How This Platform is Redefining Photo Licensing

Stills is a new design-oriented platform that is set to disrupt everything you know about photo licensing.

If you’re a creative director, designer or producer, you know that the right image can make or break a project. Whether it’s for a high-end branding project, pitch deck or social campaign, photography is an essential tool for elevating your work and setting yourself apart in a highly competitive industry.

However, unless you have the budget for a custom shoot, finding high-quality licensed imagery can be extremely challenging with the current options in the market. When it comes to providing assets that meet the standards of award-winning work, traditional stock photography platforms often fall short. It’s a situation that is far too common for designers – spending hours upon hours trying to find that elusive “perfect” photo, only to end up with subpar options that fail to make an impact.

Looking to shake things up in that space, Stills is a new design-oriented platform set to disrupt everything you know about photo licensing by offering a select group of highly sought-after photographers and carefully hand-picked images. This has the potential to set a new industry standard that transforms the way creatives approach licensing, and we couldn’t be more excited.

FM, the company behind the new platform, has a long history of empowering the creative community, with successful ventures in the film and music industries. Photography was the next logical step, and they are consciously avoiding the term “stock photography”, sending out a strong statement of intent.

“The Stills team only accepts 1% of the photos submitted to the collection, ensuring only the highest quality, and significantly reducing the time and effort required to find great imagery.”

The team behind Stills understands that a creative professional’s reputation is intrinsically linked to their work, and compromising on quality is not an option. Ahead of the upcoming launch later this summer (or winter if you’re in the Southern hemisphere), they have been carefully putting together a roster that will offer a level of photography and curation that has never been seen before in the industry. By accepting only one percent of the photos submitted, the Stills team guarantees a collection of the finest quality, minimizing the time and energy needed to find excellent photos.

At launch, Stills’ exclusive selection of photographers will include names such as Samuel Elkins, Nirav Patel, Jake Wangner, and Liz Bretz. The platform is also working on key partnerships with some of the most prominent names in the design space.

When compromising on quality is not an option

All the photos on the platform are meticulously selected with an emphasis on quality, and the number of licenses available will be limited to maintain a high level of exclusivity. Stills will provide access to a range of popular artists and their incredible creations.

Another fantastic aspect of the platform is the use of digital boards to help facilitate organization, client presentations and collaboration. You will be able to create your own custom collections and moodboards by easily searching for specific colors or moods, or even starting with a series from a particular photographer that suits your creative vision. The possibilities are endless.

As part of their service, the Stills team will also be available to answer any questions about licensing and even perform a complimentary image search on your behalf, to help you find the perfect photo.

The photo licensing platform designed for creative visionaries

Stills is set to disrupt the industry when it launches and we can’t wait to try it out. We will come back with our immediate thoughts at launch, once we’ve had a chance to explore the platform and its content selection.

If you’re a creative looking to give your work a competitive edge, we’d highly recommend getting in now and signing up for an account through their website. Just follow this link to get started.

Keep scrolling to discover more images captured by the talented artists represented by Stills, or visit their website for more information.

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Cover image: Omar Salah, Stills

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All images © Stills.com / FM LLC. Shared with permission.

This article was sponsored by Stills, a partner brand. To learn more about how we work with partners and sponsors, please visit this page, or get in touch to request a Media Kit.