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I did a quick search for "royalty fee photos" and found a lot of sites. Does anyone have any experience or recommendations?

Chas.

I buy all of mine from iStockPhoto.com.

The Annoyed Man wrote:I buy all of mine from iStockPhoto.com.

I've done the same on TAM's recommendation.

Most in the sizes I use are only a few dollars each.

What kind of photos are you looking for?

I'm a third recommendation for iStock, but you need to read their licensing documentation carefully. They became more expensive a few years ago when they joined with Getty Images (used to be $1=one credit, and the "Dollar Bin" really was just that...nothing over $1), but they're still a good bargain so long as your use of the photos falls within the basic licensing requirements. If you need expanded rights, it can quickly become more expensive.

Used to use iStockPhoto until one of the graphic design guys on my staff showed me http://www.morguefile.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Isn't Microsoft clipart royalty-free and free to use? Most of Wikicommons is as well.

Royalty free or Royalty fee. One is free to use or public domain, the other you pay a fee to use the photo.

Digital cameras, internet photo sites and photoshop have put a lot of professional photographers out of business and at the same time made lots of people professional photographers.

I'm not familiar with public domain photos or sites. Most photo sites are fee sites and charge to use the photo.

My understanding is all photos taken by federal government employees are public domain automatically. Copyrights on photos last a long time, so I'm not sure how a photo ever becomes public domain anyway. Micky Mouse for example is still copyrighted and he is pretty old. Just because you can grab it off the internet and it does not have a copyright symbol does not mean it is Royalty free.

Some photographers hunt down and sue people who grab their photos off the internet and use them. Many have secret trace programs that tell them a photo of theirs has shown up on the internet. Others don't.

If you buy a photo off one of the photo sites, you can be sure you are protected and free to use the photo per their agreement.

philip964 wrote:Royalty free or Royalty fee. One is free to use or public domain, the other you pay a fee to use the photo.

Actually, that’s incorrect.

You’re confusing “royalty free” with “public domain.” That’s a whole ’nother matter.

Royalty free stock photos and art are not free for anyone to use: they are distributed for a fee (generally) and (always) under specific licensing conditions. The term “royalty free” has to do with the purchaser’s right to use the image in certain formats and in certain volumes. The term generally differentiates a one-time, or limited, or broadcast license from rights to use the image widely and in perpetuity.

I have over a decade of CDs of royalty-free images on the shelf for which I paid in excess of ten grand. So I can personally attest that “royalty free” does not equal “free.”

philip964 wrote:Some photographers hunt down and sue people who grab their photos off the internet and use them. Many have secret trace programs that tell them a photo of theirs has shown up on the internet.

Yep, but it ain't so secret. The most popular is DigiMarc. It can be applied to any image or photo. I use it in most of mine.

philip964 wrote: My understanding is all photos taken by federal government employees are public domain automatically. Copyrights on photos last a long time, so I'm not sure how a photo ever becomes public domain anyway. Micky Mouse for example is still copyrighted and he is pretty old. Just because you can grab it off the internet and it does not have a copyright symbol does not mean it is Royalty free.

This is only partially true, while technically a photo taken by a govt agency is a public document there are several restrictions on the use of said photos. For example DOD photos:

Guidelines for Using DoD Imagery
Image Alteration. As governed by DoD Directive 5040.5 (Alteration of Official DoD Imagery), the accuracy or integrity of our imagery must be maintained in accordance with established DoD imaging ethics.

Restrictions on Use. Our products are readily available unless their release is precluded by statute (as in the Privacy Act), by authority (not released to the general public) or precluded by current and valid security classification. The applicable military public affairs office (Air Force, Army, Navy, or Marines) must be contacted to obtain release authority for any non-releasable visual information records maintained in the DVIC holdings.

Talent Releases. Our imagery is provided without talent releases on any individual portrayed. Imagery is provided with the understanding that the DoD has no authority to waive the privacy rights of any individual depicted in government media. And no exclusive rights to official records may be claimed by any organization or individual.

Commercial Endorsements. Users of DoD imagery will not be portrayed by implication or otherwise that the Department of Defense endorses any commercial product or service.

Skiprr is correct.

I read the title and thought someone was royally giving away a bunch of photos.

"Royalty Free" simply means that you as the buyer pay a one time fee for the privilege of using the image as many times as you want to, and in as many ways as you can, within the limits of the user license you agree to at the time of purchase. This is what happens when I buy an image from iStockPhoto, for instance. I can use that image in my customer's website. I can also use it in their brochures and business cards for example. But I cannot resell it to someone else because I don't own the rights to the image. The image's creator does. I only own a limited right to use it.

"Royalty" means that you would pay a set amount for every use of the image. For instance, you would pay a fractional amount for its use in a printed piece, depending on how many pieces were printed. Or, you would have to pay a fractional amount for every time the website page on which the image appears was viewed by a unique viewer. Obviously this would be almost impossible to regulate. So image creators opt for the ability to charge you once for the image at a rate higher than would be customary in a royalty arrangement, and then grant you rights to use that image any number of ways within the general constraints of the license.

Like, Skiprr, I own a collection of purchased images. Mine is not so vast as his, but it probably constitutes $2k-$3k worth. And I have been contemplating offering some of my own images for sale at iStockPhoto. The advantage of services like theirs to guys like me is that I don't have to buy an entire CD's worth of images any longer just to get the 2 or 3 that I need for my project. I can buy them as needed, one at time, or dozens at a time.

my wife and i are both photographers... i'd be happy to snap some of whatever subject you're needing, if possible.