Microstock photography is a hot term nowadays. A lot of people are earning money through microstock photography. So what is microstock photography? Microstock photography is the collection of photographs on a particular subject or domain. For example, a set of different photos on the topic nature is an example of microstock photography. These can be taken by the same photographer or different photographers. Microstock photographs are used by publishers, advertising agencies, media firms, and individuals who require it. These photos appear in the books, magazines, advertisements, and even web sites.

Now you know the clients for your microstock photographs you must be wondering why they require these photos. The answer is the cheap cost. If the advertising agency or publisher wanted to do a photo shoot for the same photo, it would have cost them more money. The charges for the photographers, studio charges, lighting, models and props, etc. would have come up to certainly a bigger amount that what they need to pay for a single photograph. A photographer will definitely be charging less than that as he or she may use one set for different types of photographs.

There are two categories of the microstock photography business. These are the macro and micro stock photography. Macro is the community of the professional photographers. The photos here would be of good or high quality and the prices would be high. In the microstock photography, the participants include both professionals and amateurs. So the quality and prices also vary. So the clients choose the category based on the type of work and budget.

A microstock photographer can sell photos through various means. Internet being the biggest medium there are other mediums as well. Marketing firms, publishers, photo editors, P R professional, printers, photo agencies, and graphic designers are possible people who can assist you.

Being a microstock photographer doesn\'t mean that you can do other types of photography. You can do microstock photography as a part time business or even as a hobby. It will not be as tiring or time consuming as your regular job. So if you have time to invest, invest it in microstock photography. You must keep good connections with your clients and contacts. If you prefer to make use of microstock agencies for the sale of your microstock photos, you must first read the terms and conditions properly and discuss it with them. Some agencies will take up all rights of the images once you give it to them. But there are other agencies which just act as the mediums for sale and let you retain the copyrights.

Travel photography, product photography, and scenic images are much in demand these days within the microstock photography industry, so get the wagon fast, before it leaves without you.