Are you a photographer looking to monetize your passion? The internet offers a plethora of opportunities to Sell Pictures Online, whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out. From stock photo websites to creating your own e-commerce platform, the options are diverse and can cater to various levels of experience and commitment. This guide will explore the best platforms to sell pictures online and provide actionable tips to turn your photography into a profitable venture.
Stock photo websites act as intermediaries, licensing your photos to businesses, marketers, and individuals seeking high-quality visuals. In return for granting usage rights, you earn a commission from each sale. Let’s dive into 15 of the top platforms to sell pictures online, followed by a step-by-step guide to establish a thriving online photo selling business.
Top Platforms to Sell Pictures Online
1. Alamy
Alamy homepage showcasing a search bar for royalty-free images.
Alamy stands out with its extensive and diverse collection of stock photos. If you’re looking to sell pictures online and tap into a broad market, Alamy is a strong contender. They boast millions of stock images, vector graphics, videos, and even 360-degree panoramic images, offering multiple avenues for photographers to contribute. Alamy also provides the Stockimo iOS app, enabling you to directly sell photos from your smartphone.
Payment Structure
Alamy offers monthly payments to contributors with varied commission structures. Depending on the popularity of your images and the type of license, photographers can earn between 17% and 50% of each sale. Alamy doesn’t impose long-term contracts, and they offer payments in various currencies for global contributors.
2. 500px
500px homepage highlighting contributor earnings through photo licensing.
500px blends stock photo licensing with a vibrant photographer community. It’s a platform where you can sell pictures online and connect with a global network of photographers. Hosting millions of photographers, 500px uses its “Pulse algorithm” to promote emerging talent and fresh photographs to potential buyers. This algorithm offers opportunities for photographers, even those new to stock photography, to gain visibility, provided their images meet the platform’s quality standards.
Beyond selling pictures online, 500px cultivates a community for both amateur and professional photographers. You can engage with other photographers, receive constructive criticism, list your photos in their marketplace, and participate in photo contests with attractive prizes.
Payment Details
For exclusive photos, paying members on 500px can earn up to 100% royalties, making it a highly rewarding platform for dedicated contributors.
3. Shutterstock
Shutterstock homepage promoting royalty-free images, videos, and music.
As one of the most recognized names in the stock photography industry, Shutterstock is a go-to platform for those looking to sell pictures online. Having paid out over $1 billion to its contributors in the last 15 years, Shutterstock has proven its effectiveness as a marketplace to sell pictures online.
Shutterstock operates as a micro-stock site, meaning photos are typically priced lower and are often non-exclusive. To maximize earnings on Shutterstock, focus on contributing a large volume of high-quality images. While individual image earnings might be smaller compared to premium platforms, the high volume and broad reach of Shutterstock can lead to substantial overall income. It’s an excellent starting point to learn the ropes of selling stock photos and build a portfolio.
Earning Potential
Shutterstock’s payout structure ranges from 15% to 40% of earnings, scaling up as your lifetime earnings grow. Additionally, their affiliate program offers an avenue to earn extra income by referring new photographers or customers to the platform.
4. Getty Images
Getty Images homepage featuring a search bar for high-quality photos and images.
Getty Images is synonymous with premium stock photography. This platform attracts high-profile brands and publishers seeking exclusive, high-quality, and often hard-to-find images for licensing. Combined with its microstock subsidiary, iStock (detailed below), Getty Images reaches over 1.5 million customers globally.
To maintain its prestigious reputation, Getty Images has stricter standards for photographers looking to sell pictures online compared to many other stock photo sites. If you possess a portfolio of exceptional, unique, and commercially viable images, Getty Images can offer access to a premium market.
Contributor Compensation
To sell pictures online with Getty Images, you need to apply to become a contributor by submitting a portfolio of sample photos for review. Once accepted, you can earn between 15% and 45% of the image’s license fee, reflecting the premium nature of the platform and its clientele.
5. iStock
iStock landing page promoting its generative AI-powered image creator.
iStock operates as the non-exclusive counterpart to Getty Images. As an offshoot of Getty Images, iStock provides a platform to sell pictures online with a key difference: iStock allows for non-exclusive photos. This means you can also sell your photography through other agencies simultaneously, expanding your reach and income potential.
Commission Structure
Similar to Getty Images, selling pictures online with iStock requires an application process with a submission of sample images. Commissions on iStock range from 15% to 45%, dependent on the specifics of your contributor agreement, image type, and exclusivity.
