# Selling Images?



## drbondod (Jul 4, 2011)

Where does one begin trying to sell some images online?  Any suggestions?


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## Destin (Jul 4, 2011)

I use smugmug pro to sell images from sporting event on my website. My whole site is hosted by smugmug and it only costs me $150 per year. They take 8% of the profit from every sale, however they also print and ship the photos for you so you don't have to worry about it. You just post them, sit back, and watch them sell. 

Here is my site: Destin Danser Photography -- Batavia -- NY -- Portraits -- Sports

Here is More info on Smugmug: Photo Sharing. Your Photos Look Better Here. | SmugMug

There are other services out there too, Zenfolio being one that comes to mind. I just found that I preferred Smugmug. 

Also, if you sign up, use me as a reference to get like $5 or $10 off of the cost..


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## Big Mike (Jul 4, 2011)

Are we talking about selling images that you have taken...or are we talking about selling the service of photography (weddings, portraits etc.) and subsequently, the images from that?


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## drbondod (Jul 4, 2011)

Big Mike said:
			
		

> Are we talking about selling images that you have taken...or are we talking about selling the service of photography (weddings, portraits etc.) and subsequently, the images from that?



I want to try selling some images that I have taken. I have been doing nature photography for about 15 years as a hobby only. I have a decent portfolio of digital images and would like to see any of them are worth anything. I appreciate any input on getting started with this process.


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## Destin (Jul 4, 2011)

drbondod said:


> Big Mike said:
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That's going to be pretty tough. To the right people, you may be able to sell prints. The problem with selling nature/landscape prints, is getting your name out there. For me shooting sports, it's easy. Walk through the crowd during half time, and talk to people/hand out cards. Selling landscapes, you can't exactly do that. You have to find cleints in much more creative ways. I'd reccomend first starting a facebook fan page, anf building it up to a few hundred fans. That way your name is already out there to some degree. You might also consider approaching the owner of a new local coffee shop or cafe, and offering to give them free photos to decorate the place, with the condition that the photos have price tags on them and are for sale to the customers. I know a few guys in my area that have had success with that method. 

Setting up a booth at a local art/craft show could also be beneficial to you to at least get your name out there, and maybe sell some prints.


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## drbondod (Jul 4, 2011)

Destin said:
			
		

> That's going to be pretty tough. To the right people, you may be able to sell prints. The problem with selling nature/landscape prints, is getting your name out there. For me shooting sports, it's easy. Walk through the crowd during half time, and talk to people/hand out cards. Selling landscapes, you can't exactly do that. You have to find cleints in much more creative ways. I'd reccomend first starting a facebook fan page, anf building it up to a few hundred fans. That way your name is already out there to some degree. You might also consider approaching the owner of a new local coffee shop or cafe, and offering to give them free photos to decorate the place, with the condition that the photos have price tags on them and are for sale to the customers. I know a few guys in my area that have had success with that method.
> 
> Setting up a booth at a local art/craft show could also be beneficial to you to at least get your name out there, and maybe sell some prints.



Have you used any stock agencies that you upload your images to and you get reimbursed as the images sell?


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## Big Mike (Jul 4, 2011)

I haven't looked into it for a while, but just about everyone says that stock photography is a very tough racket these days.  Firstly, there are millions of photographers taking billions of images...a lot more than when everyone was shooting film.  The type of agencies that are easier to get into, will have millions of images on file and probably don't pay much.  There are some that do pay well, but they are much harder to get into.  If your stuff is really good, it wouldn't hurt to try though.

There certainly are photographers who can make money selling 'art' photos.  Doing so, with just a website would be pretty hard I'd imagine.  I don't know the stats, but I'd guess that you'd need something like a few hundred thousands 'visits' to your site, for every person who makes a purchase.  And to get that much web traffic, you would need your site to be more than just a photo gallery.

As mentioned, getting your name and your images 'out there' would be a step in the right direction.  Get published.  

