
How do I Sell Stocks Photos?
- Decide if you want to sell macro or micro stocks, or both.
- Pick one or more stock agencies that you would like to sell your images with.
- The next step is to create a “contributors account” for each stock site. You will be required to submit several images...
How to create stock photography that sells?
shooting unique images. Much of your success as a stock photographer depends on selecting the right stock photography platforms. Before deciding to apply to a microstock website you need to look at some selection parameters: the target audience (customers) of the platform. Microstock websites can be notorious when it comes to sharing the spoils.
How to make money with stock photography?
There are few different ways to Make Money With Stock Photography Sites:
- You can host your portfolio of photographs on your self website. ...
- You can also build up a gallery and sell photographs directly to private clients
- You can sell your photos for use on merchandise such as t-shirts, cups and calendars.
Who buys stock photography?
Stock photos don’t a great reputation ... As many stock websites are available for authors of any skill level, who are eager to sell their content, the number of cheesy clipart that portrays ...
How to start a stock photography business?
How To Start a Stock Photography Business. If you are looking to start a stock photography business, there are five key steps that you should take first: Write a Business Plan. Be clear about your costs. Get some good photography gear and learn how to take stock photos. Build an online presence shooting stock photos.

How much money can you make selling stock photos?
In general, stock photos earn approximately 25-45 cents per image, per month. This obviously depends on many factors, including how many agencies you upload to, your skill in keywording, and the uniqueness of the images.
Can you sell pictures to stock photos?
The easiest way to make your photographs available as stock images for sale is by using a third-party microstock website such as iStockPhoto, Dreamstime, Shutterstock, 123RF, or Getty Images via Flickr. Selling your photos through a stock agency like this is quick and easy.
Is it hard to sell stock photos?
Selling images through stock photo sites is relatively easy, but there are still important aspects to know, consider, and always keep in mind: Royalty Rates – All serious and reliable agencies set up a royalty rate for the artist (thus cutting a commission for themselves).
Where can I sell my stock photos?
10 Places to Sell Your Stock Photography and Videos TodayStock Photography Today. The great news is that the world of stock photography has changed dramatically. ... iStockPhoto. ... Alamy. ... Dreamstime. ... Getty Images. ... Shutterstock. ... EyeEM. ... Pond5.More items...
How do photographers sell their photos?
The best way to sell photographs online is by selling them as stock images for sale on third-party websites like iStockPhoto, Dreamstime, Shutterstock, or 123RF. Selling your photos through stock sites is quick, easy, and affordable.
What type of photos sell best?
5 Things the Best-Selling Photos of People Have in CommonSingle Photos Sell Better than Group Shots. This one really surprised us. ... Candid Photos Sell Better than Posed Shots. ... Wide Shots Sell Better than Closeups. ... Looking Away is Better than Facing the Camera. ... Unidentified Subjects Sell Better.
What kind of stock photos are in demand?
Images that have strong leading lines will continue to be in demand for stock photography. Photos that capture relaxing scenes like beaches, snow-capped trees and fields of flowers will be the most popular.
Which stock photo site pays the most?
Alamy1. Alamy. With over 60 million images, Alamy is the largest stock photo website, but they also pay well too. Photographers earn 50% of every sale, and aren't restricted to selling exclusively with Alamy.
Is it worth selling photos online?
It's all about what makes the most sense for you! If you can upload 1000+ photos and are happy with an extra $100 bucks from it each month then I say go for it. I think it's an excellent little side hobby to earn some extra cash, even if it's not your primary source of income.
Is it worth selling photos on Shutterstock?
For most stock photographers and illustrators, Shutterstock consistently outperforms all other agencies. If you are thinking of getting started as a microstock photographer, make sure Shutterstock is at the top of your list to join. For many contributors, Shutterstock represents around 40% of their monthly earnings.
How can I earn money by uploading photos?
Share your work and start earning.Create. Produce high-quality images and videos for our customers to download.Submit. Upload your content with our easy-to-use platform, and get tips for success.Get paid. Make money every time your content is downloaded by one of our worldwide customers.Refer.
Can I make money from Shutterstock?
As a Shutterstock contributor, you will earn a percentage of the price Shutterstock receives for licensing your content. There are 6 separate earnings levels for images and for videos, ranging from 15% up to 40%. You can graduate through them independently based on your download count in each category.
How much can you make selling stock photos?
According to ziprecruiter stock photographers can earn an income of around $36,991 per year, on average.
Is selling stock photos profitable?
Stock photographers make money through commissions each time someone downloads their image from a stock photo site. This means that profits in stoc...
How do I sell stock photos?
You can sign up as a photographer on a stock photography website and upload your photos to it. You will get commissions based on how many times you...
What is the best stock photo selling site?
Getty Images and Shutterstock are the two most popular stock photo websites and they command the lion’s share of the market when it comes to stock...
What is the best way to sell photographs?
