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Sell Photos Online for
Easy Money |
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Selling Photos Online - Free Guide:
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Sell Photos Online
Thanks to the advancement in the internet, computer, and
photography industries it is easier then ever to sell your photos
online. Yes, you can earn extra money selling your quality stock
photos to people on the internet with little to no work on your part
after you upload them to one of the many popular microstock photo
agencies / photography sites.
Everyone needs good photo stock from mom and pop
websites, to professional corporate sites, online magazine, and so
forth. The photo they want and need are some of the easiest to shoot.
That is easiest once you get an idea on what a quality photo stock looks
like. Which we will get into later on in this Guide.
The money part:
you place a photo at a mircostock site to sell. Each
time someone downloads that photo you make money. Usually around
.50 cents per download each time. The more photos you have listed in
microstock sites the more potential downloads. Those small fees then
began to add up to something substantial. Your work is simple,
create a quality stock photo, up load the photo on the microstock site,
describe the photo, create competitive keywords so that people can find
the photo in the search engine of the microstock site. Then set
back and let the money roll in.
* Yes, in a royalty-free agreement you get paid multiple
times on the same photo each time someone downloads it. It is not a lot
of money but it does add up!
Where to put your photos?
Microstock Photo Agencies:
Microstock photography or Micro Stock Photography is an
offshoot of traditional stock photography. What defines a company as a
microstock photography company is that they (1) source their images
almost exclusively via the Internet, (2) do so from a wider range of
photographers than the traditional stock agencies (including a
willingness to accept images from "amateurs" and hobbyists), and (3)
sell their images at a very low rate (anywhere from $.20 - $10) for a
royalty-free image.
The mindset of microstock is that quantity will prevail and the
photographer will end up making as much from many small sales as they
would from a few large sales on a traditional stock photography site.
Many people disagree whether or not this is giving the photographer a
just price for their image; many professional photographers believe
microstock devalues the industry.
The pioneer of microstock photography was Bruce Livingstone when he
created iStockPhoto, originally a free stock photo site that quickly
became an industry phenomenon. Ultimately, Livingstone sold iStockphoto
to Getty Images on February 9, 2006 for $50 million USD.
Istockphoto.com is still one of the leading online microstock
companies and a great place to partner up with for selling your photos.
List of Microstock companies to partner up with to sell your photos.
Sellers and Buyers Agreements?
Most sites offer a royalty-free image license to the end user
(buyer). In this license you can resell the same photo again, and
again, and again to continue to build an income from it.
Royalty-free describes material
(typically graphics such as stock photography and icons, but also sound
such as music loop samples) that may be used for profit, without paying
royalties. Royalty-free media is usually acquired for a 'one time only'
fee.
Stock photograph from a photo library may be also charged on a
Rights Managed license basis for a
specific, one-time use at a rate determined by a combination of factors:
the time for which it is required, the purpose, the print run or
circulation of the publication, territory, etc.
There is also "royalty-free" stock photography. This does not mean
that an image may be used without payment. What it means is that a
one-time fee or subscription gives the right to use an image in a
publication according to the terms agreed upon, with no license fees
being paid for further use.
Basic Terms: they can download the photo and use it for a project,
but not resell it themselves.
Every microstock site agreement maybe be slightly different and
you should be come aware of the license guidelines by site.
In general unless you sell all rights to a user / buyer, then you
retain complete ownership of the photo and may stop selling it at any
time at that microstock site.
Read your contract with each of the microstock sites that you set up
as a seller!
Microstock
Websites:
Here are some great sites to partner up with to sell your photos:
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- Submit Stock Photos to 123RF and make money! |
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Negative
side of using Microstock sites:
| Why some photo
stock agencies feel microstock sites are bad for the
photographer and the consumer.
Thoughts from many of the
Professional Photo Stock Agencies.
They are considered the death
of the Fair Trade Photography.
Microstock (Micropayment)
sites (which sell Royalty Free images for 1 to 3 dollars)
prey on the lack of industry-experience of amateur
photographers.
The only people who benefit from these sites are:
- The microstock site owners, because they make money
from the images and do not care about the damage they
are doing to professional photographers' livelihoods.
- The buyers / end users, who get great prices "to
good to be true prices" on images for a few
dollars, and being able to use them as often as they
like, for as long as they like, wherever they like.
The people will lose in the long run are the professional
photographers. Many professional photographers
generally feel that they express a regret at placing their
images on microstock / micropayment sites. Initially they
are excited at people taking an interest in their images and
paying for them. Of course they like making an income from
their images, but here are the facts:
- The average fee for an image licensed through other
Photo Stock Agencies like
Photographers Direct is about 200 dollars or more,
of which the photographer will receive 160 dollars. Some
images have been licensed for up to 5000 dollars or
more. These license fees are usually for a single
usage, not a Royalty Free license. The
photographer can license the same image again and again
for similar fees.
