Photography and videography are not mere hobbies we have today, especially given the prevalence of social and digital media platforms.
Another area that is worth recommending is the sphere of photography and video shooting if this is something you would like to do professionally.
It is possible to take and sell photos and videos on stock photography sites or material-sharing platforms.
Just as the use of the internet is increasing, so is the selling of photos and videos that you shoot. Of course, being a professional or a simple amateur, there are many sites where you can demonstrate the best of yourself and make money from your photographs.
In this article, I will guide you through the market today’s most popular top 10 sites that can be used to sell stock photos and videos.
1. Shutterstock
Shutterstock serves as one of the premier stock photo and video platforms, which means it provides a significant customer base for creatives. Since now, millions of people twitting all around the world, your photos and videos can get the attention of many people.
Regarding sales, Shutterstock gives contributors comprehensive records and statements concerning their work to help them to make changes and arrange their work most efficiently.
2. Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock is also quite a popular choice, especially for photographers or videographers who work hand in hand with Adobe Creative Cloud.
As you submit your content to be sold on Adobe Stock, it is potentially accessed by millions of customers without any intermediaries if they use applications such as Photoshop and Premiere Pro.
It has a competitive commission that ranges from 5% to 15%, and also it offers analytic data of the market to the contributors.
3. Getty Images
Getty Images is easily recognizable for its high-quality stock content; therefore, it is a reasonable place for photographers as well as videographers to present their best productions.
The approval process itself might be tighter, but to have a place in the Getty Images portfolio is capable of boosting your galleries and attracting wealthy customers.
Furthermore, it can license its images for exclusive use from its collection with the company’s images or other images from contributors.
4. Alamy
Some of the top features that make Alamy unique include: The commission system at Alamy is more reasonable; contributors receive up to 50% of the sale’s value.
With more than 200 million pictures and clips in its database, Alamy has become crucial to many customers, including publishers and advertisers.
There are a lot of things that make this platform unique: The simple upload feature and the liberal licensing structure have made the site popular with photographers and videographers from around the world.
5. iStock
iStock, a part of the world’s leading imagery platform specifically Getty Images provides very attractive and affordable stock images.
It is worth noting that there are exclusive and non-exclusive licenses which is helpful when determining which one is the most appropriate to take.
One interesting aspect of iStock is that it is a single-window access point for both amateur sportspeople and professionals across the globe.
6. Dreamstime
According to the officials of Dreamstime, the principle of work based on a community can be considered the key advantage of the platform, as it unites the contributors and the buyers.
Dreamstime boasts a stock of over 130,000,000 photos and videos, which means many opportunities for the contemporary shooter/maker.
Another noteworthy feature of the platform is the ability to divide commissions into tiers to provide more income and visibility to the most active contributors.
7. 123RF
The 123RF market specializes in stock photos and video with a large and versatile catalog according to specific sectors of activity.
Partnership at 123RF gives the contributor access to its worldwide clients with payment from as low as thirty percent royalty for each sale.
Easy navigation, organizational, and search tools help buyers quickly identify your content and negotiate licenses from the convenience of the site.
8. Depositphotos
There is a large number of happy customers using Depositphotos services for purchasing stock content, proving the availability of a large variety of high-quality stock photos. Depositphotos is open to anyone willing to contribute his photos and videos, which you can upload with your license prices.
The system for remuneration allows for a pay-per-download model, as well as the subscription service charge model that guarantees a sustainable income for the contributors.
9. Bigstock
While Shutterstock targets business image and video buyers of all sizes, Bigstock is Shutterstock’s more budget-friendly strain.
Thus, for submitting their graphic works to Bigstock, webmasters get access to its numerous customers and receive a certain percentage of the number of downloads made by clients after they purchase graphic works.
Zerys allows users to set reasonable commission rates and offers valuable insights about the buyer’s behavior and trends.
10. Pond5
Pond5 is an online marketplace for royalty-free video stock footage and other media content, including photos, music, and sound effects.
Yes, as a contributor, you can also submit your content to Pond5 for the company and decide on the amount that you require for licensing.
