Stock Photography – What is it and How to Make Money from it?
If you are thinking of ways you can make money from photography, you must have heard about stock photography. The idea of stock photography is gaining popularity every passing day.
There are hundreds of thousands of stock images on multiple platforms that offer designers a multitude of options to choose from when they are in need of images. These images are widely used in magazines, brochures, websites, graphic designs and for web design and development.
It serves the need of the people without having to actually shoot photos themselves. But, what good does it do to the photographer? Photographers make money through these stock images as per the commission rate of the website they are giving their photos to. Let us discuss in detail what stock photography actually is and how can you make money from it.
Stock Photography – What is it?
Stock photos are the ones that are licensed for some specific uses. These photos are available on different stock photos websites that offer a place to people looking for different photographs for their use.
There are hundreds of thousands of these images on different stock photos websites that are used by millions all over the world on a daily basis. With stock photos easily available, there is no need to hire a photographer to shoot photos for you. This is not only a great time saver but also a great way to stay within budget for some companies. On the other hand, the photographers who give their photos to these websites make a certain amount of money each time their picture is used by anyone anywhere in the world.
Making Money through Stock Images
As mentioned before, giving your pictures to stock photos websites is a great way to earn some extra cash. But, how do you choose which website you should go for?
Here are some common factors to consider before choosing a stock photos website.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Stock Images Website
- Ease of access
- Commission rate
- Ease of uploading
- Target audience
- Ease of buying images
- Ease of searching for images
- Global loading speed
- Search functionalities offered by the website
Top Microstock Websites
Not sure which microstock website to choose? Here are the top ones you can pick from.
How Much Can You Make from Stock Images?
There are many different things to acknowledge while estimating the amount of money you can make through stock photos. Here are some factors to consider:
- Your portfolio
- The number of photos you have under your name
- How well keywords are used for the photos
- The commission rate the website is offering
- The quality of your images
How to Stand Out as a Stock Photographer?
Here are some tips to help you stand out in the world of stock photography and allow you to make good money from it.
Don’t Go for Clichéd Photos: Not many people will be interested in downloading your photos if they are like every other image they can find on the internet. Thus, avoid taking clichéd photos and go for more creative ones.
Consider Quantity as well: While quality is definitely important, you cannot neglect the quantity of images as well. Set a monthly target for yourself and stick to it to get a momentum in your earnings. You will have a more consistent revenue stream once you have more images under your name.
Stock photography is a great way to earn some extra cash with your quality images. Just make sure you choose the right platform and have a consistent flow of images on it and you will do great in no time.
