How to make money selling photos on the Internet with stock photography? step by step guide

For some years now, and especially now, Internet business has been in constant growth and among these undertakings, the sale of photographs can be highlighted.

More specifically, we talk about the sale of stock photoswhich have been used for advertising purposes practically since the beginning of the internet, when they began to create business websites.

Being a relatively profitable form of entrepreneurship, We have given ourselves the task of gathering all the information you might need to get started in this field. You will know the most profitable types of photography and the best platforms to sell your work.

How much money can you make selling stock photos?

For this question it is not possible to give a fixed answer, since stock photo trading is governed by a considerable number of variables that make the sale price of the images fluctuate. To get started, there are categories of images more quoted than others, so their sale price will be higher. In addition, variables such as the prestige of the photographer, the website where the photographs are sold, and their quality must be taken into account.

To give an example, on sites like Adobe Stock the photographs can be sold smoothly, offering the author a commission of between 0.25 and 0.50 euros. On other sites, depending on the number of downloads the photo has, you can increase your level and generate higher earnings.

What are the photographs that sell the most on the Internet?

There are categories of images that sell more than others, since they are most in demand for companies and independent content creators who use them to create their websites.

Among the most demanded stock images, the following categories stand out:

• Worked: These types of images represent people performing actions in work environments, as well as images of offices, desks and conference rooms.
• Nature: This category includes images of flowers and animals, although its main category is landscape images.
• Technology: they are used in blogs related to the subject, to promote technological advances in many branches. Your theme can include electric cars, smartphonesaccessories and robotics.
• Backgrounds and textures: They are used as a basis for the construction of websites, as well as the creation of advertising images. It can be solid color images, walls and wood, among more textures.
• Ecology: While this theme can relate to nature, it also focuses on images of pollution awareness, recycling, and sustainable development.
• Foods: one of the most popular areas of stock photography. Images centered on food dishes of any kind are quite in demand, so it is necessary that the photographs are of excellent quality.
• Photos for editorial use: These are images used for the creation of books, pamphlets and newsletters.

What photos are not so valued in the stocks?

In this point, what must be taken into account, more than the type of photography, is the composition of the same, and compliance with a number of rules that apply to the stock photography trade. In most cases, the photos must meet minimum requirements, both in image quality and in its type and composition, to be marketable.

Basically, the images that are not wanted for sale are:

• Images that do not meet the requirements of quality, size and resolution.
• Photographs showing models who they have not given explicit permission for the use of their image.
• photographs that display logos and trademarks, regardless of whether they comply with the other rules.
• Images that break the principle of neutrality looking at stock photos, being, for example, too artistic.
• personal photographs that are useless for the purposes of any agency.
• Images that emit confusing messages, and that they may not be used for commercial purposes.

Do I need a professional camera to take the photos?

Stock photography is a very crowded market. There are many websites full of photographers offering excellent works through the use of professional DSLR cameras., so the standard quality of the photos was not something that we can neglect. To highlight in the middle of the photo, it is necessary to use the tools and means of editing to make your work stand out from the competitionand the first implement necessary for this is a professional camera.

Get to know the best professional cameras for beginners, with which you could start your work in stock photography:

• Nikon D5600, with a resolution of 20 mpx.
• Canon G7X Mark II, which offers you 16 mpx.
• Canon EOS4000D, one of the best, with 25.2 mpx.
• sonydsc-hx350, which has 20.4 mpx.

Learn how to make money selling your photos on the Internet

The sale of stock photography is a business that has been online for quite a long time, which puts at your disposal a considerable number of platforms through which you can trade the images.

Next, review the steps to be able to register on a platform for selling stock images, and start generating income selling your photographs:

Choose a platform

The first step to start generating profit from the sale of photography is to find the right page on which to trade your work. Thus, For the purposes of this guide, we will focus on Shutterstockone of the most popular image sales platforms today

Configure your account information

Registration to Shutterstock is very simple, allowing you to register in seconds and start selling photos quickly, through the following procedure:

• Fill in the form with the requested information and click on “Following”.
• Sign in to the email account you provided in the form to verify your account.
• Once verified, click “Following”.
• Enter your Shutterstock email and password to login.
• Fill out the new form that appears and press “Following”.

Once the procedure is finished, you will be registered in the Shutterstock community and you can start uploading your photos.

Upload your first photos

As soon as you have registered, Shutterstock will immediately present you with the option to start uploading your photos to the page.

For which you must follow the steps described below:

• Immediately after doing the Registration, click on “Carry”.
• Drag the images you want to upload, you must ensure that they meet the requirements described on the page. Then tap on “Following”.
• Images will be uploaded automatically and sent for review, if they meet the required guidelines, they will be approved and displayed on Shutterstock for downloadfor which you will receive a commission.

How do payments work on Stock platforms?

In Shutterstock specifically, payments consist of a percentage of what the site charges for licensing the content you’ve created. These earnings are divided into 6 levels ranging from 15% to 40% of license earnings. Payments are made through electronic platforms, specifically through PayPal, Payoneer and Skrill. According to the selected method, payments are made on the days 7th and 15th of each month.

