Where to sell photos of nature. Sell \u200b\u200bphotos

The best praise for every photographer is the increased demand for his work. For commercial professionals involved in custom shooting, the criterion for success is the payment of their services by customers, for example, held a photo session or filmed a wedding and received money. However, absolutely everyone can shoot weddings, anniversaries and other celebrations, it is much more difficult to make a name for yourself and gain fame among ordinary people in the genre of offline photography. Unfortunately, many aspiring photographers do not even think about selling photos of landscapes, animals, children or their friends over the Internet. But you can earn really good money on this.

Where to buy high resolution photos

With the growth of online publications, blogs and websites, the demand for high-quality and unique high-resolution photographs is growing steadily. You can buy and sell photos on the Internet using specialized resources - photo banks and stocks, which collect hundreds of thousands of pictures and photos that can be purchased at an affordable price.

Stock Photos today could be widely used in the design of websites, informational and educational articles in blogs, when designing and creating banners, flyers and posters, book covers, newsletters, etc. Due to the high demand, the creation and placement of stock images can be a good source of income for each photographer.

Who and where to sell photos on the Internet? Where to sell photos on the Internet?

1. So, first of all, you should consider the possibility of implementing images using your own site. With an extensive collection of material, selling it can be truly lucrative. Many photographers immediately reject this option, because of fear of additional difficulties associated with the need to create and promote their own site.
2. You can also try to sell photos in a magazine. We can talk about cooperation with the yellow press, as well as with more serious publications. The most popular are typical business images and photos, which show the stars of show business and various famous people. How to sell your photos in a magazine? The photographer should be prepared for direct communication with the editors of magazines, newspapers and all kinds of advertising agencies who may be interested in both ready-made works and services in the foreseeable future.
3. Collaboration with specialized photo banks. Thousands of users who are planning to acquire unique and interesting images in various genres daily turn to such resources. The cost of stock photos can vary in a fairly wide range, while their owner can expect to receive from 20 to 60% of the cost of sales.

Where to sell photos on the Internet? Among the most popular photo banks are:

• Shutterstock - is one of the most successful and well-known photo banks in the vastness of the World Wide Web. Absolutely every aspiring photographer dreams of exhibiting his work here. Every day, with its help, a huge number of photos in various genres are realized. To get here is very difficult, for starters, the authors need to successfully cope with 10 test tasks. On average, photographers on Shooterstock earn from 100 to 500 dollars, especially popular and successful users can earn up to 10-15 thousand dollars a month.
• iStockPhoto - is the oldest photo bank in this market segment. As with Shutterstock, aspiring photographers need to complete test assignments before they can post their work to the photobank. Among experts, there is an opinion that the portfolio of this resource is more artistic and original compared to any other stocks.
• Fotolia is another well-known among photographers stock, the catalog of which includes more than twenty thousand photos and videos. The resource is famous for its favorable and democratic conditions for cooperation, while photographers do not need to pass any exams - a simple registration is enough to upload photos.
• Depositphotos - except about the most lazy internet user today, I have not heard about this photo bank. The site is visited daily by a huge number of unique users from around the world, while the developers have taken care of the presence of the Russian-language interface.
• Lori is the oldest Russian photo bank with the simplest interface, convenient search and regularly updated portfolio. An important advantage of the service is the presence of an active forum of authors, where you can ask more successful colleagues almost any questions. There are no required exams for beginner photographers, however, there is a limit to the available downloads.
• PressFoto is another successful Russian photo bank with an extensive collection of graphics and photos in various genres. To start working on the site, photographers need to upload three unique photos, indicate personal data and sign a cooperation agreement with the photo bank.

The above stocks do not limit the answer to the question of where to sell photos. There are about thirty successful microstocks in Runet, cooperation with which allows you to get very good income on your favorite hobby.

How to sell photos to a novice beginner on the Internet

Many novice photographers think about how to sell their photos and make money on their own creativity. In fact, nothing particularly complicated is required for this:

1. A good digital camera with a resolution of at least 8 megapixels. A great addition to modern technology will be a macro lens, which will significantly expand the possibilities for truly original and interesting photos.
2. High-speed access to the Internet, which will allow you to upload "heavy" images to the sites of stocks and photo banks.
3. Access and ability to work with specialized programs and graphic editors. The undisputed leader in this area is the old - good Adobe Photoshop.
4. A minimum knowledge of English will not be superfluous. This will allow the photographer to collaborate with Western photobanks.

