Whether it’s a passion or a profession, photography is no longer limited to capturing the nature and people around us. The advent of digital content has significantly influenced creativity.
Even after taking photos, new forms of art are being created with a touch of craftsmanship on genuine content.
As a result, an extraordinary market for this art has materialised online, in tandem with offline opportunities. This has created exciting avenues for talented photographers.
BEST ONLINE MARKETPLACES FOR SELLING YOUR PHOTOS AND EARNING MONEY
We will explore some of the best platforms for earning money by selling photos online. Let’s take a tour of the digital photography marketplace.
ADOBE STOCK
Adobe Stock is a high-quality graphic service from the renowned software company Adobe. Thanks to its support for Payoneer, anyone aged 18 and above can easily try to earn from this site.
To register, just go to the contributor section of their website and click on ‘Join Now’ to set up your Adobe ID. During the registration, you’ll also need to complete a tax form and provide other essential information.
Contributors must submit their tax information through the W-8BEN form. After completing the sign-up process, you can upload your best photographs.
However, if the images contain the likeness of any recognised person or someone else’s private property, you will need their signature to confirm they hold the rights.
This site offers a 33% royalty for each stock photo. Generally, contributors earn at least $0.33 and up to $21.12 per image. Once a minimum of $25 is accumulated, they can apply for payment.
SHUTTERSTOCK
Shutterstock is a well-known name in the world of high-quality images. Any photography enthusiast over the age of 18 can join its vast community.
To create an account, go directly to their website’s submit page. There, you can quickly fill out the sign-up form with your name, email, and mailing address.
Next, you will need to submit a few images. These will be verified by Shutterstock’s own reviewers. Contributors should ensure that the copyright of the images belongs solely to them.
Contributors must submit their tax information using the W-8BEN form. With Payoneer support on the site, users can easily receive payments in their banks.
You can earn royalties ranging from 15% to 40% on Shutterstock. For example, if a customer buys a package for 30 images at $111.20, contributors receiving a 15% royalty would earn $0.56 per image. They can apply for payment once a minimum of $25 is accumulated.
GETTY IMAGES AND ISTOCK
As both sites are under the same company, all rules and regulations are the same. To register on both sites, you need to download their respective apps from the App Store or Google Play.
During the registration process via the app, the contributor must be at least 18 years old. You will need to upload 3 to 6 sample images at sign-up. The copyright of these images must belong to the applicant. Based on these samples, successful applicants will initially be allowed to upload images at a non-exclusive level.
Contributors will provide their tax information via the W-8BEN form. Payoneer can be chosen as a payment method. Getty Images offers a 20% royalty for each licensed image, while iStock provides royalties ranging from 15% to 45% per image. This can range from below $1 to several hundred dollars.
STOCKSY
The first step to selling photos on Stocksy’s platform is to apply on their website. During this time, you need to provide personal information and share your portfolio.
You must then upload 10 images, which will be reviewed and approved by their observer team before you can become a contributor.
Stocksy shares 50% of its regular income with contributors. The amount can range from $15 up to a maximum of $400.
For extended license earnings, the commission is 75%. This royalty can range from a minimum of $100 to a maximum of $10,800. Users can receive payments from Stocksy using Payoneer.
DREAMSTIME
Registration on Dreamstime can be completed in just a few seconds by providing your name and email address.
After that, click the ‘Upload File’ button to upload a few copyright-protected images. These will be verified, and an email will be sent regarding acceptance.
If accepted for online sales, the images will be displayed on the website. Contributors must then provide their tax information via the W-8BEN form.
Non-exclusive contributors earn a royalty of 25% per image, which typically ranges from 35 cents to over $40.
Dreamstime’s exclusive stock photographers can earn royalties of up to 60% per image. They can apply for payment once their earnings balance reaches $100 or more.
123RF
For the 5 million buyers registered on this platform, you must go directly to their website 123RF and provide your name, email, and all necessary information. You will need to upload valid documents for the information provided.
Additionally, you must submit 10 copyright images to verify your skills. If approved, you will be able to regularly upload more images.
Based on contributor level, this site offers royalties ranging from 30% to a maximum of 60%. This ranges from 216 cents to 432 cents.
Once a minimum of $25 is accumulated, payments can be withdrawn, which can be received via Payoneer.
DEPOSITPHOTOS
To become part of this site’s community of over 35 million customers, applicants must go directly to their official website Depositphotos. The applicant must be at least 18 years old.
You need to create an account by providing personal information and an email address. A few images must be submitted during registration, which will be used to verify eligibility to become a contributor. All images not owned by the applicant will be rejected.
When images are purchased through on-demand downloads under standard or extended licenses, the royalty rate ranges from a minimum of 30% to a maximum of 38%.
If purchased with Depositphotos’ subscription plans, the royalty rate will be between 25 cents to a maximum of 33 cents. Contributors participating in the revenue share special program will receive 40% of the total subscription income.
FINALLY
These top platforms for earning money by selling photos online are quite competitive. Alongside photographers, graphic designers are also showcasing their talents to the platform’s buyers. Thus, alongside skills in taking, editing, or creating images, there is an increasing demand for marketing photos. Therefore, to effectively present your images to the audience, it is crucial to thoroughly study the platforms mentioned above.