The best way to sell photographs online is by selling them as stock images for sale on third-party websites like iStockPhoto, Dreamstime, Shutterst...
Where can I sell my photos online for money?
Some of the most popular place for selling photos online include: On your own website Alamy 500px SmugMug Pro Shutterstock iStockPhoto Etsy Getty I...
How do you make money from stock photography?
A stock photography website, or stock agency, sells high-priced and exclusive images that you upload. The agency licenses individual images to the...
How much does Zenfolio charge for photography?
Plus, it offers photography print and digital product options, with a commission fee of 7%.
What is Shutterstock?
Shutterstock is a leading stock photography website for selling photos online. The platform has paid out over a billion dollars to its community in the past 15 years, and it can get your photos seen by millions of customers.
What is istock photo?
iStock Photo is the micro-stock offshoot of by Getty Images. The major difference between the two is your photos on iStock are non-exclusive, which means you can sell your photography with other agencies as well. However, this means you earn a much lower commission than exclusive photos. Commission ranges from 15% to 45%, depending on whether the photos are exclusive or non-exclusive.
What is Getty Images?
Getty Images is on the higher end of stock photography sites. It attracts brands and publishers looking for high-quality or hard-to-find exclusive images to license. The platform, along with its microstock site, iStock, reaches over 1.5 million customers around the world.
Is selling photos online a good idea?
As you can see, selling photos is a great online business idea. Whether photography is your hobby, your side gig, or your full-time hustle, there are more avenues than ever before when it comes to selling photos online—it just takes a little extra know-how.
Is 500px royalty free?
All content submitted to the site is royalty free, meaning it’s licensed for unlimited, perpetual use, and pricing is based on file size.
How does it depend on how many images you have in your portfolio?
It depends on how many images you have in your portfolio. It depends on how well keyworded your images are. It certainly depends on how well researched your subjects are and how closely they represent the clients’ demands. It depends, too, on how serious you are about stock photography.
How many downloads per image to make $1,000?
With an average of four downloads per image, you will make your first $1,000. You should make some 500 good quality and different images considering that the stock photography sites may not accept some pictures. How fast you can make 500 images of interesting objects/models is up to you.
How much commission does Fotolia charge?
Fotolia’s commission rates are good. You start off with a commission rate of 20 percent for non-exclusive images and hope to get up to 46 percent. For exclusive sales, you get 35 percent to start off going all the way to 63 percent.
What is a model release?
A standard model release is a legally enforceable document that passes all rights to the images from the model to the photographer and also passes on the right to modify any images that s/he appears in during the shoot.
What is rights free image?
Rights-free images denote images that are free to be downloaded from a micro-stock website and used in any form deemed fit by the buyer. These images, however, have a non-exclusivity claus e and usually does not have a time limit for use.
Can I take pictures of the same caliber?
At your level, it may not be that easy to start taking pictures of the same caliber. I do not doubt your abilities. But there is a certain thing called experience, and that counts. However, as you grow, you will only get better, and in no time you will start to shoot images of the same caliber.
Is stock photography a competitive business?
Stock photography is a very competitive business with its rules, requirements, and style, so you have to take it seriously if you want to be successful. You will have to use a variety of instruments like in any other business.
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?
How to make your photos more marketable?
To make your photos more marketable, you need to offer something that end-users are looking for. Businesses, bloggers, and marketing agencies are the end users that determine what sells and what doesn’t.
What are keywords in photography?
Keywords are the basic way in which prospective clients find photographs to buy. As such, the appropriate keywords are pretty crucial if you expect a buyer to bump into your images.
Is stock photography a good investment?
Overall, stock photography is a great investment for any serious amateur looking to earn some extra money. The important thing here is that it will take a lot of patience, dedication, and consistency to revel in the fruits that microstock agencies offer.
Is Fotolia owned by Adobe?
Fotolia has been with us for a while now but it was acquired by Adobe and many stock photographers found their sales taking an upward trend. This site has pay rates similar to Shutterstock’s, although slightly higher. One thing worth noting about Adobe Stock is that you can effortlessly upload your photos via Lightroom, which is an added advantage for those who perform careful keywording and metadata using this tool. Furthermore, Adobe software users can purchase images directly through any Adobe platform. Another feature that further endears them to photographers is the ease of submitting images.
How much does Getty Images charge for royalty free photos?
Getty Images offers between 15% and 20% commission for royalty-free photos. You must be over 18 and can only submit original images, videos, diagrams, or vectors to be a contributor. When your content has been accepted, you can opt to donate or license out your content. Exclusive images earn you money.
What is Adobe stock?
Adobe Stock has the credibility of being the makers of the most popular photo editing software on the market. Plus, any photos you upload to the marketplace are easily accessible in other Adobe products.
How many customers does Getty Images have?
Getty Images is one of the most popular names in the stock photo industry. With over 1.5 million customers in over 200 countries, large audiences around the world will see your photos.