For successful sales, you should first figure out which topics are most interesting to potential microstock customers. Thus, images in the sphere of business, health, sports and society are in the highest demand. High-quality subject photos are sold out in drains like "hot cakes". Dogs, cats, flowers, the forest and the view from the porthole are among the unclaimed.

No need to be upset if no one bought the first photo. The more images you place in photo banks, the more customers you can attract, thereby gradually increasing your earnings to the desired limits.

How to sell stock photos

All works that are sold in photo stocks must be unique and copyrighted. Of course, there may be exceptions to this issue. For example, some specialized resources permit the posting of old photographs of their deceased relatives to their direct heirs. However, you should not rely on such exceptions and it is best to post only those photos that are created by photographers themselves. All publications that are posted on the site are thoroughly analyzed by inspectors and specialists, which takes up to several days to moderate the work.

At the same time, the fact that the photo was approved by the moderators does not guarantee that it will find its buyer. How to sell photos online?

• Images should have interesting and original content. Among modern users of the World Wide Web, photos related to sales, SIM, advertising, children, food, beautiful dresses and unique decorations are in demand. The material proposed for implementation should be evaluated objectively, without relying on the opinion of their near and dear ones.
• The photo should have perfect quality. To do this, its author should understand such concepts as megapixels, exposure, noise, focus and framing. By the way, photo banks do not work with film images, only with numbers.
• The format of the future photo is of no small importance; all photobanks work with JPEG images. In this case, you should take care of the maximum allowable sizes and formats of your photos.

Another important nuance, working with drains is the sale of photos that depict people. Before the image will be exhibited in the portfolio, care should be taken to obtain permission from all persons who fell into the frame. The corresponding document should be downloaded along with the material, otherwise it will not even be considered by moderators.

Buy vintage photos

Collecting and selling vintage photographs is not only interesting, but also very profitable. The cost of some copies in this area can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars. Similar pictures in our time turn not only into a subject of pride and a piece of family history, but also are used as an original and unusual interior item.

So who can sell old photos to? They are of most interest to collectors who are fond of photographs of bygone eras. Individual images that capture unique objects, phenomena or events can have an incredibly high price. In order not to cheapen and set an adequate cost for the available material, you can seek the advice of professional evaluators. In particular, the quality of the image, its subject, and the historical era may affect this indicator. It is logical that the older the image, the higher it is priced on the market. Old photographs are no less interesting for researchers who are engaged in the creation of dissertations and other works. Antique shops are also engaged in the purchase of such materials. Often they seek to acquire images at the lowest cost in order to resell them and make a profit. It is noteworthy that restored photos are cheaper, in comparison with works that have not undergone any processing.

Where can I sell my photos? In fact, a lot of options. As you can see from our article, even novice amateur photographers will be able to get a good income thanks to their hobby, while doing really favorite business.

Today, many have cameras with which you can create beautiful photos. Modern technology has stepped forward and good cameras are capable of creating such stunning pictures that they can easily be compared with the work of professionals. Another advantage of digital cameras is the possibility of endless shooting. You can take literally anything you want for a whole day, and then upload all the photos to your computer and shoot further. Surely, if you have such a camera, your collection has a huge number of pictures of various places, attractions and events. Do you know that photos that take up space on your computer can bring real income?

Surely many of you have heard more than once that photos can be sold on the Internet. And this is the real truth! Almost any photo can make good money. It is worth noting that thousands and thousands of people around the world have made this their main profession, simply taking pictures of various types of their hometown, people, objects, flowers, food, events, landscapes, animals, equipment and so on. If you are just interested in starting to make money on your photos, then you should find out what photobanks or microstock are.

The largest and perhaps the best microstock in the world where you can sell your photos is Shutterstock. Having registered at Shutterstock, in the very near future you will be able to receive your first money. It is worth noting one important and very pleasant fact: each of your photos can be sold an infinite number of times! In simple words, buyers can buy each of your photos indefinitely and for each purchase you will receive money. There is also a purchase of your image forever, that is, the buyer completely redeems your image, but the cost of such a purchase will be several times more expensive and you can get a couple of tens of dollars for a picture that you spent one second on. In addition to photos, other images can be uploaded to Shutterstock, for example, drawings, 3D drawings, vector illustrations and even videos.

