Can I Make Extra Money Selling Digital Photographs Online?
Have you ever considered selling your digital pictures online?
I’m looking for people willing to share their personal experience selling digital photographs online. This is something that interests me, but I’ve never done it. I’d like to hear from some real people about how to get started and what to expect.
Photography has always interested me. I got involved back in high school as a yearbook photographer. We shot, developed and printed all our own black and white pictures. I particularly enjoyed shooting the photos.
I’ve just recently purchased a Nikon D40 Digital SLR Camera
My questions about selling digital photographs online
Have you tried selling your digital photographs online? How did it go? I’m trying to decide if this is something I want to pursue and it would be immensely helpful to know in advance what I’m getting myself into and exactly how to go about it.
Here are some of my questions about selling digital photographs online:
- Is selling photography on sites like Fotolia the best way to make extra money?
- How much effort is required to make $100-$200 a month?
- Is this market totally flooded to the point where it is difficult to make anything?
- What sites are best for selling photographs?
- How many photos do I need to upload before I can expect to make something?
- How difficult is it to get your photos accepted?
- Are there some particularly helpful sites for learning more?
I’ve been doing a little research and I’ve ran across some helpful information, but again I’m looking for real people willing to share their experience. This is not something that I can spend whole days doing. After all, I’ve got a day job. I want to know if selling photos is something I can do on the side just to generate a little extra income for my sunny day fund.
Some of what I’ve learned so far about selling digital photographs
Selling pictures as stock photography doesn’t seem too difficult and there are a plethora of great sites for it, but I’m definitely concerned that it might not generate enough money to make it worth anything.
I ran across this Microstock Earnings Report for May 2009 and it makes me wonder if a guy like me that is already working full-time, raising a family and blogging on the side has a chance of making enough to bother. My expectations aren’t that high, but after some time and effort I would like to be making at least $100 to $200 a month. Is this realistic?
I know about model releases and avoiding photos that include trademarks or copyrighted material, but are there other things I need to know about what to photograph? Is it possible to make money with photographs of nature, landscapes and common objects?
What kind of equipment do I need? Obviously, I knew a good digital SLR camera would be helpful, but what else will I need? I’d like to get up and generating a few dollars without investing a great deal more money up front. I did get a 55-200mm zoom lens with my Nikon D40, but other than that I don’t have a lot of extra equipment.
What is your best advice for selling digital photographs online?
I’m really looking forward to hearing your suggestions. I haven’t decided 100% to do this, but it is something that interests me keenly. I hope you’ll take a few minutes and share your experience or thoughts with me. I’m sure it will go a long way toward helping a newbie get his footing!
Photo by Chris. M.C.
It’s so important, to make a plan,based on online search and get your feet wet first,what you said about reports is a best way to make you start…
Oooh. Very interesting. I want to know the answers too.
Of course its possible to make money selling images online. The industry average for a half decent photographer is $1 per image, per month.
To see a list of sites and what I thin k of them, go to http://www.sethphotography.com/stock.htm
All the best
Ro
@mutuelle – Online research is definitely useful, but also time-consuming. Also, sometimes I wonder about the accuracy of the information provided that’s why I thought I’d query my readers to get some input from people I trust.
@Prudence – I’m glad that I’m not the only one interested in this topic!
@Rohit – The average you mentioned is pretty interesting and enticing! I also appreciate the link. Which site(s) would you recommend for someone just getting started? I’d thought about concentrating on one or two to get going. Is that a good approach? I was looking at maybe Fotolia and Dreamstime. How do those sound?
I appreciate you taking the time to comment!
I’m interested in finding out more about this as well – I just bought a nice DSLR camera, and want to get some use out of it. If i could make a little money doing stock photography, I’m all for it!
I’ll stay tuned for more feedback from other users, but so far the most helpful site i’ve found is the one you linked above: http://www.microstockdiaries.com/
I have already explored this route and submit photos to the stock houses. I think about 9 in all. The income is disappointing but I do get a thrill out of seeing my photos being used for something commercial.
