Interesting little-known ways to make money from stock photos. Selling your photos. How to make money on photo banks. How to choose a theme for stock photos

Many people can now afford to buy photographic equipment. Even, to be honest, today almost everyone has a camera in their pocket. Indeed, rare mobile phones are produced without a camera.

However, alas, not everyone can really benefit from this. Basically, users are limited to photographs that, at best, go to the computer screensaver.

And at the same time, there are still people for whom photography is not only a pleasure, an interesting way to spend leisure time, but also a favorite, and, what is no less important, a well-paid job.

Our interlocutor today is a successful photo stocker, who kindly responded to our resource’s offer to talk about working on the Internet. We hope that his interesting and informative story will help our readers in choosing their life’s work.

So, let's get acquainted!

– What is your name, where do you live, what resource are you building your career on?

- My name is Alexander. I have been living in Thailand for the last few years. I moved there a long time ago, when it was not yet a trend. I have several projects in different areas, but in the field of photography, my main project is a website about photo stocks Fotostoki.ru, where I maintain my blog and regularly report on the income received from this project.

– In what year did you earn your first money on the Internet?

– I became interested in the topic of making money on the Internet in 1999, almost immediately after I first got the Internet. I was still in school at the time and really wanted to become financially independent. I even opened an account with Sberbank to withdraw my earned capital, but never used it. Looks like it's still open.

Back then Spedia was a popular way to make money, but it wasn’t serious. In search of a niche, I came across adult masters forums several times, but never developed this topic. And then I went to university and moved to another city, where I did not have stable Internet for several years.

So the topic of making money online died out and I returned to it only in 2006. Now I often return my thoughts to those times and understand that if in 1999 I had been more persistent and had not given up my interest in making money on the Internet, then life could have turned out completely differently. Many people I know who started before have achieved some success.

– What prompted you to search for virtual income?

– I wanted freedom and independence. For me, the main advantage of working on the Internet is the freedom to manage your time, as well as the absence of those who stand over your soul and command you. Maybe at first I didn’t understand this, and the main thing for me at that time seemed to be the opportunity to simply do something new. But time has set its own accents.

– Did you have the feeling that you would be deceived and not paid for the work? How often have such cases happened to you? How to insure yourself against fraud on the Internet?

– I’m used to trusting people and I think I understand them quite well. Therefore, I tried to avoid all dubious deals and offers. When working on the Internet, it is difficult to avoid deceptions and scams, but I had few of them. I can't even remember anything serious. More often than not, it was not specific people who cheated, but Internet services. Especially financial ones that closed without paying anything. It is impossible to insure yourself 100 percent against fraud, but you can use, for example, guarantor services. Better yet, use your head more often and think carefully about every decision you make. If we talk specifically about photo stocks, I will note that no one has ever deceived me here.

– Can a beginner with a simple digital camera make money online, or will he definitely need to get a SLR camera?

– Modern photo stocks (photo banks), especially the largest ones, which generate the main income, have very high requirements for the quality of images. Both artistic and technical. Therefore, a lot depends on the camera. If your camera allows you to take pictures of high technical quality (for example, no noise), then it doesn’t matter whether you shoot with a DSLR or not. But, of course, most photo stockers work with professional cameras. I even have a referral who shoots with Hasselblad (very expensive studio cameras, price over $30,000).

Many photo banks now, in order to be in trend, have begun to accept pictures taken on a phone. About a year ago, Time magazine published a photograph taken on an iPhone on its cover.

– Which photographic equipment manufacturer should a “newbie” choose – Nikon or Canon? Why?

– There is no correct answer here – this is a classic holivar. Both companies produce good equipment and the choice between them is a matter of taste. I shoot with Canon, but I'm not a Canon enthusiast. Please note that later it will be difficult to change the company; you will have to change all the equipment, including lenses, and this costs a lot of money.

Try to find friends who have Canon and Nikon. Shoot with both cameras, and then choose which one you like best.

– When buying a camera, is it better to buy a “carcass” or one with a “whale” lens? What is the best model option for a beginner you can recommend?

“kit lens"= “from a kit”, a set of cameras.

Camera body ("body", "carcass"- jargon of amateur photographers,"box"- in prof. environment) - basic module system camera without lens and other accessories

– There are many options, for example, on my Canon 5D Mark II camera the kit lens is a professional lens from Canon 24-105 F4 L IS, which in itself is a very good and expensive lens. Cheap cameras have kit lenses that are not of such high quality, but you can also shoot with them. I have several photographs taken with a kit lens that are selling quite well on photo banks.

