It’s easy to think of photography as a hobby, but you can actually make money from it by selling your photos online. However, selling photos doesn’t mean that you just upload images to stock photo websites and hope that people will buy them. You’ll need to put some effort into it, but if you do, you could end up with extra income each month to help supplement your day job or self-employment income; even you can make this a full time job. A lot of people are earning handsome amounts through selling photos online, so if you have interest and passion, you can also make money. This beginner’s guide to selling photos online will give you some tips and advice on how to get started and where to go next.
Things every photographer should know before starting selling photos online
If you’re just starting out as a photographer and are trying to figure out how to sell your images online, you have your work cut out for you. While the market is vast, it can be quite competitive, especially when so many people believe they can get by on just one or two skills in the photography world, such as taking photos or editing them in Photoshop or Lightroom. To make sure you stand out from the crowd and actually make money with your images online, take a look at these eight things every photographer should know before selling online.
Understand Copyright
Believe it or not, you can’t just sell any picture you like. The copyright of an image lies with its creator and is a form of intellectual property that gives creators rights over how their work is used. That said, when it comes to selling your images online (or anywhere), be sure to understand exactly what copyright means and how it applies to your photography before you start selling your photos online. If you don’t, you could find yourself in legal trouble for copyright infringement. It’s worth noting that if you want to earn money from your photography, there are ways to do so legally without getting sued for copyright infringement.
Understand Royalties
Before selling photos online as a beginner, you must have a proper knowledge about royalties. Understanding how royalties work can help you make more money from your images. Royalties are typically paid in two different ways. The first is on a per-image basis, where you’re paid for each photo you sell. The second is by subscription, which means that you get paid once a month or once a year based on how many photos have been sold during that time period. It’s important to understand both of these methods so you know what to expect when selling your images online.
Pricing your work
It’s simple to slap a price tag on your images, but you should think about how much time and skill it took to create each one. Pricing high isn’t going to help your business if nobody wants what you have to offer. To help figure out what people are willing to pay for your work, look at other photographers’ websites and see where they price their work. If you do decide to sell low-res files or prints, be sure to tell buyers that these options aren’t as good as purchasing a full-resolution file or print. If someone is interested in buying your work but doesn’t want to spend too much money, consider offering them an incentive like free prints or discounts when they purchase more than one image. Asking for donations rather than set prices can also help keep costs down; however, some viewers may take offense to being asked to donate without receiving anything in return.
Be Professional
It’s very easy to get caught up in making money. Ultimately, you want to make money, but in order to be successful you need to show clients you are a professional and can deliver good work. Make sure that your photos are well lit and show off your subject clearly. So before selling photos online, you should first learn professionalism.
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Picking a platform to Selling Images Online for Beginners
There are several places you can sell your images online, but not all of them are designed with beginners in mind. In fact, some of them can be pretty confusing to get started with and aren’t actually that easy to use. However, there are plenty of websites out there where you can upload your photos and sell your images, especially if you’re looking to sell stock photos and get paid up front. But below are some best websites for beginners photographers to earn money by selling images online.
Dreamstime
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With millions of images online, Dreamstime is easily one of your best options. It’s a great place to sell photos, especially if you’re just starting out and don’t have much experience in selling stock photos. The site has an active community that’s easy to get involved with and can help you learn more about what it takes to be successful in photography. You can also earn money from contests that take place on the site, which offer opportunities for photographers who are trying to get their work noticed.
Fotolia
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Selling photos online can be a difficult and time-consuming process, but Fotolia makes it easy by providing a simple signup process and monthly payments. Upload your photos once, then specify pricing details and they’ll take care of everything else. They accept both JPG files and RAW images. Pricing depends on how many downloads you get each month; you get paid via PayPal or check every month.
Shutterstock
This stock-photo site is one of the largest in existence, and more than just a great resource for photographers; they also offer resources (webinars, tutorials) that can help beginners learn how to earn money from their images. You’ll need to apply before you can submit photos, but it’s free to do so. Once your account is approved, you can upload up to 20 images every week.
Alamy
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Founded in 1999, Alamy is a photo agency that gives customers royalty-free images that can be used in commercial or personal projects. The site has over 43 million images and videos contributed by 180,000 photographers. The contributors retain all rights to their material, so buyers only pay Alamy for use of images and video. It is a best website for beginner photographers to selling photos online. When you sign up with Alamy, you’ll get access to a library of content you can browse through and choose from. Once you find an image you like, just click buy—you won’t need to enter any payment information until after your order goes through.
