Photo Agency: What It Is and How it Helps Your Creative Workflow
“Photo agency” is a term you hear and read a lot in 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 maximize costs. This way, you’ll understand the value in stuff like our list of the 20+ best photo agencies on the web!
What is a Photo Agency?
When a graphic designer, a marketing creative, or a 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. Are you one of them? then read our honest guide to selling photos online at stock photo agencies!
Why Are Photo Agencies Valuable?
The value of 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 this case, our guide with 102 tips for 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.
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 Stockphotos.com – Budget-Friendly, High-Quality Images
Stockphotos.com is a photo agency oriented to small and medium-sized businesses, with a large and high-quality library and plans and prices that meet all budgets.
- See the full Stockphotos.com review
- Best deal! Club Unlimited for unlimited image downloads (just 99.90 USD a year)
- Sign up for free at Stockphotos.com
#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
Please note that Photocase has been closed. We recommend Shutterstock instead.
#3 Shutterstock – Massive, Commercial Photo Library
Shutterstock is a giant in the photo agency industry, with a library of over 280 million photos, all with a strong commercial feel that is every creative director's dream, at super low prices.
- 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
iStock is a renowned company that sells both budget stock photography as well as exclusive, high-value images at a bit of a higher price point, which covers most art directors' needs.
- 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
Adobe Stock is a photo agency developed by Adobe that is fully integrated into their Creative Cloud platform too, making its full library available within your favorite design apps for improved creative workflow.
- 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 catalog. 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