If you choose between a good (expensive) body and a good (expensive) lens, then I would choose the second.

– Should I give preference to a universal lens or is it still worth shelling out and buying a separate long-focus lens? What selection of lenses (models) do you think can satisfy the minimum requirements?

– Much depends on what genre you are going to shoot in. If you are a photo hunter, then you cannot do without a telephoto camera. And if you shoot models in the studio, then it’s generally worth taking a primer. If you haven’t yet decided what you want to shoot, then take something universal. For example, the same 24-105mm, it is suitable for most cases.

Telephoto lens(jarg. TV) - variety telephoto lens , the optical design of which allows you to make frame and the whole lens is shorter than it focal length

– How critical is the presence (absence) of a tripod, flash, and lighting equipment?

– To start working with photo banks and understand whether it’s for you or not, you can only get by with a camera. This will be quite enough. And as your professionalism grows, purchase all the other equipment. Of course, if you immediately plan to shoot in a studio, you will need good lighting. But here it is necessary to consider each case individually.

– Which photo stock site would you recommend for a newbie to register with? What is needed for this?

And then, after gaining some experience with photo stocks and accumulating a portfolio, you can switch to other sites. For almost all photo stockers, most of the profit comes from Shutterstock. But to get into it, you need to pass a rather difficult exam, providing at least 10 high-quality works. Please note that when registering, almost all photo stocks require a scan of your passport (foreign in English).

– What cameras and lenses do you regularly use?

– Can you describe your standard working day? What time do you start work, when do you finish your working day, do you have days off?

– I do more travel photography, so I don’t have a clear daily routine. I don't shoot in the studio. For me, shooting for stock photos is not a job, but rather a passion, a hobby. I love to travel and when I travel I take photographs for myself.

And when I return, I see what footage I can use for uploading to photo stocks. It takes quite a lot of time to process photos, add descriptions and keywords, and upload them to stock photo sites. That's why I haven't been shipping much lately.

– How much can you earn from photo stocks?

– This is one of the main questions that beginners ask. I can say that most authors who register on photo stocks earn less than $100 per month. But this is solely due to the fact that they either quit their job or do not work very hard.

There are middle peasants who earn from several hundred to several thousand dollars a month. And there are stars, of which there are few. They maintain large studios, producing up to several thousand new works per week. Stars can earn tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars a month. The main star of this industry, Yuri Arcurs, is estimated to earn several million dollars a year. It all depends on you and your diligence, but you shouldn’t expect quick money.

How to estimate your probable income? With a high-quality portfolio, if it is uploaded to all the largest photo stocks, you can earn on average about $0.5 per image per month. That is, if you have 1000 photos in your portfolio, then you can count on $500 per month.

– Are there any special nuances of working on a stock photo that a novice photographer should definitely take into account?

– I can’t name any special nuances. But I want to note that if you do not have a large database of high-quality photographs or images, then you cannot make quick money on photo stocks.

You will have to work actively to present a large and high-quality portfolio. I also do not recommend rushing through exams on those photo banks where they are available. First work with photo banks that accept authors without exams. Learn how it all works, understand what level of photography is required, etc.

– Is there a lot of competition on stock photos? Has it increased noticeably lately?

– The competition on photo stocks is enormous. For example, the largest photo stock Shutterstock already has more than 40 million images and every day tens of thousands of authors add more than 200 thousand new images. To stand out among this stream, you need to either add a large number of works, or try to stand out with an interesting idea and the quality of the pictures.

– Are there the most popular topics and plots?

– There are popular topics and they are constantly changing. It is important to follow trends and try to catch them. Some time ago, medical topics were quite popular - doctors, laboratories, medicines. Before this, business topics were growing rapidly - businessmen, negotiations, offices. There is still huge competition in it.

Photo stocks often publish reports - which keywords were most often requested in searches on the site. You can use them to find out what is in demand. But you need to take competition into account. I wrote on my blog about one interesting service that allows you to evaluate the popularity of a topic based on the number of requests/competition parameters.

– What question did we miss, but is it very important for successful work on a stock photo?

– To this question, I’ll probably answer that for successful work on photo stocks, creativity, new ideas and hard work are important. Everything else can be learned quickly.

– Thank you very much for such a detailed story. We wish you to catch up and overtake Arcurs!

In 2008, Yuri Arcurs crossed the million license sales mark, becoming the best-selling microstock photographer in the world.

Earning money from photo banks and photo stocks

Photo banks and microstocks: passive income or business?!

