Photography is a fairly common hobby. If you know how to take pictures and are looking for additional sources of income, you probably thought about selling pictures or creating illustrations.

A logical question arises: where to look for customers? And even so that they consistently need new images...

What is a photo stock

Like any other "exchanges" of content, such sites simplify the search for unique material for their projects. In our case, these are pictures, as well as illustrations and even vector images or videos.

Services where buyers and creators of visual content find each other can be divided into two groups:

• public sites with a simplified license form: "mass market", where you can buy inexpensive amateur images;
• websites of companies engaged in the sale of high-quality images, which are made by famous and experienced photographers.

In other words, it is photo stocks that are one of the main "suppliers" of content used everywhere: from primitive articles about cooking to school textbooks. The company itself, which is also the owner of the site, receives a certain percentage of each photo sold.

Of course, most photobanks are focused on specific buyers: manufacturers of advertising printing or journalists and authors of articles in periodicals.

Target audience for selling photos

The main feature of the pictures purchased from freelance photographers is their realism and "liveliness". Unlike a professional, an amateur can capture everyday life "in the moment." And who needs emotion and naturalness? Of course, brands and advertising companies.

And on almost every runoff you are guaranteed to meet with:

• lovers of Internet art, collecting unusual pictures "for the soul";
• specialists in the field of design;
• advertisers interested in a "beautiful picture" that will be able to captivate the target audience and motivate it to buy;
• publishers, book authors, and media professionals (considered the most demanding and "challenging" clients, as they are particularly interested in the quality and uniqueness of images).

The type of buyer will depend not only on the type of license for the transfer of copyright, but also on the content itself: each of the listed customers needs different photos or illustrations.

For example, the author of a children's book is looking for images on animalistic topics, and an employee of a city newspaper is looking for photos of the city or its inhabitants. Very often, summaries, interviews and media reports use pictures taken not by the journalists themselves, but by freelance micro-stokers.

Brands that use illustrations for commercial purposes also often "comb" photo banks for attractive and colorful photos that are suitable for advertising goods and services.

How to Start Selling Photos

Our "starting point" will be the search for a platform to host our work.

When choosing a photo bank, special attention should be paid to the requirements for pictures and images. After registration, you can start uploading photos - the stock will automatically check how your pictures meet the quality requirements.

Microstocks for beginners offer transparent conditions and a guarantee that the buyer will receive the picture only after full payment. On the other hand, the price of your work will be determined by the platform itself – usually one image costs several dollars. The final cost set by the drain depends on:

• License type
• photo size;
• complexities and themes.

Again, do not be lazy to read the user agreement and independently check the reviews about the selected resource in advance - each photo bank has its own rules, conditions and evaluation criteria.

Copyright and License

The main requirement of any stock is that the author must have the rights to sell files.

Permission to shoot will only need to be obtained if you plan to sell images for commercial use. And for photos that will get into a popular science magazine or news, it is not necessary to "mess around" with documents.

The two most common types are:

• Property Release. This is the name of the form filled out by the owner of the territory on which the pictures were taken (if it is private). For example, if you want to take a picture in a museum and post an image with a recognizable statue, you need to enter in the document information about its owner, address and description of the property itself.
• Model Release. On most photo stocks, you won't be able to post photos of other people without this important agreement. Even if the picture depicts a group of several people, you need the consent of each of those present. Enough information about the model, the author and the signature of the witness. For candid pictures, a copy of the passport of a naked person is additionally provided - only in this way will the stock be able to make sure that he has reached the age of majority.

There are also several types of licenses, and you can choose the right one for you. For example:

• Editorial – is actively used on Shutterstock and is used for editorial shots: photos from events, pictures of politicians or actors. This type of license does not require additional consent from the model itself.
• Extended Royalty-Free is a good choice for commercial images, and the buyer will be able to upload (print) a picture countless times. At the same time, the author is not paid royalties from each sale of clothes, magazine or book, but he can continue to publish the picture already sold and receive more profit.
• Royalty-Free is a standard license, when choosing which you should not count on a huge fee, but you can easily offer your work to several people at the same time. They, in turn, do not receive the rights to the image, but can also apply it in several projects at once, except for commercial ones. For a logo or trademark, such an illustration is not suitable.
• Rights-Ready is less common. This type of license allows you to post photos only on a specific site / print only in a specific publication and immediately provide information about it to the seller. Reuse is acceptable, but only when the purpose and the project itself do not change.
• Rights-Managed - does not occur on microstocks, the cost of such images is much higher than the market. The author himself can set restrictions: for example, that the image can not be used in England or that he does not want the photo to appear in pepsiCo advertising. What, then, is the advantage for the buyer? First, with a high probability, the picture will be exclusive. Secondly, he always knows where the image has already been placed before. For us, as for microstockers, the obvious advantage will be an increased fee and attribution.

