If you enjoy taking creative photos and have a good eye for photography then this could be a great option for you.

How do I get paid?

What’s the point of taking photos, leaving them idly on your camera and then forgetting all about them? In light of this, you could be making money just by uploading them for other people to buy without that much effort. You will be paid royalties every time somebody wants to use your photographs.

Of course, they are your pictures so people will need permission from you if or when they want to use them. 

How much will I get paid?

It can range from $0.25-$5. Another factor is if the buyer pays for a subscription service or not. If they are a subscriber then they will pay less for your work which ultimately means that you will earn less too.

What percentage will I get from each sale?

There is no clear-cut answer here so it can be anything from 15-85%. This hinges on different agencies and how prolific you are as a photographer.

Can anybody participate?

Many agencies have an age rule of accepting anyone 18 years or older although lots of sites accept members from all over the world.

Do I need to buy a camera?

Yes, of course but it doesn’t have to be anything top end. Cameras are so accessible nowadays, most people have a camera even if it is just the one on your phone. 

Who will pay me to do this?

Some of the best websites that allow you to sell your stock photos include:

• shutterstock
• istockphoto
• dreamstime
• flickr
• alamy
• photoshelter
• fotolia
• photomoolah
• smugmug
• canstockphoto
• 123RF
• fineartamerica
• snapped4u
• gettyimages
• stocksy
• crestock
• shutterpoint
• canva

What else can I sell?

Clearly, you will mainly be flaunting your photos. On the other hand, a lot of these companies are also a platform to sell video footage, news stories, vectors or other artwork like drawings and paintings.

How good do my photos need to be?

This kind of work has become more competitive based on the amount of people who have access to cameras and the internet too. This means that you can’t post any old snap and expect to make money from it. You need to put some effort into your art.

Will I need to be approved beforehand?

You can bet that many of these sites will require you to submit a sample of your work for review. Accordingly, if all goes well, they will let you become a fully fledged contributor.

Some sites may want you to take a test in order to prove your knowledge of photography. They have high standards because so do their clients.

You will not be able to upload just any photograph. The website will need to check through your photos to ensure they appear professional beforehand. With this in mind, they will then approve or disapprove.

How long does the review process take?

You will have to play the waiting game after you submit an application as they will have to do a thorough review and employ quality control measures which could take over a month depending how busy the agency is.

There may be a short wait of a few days at the most before your uploaded photos will actually show up on the site.

Why are my submissions being rejected?

It could be any number of reasons. You may be doing something drastically wrong in terms of crafting a good shot.

However, don’t get too disheartened by your photos being rejected. A photo that gets shown the door by one agency may be welcomed with open arms by another site. The reasoning behind this could relate to sites having quotas on certain types of photos or perhaps there are other factors at play.

Why should I use a stock photo site to sell from?

When using a stock photo website, you will usually only earn a minor percentage out of each sale. On the other hand, you do have the advantage of having plenty of traffic browsing through your portfolio.

Conversely, if you are surrounded by competition then you will need to consider lowering the prices of your photos. This is in order to stay relevant among other rival professional photographers.

Can I sell the same photo on multiple sites?

It depends on your agreement with an agency. You will have to check which companies want exclusive rights to your photos in contrast to sites that allow you to sell the same work elsewhere.

How are my photos sold?

The two main methods are digitally as stock or as a physical print. Some sites let you place your photos on other objects like t-shirts, key rings, mugs, greetings cards and sell those instead.

Is there an app for this?

There are a handful of apps available for people who want to try their hand at taking great photos with their phones. Camera phones are a more amateurish way of taking a photo so the payout will probably not be as good.

What about copyright?

You don’t need to worry about copyright as you will still have rights to any work that you sell.

Why would there be a demand for my photos?

There are only so many good, free public domain photographs. Despite this, people will always have the need to buy stock photos from people like you for a number of different purposes. Some reasons might be to use your pictures for decorative purposes on blogs, websites or any other media platform.

Any other advice?

Yes, plenty. There is much more in-depth information on this earner in my ‘25 Tremendous Stock Photo Tips That Will Attract A Legion Of Buyers‘ article. Be sure to check it out if you want to learn more.

Please don’t forget to share this with your friends and comment below. Thanks for reading!