
Can I submit photos to a stock photo agency online?
A. Yes. To submit photos to an online stock photo agency, you usually have to get accepted as a contributor, first. Depending on the agency, this can mean passing a test, sending in sample images, or both. Remember that it’s normal to get rejected on your first — or even second — try.
How do I get Started with stock photography?
To get started, make sure you have access to the right equipment. When building a stock photography portfolio, you want to avoid iPhone photos. Instead, get a good quality digital camera – like a DSLR camera – that allows you to control the settings and shoot sharper and clearer images.
How do stock photography agencies work?
The photographer uploads the images to the stock photography agency. These agencies, such as Getty Images or Shutterstock, protect the image with a watermark. Every download and its subsequent use comes at a cost. A portion of the sales is kept by the agency as a commission.
Where can I Sell my stock photos?
Alamy is another great site to sell your stock imagery on. Photographers get to keep 60% on any of their images that sell. Better still, Alamy doesn’t require you to give them exclusive rights to your photos, which means you can list your photos on other stock imagery sites as well. Tips for Shooting Stock Photography

What is stock photography?
Stock photography is a grouping of images that companies, bloggers and individuals can use. These images can be of anything. With a quick search, you will find stock images of everything. We have compiled a complete guide for all you need to know about stock photography. [ Note: ExpertPhotography is supported by readers.
Why do companies use stock images?
For companies, choosing stock images means they don’t need to pay a photographer to capture an image. They can search and download what they need within minutes.
What is the rule for photographing people?
One rule for photographing people is to get a release. This is a contract between both parties, allowing the use of the building’s image. Most stock photography requires this if you wish to sell or use the images online. Read here for the other nine tips on what your photography contract needs to have.
What is a photography contract?
A photography contract for stock photography is to ensure both parties retain their rights. It makes sure that neither side can do anything with the images that were not pre-discussed and agreed upon. Risk of prosecution from either side can be enforced if consent was not given.
Do you need a big budget for stock photography?
Many people think that to create a successful stock photography shoot, you need to have a big budget. This is not the case. You will need to trade time with money, as more research, organization, and favours will be in order. Nonetheless, with the right attitude, you can accomplish almost anything.
Is Alamy a stock photography website?
Alamy is one of the biggest stock photography websites, and in my opinion, one of the best. You get to keep 60% of the sales you make and it is non-exclusive. This means that you are free to share the same images on this site and others.
Where do authors submit their photos?
Commonly, authors submit their photos to stock photo agencies, companies that offer big digital catalogs full of images that you can pay online and download directly from their websites. You buy from the agency, and they split the revenue with the photographer.
What are stock images?
Stock images are not limited to photographs, you can find illustrations and vector files –including design templates for social media or print materials, customizable infographics, and illustrations –, plus video clips, soundtracks, and more.
Can you use photos in content that refers to illegal activity?
You cannot use images in content that refers to illegal activity or sensitive matters, like racism or violence. And of course, you cannot resell or redistribute the photos as they are, to anyone. Remember, you are not the owner of the photos, you only own a license to use them.
Can you use stock photos for graphic design?
What is not in for you, should be the question! By using stock photos you can solve a lot of your graphic design needs at once, in a very efficient and low-cost solution. For one, you can get the imagery that you need right away, without having to wait for a photographer to shoot them, edit them, and hand them to you.
What is istock photography?
iStock is another popular name in the stock photography industry. As such, it can provide a good platform for displaying your images (and of course a better chance of selling).
When was Depositphotos founded?
Depositphotos has been on the stock photography market since 2009 when it was founded by Dmitry Sergeev. For 10 years the company has grown significantly and it’s continuing to expand its collection rapidly.
How many assets does Getty Images have?
Getty Images is undoubtedly a beast on the contemporary stock photography market, with an astonishing number of assets in its gallery: more than 200 million. It’s also one of the oldest stock sites, operating since 1995.
What does it mean when a photographer chooses non exclusive?
If the contributor chooses the non-exclusive option, it means that the photographer can upload the images not only to iStock, but to other stock sites as well. In this case the photographer gets a flat commission of 15%.
Who owns Fotolia?
It used to be an independent player on the market, but this year it was acquired by Adobe Stock.
Does Westend61 sell stock photos?
Westend61 can also offer a very tempting add-on: they’ll not only sell your stock photos, but they can also mediate commissions from their clients. In this case, since they’re just connecting two parties, you get 85% of the profits and the fee for them is 15%. Pretty sweet deal! 7.
Is Shutterstock royalty free?
Shutterstock is another popular name in the world of stock photography. It offers an impressive 270 million royalty-free images to its clients. The site is visited by thousands of people daily, which increases the chance of your work getting noticed and purchased.
How to remind your model of your photo shoot?
If you would like to remind your model about your photo shoot, take a look at what models recommend as the best way to stay in touch and remind them of the date and time. According to this, most models are more than happy to provide a number to contact them on.
How to be transparent in photoshoots?
Always be entirely transparent about your photo shoots intentions from the start. Ensure that you’ve read the models profile to check if they’re appropriate for your shoot. Always check the modeling levels of the model you’re contacting. For example, don’t ask a lingerie model to pose nude.