Another route is to sell your wares in person...art/craft shows etc.  I've heard that this is a hit and miss approach.  Some people try it and sell next to nothing, while others figure it out and make plenty.  The key is to know what sells at which shows and so on.  Someone told me that it usually take s few season of a particular show to figure it out.


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## iames (Jul 5, 2011)

i think dreamstime.com may work for you.

When I need nice photos from photographers (both pro and non pro) for web designing, I goto dreamstime.  Hope this helps.


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## imagemaker46 (Jul 5, 2011)

Like Big Mike mentioned stock is a tough racket these days, there are just so many free stock sites giving photos away.  Alot of them advertsie it's a way to make some extra money, it is a way, for them to make extra money. The ones that are more legit aren't interested in flowers, landscapes, sunsets, dogs, cats, horses, birds and the list goes on. Stock was a booming business 20 years ago, and even then they weren't looking for most of what I mentioned.  You could try a flea market to sell prints, a small stall shouldn't cost much but it still costs you the start up, of prints, frames, etc.  You would be starting a side business in the hole and hopefully in the end make enough money to cover the expences.

I've looked into a lot of different ways to sell images over the years, sold alot on ebay a few years ago, and my web site generates quite a few sales on average, but some months I don't make any sales.  I use photoshelter for my site, and have over 5000 images on it.

Good luck with whatever you try.


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## spacefuzz (Jul 5, 2011)

I have a smugmug site with my landscape photos on it.  Havnt sold a thing (although I havnt advertised or pushed it at all because me = lazy).  Starting a facebook page would be a good place to start, and you can also enter local exhibits / contests.  If you havnt joined your local photo club, start there.  Almost everything I have sold has been through exhibits I entered.  
I have some friends who do well at art fairs, and manage to eek a living out of it.  
Although it seems that every good nature photographer I have met appears to make most of their money by running workshops.

good luck!


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## Big Mike (Jul 6, 2011)

> Although it seems that every good nature photographer I have met appears to make most of their money by running workshops.


I didn't mention it above, but this is a big one.

Writing books, teaching, running workshops or seminars are probably the best ways to make money in photography.  Many of the most successful photographers do this...and it's easy to see why.  They could spend a day shooting a wedding (for example) and make a few thousand dollars, or they could spend a day giving a seminar, and have 20-50 (or more) photographers pay them $250 (or more) each.  And of course, many of these seminars are just a big sales pitch for you to buy their book, their DVD, their 'Success System' etc.  

Anyone can go ahead and do that, the problem is getting people to sign up...and that's where getting your name out is key.  So get published, be successful...and then roll that into a money making machine.

This has totally left the original question about selling images...but if we're talking about making money with photography...this might be an end-goal.


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## drbondod (Jul 6, 2011)

Big Mike said:
			
		

> I didn't mention it above, but this is a big one.
> 
> Writing books, teaching, running workshops or seminars are probably the best ways to make money in photography.  Many of the most successful photographers do this...and it's easy to see why.  They could spend a day shooting a wedding (for example) and make a few thousand dollars, or they could spend a day giving a seminar, and have 20-50 (or more) photographers pay them $250 (or more) each.  And of course, many of these seminars are just a big sales pitch for you to buy their book, their DVD, their 'Success System' etc.
> 
> ...



Thanks Big Mike. Good advice.


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## orljustin (Jul 11, 2011)

drbondod said:


> Big Mike said:
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You still haven't said what you mean by "selling some images".  Regardless, it is unlikely it is worth the effort, as everyone with a camera goes out in their backyard and does "nature photography" and then most of them think that they can sell them and start uploading to stock sites and print sites.  Bugs, flowers deer, it's all already out there, by gazillions.


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## amshopping (Jul 11, 2011)

i heard of this kind of business?but it is not popular in China.the most popular is deleting the water mark in the pictures for somebdoy.


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## KmH (Jul 12, 2011)

Approximately 85% of the online stock images that sell have people in them. Stock images are usually used for some form of advertising and/or promotion.

Few stock agencies (microstock or otherwise) still accept nature images, unless there are also people in the images.

