If you are good at taking pictures, you can use your photos to make money online. Some platforms and websites are ready or willing to pay you for your pictures, so it’s an excellent way to sell photos online to earn money if you have a good camera or have been taking images stored on your device.
In today's digital age, selling photos online has become famous for photographers to monetize their skills and passion.
This comprehensive guide will explore the best websites to sell photos online for money and provide valuable tips to help you maximize your earnings.
Whether you are a professional photographer or an amateur enthusiast, numerous platforms allow you to showcase and sell your photos to a broad audience.
So here, you will get the best websites to sell photos online for money that pays you to take pictures. There are various legitimate ways to earn money online, and you will get the best places to use your photos to make money online.
What You Need to Know About Selling Photos Online on Stock Websites in 2024:
Stock photography sites don’t allow you to set your own prices. You must sell your images at the same prices as the stock site.
Most stock photography sites will require you to go through an approval process. You can't just upload your photos and sell them right away. Both the content and the quality of your images must meet specific requirements.
Pay is commission-based, and you don’t get to keep all the profit. Each stock website has its own commission structure. Find out which one is the best fit for you by researching. Alternatively, you can maximize your profits by using multiple sites.
In some cases, the stock photo site may require exclusivity. Due to this, you won't be able to sell photos online on any other stock photo sites. As a result, make sure to read the fine print.
You retain the copyright when you sell your images through a stock photo site. You are, however, selling the pictures under a royalty-free license, which means that whoever purchases them has certain rights to use them. They may use it in marketing materials, such as on their website. They cannot, however, resell your photograph.
Popular stock photo sites may give you exposure, but they are also very competitive. You have the potential to get your photos in front of lots of content creators, but your images will be among millions of other photos, all competing for the same thing. So, it’s essential to stand out.
What Type of Images Websites are Buying the Most in 2024?
Websites are buying diverse images in 2024, with trends leaning towards authenticity, inclusivity, and specific themes. Here are some popular categories:
General Trends to Sell Photos Online:
- Authenticity: Images that feel real and relatable, capturing genuine emotions and everyday moments, are in high demand.
- Inclusivity: Diverse representation of people, cultures, and backgrounds is increasingly sought after.
- High quality: Images should be crisp, clear, and well-composed, suitable for various uses and devices.
Specific Themes to Sell Photos Online:
- Environmental awareness: Images highlighting sustainability, eco-friendly practices, and the effects of climate change are gaining traction.
- Mental health and wellness: Photos depicting mindfulness, self-care, and emotional well-being are popular in various industries.
- Technology and innovation: Images showcasing cutting-edge tech, futuristic concepts, and AI are in demand for tech-related content.
- Work and lifestyle: Photos representing remote work, flexible schedules, and work-life balance resonate with current trends.
- Seasonal shots: Images with unique takes on holidays, celebrations, and seasonal themes always see high demand.
Additional Factors to Sell Photos Online:
- Niche markets: Images catering to specific industries, hobbies, or demographics can be lucrative for targeted audiences.
- Unique perspectives: Offering fresh angles and creative compositions can help your images stand out.
- Technical aspects: Proper keywording, licensing options, and image size/resolution are crucial for discoverability and sales.
Remember, these are just general trends, and specific needs may vary depending on the website and its target audience. Researching individual platforms and their content focus can give you valuable insights into their image preferences.
How Can You Sell Photos Online in 2024?
To sell photos online for money:
1. Choose the Right Platform:
When selling photos online, selecting the right platform is crucial. Here are some of the best websites to consider:
- Alamy to Sell Photos Online: With a vast collection of stock images, Alamy offers various commission models for photographers. It also has an app called Stockimo, which allows you to sell photos directly from your phone.
- 500px to Sell Photos Online: Combining stock photo licensing with a community-based platform, 500px offers high royalties for exclusive and non-exclusive photos. It also provides opportunities to participate in photography competitions.
- Shutterstock to Sell Photos Online: As one of the most well-known stock photography websites, Shutterstock offers a large customer base and a straightforward submission process. While the earnings may be lower, it's an excellent platform for beginners.
- Getty Images to Sell Photos Online: Known for its premium stock photos, Getty Images has strict submission standards but offers higher royalties for high-quality images. It also has a microstock site called iStock for non-exclusive photos.
2. Build a Strong Portfolio:
Curating a strong portfolio showcasing your best work is essential to attract potential buyers. Consider the following tips to sell photos online for money:
- Focus on a Niche: Find a specific photography niche you are passionate about and excel in. This will help you stand out in a crowded market.
- Quality Over Quantity: Instead of uploading many mediocre photos, focus on quality. Buyers are more likely to purchase high-quality, unique images.
