How to make money with photos online? I invite you to read this article to discover the best sites to sell photos. Are you creative and do you like photography? If you don’t know yet, selling pictures online is one of the ways to make money on the internet. Currently, the sale of photos has become a real online business, and to better understand, I will give you an example:
The job of a professional photographer requires that a person be present at a specific location to do a shoot. And then, to make photo prints to earn a living. As soon as he stops working (at night for example or in the event of illness), he no longer earns money. Now imagine for just a moment you put your photos online and are available 24h / 24 and 7 / 7d! New customers who have access to your creations every day, every week, and every month, whether you are connected or not. It’s huge, isn’t it? Precisely, it is a very original way to earn passive income from your passion.
Besides being creative, the idea of selling your photos online is quite lucrative. It is a great way to have passive income. And I’ll explain why:
You upload a photo ONLY once and you sell it unlimited !!! You can even get started right away by monetizing any photos you’ve ever taken before. And honestly, selling photos on the internet creates regular additional income.
How to sell your best photos to make money?
First of all know that nowadays, selling an image on the internet has become child’s play. Moreover, image banks are increasingly making the download process easier. Suddenly in just a few clicks, you drag and drop your photos and you are already ready to have cash flow.
And overall, the unit price of a quality photo can easily reach $ 5 or $ 10, or even more. However, the selling price of a photo varies from one image bank to another.
You sell your photos on the image bank and once you reach a payment threshold, you get your money back. But the most important aspect is that you have copyright in every photo. Because if you are not the owner of the photos sold, you risk getting into serious trouble.
As a general rule, not all photos are accepted on the image banks because they require certain fairly precise criteria such as:
– Take professional-quality photos (in high definition).
– No photo editing with creation software.
– Avoid retouching images (no photo effects or image processing).
– Etc….
And now, here is a comparison of some well-paying sites that sell images online. But beware: The classification is quite simply in alphabetical order. That is to say that the first in the ranking is not necessarily the best of the top 3 or vice versa.
The best sites to sell photos are:
1- Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock is an international image bank belonging to the Adobe group which owns numerous software and applications (adobe photoshop, adobe illustrator, adobe reader, etc.).
Adobe Stock has a huge database and not only offers photos, but also HD or 4K videos, templates, 3D files, and models, etc. The site claims to date millions of photos available, in all fields and all sectors of activity (Architecture, technology, gastronomy, portrait, images of models, lifestyle, beauty, business, fashion, cultural diversity, etc. ….).
With Adobe Stock, you can sell your own photos which give you another source of income. Among the advantages of Adobe Stock is that the more images you sell, the more your commissions increase. And one of the downsides is that the site doesn’t have a referral system. That is to say that you do not earn money if you invite your relatives to join the site.
To learn more about this image bank, I invite you to read my article on Adobe Stock.
2- Shutterstock
Shutterstock contributor is a marketplace in which amateur and professional photographers, artists, and content creators can sell their own creations (photos, illustrations, videos, vector images, etc…). This international marketplace belongs to the American site Shutterstock which is one of the largest content banks in the world (more than 250 million files available for purchase).
Among these advantages is the fact that the site is very easy to use. And the main downside is the stiff competition as there are many professional photographers on this site.
To learn more about this image bank, I invite you to read my article on Shutterstock.
3- Getty image (iStock)
Getty Images is an American image bank that has existed since 1995. This site is considered the world leader in the sale of images online. To date, the community of Getty images contributors has more than 200,000 members. The site also has more than 1.5 million customers in more than 200 countries.
To learn more about this microstock, you can visit the Getty Images website.
4- Bonus: Make money with photos by creating your website
You read it right! By creating a sales site for your photos, you preserve the exclusivity of your own artistic products. And as you well know, a personalized photo is sold more expensive than a classic photo.
Certainly having a site is ideal for selling art photos. But if you emphasize web design, the pages on your site can compete with the larger photo galleries. Having said that, creating your own site that bears your name is a trick that requires an initial investment but can pay off well.
Conclusion
Selling photos online is a great way to maximize your free time and improve your personal finances. If you are an amateur photographer, you can easily earn a little money or something to supplement your ends of the month but nothing more. All you need to do to get paid for your photos is have the inspiration to take great photos. Also, you will always find magnificent places or events to photograph (sunset or sunrise, birds, flowers, etc.). And from the moment you have the copyright, each photo becomes a real source of passive income. Quite simply, because you can resell it as many times as you want.