“Photo agency” is a term you hear and read a lot in the graphic design and visual creative businesses. But what actually is a photo agency? How does it work? And why is it valuable for creatives?
Today we answer all these questions and more, to show you just how photo agencies can help your business’ creative workflow and maximise costs. This way you’ll understand the value in stuff like our list of the 20+ best photo agencies of the web!
Ready to learn?
What is a Photo Agency?
When a graphic designer, a marketing creative or photographer mentions a photo agency, they are actually referring to a stock photography agency.
How Do Photo Agencies Work?
Photo agencies usually operate online: they have a website that hosts their entire image library, a search engine to find photos easily, and they sell images online via image packs or credit packs for on-demand buying, and through stock photo subscriptions for regular customers needing new photos all the time.
Photographers and artists wanting to sell their work submit their images to the photo agency via the web, and if approved they make it into the agency’s catalog. Every time one of their images is sold, the artist gets a percentage of that sale in the form of royalties.
back to menu ↑Why Are Photo Agencies Valuable?
The value in a photo agency for creatives and business owners is rather clear: it’s much easier and faster to visit one website and find all the perfect images for marketing and visual content you need, than going to different photographers according to what kind of image you are after. Plus, through a stock photo subscription, you can save a lot in the long run and download new images almost instantly with just one click of your mouse.
They are particularly ideal if you plan on creating your own visuals for your business. In which case, our guide with 102 tips to creating visuals with stock images will be your best friend!
And there is value for artists too, of course. By selling their work through a photo agency, they don’t have to worry or spend on marketing, and they are free from the task of dealing with customers directly and setting up online buying/paying methods.
back to menu ↑What are the Top 10 Photo Agencies Today?
Online stock photography is a very crowded space in our times, but there are some companies that stand out thanks to their success, their quality of service, and their reliability.
We have a complete list of 20+ top stock photo sites, but here we gathered the best 10 photo agencies of today:
#1 Stock Photo Secrets – Budget-Friendly, High-Quality Images
- See the full Stock Photo Secrets review
- Best deal! 99Club
- See all plans and prices
- Sign up for free at Stock Photo Secrets
#2 Photocase – Unique, Fun-loving Photos
Photocase is a photo agency based in Berlin that specialises in quirky, out-of-the-box photography that combines an artsy eye and commercial value, available at very reasonable price points.
- See the full Photocase review
- See all pricing details
- Grab our special Photocase Coupon with 5 Free Credits + 10% Off
- Sign up for free at Photocase
#3 Shutterstock – Massive, Commercial Photo Library
- See the full Shutterstock review
- See all plans and prices
- Use our exclusive Shutterstock Coupon Code with up to 15% Off
- Take advantage of the Shutterstock Free Trial with up to 10 free images for one month
- Sign up for free at Shutterstock
#4 iStock – Exclusive, Affordable Photography
- See the full iStock review
- See all plans and prices
- Save with our iStock Promo Code with up to 15% Off
- Sign up for free at iStock
#5 Adobe Stock – High-Res Pictures for Creative Cloud Lovers
- See the full Adobe Stock review
- See all plans and prices
- Take advantage of the Adobe Stock Free Trial with up to 10 free images for 30 days
- Sign up for free for at Adobe Stock
#6 Getty Images – High-End, Prestigious Photo Agency
One of the most prestigious photography agencies in the world, Getty Images is famous for its exclusive and very high-end catalogue. It’s a creative and editorial photo agency.
- See the full Getty Images review
- See pricing details
- Get more for your bucks with the exclusive Ultrapacks that save up to 30%
- Sign up for free at Getty Images
#7 Dreamstime – Low-Priced, Professional Imagery
In business for over a decade, Dreamstime is a very good photo agency in the sense that it offers a large collection of images at very low price points making it accessible for nearly everyone.
#8 123RF – Reliable, Affordable Stock Photo Service
123RF, which stands for “one, two, three, Royalty-Free” is a photo agency with a good reputation emanating from their many years in business, their abundant image catalog, and their affordable prices.
- See the full 123RF review
- See all plans and prices
- Grab the special 123RF Coupon Code with up to 20% Off
- Sign up for free at 123RF
#9 Storyblocks – Unlimited, Membership-Based Agency
#10 SignSilo – Specialised Photo Agency & Car Outline Provider
- See more about SignSilo
- Best deal! VehicleClub
- See all plans and prices
- Sign up for free at SignSilo
And we include special discounts and bonus deals for many of them in our Offers label too!
Types of Photo Agencies Available
Many companies selling photos online have multipurpose catalogs covering all popular topics and genres.
However, most of the main ones are heavily focusing on the content that makes it into the latest photography trends reports.
And many more.
back to menu ↑Are There Free Photo Agencies?
Why yes, there are. The web is packed with sites offering images that you can download and use in your work without paying a dime. However, most of these images are still under a license that determines how you can use them. Usually, it’ll be a variant of Creative Commons (CC) license, or they’ll be under the Public Domain, though you may also find custom license agreements.
More details in our article on the 5 risks of using free photos from the Internet.
BONUS: Reliable Free Photo Sites
If you must use a free photo agency, let it be one of the few that are serious and trustworthy enough. Here we give you some options, and you can find a lot more in our list of 27+ Best Free Photo Sites!
Unsplash
Pexels
Pexels is a free image site that sources its own content as well as aggregates from other free photo providers. They are now owned by web-based design platform Canva.
Pixabay
Recently acquired by Canva, Pixabay is a rather serious source for free photography that compiles images from various other sites as well.
PikWizard
Burst
Use Photo Agencies to Solve your Visual Needs
Photo agencies are middlemen companies that simplify the process of finding, licensing and downloading stock photography to use in your business’ visuals.
By using their services, you get all the photos you need immediately, legally, and without breaking the bank.
That’s what we call a well-round solution!
- Stock Photo Secrets is budget-friendly
- Photocase is unique
- Shutterstock is massive
- iStock is high-value
- Adobe Stock is highly-functional in Creative Cloud apps
- Getty Images is prestigious
- Dreamstime is affordable
- 123RF is reliable
- Storyblocks is unlimited
- SignSilo has images and car outlines
Which one are you choosing?
Ivanna Attié
I am Content Manager, Researcher, and Author in Stock Photo Press and its many stock media oriented publications. I am a passionate communicator with a love for visual imagery and an inexhaustible thirst for knowledge. Lucky enough to enter the wonderful world of stock photography working side-by-side with experienced experts, I am happy to share my research, insights, and advice about image licensing, stock photography offers, and the stock media industry with everyone in the creative community. My background is in Communication and Journalism, and I also love literature and performing arts.
