A useful hobby is selling photos and illustrations in photo banks. How to sell photos online - effective methods, recommendations and reviews

If your hobby is photography, then it will not be difficult for you to become a freelancer in this field. But where and to whom should you offer the fruits of your creative labor? It will be quite difficult for a beginner to decide on this. At first, you may think about various magazines. But besides this, I would like to remind you that your photographic works may be of interest to publishers of postcards, calendars, companies involved in the production of souvenirs, local and other media, and all kinds of design and advertising agencies. You can also make good money filming celebrations, but this requires experience and any mistakes or missteps must be excluded.

A lot has been written and said about stock photos. Photostock is a good way to sell photographs that were not taken to order. This is work based on knowledge of what is in demand today in the market for such services. Moreover, in this case, your photo can be sold countless times. For some, working in sewage is not very comfortable psychologically. The reason here is the lack of feedback from the customer. It would seem that the photo was created according to all the rules and standards, but for some reason it is not for sale. You can only guess about the reasons for this. We must not forget that there is serious competition on online photo exchanges.

Naturally, you can send your work directly to your potential clients. But you shouldn’t really count on success here. However, in this case you receive feedback from the customer and gain valuable experience. And this is important. You will learn to cope with the feeling of resentment when rejected (some people find this very difficult to bear), and in the future you will be able to respond more flexibly to the demands of your other clients. Gradually, this communication experience will turn into the quality of work, and an increasing number of your proposals will be accepted by customers. Gradually, you will learn to correctly select pictures and offer them to someone who will appreciate them and be able to use them in their work. If you compare work on a photo exchange and work with a real customer, then the second option is the most advantageous.

There is another way to sell your photos, but it is quite complicated for a beginning photographer. Although at the beginning of his career he can become the most productive. This means direct communication with the editors of newspapers, magazines and the management of various advertising agencies. They can be offered both their completed work and services for the future, for example, filming reports from various events. But it is often difficult for a beginner to position himself as a professional photographer, and this causes them some psychological discomfort. If you don't receive your order, don't be upset about it. After all, your failed customer still has your contacts, and he probably won’t forget about you next time. It is also important that gradually you will be aware of what he needs, what kind of products he needs, and you will respond more skillfully to his requests.

Well, in order for your creativity not to stand still, so that it develops, and the level of your work becomes higher and higher, so that your skills are honed and grown, so that your work experience increases, a novice photographer can be recommended to combine all of the above methods attempts to sell the fruits of their labor. That is, send your work to photo exchanges on the Internet, make offers to potential customers, and, of course, offer them your finished photo works. In this case, your portfolio will be formed quite quickly and will be interesting and diverse.

It may seem difficult, but it is not as difficult as it seems. Most of the topical articles contain information that to make money on your own you need a good DSLR camera. It’s hard to argue with this - the better the equipment, the higher the chances of taking a high-quality photo. However, most beginners immediately give up. You need a camera, you need to create something like a studio at home, you need to read a lot of books, constantly study, and then the moderators will decide something. Those where they pay good money... Then several more discoveries will be made - you need to learn how to use Western payment systems and get a foreign passport. Americans don’t want to learn Russian; they prefer that the passport page be written in English, and in the Russian Federation only foreign passports have such. There are Russian analogues, but even here you cannot do without red tape - they require the signing of an author’s agreement. As a result, the beginner faces so many difficulties that he simply gives up.

In reality, this is simply a strategy used incorrectly. Everything is much simpler and we need to proceed from other postulates.

1. You need to photograph with what you have. When we reach the level of high-quality equipment, then we will purchase expensive cameras starting from 50 thousand rubles. At the initial stage, we will use photo stocks, which are simpler. The prices there are lower, less, but we are not masters yet.
2. No one will buy anything from us right away, which means we need to work on quantity and gradually move on to quality. In all the articles about stock photos and selling your own, it is written that the main attention should be paid to quality. But this quality will not appear on its own out of thin air. Practice is needed, but it does not cause psychological stress.
3. If you don’t see anything interesting around you, then make interesting things out of uninteresting things. You can photograph the bark of trees - it can be useful for creating textures, clouds - even articles about cloud technologies, reflections of people in shop windows, street perspectives, old houses, flowers in flower beds are illustrated with such photographs. If a bee flies up, even better.
4. Become a poet of meaningless things. Find a one dollar coin and look for the best angle. Place stacks of books, place a kitten on them and make an illustration.