You and tens of thousands of other amature nature shooters would like to sell their work.
It can be done _*if*_ you are willing to devote the time, energy, and $$$'s needed to promote and advertise your stuff.

Are you willing?


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## dnavarrojr (Jul 14, 2011)

The only place I sell nature photos/landscapes is at local art fares as prints.  For microstock, I have yet to get any kind of nature photo accepted anywhere because of how many there are already.  I actually find editorial/journalism photos to be easier to get accepted and sell very well.  This is my most popular microstock photograph with over 5,000 sales between all of the agencies I sell though:







That said... Microstock is a LOT of work for a low return.  I have very small portfolios online because it's a lot of effort given the massive amount of competition.  I just do it because it's nice to have a little extra spending money now and again.


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## CitizenDevito (Jul 18, 2011)

Hi guys, I wonder whether this might be of interest. http://www.citizenofphotography.com/. They take no ownership of files / photography, but curate the best user submitted work on an image by image basis and sell as printed works of art to the public. Quite a neat solution to a lot of hobbying photographers biggest problem... how to monetise ones work!?


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## mbonner1 (Jul 18, 2011)

If you have samples, you can start with a wordpress site through GoDaddy for a pretty reasonable amount.  That's relatively easy development that you can tackle with only a basic knowledge of HTML.


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## VanissJ (Jul 19, 2011)

You will make money, buy submitting (for free) your photos to various photo websites. And you will get paid every time one of your photos is downloaded.

And that's it!

These websites are known as STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY websites, and they are ALWAYS looking for new, fresh and creative photos.

Stock Photography consists of existing photographs that can be used for specific uses. Publishers, magazines, advertising agencies, filmmakers, web designers, graphic artists, corporate creative groups, and many other entities use stock photography to fulfill the needs of their creative assignments.

Stock Photography is a BOOMING business, because of the simple laws of economics -- SUPPLY AND DEMAND. Put simply, there is a HUGE demand for stock photos, all we have to do, is supply.

The list below is just a FRACTION, of just some of the photos that have been downloaded and sold. Do you have any of these in your digital camera?

* A pile of old bricks
* A group of friends sharing a coffee
* A man jogging
* A lonely duck in a pond
* A reflection of a famous building
* A floodlit castle
* A woman twirling on a beach
* Airplane vapors crisscrossing in the sky
* A child opening gifts
* A man using a bench press
* A beautiful girl smiling
* A bowl of delicious looking fruit salad
* A traffic jam from hell
* A couple hugging at an airport
* A dentist at work
* Escalators full of shoppers
* A marathon mid flow
* The famous yellow taxis of New York
* A simple glass of wine
* A street full of blossom
* The content of a fridge
* A bunch of friends engrossed watching TV

and the list goes on...

I hope you are beginning to see the potential of this business, and how vast and relatively untapped the arena of stock photography is.

Put simply, there is a real opportunity to make good money from day-to-day photographs.

A few hundred shots that become popular downloads can easily become actual money in your pocket every month.

When an online stock photography website was asked "What images do you need?: - this was their reply:

Lifestyle: family, alternative, couples, pierced, tattooed, leisure activity, sporty, ethnic

Holiday & Seasonal Themes: Halloween, Easter, Christmas, Festivals, Summer, Fall... and everything in between

People in groups: a family, a baseball team, a group of girlfriends... etc.

Concept Images: photos that convey a feeling such as fear, foreboding, teamwork, heartache, surprise, success...

Sports: skateboarding, skating, skiing, cycling, hiking, golf, badminton, even camping...

White collar: polished models in suits, bankers, salespeople, accountant, CEOs, secretaries, teachers, lawyers...

Blue collar: construction workers, electricians, utility workers, police officer, firefighters, machinists, bakers...

Food and beverages: with or without people holding them

Antiques...

Car Parts: bumpers, side mirrors, windows, back ends, tires, under the hood...

Fashion...

