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Common Ground News

What's the difference between editorial and commercial photography?

Author

James Craig

Updated on March 16, 2026

What's the difference between editorial and commercial photography?

An editorial image can only be used to illustrate a news-related story – not to sell or promote a product, service or idea. Since the purpose of most (commercial) stock photography is to help sell or promote a product or concept, this essentially puts editorial images in their own category.

Then, what is considered editorial photography?

Editorial photography refers to the pictures in a magazine that aren't ads. The photographs that go along with the articles – even the cover of the magazine. Some photographers shoot only editorial type work, others shoot both editorial and commercial.

Beside above, what does commercial photography mean? In a nutshell, commercial photography means taking photos for commercial use. And by commercial we mean for business, for sales, for money. Commercial photography is often associated with advertisements, sales pitches, brochures, product placements as well as merchandising.

Considering this, what is commercial use of an image?

Commercial use means that the image is used directly in the marketing and promotion of a product that results in monetary gain. Otherwise, you are fine as long as you don't claim ownership of the image either explicitly or implied.

What is commercial use of a photo?

Commercial use means that the image is used directly in the marketing and promotion of a product that results in monetary gain. Otherwise, you are fine as long as you don't claim ownership of the image either explicitly or implied.

What is considered editorial?

An editorial, leading article (US) or leader (UK), is an article written by the senior editorial staff or publisher of a newspaper, magazine, or any other written document, often unsigned. Illustrated editorials may appear in the form of editorial cartoons.

How many types of photography are there?

Here are the 15 types of photography genres you can pursue as a professional photographer:
  • #3 - Portrait Photography.
  • #4 - Product Photography.
  • #5 - Fine Art Photography.
  • #6 - Fashion Photography.
  • #7 - Architectural Photography.
  • #10 - Photojournalism.
  • #12 - Sports Photography.
  • #13 - Aerial Photography.

How do you become an editorial photographer?

How to Become an Editorial Photographer
  1. Develop A Technique. A Bachelor of Fine Arts or a Master of Fine Arts in Photography is not always necessary for becoming an Editorial Photographer.
  2. Find Your Niche and Build an Original Portfolio.
  3. Gain Experience by Assisting a Professional Photographer.
  4. Build a Reputation and Know the Market.

How do you create an editorial photo?

Editorial Photo Shoot Steps
  1. Create a Brief for Your Editorial Photo Shoot. First of all, try to understand what you know about editorial photography.
  2. Create a Mood Board.
  3. Find the Right Team.
  4. Find Your Subject(s)
  5. Location.
  6. Styling.
  7. Decide Where to Submit.

What is the difference between fashion and editorial photography?

Commercial Photography sells a product. Fashion Photography sells a lifestyle. Editorial Photography sells a story. The reason being is that both Commercial and Fashion foremost try to sell a certain product, while Editorial Photography is more concerned with a story.

What is photo illustration?

Photo Illustration is a general term which refers to the idea of taking a photograph (or several photographs), and editing it to turn it into something different. Illustrative photography is often used in advertising, marketing, book cover art, and even journalism.

What does it mean by commercial use?

Commercial use is any reproduction or purpose that is marketed, promoted, or sold and incorporates a financial transaction. To request images and rights for commercial use, please contact .

Can I use Wikimedia images for commercial use?

All media files on Wikimedia Commons can be used by anyone, including commercially and each media file has information about which license it uses. The most common licenses used are created by Creative Commons which require the author to be credited.

What is considered commercial use?

According to 18 USCS § 31, term "used for commercial purposes" means the carriage of persons or property for any fare, fee, rate, charge or other consideration, or directly or indirectly in connection with any business, or other undertaking intended for profit.
In practise, the term is equivalent to income-generating use of any kind, whether direct or indirect. If you use content for general research, even if not for any specific purpose, and you or your organisation generates income, that counts as commercial use.

Can I use royalty free images for commercial use?

– No, you can't. Royalty Free images are sold under a paid license, regardless of your intended use being commercial or non-profit. You cannot use Royalty Free images for free, because it's an unlicensed, and therefore illegal use.