Look for something with which you will combine the sale. The fact is that nothing motivates as well as receiving your first money. Everywhere, on all resources, the principle is approximately the same - you need to upload your own, then it must pass verification and gain access to trading. After that, someone pays, and you receive a reward, and then withdraw it to your wallet in some payment system. Your task is to make sure that at least once you can do something with the money you earn. It doesn’t matter what - at least a bottle of mineral water. You need to pave this path, and then think about how to make your income higher. Therefore, we carefully study what they sell there and do the same. At the same time, we do not think about any restrictions. For example, in Western stocks they may require model permission if a person is photographed; cars are not accepted there if they are the main elements of the composition. Your task is to take the first steps. Take pictures of what you want, create your own collection of 100-150 pictures. And then distribute it evenly among the various drains.

Western serious resources require sending the main pages of the passport in English, so you will have to wait to receive your passport (although there are several that do not require this). But while time is passing, it’s time to start photographing and sorting your work.

Getting something in the freelance field is not that difficult. It is enough to have some talent. For example, a person really wants to buy something difficult, but those that sell for 15-20 thousand are quite realistic for an absolute beginner in three months. The one who walks will master the road!

You'll learn where to sell your photos online and how much you can earn from it. Read how to choose the right stock photo and what rules novice photographers should follow.

13.02.2018 Elena Atyutina

With the advent of gadgets equipped with high-quality cameras, crowds of photographers rushed to sell images on the Internet. Over time, random people dropped out, and only those who really understand this matter remained.

However, photography and the sale of exclusive photographs is a business that can be undertaken by anyone who has artistic taste, time, desire and skills in working with specialized software.

Selling photos on the Internet - good money or a waste of time

Thanks to the availability of powerful digital photographic equipment, obtaining high-quality images is no longer the privilege of specialists. If you love photography and think you're good at it, you have a great chance of turning your hobby into a source of income.

To make money, you will have to be patient and have a professional camera. If you consistently take high-quality photos, turn your passion into a source of income. The most successful, popular images are sold several times.

If you understand that you do not have the skills and abilities of a professional photographer, this method of earning money will not suit you, you will only waste time.

To make your hobby start making money, use simple rules.

High-resolution lenses will ensure that your photos are of the highest technical quality. Cheap cameras create a lot of distortion. If the matrix is ​​dirty, noise and debris appear on the frames. Buyers are unlikely to agree to purchase such images.

To work on photo stocks, you need at least a high school level of this language, since large companies from which the main income comes are foreign.

Foreign photo banks value other people's work and copyright, so they pay good money. Knowing English, you can independently compose a competent description of the photo. Well, if anything happens, you’ll be able to communicate with customers without difficulty.

Carefully enter information about yourself: registration means actually signing an electronic contract for the sale of images.

Where can you sell photos and make money from it?

We bring to your attention a list of popular photo stocks.

ShutterStock

It is considered the most famous photo bank, which has a large audience and sells faster than other services. However, in order to receive a decent payment, it is necessary to present the appropriate quality and uniqueness of the photographs.

Registration will require a scanned copy of your foreign passport. To become a Shutterstock Contributor, a photographer will have to pass an exam, which requires taking a minimum number of photos (7 out of 10).

Newbies most often receive about 25 cents per job. Over time, the payment increases due to the increase in total income.

DepositPhotos

To register, you will need a scanned copy of a document that confirms your identity.

The exam is quite strict and consists of five papers. Depositphotos has a convenient Russian interface, which is useful for beginners when working with microstocks.

Dreamtime

The server is considered the most suitable for novice authors, since it does not require passing an exam or presenting documents upon registration. But the photo quality should be quite high. The average price of one image is $0.2.

istockphoto

This server is believed to have the most stringent testing and the most difficult exam of all the sites. It's no surprise that iStockPhoto pays highly for photos. To register, you must provide a scanned copy of a document that confirms the identity of the author (licence, passport or international passport).

