How to Sell Stock Photography – A Comprehensive Guide

The global stock photography industry is expected to be worth an incredible $4 billion by 2023! I don’t know about you, but I sure would like a share of that! If you have hard drives loaded with images that have been collecting dust, now might be the time to dig them out and turn them into extra income.

If you’re an amateur photographer or a professional photographer that would like to get into the stock photography business and make some money selling your photography then you need to read this article! It will teach you how to get started selling stock photography as well as give some tips that may help you improve your business even further.

But how do you get started? How much should you charge for the sale of your photos? And what kind of stock photo site is best suited for selling stock photography? Read on to find out!

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What Is Stock Photography?

The first thing we should talk about is what exactly “stock photography” is.

Stock photography refers to the practice of selling and licensing out one’s own personal photograph collection to other companies who use them in their products. Stock photos can be used in many different types of projects including websites and blogs, e-books, brochures, presentations, advertisements, magazines, newspapers, books, etc.

Who Buys Stock Photography Images?

There are two main categories of stock photo buyers: commercial clients and individual customers. If you want to learn how to start making money with stock photography, it helps if you know the difference between these two kinds of buyers.

One of the things that differentiate a commercial client from an individual customer is price. Commercial clients typically pay more for your work than individuals do because they have larger budgets. On the other hand, individual customers usually buy smaller quantities at lower prices. This means that when selling stock photographs online, you need to find ways to make yourself competitively priced in order to attract both types of buyers.

Commercial Clients – These are companies that have an entire department dedicated to buying stock photos. These departments usually consist of one person whose job is solely focused on finding new sources of high-quality stock photos. The majority of the time, you will be selling your images directly to a client who wants them for his/her business. This can include companies like advertising agencies, design firms, web developers, marketing departments, etc. These types of businesses need high-quality photographs that they can use in print ads, brochures, websites, presentations, eBooks, social media posts, emails, etc. They also want to know how many different ways there are to display an image so they don’t have to pay extra if it gets used more than once.
Individual Customers – If you sell your work online as prints, then you may find yourself working with individuals looking to purchase one or several copies of your photograph. The most common way people use stock photos is on their own website or blog.

Why Do People Buy Photos Online?

People purchase stock photos because they offer several distinct advantages compared to traditional print products.

Here are just a few:

1) They Save Time & Money – The biggest advantage of buying digital files is that you don’t need to wait weeks until your order arrives in the mail. Instead, you can instantly download them right away. And unlike physical goods like books or CDs, you don’t have to pay shipping costs either.

2) They Offer More Flexibility – With digital downloads, you can easily edit your images using software such as Photoshop. Plus, since these files aren’t tied to specific paper sizes, you can create custom-sized prints for virtually every occasion.

3) They Provide Unlimited Versatility – When you upload an original file to a stock photo agency, you usually only receive rights to use it within their particular platform. However, many agencies allow you to share your images across other websites too.

4) They Are Easier To Share – Since most stock photo buyers prefer purchasing digital files over printed ones, sharing your work becomes much simpler than ever before. Simply emailing links to friends and family members will help spread the word quickly. This means you can potentially reach millions of visitors with each sale.

How Do I Get Started With Stock Photography?

Images for sale on stock photography websites are a great way of making money. But how do you know if your images will be successful? How can you make sure that they’re going to get picked up by buyers and sold at a profit? The answer is simple: test them out!

There are literally millions of buyers looking for all types of images, subject matter, and styles of stock photography. With so many possibilities to sell stock photography to these clients, one of the first things you need to do is to develop your own style.

Learn as much as you can to improve your craft. Take your camera everywhere, and photograph a wide variety of subjects so you can build up a collection of photos for sale for a portfolio that will attract clients.

Get Essential Gear – You should at the very least have a DSLR or Mirrorless camera with a decent lens, ND filter, memory cards, laptop, external hard drive, and editing software. You can always add more photography gear as you progress.
Learn Photography – There are so many great photography courses available for beginners and advanced photographers to learn new techniques and improve their skills.
Put together a stock photography portfolio – Start by creating an online portfolio of images that show off the best work you can produce. This will help potential clients see what kind of quality they should expect when hiring you as a photographer. It also gives them something tangible to look at and compare against other portfolios.
Register yourself with a reputable stock photography agency – Each company has its own guidelines regarding file size limits, resolution requirements, etc., so check before uploading anything.
Sign up at one of the many stock photo websites – These stock photography sites offer thousands of every day and allow you to sell your own original photographs. Once you’ve decided upon a suitable platform, set up a profile page. Include information about yourself and include links to your social media accounts. Also add a link to your website if you have one.
Create a website – Start by creating a website where you can display your photographs. Integrate ecommerce into your website so clients can buy directly from you.
Use social media – Sites like Instagram, Facebook or Twitter can be used to promote yourself and your business. Posting regularly helps keep customers up-to-date with new products and services offered by your company.