With the increasing availability of powerful digital photographic equipment, obtaining high-quality images is no longer the privilege of professionals. At the same time, the demand for such products has not decreased at all, although increased competition could not but affect prices. A year ago in Sri Lanka, I met a guy who, on a relatively passive basis, was earning about $1,000 a month on photo stocks. Recently I decided to delve deeper into the topic and at the same time write a detailed review on the topic.

So, what opportunities does an amateur photographer have for making money on the Internet and what does he have in common with an investor who receives passive income on the financial market? Read about it in this article.

What are microstocks and photo banks?

I've been running this blog for over 6 years. All this time, I regularly publish reports on the results of my investments. Now the public investment portfolio is more than 1,000,000 rubles.

Especially for readers, I developed the Lazy Investor Course, in which I showed step by step how to establish order in personal finances and effectively invest your savings in dozens of assets. I recommend that every reader complete at least the first week of training (it's free).

This time we will take a closer look at the so-called microstocks and photo banks. In its most general form, these are online platforms for the purchase and sale of graphic and multimedia content: photos, vector and raster drawings, and sometimes videos. But the vast majority of the material is presented in the form of photographs and photo collages. It’s surprising that it’s not so easy to find a clear explanation of the differences between a microstock and a photo bank on the Internet. However, there is a difference and it is very fundamental.

Microstock allows you to upload an image to storage once and sell it any number of times, regardless of what other resources it is on. Unrestricted rights to this image remain with the author. The photo bank allows you to purchase an exclusive license for an image, and from now on any attempts by the author to put the image up for sale again will be a violation of the license.

Of course, this difference greatly affects prices. You can sell your images through stocks at least a thousand times, but from each download your earnings will be a symbolic amount - often less than $1. If your masterpiece is appreciated by a photo bank, you can get a decent sum, up to thousands of dollars, but only once. By making a paid download of an image, the buyer does not acquire the image itself, but a license for the right to use it.

There are several types of licenses accepted in photo stocks and photo banks:

• Editorial – a cheap license for using the image for informational purposes;
• Rights-Ready – the buyer specifies for what purpose and in what project the image for which the license is purchased will be used;
• RoyaltyFree – all rights remain with the author, who sets restrictions on the right to use the work, the cheapest download;
• ExtendedRoyaltyFree – extended rights to use works for commercial purposes, downloading costs several times more;
• RightManaged - the owner of such a license can impose restrictions on the rights to use the image by competitors, the license price is hundreds of dollars;
• Exclusive Buyout – exclusive rights to use the image. From now on, the author is obliged to remove it from other resources, if it exists there.

The uniqueness of making money on photo stocks is that this type of business is potentially capable of generating passive income, i.e. it can be called an investment. All you need to get started is a SLR or “system” camera, 1-2 good lenses and a lot of time. Even with numerous failures, when moderators reject uploaded works, and the demand for those put up for sale does not live up to expectations, you still have photographic equipment that can be used to hone your skills, compile a family archive, or, in extreme cases, be sold.

To successfully sell his work, a stocker must be, as they say, on trend. Flowers, sunsets and cats don't sell well. It is enough to familiarize yourself with popular topics, a list of which you will see on any stock. Everything that relates to business and the so-called lifestyle is in demand: success, active recreation, stories full of movement and motivation to action.

It is also true that from year to year the requirements for image quality are becoming more stringent. What could have been successfully sold 3 years ago will now with a high probability be rejected by moderators as not meeting the minimum quality requirements. You can be a brilliant photographer in terms of realizing an artistic vision, but if the camera is blurry, if the image is noisy and has various color aberrations, creativity will not save you.

The beginner’s task is first of all to pass the “exam”, i.e. upload examples of your work to the website to assess their compliance with the basic level. Before submitting your work, you need to carefully examine it in full size. This is exactly how they are viewed by stock moderators.

What you need to pay attention to:

• focus (overall image detail);
• “movement” - blur due to camera movement;
• noises;
• lighting (are there any problems with exposure);
• detail in dark and light areas;
• excessive noise reduction processing;
• does the editor read EXIF ​​protocol data (information about shooting conditions);
• absence of logos or trademarks in the frame.

Perhaps the least problems with correcting the so-called. “softness” of the image, when the detail slightly falls short of what is theoretically possible at a given resolution. Alternatively, you can lower the resolution and this drawback will be almost invisible. You need to be prepared for the fact that everyone has different requirements and if on one stock your work does not cause any complaints, then on another they may be rejected. It's all about quality. But no one has canceled the composition’s compliance with traditional canons. For example, a diagonal composition is visually much more attractive than a flat one, and back focus in portrait photography is generally unacceptable. In addition, skills in working with graphic editors, preferably Photoshop, are required. A well-edited photo sells much better than the original.

