If you own a fairly nice camera, have access to photo imaging software, enjoy taking pictures, and possess adequate self-motivation, you have a good chance of making an online income. How? By selling your photos to stock photography websites. Stock photography websites act as the middle man between photographers and those wishing to purchase photos. Stock photos, also known as micro stock photos, are photos purchased with the understanding that they will be used in others' artistic endeavors. Those who desire to purchase photos from these types of websites usually do so for commercial purposes, using them in print or online media.
Stock Photography Websites-Where to Sell Your Photos
There are many stock photography websites to choose from when looking for a place to sell your photos online. I will list some of the more well known choices and include some helpful information about each one to help you get started. However, before you decide to join any of these websites, you should be sure that your work is of good quality, as you will be competing with many other photographers. Also be sure to describe your photos with valid keywords, and put them in as many categories as are appropriate. This will make it easy for buyers to find your work, as they usually know specifically what type of photos they are looking for. It would also be a good idea to join the website's community to get inside information from others who actually do business with the company. Some valuable questions to have answered are how well photos generally sell, what types are in high demand, and how reliable the company is in paying members.
Dreamstime.com
Dreamstime has been in business since 2000. They state on their website that, according to a study in PDN magazine, they award the highest royalties in the industry. It is free to join, and if your images are accepted they go live on the site to sell. If your photos are not accepted upon registration, you will receive an explanation of what needs to be done to correct the images. The more a particular image is downloaded, the higher its price climbs, and the more revenue you earn. You are paid by way of check, Paypal, or Moneybookers once your balance reaches $100.
Shutterstock.com
At Shutterstock, buyers subscribe on a monthly basis. You receive .25 each time one of your images is downloaded. You retain the rights to your images, and can remove them at any time. Also, once you reach certain lifetime earning levels - $500, $3,000, and $10,000 - your commissions increase. You can request to receive payment when your balance is as low as $75. Payment is made by check, Moneybookers, or Paypal. You can also make money from referring fellow photographers as well as buyers.
Bigstockphoto.com
This stock photo website launched in May 2005 and has been growing steadily since. It is free to sign up to sell your photos, and you retain rights to your photos. Payment starts at .50 per download, and can go up to $60 per download if you choose to use one of their special licenses. There is also a forum available for networking, and, if you sign up for their referral program, you can earn a commission off of each photo sold by those your refer.
123rf.com
This stock photo website seems to really want their photographers to succeed, as they have tutorials that teach photo techniques. Once you sign up (for free) and upload your photos, those photos will sell either individually or by subscription. You will earn .36 per subscription download, and .50 to 1.50 per individual download. You can also earn additional revenue from referring both photographers and purchasers.
Fotolia.com
When selling photos at Fotolia, the more you sell, the more you make. You also make more money with them if you agree to sell your uploaded photos with them exclusively. Fotolia sells images by subscription or individually, with commissions ranging from 25% to 63% of price of individual download and .30 per subscription download. Fotolia also offers a referral program.
It is clear that what you make from stock photography depends largely on what you put into it. Fotolia claims that it is possible to make thousands of dollars a month from selling photos on their site alone. So, it seems that if you put the time into taking a large quantity of high quality, in demand photos and upload them to several stock photography websites you should make a good amount of revenue. And if you couple that with taking part in the referral programs, your financial return looks even better.
See also: How To Take Professional Looking Stock Photos That Actually Sell
Sources
Dphotojournal.com, “Selling Photos Online”, 2-5-11
Dreamstime.com, 2-5-11
Shutterstock.com, 2-5-11
Bigstockphoto.com, 2-5-11
123rf.com, 2-5-11
Fotolia.com, 2-5-11
Deviantart.com, “What are "Stock Photos" and can I use "Stock Photos" in my submissions?”, 2-5-11
Angel Chavis - Angel Chavis lives in NC with her husband, daughter, and various pets. She is a Christian, wife, homeschool mom, writer, student, and ...
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