- To make the same average amount through a microstock
/ micropayment site you will have to sell anywhere
between 300 and 800 images. These images can be used
anywhere at any time and cannot realistically be traced.
You are not 'selling' your images, you are not 'having
success'; you are giving away your images.
One day you may find your picture in a popular website,
magazine, business manual, or related. You will at
first be excited and proud for the accomplishment.
Then slowly it will set in,,, wait a minute I only got paid
a dollar for the use of it. Now does that seem fair?
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Photo Stock Agency vs Microstock Website
(micropayment sites)
The microstock (micropayments) state that an average or beginner
photographer will make more money with their pictures on a micropayment
site. Yes the payments are very small, but tend to be more
consistent and will in the longer run gain more money then the
traditional form of photography sales.
The Photo Stock Agencies explained their case above.. Basically you
would normally get about $200 per use of your photo and now you are only
getting .50 cents... Big difference in earnings. It hurts the
consumer by getting them use to the idea of professional photostock
being only $1 and then slowly the whole industry as a whole begins to
crumble and what was once a good career as a stock photography is now
only making an average income.
Microstock (micropayments):
1. Once you get your photo on the website. You do not need to
have any direct contact with the sales, client, or anything else.
You just collect the money. It is very stress free and you can be
signed up with many microstock sites in many cases at the same time. The
more photos you have up the more potential you have of making money.
2. They are more friendly and geared to help the amateur and
inexperienced stock photographers.
Photo Stock Agencies / Personal
Photo Gallery:
1. They are the standard for professionals to get their work seen and
sold / rented at fair market prices.
2. They will get you the most money for your photos.
3. Working with one can lead to being considered a real professional
photographer.
4. It is considered the professional way for real photographers to
sell their work.
5. Downside: It requires you to be more active in the sales, contact
with clients, and your agent with photo sales.
My Final Word on the subject:
I personally think as an amateur / part-time photographer the microstock
website is the best way to start. It is easy to get your photo up and
seen, with little or no direct sales support on your parte.
Once you get going in your career I would move your more professional
work to full service Photo Stock Agencies and your own personal
galleries.
I
know some professional photographers will have my hide for saying this,
but I am going to anyway.
Our
world continues to change with the changes of technology. The
microstock photo galleries and services seem to be the future. Yes,
this will cause a drop in income for professional photographers. Yes,
more and more companies that otherwise where willing to pay full service
prices for photography will use these micropayment microstock sites,
instead of high quality Photo Stock Agencies. Yes the gap between
professional photographers and part-time photographers will continue to
lessen. The improved technology in digital photography, scanning,
picture manipulation software will make the future generations of
part-time photographers more easily able create professional images.
These part-time photographers are willing to by paid significantly less
money for those professional photos, thus this begins the beginning of
the end for professional photographers in standard photo stock
photography...
End
of story.
General Photo Guidelines
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(General
Rules - each microstock may have more or less photo
guidelines.) |
- Images must be photographed with a minimum 4 Megapixels
camera.
- Images must be at least 8x10 or 2200 pixels x
1700pixels.
- Images must ONLY be in JPEG file and in minimum 80%
quality compression. ( most microstocks require *.jpg)
- JPEG Images must NOT be bigger than 10MB, usually at
least 2 MB
- Do not put copyrighted keywords into description or
keywords field, not even name or brand of camera used to
take the photos.
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None
of these maybe photographed or on items in photos!
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| Logos & Trademarks: logos,
trademarks, company names, product names, product brands or
trademarked and patented designs
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| Patented & Trademarked
Product Designs:
most modern toys, many brand name watches, brand name
computers and other licensed products. |
| Artwork: Paintings,
sculptures, any object in a museum, any object in an art
gallery, including public sculpture, some architecture,
advertisements, other photography (a photo of a photo) |
| Documents: Modern maps,
documents where names are mentioned, computer screens
(interfaces and icons are copyrighted). |
| Illustrations: Traced
illustrations based on stock photography, fashion editorials,
etc, that you do not own the original copyright for.
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| Embedded Copyright Notices: |
| Government & Military Property:
Agency insignia, military decorations, golden eagles,
Presidential seals, flat scans of US
currency. |
Trademarked Buildings, Monuments
& Landmarks:
The intellectual property laws of this category can
sometimes be confusing. It is best to research the structure
before uploading it to your Photo Stock Company. For instance,
photographs of the Eiffel Tower during the day are legal for
resale, but not night shots (showing the light show). |
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Model Release Guidelines:
A valid witness signature must appear on the model release.