Before you start making money at Shutterstock, you will need to pass an exam. The essence of the exam is to upload 10 of your best photos. In this case, 7 out of 10 photos should be taken. If you have taken fewer photos, then you can pass the next exam in a month, and then in a month, and so on until the exam is passed. It is worth noting one feature of this exam, which will help you pass the exam faster. If you took, for example, five out of ten photos, then for the next exam you upload five accepted and five more new ones, so your chance of success increases. Each rejected photo will be signed with the reasons for the rejection, so that after reading the claims on the photo, you can correct this photo or meet the conditions of microstock in relation to other images.

After passing the exam, all the functionality of the system will be available to you. Now you can upload your images for sale. An important condition for increasing earnings is the correct preparation of the title, description and tags. It is on the basis of these three conditions that buyers are looking for photos in this photo bank.

Now you know how and where to sell photos on the Internet. It remains only to get acquainted with the Shutterstock website itself, register, pass the exam and start making real money.

How to sell your photos: the beginning of the experiment. February 3rd, 2014

As promised, I publish the results of my experiment, which I started with the aim of finding out whether it is possible to make money on a trip by selling my photos. Such an option has always seemed to me tempting - so that my photos provide me with finances for traveling. And who will refuse this, speaking between us? So I slowly but surely came to the point where I wanted to put aside theory and dreams and try to put our ideas into practice.

There is such a business on the Internet - selling photos: everyone can register on the website of the photo agency as an author and offer their photos for sale. The photo agency will take the lion's share of the profit, but at the same time supply you with customers. You can open your own site yourself and try to sell photos yourself - such a phenomenon was described in the Bible (Gen. 38-9), but this essay is not about that. Studying the question of how to make money on the photo, I found two working models. I will describe them briefly.

The first model. There are so-called "macrostocks" where your masterpiece can be bought for several thousand dollars. The downside of this approach to selling your own photos is that for a year they may not buy a single photo. Also, in exchange for money, you give away the rights to this photo, and sometimes even the right to exclusive use. In addition, to pay serious money for your photo, it must be impeccable, both from an aesthetic and technical point of view. Do not forget that you will have to compete with the best of the best in the field of commercial photography.

The second model. Also on the network there are “microstock” - sites where you sell photos, while remaining their copyright holder and owner. You just get paid a fee, and you allow using your photo - this model of sales is called royalty free. Under these conditions, you will receive from a quarter to two dollars for your photo, which, of course, is negligible compared to the fees paid to the authors of macrostock. But there is good news - you can sell your photo at least a thousand times. And the requirements for technical impeccability of the photo are reduced, which means competitors are weaker.

I decided to go the easy way and see if people are willing to pay for my photos at least a little, and not hypothetical thousands? Therefore, I chose microstock. A small market analysis showed that there are several major players, and about two dozen small agencies trying to sell your photos. Given that I am new to this business, I decided to start registering on nine sites that seemed promising to me. Some of these sites do not require anything for your registration, while others require you to send a few works to see what quality your photos have and what value they represent from a commercial point of view.

Looking ahead, I’ll say that in the first month I had sales on only five out of nine sites. The other four sites have not yet brought me any income. However, I tracked how people with large portfolios are doing on such sites - there are sales. Therefore, the root of success is a large and high-quality portfolio (who would doubt it!).

Since uploading photos to sites takes a considerable amount of time, it is better to focus on the portfolio at the first stage, by uploading photos to five main sites. So I decided for myself. In other words, more photos on fewer sites will bring more money than fewer photos on more sites.