To pass the exam you must send 10 photos. Good earnings await those people who enter into exclusive contracts.

lori

This is a domestic photo bank founded in Russia in 2006. To register, the author must sign an agreement, printed in duplicate. The paper should be sent by mail with a photocopy of a document that confirms the person’s identity. After the procedure, you are allowed to upload 20 pictures, which the site administration will review.

Lori does not have overly strict requirements for work: photographs with a resolution of 2 MP or more are accepted. Authors' income depends on image size and license.

Rules for working with photo stocks

Before starting your activities, carefully read the operating conditions of the drain. They will help you avoid making mistakes and earn more money.

And learn the basic rules for using services.

Rule 1. Upload only original photos

In order for the photo bank to accept your photos, you must upload your own work. Images must be unique and not previously published on the Internet.

The most popular photography topics are:

• business;
• family Children;
• photos of girls;
• scenery.

Rule 2. Fill out meta tags correctly

When uploading an image, specify the following parameters:

1. Title– name of the image. It must not exceed 30 characters.
2. Description– description of the photo. You must enter at least 7 words here.
3. Keywords- keywords. Their optimal number is 40-50. It is this parameter that determines the number of sales, since the buyer uses them to find pictures. Remember: the more keywords you put in, the more likely your image is to sell.

Rule 3. Process photos well

Photo banks take the position that, if necessary, the buyer independently processes the image as he requires. For this reason, it is worth selling high-quality photos without unnecessary special effects or filters.

However, there is no need to completely abandon graphic editors. Even a high-quality image, which was shot with highly professional equipment, requires minimal correction: eliminating noise, correcting errors in lighting, sharpness, brightness and contrast.

Rule 4: If you photograph people, upload the model's release.

When there are people in the photo, you must have their Model Release. The receipt does not oblige the model to anything: the stock photo is trying to protect itself from possible claims and prosecution.

There is no difficulty in preparing the document; the finished form can be downloaded from the photo bank. Write there in block letters the name of the photographer and the names of all the people in the photo, indicate the information of the model and author (address, phone number), date, signature plus the signature of a witness.

Before you get started, carefully read the tips listed.

They will help you find the most suitable photo bank.

Each photo store offers its own cost of payment for services.

But, as a rule, there are no significant differences in prices for selling images, so authors choose a content provider based on other aspects.

To earn money from a stock photo, you must have an acceptable limit of funds in your account.

Each site determines its own minimum withdrawal amount. For example, on ShutterStock it is 75 dollars, Lori – 1500 rubles, Dreamstock – 100 dollars.

Recommendation 3. Read the terms of cooperation

Find out whether an entrance exam is required or whether registration is free.

Typically you need to complete a task that downloads a certain number of photos. Based on its results, the issue of allowing the author to work on the site is decided.

On the Internet you can find opinions from experienced authors about stock photos. They know all the intricacies of the work and can name their advantages and disadvantages. After reading reviews from photographers, you will choose the right photo bank for yourself and be able to avoid the mistakes that many beginners make.

Recommendation 5. Focus on foreign services

As a rule, foreign sites value the work of authors, so the pay on such sites is higher. Knowing English at least at the school curriculum level, you increase your chances of concluding exclusive contracts on foreign servers that promise large income.

How much can you earn by selling photos?

When selling images, the client pays the photo stock company, and the authors receive about 50% of the cost of each photo download - approximately 20 cents to 2.5 dollars. If buyers purchase frames for publication in calendars, printing posters or cards, or mouse pads, the earnings will be much higher. Income also depends on the size of the photo the client chooses: the smaller it is, the lower the price.

Nowadays, the Internet allows you to monetize any hobby and turn it into a full-fledged source of income. With the advent of photo banks and microstocks, photography lovers have the opportunity sell photos online and make good money from it. Working on world stocks can be either an additional source of income or a full-time occupation.

Who will buy photos on the Internet?

