How to sell photos on the Internet: everything you need to know

11 min readSep 5, 2023

Want to know how to sell photos on the Internet to the United States and other countries? Then you’ve come to the right place!

It’s no news that the Internet offers many opportunities to earn money, becoming the main source of work for many people. Whether it is through copywriting, design, or even selling photos, it is possible to make this online routine your main income.

That is why we have prepared this guide for you who are interested in photography, containing everything you need to know to take quality photos and sell them online. Enjoy reading it!

What does a digital photographer do?

There is not much mystery in this answer. Today, there are two types of photography:

Analog: older, in which images rely on developing to be seen;
Digital produces images that can already be seen from the camera’s viewfinder and only need to be transferred to a computer or cell phone to be shared.

In other words, a digital photographer has technology as an ally when it comes to shooting, storing, processing, and marketing his images.

Who buys photos online?

Generally, the buyers of photos sold online are agencies, magazines, newspapers, publishers, and even content producers.

With a high volume of productions to publish, the cost of buying an already produced photo is much cheaper for these companies than doing photo shoots to get a specific image.

By knowing your audience well, you can get more demand for your images. Some photographers make over $500 a month just by selling images online.

What is the step-by-step of how to sell photos on the Internet?

While the Internet is an incredible showcase for your work, it fulfills the same role for thousands of other professionals. Therefore, it is very important to know how to work your virtual presence as an authority. Here are the best tips for getting started selling photographs online.

Choose a niche

If you are just starting in the universe of selling photos online, a good idea is to start little by little, focusing on niches that you have an easy time and interest in photographing. Some of the most popular categories on image-selling platforms are

Food and beverages
Health and medicine
Architecture and interior design
Business and Finance
Nature (animals and plants)
Sports & Leisure
Fashion and Beauty
People.

One tip is: if you are going to work with people in your photos, invest in diversity. Since most image banks have photos of people with European traits, inserting photos of individuals with various ethnicities can be a great differentiator for your target audience.

Select a platform

The main place to sell your photos is the image bank. On these platforms you can publish various images of yourself and interested parties can buy them right there, without the need for an intermediary.

The most interesting thing is that what customers get is a license to use the purchased image. By paying only once, the person will have lifetime access to these photographs. On the other hand, photographers are commissioned per sale, and the amount varies with each tool.

How to sell more photos

Have a digital presence

While image banks are already great showcases for your photos, working on your brand makes it much easier to sell images.

If possible, stay present on social networks like Instagram and Pinterest, where images are the main focus. On this type of platform, more people will be able to learn about your work and have an interest in buying it.

Take high-quality photos

Remember that people who make photo purchases will certainly use them for professional purposes. Therefore, they must be of high quality, having a minimum resolution of 300 DPI.

Although the image bank will show you a preview of your image, the buyer will only have access to the material in high definition and without the watermark after payment.

Learn photo editing

Image post-production is just as important as the practical step of shooting. This is because editing can set the tone and even bring some kind of narrative to the photograph you have taken.

However, while it is interesting to offer very elaborate images, depending on the chosen niche, the best editing option is to keep the photos cleaner — just sharp and with adjustments to the lighting. After all, many times these images may end up in presentations or banners, for example, and in these cases, the buyer will have to do some editing himself.

Another key point about photo editing is that you get to imprint your identity on the images you sell, making it easier to create an audience that likes your style of photography.

One suggestion for those just starting in the world of image editing is to use presets — filters that automatically adjust the light, brightness, texture, contrast, and color of your images. Through them the work becomes faster, requiring only minor manual retouching.

Fill in all the fields about your image

It may sound laborious, but it is extremely necessary. Search engines within image banks will use some directions for your image to be located by users, such as:

Category: food, people, health, among others. It is important to define in which type of image group your picture should be found.
Keywords: small terms by which people search for images. If your photo is of a man working in the office, for example, the keyword could be “man working”, “man in the office”, “working” or “work”.
Tags: Just like keywords, tags also make it easier to find your photos. Following the example used above, you could add tags such as #man #working #office.
Description: describing the image being offered is also a great way to help you find it, as many people search for photos directly through Google and this description makes it easier for the buyer to find what they want. Also in the same example, a good description for the image would be “Young businessman working in his office with laptop and documents on his desk”.