Where the prospect of building a bigger digital income stream dulled for me was when I found myself shooting more for what the stick houses wanted rather than what I like to shoot. Then photography went from being a fun endeavor to work.
The stock houses also have some long approval times so you might not know when an image is approved. And then, one may approve it and another may say it is out of focus. There is no consistency.
Finally, the work in making more sales is the post-processing and time spent researching keywords and uploading. The photography itself is probably only 40% of the work.
Unless you want to spend time and make below minimum wage, I’m not sure the glory days of stock photography are ahead of us. There is always opportunity, but how much time do you really want to devote to make this make $150 a month?
Steve
@GetOutOfDebtGuy
@Money Matters – I have pretty much the same interest. It would be nice to generate a little extra from having the DSLR. I’m loving my Nikon so far it is so much better than using a point-and-shoot!
@Steve – You mentioned two issues that concern me. The amount of time it might take to make any money and the fact that it might make photography something I dread instead of enjoy. I’ve encountered both of these issues in other endeavors.
In your experience, is the $1 per photo per month average about right? I figure making money with stock photography is kind of like making money via blogging. It takes patience and persistence to build things up. I was hoping a slow-burn approach where I gradually add to my number of uploaded photos might work out. Thoughts?
Thanks so much for contributing to this discussion!
First, best wishes with kindest regards as you seek out options for selling your photography. It can be very rewarding. But I have to say: Sadly, this blog post is an excellent example of why the photography profession is becoming more marginalized and cheapened by the month. It seems anyone these days who takes a photograph with a shallow DOF thinks they have talent and their images are sellable. Yes, the market is quite flooded. RIP professional photography.
@Rachel – I can see where the professional photographer trying to earn a living is getting squeezed, but I suspect that there are still many niches that only a true professional can fill. Stock photography is only one avenue and it is one where amateurs can compete.
The Internet has challenged many professions to evolve. As an example, look at what it is doing to the newspaper industry. I think it is a good thing that photography is no longer an exclusive club, but one where many more people can enjoy and profit from it. In addition, I’m sure those that buy and use photography appreciate the lower cost and wider selection of what’s available today.
I say that you have to change with the times to stay competitive! All professions face this from time-to-time. Photography is no exception.
Thanks for adding your thoughts!
The $1 per month per photo across all nine stock sites I participate in would be high, in total. Income is more luck these days than skill. With the ability for anyone with a digital camera and who can pass the QC of the stock photo sites, the inventory is flooded. Even a portfolio if 1,000 images is a small drop of a drop of the total images available.
I don’t want to pee on your parade. I’m just sharing the results of my experience. I haven’t even touched on the issues of photo releases. If you shoot a photo with a recognizable face in it you need a signed photo release from that person. Same thing if you shoot recognizable property, you need a property photo release signed by the owner. This just adds to the difficulty and time that it takes and moves the income way down.
And uploading is a pain in the ass. No matter how automated it has become, it still requires a lot of manual intervention and time.
Making money from stock photography today can be done but in my humble opinion you’d have to devote ten hours a week and get a high acceptance rate over a couple of years to bring in $200 per month.
If you approached it as a occupation you might do what some other stock photographers do. You shoot full time and have assistants back in your office that would post-process your images, tag them and upload them, full time as well. These are the guys you are going up against.
As for post-processing, Adobe LightRoom is awesome. I love it better than photoshop.
It is absolutely possible to shoot a photo and make money off of it. I have. It is just more and more unlikely as the inventory expands at exponential rates.
A couple of related sites that I read with helpful information on them are:
http://blogs.photopreneur.com/
http://www.microstockdiaries.com/
http://peterphun.com/
http://digital-photography-school.com/
After all of this, go for it if it makes you happy. You have nothing to lose by trying. All you need is at hand right now and some good software for post-processing of images before uploading. Just don’t create any expectations in advance.
I’m here if I can help in any way.