6. Stocksy
Stocksy homepage with artistic graphics of people in a library.
Stocksy distinguishes itself as an accessible platform, particularly attractive for photographers newer to selling pictures online, while also offering high payout rates. Stocksy offers a generous 50% royalty for standard licenses and an even higher 75% royalty for extended licenses. However, exclusivity is a requirement; photos sold on Stocksy must be exclusive to their platform.
Unique to Stocksy is its structure as an artist-owned cooperative. This means contributors are not just sellers but also part-owners of the business, granting them a voice in the platform’s direction. Contributors can also benefit from profit-sharing through patronage returns when the cooperative achieves a surplus.
Payment and Application
Stocksy pays its contributors monthly via PayPal, Payoneer, or check, with a minimum payout threshold of $100. If you are interested in selling pictures online with Stocksy, their contributor application FAQ provides detailed guidance on the application process and requirements.
7. Picfair
Picfair landing page for a website builder designed for photographers.
If you desire greater control over your online presence and branding while you sell pictures online, Picfair is an excellent option. Picfair empowers you to create your own photography e-commerce website. You have the autonomy to set your own prices for your photos, both as prints and digital downloads, and Picfair manages the payment processing. They also handle print production, shipping logistics, and licensing for digital images, streamlining the sales process for you.
Pricing and Plans
To utilize Picfair, you’ll need to sign up for their Plus plan, which is priced at $5 per month when billed annually. This plan allows you to establish a customized Picfair store capable of showcasing up to 10,000 images, all available for sale as prints or digital downloads, giving you a comprehensive platform to sell pictures online.
8. Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock homepage showing a search bar against a backdrop of stingrays in the ocean.
For photographers deeply integrated into the Adobe ecosystem, Adobe Stock offers seamless integration. If your workflow revolves around Adobe’s creative suite, you can directly contribute your images, videos, vectors, and illustrations to Adobe Stock, their dedicated online stock photo platform, making it exceptionally convenient to sell pictures online.
Royalties and Integration
A significant advantage of Adobe Stock is its direct integration with Adobe Lightroom and Bridge. You can upload your assets directly from these editing applications once your post-processing is complete. Contributors who link their Adobe ID to Adobe Stock are entitled to earn 33% royalties on photo sales and 35% on video sales, providing a straightforward path to monetize your Adobe-centric creative work and sell pictures online.
9. Envato Elements
Envato Elements landing page for stock photos on Envato Market.
Envato Elements presents a unique subscription-based model to sell pictures online. Instead of individual image licenses, Envato Elements operates on a subscription basis, where customers pay a recurring fee for access to a vast library of creative assets, including stock photos. As a contributor, you earn a share of the total subscriber revenue, offering a potentially stable and scalable income stream as the platform grows.
Envato Elements allows you to sell pictures online by contributing to their extensive library. You can upload photos directly through their platform or even integrate your own website with their domain. Whether through their app or your site, Envato Elements offers a popular avenue to sell pictures online and potentially generate consistent income from your photography.
Revenue Sharing
Contributors to Envato Elements earn between 25% and 50% of the net subscription revenue. This revenue share model ties your earnings directly to the overall success of the Envato Elements platform, aligning your incentives with their growth and subscriber base.
10. Unsplash+
Unsplash homepage showcasing stock photos and a call-to-action for Unsplash+
Unsplash+, while known for its free stock photos, also offers a program to directly compensate photographers. Unlike traditional stock photo sites, Unsplash+ doesn’t pay based on individual photo sales. Instead, they partner with photographers through their Unsplash+ program, where contributors respond to specific briefs and requests from clients. This model allows you to sell pictures online by fulfilling targeted needs.
Brief-Based Payments
Once you’ve completed the Unsplash+ contribution application and been accepted, you gain access to a list of briefs created by Unsplash customers. You choose briefs that align with your photographic style and expertise, upload relevant photos, and get paid for each image that is accepted. Payment rates for accepted photos typically range from $5 to $30 per image, offering a direct payment for fulfilling specific creative requests.
11. Dreamstime
Dreamstime homepage highlighting its microstock library with millions of photos.
Dreamstime is a well-established microstock platform boasting a massive library of over 250 million royalty-free media files, including stock photos, vectors, videos, and audio. With a user base exceeding 50 million, Dreamstime offers photographers a vast and active audience to sell pictures online and diversify their creative asset sales.