But perhaps the most difficult thing is to predict the amount of work that will have to be invested month after month before the real return begins. For many beginners, this moment turns out to be an insurmountable obstacle and a blow to their pride. If we look at the statistics posted by successful photo stockers, we will see that they:

• they work not with 1-2 drains, but with 5 or more;
• the first year they work almost exclusively on building a portfolio;
• persistently advertise their portfolio on thematic resources.

How much can you earn from photo stocks?

Time is money and not everyone has a lot of it. Meanwhile, there is an alternative for talented photographers. These are not stocks, but online photo galleries. At one time, 35.ru was considered the most prestigious Russian-language resource. It was possible to freely get acquainted with the works of such recognized masters as Valtteri Mulkahainen, Igor Torgachkin, Rarindra Prakarsa, Ben Marar. Unfortunately, the site now functions as a social network and requires registration with Facebook.

However, it is available through search queries. Here is a link to the works of the TOP-100 photographers of 2016 on this resource: 35photo.ru/rating/best2016. Most works are available for purchase either electronically with a "personal use only" license or as a high-quality print. Prices are usually confirmed with the author. Prices range from hundreds of rubles to thousands of dollars. Needless to say, you will never find work of such a professional level on any of the stock sites. The best photographers from all over the world gather here, using exclusive, sometimes custom equipment.

Real examples of passive income on stocks

So how much can you earn from stock photos? Interesting statistics are provided by amateur photographer Mikhail Popov (mikhailpopov.com). Having registered on 4 stocks, during the first year he earned $366, but in the second year he earned more than $2000. Income from Shutterstock accounted for 81.5% of the total. Almost 500 images were put up for sale. As the photographer admits, there were moments when I wanted to give up everything. Photographer Vitaly Shcherbina talks in even more detail about his earnings “from scratch” (his blog, unfortunately, is no longer available). Over the course of 1 year and 8 months, $1,255 was received from the 8 stock sites with which he collaborates, with an average of 2,000 photos uploaded to each (!) stock. However, Shcherbina works with an entry-level Canon 600D SLR camera and a set of lenses that do not pretend to be professional. The distribution of income between all these drains turned out to be as follows:

The average price of 1 download is $0.58, so you can only get it by numbers. The popularity of the resource plays a major role. Shatterstock is the undisputed market leader. But he is also a leader in terms of the level of “bar” that needs to be overcome to start work. You need to upload 10 photos for evaluation, and if at least 7 of them are not considered suitable, you will not be registered as an author.

Possibilities of drains

In addition to photos, many stocks allow you to sell vector images. The main demand is not for finished compositions, but for elements used to create original layouts in printing design and website design. Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw are the main arsenal of stock graphics. A separate topic is selling through stock drawings. They can be made both in raster form using a graphics tablet, and in the traditional way, i.e. pencil, watercolor, oil. To confirm your authorship, you will have to fill out a special form - a property release. The activity is not for the faint of heart. For example, this is what a completed Shutterstock release form looks like:

In addition to text information, you will have to provide a thumbnail of the image itself. Now imagine that you have hundreds of drawings. Some stockers work with their own team. In this regard, the experience of stocker-illustrator Microvector is indicative. The team's total income is approximately $11 thousand per month, and there are 5-7 permanent performers. The format of the works is vector images. Payment to the performer for the finished work is 20-25 dollars, for a “similar”, i.e. small modification, 10-12 dollars. The manager’s own income is slightly less than half of the total earnings. The benefits of teamwork are obvious:

• an already promoted author sells more effectively than a beginner;
• the manager is focused on studying demand and promoting work;
• The artist does not spend time on proper design and uploading of images.

We can say that there is a synergistic effect here: the team’s productivity is greater than the sum of the individual productivity of its members. Once again, Shutterstosk generates the bulk of its revenue, followed by iStock and Fotolia. An interview with Microvector can be read here fotostoki.ru/articles/interview/interview-microvekctor.html

Speaking about earnings, we cannot help but touch upon the topic of withdrawing funds. For example, at Shutterstock this happens automatically every month. The withdrawal method is selected during registration: PayPal or MoneyBookers. The minimum amount is also indicated. For the first three months, no money will be withdrawn. This is argued by the fact that there are swindlers trying to sell other people's works. The administration undertakes to find them as soon as possible and expel them from the site. It is highly recommended that you complete the W-8BEN tax form, otherwise you will be subject to US income tax of 30%. It will be automatically deducted when withdrawing the earned amount. The process of filling out the form will not cause difficulties: the process is automated and uses registration data.