Selling Stock Photos: The Basics

Before we dive into all that, let’s talk about a few things first…

What Is Selling Stock Photo Images Really All About? When it comes down to it, there are two main reasons why people sell their photographs online — they want extra money or they need an easy way to earn some cash while doing something else.

If you’re looking at selling stock photos because you want to make extra money, then here are three tips to help you along in your quest:

1) Don’t be afraid to ask for higher prices. If someone has already paid $50 per image for a particular type of photograph, don’t expect them to pay twice that amount just because you offer it up again. You may not always get exactly what you asked for, but if you give good value for money, most buyers will happily come back for more.

2) Be prepared to work hard. It takes time to build up a portfolio of quality images, so unless you plan to spend hours every day uploading new content, you won’t see any real results overnight. But once you start getting regular sales, you’ll quickly realize that working harder pays off big time.

3) Keep learning. There’s no end to the number of ways you can use stock imagery, so keep experimenting with different styles until you discover which ones really suit you. This could mean taking classes, reading books, watching tutorials, joining forums, etc., but whatever method works for you, stick with it.

Do I Need Model Releases When Photographing People?

If there are people in your image and you’re planning to use it to make money or even on your website, then yes, you do need a model release form signed before taking pictures. If you don’t know where to start, we’ve got you covered! Here are 5 tips to getting a model release:

1) Ask first – Before snapping away, always ask permission if you intend on selling the image on stock photography sites or anywhere else.

2) Get consent – Make sure you have written consent from everyone in the photoshoot. This includes models, parents of children under 18 years old, pets, friends, family members, etc. It also helps to include an explanation of why you’d like to take this particular picture.

3) Be clear with payment terms – Don’t forget to specify when payments will be made. Also, make sure you agree on any fees associated with using these images. Are you providing payment or perhaps free images to your model?

4) Keep copies safe – Always keep hard copy files safely stored somewhere off-site. Backing up digital files can help protect against accidental deletion or damage. And remember to always back up important documents such as contracts, agreements, and other legal paperwork.

5) Know your rights – Finally, read through our article on licensing requirements. We’ll cover everything from fair use to exclusive licenses.

Now that you know what selling stock photos are all about, let’s take a look at where you might choose to host your own website.

Choosing A Hosting Service For Your Website

When it comes to choosing a hosting service for your personal website, there are several factors to consider before making a final decision. Here are four questions to answer when deciding whether to buy web space from a company like Bluehost (This site is hosted by Bluehost!) :

Do They Offer Any Special Features That Will Help Me Grow My Business?

When it comes to buying web space, one thing that matters above everything else is reliability. After all, if your server goes offline, you lose access to your entire business. So when selecting a provider, check to see if they offer 24/7 customer support and if possible, test their services yourself.

Does Their Pricing Include Everything I Need To Run An Online Store?

Another important factor to think about when choosing a web host is pricing. While many companies offer unlimited bandwidth, others only allow users to upload files up to 2GB each month. Make sure you understand how much storage space you’ll receive and what other features you’ll need to run your store successfully.

Will They Provide Training On How To Use WordPress?

Finally, another key consideration is training. Many providers offer free basic courses on using WordPress, but this isn’t enough to teach you how to create professional websites. Instead, opt for a package that includes comprehensive training materials and ongoing technical assistance.

What Are The Advantages Of Using A Web Host Like BlueHost?

There are plenty of advantages to using a web host like Bluehost, including these five benefits:

1) Reliability – If something happens to your site while you’re away or during an emergency, having a reliable backup system in place means you don’t risk losing anything. Plus, since you’ve got full control over your data, you can easily restore backups whenever necessary.

2) Security – When you sign up for a web hosting account, you automatically gain access to powerful security tools such as malware scanning software and firewall protection. These safeguards help protect against hackers who may try to steal information stored online.

3) Scalability – Since most hosts provide multiple levels of disk space, you won’t ever be forced to upgrade your plan unless you want to add additional resources. In addition, some plans include extra RAM memory, allowing you to scale up your site without worrying about running out of room.

4) Support – Most web hosts will also give you access to live chat agents who can assist with any issues you encounter. This way, you never have to worry about getting stuck trying to figure things out alone!

5) Easy Setup – Once you decide which type of hosting solution best suits your needs, setting up your new website should be simple. You simply log into your dashboard and follow the instructions provided by your chosen provider.