You are probably still interested in moving from lyrics to numbers.
So, from the point of view of profitability, my sales were distributed on sites as follows:

At the same time, my portfolio grew from 0 to 100 photos. And we can say that on average there were 50 photos in my monthly portfolio, because every day I regularly poured photos into drains in small batches. Money, in principle, is not big, but the portfolio itself is negligible. I saw people in whom it reaches up to 20,000 photographs. And you can only imagine how much money can be with so many jobs. I don’t think that the number even of at least 10,000 photos is achievable for me so far, but I suppose that up to a thousand works this year can be quite increased. And so hope for an increase in total profit. If you earn $ 300 / month, then in a year you get $ 3600, which, in principle, is enough for one trip from which I will bring another batch of photos for my portfolio. Thus, it can be assumed that with an optional engagement in this matter, in a couple of years the portfolio will grow to the size that provides me with two or three trips a year, without diverting funds from the family budget.

Sounds tempting, doesn't it? Now, every time I sit down at a computer and I have a desire to play a computer game, or read the stupid news and gossip of the blogosphere, I open a graphic editor and prepare some photos for my portfolio. For example, the counter of one of the games that I often played shows that I spent five hundred hours on it. This time flew by for me imperceptibly, and that the most unpleasant - to no avail. In five hundred hours I would have managed to take at least 1,500 photos. With such a portfolio, I would most likely allow myself another trip. The present. A real adventure in which you participate yourself, and not a painted man in the scenery invented by someone.

If suddenly someone wants to try this path, then I advise you to start with a simple one - choose ten good photos from your archive. If you have a full-frame camera, then it is better to choose from photographs taken with an ISO value of not higher than 800. If you have a crooked carcass, then select only photographs taken at ISO 100 or 200. Stock editors do not like the noise that occurs in photographs with high ISO values . The photo should be sharp, but not make noise. From practice, I’ll say that trying to take sharp high-resolution photos at high ISO values \u200b\u200bis an unpromising task. Most likely the editors will not miss such a photo - noise will appear on it. But it’s important to please the editors, because it is they who decide: to let you as an author onto the site or not. Most sites you need have an entrance exam. If you fail the exam, then the next exam will be postponed for a period of a week to a month (depending on the site). In other words, you cannot take an exam every day. On one of the sites, I lost a whole month before I was able to pass the test.

When choosing a photo for an exam, do not try to find a picturesque shot. Think about artistry last. If the photo does not fit the noise, color balance, sharpness or any other criteria that are responsible for the technical side of quality, then the editor will not consider it as something artistic.

In order to get the first and almost instant sales, I recommend SHUTTERSTOCK, which together brought me more money than all other sites combined. I sold 44 works in a month, which means that on average I sold three works every two days. This month the portfolio will increase, which means there is hope that sales will increase as well. Wait and see.

And yes - It is not necessary to have photos of exotic countries or rare animals. Buy anything. It can be a dirt texture, a leaking tap, an apple core, or something else that is not at all exotic or picturesque. The main thing is to start somewhere. If anyone is interested, then I can write a short article on the topic "How to prepare photos for sale and exam on the sites of photo agencies."

Here is a completely unremarkable photo of a dandelion - bought it. I believe that everyone has the opportunity to take similar photos. :)

Sfotkal in the market - nothing special - bought 2 times already.

Stray dog \u200b\u200b- laid out as an experiment. The experiment was a success - bought 3 times.

Well, what do you think - will I leave due to my photos for the new year somewhere on a trip or is it unrealistic?

UPD 2016: My undertaking was successful a year later. You can read about it here:

The best praise for a photographer is when his work is in demand. For those who take photographs on order, the success criterion is real money from customers - for example, took off a wedding, received a fee, and this is another success. But not everyone can shoot weddings, and it’s not so easy to break into other genres of offline photography. What about those who just take good pictures of nature, landscapes, animals? Or your friends, your children, for example? Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to sell photos online where? Of course it is possible. Such sites are called photobanks, or microstock.

Photobank is an Internet agency that allows users to sell photos, videos, drawings, vector images online. Every day the world uses a large number of images that are printed in newspapers, magazines, brochures and other promotional products, as well as on websites. For this reason, the demand for photography is quite large. Photobank is the main source of illustrations, because it is much cheaper than ordering work to a professional photographer.

In general, there are many photo banks, and new ones appear every year. I will mention only the most famous.