Advantages and disadvantages of making money on photo stocks

Advantages	Flaws
Passive income possible	Requires professional knowledge
No risk of capital loss	Not everyone can do it
Does not require large one-time costs	The first 1-2 years of work without tangible returns
Flexible time allocation	High labor costs
Combining work and creativity	There is not always adequate income for professionals

For those who are interested in passive (in the long term) income, stocks may be an interesting option. But unlike classical investing, you will first have to invest a lot of your own time. There is some analogy with classical business. But, unlike business, what you have already achieved will remain with you, it will not depreciate in value, will not go under the hammer or to pay off debts. Your portfolio will work for you 7 days a week and 24 hours a day.

If among the blog readers there are stockers and those who are simply not indifferent, write your reviews about this method of earning money in the comments. I don’t rule out that this year I will experiment with stock photos. Subscribe to blog updates.

Profit to everyone!

When a photographer begins to think about increasing income from his photography activities, his gaze will certainly be directed towards stock photography. In my opinion, all photographers go through the stage of considering stock photos as an additional or main income and trying to make money from them. The popularity of stock photography among beginners is extremely high due to its attractive business model.

What attracts newbies to photo stocks and photo banks?!

First of all, with its supposedly passive earning model. It would seem that upload photos to stock and sit and count your money. But is that so?!

It has long been noted that to successfully make money on a stock photo you just need a huge portfolio of very high-quality photographs, about several thousand. And all those successful income stories that you have already read before you got to my photo blog are silent about one essential fact: photographs must be of commercial value.

Here it is highly advisable to understand what photostocks are. There are two options for understanding its essence: selling your photographs and someone else's business. Ask yourself a reasonable question: If any photo stock is a successful business of its owner, then what approach will this businessman take?! Of course, he will sell what another business buys.

From here we can draw a simple and obvious conclusion: photo stocks need those photos that are in demand by some business. And therefore, it can be argued that all your photos of cats, flowers, surrounding landscapes and your friend Lyudka are simply not needed by photo stocks. These photographs have no commercial value, and it is not photo stocks that determine the demand for them, but a certain business and its customers. The better you understand this, the easier it will be for you to start working with waste.

Welcome to the real world, Neo.

How much can you earn from photo stocks?

I'm afraid I'll upset you, but the amount of your earnings is unlikely to be large. Most likely it will be several tens of dollars per year. And this phenomenon has its own explanation.

What does your income from photo stocks consist of?! Of course, from the number of photographs sold. Relatively speaking, each photo costs a few cents (0.20 - 0.33 cents) and now, imagine the number of photos that you need to sell to earn a hundred dollars. This is approximately 500 photographs.

It would seem not so much, but this is 500 photographs in conditions of fierce competition and an endlessly falling demand for them. Look at the following photo:

How many times have you seen pictures like this on websites?! Yes, they are everywhere. Please note that the Russian-speaking segment of the Internet makes full use of foreign faces on their sites, and this may indicate several things:

• Higher quality photographs from foreign photographers
• Better models
• Stock photo clients have their own requirements and it is pointless to catch the wave of success with “our” faces

By the way, the photograph shown has absolute commercial value. It will sell well because it can be used to illustrate almost any business. Ask yourself a simple question: Will I be able to take photographs of similar quality and content?! By the way, stock photo inspectors may have questions about your photos regarding the content. I’ve heard that some topics, like the above photo of a call center, are so full of the same type of photos that inspectors simply don’t let similar photos through for sale.

So. The first thing you should evaluate if you want to make money on a stock photo is the commercial component of your photos and the quality of their execution, relative to what is already sold on the stock photo. Believe me, the more honest you are with yourself, the more time and effort you will save yourself.

Now comes the fun part. If you can provide stock quality to your photos, then you will already be a very professional photographer whose schedule will be booked for months in advance offline. And it will be easier for you to earn money offline than to wait for someone to buy a couple of your stock photos.

Is it really possible to make money on stock photos?

Now, I would like to tell you a little about the subscription system that exists on photo stocks, and how it will prevent you from earning money. One way or another, all photo stocks offer a subscription, within which you can purchase a limited or unlimited number of photos for a certain amount per month or year. It would seem that there’s nothing wrong with it, but look at the screenshots of photostock subscriptions:

All you need to do is divide the cost of the subscription by the number of photos in that subscription, and then calculate your 30-50%. You will receive the amount that you can earn from selling one photo by subscription. Impressive?

