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HOW TO...
10 Tips - Make Money Selling Your Photos - Part 1 |
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© 2010, Stephen J. Kristof,
all rights reserved
First of all, let’s set things straight here - no, this is not one of those "get rich quick" schemes. Rather, this article is all about how to potentially earn an additional stream of income by selling the byproduct of something that you obviously already love – photography. Only this time it’s even more enticing – how about making money by allowing businesses, web designers and advertising agencies use the compelling images you create! It's done by "listing" your images with an online stock photo agency and it can possibly add a great deal more interest to an already interesting hobby of photography.
How much money can you make by selling your photography? Websites that promise specific dollar amounts or ranges are misguiding you, plain and simple. There is no way a website can determine how much money somebody can potentially earn by selling photos, because depending on an individual’s talent and a host of other factors, he or she may earn enough money to feed a fund for vacations or their kids' college trust…or...not even one red cent over a one year period. That is the truth.
ABC News’ Good Morning America carried a story in May, 2009, profiling this very way of making extra cash. According to their research, some people are able to turn-out a six-figure salary exclusively by selling their photos through online stock photo agencies. However, this is really not the norm and most people who are able to sell their images through stock photo agencies are able to make some extra spending cash.
So, before you quit your day-job or begin counting your un-hatched chickens, you’re best off approaching this as a fun side activity that has the potential to earn some money. Anything more than that is possible and would be fantastic, but there are no guarantees and I would certainly not approach it with that expectation.
Can I upload the same image to differnent agencies?
Usually, but it depends on the rights. If you want to do this, make sure that you are granting "non-exclusive" rights and check with each agency/site to fully understand their position on this.
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10 TIPS - HOW TO MAKE MONEY SELLING YOUR DIGITAL PHOTOS: 1. Choose a reputable Stock Photo Site: Make sure that your photographic abilities and what you have to offer meet the site's requirements! Don't bother registering or uploading any images if you cannot meet their basic requirements - you would be wasting your time. Pay some attention to the payment arrangement. You have nothing with which to bargain or negotiate. They will pay the percentage they state using the arrangement they offer. Period. If you think your masterpieces are worth more, then look for a different site, because these sites do not negotiate. See how long it takes for the site to review and possibly accept your uploads. Check out how much money you must accrue in your account before you get paid. Here are some stock photo sites/agencies that are worth considering: Shutterstock istockphoto Shutterpoint Fotolia 2. See what the Top Sellers are selling! Want your photos to sell? See what the pro's in the highest price categories are selling. Each agency has a way of categorizing "premium" images; take a look at these premium images and ask yourself if you can create works of similar quality, content and style? Some agencies have ways of showing which images are more popular than others, in terms of number of purchases/downloads. Use these as guides for the categories and content to shoot, should you wish to proceed. If you want to see what sells, you can also look at the images used on commercial websites, in magazines, brochures and billboards. These are very often sourced from the very stock photo agencies that photog’s use to sell their images. Avoid shots of your pets, as they usually do not show the "cuteness" or personality that only an owner would attribute to the animal they see in the image. Other people will likely not see what you see in images of your pet. Shots of people playing with, walking or interacting with a dog or cat may be a better bet, but the market is more limited than you may think. 3. Quality is consideration #1! This means technical quality as well as style. Stock photo sites will not automatically accept your content. Your images will be evaluated according to many criteria and standards. Before anything else, ensure that you upload ONLY those images which shine. From a technical standpoint, his means that any photo you consider for uploading must have a focal point, the subject must be in perfect focus, exposure should be well-balanced, lighting should show depth as necessary and the image should have good pixel depth (resolution). Any images with less than 8 Megapixels should not be submitted. From a style standpoint, rule of thirds and other compositional themes should be followed religiously. Give a great deal of consideration to factors like framing, colors, shapes, patterns, contrast, lines and curves. Think about where the eye is drawn and how it moves about the image. |
SELL YOUR PHOTOS! MONETIZE YOUR HOBBY! MAKE EXTRA CASH DOING SOMETHING YOU ALREADY LOVE TO DO! |
4. LEARN PHOTOGRAPHY!
Use all of the features of this website and many other photo sites to enhance your photographic knowledge; this means that you need to learn more about photo technique, composition and what constitutes good content. Buy and read books about photographic lighting, seeing the world photographically and composition. Watch photography DVD’s portraying the masters and their 'secrets'.
