Agency metadata rules › Shared stock shoots when exclusivity status differs: can you submit the stills to iStock?
Sharing a shoot is how many stock photographers cut costs: split the model and location fees, then each submits their own frames from their own account. One thing needs settling before anyone presses the shutter: each member's exclusivity status. On iStock that status is not attached to the account. It is attached to the file type, separately for photos, video and illustrations.
The official iStock Exclusivity page says that being exclusive means, for the file types you are exclusive for, you agree not to license any content of that type on a royalty-free basis anywhere else. Its FAQ goes further: if you are exclusive for photos, you cannot license any photos with a competitor, even images you have never submitted to iStock.
In other words the agreement covers the photographer for that file type, not just the files already uploaded. That differs from almost every other agency, where exclusivity is per image.
The Artist's Supply Agreement (Exclusive) adds two points relevant to shared shoots: changing the file type of exclusive content does not make it non-exclusive, and all copyright stays with the artist; iStock only receives distribution rights (clause 2d).
Almost everyone on the team was exclusive for both photos and video. One member was exclusive for video only, with photos still non-exclusive. The plan was one shoot, one set of models, one concept. The question: could that member shoot stills with their own camera, submit them to iStock only, and never sell them elsewhere?
Nothing in the agreement or the public help pages covers this. A Thai contributor asked Getty/iStock Contributor Support directly. The answer was no.
The reasoning given by support: frames from the same shoot count as "similars" of each other. If one set is sold as exclusive while frames from the same shoot sit in another contributor's non-exclusive account, the value of the whole exclusive set drops, and if similar frames later appear on a competitor's site it may affect the team's exclusive agreements. A promise not to sell elsewhere does not help, because Getty goes by the registered status.
The idea of "similars" comes from the Getty Images side (Contributor Agreement Fact Sheet), which states that once Getty accepts content, neither that content nor anything similar to it may be licensed elsewhere. Support applied the same principle to shared shoots.
In the same case, that member can shoot and submit video from the shoot, because their video status is already exclusive.
The rule of thumb: whatever you shoot at an exclusive shared shoot, you must be exclusive for that file type. One type's status does not cover the other.
1. Copyright belongs to whoever pressed the shutter. This is general copyright law, and the iStock agreement confirms copyright stays with the photographer. Do not swap memory cards, hand files to each other, or submit a friend's frames from your own account.
2. Model releases are signed per photographer. Getty's release forms name the photographer and the shoot, and Getty expects a fresh release for each shoot. Five models and three photographers means fifteen releases, not five.
3. Do not stand side by side shooting the same angle all day. Getty's Preparing Your Content page warns that files too similar to others in a series can be flagged as duplicate content and rejected. Several accounts shooting the same scene raises that risk. Split models, scenes and concepts between you.
Ask every member specifically whether they are exclusive for the type you are about to shoot, not just "are you exclusive". The answer can be yes for video and no for stills. Status is shown per file type in the contributor account profile.
Because the shared-shoot rule is not in the written agreement, open a support ticket before spending money on a shoot if your team has a borderline case, and keep the reply.
| Claim | Status |
|---|---|
| Exclusivity is per file type | Confirmed on the official iStock page |
| Covers photos never submitted to iStock | Confirmed in the official FAQ |
| Copyright stays with the photographer | Confirmed in the ASA, clause 2d |
| Similar files risk rejection | Confirmed on Preparing Your Content |
| Non-exclusive stills cannot join an exclusive shoot | Not in public documents; support ticket answer |
| Releases per photographer | No explicit text; inferred from the form naming the photographer |
Whichever route you choose, keywords submitted to iStock must come from Getty's official vocabulary. KeywordStock picks them from that vocabulary automatically — 200 files free to try.