The integrated royalty system guarantees proper remuneration to these contributors thereby enhancing their ability to draw revenues from their creativity.
Therefore, the internet has changed the concept of purchasing and selling images, and photographers or cameramen/crew ladies can make good money today.
You can achieve far greater reach than self-hosting through major platforms such as Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, and Getty Images as well as earn much more as a contributor.
Therefore, stop waiting and unleash your full photographic potential today and start earning money on those ten sites for your portfolio!
FAQs
What is the earning potential when selling stock photos?
The actual earnings depend on how good the snaps that one takes are, how much the target market wants those snaps, the presence, kind, and method of pricing that one uses as well as the website used to sell the snaps.
There are various instances when photographers can significantly earn through stock images, while there are others that may merely amass a few dollars.
For a photographer to earn more, there is a need to capture high-quality images that suit the demands of the buyers, identify the preferred topics that are trending in the industry, and choose a suitable price and licensing terms.
Furthermore, the expansion of your portfolio and the promotion of your work on various websites and platforms could also present the capacity to earn more money.
The last tip is important to execute before entering the stock photo selling market because, although it can be a profitable business venture for photographers the possibility of earning a significant amount of money can take some time to come through.
Is it profitable to sell stock photos?
Stock photo sales can also be very lucrative to the photographers or content creators provided certain factors such as the quality of the photos, market demands that meet specific themes or subjects, and the website through which the photos will be sold are well considered.
This is the ease with which photographers get an opportunity to sell their images on a platform where the client base could be immense and also make quite an income out of it as a side business.
To pursue a three-pillar business model in the sale of stock photos, there is a need to develop high-quality images that have attractive features to the buying segment.
Other components that can also contribute to increased sales and revenues include the ability to track various trends in the market, the ability to define what is popular among the audience, and being ability to post more frequently.
Moreover, if you are using social networks and other platforms to distinguish yourself and your works, this will attract more customers and, therefore, give you a greater chance to earn on your stock images.
What type of photos sell best?
Some types of photos that may be highly saleable can include Hot trends, market trends, and targeted niches or audiences.
However, some general categories of photos that tend to perform well include:
1. Authentic Lifestyle Images: Photos that depict real-life scenes, expressions, and action as it is, rather than physically constructed portrayals.
2. High-Quality Travel and Adventure: Anticipated imagery of stunning and striking vistas, exotic native culture, and daring experiences intrigue the buyers based on status or echoes.
3. Conceptual and Creative Imagery: PPs that capture the essence of a concept, idea, or theme in the kind of way that is unique, inspiring, or provocative in terms of composition, lighting, and content.
4. Business and Technology: Those grossed for business, modern workplace, technology, and innovations are popular for marketing and corporate work.
5. Health and Wellness: Considering the appreciation of different aspects of human health, the photos on themes such as fitness, nutrition, meditation, and personal care are shared most often.
6. Nature and Wildlife: Annuals, calendars, articles, and other publications always include and feature great shots of nature, wildlife, and particularly environmental topics.
7. Family and Relationships: Real moments that are freed from boasting, posing, and staging where people reveal genuine emotions and interactions.
8. Diverse and Inclusive Representation: There has been a heightened awareness toward ethnicity, old age, gender, and lifestyle diversity in the recent past requesting more photo shoots.
9. Seasonal and Holiday Themes: Pictures that warm up with the quarantine period and cheerful moods, joyous holidays, different seasons, festivals, and celebrations.
On another note, you need to decide what type of photographs you are going to offer when you have identified your target market Since people are usually interested in a certain market niche, market trends, and own abilities and hobbies, it is sensible to choose those photos which are interesting from all these viewpoints.
It is always nice to have more options at hand, just in case, but it is also important to work mainly in some particular kinds of pictures where you know you are capable of doing great and where you could start creating a portfolio.
Which type of photography is most demanded?
In general, it can differ because of certain tendencies, necessary offers and demands at the necessary period, and other factors that can be oriented to different types of photography depending on the concrete industry and audience.
However, several types of photography consistently show strong demand:
1. Commercial Photography: This covers aspects such as product adverts, photographs for products or services, and business executives’ photos among other photos for business use. It is usual to find that enterprises need suitable images for advertising their goods and services.