- Diversity: Include a variety of subjects, styles, and compositions in your portfolio to cater to different buyer preferences.
3. Optimize Your Photos for Sales:
To increase the visibility and sales potential to sell photos online, optimize them for online platforms:
- Keyword Research: Use relevant keywords and tags to describe your photos accurately. Research popular search terms to ensure your images appear in relevant searches.
- Metadata: Fill in the metadata fields provided by the platform, including titles, descriptions, and categories. This information helps buyers find your photos.
- Image Quality: Ensure your photos are high resolution and meet the platform's technical requirements. Buyers often look for images suitable for printing or large-scale use.
Some Other Pro Tips to Sell Photos Online for Money:
Promote Your Work: While the platforms themselves provide exposure, promoting your work can significantly boost your sales:
Social Media: Utilize social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and X to showcase your photos and engage with potential buyers. Use relevant hashtags and interact with photography communities.
Blogging: Start a photography blog where you can share behind-the-scenes stories and photography tips and feature your best work. This can attract a dedicated audience and potential buyers.
Networking: Attend photography events, join online photography communities, and collaborate with other photographers to expand your network and gain exposure.
Best Sites to Sell Photos Online in 2024
You don’t need skills; you only need a good camera or a better smartphone with a clean camera. You don’t need skills because if you know how to upload photos on Facebook, use these platforms.
1. Foap to Sell Your Photos
As a registered member of Foap, which is free for you to join, you will earn money from the pictures you upload to their platform.
The Foap app offers clear guidelines on the acceptance criteria for photos. You can also connect with other Foap photographers and get constructive photo feedback.
Foap offers a 50% profit sharing on sold images. Payments are sent via PayPal.
Selling Your Photos Online
Foap’s marketing is not as strong as other big-name stock image companies and apps. This has resulted in some users complaining about work for minimal pay. However, if you’re a new photographer looking to develop your skills and gain exposure, Foap can be a solid option.
You can also upload videos on their platform. And you can earn as much as $100+ by selling your photos online from this site.
2. Adobe Stock
They are the creator of Photoshop with various well-known software packages. Adobe Stock lets you sell your photos on its platform. This place is one of the largest platforms for selling your photos online. You need to create a free account and upload your files.
You can upload images, vectors, or videos. And if there is any purchase, you will get a 33% commission on your photos.
The good thing about this place is that they are giant firms with significant traffic or many clients patronizing the website, so you will definitely get a buyer.
The minimum withdrawal is $25.
3. Agora
This site works differently compared to other sites listed in this article. You have to enter a contest for you to win.
After you have registered with Agora and it’s free, you enter various contests to win cash and prizes. You can earn stars and be prompted to another level by receiving votes, winning competitions, and getting followers.
However, Agora will not pay for your upload unless you win cash or prizes, so there’s no harm in trying.
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4. DepositPhotos
To start selling your photos online on this platform, you must create a contributor’s account, and it’s free to create.
After successful registration, you will need to pass some test that will require you to upload a few best of your files.
Sell Photos Online for Money
They do this to make sure your files are the type that fits their platform. After you have passed the test, you can upload your remaining files for sale.
Photos you upload will be checked by their inspectors, and as you pass, your pictures will appear on their website for people to buy.
The more you sell, the higher you can rise in rank and your royalty rate.
5. Dreamstime
Though it’s said to be the leading stock photography community for selling your photos online, I can’t tell if it’s true; it seems they have good reviews in the Google Play Store.
Dreamstime also has some traffic that is coming to their site. They also have over 100 million images on their platform, which shows they are a big firm. You will get paid to upload photos on this platform.
They will pay you 60% of revenue if you are exclusive, but you will earn 25% to 50% and up to $12 per pic for a non-exclusive.
6. Alamy
Alamy is a British stock photography website offering numerous images, vectors, and videos. It pays over $1 million every month to its contributors.
The stock agency offers various tools to track customer needs and sales. It also doesn’t edit submissions, so creators have complete control over their works. Alamy’s contributor contract has a 45-day notice period, and you can start selling images online within 24 hours after uploading them.
There are three commission models: Alamy Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Alamy Silver contributors earn a 17-20% commission, Alamy Gold contributors get 34-40% from a sale, and Alamy Platinum contributors obtain 40-50%.
In addition, this stock photography site is a great place to sell your photos online if you’re a student contributor, as you will earn a 100% commission for two years.
7. Etsy
This is another platform that will pay you for selling your photos online. Starting with Etsy is another way for you to earn online. As your photos sell, you will make money from Etsy.