What does a properly constructed message to a model do?
A properly constructed message to a model can certainly reduce the chances of them declining the shoot or failing to turn up.
How much do you make a week as a breakfast stock club member?
A. Yes. As a Breakfast Stock Club member, your first goal is just $20/week. It sounds easy (and when you compare it to most other professions, it really is) but when you’re just starting out, it takes time. In the beginning you don’t have many photos out there working for you, so earnings are typically small.
Does doing so increase sales?
Doing so can not only increase your sales, but in the beginning, it will give you a better idea of which agencies work best for you. Also, this way you won’t have all of your eggs in one basket, so to speak. So if one agency changes its payout structure or ceases to exist… you still have the other agencies to lean on.
Can I send photos to all my agencies?
A. Yes. I send the same exact photos to all of my agencies. However, some agencies may differ, so check the contract before you sign up. Also, different agencies will accept different photos. I may take 10 photos that have already been accepted into iStock and submit all of them to the rest of my agencies.
Does a photographer keep copyrights?
But the photographer keeps the copyrights to themselves. Keeping the copyright allows photographers to reuse the stock images and make multiple sales of the same image, generating recurring income over time. While there might be some exceptions, this is how it usually works.
Do you spam a photo with keywords?
But if your photo doesn't have any of those keyword tags on it, then that client will never see it. Keyword research and effective tagging are significant for making your stock images highly searchable. Do Not Spam. You need to avoid being spammy when it comes to keywords and tags on these photo sites.
Can you submit images to Dreamstime?
Dreamstime. You can choose to submit images to Dreamstime either as a non-exclusive contributor or as an exclusive contributor. You can also mix-and-match the two depending on images that you have submitted. For non-exclusive images, Dreamstime pays 25-50% of the net sales of an image's downloads.
Can you license stock photos multiple times?
The brighter side is that since stock images can be licensed multiple times to multiple buyers, so there is indeed great potential for photographers to sell stock photos and earn residual income over time.
How much does a stock photography license cost?
Traditional stock photography licenses can be expensive, costing hundreds or thousands of dollars per image due to both the popularity of the photographer who took the photo, as well as the usage extent of the license involved.
Why is color important in stock photography?
This year, you will find that color will play a vital role. Color is one of the components that make stock photography images more unique and attractive. Vibrant and electric colors are more likely to be seen from primary colors, and they communicate a stronger and more powerful message for both brands and individuals.
What is royalty free photography?
Royalty-free license. Typically, most stock photography sites have the buyer simply pay a flat fee to use an image. This fee does not give the buyer any rights to resell the photo or claim any ownership on it and is viewed much like a “one-time use” deal.
Why is it important to print large pictures?
If a buyer is looking to make a high-resolution print, then larger image sizes are important. Most important is image quality. Make sure your photos have good lighting and contrast, are in focus, composed in interesting ways, and are free of chromatic aberrations and heavy compression.
What are the emotions associated with a photo?
if a person is standing, running, etc.), but also the emotions that can be associated with the image: happy, proud, enthusiastic, and so on.
Do you need a model release for stock photos?
If your stock photos are of people, most likely you will need a model release. Most stock photography agencies and websites will expect one. If there is a chance that the photos will be used for commercial purposes, a release is generally required.
Can you use generic photography to sell?
When creating stock photography to sell, it is important to remember that generic is typically best. Never use any brands that may be recognizable and if you use properties or models, make sure to have the release form signed before you sell the photographs.
What is Stock Photography?
What many of you may not have known is that stock photography actually dates all the way back to the 1920s! The idea came about when publishers wanted to cut back on costs and not have to commission photographers for every single photoshoot or article. The Bettmann Archive, which was based in NYC, was an early example of a stock agency.
So what exactly is Stock Photography?
Stock photography in its simplest form is the supply of photos from a large database of images, which are then usually licensed for various purposes. Stock agencies host image databases as well as sell/license these images to clients globally. Stock photos fall into two categories, commercial and editorial.
Types of Stock Photography
The two main types of stock photography are macrostocks and microstocks.
Stock Photography Licensing
Once an image is purchased, the owner can use that image perpetually without having to make further payments. It’s essentially a one-time fee for unlimited and unrestricted usage. This makes things a lot easier for the client, as they no longer need to worry about license restrictions and are free to use the image as they please.
How can I increase my chances of selling images?
I would also heavily recommend researching stock photography trends in order to see what types of photos are currently most in demand. Let’s say that “health” is currently in demand. You’ll then need to figure out which area (s) in “health” are currently top sellers. Fitness? Diet? Yoga? Images of Doctors with patients? Etc.
Micro Photography Sites
ShutterStock – One of the biggest and most well-known stock sites with over 1.9 million active customers. Many clients love Shutterstock because of their cheap pricing and subscription plans. The image quality is good but it does not compare to the high-quality images that Getty offers.
How much can you make Selling Stock Photos?
How much you earn depends on many factors. Are you on one stock site, or on multiple? Do you have hundreds of images or thousands of images? Are you using microstock sites or macro?
