How to earn money on photography
In recent years I have begun to sell my photos online. Sites like iStockphoto and Shutterstock will sell your images for use in publications and advertising. The good news is – they sell a lot of them. Even though your commission from a sale is sometime as low as 25 cents, at the end of the month it piles up and you have a decent second income just from taking photos!
Nature photography doesn’t sell as well as shots of good looking people doing everyday stuff and having fun at the beach, but if nature is what you like to shoot you can still make it pay.
First off, don’t just submit your photos to one or two sites. The more places your photos are for sale the more you will make from them. You will find a list of the most recommended sites at the end of this article. It can be very time consuming to submit and keyword your photos on multiple sites. If you are serious about distributing to a lot of sites you should definitely check out iSyndica. With iSyndica you only need to upload once and they can effectively distribute your photos to as much as 33 different photo selling websites. You will have to manually register on all sites first though. Many of the sites also have an easy approval process you need to go through.
What sells best then? …it’s’ hard to say. A photo of a leaf on a tree might move very well – or maybe a beautiful sunset or just some clouds! A good rule is to keep your photos simple. Think about how potential customers might use your images. They can’t be to specific or they will only have a very small audience. Simple stuff like maybe a bright green leaf on a tree works because it’s puts a broader image or idea in you mind and it will work in many contexts – ecology, vacations, wellness etc.
If you shoot in a particular niche. Say polar life maybe – you will have an easier time selling your images. There are several reasons for this. There are some niche sites like Arctic Stock Images. Because they focus on a particular niche of the stock photo market they can often sell your images at a higher price. You might not sell as much as say on iStockphoto but you can make as much as $25 on a single sale. Furthermore if you focus on a niche it will brand you as a photographer. You could become known as “The guy who shoots icebergs”. Customers will get to know you and they will return.
If you are fortunate enough to be able to shoot something unique that’s also a very good idea. The competition for iceberg images are simply smaller that of fields and meadows.
Recommended sites for selling your photos:
Arctic Stock Images
Specializes in images from the arctic regions and Antarctica. Very high commissions.
Dreamstime
Not the best selling site, but definitely in the top 5 and one you should seriously consider.
iStockphoto
Probably the best ratio of time invested uploading and keywording photos compared to sales achieved.
Shutterstock
Pays as little as 25 cents per sale, but also sells a lot of them – highly recommended.
