Selling photographs isn’t as hard as it was a few decades back. The internet has made the process of selling stock photography much easier. This is a step-by-step guide to help know how you sell your stock photos online.
What is Stock Photography?
Stock photography is the picture licensed for use to any individual or company. It can be of any subject matter: a website, blog, advertising, or social media. Nowadays, companies take stock photos instead of hiring a photographer because it will save the company time and money.
Why Sell Stock Photos?
Sourcing stock photos for online sales offers another way of earning a good side income. They earn money with that photo year in and year out after uploading. As long as the world evolves, so did companies’ need for the latest and best images. That simply means there will always be a demand for fresh content.
Step 1: Understand the Market
First, research the stock photography market before selling your photos. There are many very popular websites carrying all sorts of images that supply stock photos. Among the most popular include Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, and iStock, among many more. Each has its own set of rules, payout methods, and user preferences. That would have pre-informed you which is best to start first.
Step 2: Choose the Right Photography Niche
Stock photography covers many categories, from travel and nature to business and lifestyle. Picking a niche helps you stand out. Focus on a subject you’re passionate about. This will help you produce high-quality content that buyers will love.
- Some popular photography niches include:
- Business and work environments
- Food and drink
- People in everyday activities
- Nature and landscapes
Step 3: Invest in Quality Equipment
A camera does not need to be the world’s most expensive, but the quality matters. Pictures should be in focus. Even the low-resolution images which are to be available on stock photo sites can be rejected. Proper DSLR or mirrorless camera with sufficient illumination provides quality images. Lastly, editing through some software may be required to make the desired images from the unedited ones, where options include Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom.
Step 4: Learn the Platform Guidelines
As you know, every stock photo website has its rules and regulation for photographers, so know what the website requires before uploading. For example, some websites will refuse large file sizes, while others will even demand that you have release forms from your models if recognizably featured in a specific picture. Failure to comply may leave your images approved almost right away.
Step 5: Focus on Composition and Creativity
Creativity in stock photography. The photos must both be technically good but also tell a tale. Compose with creativity in colours, or themes of your picture. Photos taken under the simplest of natural light and simple compositions are great performers often. Besides, the buyers have preferences for images that can be used for multi-purposes such as a blog post, or use via social media, among others.
Step 6: Tag and Describe Your Photos Correctly
Proper tagging and descriptions will ensure that the looks of your images find their way during searches. Most stock photo websites will have a key-in option where keywords can be typed on images. Make use of keywords that can also add a description about the subject, setting, and the emotions of the images. If your image is a sunrise shot at the beach, then the words “sunrise,” “beach,” “sunlight,” and “ocean” should be relevant. The more specific your key words are going to be, the more likely it will be for your photos to be picked upon by buyers.
Step 7: Set Realistic Expectations
Stock photography doesn’t make you money overnight. Building a great portfolio is required to be making consistent money. Don’t believe anyone who promises you that overnight you’re going to get rich, but with patience and consistence over time you can build long-term passive income.
Best Places to Sell Stock Photos
Here are some of the best places you can sell your stock photos at:
- Shutterstock: Shutterstock is probably one of the best stock photo sites. The organization accounts for millions of buyers around the world. It bases its payments to the photographers on the download counts of the images. It also has a referral program so you can earn inviting other photographers or buyers.
- Adobe Stock: Adobe Stock is synced with the Creative Cloud suite of Adobe, so designers will quickly find and use your images. You earn 33 percent of the sale price for each of your images. Adobe Stock also lets you upload your photos directly from Lightroom.
- iStock by Getty Images: The best-selling stock photo website is iStock. It provides contributors with the opportunity as either an exclusive or non-exclusive contributor, whereby the exclusive gets more per sale but cannot sell their images elsewhere .
- Alamy It pays each sale up to 50% back, far exceeding many competitors, and provides excellent opportunities for photographers wanting greater rewards and flexibility.
- Dreamstime: Dreamstime has thousands of buyers and a huge number of sellers. They pay contributors between 25% to 50% of each sale, depending on the exclusivity of the image.
How Much Can You Earn?
All of them pay different prices for the downloads depending on the platform, the quality of your image, and the demand. For example, one will pay for every download, while another one will give you a percentage of the sale they make. The average stock photographer can earn anywhere from a few cents to several dollars from the download of one photo. Sometimes earnings are even higher. For instance, if an image is exclusive, it profits its owner much more or is in very high demand.
To explore more ways to generate income through various online opportunities, check out making money online, which covers a wide range of strategies for success.
Licensing Options: What You Need to Know
License of sale of stock photos to you gives the buyer permission to use them in certain ways. The license types include
- Royalty-Free(RF): This gives buyers permission to use the image a number of times without paying more for extra license fees, however, such non-exclusive image does not solely belong to anyone; other people may purchase and use it as well .
- Rights-Managed(RM):What this license does is extend the right for the buyer to use the picture for specific use or periods. When their license expires, they are compelled to buy another license if they are to keep using the image.
- Exclusive License:This license gives an exclusive right to a single buyer to use an image. For example, this license helps photographers earn more money by selling an exclusive license, but the image cannot be sold anywhere else.
Tips for Success in Stock Photography
1. Upload Frequently
Adding new photos is one of the best ways to bring in more visibility. You know that buyers always need fresh stuff so keep updating your portfolio.
- Follow the Trend
Pay attention to time, holidays, and seasons. Mainly, all these factors usually tend to influence what kind of images buyers are looking for. - Natural Light
Natural light normally works way better than artificial light. Your photo shoot may look more true and understandable under natural light. - Diversify Your Portfoli
A diversified portfolio brings you closer to selling images. A good stock photography library should contain diversity and variety, including subjects, settings, and compositions. - Contact a Client
Some websites permit photographers to contact the clients who download their images. Interaction by comments or answering requests can help build a following of repeat clients.
Legal Issues When Selling Stock Pictures
- Model Release Forms
If your photos feature recognizable people, you’ll want to secure model release forms-these will get you and the buyer on the right side of the law. - Property Release Forms If your photos are images of private property-for instance, a person’s house or car-then you may also need a property release form.
- Copyright Infringement Always upload images that you own. Legal implications of uploading work that you don’t own the copyright on include legal action.
Conclusion
Selling stock photos online is actually the way to build your passion into profit. Understanding the market, finding a niche in which you want to specialize, and consistently uploading the photos: you will have a well-build stock photography business. Stay patient, follow the platform’s guidelines on which you are operating, and improve your skills constantly. Then, in due time, your efforts will pay off and you’ll start making money from your photography.