Stock photography for models. Yes or no?

What is stock photography?

Stock photography is pre-existing photography that can be used for print and web ads, in books and magazines, in news, on websites, in brochures and packaging.

Most designers would LOVE to hire an agency for each photo they use.  That way they have perfect control over the way each one looks.  Big name designers such as Covergirl, Gucci, Prada all use ad agencies or in-house advertising departments to get exactly what they need.  They have a specific product that needs to be in each image and a specific branding to consistently represent.

For smaller projects or designers in a hurry stock photography is the way to go.  Maybe they need a photo of a couple of happy children playing for a school website or an article about diversity.  They could use photos of a man using a computer for a story about computer viruses.  If the article has to be published tomorrow and the school doesn’t have the money to hire an ad agency they use stock photography.

Why would a model want to pose for a stock photographer?  Syracuse Modeling does not pay for models.   So how does this help the model?

• Builds an actual, working portfolio for the model for FREE
• Gives real work experience
• Syracuse Modeling will refer you to a great modeling agency in Syracuse if you are reliable and work well
• Stock photography is already published everywhere.  It is on billboards, magazines, websites, etc. and if we find out where you are, we’ll let you know so that you can have it as a tear sheet for your portfolio!

Stock photography isn’t for everyone.  If you are a very experienced, professional model extremely concerned with the final placement of all images and have consistently been getting paid top dollar this is probably not for you.  If you are looking to build your portfolio and don’t want to pay a ton of money for a basic headshot portfolio, stock is a great way to get a diverse group of images free or at very low cost.

Some modeling agencies view stock as a threat to their business.  They are concerned more with their bottom line than a model getting experience and exposure.  In reality, most designers who are using stock do not have the budget or time to set up a full shoot with agency models.  In these cases only the model loses if they’ve chosen to completely avoid stock photography.

Be sure to decide for yourself what is best for you as a model.  Neither us as photographers nor the agencies are completely unbiased, so you need to evaluate what is best for your modeling career on your own.

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1. Luigi Fulk says:

   January 13, 2010 at 5:51 pm

   I was searching for digital photography when I found your site. Very good post. Thank You.