Revenue Sharing and Programs
Dreamstime provides a revenue sharing model ranging from 25% to 50% for non-exclusive content. Photographers who commit to exclusivity can earn an additional 10% commission and also receive a bonus of 20¢ for each approved submission, incentivizing exclusive content. Dreamstime also features an affiliate program that pays 10% of transaction values for each new contributor or customer you refer, creating additional income opportunities.
12. Snapped4U
Dreamstime homepage highlighting its microstock library with millions of photos.
Snapped4U carves out a niche as a specialized marketplace catering to event and portrait photographers. If you specialize in capturing portraits or event photography, Snapped4U offers a platform tailored to your style to sell pictures online. It allows photographers to create personalized online galleries, set their own prices (up to $20 per image), and directly sell digital files to their clients, offering greater control over pricing and client relationships.
Snapped4U is specifically designed for photographers selling photos to clients who attended particular events or portrait sessions. The platform is not suited for general stock photos like travel, landscape, or still-life photography.
Fees and Payouts
Snapped4U has a straightforward fee structure. They charge a one-time $10 registration fee upon sign-up and retain a commission ranging from 10% to 12% on each sale. Photographers are paid the remaining balance in their account via PayPal on the 1st and 15th of each month, providing regular payment cycles.
13. Foap
Foap creator landing page advertising a mobile app for photographers.
Foap connects photographers directly with brands and agencies, offering opportunities to sell pictures online for commercial use. Foap distinguishes itself by enabling photographers to sell commercial-quality images directly to brands and individuals, bypassing traditional stock photo intermediaries. Photographers can participate in “missions,” where brands outline specific photo or video requirements and offer rewards to the winning submissions, creating targeted selling opportunities. To date, Foap has paid out over $3 million to creators, showcasing its success in connecting photographers with paying clients.
Missions and Market Sales
Mission payouts on Foap can range from $100 to $2,000, depending on the mission’s scope and brand’s budget. In addition to missions, users can also sell individual photos on the Foap market, creating a dual approach to selling your photography. Foap retains a 50% commission on all sales, whether through missions or the marketplace.
14. EyeEm
EyeEm homepage with a search bar and examples of high-profile clients.
EyeEm merges a photographer community with a marketplace, providing a platform to sell pictures online while engaging with fellow creatives. EyeEm fosters a community by inviting photographers to contribute to themed “missions” seeking images that align with specific creative briefs. This community aspect, combined with its marketplace, creates a unique environment for selling and networking.
Commissions and Community
Contributors on EyeEm earn a 50% commission on each sale made through the EyeEm marketplace. Payments are processed via PayPal, offering a convenient payment method.
15. Pond5 (for videos)
Pond5 homepage for royalty-free video and media assets.
Pond5 specializes in video content, catering to major brands and agencies. Unlike the primarily photo-centric sites listed above, Pond5 is a marketplace specifically for selling royalty-free videos, music tracks, sound effects, and other media assets. Pond5 boasts a customer base of over one million, including prominent clients like the BBC and Disney, with contributor content frequently used in commercials, TV programs, and feature films, indicating a high-value market to sell pictures online if you also produce video content. Contributors on Pond5 create their own storefronts to showcase their media portfolios.
Royalties and Exclusivity
Video artists on Pond5 start with a 40% royalty share. However, they have the option to make their content exclusive to Pond5 to earn up to 60% royalty, incentivizing platform loyalty. Contributors can also respond to specific client briefs through the Artist Portal, creating targeted sales opportunities. Pond5 also offers a referral program for artists to earn additional income.
Essential Tips for Successfully Selling Pictures Online
Building a thriving stock photo business requires more than just uploading images. Here are crucial tips to enhance your success when you sell pictures online:
Define Your Photography Niche
Many successful photographers develop a distinct style or focus that permeates their work. Whether you’re passionate about travel, fashion, nature, or food, consistency is key to building a recognizable brand and attracting a target audience.
Finding your niche often involves exploring subjects and styles you genuinely enjoy shooting that also resonate with viewers. You can gauge market demand for different topics by using keyword research to analyze search volume for terms related to your photography. Google Trends is a readily available tool to identify trending image topics.
Leverage Instagram
Just like bloggers and YouTubers, photographers aiming to sell pictures online should actively build their online audience.