2. Stock Photography: Stock images span across all topics and subjects and have become popular with companies, writers, graphic designers, and marketers seeking affordable and easily accessible images.
These are; lifestyle, travel, business, technology, health, and nature image url.
3. Portrait Photography: Everyone needs good portraits be it portraiture of an individual, a family, or business, or any other professional headshots there will always be a base demand.
This applies to shooting inside spacious studios and open fields as well as limited areas.
4. Event Photography: This is a professional service that is required on important occasions such as weddings, corporate events, conferences, concerts, and other events that must be photographed.
5. Real Estate Photography: In the light of increasing number of online listings that are presented on the Internet, one realizes that there is always a demand for professional photos that would present the property well.
6. Fine Art Photography: Portrait and art photography can be defined as the artistic and creative representations of photographs that are also considered products and can be sold as prints to use for home and commercial decor, galleries, exhibitions, and purposes of art collecting.
7. Travel Photography: With the current advancement in travel and tourism, there is always a need for proper travel imagery which will create an urge to travel and explore places to visit.
8. Nature and Wildlife Photography: This consists of capturing scenes from nature such as landscapes, animals, and photographs that depict environmental conservation, which is required by magazines, nongovernmental organizations, and environmental bodies respectively.
Finally, it is necessary to indicate that there can be distinctions in the demand for different types of photographs per the level of economic development, specific features of cultural values, etc, as well as tendencies connected with the use of new technologies.
Being able to curb new trends and be more capable of acquiring different skills may enable one to grasp the new demands in the market for photography.
Can you sell photos to Canva?
Yes, Canva offers the service of selling pictures on its marketplace known as Canva Pro Photos.
Photos and Graphics on Canva is a site where photographers can upload their photos for business purposes and Canva users, graphic designers, marketers, social media persons, students, etc. can buy these images for use in different projects.
Here’s a guide on how to market your pictures on Canva.
1. Sign Up: It should be noted that to use the majority of features on Canva, you have to register, if you are not a member yet. It can be done via their website or the application they have on their Smartphone or tablet.
2. Upload Your Photos: Once you are logged in, you can contribute to the Canva Pro Photos, so that your pictures are included.
Ensure that the images you have used in the Canva design match up to the quality that this company requires and the guidelines provided for submission.
3. Set Pricing and Licensing: You are also free to determine your prices for the particular photos, and you select the licenses (e.g., royalty-free and rights-managed) you wish to use in selling the photos.
4. Publication and Sales: Once Canva moderators check your photos and provide you with permission to use them within the platform, users of Canva will be able to purchase them.
There is also the option in which you get a payment for every photo that is licensed for use.
5. Monitor Sales and Payments: Canva has features that would enable users to do follow-up and keep track of their sales and income.
There are so many approaches that may be used in settling remunerations for photographers and depending on the agreement reached with the latter, these are paid at different intervals.
When it comes to selling photos, it would be wise to target individuals who may purchase photos mostly, they include designers and business entities who always use stock images.
Every vendor should be aware of the license agreements and other factors affecting the sales prices.
Does Google Photos pay?
As for Google Photos, the service itself does not provide users with any options to get paid for uploading or storing photos.
It is mainly an online backup service and synchronization by Google for personal belongings such as photos and videos.
Google Photos allows users to back up their photos and videos, and this is free of charge until a specific amount of storage space is reached (as of June 2024, users initially get 15GB of storage for free in Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos).
However, Google does not pay users for using Google Photos or for storing the photos they capture and upload.
It is mainly for the management of personal photos and videos for storage and sharing rather than for trading in photos or seeking to earn from them.
Should you be planning on making money from photos, the primary place you would have to look at is the usual places to sell stock photography which includes Adobe Stock, Shutterstock, Getty Images, or any one of the specialized photography marketplaces.
Such sites enable photographers to submit their images for sale, and they also offer a market for potential buyers to gain access to the licenses required to use these photographs.
What is the latest trend in photography?
