NEW YORK, February 26 /PRNewswire/ --

- Shutterstock's library of premium stock images continues its explosive growth while maintaining the highest quality standards in the online stock photo marketplace

Shutterstock, the world's largest subscription-based online stock photo agency, just reached another milestone as it added the 6 millionth image to its rapidly growing library of premium royalty-free stock images. In less than four months, Shutterstock has added over one million images, reinforcing its status as the fastest growing site for high quality, royalty-free images.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080910/NYW066LOGO )

We continue to experience tremendous growth in both the size of our library and in the volume of images that our subscribers download, said Jon Oringer, founder and CEO of Shutterstock. Thanks to more than 144,000 submitters who contribute to our library, our customers can depend on us for a steady source of fresh, high quality content.

Shutterstock's broad, diverse selection of stock images, user-friendly website, and sophisticated search engine enables subscribers to quickly and easily find the perfect images for their creative needs.

While Shutterstock continues to accept an average of 70,000 images per week, the company remains committed to accepting only the highest quality stock photos, illustrations, and vectors from its global base of talented submitters. In fact, fewer than 40 percent of the images Shutterstock receives are approved for the online library.

We take great pride in our reputation as one of the most selective agencies, said Adam Riggs, president and chief financial officer of Shutterstock. To reach this milestone so rapidly while maintaining our stringent acceptance standards is a testament to the creativity and passion of our photographers and illustrators.

Riggs is referring to submitters like Sadik Demiroz of Istanbul, Turkey, who submitted the 6 millionth royalty-free image. Demiroz shot his artful composition using a technique called selective focus to highlight a field of daisies on the English seaside, while leaving the background out of focus.

I'm thrilled that my photo is the 6 millionth image, said Demiroz. Given Shutterstock's reputation for selectivity, this recognition is a true honour.

Demiroz is a professional photographer with an MFA degree in photography from Savannah College of Art and Design. He has won more than 200 national and international awards and opened seven solo exhibitions.

About Shutterstock(R)

Founded in 2003, Shutterstock is the largest subscription-based stock photo agency in the world. Its outstanding collection of premium photos, illustrations, and vectors combined with a selection of innovative, user-friendly subscription plans has made Shutterstock a trusted resource for an expanding global customer base. An industry pioneer in selling royalty-free stock by subscription, Shutterstock was also the first online photo agency to offer editorial photos and launch a video library. Shutterstock Footage offers a comprehensive library of royalty-free video clips available on a per-clip basis or by subscription. For more information, visit www.Shutterstock.com.

Lena Keolian, Spreckley Partners Ltd, +44-020-7388-9988, lenakeolian@spreckley.co.uk; Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080910/NYW066LOGO