What are commercial rights?

COMMERCIAL RIGHTS means CTRC's legal right by patent, contract, agreement, copyright, trademark, or other means to make, have made, sell or have sold in any country any Compound, material, technology or know-how within the Field of Use for commercial purposes, including Inventions, Know-How or Compounds.

Can Stock photos be used for commercial use?

Stock photos for commercial use can be incorporated into a product, service, ad campaign, or almost any scenario. On the other hand, editorial stock photography cannot be used for commercial ends. This means you can use the image for merchandise, ads, product packaging, and any other for-profit activities.

What does no commercial use mean?

The Human Readable summary of the NC license says, Noncommercial. This means that as long as you're not making or trying to make money from your use of the licensed work, you're okay. Common categories of non-commercial uses include educational uses, personal uses, fan uses, and just-for-fun posted-to-YouTube uses.

Can Shutterstock images be used commercially?

All Shutterstock images are Royalty Free, and all images bought with subscription and image packs come with a Shutterstock Standard License. This license allows you to use photos for commercial purposes, but they have restrictions.

How do you price photos for commercial use?

It could be five hours or it could be twelve. For example, a commercial photography rate per hour of $200, multiplied by four hours of shooting time = a $800 'Photography Fee'. The term Photography Fee makes sense to use when separating out the licensing fees in a bid.

How do you take commercial photography?

To get the best results in your foray into product and commercial photography, apply these tips.
  1. Be Well-Rounded.
  2. The Angles Matter.
  3. Setting the Mood.
  4. Useful Camera Equipment.
  5. Getting the Right Composition.
  6. Editing.
  7. A Rewarding Career.

Where are commercial photography used?

Commercial photography involves taking pictures for commercial use: for example in adverts, merchandising, and product placement. Commercial photography is also used in corporate brochures and leaflets, menus in cafes and restaurants, and similar commercial uses where photographs enhance a text.

What is the salary of a commercial photographer?

Commercial Photographer Salaries
Job TitleSalary
Colortek Commercial Photographer salaries - 1 salaries reported$42,528/yr
Freelance Commercial Photographer Commercial Photographer salaries - 1 salaries reported$39,997/yr
christian witkin, inc. Commercial Photographer salaries - 1 salaries reported$41/hr

How much should I charge for photo licensing?

Some photographers charge as little as $25 per image, while top photographers receive thousands of dollars for a single photograph. Below is the average range for local hourly and per-image rates. It's important to note that per-image pricing is adjusted, based on production levels, and the number of photos produced.

What education do you need to be a commercial photographer?

Career Definition for a Commercial Photographer
EducationAn associate's or bachelor's in photography may be helpful; students can also seek an apprenticeship with a professional photographer.
Median Salary (2017)*$32,490 (all photographers)
Job Growth (2016-2026)*-6% (all photographers)

How do I build a commercial photography portfolio?

How to Build a Commercial Photography Portfolio
  1. Step 1 - Take Some Photographs. If you intend to move from amateur to commercial photography, the first thing you will need to do is create a portfolio of work that reflects these fields.
  2. Step 2 - Turn Your Work into a Commercial Photography Portfolios.
  3. Step 3 - Include Focused Written Information.
  4. Step 4 - Go Digital.

What is a freelance photographer?

Freelance photography is the taking of photographs as a contract or self-employed photographer. You usually work under contracts specific to each of your clients. As a freelance photographer, you market yourself through professional portfolios, websites, and social media to find potential clients.

Who is best known as an advertising and commercial photographer?

Take a look at the following list of top 10 best advertising and commercial photographers in the world:
  • Fernando Decillis, United States.
  • Jaime Travezan, United Kingdom.
  • Fabrizio Cestari, Italy.
  • Jean-Yves Lemoigne, France.
  • Nadav Kander, United Kingdom.
  • Tim Hawley, United States.
  • Erik Almas, Norway.
  • Erik Johansson, Sweden.

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