What does this mean for a beginner?!

This means that a crowd of subscribers will buy photos at a deep discount and you will earn less money from these sales. Of course, all those clients who buy photographs en masse will use subscriptions, because it costs them less. As I already said, stock photos are a business, and businesses are primarily interested in money, not your photos. I think you shouldn’t expect any actions from photo stocks aimed at increasing the direct income of photographers. There are many photographers, but photo stocks have less and less money.

I remember the epic threads on stock photography forums when stock photography introduced this system. I understand and sympathize with stock photographers, but the howl then reached the heavens.

In addition, we should not forget that there are already photographers on photo stocks who have made a name for themselves and you will have to compete with them. For example: one of the most famous stock photographers, Danish Yuri Arkus. On the Internet you can find his interview, a list of photographic equipment used and the amount of his earnings. He uses professional models, he has several assistants, he has a Hasselblad and yes, he is a millionaire and your competitor. Do you have everything that Arcus and others like him have? I doubt.

What conclusions can be drawn? I guess the following:

• The stock photo policy is not aimed at generating income for photographers
• High competition from famous and popular photographers
• Competitors already have greater capabilities, both financially and technically.
• Prices for photographs are moving downward

Of course, you can object to me, they say, there are photographers who make money on stock and earn quite a lot. Of course, but there are not so many of these photographers, and most stock photographers do more part-time work than they really earn.

And therefore, when I read another success story about how a novice photographer managed to earn a lot of money by uploading a hundred photos to a photo stock site, I am inclined to strongly doubt its veracity. Success in stock photography can only be achieved in one case, if you treat it as a full-time job. The work is hard and tedious.

Stock photography and where to start?!

Oh, it's not difficult at all. It is enough to take several hundred photographs of commercial topics, select a description and keywords for them, and upload them to a photo stock. After which, it is sad to observe very weak or even non-existent sales.

I will share one interesting observation. A photographer posting his photographs on a stock photo site does not earn money here and now. He is simply lending to his own business, counting on future success that may not exist.

Before you start working with waste, I ask you to take a piece of paper with a pen, sit down and start writing down all your potential expenses. You need to take into account not only the monetary costs of paying for the same models, but also the time lost in searching for these models. Add in equipment depreciation, electricity, photo retouching costs, and the cost of administering it all.

As a result, you will get a certain amount, which will mean how much you will credit your expected income from the stock photo. A friend of mine, having made similar calculations, came to the conclusion that it was more profitable for him to take photographs with documents. I can't say he was very wrong.

And if after all, I haven’t convinced you of the uselessness of this activity, then go for it. I sincerely hope you succeed.

*** Everything written refers to the microstock model. This is when one photo is sold many times, but for mere pennies.

Passive income from photo stocks starts from $600 per month if your portfolio contains more than 1000 works. Photos are posted on several resources. To promote, you need to get acquainted with popular methods, trends, and study pictures of popular stockers.

Features of making money on photo banks

Microstocks – These are international intermediary catalogs with photographs, vector graphics, three-dimensional models, videos, and music files. Illustrations and images are in demand among advertising agencies, journalists, designers and individuals.

Making money on stock photos has its pros and cons.

The essence of the work comes down to the following: take a photo, upload it, come up with a relevant title and description, select keywords, and after checking it, receive income as it is implemented. In the process of preparing images, it is important to follow the rules of shooting and processing.

You will need equipment, preferably an SLR camera with an interchangeable lens. At first, you can use any digital camera from 6 megapixels. Unlimited high-speed Internet is required. In addition, the photographer must be proficient in Photoshop, the artist must be proficient in Corel Draw and Adobe Illustrator.

How to make money on photo banks? Step by step instructions

• Selecting a theme for photos and images. To do this, it is recommended to study stock reports, track customer requests and popular keywords. You can focus on topics that no one is working on. It is important to remember that visitors purchase images for business and are guided by the commercial value of the product. Topics are always popular: business, professions, family, relationships, travel, sports, holidays.
• Registration in photo banks. To generate income, you need to work with at least 5-6 portals.

Popular photo stocks for making money are Shutterstock, Dreamstime, Fotolia, Depositphotos. It is worth paying attention to BigStockPhoto, Crestock, Lori, Istockphoto, CanStockPhoto.

During the registration process, the user actually enters into an agreement with the resource for the right to sell photos, images, and videos. Therefore, personal data must be entered correctly and in English. For identification, you need to send a scan of your passport or a second document.

