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Everyone from small and medium to large businesses are always in need of photographs today, now more than ever. Whether you are a budding photographer or an established one looking to expand your reach to a wider audience, there are several sites that you can explore to make money by selling photos online.
While a newbie can earn extra cash and learn some crucial skills from the experience, an expert photographer can diversify his income or even earn a full time wage. This post will present you with 12 such websites that you can explore to sell your images online.
How Do You Make Money Selling Photos?
In order to sell photos you need to have some cool original photos. Abstract and artistic images are always fun to take but not always the best selling photos. Often times photos of people or items that convey emotions or habits sell the most. You can research the websites below for different styles that are popular. Other places to check out are social media, in fact you can make money with Instagram Photos as well as some other social settings.
Check out the bestsellers and compare them for their uniqueness and style. Be sure your images are bright and visually clear. Landscape images with symmetry are always popular, especially season ones.
Once you find the photo style you are comfortable with and have taken a handful of images you feel you would like to sell, pick a few websites to create an account on. With your account complete you can then begin uploading images and listing them for sale. If you prefer nature scenes or landscapes, this is a great job for introverts or those who prefer to work alone.
Review how others price their photos and price yours accordingly. Once you have your images up and ready for sale, its time to promote on social media, websites, email, or through a newsletter. It can take anywhere from 1 day to several months to make your first sale. The more photos you add, the more likely you are to get photos in front of customers and make money.
Photos can be sold over and over or sold just once for a high price. Some photographers make a couple extra bucks to a few hundred a month while others make a few thousand! Don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of photographs, lights, and angles. See what works best for each site and sell, sell, sell!
Websites You Can Sell Your Photos On:
Below are 12 websites you can sell photographs on. They each have their influences and styles that work well. Some of the sites sell general photos while others sell more unique and full of action pics. Choose the ones you feel will best represent your style of photography.
1. Alamy:
Alamy has more than 60 million high-quality stock images and videos for sale on its website. This makes it the largest marketplace in the world for stock photos. Photographers have the option to upload their photos without any copyrights issue or licensing requirements.
You get to keep 50% on every sale that you make. The site sees millions of visitors on a monthly basis which means more eyeballs for your photos. Alamy has paid out over $180 million to its photographers till now.
2. iStock Photo:
iStock Photo is a good starting point for novice photographers who are looking to establish themselves in the online world. The site is very popular and caters to the needs of the newbie users with its forums and resources. Great for learning valuable skills.
Standard royalty payout on this website starts at 15% per download. If your photos are popular, you can even fetch a royalty of 45%. Additionally, if you sign up for ‘exclusivity’ to sell your photos only on iStock, then you can expect royalties ranging between 22% and 45%.
3. Shutterstock:
Shutterstock is one of the most popular websites in the online photography world. With over 200 million images, music tracks and videos to boast of, this is a great platform for photographers to sell their stock photos.
You have the option to become a contributor on this site and earn every time a client downloads your image. You can earn anywhere between 20% and 30% as a contributor. Payouts are done on a monthly basis. The site also gives credit to the owner of the images and allows you to set the rights on your photos.
4. Fotolia:
Adobe’s Fotolia is another famous site where you can sell your photos online and make money. It offers royalties between 20% and 60%. You are not required to sell exclusively to the site. Unlike other sites, your money gets deposited into your account instantly, and you are not required to wait to reach a threshold to withdraw from your account.
With over 45 million images, the site has been in existence for over a decade and has a strong and loyal customer base. Recently, Fotolia was also included in other Adobe software like Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop.
5. Fotomoto:
Fotomoto is a widget that integrates with your website so you can sell your photos online. It is not per se an online marketplace, but it can effectively manage the entire process of dealing after you have added a photo to your site.
As a result, you don’t have to go through the hectic procedures involved in making a sale. There are numerous monthly plans and transaction fees that you can opt for depending on the features you require and sell your photos online.
6. Etsy:
Etsy is widely known all over the world as an online marketplace for handmade goods primarily. With over 30 million users spread across multiple countries, this means you have a very large audience to showcase your work. Etsy gives you the option to sell your prints as well.
The only thing you need to be careful about is the packing and shipping. You get to set the price for your photos and design them yourselves. You also have the complete control over how you wish the potential buyers to view your photos.
7. PhotoShelter:
If you want to sell your photos through your own website, then PhotoShelter is a great option that you can explore. They are essentially a photography-centric e-commerce platform which can be integrated into any website.
Some of the features that this site offers you include cloud storage, search engine optimization (SEO), social media integration and an intuitive interface among others. You can choose how your photos will be displayed to the customers. Having your site means that you won’t have to worry about the photos of your competitors being displayed next to you.
8. PhotoMoolah:
PhotoMoolah can be a good site to explore for aspiring photographers. Various contests keep happening at this site where you can participate and submit your photos. If you win, you get paid the prize money and also get to retain the rights to sell your photo to a potential customer.
They are still emerging as a strong photography site, meaning you won’t face stiff competition and will be able to create your space and get noticed fast. Prizes are very tempting and can range from $100 to $200 and can go up to $500.
9. Crestock
Crestock is a stock photo agency where you can sell your photos and earn some extra money easily. The best part about the site is that its team is devoted to making the process of selling your photos easier with focus on buyer education, buyer options, designer resources and up-to-date industry information. You can add keywords and descriptions for all your photos so they can be easily picked up or accessed through the search bar in the site.
10. 500px:
500px is one of the most well-known sites that is oriented towards professional photographers looking to make a living out of selling their work. You can choose to sign up with a free account or a paid account if you want better features like SEO and the ability to add Google Analytics together with more customization options.
Several contests are run on this site where you can participate and make more money in exchange for your photos. If you are really looking to make money selling your photos as your career choice, then this site can’t be missed.
11. Snapped4u:
Snapped4u can be your go-to site if you are a photographer who takes photos at various events like marriages, gigs, parties, festivals, and more. They allow you to upload your pics and not worry about anything else. The order processing, printing, postage, etc. everything gets taken care of by the site.
You can also use the money you receive on the sale of your photos to raise money for good causes through the site. Snapped4u takes $0.50 on each photo that is valued at $5 or less. However, if your photos get sold for more than $5, then they charge a commission of 10%.
12. BlueMelon:
BlueMelon is more a platform to showcase all your photos together than an actual online marketplace. This is because the site manages your payment processing and display of your pictures, but you are accountable to market them on your own.
They offer a secure platform to upload your photos and offers relatively higher royalties when compared with other similar sites. The owner of the images get credited for their photos and can integrate their social media into the website.
Final Thoughts!
If you are really looking for real ways to make money selling photos online then get registered with a few top websites above and give it a shot. You might surprise yourself even if you are a beginner when it comes to photographing, that you can make some great extra cash. And if you are already an experienced photographer looking to expand your brand and gain a greater following, these sites are a wonderful place to do so while earning an income.