To set up your payment method on Shutterstock, follow this procedure:

• Click the arrow next to your name to open the drop-down menu of your account options.
• click on “Account settings”.
• In this section, scroll down to the section “Payment information”.
• In “Payment method”open the dropdown menu and select one of the available platforms.
• If the payment platform email is not the same as the one you entered when you signed up for Shutterstock, modify it.
• Select the minimum payment which will be transferred monthly to your account.
• click on “Save settings”.

Through this process, you will have set up your Shutterstock payment methodand you can start earning money from your photos as your photo licenses are sold.

Best websites to sell your photos and earn money with them on the Internet

As alternatives to Shutterstock, there are many very reliable platforms where you can start selling stock imagesand that will allow you to generate income effectively, although with different modalities, methods and payment times.

Go for it:

stock.adobe.com

This service provides designers and content creators with access to millions of image files, as well as high-quality, royalty-free illustrations, graphics, and 3D resources. When a buyer purchases an image through Adobe Stock, the creator of the image receives a percentage profit on the price of the image or video, of 33% and 35% respectively.

dreamtime.com

It is one of the most extensive image databases available today, with more than 30 million images to his credit, including photographs, illustrations, vector drawings and video clips. Similar to Adobe Stock, your earnings work in tiers, and when you sell your images through Shutterstockyou can generate a profit of between 25% and 60% according to your level.

Smugmug.com

It is an online hosting platform for audiovisual media and images of all kinds. It allows its users to store and share photos, videos, vectors, and 3D assets. It is also a platform that facilitates transactions with digital and printed media.serving as sales support for photographers of any experience level.

crestock.com

It is an online stock photography bank, which also contains vectors, videos, 3D images and other types of digital media that designers and content creators can get at low prices. This platform is quite populated with a large number of images of excellent quality. The sale and price of the image is determined by factors such as the size and quality the buyer is looking for.

iStockPhoto.com

This platform is particularly popular for its user-friendly interface and registration procedures., image upload and sale, which consist of relatively simple steps that are easy for any user to follow. One of the virtues of this site is its commission payment method, through which you can generate considerable income if your content generates enough traffic and number of downloads on the website.

photobox.co.uk

More than a stock image trading platform itself, Photobox is a page where you can find a variety of options, both independent buyers and websites, among which you can choose to trade your work. Photobox is configured to work in the English languagewhich gives you access to a tremendously wide marketand through which you will have access to buyers from all over the world.

Alamy.com

It is one of the most popular photography sales pages and chosen by a large number of users. Alamy stores approximately 60 million photos and digital media for use by content creators. One of Alamy’s best attributes, is the possibility of publishing your images in various places and its method of payment by commission, which are greatly increased through the time of use of the platform.

photomoolah.com

This page focuses on the promotion of artistic photographs through public dynamics such as, for example, contests to spread your content and promote its sale. More than regular trade, it can be considered almost an auction. One of the points to be very aware of is the fact that, although by winning the contest you can generate a considerable amount, you will completely lose the rights to the image, so it is necessary to carefully read the conditions of participation.

Capptu.com

Being event photography one of the most prominent branches of stock photography, Captu could be considered as the main website focused on transactions with this type of images. Another reason for its popularity, is the fact that it teaches its users about the concepts of selling photography online, in addition to providing them with the profit margin due for the sale of each image.

Society6.com

It started as a virtual image warehouse that, as it became so popular due to the quantity and quality of the images it stores, He took the opportunity to launch his own photo sales platform. It has an extensive template of sales prices, through which you can generate different levels of profit according to your level of workin addition to allowing you to access a variety of plans for the promotion of your images

Freepik.es

It works very much like a professional social network, through which you will have access to a large number of audiovisual projects, in addition to having the function of trading with homemade photographs Its simplicity and access to a large number of projects that can serve as inspiration, make it one of the best options to choose to get started in the world of selling photographs.

Foap.com

One of the most popular options for the sale of photographs related to nature and tourism. It has a vast selection of photographic material related to this theme, as well as plans to promote and distribute your content. It is one of the best options for lovers of natural photography and beginners in the world of photo trading, allowing you to segment your content on dates and places. All from the comfort of your mobile device.

etsy.com

focuses on the sale of decorative photographs that can both serve as inspiration for those looking to decorate their home or office, as well as be the decoration itselfas it has for sale a large selection of posters and prints that can be used to decorate.

Canstockphoto.com

This platform works as a connection between the photography trading pages and you as a content creator, so the page will give you commission earnings for each download of photo sales If a negative point should be mentioned, it is that, when you start, the commissions will be considerably low. However, as your traffic level increases, as well as the downloads of your works, the commissions will also increase.

photoshelter.com

It is one of the best platforms for online photo trading, since it allows its users to access stored images by means of keywords, which it uses to position the images you upload into different categories. In addition to this, It has the interesting function of storing all your photos on a platform in the cloudeffectively supporting your work.