Steve
@GetOutOfDebtGuy
I have been actively shooting stock for the last 5 years or so. Is it a tedious process? Yes. Is is frustrating to put in so much effort only to get a measly $20 at the end of the month? Of course. But that just half the story.
My portfolio is around 1200 images and I exceed the average figure of $1/image/month. But the best part is that regardless of whether I shoot each month or not, I still make that kind of money (give or take 10%). And I imagine my images will continue to make this for at least the next 5 years. This year, I plan to add another 500 images.
Look, it is hard at first, but you have to hone your craft. If you’re not willing to pay the price, this business isn’t for you.
Its not easy as most people think – shoot | upload | make easy money. Its more like shoot | process | upload | keyword | have most images rejected | learn | shoot more | upload | and so on.
But I’ll say this… if you’re committed, this is highly rewarding. Both my cars payments, insurance and the kids education contribution is funded by stock photography. Not too shabby for a hobby, I say. Even during the months when I dont upload a single image.
Hope this helps.
Ro
http://www.sethphotography.com
I think the key point is your interest in photography. If you submit photographs to stock photography sites, these get reviewed and once accepted, it indicates that the accepted photographs are good, worth publishing. You can build up your portfolio on a few sites. It is a good experience. With time, these photographs will sell and you can make money also. For links to photography sites, you can visit,
http://www.softprayog.in/links/links.shtml
Regards.
@Steve – I appreciate your honesty and willingness to share your experience. Based on your input, I am concerned that trying to sell my pictures as stock is going drain all the pleasure out of photography for me. I think I might get too caught up in trying to make money instead of just enjoying taking great pictures that please me. Also, I’m not certain I have the time to really devote to it right now.
@Rohit – It sounds like you are doing really well with stock photography! I’m sure that a lot of faint-hearted people believe they can do just as you say shoot|upload|make money, but I’m just as sure that the process is more as you describe it. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head in terms of what it takes — commitment. As I said above, I’m just not sure with everything else I have going that I’ve got the time to make the kind of commitment it would require to make a go of this right now. I’m still considering, but I’m leaning toward just pursuing photography for pleasure and not profit.
@Karunesh – I’m might do as you suggest and upload a few photographs in a casual manner just for the learning process and the fun of getting some of my best photos published. If I make a little money off them, that would be gravy!
I truly appreciate your thoughtful and honest input!
I hope others will still chime in with their experience. Have you tried to sell your pictures? If so, what has your experience been? I’d love to hear it!
The way I see it you don’t really have much to lose by doing it. You might get lucky and just stumble onto a decently popular area of stock photos that you hadn’t even thought would be as big as it was. Many of these stock sites are relatively inexpensive in the first place so I’m of the opinion that you might as well give it a try. Gonogging.com is a good site to try out experimentally because registration and putting up your stuff is completely free, so you can sign up and throw up 10 photos and just wait on it.
As a photographer myself, my best advice to you is to NOT get ivolved with stock photography. There are several reasons…
First of all, you will be challenged to create stock photos with only a D40 (especially if you are using the kit lens). I used one of those several years back and outgrew it in about 4 months. It simply does not have the necessary capabilties, especially when it comes to proper lighting (many strobes are not compatible with the D40). Also, it has a very limited amount of compatible lenses available for it.
Secondly, stock photography is a numbers game. Specifically, agencies being able to obtain 1000s of images while paying pennies for each. Stock agencies have taken advantage of the internet to lure suckers who are desperate for their work to be “validated” and “published.” Stock photography cheapens the entire profession –and pardon my crudeness, but stock photography is to photography as street walking is to sex.
Thirdly, stock photography is not fun. Look at a stock site… there is no creativity in the photos. They all have the same look. If you want to have fun and be creative, don’t do stock photography, just do photography for fun.
For some of your other questions, yes, the market is flooded. Everybody has a digital camera and everybody thinks that they can get published with it. (see my second point).
of course it’s possible to earn some extra money on selling photos on the net, but I agree that the market is full and your photos need to be very interesting to attach people’s attention. that’s the competitivity!