If you’d rather not use a web host, there are still ways to get started selling photos online. For example, you could start small by creating a blog or online portfolio where you post pictures. Then, once you build traffic, you can begin promoting your work through social media channels or you can just sell your stock photos on a stock photography website.

9 Stock Photography Websites to Sell Your Stock Photos and Videos Today

There are so many stock photography sites where you can sell your photos and earn extra monthly income by doing so. Some stock photos sites have a higher standard for becoming a contributor than others. Some pay contributors monthly and have a varied payment structure while others pay based on the number of downloads and purchases. Some sites also offer more generous payouts for their contributors, so take that into consideration when choosing a stock site to sell your photos on.

Fololia and Adobe Stock – Fotolia is part of Adobe Stock. Both sites are owned by Getty Images, which means that both companies share similar policies regarding copyright ownership. Adobe Stock features curated collections of high-quality images, graphics, videos, and more from the world’s leading creative community.
PxBee – PxBee offers images for every budget. They have a photo stock library of over 60,000,000 high-quality stunning photos from photographers that are contributors to choose from.
StockSnap.io – StockSnap offers hundreds of free high resolution images with more being added weekly.
PicJumbo – PicJumblo offers free stock photo for personal and commercial use.
Alamy – Alamy delivers over 250 million creative and editorial stock photos, vectors, 360-degree images and videos worldwide.
Vecteezy – Vecteezy makes fully licensed, professional-quality creative vectors, stock photos and stock video accessible to all, enabling designers to do their best work and take on any project with confidence.
Dreamstime – Dreamstime is a micro stock website, specializing in Royalty Free content.
Pond5 – Pond5 is primarily a video marketplace. Their focus is on all different kinds of stock video especially 4K.
Shutterstock – Shutterstock offers the quality, royalty free stock images, photos, vectors, illustrations, footage, video, and music for nearly any application.

How to Shoot Images That Sell

In order to make money in the stock photography business, you need to define your niche. What kind of photographer are you? Do you specialize in Weddings? Portraits? Landscapes? Sports? Travel? Whatever your specialty may be, think about who would buy your images. What types of people might they appeal to? How much time does this type of client spend looking through portfolios? These questions help define your target audience.

Here are 20 tips to help get you started shooting images that will sell.

Get a good camera – This is probably one of the biggest mistakes new photographers make when they start shooting stock images. They buy an entry-level DSLR or point-and-shoot thinking this will be enough for their needs. It’s not. You need at least a mid-range DSLR or Mirrorless camera with a decent lens if you want to compete in today’s marketplace. The other thing I would recommend is investing in a tripod as well so your photos don’t look shaky.
Start Small – Don’t try to take too much at once. Focus on quality rather than quantity.
Be Consistent – Keep shooting consistently throughout the year. Even though you won’t always produce amazing results right away, keep trying. Eventually, you will improve and your skills will develop.
Stay Organized – It may seem overwhelming at first but organizing your files into folders makes it easier to manage projects and stay organized. You should also create a folder specifically for each client project.
Get Close – When shooting portraits, make sure you keep your subject close to avoid having them appear too big. This makes people feel more comfortable around their camera.
Be Creative – Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things if they work well for the image. You can always go back later and tweak the photo in Photoshop but this takes time.
Use Natural Light – Try using natural light instead of flash whenever possible. It gives off better results and looks much nicer.
Experiment With Different Filters – There are many different filters out there that will give an interesting effect on your photograph. Some examples include vignette, sepia tones, black & white effects, etc.
Take Lots Of Photos – The best way to improve as a photographer is by practicing every day. Taking lots of photos helps because it forces you to learn something new each time.
Make your photos searchable – When you upload your stock photography to sell don’t forget to add captions and keywords to every photo. These descriptions give readers additional context about the picture itself. They’re especially helpful when searching for particular subjects. Keywords are essential if you want people to find your photos. Research which keywords are being using for specific photography genres to see what will work best.
Edit Your Pictures Correctly – Editing is one of the most important parts of photography. Make sure you use editing software like Adobe Photoshop, Luminar 4 and Lightroom so that you can correct mistakes such as exposure problems, color balance issues, etc.
Find Interesting Locations – One great tip is to find locations that aren’t common places. For example, if you live near water then shoot beach scenes. Or if you live somewhere mountainous, then capture mountain landscapes.
Learn About Lighting – Learning about lighting is essential to becoming a successful photographer. Understand all aspects including ambient, artificial, direct, fill-in, rim/border lights, etc.
Create A Portfolio – Once you’ve taken enough photos, create a portfolio showcasing your skills. Include both professional-quality shots along with snapshots just for fun.
Start a blog – Blogging gives you a chance to write about things related to photography without any restrictions. What better place to promote yourself? This also means more chances to get paid if you decide to monetize your site later down the road.
Network And Share Your Work On Social Platforms – Finally, share your work through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, Tumblr, Flickr, etc.
Build Relationships With Other Photographers – When you meet fellow photographers through networking events, local groups, and online communities, share links to your site and encourage them to check it out. This helps you gain exposure and builds relationships with potential future clients.
Find a Mentor – If you want to become an expert in this field, find someone who has been doing what you plan to do for years. They have experience and knowledge that you don’t yet possess. Learn everything they know about how to succeed in this business so when you finally launch your own company, you already have all the tools necessary to make it happen.
Never Stop Learning – As long as we live, our world keeps changing. We need to adapt accordingly. So never stop learning new techniques, improving existing ones, and expanding your horizons.
Have Fun! – Finally, remember why you started taking pictures in the first place. Enjoy yourself while working hard towards achieving success.

