Whether you are looking for ways to get extra money coming in each month, or perhaps looking for a complete change in career direction; selling your photos online could be something to consider. Finding out how to sell your photos online is not too difficult either, with many stock photography websites available to choose from.
While stock photography had been openly traded for many years, it was really with the inception of gettyimages back in nineteen ninety four that the online concept really took off.
If you are confused whether you have “stock” photos; do not be. They can be simply defined as images that the photographer, (you), has willingly agreed to license for use by a third party, in exchange for a one off fee.
With stock photos, you retain complete copyright of the core material, but license them for use for a one off payment. Royalty-free images can also be exchanged in a similar way, but can only be traded once and no further commission is passed on.
These stock photo websites act as introduction agencies in many ways; bringing together those who need photographs, and those with photographs, in seamless fashion. Resultantly, if you have photos to sell, you could be in contact with thousands of potential buyers willing to pay you for your photos.
The first step for the photographer is to join one of these sites of course. A simple process, once approved, they can start uploading their images straight away. Potential profits depend on many things, resolution and image size amongst them, though some sites do allow for freehand pricing in some instances.
While prices do vary, a standard flat fee is usually charged, which will rise as payment to the photographer increases.
While it is important to understand, and be satisfied with the pricing of these sites, it is also important to track the performance of each site. It may initially be tempting to go for the higher rate sites, though these often have smaller client bases, so profit may not be as significant as first appearing to be.
Popular sites presently include iStockphoto, which allows the selling of photos, illustrations, videos and more. Working on a credit system for the purchaser, 20% of the fee earned is passed directly to the photographer, and is doubled for exclusive images.
Another to look out for would Dreamstime. Selling images individually, the basic commission is a generous 50% per download, which increases depending on length of membership, popularity of your portfolio and image exclusivity.
These are just two of the leading exponents’ in the field, and many more are out there without having to look too far. Others worthy of mention would have to be; BigStockPhoto, ShutterStock, Stockxpert and Fotolia which averages nearly 55% on its commission pay outs.
If you are looking for ways to sell your photos online, these are just a few of possible sites to use. With comparison sites out there too, be sure you are happy with the payment structure and make certain they will perform the best for you.