Visually driven social media platforms like Instagram are invaluable for reaching a broad audience and showcasing your photography. Utilize Instagram tools to strategically follow relevant accounts, engage with popular hashtags, and cultivate a following of potential customers and clients.
Linking your social media accounts streamlines the process of sharing your photos across platforms and amplifying your visibility. For instance, Instagram allows you to link your accounts to simultaneously post images to Facebook, expanding your reach with minimal effort.
Integrate E-commerce into Your Website
Most photographers maintain a personal website to showcase their portfolio to prospective clients. By embedding a Shopify Buy Button into your site, you can directly facilitate customer purchases of your stock images, prints, or services.
For example, photographer Dave Sandford has integrated an online store into his website. This store not only exhibits his stunning wildlife photography but also provides a seamless way for visitors to purchase prints and calendars directly from his site.
Product page example from an e-commerce photography website featuring a moon print with a red border.
The simplest approach to sell pictures online independently is to create a personalized portfolio page or e-commerce store using a platform like Shopify.
Utilize a pre-designed art and photography theme to quickly set up your digital showroom. Alternatively, you can combine a free theme with a gallery app for enhanced visual presentation and functionality.
Understand Your Target Market
Defining your target market is crucial for creating photos that sell. Your target market is the specific group of people who are most likely to purchase your photos. Understanding their needs, interests, and buying habits allows you to tailor your photography to their preferences.
For instance, if you specialize in wedding photography, the primary buyers of your stock images are not likely to be engaged couples. Instead, your target market is more likely to be businesses within the wedding industry, such as wedding stationery brands or suit wholesalers. These businesses need royalty-free images of weddings for their marketing collateral.
By understanding this buyer persona, you can create images specifically catered to their needs and sell them on platforms where they actively search for stock photos, at a price point they are willing to pay.
Steps to Set Up Your Online Photography Portfolio
Creating a compelling online portfolio is essential to showcase your work and facilitate sales. Follow these steps to launch an effective online photography portfolio:
1. Choose the Right Platform
There’s no single “best” platform to monetize your photos; the optimal choice depends on your photography business goals and the level of control you desire over your imagery and business operations.
Here’s a quick guide to platform options based on your objectives:
- For hobbyists or passive income seekers: Stock photo submission sites like iStock or Alamy offer easy entry points.
- For brand assignments without direct pitching: Apply to become an Unsplash+ contributor to respond to brand briefs.
- For complete control over your photography business: E-commerce platforms like Shopify provide full customization and control.
2. Plan Your Portfolio’s Structure
Your portfolio is a photographer’s resume, a visual representation of your skills and style. Potential clients and customers will review your portfolio to assess your work and decide whether to purchase your photos or services.
Pay close attention to these key elements when structuring your portfolio:
- Layout: While photos are central, providing context through mini product descriptions can influence purchase decisions and improve your portfolio’s search engine results ranking.
- Social Proof: Social proof, such as testimonials or examples of your images used in successful campaigns, builds credibility and trust.
- Categories and Organization: Make it easy for visitors to browse your work by using tags and clear categories. If you’re a nature photographer, organize collections by location, environment, subject, or date.
- Gallery Size: Curate your portfolio to showcase only your best work. Remove any photos you’re not fully satisfied with, focusing on high-quality images that represent your strongest skills.
Example product categories on a photo print website like “Costa Rica”, “Sunset”, and “Mountains”.
The Sunset Shop effectively uses categories based on photo type, aesthetic, and destination to enhance browsing.
3. Optimize Images for the Web
Photographers often encounter the challenge of compressing high-resolution images for online use. However, fast-loading images are critical for a positive user experience. Large image files can significantly slow down webpage loading times, and most visitors are unwilling to wait for slow site speeds.
When uploading images to your online photography portfolio, implement these optimization techniques:
- Compress Image Sizes: Reduce file sizes as much as possible without sacrificing image quality. Aim for compression between 60% and 80%.
- Use Descriptive File Names: Instead of generic filenames like “IMG_3542.jpg,” use descriptive names such as “summer-evening-nature.jpg.”
- Write Alt Text: Add descriptive alt text to your images. This helps search engines understand the image content and improves accessibility for users with screen readers.
4. Create an About Page
People connect with people. An engaging About page helps potential customers learn about you, the photographer behind the images. Include a concise summary of your background and your photography journey.