Catering to people interested in creative goods, Etsy is an online marketplace focusing on handmade or vintage items and arts and crafts supplies. Many also use the platform to sell photos online, in digital images and physical prints.
Etsy sellers are subject to three different fees – listing, transaction, and payment processing fees. It costs $0.20 to list an item. If it sells, Etsy charges a 6.5% transaction fee on the sale price, including shipping.
If you use Etsy Payments to receive money, it also charges a 3% + $0.25 payment processing fee.
Signing up and starting a shop is free, but you can pay $10/month for Etsy Plus to get extra perks. In addition, sellers can sign up for Etsy’s Offsite Ads program to have the platform advertise their products across the web. All sales from the program are subject to a 15% fee.
8. EyeEm
You can also download the EyeEm app from Google Play and iTunes. This platform will allow you to sell your photos through their marketplace to make money by selling your photos online.
You only need to download their app and upload photos using your smartphone or computer to get started.
Some claim they have earned up to $1,000 to $10,000+ with the platform.
9. Field Agent
Field Agent is about taking pictures because there are other jobs you can do on this site. If you like to take photos of some things inside stores and get paid, this platform is required for selling your photos online.
Filed Agent might send you to local stores and ask you to take pictures of items like toothpaste. After that, you might still answer some questions for around five minutes, and they will pay you $7 or more.
The platform is free for you to join. Just with five minutes, you can earn up to $7. They also have jobs for you to choose which you want.
10. Fiverr
This is another best places to sell your photography services for selling your photos online. Though this site has a lot of competition, that won’t prevent your own success.
Registration on this site is free for you to sign up for. The company will pay you 80% of the files you sell on their platform.
11. Getty Images
This is another giant platform where you will get paid to upload your pictures for selling your photos online. Getty Image has served over one million five hundred thousand customers in more than two hundred countries.
Before you are allowed on Getty Images, you will first submit six of your photos for them to review. If your photos get approved, you can start submitting your images.
All images you submit to this platform must first be approved; then, your photos will be available for customers.
12. Ibotta
This site differs from other platforms and websites listed in this article. Ibotta will pay you for every upload of your shopping receipt.
If you have a clean camera, then you can snap the receipt and upload it. All you need to do is to create an account, and it’s free.
Selling Your Photos Online
So if you purchase and get your money back, it’s a great deal.
Apart from taking pictures of receipts, you can also earn by linking many of your loyalty cards to select deals, and a rebate is automatically applied to the account.
13. MiPic
With this platform, you can upload your pictures and leave the rest for them to sell your photos online.
You will earn money from your pictures using MiPic. Any time your photo is sold, you will earn a 20% commission on each sale.
14. Mobeye
Mobeye is another platform where you can earn up to $15 per task. You will make money by becoming a reporter with Mobeye. This site works, as the Field Agent mentioned previously.
For most of these tasks, you will need to take pictures from a local store and a local department store. All you need to do is download their app, open a task map, and check any offers available.
15. Receipt Hog (receipts only)
This site works like Ibotta, and you will get rewarded by taking pictures of receipts from anywhere. This site will pay you for the images of receipts you take, not for photos of other things.
Receipt Hog is not a quick, get-rich scheme app, but you can earn a little if you take pictures of the receipt and post them to the platform.
16. Snapped4u
Snapped4u is another site where you can sell your photos online. Not all images are accepted in Snapped4u. They only accept event pictures. So, this is the place where you can market your portrait photography and event pictures.
They currently have two types of galleries: the event gallery, which includes all kinds of events, and the fundraising gallery, in which photos are sold for a charitable cause.
It’s free to get started with Snapped4u. They will only cut the $0.50 commission from the photos sold.
17. Shutterstock
This platform has been in business for over 15 years and has paid over $500 million. They are one of the largest companies to check out if you want to earn money by selling your photos online.
All you need to do is create an account, upload your photos or videos, and make money whenever a client purchases your photos.
18. Twenty20
This is another platform where you will earn cash by uploading your photos.
This site's pay differs significantly from those listed here, but you can still check their FAQ to know more.
After you enter the website, you should head to the FAQ section or page.
19. Fotolia
This is another of the best stock photography sites to sell photos online, where you will get paid for your pictures by selling your photos online. Adobe also owns Fotolia. Join this platform, and you will earn 20% to 46% per cent on images sold through Fotolia.
The more rank you get, the more your earnings will increase. Fotolia pays you in credits, which you can redeem in cash. And you will earn 1 to 30 credits.
One of Fotolia's credits is equal to $1.40. They accept all kinds of images of any subject with high quality. However, they encourage you to review the top-selling pictures to get ideas.