Some photo banks may slightly change the conditions, which is why we always carefully read all agreements.

Average earnings of the author

The ability to sell your work has been developed over the years, so this type of freelancing can not be called "easy". The more effort you make, the harder you try at the final result and increase volumes - the higher the chance to reach a stable income in foreign currency.

Microstocks for illustrators can bring up to 3-4 thousand dollars a month if you work "on the stream". Simple mathematics: the average cost of one picture is about a dollar, you place 4000 high-quality works - you can get 2000-4000 dollars per month.

Earnings will be affected by:

• your skill in photography and experience;
• the ability to adapt to the tastes of central asia;
• continuous improvement of the quality of work and analysis.

Again, to receive 500-1000 dollars in addition to the income from the main job - no one will refuse. This amount can be earned in a "semi-passive form" if you take a lot of pictures on popular topics, publish them, and then from time to time just replenish the portfolio.

Earnings are directly proportional to your desire to earn. The only right way is to try, study and improve yourself.

Easy start

So, you have a camera in your hands (or an already assembled portfolio of several tens to hundreds of works), and you are fully ready to start mastering a new niche. Then we boldly begin: choose the stock you like and register on it. If you still have not decided on the site, then I will help you and consider 10 popular sites from which you can start the "path" of the microstocker.

During registration, you will be asked to agree to the terms of use of the service and the rules for posting photos - they are different for all platforms, but there are common features.

Photo Requirements

Images placed for sale must meet 8 minimum requirements. This is:

1. Commercial value. The most important point: we create stock images for advertising campaigns and commercial use. That is why photo banks often miss exactly those pictures that are suitable for illustrating online publications, magazines and advertising.
2. "Hygienic cleanliness". All items caught in the frame (whether it is dishes, fruits or clothes on people) should be neat and clean. Scratches, dust, stains or other damage are unacceptable.
3. Don't overdo it. You can slightly adjust the color or tone, but the result of processing should remain natural and natural, so that in the future the picture is easily used as a source.
4. Chromatic aberrations. A popular technical error that is easily fixed with the help of standard software from Adobe. Optics tend to slightly distort the image, and it is better to get rid of aberrations before selling.
5. The right accent. With depth of field and focus, you can achieve the effect of "highlighting" important objects in a photo. The depth of field, in turn, will depend on the purpose of the picture – whether you create a collage from it or leave it as a background for text or other images.
6. A well-tuned exposure. Underlights and overlights are a sign of improperly configured equipment. Although the drains themselves "love" pictures in white, pastel and light shades, this effect should be achieved due to the correctly selected level of exposure and the "studio" background.
7. Digital noise. An important parameter that must be checked when publishing. To avoid noise, set the correct ISO (up to 400-800) and avoid shooting in rooms with difficult lighting conditions. You can use a flash or additional light sources. And don't "play" with sharpness when converting photos from RAW format if you use a camera.
8. Suitable size. The picture should have a size of 1200-1600 pixels on its smaller side. Usually this requirement is easily observed even in the case of working with the most budget cameras, but when cropping the resulting photos, you should be especially careful.

Separately, I will mention the artifacts: they appear when photos are repeatedly saved in the same JPEG format. Another common reason is that the author of the pictures tried to artificially increase their size by stretching them in a photo editor.

The recommended settings are quite simple, and even a novice photographer can cope with them - choose the RAW format for the sources, then export them to PSD or TIFF formats. Optimal resolution: 240-300 dpi. And the finished works should have the maximum quality available for JPEG - 12.

So that the pictures do not "lie down"

So, you have already uploaded the first pictures and dream that in a couple of months you will be able not to go to an unloved job, but impressively publish series after series and not deny yourself anything.

Wait a minute! Despite the fact that the photos have successfully passed moderation, views are not added, and new customers are in no hurry to transfer money to you. Why?

Above, we have already talked about our audience and made its portrait. Now you need to understand what queries potential buyers most often enter into the search box of the stock.

As you can see, images related to everyday life are best sold – they are illustrated by articles, books and magazines. Household scenes, recently released models of gadgets, sporting events and beautiful pictures of food will definitely not go unnoticed. Consider seasonality: take a series of pictures for Christmas or Black Friday.

The task of any content maker is to be able to do "live" work that causes trust and positive emotions.

