Shutterstock Hits 10 Million Images, Delivers 125 Million Downloads Since 2003

February 16, 2010
With over 125 million image downloads since 2003, Shutterstock is the leader in subscription royalty-free imagery
Today Shutterstock® announced the addition of its 10 millionth image, a milestone that underscores the company’s rapid growth and commitment to high quality, crowdsourced visual media.

In a typical week, Shutterstock adds 80,000 new images – a rate of nearly eight images every minute – and provides designers, bloggers, advertisers, publications and marketers with a continuous stream of fresh new content. Shutterstock crowdsources the talents of more than 200,000 digital photographers and illustrators around the world who collect earnings when customers download their images. Shutterstock’s review team screens every image for quality and compliance, enforcing some of the highest standards in the imagery business. Just 40 percent of the images submitted by approved artists are accepted.

Shutterstock’s 10 millionth image is by Matthew Jacques of Bedford, Nova Scotia, Canada. Jacques submitted a dramatic image of two male Dall Sheep locking horns against a snowy background, photographed at a wildlife park in Nova Scotia. Jacques has been a Shutterstock submitter since 2006. Though he started taking pictures as a hobby, Jacques recently used his Shutterstock earnings to invest in a professional-quality DSLR camera and has branched out to shoot motor sports, weddings and portraits. “My hobby’s paying for itself,” said Jacques. “That’s what Shutterstock and online stock sales have done for me.”

As the leader in subscription-based stock photography and illustration, Shutterstock has delivered over 125 million image downloads to customers since its founding in 2003. Shutterstock remains the largest online subscription image library in the world.

Graphic designers have come to regard their subscription service with Shutterstock as an invaluable business tool. Every subscription provides instant access to an ever-growing library with the convenience of high-resolution files, watermark-free images, and a simple pricing structure that fits every budget. Customers have nearly limitless creative options in using Shutterstock images, which are provided under a royalty-free license. Shutterstock guarantees the legal integrity of every image with $10,000 in indemnification.

Shutterstock's pioneering strategy has helped it dominate the image subscription market amid an industry of imitators. “We have earned our spot as the number one subscription imagery site by being inventive and by building our own successful business model,” said Jon Oringer, founder and CEO of Shutterstock. “Others try to copy our 25-A-Day subscription, but customers are not fooled. They come to Shutterstock expecting the most innovative solutions to their image needs, and we work hard to exceed their expectations.”

About Shutterstock


Shutterstock is a leading global provider of high-quality licensed photographs, vectors, illustrations and videos to businesses, marketing agencies and media organizations around the world.

Shutterstock works closely with its growing contributor community of photographers, videographers, illustrators and designers to curate a global marketplace for royalty-free imagery. Shutterstock adds tens of thousands of rights-cleared images each week, and with more than 19 million images currently available, the company recently celebrated its 200-millionth image download.

Headquartered in New York City, Shutterstock also owns Bigstock, a value-oriented stock agency that offers both credit and simple Pay As You Go purchase options.

For more information, please visit http://www.shutterstock.com, and follow Shutterstock on Twitter or on Facebook.



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