Shutterstock (www.shutterstock.com) the world's largest subscription-based online stock photo company, announced today that its royalty-free image bank has surpassed 4 million images - a major milestone which reinforces the Manhattan-based company's leadership position in the exploding global online stock photography industry.

Shutterstock is also pleased to announce that Rodney Hobart, a photographer and designer/illustrator based in Neosho, Missouri, contributed the 4 millionth photo - an eye-catching image of a historic drive-in theater on Route 66. It was his first time submitting a photo to Shutterstock.

"To be approved on my first go is an honor, but even more surprising was how fast my portfolio was reviewed," said Hobart. "I uploaded my photographs and was approved by the next day, while most microstock sites take five or more days to approve. I am a newbie to the site, but so far it has surpassed my expectations and I look forward to building up my portfolio in the next few months."

Jon Oringer, Shutterstock founder and CEO, credits the submissions of talented photographers like Hobart to the company's tremendous growth.

"We're growing exponentially thanks to our global community of top-notch submitters who upload their images to our library and supply our subscribers with a steady pipeline of fresh, creative content," said Oringer. "Today's more challenging economy coupled with a sophisticated Web 2.0 business environment has resulted in a greater demand for affordable, premium royalty-free images. As a result, Shutterstock is directly addressing the changing needs of the marketplace by providing an expansive selection of high-quality stock images via an affordable, user-friendly subscription model."

Shutterstock adds more than 40,000 stock photos, vectors and illustrations per week and has added over 1.2 million stock images so far in 2008 alone. The company attributes its tremendous growth to its innovative business model, which harnesses the power of a broad spectrum of talented photographers and illustrators worldwide - from the seasoned professional to the skilled amateur - who upload their work to Shutterstock's website. Shutterstock chooses only the best of these images for its subscribers, who represent a global customer base of creative agencies, corporations, publishers and freelancers.

In 2006, Shutterstock also launched its online stock footage business, Shutterstock Footage, and the company has already amassed more than 60,000 royalty-free stock footage clips, and adds over 1,000 each week. Footage is available by individual clip for as little as $10. In April of this year, Shutterstock made its stock footage available by subscription, following the model that made the company's stock photo site such a tremendous success.

Űber Shutterstock®
Gegründet im Jahr 2003, ist Shutterstock die grösste Stock Foto Agentur auf Abonnements-Basis in der Welt. Eine hervorragende Sammlung erstklassischer Bilder, Illustrationen und Vektorgrafiken kombiniert mit einem benutzerfreundlichen Abonnement-Modell hat Shutterstock zu einer bewährten Ressource für eine zunehmende globale Kundenbasis gemacht. Im Verkauf lizensfreier Bilder auf Abo-Basis ist Shutterstock ein Industrie Pionier. Shutterstock war auch die erste Bildagentur die redaktionelle Bilder offerierte und eine Videosammlung ins Netz gestellt hat. Shutterstock Video bietet eine umfassende Sammlung an lizensfreien Videos, die pro Clip oder mit einem Abo erhältich sind. Für weitere Information besuchen Sie bitte www.Shutterstock.de.