How To Get Paid For Your Photos
Are you a person who is born good at taking pictures? Do you like to spend time taking pictures of places, people and moments? Have you ever wondered "How can I sell my photos for money"
If so, then you can start thinking about making money by selling photos online. Today, photography is a big business. People are always looking for home art, website pictures and videos.
As a freelance photographer, you can take advantage of many options to help you sell photos and earn some passive income.
Starting with the basics
Get yourself the right equipment. The quality of photos needed for marketable images won't come from your smartphone's camera. A DSLR camera will be a worthy investment.
Next, buy a tripod as this is a must-have. On Amazon you can find affordable tripods to give stability to your camera for good photos.
Create a reliable backup for the work that you do. Services like Carbonite, Google Drive & Dropbox can help you store your work.
Choosing a stock photo site
Find yourself a good and suitable stock photo site. This site will act as your platform for selling your photos all around the world and will license them.
Look for a stock photo site as this will save you from the hassle of having a photo-shoot stage and an expensive photographer.
Some of the famous photo sites include Shutterstock, Dreamstime, Getty Images and Corbis etc.
To start with a photo site like Shutterstock, make a free account online.
Provide your details asked, email address and password.
You will receive an email, verify and confirm your account from there.
Enter your address and get ready to upload your work!
Surf through the Internet and look at the pay rates for different sites.
Look through the commission rates for each site carefully as they vary for every site.
Keep yourself updated with the site’s requirements, criteria and themes. This will help you avoid the rejection of your images.
For example, some sites like Dreamstime requires a minimum of 3 megapixels for download size.
Next, register for an account in the site you have chosen.
The account making is usually free. Read the site’s instructions carefully and thoroughly.
Read through information related to payment and copyrights carefully.
Then, complete the payment portion of your account. Provide an email address, associated with your Paypal account.
If you do not have a Paypal account, then set one up.
Defining your niche and building your audience
Search for a good niche and define it. Find a style for you that is consistent and will run throughout your work- consistency is critical.
Next, search on which styles and photos resonate with your audience.
Evaluate the demand for specific topics using keyword research.
You can use Keywords Everywhere to find topics which are in demand and popular. Click on the "Install" button, and you are ready to use it.
Link your various accounts together. Increase the visibility of your photographs to people.
Instagram users can go to options > Settings > Linked Accounts to connect Tumblr, Facebook, and more to publish in more than one place with a single post.
Create integration between apps that do not integrate. Do this by using free tools like IFTTT. Instagram and Dropbox can be integrated this way.
Choosing your photos
Work on developing a portfolio which is diverse and can showcase your photos.
Having 4-5 main subjects in your photos will attract only one kind of customer, so aim for a diverse portfolio.
Choose images that are generic as these will appeal to the audience more.
Go through your portfolio and pick generic images such as flowers and landscapes. Images that have a vintage look also often work well.
Most of the stock sites have resolution rules, size and formatting rules; so, make sure your images adhere to those rules.
Choose only those images that have crisp detail and balanced color.
Make sure you operate legally - avoid usage of images that have recognizable brands in them.
Do not use images with people and property in them.
Take all your photographs yourself so that you get automatic copyright.
Posting your photos to the stock sites
Firstly, make sure your selected images follow all the requirements and rules of the site.
To increase sales, match your photos to the specific categories your site might provide you with.
For your images to appear in the site searches, tag your photos with relevant tags.
Pick multiple numbers of tags for each picture, e.g. a picture of a beach can have tags like, “fun,” “sunny day,” “sand,” and “surfing.”
Use a mixture of specific and generic tags for your photos.
If for example you have chosen Dreamstime for posting your photos, login to your account or register for free.
Enter your name and password. Go to the management area, which, is under the categories bar.
In the contributor’s area there will be 16 buttons, click on the “Upload images” button. Left click on the add images button.
Select files to upload. Enter your password again and press "Ok." Wait for the upload to complete and then go back to the management area.
Click on unfinished files and edit your photos; add description, name, categories and keywords for your photos. Finally, submit your photos.
Other stock photo sites include Fotolia, Alamy, iStockphoto and Bigstock.
Other platforms for selling your photographs
You can use your smartphone apps to sell self-captured photos.
Download apps such as Clashot, EyeEm, Scopshot etc. to showcase your photographs.
Import photos on the app. Tag your photos on the apps such as on EyeEm. Then choose your friends.
Use in-built filters on the app to edit your captured photos. Keep an eye on your market dashboard and sell pictures effectively.
You can sell your photos on tangible items; such as cups, Tshirts, coffee mugs etc. Use websites like Cafepress and Shutterfly to help you.
On sites like Cafepress- first, add your email address. Create images and upload designs.