20. iStockPhoto
iStockPhoto is another place where you will get paid for your pictures for selling your photos online. You will earn a 15% to 45% commission per your photo.
Exclusive contributors will earn more. And you should make sure you upload high-quality images. Per image, you can earn up to $1 to $20. However, it depends on the type of photo and license.
21. 123RoyaltyFree
This site can pay you highly depending on the level of your contribution. The more photos you upload, the more royalties you will get.
You can earn with this site using your photos. You will get 30% to 60% percent of your photos.
Sell Photos Online for money in 2024
You can earn between $0.216 to $.432 for each downloaded image. Though it’s not high compared to other sites, you can make big if you get many photos to upload.
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22. InstaPrints
Some think Instagram is just a social networking and photo-sharing platform. Do you believe you can earn money from your Instagram photos?
You will earn money from the photos that you upload to Instagram through a website called Instaprints. To get started, you just need to link your Instagram profile to the Instaprints account you created. Then, you can sell your Instagram photos as physical prints.
You can sell photos in different kinds of forms, like:
- Throw Pillow
- T-Shirts
- Posters
- Green Cards
- Canvas Prints
- Acrylic Prints
- Phone Cases
- Shower Curtains and more.
Another good thing about this site is setting your own price rates for your photos. Instaprints will pay between $5 to $50 per image.
23. CanStockPhoto
CanStockPhoto is another platform to sell photos online, where you get paid for your images. You can earn between $0.50 to $12.50 per image.
Though the payment is slightly low compared to other sites, your photos can be quickly accepted. You need to submit three images for review, and they will get back to you that same day.
24. Crestock
Crestock is another place where you get paid for the images you upload for selling your photos online. You will be paid around $0.25 to $0.40 for each image.
Though the payment may look low, they accept all kinds of images, and the site likes pictures that include people.
25. BigStockPhoto
This is another excellent website for photographers to earn with.
BigStockPhoto will pay a 30% commission on your image, and you can earn between $0.50 to $25 for each download.
Here are Some of the Pros and Cons of Selling Photos Online in 2024:
Pros of Sell Photos Online for Money:
- Potential to earn money: If you have high-quality photos in demand, you can make money by selling them online.
- Reach a wider audience: Your photos can be seen by people worldwide if you sell them online.
- Flexibility: You can sell your photos on your own terms and set prices.
- Control over your work: You retain the copyright to your photos when you sell them online, so you can control how they are used.
Cons of Selling Photos Online for Money:
- Competition: There is a lot of competition in the online photo market, so it can be challenging to stand out.
- Low-profit margins: The profit margins for selling photos online can be low, mainly if you sell your photos on a stock photo website.
- Time commitment: Building a successful online photo business can take time. You need to take the time to upload your photos, market your work, and respond to customer inquiries.
- Technical skills: You need technical skills to sell your photos online. You need to be able to edit your photos and be familiar with the different online photo marketplaces.
Selling photos online can be a great way to earn money and share your work. However, knowing the challenges and limitations before you start is crucial.
Here are some additional tips for selling photos online:
- Choose the right photo marketplace: Many different photo marketplaces are available, so choosing one that is right for you is essential. Consider factors such as the commission rates, the level of competition, and the target audience.
- Optimize your photos: Make sure that your photos are high-quality and well-lit. You should also optimize your images for search engines so that they can be easily found.
- Market your work: Promote your work on social media and submit your photos to contests and exhibitions.
- Be patient: It takes time to build a successful online photo business. Don't get discouraged if you don't see results immediately.
FAQs About Sell Photos Online to Earn More Money in 2024:
-
Can I sell hand pics?
Capturing and selling photos of hands might sound weird, but it is normal and can be a viable option to earn money as your camera rolls. There is a market to sell hand pictures online. You don't have to be a professional photographer to profit from stock photography.
-
How much money can you make selling stock photos?
But most photographers wonder how much you can earn from selling stock photography. In general, stock photos make approximately 1-3 dollars per image per month, but it may vary depending on the quality of the pictures and the photographers' reputation per month.
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How do I start selling photos?
The easiest way to make your photographs available as stock images for sale is by using third-party websites such as iStockPhoto, Dreamstime, Shutterstock, 123RF, or Getty Images via Flickr. Selling your photos through a stock agency is quick and easy.
Conclusion on Sell Photos Online for Money in 2024:
Most people have many images on their smartphones because they like taking photos, especially when travelling. They do take pictures of buildings and events.
Some sites will also receive pictures of products near your local store, events near you, or a building in your state. So you do not need to be a traveller before you can earn with these sites.
Using the sites listed here, you can earn money with your pictures. If you like this article, don’t forget to share.