Bigstock photo
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Since it was founded in 2000, Bigstock has paid more than $45 million in royalties to photographers. One of its best features is Royalty Free Rights Manager, which allows photographers to set their own price and licensing terms. The site also offers discounts for exclusive images, up to 75 percent off stock that’s available elsewhere online. Uploading an image is easy with a built-in FTP feature. If you’re not getting sales right away, you can use a free promo code to give your images additional visibility on search engines.
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Setting up your profile
Before you can sell your photos online, you’ll need a photography profile. Your profile is one of your most important marketing tools because it gives other photographers and art buyers an opportunity to discover your work, or find you if they’re looking for someone to hire. To make sure that people are able to find you on sites like 500px and Flickr, follow these guidelines:
Brand Name
Choose a name that reflects your brand and personality. If you want to be taken seriously as a professional photographer, avoid using funny names like Kitty Pics. Instead, use something professional-sounding . Keep in mind that some sites require you to use their name when signing up—so choose wisely.
Upload Quality Images
Upload high-quality images. When it comes to selling your photos online, quality matters more than quantity. Make sure all of your images are high resolution so that they look good both large and small.
Complete your profile
Fill out your profile completely. Many photographers forget to fill out their profiles completely, but doing so makes it easier for potential clients to contact you. Include links to any social media accounts where you post photos, as well as information about yourself and what type of photography services you offer.
Add new images regularly
Post regular updates. The more often you post new photos, the better off you’ll be when trying to sell them online because potential clients will know that there will always be new content available for purchase
User Keywords and Hashtags
Use hashtags. Hashtags help connect you with other users who have similar interests, making it easier for others to find your photos
Competitive Price
Price competitively. It’s important to price your photos competitively so that they stand out from others in your category on photo sharing sites.
Marketing yourself to boost your sales
If you’re looking to get started in the photography business, or you’re just looking to market yourself better, here are five tips to help you successfully market yourself as a photographer and boost your sales.
A clever business name
One of my favorite pieces of advice for those starting out in business is: Come up with a unique, clever name that’s easy to remember. And while I don’t care what you call your company, there are countless stories out there about how names like Travelocity or Google have generated tens of millions in revenue simply by having an unforgettable name. So spend some time brainstorming; it could be well worth it!
Great Photography Makes a Difference
A great photographer can make all of the difference in terms of whether or not your photos are seen by a large audience. If you’re trying to market yourself, think about what your unique selling point is, and then get out there! Use social media—Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube—to showcase your skills. Put together a portfolio website that showcases some of your best work. Consider hiring a professional photographer to take pictures for you; while they may cost more than taking pictures on your own, they’ll likely be worth it if they help attract clients who might otherwise overlook your business. And don’t forget about word-of-mouth marketing: getting friends and family members to spread awareness of your business can go a long way toward attracting new customers.
Engage with your customers
If you want to sell photos online fastly then reach out to your customers on a regular basis. It can be via email, phone call, text message or social media—whatever form of communication is best for you. But don’t just send automatic messages! Personalize them so they feel like you are speaking with them individually. This helps establish relationships that could ultimately turn into more sales down the road. Plus, it doesn’t hurt when customers see you genuinely care about their well-being. Not only will they appreciate it, but they might also be willing to spread good word-of-mouth about your business. And in today’s world, there is no better way to get your name out there than through positive recommendations from happy customers.
Create something worth sharing
If you want people to share your work, you need to create something worth sharing. Don’t spam social media with irrelevant, low-quality content that no one wants—and don’t think you can make up for it by promoting like crazy. If your message resonates with people, they will naturally want to share it themselves.
The stock photo business cycle
When looking for stock photos, you have to keep in mind that not all stock photos are created equal. There’s a life cycle of sorts, which can help you decide what kind of business model would work best for you.
How does it work?
The cycle begins with photographers uploading their images to an agency or website like Shutterstock. Then, agencies and websites license these images out to publishers and businesses who need them for things like advertising campaigns, magazine articles, or book covers. And finally, after some time passes (usually 6 months to a year), those same images become available again for photographers to re-upload so they can be licensed again. It’s important to understand that once your image is on one of these sites, you lose control over where it goes and how much money you make from it.
So, if you want more control over your content and earnings potential, then self-hosting might be a better option for you. However, if you just want to upload your files and forget about them until someone wants to buy them, then hosting with an agency will likely serve you better. Another thing to consider when deciding whether to host with an agency or self-host is what type of licensing you prefer. Some agencies only offer rights managed licenses, while others only offer royalty free licenses.
Final Thoughts
Digital photography is a very competitive market, but if you’re confident in your work and show it off well, then yes. You can definitely make money selling photos online. If you’re new, I recommend starting out with sites like Shutterstock or iStockphoto where you can get paid per download. Once you start making sales, you can use that money to invest in better equipment and improve your skills. With hard work and dedication, anyone can become a professional photographer.