Stock photos are everywhere. Clients of photo stocks are news portals, magazines, advertising agencies and other commercial enterprises that need a constant flow of high-quality photographs of various topics. Hiring in-house photographers and freelancers for these companies is not nearly as profitable as purchasing photos en masse for a dollar on stock services.

Most Selling Photos

Photos that have commercial value are in high demand on microstocks. These could be photographs of happy people doing something, photographs of workers in uniform, images of goods, etc. It is desirable that the photographs have some kind of thoughtful plot. It will be easier to sell such photographs.

Photographs of landscapes, architecture and animals, on the contrary, are rarely in demand. The artistic component of such photographs does not play any role when selling on microstocks. Here, buyers want “raw” images that can be edited to their liking.

To create a truly sought-after photograph, the photographer must clearly understand where and how it can be used. For example, if a photograph of a group of people at a table can be used for different purposes, then a photograph of a waterfall, no matter how beautiful it may be, can only be bought by a rare, narrowly focused publishing house. remember, that the number of sales is a fundamental component of income on microstocks.

What do you need to sell photos on stock photo sites?

Many beginners believe that in order to sell photos on photo stocks, you must have an entire photo studio. In fact, the only requirement is to have a DSLR or mirrorless camera with high resolution images (at least 4 MP). To begin with, any amateur-class model with interchangeable optics will do, for example, Canon 700D or Nikon D7500.

Of course, expensive full-format cameras allow you to achieve high quality with less effort, but you should not buy a camera for working on photo stocks - it will not pay off soon. Flashes, reflectors, filters and other devices can also be useful, but they are not a determining factor for success on microstocks.

The photographer also needs to have basic photo processing skills in Photoshop or Lightroom, be able to manipulate color, get rid of unnecessary noise and retouch people's skin.

Where to start?

To start selling photos on photo stocks, you need to go through a simple registration procedure, accompanied by uploading a passport photo for identification. The minimum acceptable age for a photographer is 18 years.

Carefully read the rules of the selected service: all microstocks prohibit the sale of images with distinguishable logos and people’s faces. To upload photos of models, you need to ask them to fill out a “model release” form, which can be downloaded from the information section of any stock.

To withdraw money, you will need to create an account in PayPal, Payoneer or Skrill. Of the microstocks listed below, only Depositphotos makes payments via Webmoney. You can also request a check by mail.

Where can I sell photos online?

• Shutterstock is the most popular microstock in the whole world, providing its authors with a stable high income from the sale of photographs. Authors receive 20-30% from sale, depending on your level. To start selling photos on Shutterstock, you need to pass the so-called “entrance exam” by uploading 10 of your best photos. You can withdraw your earned money in different ways; the minimum payout threshold is $35.
• Depositphotos, unlike Shutterstock, has relatively low requirements for image quality, and also has a convenient interface in Russian. You only need to upload five papers for the exam. The remuneration to the authors is 44-60% from the download cost, which starts from $0.1 for service subscribers. Withdrawal from $50. Of course, with such a low cost of images, you won’t earn much, but many people recommend Depositphotos for beginners for a general introduction to microstocks.
• iStock is a pioneer in the microstock business. This resource has strict criteria for selecting authors, so getting here is quite difficult. However, it ensures high sales and generous royalties – from 20% to 40% with image prices ranging from $1 to $40. The exam takes place in two stages: first theoretical, then practical, where you need to send three of your most successful photographs for consideration by the moderators.
• Adobe Stock– this is a former service Fotolia, purchased by Adobe. Since 2005, it has been among the top three in popularity. In terms of quality requirements, it is comparable to Shutterstock, pays royalties in the amount of 20-63% .
• 500px is not just a photo bank, but a whole community of photographers, in which competitions with valuable prizes are constantly held. Here you can both meet other photography enthusiasts and find potential clients. The commission is 30% or 60% of the transaction value.
• Getty Images– this is a standard of quality that is worth striving for. It is incredibly difficult to get to this stock, and the images are sold only under an exclusive license at a price ranging from $300-500. Authors receive 20-30% from the sale amount.