Zoo shots... (but most zoos require permission to take commercial photographs)

MOST STOCK PHOTOGRAPHERS *DO NOT* NEED THE FOLLOWING:

* Flowers
* Sunsets
* Clouds
* Forest shots
* Palm trees
* Beaches and waves
* Text embedded in your photo
* Your dog or cat

I would suggest typing stock photography into Google, and browsing the results.

And take a look at as many of the following sites as you can. These are the top stock photography sites (in no particular order):

* Stock Photos & Vector Art - Royalty-Free Stock Images | BIGSTOCK
* dreamstine.com
* STOCKXPERT - Royalty free stock photography community
* Stock Photos | Shutterstock: Royalty-Free Subscription Stock Photography & Vector Art
* Stock Photography: Search Royalty Free Images & Photos | iStockphoto.com
* Royalty Free Stock Photos at Fotolia.com
* Stock Photos and Royalty Free Image Subscription from 123RF Stock Photography
* Stock Photography Images and Footage at Can Stock Photo
* FeaturePics.com - A stock image agency offering royalty free photos and illustrations for sale, and some for free downloading.

Spend a good hour or so familiarizing yourself with these sites, taking particular notice at the type of photos that are selling.

There is NO FEE to upload your photos.

Once your photos are accepted they become stock photos (although you will always own the copyright). And once your photos are stock photos, the viewing and the downloading begins. You will get paid for every download.


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## dnavarrojr (Jul 20, 2011)

Stock Photography is a "cut throat" business.  Meaning, the only people actually making money are the agencies who sell your work.  In order to make any real money selling stock photos, you have to work it as a full time job.  Devoting all of your time to shooting editing and uploading images for a constant flow of new imagery.  It is NOT a get rich quick scheme.  MOST of your photos will be rejected.  Millions of people are doing this and submitting images, so the agencies are extremely picky about what they will accept since what you are submitting already probably exists.  They sell your images for pennies (literally in most cases) and you get a tiny percent of each sale.

That said, MicroStock is great for "extra money" from images that you would otherwise let sit on your hard drive and do nothing.  As long as you go into it with the understanding that most of what you submit will be rejected and in the end you'll make very little money.  Then you'll be a happier person if you do it.


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## RacePhoto (Aug 2, 2011)

drbondod said:


> Where does one begin trying to sell some images online?  Any suggestions?



Mostphotos Membership Link  Sell your images on the Internet. No reviews, but they have standards, reporting and comments, so you can't just throw any crummy snapshot up against the wall and see what sticks. 5MP minimum, subs or licensed optional and they take editorial.

Yes, Microstock is a tough business and there are people who are very good at it with systems, models, staff and a plan. They do well. Don't imagine that selling your favorites will make you rich. BUT it can make you something and can be interesting and entertaining. Try Mostphotos because you can get familiar with the system and keywording and what's going on. Friendly site.

Here's my favorite for sales and earnings...

Shutterstock :: Make money with your photos!

You will need to get accepted and it's not easy. They also have fairly close review, but good marketable images do get passed and do sell. If you go to some "easy" site, I can tell you, yes, they will accept your pictures and nothing will ever sell. No buyers, they are just hungry for images. So the harder it is to get them in, the better your chance of making some money. Shutterstock is a consistent top seller. And with that, they pay 25 cents a download for the first $500, it goes up after that. 2000 sales to get a raise. With a few hundred good images you can make $100 a year. Put those up on the top four sites and maybe you'll make $300 a year.

Now you see why people say Microstock is a tough business.


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## digital flower (Aug 2, 2011)

I have had good luck with smugmug. I guess I have made about $500 in profits from them (minus the costs first year $75 w/50% coupon and $150 the second, so really about $275 :er. At first I was a little worried that they would do the printing and shipping but there haven't been any returns. They also give the customer email's and the feedback I got from them were the pictures looked beautiful and arrived safely. Smugmug deposits directly into my savings account now and my equipment slush fund has been growing. Some of the buyers seem to have been just browsing smugmug.

Since it is only $12.50 a month and pretty customizable why not try a website? At least then you have a place to send people to see and buy your pictures.


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