If you are someone impassioned about photography, this can turn out to be an income resource as well. This means you can make money by selling photos online on different websites and platforms.
Images are widely demanded things by publishers, content creators, magazines, and marketing agencies. They pay for the image license to use them legally without any copyright issues.
In this blog post, we have discussed the 10 best websites that pay for selling photos. So let’s get started with it.
10 Best Websites To Make Money By Selling Photos
1. Etsy
It is known for handcrafted items and gives photographers a platform to sell prints and digital downloads. Etsy especially allows you to sell foot-themed photography products to a market that values distinctive images.
2. 500px
500px is a popular community and an online marketplace for photography lovers. Where they can display their work, sell prints and photo licenses to customers.
3. Adobe Stock
As a part of Adobe Creative Cloud, this platform unlocks a sizeable photography market with massive buyers looking for unique content. They are mostly designers, marketers, and creatives exploring high-quality images.
4. Alamy
It is a stock photo agency that accepts a wide range of photo categories. They resell that exclusive content to publishers, advertisers, and companies buying such content.
5. SmugMug
SmugMug is another popular website for selling photos to make money. You can directly sell prints, digital downloads, and photography services.
6. Shutterstock
It is a top photography marketplace that allows the buying and selling of images all around the world. You can license images, and download stock-free photos as well.
7. Getty Images
Getty Images is probably one of the largest image platforms with a bigger network of photographers and potential customers. Big publications and advertisers buy licensed images from it.
8. EyeEm
This photographer community connects professionals with businesses and agencies. Where they can sell their original work and get paid for it.
9. 123RF
123RF is a website that allows you to get images, vectors, and other visual content. It pays the photographers in the form of royalty when people buy them.
Most of the customers are designers, publishers, and content creators who use purchased images for content creation needs.
10. Images Bazaar
This website is owned and run by the famous motivational speaker Sandeep Maheshwari. You can sell and buy all sorts of images for your editorial and marketing demands.
How To Sell Pictures For Money?Â
Selling pictures for money can be a good source of income for pursuing your passion for photography. Here are a few things that will help you get more outcomes from your photography side hustle.
Build A Strong Portfolio
Create your portfolio website or a creative collection of high-quality images. It should reflect your photographic sense, innovation, and diversity.
Pick A Selling Platform
Choose a platform where you want to publish and sell your content. Look for their user base, potential customers, and commission rates for success.
Understand Copyright And Licensing
Understand the basics of copyright regulations like Creative Commons and royalty-free licenses. This is necessary to secure your content from being misused.
Optimize Image For Web
Your images should be well-optimized in the form of dimensions, resolution, file format, and tagging. The more they are web-friendly the higher they get noticed by relevant buyers.
Se Competitive Pricing
People always look for affordable solutions so you should set a competitive pricing. They shouldn’t be overpriced by the market analysis, quality, and demand.
Promote Them Everywhere
The more people are aware of your work, the higher your chances of getting sales. Use personal portfolio websites, social media, and online communities to promote your images.
What Kind Of Photos Sell Best?
This is the most commonly asked question what kind of photos sell best? Here are a few image categories mostly buyers prefer on marketplaces.
- Authentic lifestyle photos
- Nature and landscaping
- Food and Culinary
- Business and technology
- Health and wellness
- Abstract and conceptual
- Cultural diversity
- Social issues
How Much Money Can You Make By Selling Photos Online?
It depends upon different factors like image quality, pricing, and buyer potential of the platform. However here are some statistics that can give you an idea about estimated earnings by selling photos online.
- Professional photographers are paid $0.05 – $0.25 per image on average
- Stock photographers get paid $0.02 to $0.25 per image on monthly average
- Extended licenses make up to $500
- Royalty-free license photos make between $0.10 to $99.50
- Agencies pay $0.32 for each sale of royalty-free licenses
Conclusion
Selling images and exclusive content online is a profitable and flexible side hustle. However, it is challenging for inexperienced people who don’t have professional equipment and photography skills.
This side hustle is recommended for photographers who want to monetize their skills. By creating uniqueness and creativity in your images, you can make a lot of money for the living.
