We all like to take snaps don't we? Even those of us who aren't very good at photography love to have a go at capturing a few special moments with our cameras and phones.
But did you know that there are ways to make money from your photographs by selling them online?
Yes, that's right, your photo back catalogue (and more to the point, your future photo catalogue) could earn you a few quid if you know the right websites to add them to. There are tons of people who need to use photos and images everyday on websites, in magazines and brochures, on posters and elsewhere - and they are willing to pay photographers for the right to use them.
Now, don't get us wrong, unless you are a really exceptional photographer then you probably aren't going to make your millions selling your photographs online - but for any students with a bit of spare time, a decent camera and a good eye for a photo opportunity, selling photographs online can be a good way to make a bit of extra money without a great deal of effort.
But did you know that there are ways to make money from your photographs by selling them online?
Yes, that's right, your photo back catalogue (and more to the point, your future photo catalogue) could earn you a few quid if you know the right websites to add them to. There are tons of people who need to use photos and images everyday on websites, in magazines and brochures, on posters and elsewhere - and they are willing to pay photographers for the right to use them.
Now, don't get us wrong, unless you are a really exceptional photographer then you probably aren't going to make your millions selling your photographs online - but for any students with a bit of spare time, a decent camera and a good eye for a photo opportunity, selling photographs online can be a good way to make a bit of extra money without a great deal of effort.
| There are a few different ways you can make money online from your photographs and each method has advantages and disadvantages. Some people make money by building up a popular online portfolio of photographs and selling advertising space next to them. Another method is to sell your photos for use on merchandise such as t-shirts, cups and calendars. Other photographers build up a gallery and sell photographs directly to private clients - or make money from doing photo shoots once their name becomes well known. The disadvantage with most of these methods, though, is that you usually have to have quite a lot of experience in photography - and a large portfolio of images to display. | |
So ... what if you don't have thousands of fantastic quality photographs at your disposal? Well, one of the best ways for students to get started making money from photographs online is by taking advantage of stock photography websites. Once you've signed up with one of the stock photography websites, you simply upload some of your photos and submit them for approval. If some of your photographs get accepted and someone spots one of your photos and wants to buy it - or at least a license to use it - then you will get a cut of the sales value from the stock photography website. | |
| There are tons of websites dedicated to buying and selling stock photography online - but a few of them stand out from the rest for a number of reasons. | |
| We've tried a few of the main stock photography sites - and we've listened to what other students and photographers have said about them all, and these are some of the most popular stock photography websites we've found. It is free to register with all these sites to sell your photos. | |
| Each stock photography website has slightly different rules and guidelines about what photographs they are looking for and what they will be willing to accept. For example, there are strict rules about ownership and copyright issues on any photographs you submit. If there are any recognisable people in your photographs then you will have to ask them to sign a Model Release allowing you to use them in the image for commercial purposes. Similarly, there are rules which will prohibit you from using photographs which contain certain building, logos and brands. Also, all of the different stock photography websites have their own commission rates and payment structures, so it's worth taking some time to read the small print to see which stock photography websites would most suit your style of photography - and which will make you the most money... | |
| How Much Can I Sell My Photographs For? | |
|---|---|
| The simple answer to that question is ... ... it depends! Sometimes payment for photo downloads via a subscription can earn you just a few cents. But, the cents can add up quickly if you manage to upload a substantial set of quality stock photographs over time. And some websites pay more for photographs after reaching different levels of downloads. For example, you could get more per download for a photograph that has been downloaded 5 times than one that has had just 1 download. | |
Also, it's typical for sale prices to be higher if the purchaser buys a larger version rather than a smaller version of the photograph. One more thing to consider is that some of the stock photography sites will pay you much more if you agree to submit photographs exclusively to their website and are accepted onto their exclusive programme. For example, iStockphoto pay up to three times more commission to their exclusive photographers. In addition to paying more per download to exclusive photographers, Dreamstime also pay an additional bonus for each and every photograph that their exclusive photographers successfully submit to the site. One of the great things about stock photography is that your portfolio can grow and bring you a residual income while you aren't even active on the website. The first photo you successfully upload could still be making you money in 10 or more year's time. | |
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