Is Foap a profitable app?
Foap has been featured in ABC News as being a profitable app for photo selling. Users make 50% of the profits from it even when big brands, such as Sony and MasterCard buy their photos.
What is Etsy for photography?
Etsy is the biggest marketplace on the internet for handmade products. For photography, the items you can sell can be physical prints or digital downloads. Most of the products are unique, and a lot are one-off items that the creators won’t make again.
How many images does Shutterstock have?
Shutterstock houses 184 million images and 91 million videos. They have been enjoying steady growth in sales since its founding in 2003. In 2017, people downloaded 172,000,000 images from their website.
How much royalty does iStock pay?
The royalty payment starts at 15% per download. It can increase to 45%, depending on your photos’ popularity. If a customer purchases an image using their subscription credits, you only receive the 15%. If you are into exclusivity, iStock photo will give you between 22-45%.
What is Adobe stock?
Fotolia (now Adobe Stock) is another microstock photography website . It represents over 57 million images. Adobe repurchased this site in 2014, integrating it into its creative cloud service. Here, you can receive royalties of between 20 and 46%.
How many photos do I need to apply for Getty?
To apply, you need to submit six images. Getty then determines if your material is appropriate for either iStock or Getty. If you get in, you have the chance to earn up to 20% in commission. Photos on the site sell for hundreds of dollars, so that percentage can make you quite some profit.
How much commission does Photocase make?
Photocase also has a unique payment system. You start with a 20% share and have to potential to earn up to 50% commission as more people upload your photos. You can look at their point system to have a better idea of how you can earn commissions. Don’t be discouraged by the fact that Photocase is a small company.
Is Bigstock like Shutterstock?
For the most part, BigStock has all the features you can expect from microstock sites. On the surface, it’s just like Shutterstock, Dreamstime, or iStock. But what makes it a bit different is its credit system. And that’s why selling photos online using this platform is also unique.
What is the best website to sell photos?
Pixiset is among the best websites to sell photos online, offering a range of free and paid solutions. You build online galleries for public display and private client use – client galleries are password protected. Pixiset is user-friendly and allows customers to select favourite images or download a whole gallery.
What is a smugmug?
Regardless of being a professional or enthusiast photography, SmugMug is a brilliant website to set up galleries and sell your photos online. Rather than use a commission system, SmugMug Pro provides a range of paid plans which include both a hosting gallery and e-commerce platform.
What is Zenfolio for?
Zenfolio. start free trial. Zenfolio is another hugely popular choice for those looking to build a creative website to sell photos online. Zenfolio provides photographers with a one-stop-shop to upload, display, promote and sell photos online.
What is Alamy photography?
Alamy is a popular British stock photography website that’s been around almost as long as digital photography. As a result, it’s a great starting point for any photographer to sell photos online.
What is a keyword in a photo?
Keywords are a lot like tags applied to a social media post. You attach keywords to images to show up at the top of the list in a search outcome. Getting your keywords right in the first place will mean that when customers search for a particular style of photo, yours appear at the top.
What is Instagram proofs?
Instaproofs is a user-friendly platform to build an online photography business complete with a website, galleries, marketing tools and the ability to sell photos to clients. The website promises a streamlined experience to upload, promote, sell and provide digital or physical prints to customers.
Can I sell my photos to a newspaper?
But you can still sell your photos to a newspaper or magazine. Check the newspaper’s website as they often invite photo submissions, especially if it’s for a local publication. Alternatively, if you have a photo that you think is newsworthy, contact the newspaper directly and ask to speak to the news editor.
Stock Photo Sites: The Easiest Way to Sell Photos Online
When it comes to making money from your photos or illustrations online, selling them as stock images under a royalty-free license is the best way to maximize earnings: you can make more from licensing one photo over and over, than from selling it, copyright included, once. People discovered how profitable this was long ago.
How to Sell Stock Photography Online
So, how do you go about selling your work on a stock photo website? It’s relatively simple. You need to sign up as a contributor on the agency’s website and submit an initial batch of images for their consideration.
The Best Stock Photography Sites to Sell Images
There are many, many stock photo agencies out there –just have a look at how big the stock photo market is –, but there is a handful that is decidedly the best to sell your images online.
How To Increase Earnings as Stock Photo Contributor (Exclusive Discounts)
We told you how to sign up and what are the best sites to consider. But, what does it take to actually sell images on a stock agency? How to increase Shutterstock earnings? Let’s see.
4 Must-Know Facts for Stock Photo Contributors
Selling images through stock photo sites is relatively easy, but there are still important aspects to know, consider, and always keep in mind:
Insider Tips for Stock Photo Contributors
Now you know how to sell images on stock photo sites and what to expect from it, we have a few special tips, from our industry experts, to help you boost up your stock photo game as a contributor.
Stock Photo Contributor FAQ
Finally, and before we go, let’s answer all the common questions most of you have about selling photos online.
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.