Part of your "homework" will also consist of using the internet to look at excellent photo examples from professional photographers and photo enthusiasts alike. Use sites like Flickr, Photolinks.com and Pbase.com to absorb as many compelling visual images as you can. Since you will be trying to sell your photos through stock photo agencies, you should also spend a lot of time looking at the digital images on stock sites; particularly those photos that fetch the highest prices! It is through this process that you will begin to devleop a critical eye and a sense of discernment. And it makes sense - how can you know if a photo is marketable if you aren't able in the first place to discern stunning photography from that which is mediocre or worse?
In addition to doing your homework, you need to shoot a LOT of digtial pictures! Don't be satisfied with the first 10 or even 20 frames that you capture. Serious professionals take along a lot of memory because they use it up. If you find something that you think is a unique and interesting photographic subject, find an even more unique and interesting way to photograph it! This takes time, patience and a great deal of practice. Take that subject and photograph it 100 times. Make sure that you try different perspectives and lighting, and if it is in an outdoor location, try shooting it at different times of the day.
The advice here - and it is very serious if you want to be able to sell your photos - is that you have to read about photography, look at others' photography and practice photography with a passion!
5. Type of Camera
The "EXIF" information on most stock photos indicates that the most successful photographers selling images on stock sites are using DSLR’s rather than point-&-shoot (POS) cameras. This is not to say that you can't sell images that are produced usnig POS cameras, because some of the higher-end models can do the job, combined with a very good eye, effort and artistic expression.
Why is the DSLR preferred? Mostly because of the ability to shoot manually, and the larger size and higher quality of lens which refers back to Step #3 regarding quality.
Use all of the features of this website and many other photo sites to enhance your photographic knowledge; this means that you need to learn more about photo technique, composition and what constitutes good content. Buy and read books about photographic lighting, seeing the world photographically and composition. Watch photography DVD’s portraying the masters and their 'secrets'.
Part of your "homework" will also consist of using the internet to look at excellent photo examples from professional photographers and photo enthusiasts alike. Use sites like Flickr, Photolinks.com and Pbase.com to absorb as many compelling visual images as you can. Since you will be trying to sell your photos through stock photo agencies, you should also spend a lot of time looking at the digital images on stock sites; particularly those photos that fetch the highest prices! It is through this process that you will begin to devleop a critical eye and a sense of discernment. And it makes sense - how can you know if a photo is marketable if you aren't able in the first place to discern stunning photography from that which is mediocre or worse?
In addition to doing your homework, you need to shoot a LOT of digtial pictures! Don't be satisfied with the first 10 or even 20 frames that you capture. Serious professionals take along a lot of memory because they use it up. If you find something that you think is a unique and interesting photographic subject, find an even more unique and interesting way to photograph it! This takes time, patience and a great deal of practice. Take that subject and photograph it 100 times. Make sure that you try different perspectives and lighting, and if it is in an outdoor location, try shooting it at different times of the day.
The advice here - and it is very serious if you want to be able to sell your photos - is that you have to read about photography, look at others' photography and practice photography with a passion!
5. Type of Camera
The "EXIF" information on most stock photos indicates that the most successful photographers selling images on stock sites are using DSLR’s rather than point-&-shoot (POS) cameras. This is not to say that you can't sell images that are produced usnig POS cameras, because some of the higher-end models can do the job, combined with a very good eye, effort and artistic expression.
Why is the DSLR preferred? Mostly because of the ability to shoot manually, and the larger size and higher quality of lens which refers back to Step #3 regarding quality.
To read Steps 6-10 in Part 2 of this article, click HERE
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Love Photography? There's much more to enjoy...
PHOTO TIPS INDEX FULL COURSE INDEX "HOW TO" INDEX PHOTO FORUM
SITE SEARCH CONTRIBUTOR'S GALLERY CAMERA & GEAR STORE FREE DIGITAL IMAGES
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