1. . This is the undisputed leader among all photo agencies and the main goal of all novice photo stokers. I got to Shutterstock - consider that your career was a success. 🙂 Here, many photographers begin to earn almost immediately after successful registration. Shutterstock sells a huge amount of photographs daily, more than anywhere else. According to statistics, the majority of users who collaborate with this microstock earn from $ 100 to $ 500 per month, and the incomes of especially successful authors reach $ 10 and $ 15,000, and sometimes more. However, getting here is not easy, you need to pass an exam of 10 works, and they pass it far from the first attempt.
2.   . This is the oldest photo bank in the industry. There was a time when getting to Haystock was very prestigious. Now it is gradually losing ground under the pressure of young and energetic photo stocks, although it still remains one of the largest. To get started, you also need to pass an exam, and it is as difficult as on Shutter. It is believed that the overall portfolio on Aystoke is more artistic than on Shutter.
3.   . Also popular among photographers. Photobank is one of the largest. The catalog has more than twenty million photos and videos. The bank offers very favorable conditions for cooperation. And what is important for beginners, when registering, it does not require documents, and you do not need to pass an exam. Register, download and earn.
4.   . You probably have often seen banners advertising this photo bank on the Internet at various sites. The agency has registered a large number of photographers from all over the world. It is very simple to work with the service, the developers took care of the Russian-language interface. There is an exam at registration, but it is very simple.
5.   . This gives the impression of a strong middle peasant. It does not rush forward, to the level of Shutterstock, but it does not roll down either. The subject and quality of the images is very demanding, but does not require documents during registration, and there is no entrance exam either.
6. . Russian photobank, and the oldest of all. A simple interface, naturally completely in Russian, a convenient search, a regularly updated collection of photos, several license options - the cost of the photo depends on its type. Feature is the active forum of authors, where you can ask any question. The administration is constantly present at the forum, and questions are answered promptly. There is no exam, but there is a system of limits for downloading. Read more in the documentation on the site itself. I think that this stock is preferable to all to start a stock career.
7. PressFoto. Another Russian photobank, despite the Latin name. He is younger than Lori, but the database of pictures is already larger. The interface is more like Western microstock. Accepts vector images, photographs and more. In order to successfully register, you will need three images, personal data, and the signing of the contract. The seller receives 50% of the cost of goods, and this markedly distinguishes this project from other representatives in the domestic market. The minimum cost of one download is 29 rubles. The price largely depends on the number of images, as well as their size.

As I said, these are only the most famous microstock. In total, there are already more than thirty of them. And you can upload your photos immediately to everything (of course, if you do not participate in certain exclusivity programs). And the total income from all stocks you have can be very impressive.

Everyone can be a photographer. Everyone can sell their photos and make money on them. I’m not saying that everyone has a talent for photographing, I’m saying that everyone has equal chances to earn money with the help of photographs and have success in this. After all, photography may just be your hobby that brings money.

In this article I want to consider directly the methods of generating income from photographs and I will accept the initial assumption that you already have the photographs yourself, or are planning to take them.

Stock Photos

What are stock photos?

Stock photos are images that do not carry information about a particular product, company or service. Stock images can be used for completely different purposes and many times.

For example, McDonald’s can afford to order professional photography of a large hamburger for his advertising campaigns, and these photos will carry exactly the McDonald’s brand. At the same time, small cafes, bistros and restaurants do not make sense to spend money on such photography, it is easier for them to purchase several stock photos of hamburgers and use them in their menu.

The main advantage of stock photos before taking pictures is the price.

Not every business can afford to conduct professional photography, which involves hiring a photographer, renting a studio and so on. Here in such cases stock photos come to the rescue, which do not require a large budget.

There is a demand for stock photos of completely different types and formats. Some companies may need for their needs photographs of ordinary everyday objects - pens, pencils, steaks, vegetables, etc. Others (for example, magazines or news sites) may need photos from public holidays, photographs of buildings, some significant places, and so on. That is, you can earn by photographing almost everything in a row.

Method 1. Micro Drains

Micro-drains are a type of stock photos that we talked about above. These are usually photographs of certain items. They are used by companies when the budget is limited and the need for a unique photo is not given priority.

You can make money by selling your photos on sites with micro stocks. Let's look at the main pros and cons of such sites.

Advantages of selling photos on sites with micro-stocks:

• To sell photos on sites with micro-stocks, you absolutely do not need to have much experience.
• You can sell photos from home.
• You can sell photos on almost any topic that you like.
• Once you have posted your photos for sale, they will be sold continuously and bring long-term passive income.

