Stock Photography for Beginners
- Are you a photographer looking to get started in Stock Photography and don’t know where to begin?
- Do you want a source of passive income that uses imagery you already have?
- Can you spend a little time uploading, captioning and keywording your content?
If yes – here’s what you can do.
Start by doing an audit of your past photography content to see if you have images that fit the most popular Stock Image categories such as:
- Nature and Landscapes
- People at Work
- Authentic Lifestyle
- Holiday and Seasonal imagery
- Food and Drink
- Travel
- Diverse families
You can also review: what are the stock photography trends of 2023?
Does your work match any of these categories?
If yes, gather all the images you think might sell.
Once you have a selection of hi-res quality images – make sure you have property and model releases for anything you want to sell as Royalty-Free (What is the different between Royalty-Free and Rights Managed stock images?)
Could you write a detailed caption and create keywords for each images? If so, then apply to be a contributor with these major stock suppliers.
1) GETTY IMAGES/iSTOCK
- Must be accepted as a contributor
- You earn 15%-45% on each license
- Content they are currently looking for
2) SHUTTERSTOCK
- Must be accepted as a contributor
- You earn up 15%-40% on each license
- Content they are currently looking for
- Their prestige brand, Offset, is more exclusive to get accepted into
3) ALAMY
- Must be accepted as a contributor (usually just a QA rather than content review)
- You earn up 17%-50% on each license
- Content they are currently looking for
4) ADOBE STOCK
- Must be accepted as a contributor
- You earn up 33%-35% on each license
- Content they are currently looking for
5) DREAMSTIME
- Must be accepted as a contributor
- You earn up 25%-50% on each license
- Content they are currently looking for
Each agency will give you detailed instructions on how to upload and caption your content.
Once you’ve uploaded your past content, next you can keep stock photo needs in mind when creating new content.
Will you be able to retire on your stock photography payouts? Unlikely.
But will you get some extra quarterly income out of images just sitting on your hard drive with a little upfront work? Very likely.
Please contact me below if you have any questions about getting started as a stock photography contributor.
Have questions about stock photography?
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