Select 5-10 best photos that will be evaluated. Based on the assessment, censors approve or disapprove the registration. Photos must meet the following requirements:

1. respect for copyright (unique photos without logos);
2. allowed format;
3. absence of unintended blur, noise, glare;
4. high-quality lighting without overexposure and unnecessary shadows;
5. It is prohibited to increase the image size with loss of quality;
6. For images with people, model consent is required - Model Release permission.

Many photographers start with simple images of products and merchandise against a uniform background.

• Passing the exam. The examination system operates on Shutterstock and Depositphotos. Data stock photos profitable for beginners, as they allow you to get the greatest income. 5-10 best photos, images with a variety of topics, ideas, and plots are selected for the exam. The rules for lighting, focusing, and exposure must be followed.

After approval, the photographer receives permission to upload photos in any quantity. If the test is failed, it can be repeated after a month. Illustrators who create vector images have an easier time getting selected.

• Portfolio preparation. The basis for permanent income is a portfolio of 100-200 images. It must be constantly updated, adding 5-10 photos daily.

Main reasons for failing the exam

1. Insufficient quality of images, presence of noise, artifacts. To avoid this, it is recommended to reduce the camera sensitivity to a minimum and monitor the addition of sharpness and brightness.
2. Lack of commercial value of the image. You should focus on popular photos, strive for originality, and use a creative approach.
3. Incorrect keywords. To sell each image, you will need up to 50 “keywords”; for the exam, about 7 words are enough.
4. No Model Release. Permission is issued on a special form from the photo bank website.

Photographers receive up to 70% of their earnings thanks to Shutterstock, so you must definitely pass the exam; if you fail, retake it multiple times.

How to post photos for sale?

Resources offer several ways to upload photos. Descriptions for images must be filled out in English, since the main buyers from abroad:

• Title, Image name – title of several words;
• Description – description of several words;
• Keywords – keywords (up to 50 pieces) are the most important point for increasing sales. To determine the “keywords” you need to answer the questions: What and who is shown in the photo, which one, where, when and how is it depicted?
• Categories – photo category.

The verification takes from a couple of hours to several days. After approval, the photo goes on sale, the photographer receives a notification by e-mail. If deficiencies are found in the work, the user is sent a letter with the reasons for the refusal. Once the defects have been corrected, you can post the image again.

How much can you earn from photo banks?

The average income from one high-quality photo per download ranges from $0.14 to $0.7. For popular images, some photographers receive up to $1,000 with a large number of sales, or up to $2.50 per download. The most popular photos sell up to 15,000 times. Photo banks take a commission from 30 to 70% of the cost of the image.

The most profitable way is to sell images for commercial purposes, for example, making posters, calendars, postcards, mouse pads. To increase income, users create slightly smaller photo sizes. The peak of sales occurs in the first 6 months after the image is posted.

Stockers achieve an increase in monthly earnings from $100 to $600 by daily replenishing their portfolio on several resources. In two years, you can increase the number of photographs sold to several thousand.

Funds are withdrawn using bank checks, WebMoney, Moneybookers, PayPal.

Conclusion

Beginning photographers should try themselves on simple resources without exams, for example, Dreamtime or Fotolia . To understand how to make money on photo stocks, you need to study popular techniques, visualization trends, photo bank reports, and in-demand works. After accumulating a portfolio, move to Shutterstock and other serious platforms.

Hello friends.

Today I want to talk about how to make good money from your hobby. If you are into photography, I advise you to make yourself comfortable. In this article you will learn a lot of useful information about what photo stocks are for making money for beginners, how to make a good profit from them and where, in fact, to start making money.

How do stock photos work?

They are also called photo banks. These are paid resources whose subscribers have access to more unique, original photos. Such resources are very popular these days. Many online publications buy subscriptions from them, who want to illustrate their content with interesting, unique photographs, and not with something that everyone can download for free on Google.

The subscriber pays a certain amount monthly or annually. You, as the author of photographs or illustrations, receive payment for each download of your work. Typically it's a few cents. On one of the most popular ones, you can get 25 cents for each upload of your photo. And if you consider how many buyers there are, then photographers have a good chance of starting to make great money. But I’ll tell you a little further about what kind of resource this is, as well as about the features of working on it.

What do you need to start selling your photos?

Experts say that in order to make money on stock photos, you need to take high-quality photographs. And for this you at least need a good camera + talent. So if you, inspired by the idea, decided to upload all the nature photos that you managed to take with your friends at the barbecue to your phone, then stop. I’m kidding, of course, but you get the idea.