License types

The sale of photographs is carried out on the basis of licenses, which establish the rules for the use of photographs on both sides. The license determines the author's royalty for the image.

The most common is the royalty free license ( Royalty-Free or RF). It allows the buyer to use the image a certain number of times, specified in the contract, and the author - to sell photographs an unlimited number of times. This license is most often not suitable for printed publications that are produced in large circulations. Extended royalty-free license ( Extended Royalty-Free) removes the limitation on the circulation size, but costs 5-10 times more than usual.

Managed rights license ( Rights-Managed) is one of two common photograph licenses which, when purchased, allows one-time use of the photograph in accordance with the license. If the user wants to use the photo for other purposes, an additional license must be purchased. The cost of the license depends on the purposes for which the purchased photo will be used.

Editorial license ( Editorial) – a license that allows the use of an image for educational or informational purposes.

How much can you earn by selling photos?

It is impossible to accurately predict future profits on microstocks, but you can be sure that at first you will have to be content with little. The amount of money earned is directly proportional to the number of photos sold. And the more photos, the higher the chance of selling them.

Typically, advanced photographers who upload several hundred images per month earn on average from 500 to 1000 dollars. For example, American photographer Glen Nigel earned more than 72 thousand dollars from stocks in eight years, according to a report published on his personal blog. Glen has 6.5 thousand photographs in his portfolio, most of which cover those very “non-profitable” categories: animals and architecture.

To increase your earnings, you need to follow a few simple recommendations:

• Upload photos wherever possible, even if you think that certain microstocks bring in little income. Every dollar is worth fighting for.
• Follow trends and the calendar: photos dedicated to holidays or special events (for example, the World Cup) are in great demand.
• Upload more pictures; microstocks encourage active authors.
• Don't quit if you see few sales. They will definitely grow over time.

Thus, microstocks can serve as an excellent bonus to a photographer’s salary, and over time turn into the main source of income. I hope this information will be enough for you to at least try to start selling photos on the Internet. And if you already have some experience in selling stock photos, we’ll be happy to read your story in the comments. I'm sure you have something to say.

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Do you want to make money doing what you love? Easily! We'll tell you how to make money selling photos online.

This article is intended for persons over 18 years of age

Have you already turned 18?

Anyone can sell photographs on the Internet; some people just don’t know about the existence of such a business. If you put in the effort and show perseverance, you can make an excellent source of income. It will make a profit even when the owner is looking for new places to film.

How to start selling photos online?

In order to sell your photographs at a high price, you must first register in one or several photo banks at once. It is through them that the largest flow of photographs comes. Designers and editors from all over the world often look into such photo banks in search of the necessary pictures and inspiration.

It is also important to decide on the material that will be uploaded to the site. As practice shows, those photos that are distinguished by the originality of the plot are in great demand. Landscapes are popular. There is also a demand for the topic of food. These can be either ready-made meals or products. If you decide to capture the sky, then it should be processed with high quality so that it can be bought on a stock photo.

If you don’t know how to make captions for images in English, you can use special translators. But still, to successfully promote photos, it is recommended to speak English at least at an intermediate level. If you make the description correctly, you can increase the saleability of the photo.

To take beautiful photographs, you need to have a professional camera. The 4 MP camera allows you to take high-quality images. In addition, they will need to be processed in Photoshop to make them even better.

Many people are wondering if it is possible to sell their photos multiple times. It's possible. As evidenced by the practice of successful photo stockers, some images are sold dozens of times, while half or even more of those uploaded to the portfolio were never purchased.

There are several sites that offer this type of earnings. The most famous:

• Shutterstock ;
• iStockphoto ;
• Fotolia;
• Dreamtime;
• Bigstock.

If you are interested in stock images in Russia, then it is recommended to go to Lori. The biggest earnings will be on the global American site Shutterstock. It is slightly inferior in ranking to the French Fotolia and the Canadian iStockphoto.

To make money selling photographs, you have to be very diligent. This work requires a lot of patience. Most beginning photo stockers give up this activity even during the registration period on the resource or after their images fail the exam. The exam is an optional procedure, but most resources have it. For each resource you need to make a summary with a specific set of images. An inspector checks them.

