What is royalty free (RF)?
Royalty free refers to the category of images that are available for a flat rate with unlimited usage, regardless of placement, number, or length of uses. Generally the images are supplied on a CD that costs anywhere from $100 to $500, and contains fifty, one hundred, three hundred, or more images that the purchaser may then use and reuse wherever and whenever they choose for as long as they like. Some larger stock agencies offer RF images that may be downloaded one at a time for an even lower fee, sometimes as little as five dollars. While the temptation for photographers, especially those just starting out, to submit images for consideration in an RF collection is one of immediate cash, photographers who wish to be in business for the long term should avoid RF situations for several reasons. First, as stated in the question on licensing, the right to control and profit from our images lies with us, their creators, as guaranteed by copyright law. Why would we ever part with that right