Your About page is an opportunity to build a unique and compelling personal brand. Share your passion for photography, how you entered the field, your favorite subjects, and your sources of inspiration. A personal connection can significantly influence purchasing decisions.
5. Implement E-commerce Functionality
An e-commerce platform streamlines the logistical aspects of selling photos online. Using a platform like Shopify to build your portfolio provides you with these essential e-commerce capabilities:
- Create a dedicated online storefront for self-service purchasing.
- Integrate with social media storefronts like Instagram Shop to expand sales channels.
- Securely process payments and manage sales taxes.
- Handle digital or physical product delivery to customers.
- Manage marketing campaigns to promote your photography.
Product page example for a 5×7 printed photo of a beach.
The Bee & The Fox exemplifies how Shopify can be used to effectively sell photography prints online, creating a user-friendly shopping experience.
6. Ensure Mobile Compatibility
A significant portion of website traffic originates from mobile devices. Studies indicate that over half of global website traffic comes from mobile devices. Therefore, ensure your online portfolio is fully mobile-compatible and looks just as good on smaller screens.
A mobile-friendly website requires responsive design, vertical image display, and easily tappable, finger-friendly buttons. Optimizing for mobile ensures a positive experience for all visitors, regardless of their device.
7. Launch and Promote Your Photos
Once your portfolio is set up, it’s time to share your work with the world. Utilize various marketing tactics to promote your portfolio and drive traffic:
- Repost images on social media platforms regularly.
- Pin photos on Pinterest, linking back to your portfolio site.
- Gift free prints to relevant influencers for promotion.
- Create behind-the-scenes content on TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram Reels to engage audiences.
- Build an email list by offering website visitors a discount code on their first order to capture leads and encourage purchases.
Expanding Your Sales: Prints and Photo Books
Beyond digital licenses, selling physical products featuring your photography can significantly increase your revenue streams. Consider these options to sell pictures online as tangible items:
You can generate income by selling photos as physical prints on paper or by incorporating your photography onto merchandise like mugs, t-shirts, and calendars. Popular platforms and tools for print-on-demand services simplify this process.
The most effective method to sell pictures online as physical prints and products is to partner with a local photo lab to handle printing and shipping or to use a print-on-demand company for dropshipping a diverse range of products (prints, phone cases, pillows, etc.) featuring your photos.
Always order samples first to verify the product quality aligns with the high standards of your photography. Quality control is crucial when selling physical goods.
Selling Photography Online as Photo Books
Photo books represent another compelling physical product to showcase and sell your photography. The more focused and niche your photography style, the greater the potential to create a captivating photo book centered around a specific theme and sell your art online.
While print-on-demand services may offer lower profit margins compared to bulk printing, they provide a risk-free approach to test market demand for your photo books before committing to larger upfront investments.
Photobook example featuring images from the Amalfi Coast.
Assouline is a prime example of a company that sells premium photo books showcasing images from popular travel destinations, demonstrating the market for high-quality, themed photo books.
Selling Your Photography Services
If you’re a professional photographer, selling your photography services is another lucrative avenue. Whether you specialize in event coverage, fashion shoots, or product photography, numerous business opportunities exist for skilled photographers.
List your services on freelance platforms like Fiverr and Upwork to reach a broader client base. Additionally, consider local networking and client meetings via video conferencing to build relationships and secure local gigs.
Here are effective networking tips to promote your photography services:
- Carry business cards at all times. Use Shopify’s free business card generator to create professional-looking cards.
- Optimize your LinkedIn profile. Showcase your work and tailor your profile to highlight your primary photography service specialty (e.g., event photography).
- Attend industry networking events. Focus on events frequented by entrepreneurs and event organizers, as they often require professional photography services.
- Build a strong personal brand. Consistently share your work on social media to stay top-of-mind when your network needs photography services.
Since photography services often operate within strict time constraints, implementing a booking platform is highly beneficial. A booking platform allows prospective clients to view your availability and book your services directly online.
Platforms like Setmore and SimplyBook.me offer free plans with features well-suited for photographers’ scheduling needs. If you use Shopify, you can integrate a scheduling app to enable appointment bookings directly through your website.
Pricing Strategies for Selling Pictures Online
Your talent and determination are key drivers of your earning potential when you sell pictures online. However, strategic pricing is essential to maximize your income.
Here’s a guide to developing an effective pricing strategy for your photography business:
- Conduct Market Research: Ask your target market about their willingness to pay for your photos and research pricing for comparable photos on stock image sites.
