How to Make Money Selling Your Photos Online?

 

 

Selling photos online is a great way to make money as a photographer. There are many different ways to sell your photos online, from stock photo websites to e-commerce sites.

Stock photo websites are one of the most popular places to sell photos online. They offer a variety of pricing plans and payment options.

Sell on stock platforms

Stock photography is a great way to make money from your images. It's a type of photography that is sold for use by companies and individuals in their products or services, like blogs or social media posts.

There are lots of different stock photo websites that you can sell your work on. Some of them are free to join, while others require a subscription. Many of them also take a percentage of your profits.

One of the most popular sites to sell stock photos is Shutterstock. It has paid out over a billion dollars to photographers in the past 15 years and can get your work in front of millions of users. It's a good place to start if you're new to selling stock photos.

Another option is 123RF. This site is a bit smaller than Shutterstock but has the same pricing model. It also pays out royalties to contributors and lets them keep their copyrights. It may take longer to get your photos approved, but it's worth a shot if you want to sell stock photos.

Sell on your website

While stock photo sites can be a great way to sell your photos, it’s best to have your website for full control and flexibility. You’ll need to invest in a hosted site with a quality theme and some plugins that will provide you with digital tools to showcase your images and make them easily shopable.

These digital tools will include a gallery (to host your digital photos), a lightbox to show them off, and shopping tools to sell prints and downloads. You’ll also need a payment system like PayPal to accept payments. Many photographer-friendly website hosts also offer a payment system as part of their service.

One thing to keep in mind when selling on your site is that if you’re photographing identifiable people, you will need to have them sign a model release. Similarly, if you’re photographing identifiable property (such as establishments or privately owned plots of land), you’ll need to have them sign a property release form. These forms are commonly available for free online and can be found by searching “model release form” in your preferred search engine.

Sell on social media

If you’re a talented photographer, you can earn money by posting photos on social media. This works best if you have a niche audience that is interested in your work. For example, Instagram is ideal for landscapes and travel photos, Facebook is best for event photos (but remember to get permission from people in the images before you post them), and Twitter can be used for more humorous images.

Some photo-sharing sites, like EyeEm and Foap, pay royalties to photographers when their images are sold. They also offer a community of photographers, which can help promote your work. If you’re a beginner, it may be best to start with a microstock site to build your portfolio and learn the ropes.

You can also use websites like 500px and Zenfolio to create galleries of your photos and sell prints or products online. Some of these sites will allow you to set the price and others will take a commission from your sales. Some of these sites are free, but others have monthly subscriptions starting at $5 per month.

Sell on print-on-demand sites

If you have top-quality images that deserve better than the high street print shop, selling them on photo-printing sites can bring in a steady stream of passive income. However, it’s important to be selective about what you sell on these sites as not all photos will sell.

For example, 500px is a platform for professional and amateur photographers to share their work with other users and sell prints online. Photographers earn a 20% commission on all sales. If you want to take your photography business to the next level, you can also use Squarespace’s website hosting platform to integrate a shopping tool that takes care of the printing and shipping of each print sale.

Some other options include selling on Etsy, EyeEm, and Picfair. Make sure to research each site’s rules and policies before uploading your photos. For instance, some may not allow photographs of trademarked products or brands. And some may require a license from the subject of your photograph to sell it on their site. Be aware of these rules so you don’t accidentally breach copyright laws.

Sell on photo-sharing sites

It’s not just brands and publishers who want your photos – your fans might too. You can sell prints or even physical products like mugs or pillows featuring your snaps. It’s best to do your research first, though, as there are some limitations (think trademarked products and buildings).

A few sites that specialize in selling photos are EyeEm and Shutterstock. Both pay a decent amount for images but are geared more towards commercial photography, so you’ll need to have a strong portfolio to cut.

Another photo-selling site is Alamy, which has the world’s biggest stock photography collection and offers a range of licensing options. Non-exclusive contributors earn between 25%-55% of the sales price of their photos, while exclusive photographers can make up to $100 per image.

Another popular option is Pixieset, which offers a complete solution for sharing and selling photos online. Its website builder lets you create a gallery for an event or a single photo, and it then handles the purchase and fulfillment for you. The only catch is that it takes a 10% cut of each sale, but it’s worth it for the convenience and scalability.

Sell on e-commerce sites

Whether you're an established photographer or just starting, there are plenty of ways to make money from your photos. From selling your Instagram pics to launching an entire photo book, there's a growing number of options to choose from.

If you have a distinct style and a strong brand, consider setting up an online store to sell your images. Sites like Etsy allow you to build an attractive, shoppable gallery that you can embed on your website. Then you can start to sell prints, downloads, and wall art. Just be sure to work out your rates so that you cover your costs and have a little profit left over!

Some sites specialize in selling stock photos, such as Shutterstock and iStockPhoto. These platforms pay you $0.25 per download (depending on your contributor level), plus an extra 5% for every order that's placed through the site. Another option is Picfair, which lets you set the price for your photos and add a 20% commission on top. This is ideal if you have high-quality photos that deserve to be sold at premium prices.