Of course, now there is a lot. For example, I've heard a lot about flagships from Apple or Samsung. A high-quality camera on them allows you to take good photographs.

So if you see that your photos with your phone camera are not only beautiful and organic in terms of composition, but also differ in quality (good expansion, lack of noise), then you can try uploading them to the photo bank as well.

The next step is to scan the documents. There are many photo stocks in Russian and English that do not require such complex verification. But if we talk about large-scale resources where you can earn good money, then there you will have to confirm your identity by attaching a scanned copy of your passport. International photo banks need a scan of a foreign passport with data in English. Don't be afraid, there is nothing like that. Sites with a good reputation will not use your document for fraudulent purposes.

This is the minimum with which you can start working.

What resources should I post my photos on?

Here is a selection of the most popular and well-established photo stocks:

– a good resource, they have a very simple and convenient Russian-language interface. Registration is also easy. For each accepted image they pay 20 cents, although this applies to the first 500 images. Then you receive a percentage for each download of a photo you upload.

Pond5 is a German photo bank that allows photographers to set their own prices for their work. There are no additional exams, the requirements for photo quality are very strict.

Fotolia is the base with which experts advise beginners to start. A simple interface in Russian, you can easily learn the rules and start uploading photos.

Shutterstock is the same profitable photo stock that I mentioned at the beginning of the article. They pay 25 cents per photo upload. There is a lot of competition. Due to the authority of the resource, it is difficult to get there. You need to upload a scan of your international passport, and then pass an exam on the uniqueness and quality of the photo - upload 10 materials, 7 of which must be approved by the administration. The exam can be retaken an unlimited number of times, although with a certain regularity - no more than once a month.

How much can you earn from photo banks?

How much you will earn directly depends on your activity. Many newcomers were never able to cross the threshold of several tens of dollars because their passion was lost. The portfolio needs to be constantly replenished with good photographs in order for the income to be good. If you uploaded from 100 to 300 photos, then, according to experts, you can earn about 50-100 dollars per month.

If you increase the volume of images to 1000, you can receive from 300 to 1000 dollars monthly. There are pros who earn tens of thousands of dollars monthly, but they are few and their efforts are enormous. High-quality equipment, studios, even staged shooting.

The highest paid photographer on stock photo sites, Yuri Arcurs from Denmark, has an income of several million dollars annually.

I analyzed the advice shared by photographers who post their work on stock photo sites. And I can highlight several relevant recommendations that will help you get your bearings and start working more efficiently.

Follow the trends. If you post work specifically for the purpose of earning money, then you need to adapt to the demands of the market. Thus, some photo stocks regularly produce materials about the most popular trends, telling what topics are currently in demand. Monitor such publications to understand which photos can now get the maximum number of downloads.

Upload photos regularly. Your earnings directly depend on this. Many beginners don’t make a good income because they quickly abandon uploading their work to photo stocks. I will tell you exactly how much you can earn very soon. But remember that everything is in your hands

Consider the competition. You may be a professional who takes great photos, but believe me, there are a lot of them on stock photo sites. Every day, thousands of photographers from different parts of the world upload hundreds of thousands of photographs into jars. And you either have to stand out very much among them, or work with trending topics. For example, there is a useful resource that helps you determine which direction you should move in and which keys to select to view more images.

It's called Picniche - I recommend bookmarking it or saving the title in your notes. If you enter some keyword on it that the customer will use to search for pictures, you will see how many pictures there are with that key, how many times they were requested and how many times they were purchased. Based on this, a specific rating is formulated for each topic. The service will also suggest you several other synonymous queries that have received higher rankings. Convenient and practical.

How to withdraw earned money

In order to withdraw money from photo stocks (and not only - this is relevant for all freelancers who work with international exchanges), I advise you to register in the system. They have simple registration in several stages. It is important to fill in your address and zip code correctly - in a couple of weeks you will receive a personal bank card.

You will be able to receive payments on it, pay with it on the Internet, cash out money or withdraw it to your hryvnia card in Privatbank, if you have one. In general, very convenient. And most importantly, all popular international freelance exchanges, photo banks and other resources work with us. So you can combine several types of income or work with different sources in one area, and not have any headaches with receiving payments.

Moreover, the resource is constantly expanding its geography of work and its functions.

This is where I will conclude my material, friends. I really hope that it will inspire you and become the first step towards a new type of activity. I will be very glad if you appreciate my efforts and share the publication with your friends on social networks. Well, in order not to miss news about new ways to make money on the Internet, as well as effective ways to increase your income, subscribe to my blog updates.