Types of Licenses Offered by Stock Photography Agencies

In simple terms, a license is used to protect your work. As a photographer, you own the rights to the images you create. You can sell them or give them away as long as they are under copyright protection and have been licensed for use by others. The type of license that applies depends on what kind of material it is being applied to. Make sure you know what license type that you are agreeing to.

Royalty Free : Royalty free refers to the fact that no payment is required upfront. Instead, the agency pays a percentage of any sales made through the image after the initial sale. RF licenses typically last longer than standard licenses since they allow the user to sell unlimited copies of the image. However, royalties paid to the copyright holder still apply.
Rights Managed: This means that you have certain rights with respect to the photo but not all the same rights as those who hold copyright on the work. For example, you may be able to make unlimited copies of the photo for personal use, but you cannot distribute them commercially. If someone else sells one of these copies, they would need to credit you as the photographer.
Standard Licenses: Standard licenses are similar to royalty free except that payments are due upfront. Some agencies charge higher rates for standard licenses compared to royalty free options.
Exclusive Rights: Exclusive rights refer to the right granted to the licensee to reproduce, distribute, modify, adapt, display, perform, create derivative works, and otherwise exploit the image exclusively. An exclusive license also gives the licensee the ability to transfer all copyrights associated with the image back to the copyright owner.
Non-exclusive Rights: Non-exclusive rights mean that the licensee retains certain uses of the image, such as displaying it online or selling prints. Most non-exclusive licenses expire after a set amount of time unless renewed.
Reserved Rights: Reserved rights give the licensee permission to use the image only within specific parameters. Reserving rights means that the copyright owner reserves the right to revoke those permissions at any point in the future if deemed necessary.
No Commercial Use: This means that you cannot use the photo for anything related to commerce. Examples include selling products, advertising services, etc.
Attribution Required: This means that when someone purchases a product from you, they should receive written information about where the photo came from.
Usage Limitations: This means that there are limitations on how many times the photo can be reproduced. Some companies require that the usage limit never exceed 100 prints per year. Others allow up to 500 prints over five years.
Digital Only: This means that the photo cannot be printed out onto paper because digital files contain more data than traditional media.
Print Only: This means that you can print the photo at home, but you cannot scan it into a computer file.
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commerical: CC BYNC gives creators full control over their creative content while allowing anyone to freely share, distribute, copy, adapt, remix, translate, publish, perform, display, and make derivative works based upon the original work.
Creative Commons Attribute Share Alike 3.0 Unported: CC AS3 provides authors with more flexibility in sharing their creations under Creative Commons licenses. The author retains copyright on the final version of the work, but grants others the ability to modify, reuse, and redistribute that work provided they give appropriate credit to the creator.
Creative Commons Zero: CC0 removes most limitations on what can be done with your work. You retain complete freedom to use the work however you wish, even commercially.

Photography Courses To Improve Your Skills

There are many photography courses available online for beginners and advanced photographers. Always keep learning!

LinkedIn Learning – Learn Photography from hundreds of courses for beginners & professional photographers.
PHLEARN – Learn Photoshop, Lightroom & Photography from industry professionals when you join PHLEARN.
Udemy – Learn Photography from the multiple classes Udemy offers.
One Light Masterclass by Joel Grimes – Learn how to create breathtaking portraits using only one light.

Conclusion

So what did we learn from this article about selling stock photos online? We learned that it takes more than just great pictures to be successful in the world of stock photography. It requires creativity, marketing skills, and perseverance to become a stock photographer.

Selling stock photography isn’t easy. But if you put in enough effort into promoting yourself, eventually you’ll start seeing results and start earning extra cash. Good luck!

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