To start making money in this business on your own, you don’t have to travel the world and take photographs. You can start by filming the environment. It is not recommended to photograph people at the initial stage of their professional development. In order for such images to be posted in a portfolio on the resource, there must be written permission from the people who are depicted.

Stock photos that are popular are photos of sections:

• People;
• animals;
• plants;
• sport;
• health;
• nature.

Where to sell your photos online?

The photographs taken can be sold online. This is the fastest way to get money. Most resources offer to withdraw money to electronic wallets, and then transfer to bank cards.

The whole world needs photographs. The problem of video clips is even more acute. They are often accepted without exams. Photos are needed for magazines, newspapers, and Internet resources. Screensaver images are very popular. A beginning photostocker can start by photographing the texture of walls, a fallen yellow leaf, or dew on the grass. The captured surface of a lake or river will also bring income. These pictures are in demand, they are used for screensavers.

If you don’t know the answer to the question of where pictures are needed, then there is only one answer - images are needed everywhere. They serve as a complement to printed material, allowing you to expand on the topic and complement it.

How to sell photos on a photo bank

At Shutterstock, you need to pass a special exam, which we wrote about above. How this happens: you need to add 10 photos to the photo stock, if less than 7 pictures are selected from them, then the exam is considered failed. You can try again only after a month, but the advantage is that there can be an unlimited number of such attempts.

Designers, editors, and photographers come to Shutterstock to find new images, as it is the most popular and most profitable resource worldwide.

If you are interested not in selling, but in purchasing images, then you will need to buy a subscription here. It allows you to download 25 photos daily. The fee for this is just under $200. Here you can sell video clips. The system on this resource is built in such a way as to stimulate buyers and generate even more income.

Stocks sell original photographs that you won’t find anywhere else. It is recommended for anyone interested in art to visit it.

Creativemarketcom also requires passing an exam. This is a site that sells vector animation. On this platform you need to create a store where you can place products. When registering, you must write why you want to sell here.

On IStockphoto you need to take 3 photos, but they must be of very high quality and exactly correspond to the declared category. You can retake the exam as many times as you like after any time period.

For Depositphoto you need to prepare 5 test photos. This is a platform with high growth rates, so it is recommended to register here for future earnings.

If you are interested in artistic photos, you can sell them on 500px. This exchange is not like the previous ones: there is no exam. It is important that the name of the photographer is known, and that his works have already appeared on Internet resources. You can start promoting your works through Instagram, LiveJournal, VKontakte page or Facebook.

How to sell photos for money?

If you don’t know how much you can sell photos for, then the symbolic price in photo stocks is 1-6 dollars. At first glance, this seems like a very small amount, but profit is achieved by selling the same product multiple times.

If you own old family photos, they will also help generate income. All you need to do is make copies of old images and send them to the resource. They are in demand, so they will become a profitable business.

Pre-revolutionary family photographs must be in good condition. They are sought after by collectors and can be purchased for very large sums of money. In order not to sell yourself short, you should definitely consult with professionals to evaluate the image, and then make a deal.

How to sell photos to a newbie online?

The best-selling photos on stock photo sites

The most expensive photographs sold at auction cost several million dollars for each copy. There is something to strive for as a novice photographer. Andreas Gursky took an image of the Rhine River in rainy weather, which sold for $4,338,500. Cindy Sherman, who is characterized by staged work, took some of the most expensive photographs in the history of mankind. Among them is the work “Untitled #96” (1981), which was sold for $3,890,500.

You can take pictures of everything that comes in head and falls for eyes:

• nature;
• celebrities;
• body parts;
• objects.

But probably one of the more profitable and popular ones are nude photos. Street art is gaining popularity in photographs. Such photographs will also bring profit. If you are interested in how much a wedding photo can be sold for, then it is recommended to look at the prices for them on the Internet. You can sell photos from corporate events. If you don’t have professional equipment, you can take pictures using your phone. The Fotolia app allows you to sell photos from your phone by downloading and installing it.

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