Professional equipment is not a prerequisite

And what to do if there is no good "DSLR" at hand, or even an ordinary soap dish? After all, the quality of images will suffer greatly, you will have to make more efforts to process them, and constantly renting equipment at first may be too expensive.

Again, you should not worry about this. A novice microstorker is not obliged to immediately buy expensive cameras - the activity in mobile photobanks is much higher now. Moreover, modern gadgets are able to give out a picture as close as possible to the "professional". In order to achieve original high-quality pictures from a simple smartphone, try:

• Notice something unusual in the frame. Long details or clear lines (such as a road) become a pleasant accent on almost any landscape photograph. If you are shooting architecture or still life - "listen" to symmetry. Perhaps it is the symmetrically arranged elements that will successfully complete the composition.
• Take several photos at once. Especially when shooting moving objects: for example, a cyclist, animals, children. A good shot, spoiled by a blurred face or figure, will be unsuitable for sale. Try to change the shooting point, angles, angles, approach the object and move away from it. You can remove unnecessary pictures with a clear conscience when you start looking at the material.
• Correctly configure the device itself. Such a basic thing as the "camera grid" can help in the work - so you will definitely make sure that you have not blocked the horizon and correctly centered the frame. Set the optimal ISO and exposure settings depending on where you work (life hack: the more light and movement in the frame, the less ISO). If you do not understand the settings at all, just choose the HDR mode - it will independently determine the optimal exposure level.

We have prepared the images, and another important part remains: their processing. I already said above that you should not impose a bunch of effects on the pictures. But this does not mean that you need to abandon the use of Photoshop and similar programs once and for all - improve your pictures, crop them and "paint" so that the finished work looks organic.

The main advantage of using a smartphone is the mobility of its owner. A photographer can quickly capture an interesting breed of dog caught on the way to the store, or an unusual natural phenomenon. Perhaps you will notice an old building, a beautiful girl or a cozy green square and can immediately capture them without worrying about the heavy camera left at home.

We promote our work

Everything seems to be fine: the subject is relevant, and the quality is high. But there is another obstacle between you and your (still potential) customers: users simply cannot find work.

There are only two solutions:

• Tighten up the English language. Search and remember more synonyms, adjectives and names that are used on websites. For example, you took a picture of a model in a Halloween costume and added only "evil" to the tag list. But this word still has many synonyms - the same "inferior", "tainted", "immoral" or "nefarious".
• Use helper apps. There are several sites that collect a tag cloud for you – just specify the main keywords, and artificial intelligence will independently form a more extensive database of words.

Usually, users do not search for keyword phrases of more than 2-3 words: break long phrases into components. Instead of "little kitten playing with a ball", it is better to specify "little kitten, kitten playing, ball, kitten with a ball" or any other variations. It is not necessary to specify articles to words: instead of "a ball", it is enough to leave a laconic "ball".

Most photo stocks allow you to specify 50-70 tags: use this function in moderation. It is better to choose fewer words that are suitable for your work than to specify tags that are absolutely not associated with it. For example, when at the next photo stock I meet some "rush" (in direct translation: hurrying, hurrying) under the picture, where the character basks on a chaise longue in the rays of the setting sun - it looks strange and meaningless.

10 Apps to Sell Photos

Microstock photobanks increase the chance of finding regular customers who will purchase your pictures for their sites once a week, a month, a few months. Thanks to a smart pricing policy, there is always an audience there – who came to the site with different goals and wishes.

It has become even more convenient to use stocks since the widespread use of smartphones. Hundreds of apps are available 24/7: on the go, in the office, or even while traveling. Additional opportunities, now and then appearing on different platforms, help to quickly form a personal brand and gain experience.

We publish photos "on the go"

• One of the most popular applications sharpened for iOS and Android is Agora. Pleasant, minimalistic design and the absence of a commission when withdrawing earned funds allowed it to quickly "become famous" in microstocker circles. For additional promotion, you can share your profile on social networks and increase the level within the site. To do this, you should upload a lot of high-quality images, share experience with others and participate in competitions (they are also called "requests" - competitions resemble a tender system for choosing a performer).
• Another place where, in addition to additional income, you can get new knowledge of photography is EyeEm. The app has a great community of authors who share useful contacts, life hacks and the latest news. As on the previous platform, the number of sales of the same photo is not limited. But you will receive less - exactly half of what you earn. After registration, you will have to wait a little while until the moderators carefully review your work. The service offers three types of licenses – $250 for full commercial, $50 for virtual, and $20 for social. Funds are withdrawn to the PayPal.
• Another free app, Snapwire, is aimed at large companies and bloggers. After registration, pictures can be downloaded not only from a smartphone, but also through the desktop version. There is a rank system here - in proportion to the level, earnings grow. An interesting feature of the service: there is a category of "calls", each of which has a specific prize fund (in case of success, you will receive 70% from it) and conditions. Any authors can try to complete a task from a large firm or an opinion leader: thereby not only to get money, but also to find a couple of new clients.
• And if you own an iPhone and want your creativity to "go to the masses" - be sure to look at miPic. The application gives an interesting opportunity: to sell finished products with your photo works. Visitors to miPic are looking for high-quality pictures to place on T-shirts, wallpapers, covers and even flip-flops! After viewing your image, they can instantly pay for it and use it for commercial purposes.