The best platforms for selling photos

We have separated, below, the best platforms to sell your photos online. Check them out!

Shutterstock

Shutterstock is one of the world’s leading image banks, containing more than 340 million images today. The bank also offers high-quality licensed videos and music.

The platform works with different pay levels that work according to the number of images licensed by photographers.

An important point is that the number of licenses is counted per calendar year, starting again on January 1st of each year.

In addition, the image bank has some important guidelines for getting your images accepted:

Accepted formats: JPEG and TIFF;
Color profile: sRGB;
File size: at least 4 MP.

Shutterstock also offers another way to earn money within the platform through its referral plan:

By inviting another artist, you receive $0.04 per image and 10% per video if that person signs up through your referral link and your work is downloaded;
When inviting clients, you can receive 20% (up to $200.00) of the first payment they make if your link is used when signing up for the client.

How to sell images on Shutterstock

Register on the platform;
On your first upload, you need to send at least 10 images for analysis;
After analysis by the tool’s team, you will receive the OK to upload new images;
Having this validation, you will define a minimum amount for payment and the reception method;
The platform will automatically calculate your earnings, and whenever the minimum amount is reached within the payment cycle, the money will be transferred to you.

Getty Images

Belonging to a group composed of other large image banks (Unsplash and iStock), Getty Images is also among the largest in the world. It currently has more than 750,000 customers worldwide.

Generally, new users sign up as non-exclusive, a mode where you will earn 15% of the royalties;
For exclusive contributors, there is a download goal that can earn them up to 45% of royalties.

As with Shutterstock, goals are reset to zero on January 1 of each year.

How to sell images on Getty Images
Download the Getty Images Contributor app available from the App Store or Google Play;
Upload 3 to 6 samples of photos for which you hold the copyright;
If you receive the approval email, the platform forwards a non-exclusive agreement for the partnership to begin;
Accept the agreement by following all the guidelines sent by email and you can start selling your photos;
After a certain period, you can request to sign an exclusivity agreement, receiving the higher fees mentioned above.

iStock

is Getty Images’ subsidiary for microstock. It is a great place to sell photos if you are just starting because it is a well-known site.

Royalty payments start at 15% per download. It can increase up to 45% depending on the popularity of your photos. If a customer buys an image using your subscription credits, you will receive only 15%.

If you like exclusivity, iStock photo offers between 22 and 45%. This rate works on a contract with a 30-day notice.

Adobe Stock

Owner of one of the most famous image editing packages, Adobe also has its image bank. Because they carry the big brand’s name, they are extremely strict about the quality standards of the materials offered to their customers. Some of the most successful categories on the platform are technology, medical, food, portrait, lifestyle, and business.

Compared to the aforementioned competitors, the payout percentage is simpler: 33% of royalties for any photo of your authorship that is sold.

To earn a little more, you can enable Premium mode on your photos, so they will be worth double the standard rate charged by the platform. However, remember that these images need to have differentiators for there to be demand to pay a higher price.

The platform accepts photos taken from any device, as long as they follow the following guidelines:

Format: JPEG;
Color Profile: sRGB;
Minimum resolution: 4 MP;
Maximum resolution: 100 MP;
Maximum size: 45 MB;
Other guidelines: no watermarks or time stamps.

How to sell images on Adobe Stock?

Sign up and create your Adobe ID;
Click the “Upload my first asset” button;
Fill out the tax forms requested by the company;
Submit your images for evaluation;
After validation of the forms and images, you can begin.

Alamy

The British image bank Alamy adds more than 100,000 new images daily from photographers and photo agencies in 173 countries.

On the platform, you can choose what currency you get paid in, and receive up to 50% royalties on exclusive images.

Payment is made monthly as long as the amount exceeds $50.00.