Generally, it should be someone other than the photographer. |
| If the
photograph is of a minor (a child under the age of 18), a model
release must be signed by a parent or legal guardian. |
| If the
photo is of the photographer (a self portrait), a model release
is still required. |
| A model
release should be uploaded with each file. If you're uploading
successive shots of the same model, the model release should be
uploaded with each shot. |
| All
photographs where an identifiable human face is present require
a model release. There are no exceptions. |
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Most photo
stock companies have their own Release Forms available to
download for free. |
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| Property Release Form
Guidelines: |
Property Release:
- The requirement for a property release isn't as
clear-cut as for a model release, because there is no
specific right of privacy that attaches to property, as it
does to people. Having said that, there are at least two
reasons for obtaining property releases: (i) on the theory
that a person's identity might be connected to the property
in question (such as where a person's property is used in a
manner that might defame the person as owner); and (ii) on
the basis that to use someone's property for commercial gain
without their consent may amount to an offense called
"conversion". Also, if you go on someone's private property
to take a picture of them or their property, it could amount
to trespass.
- Most Photo Stock Companies recommends that a Property
Release be obtained when the image contains identifiable
property wherever possible (this isn't just for houses, it
could apply to pets, cars and other personal property. The
more recognizable and unique the property (and the more the
owner's identity might be connected to or determined from
the property) the greater the need for a property release.
- The Property Release needs to signed by the legal and
beneficial owner(s) of the property or their authorized
agent. Many of the same formalities apply as for Model
Releases.
- All of these photo stock companies have their own forms
available to download for free.
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Most photo
stock companies have their own Release Forms available to
download for free. |
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| Photo Quality: |
Tips:
· Always save images at 100% quality (maximum value on *.jpg
setting 9-13 )· Some images have too high levels of noise to
be corrected by noise filters/programs.
· The higher the ISO setting the more light needed to avoid
noise.
· Some post editing programs can create noise once resaved
multiple times - save only 1 time if possible.
· Every part of a photo needs a different amount of adjusting
to get rid of noise, etc.
· Post edit images in TIFF (or photoshop format - PSD) format
to avoid compression.
· Use a tripod and camera switch to shoot photos.
·Most cameras get a better result if the flash is separate
from the camera, not built in.
Avoid the problems listed below in
your photographs:
Artifacts: Both high and low end scanners can produce
imperfections or streaks into images, which can sometimes only
be visible when the file is reviewed at 100% or printed. In this
event, try rescanning the image, or you may need to upgrade your
scanner.
Noise: Occurring most frequently in low light or
shadows, commonly due to the quality of the scanner or digital
camera.
Color Distortion: caused commonly by shooting areas of
similar color base like clouds, sky, or sudden temperature
sensitivity with ISO settings, too much light in long exposures,
too little light in high ISO pictures.
Over Compression: If you save your photo multiple
times in a *.jpg format it begin to cause additional loss in
photo quality. Some cheaper photo software may also
fading, grainy, patterns, or artifices, where too much of the
photo data has been lost. Resizing, re-sampling, and re-saving
after minor changes all can cause for photo quality to degrade.
Objects in Photos: (avoid)
· Jagged edges on objects in photos
· Extreme Feathering
· Distracting Shadows, Harsh Shadows, Camera Flash
Reflections
Photos: (avoid)
· Underexposed - to fast shutter speed - aperture on open
enough.
· Overexposed - to slow shutter speed - aperture open too
much.
· Lens flare - light source reflecting off camera lens while
photo was taken.
· Cross processed, Grayscale and Sepia (many microstock will
not accept)
· Over high contrast - makes photo unrealistic and
compromises the overall quality.
· Poor Isolation & Cropping
· Dust & Debris in Scans or camera lens
· Un-sampling or Resizing up Images to make them larger.
· Poor Composition
Take time to think the photo through
before you take the snap.
1. Think
2. Focus
3. Be aware of sudden light changes, new objects entering
into view at shot.
4. Hold the camera steady - avoid shake or jerking it at
snap.
5. Take the shot!
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What Photos
Sell the Best
Images that most Photo Stock
Companies need:
Corporate shots
Everyone looks a little more handsome when a suit's involved.
Groups & Teams
One person is great, two, three, four… just gets better and
better.
Concept Stock
Leave it to others to shoot the obvious.
Sports
Cycling, ping pong, soccer, skateboarding, powerboarding, kung-fu,
tennis, golf, the list goes on.
Rare Artifacts, Older Collectables, Older Collectors ItemsThe more rare, the better.
Illustrations
Vector and not rasterized.
Holiday & Seasonal Themes
Christmas, Valentines, Easter: don’t wait until the last minute.
Fashion
Leave the jeans behind, unless they're couture...
Analogue and Grunge
Intriguing textures, effects, & treatments – not for the amateur
of style.
Grouped Pictures of Items
Series on a particular group of items - tea cups, silverware, garden
equipment, antiques
* Just remember no logos, or
corporate symbols on the items.
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© 2006-2007 Omega Magnus Corp. / -
Sell Photos Online Guide for all your
Online Photo Sells. |