"Battle Classics" – the most popular photobanks

Now let's return to photo banks, the advertising of which is guaranteed to come across you when surfing the Internet.

• The first platform that comes to mind with the word "stock" is Shutterstock. Photobank allows you to sell vector illustrations, three-dimensional visualizations and ordinary images. And he also promotes the work of novice authors - if you successfully pass the exam, then for some time you will "hang" in the top. Even if the photos are still far from perfect, the loyal audience of the site is likely to raise your sales. Microstock photobank has its regular customers – at least because it is considered one of the largest and oldest services of this kind. On the other hand, residents of the CIS without a passport will face difficulties in registration: the site requires a scan of an international passport.
• Speaking of "classic" microstocks, you can't ignore Getty Images. iStock is a platform created by the founders of Getty. By the way, this is the first microstock that appeared on the Internet. iStock invites new users to take a theoretical test and upload three diverse photos. It is possible to refine and improve their quality in case of deviation several times. On the other hand, this platform is considered one of the most difficult to work with – the requirements are too high.

Exchange of experience and fresh interface

Many freelancers are already tired of the monotonous design "a la zero". And I also want to communicate with colleagues, become part of a real community and gain new knowledge.

• Ultra-stylish photo hosting 500pxis aimed at professional photographers - here they get feedback and improve their skills. By the way, it is at 500px that you will not find caricature staged images: the service is focused on art and aesthetics. The format of the "social network" does not bother, to be on the site (or in the application) and work with it as comfortably as possible. But free options are very limited: you will not be able to download more than 10 photos per week if you do not connect a paid subscription.
• Another Instagram-like stock is Twenty20. But it has a slightly different direction: if 500px is a "haven" for professionals, then twenty20 appreciates authentic and "real" pictures. Users who post their work in the service are required to use a minimum of filters and abandon staged photos - it is better not to publish pictures where the model poses or looks at the camera. Most of the published images are portraits. And there is no entrance exam on the platform and you can participate in competitions.

Time-tested

• Again, let's turn to the overly popular photobanks, which were "pioneers" in the field of microstocks. Surely the Depositphotos service known to you has been operating for more than 10 years, the level of sales is kept at a consistently high level, and it is much easier to register and successfully pass the exams here than on the same Shutterstock. In addition to vector illustrations and raster images, the site accepts videos for sale. Here, too, a system of "levels" is provided - the status is assigned depending on the number of sales.
• Are you intimidated by the word "exam"? Take a look at Dreamstime – you don't need a passport or portfolio to create an account. The only requirement: the uniqueness of each of your work. The more downloads, the higher the rating of a particular picture. But the rating of the image already affects the deductions for its sale: if your image becomes popular, you will receive up to 80% of its original cost. But with large series you will have to slow down - firstly, the site zealously cleans even similar photos, and secondly - there is a limit on the number of downloads per week.

Ways to withdraw funds from photo banks

At last! You received the first payment: it's time to cash it out.

Photo banks always have several ways to earn money. I have collected the three most common - one of them you are guaranteed to meet on the site with which you will cooperate.

• Payoneer. For a quick withdrawal of money, simply order a card through one of the partners of the payment system (for example, through the Dreamstime photo stock). Now you can pay it in any currency, withdraw funds from one of the ATMs and transfer them to the WebMoney purse.
• PayPal. A quick and easy way that most freelancers use. After registration and binding of a bank card, you will be able to receive transfers directly. For a very long time, this method of withdrawal was not available to residents of the CIS countries.
• Skrill. English payment system, from the account of which earnings can be directly transferred to your bank card or currency account. After creating an account, we link the card to it and verify it, create a dollar account and withdraw funds to it.

After receiving funds, it is advisable to transfer information about them to the Federal Tax Service (if you have the status of a self-employed or individual entrepreneur) - it is better to pay tax in a timely manner than to stumble upon sudden sanctions.

Now you are thoroughly immersed in the basics of microstocking and can try to make money on your hobby - do not postpone this in a long box.

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