How to sell photos on Alamy

Sign up as an affiliate on Alamy;
Make sure you understand how to prepare your images for Alamy;
Choose how you want to send your photos — online upload or FTP;
After you send your images, they will be checked by the quality team;
When they are approved, they will be available for you to add captions and tags to your account;
After adding your tags, your images will be on sale the next day.

500px

500px is another UK image bank that offers the ability to sell images.

After your photos are approved, you can receive the following amounts:

For exclusive photos, 500px pays 60% of the licensing fees;
For content submitted under a non-exclusive contract, you will receive 30% of the licensing fees.

Please refer to some of the guidelines provided by the platform:

Format: JPEG;
Color profile: RGB;
Minimum size: 3GB;
Other guidelines: no watermarks or timestamps.

How to sell photos on 500px

Sign up for the platform;
To allow your photos to be licensed, you must agree to the terms of the Contributor Licensing Agreement;
Submit your photos to a content inspection before they are licensed;
To upload your high-resolution images, simply visit your Photo Manager or Licensing Manager, select the photos you wish to upload and activate the Licensing option at the top of the right sidebar.
Be sure to provide relevant, high-quality keywords so that your photos can be discovered on partner platforms;
Attach model permissions for photos that have recognizable people in them.

Snapped4U

Snapped4U is a platform that offers an easy way to sell event photos. The account owner creates a gallery, determines the values per image, and uploads the photos. The platform sells the photos as JPEG files. The maximum price allowed per photo is $20.

Below is some important information about how it works:

There is a one-time, non-refundable registration fee of $10;
There are no postage fees;
Payments to our non-US account holders are subject to a 1% fee;
There is a $0.50 handling fee on each purchase, not on each photo.

On the 1st of each month, the image bank transfers the balance from the photographer’s Snapped4U account to their PayPal account. For this reason, the email address used for the Snapped4U account must be the same as the one used for the PayPal account. On the 15th of each month, a second monthly payment is made to account holders with a balance of $50 or more.

See some guidelines provided by the tool:

Photographers must be sure that the people being photographed understand and authorize their image to be broadcast and marketed;
The maximum file size is 8 MB;
The length of each photo must be at least 1600 pixels for the client to print an 8×10;
Photo editing is not an option once a photo is published;
At any time, photos can be added to a gallery or deleted if they have not been sold.

How to sell photos on Snapped4U

Create an account on the platform;
Upload your photos, examine the gallery and choose a cover by clicking the checkmark icon next to the thumbnail;
Your photos will undergo a review and if everything is right, they will become available for sale.

Dreamstime

Dreamstime contributor program pays high commissions for each photo, but the total sales amount is low compared to Shutterstock.

Dreamstime pays between 25% and 60% commission, resulting in $0.35 to $12.24 for a royalty-free download. You can earn up to $40.80 for extended licenses.

In addition, exclusive users receive $0.20 for each accepted image uploaded. To get an exclusive Dreamstime contract, you must have at least 50 approved images.

Payment is made via Paypal, Payoneer, or Skrill once the balance of your earnings reaches $100.

Dreamstime also has a referral program: by sharing your link on your social networks or your blog, you receive 10% of the gross amount for the person who signed up with you for 3 years, for both customers and employees.

How to sell photos on Dreamstime

Sign up as a Dreamstime Contributor;
Once your images are uploaded, they are checked by the quality team;
Once approved, your images go live and you can start making money.

Moreover, an equally important choice as deciding on the best platform for selling photos on the Internet is defining which platform will be used to receive the money earned from your work.

Summarizing

Is it possible to make money with photography?

Yes! In addition to traditional methods such as event and session photography, it is also possible to sell photos of various categories in image banks (many of which are international), increasing your chances of making money.

What is photo licensing?

Photo licensing is proof that the material belongs to you. Trading the right to use that image is what we call selling licenses, allowing other people and companies to use your photos in their projects.

How can I sell my photos?

You can sell your photos online through image banks. You can sell on platforms such as Shutterstock, Getty Images, Adobe Stock, and others. Each platform offers a payment rate per photo sold.

Do you have questions or suggestions? You can leave them in the comments!
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