Cons of selling photos on sites with microstock:

• Difficulties with photo moderation.
• Small deductions from sales.
• High competition.
• Payments from the site require your patience.

As a rule, on sites with micro stocks, each registered user can start selling their photos.

However, very often there are difficulties with the moderation of photographs for sale.

In addition to the technical requirements, each site of micro-stocks also has creative criteria.

• At first, You may need to take an introductory training or test to become a trusted photographer. You may need to provide several images for verification. Each site has its own standards and, before starting work, I advise you to first study their rules and standards, everything is always described in detail there, and this will save you a lot of time in further work.
• Secondly,  after completing the registration procedure and obtaining a verified status, you need to send for moderation each photo that you upload for sale.

On the moderation procedure, your photos are checked for all technical aspects of quality.

Here are some technical requirements that may apply to photographs:

• File size.  The larger the size of your photo in megabytes, the better.
• Resolution.  Again, the more the better. Do not compress your photos and always take photos at the maximum quality that your camera can produce.
• Definition.  If your photos are blurry - this is very bad. Photos should be clear. The same goes for pixelation. Look at your photos at 100% scale, and if you see pixels, that's bad.
• Retouching.  Your photos will be reviewed by a moderator who will enlarge them at various scales and examine them for poor retouching. This does not mean that photographs cannot be processed at all, just if you do it, then do it wisely and well.
• Shine.  The moderator also pays attention to the quality of illumination in the photo. Lighting is a skill that requires knowledge and experience, and which separates professionals from beginners.
• White balance.  Another detail that moderators pay attention to. I will not cover all technical details now, the main thing that you need to understand is that the white color in your photo should be exactly white, that is, when determining the color on a computer, it should be defined as #FFFFFF. And black, respectively # 000000. When photographing, this is quite easy to achieve using a special card with a gray balance. Or use any white object, point the camera lens at it and set the white balance in the camera settings.

In addition to the technical aspects, sites with micro-drains also present their own criteria of creativity for your photos. Your photos may be rejected simply because they do not meet the marketing standards of this site.

In other words, stock sites and agencies simply do not want to litter their stores with photos that no one will buy. Stock photo buyers usually look for specific types of photos, so keep that in mind when photographing.

Method 2. Stock Photos “High End”

If you have already reached the level of a professional photographer, and you have extensive experience and high-quality equipment, you can try yourself in the high-end business of stock photos.

To do this, you need to collect your best photos in one attractive stock archive, visit all the main websites of stock agencies, register and add your portfolio.

It is quite simple.

The main difficulty lies only in the fact that the standards for photographs at large stock agencies are much higher than on micro-stock sites, and the competition here is also much stronger.

Advantages that you can get in working with large stock agencies:

• Passing the moderation of your photos, as a rule, almost guarantees payments, unlike micro-stock sites where you have to wait for purchases and achieve the minimum amount available for withdrawal.
• The fees for your photos at large stock agencies are higher than at micro-stocks.

Large stock agencies operate in a wide range of different markets, such as television, various campaigns, product launches, scientific publications, and so on.

Important.  If your photos for sale contain people who can be recognized or property that may require special permission to publish, in this case, to sell such photos, you must fill out the special Release Form, which must be signed by all those present on the photo and property owners . With their signature, they confirm their agreement with the publication of these photos in open sources.

Well, here is the actual list of micro-stock and large agencies where you can sell your photos:

1. www.alamy.com
2. www.dreamstime.com
3. www.us.fotolia.com
4. www.istockphoto.com
5. www.shutterstock.com
6. www.corbisimages.com
7. www.gettyimages.com

On these sites you can register and start selling your photos. Moreover, please note that all these are foreign sites, respectively, the prices for them are in dollars, and the prices themselves are far from low, which with our current rate makes this opportunity to earn money very attractive!

I do not end here, and in the next article I will continue the topic of earning with the help of photographs. Stay tuned for updates to our site.

To be continued…

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We continue to consider ways to make money using photos. You can read the first part of a series of articles about selling photos on the Internet here. Today we will look at 2 more ways to sell photos based on publication in various publications. Publish your photos Sounds easy, right? In fact, of course, not everything is so simple and attractive. Not only that [...]