number of pixels are being spread out over a different space.
   
Creative License  An image can be used for commercial purposes, such as in an advert, a brochure, a website...
   
Editorial Use Only License An image can only be used for editorial purposes. i.e. a descriptive visual reference on a blog, a newspaper or magazine article.
   
Model Release A legal document, also known as a release or legal waiver, that the subject needs to sign in order to grant permission to publish the photograph and for the photograph to be used for advertising purposes. If no release is signed, the image can only be reproduced for editorial use only.

   
Property Release A legal document, also known as release or legal waiver, that the owner of a property needs to sign in order to grant permission to publish the photograph and for the photograph to be used for advertising purposes. Property includes residences but also intellectual property such as artistic creations. If no release is signed, the image can only be reproduced for editorial use only. 
   
License Fee The fee payable by You to One Shot for the image reproduction rights specified in the Licence.
   
Penalty Fee The fee payable by You in the event of an unauthorised use of an image(s) by You.
   
Debt Collection Fee The fee payable by You in the event a debt collection agency must be used to recover unpaid License Fees and/or Penalty Fees payable by You.
   
Sensitive Use The use of an image featuring an identifiable person(s), regardless of the presence of model release(s) signed by that person(s) in any media where the publication of such an image is used to depict or illustrate unflattering situations or sensitive social situations, or whether the publication of such likenesses or photographs would hold the person(s) to ridicule, scandal, reproach, scorn, indignity or embarrassment of any kind.
   
Online Order An order conducted entirely on a website of the Licensor where an image license is purchased and paid for using an online payment service such as Paypal and a High Resolution Image is downloaded as a result of that transaction.