- Determine Profit Margins: Factor in your photography costs, including equipment, website hosting, and marketing expenses. Ensure your photo sales revenue contributes adequately to these costs and generates profit.
- Differentiate Pricing for Usage: Exclusive photos, granting sole usage rights, command higher prices than non-exclusive licenses.
- Offer Discounts and Promotions: Experiment with discounts and promotions to incentivize purchases, whether for first-time buyers or loyal customers.
- Consider Product Bundles: Instead of selling individual photos, create themed bundles of related images and offer them at a discounted package price. For example, a single beach photo might be priced at $2.99, while a bundle of five beach-themed images could retail for $9.99.
Legal Basics for Selling Your Photos Online
Navigating the legal aspects of selling photography, particularly usage rights and licenses, is crucial for protecting your work and ensuring compliance.
This overview provides broad definitions of key legal terms but is not a substitute for professional legal advice. Consult with a legal expert for specific guidance.
Glossary of Legal Terms for Selling Photos Online
- Editorial Use: Permission to use photos in blogs, newspapers, magazines, and other publications for informational or journalistic purposes.
- Commercial Use: Authorization to use photos in marketing and advertising materials to promote a product or service for commercial gain.
- Retail Use: Permission to use photos in the creation of physical products for sale, such as prints, posters, and merchandise (pillows, mugs, etc.). Often considered a subset of commercial use but distinct in its application to physical goods.
- Exclusive Use: The purchaser of an exclusive license is the only entity permitted to use the photo, offering maximum exclusivity and often higher pricing.
- Non-Exclusive Use: Photo licenses that can be purchased and used by multiple individuals or entities. Typically priced lower than exclusive licenses due to the non-exclusivity.
- Public Domain: Photos with no copyright restrictions or claims, freely usable for commercial, editorial, and personal purposes. Works created by US federal government agencies (e.g., NASA) often fall into this category unless specified otherwise.
- Creative Commons: Licenses that grant conditional usage of your work, provided the user complies with specified restrictions. Attribution to credit the creator is often required. Creative Commons offers tools to generate badges for these licenses.
- Royalty-Free: Licenses that allow purchasers to use a photo for an unlimited duration and an unlimited number of times after a one-time license fee. A common license type, typically for non-exclusive photos and priced more affordably.
- Rights-Managed: Licenses granting one-time use of a photo with specific restrictions on distribution and usage. Additional licenses must be purchased for subsequent or expanded use.
- Right of Publicity: Subjects in your photos possess rights regarding their image, particularly for commercial use. Obtain explicit permission from recognizable individuals in your photos, especially for commercial purposes, to avoid legal issues.
Addressing Photo Theft
Content theft is unfortunately common online, often unintentional but still infringing.
Photographers can implement watermarks on their digital images before selling them online to deter theft. Apply watermarks in Photoshop or use a watermark generator if you sell or share your photos online.
A smaller, discreet watermark in a corner is less intrusive, while a larger watermark with reduced opacity provides greater theft protection.
If your photos are stolen and used without permission, a cease and desist letter is often effective. Alternatively, send the infringing party an invoice for unauthorized photo usage. Combining a cease and desist letter with an invoice often yields the best results, offering the choice of payment or image removal.
At minimum, always seek attribution and credit whenever your work is used, even for editorial purposes. Remember that backlinks to your portfolio site are valuable for driving traffic, improving search engine optimization, and enhancing your Google search ranking.
Whether you’re a novice seller or a global brand, platforms like Shopify provide the tools and resources to succeed in e-commerce. Explore plans and pricing to find the right solution for your photography business.
Further Reading
[Link to related article/blog]
Frequently Asked Questions About Selling Photos Online
What is the most effective way to sell photographs?
Selling photographs as stock images on third-party platforms like iStock, Shutterstock, or Alamy is often the most efficient method. Stock sites offer ease of use, broad market reach, and relatively low barriers to entry for photographers.
Where are the best places to sell my photos online for profit?
- Alamy
- 500px
- Shutterstock
- Getty Images
- iStock
- Stocksy
- Picfair
- Adobe Stock
- Envato Elements
- Unsplash+
How can I generate income from stock photography?
Stock photography websites act as agencies, marketing and licensing your uploaded high-quality images. The agency licenses individual images to clients, setting a price, and you, as the photographer, receive a royalty payment for each license sold.