As of 2024, several trends have been shaping the photography industry:
1. Authenticity and Realism: It is crucial to note that the authenticity seen in today’s society does not seek to trigger, mock, or belittle; instead, it is a reaction to the desire of people to share raw and relatable emotions.
This is particularly true with the notion that candid rather than contrived or artificially posed picture is preferred in photography.
2. Sustainability and Eco-consciousness: It is possible to state that the majority of photographers are paying much attention to environmental and conservation issues, CO2 emissions, as well as trying to follow the sustainable approach and using eco-friendly methods during the shooting.
3. Drone Photography: This has given new creation prospects and viewpoints- real views that were not achievable due to limitations in the movement of the photographers.
They have remained fashionable up to the present, particularly in the field scenery, estate, and travel photography.
4. Mobile Photography: Thanks to the evolution in the quality of the cameras of smartphones, mobile photography is slowly gaining ground.
Mobile systems used for editing and sharing photos without having to transfer them to other devices are also coming into the market.
5. Inclusivity and Diversity: In particular, the emphasis is made on shooting and depicting various cultures, ethnicities, body types, and sexes.
Finally, more diverse and representative imagery to give a broader extent of society is also becoming more valuable.
6. AI and Computational Photography: Automated technology and the post-production techniques that result from it are also playing a role in photographic imagery.
AI experiments like HDR, portrait mode, and night mode are a few examples of the enhancements made.
7. Virtual and Augmented Reality Photography: With the evolution of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), photographers are stepping forward to adopt several techniques like creating 360 images or photos of virtual tours, and augmented reality images.
8. Documentary and Photojournalism: The influence of photojournalism and the documentary approach remains significant; it is especially typical for documentary photography that is dedicated to social problems, cultures, and events.
9. Nostalgic and Retro Styles: Vintage and retro human, old film photography, analog image processing, and retro filters are back in demand, which makes those users happy, who like the natural, somewhat old-fashioned look.
They show that the future of photography is not stagnant and does not conform to a single image or style, but is ever-changing and ever-growing due to the technology, culture, and consumers.
Photographers who monitor these potentials and insights have better chances of tailoring their work to the current global market standards.
Does photography have a future?
Photography cannot be said to be in a phase of discouragement as it still has an impressive number of fanatics. Here are several reasons why:
1. Technological Advancements: Ongoing improvements in the sensors employed in the cameras, the lenses, and other image processing facets are some of the ever-evolving areas that enhance the abilities of the photographers.
This helps come up with new creative solutions and in the improvement of image quality.
2. Accessibility. This is so because today’s advanced Smartphones though include very decent cameras while the editing applications for photos are also remarkably easy to use.
What consequence does this democratization have on the activity of photography?
It implies that the medium is accessible to all and that anyone can participate in creating artwork.
3. Social Media and Digital Platforms: Instagram, Pinterest, and Flickr are examples of social media that have acted as major outlets photographers for trying to make their work more popular and accessible to a larger market.
Such exposure can result in partnerships, sales, or even the ability to display and sell artwork and other creations.
4. Diverse Applications: Photography is essential in career fields like advertising, news reporting, fashion, tourism, and art to name a few it relates to different areas of life including but not limited to narration, product promotion, historical records, and self-actualization globally.
5. Specialization and Niche Markets: With the advancement in technology, then there emerges small segment markets and sub-categories like aerial photography, virtual reality photography, and microstock photography.
These sectors present the areas of focus that photographers can opt to expand on and work in to make specialized niches.
6. Artistic Expression and Innovation: Still, today and in the future, photography remains not only a form of art where photographers keep on trying out different things and coming up with new perspectives, and ideas.
Fareart photography, conceptual photography, and experimental/heretical photography are popular and evolving, breaking new ground.
7. Professional Opportunities: Nevertheless, there are still many people for whom the instinctive photo amateur and the user photo hobbyist are not enough, and there is still a demand for knowledgeable specialists able to produce technically perfect and beautiful photographs for businesses, newspapers, and magazines, and various corporations and organizations.
Photojournalists make better shots and possess ingenuity as well as a professional manner that may not come with amateur photographers.
8. Cultural and Historical Documentation: Information and knowledge are some of the most important elements in history, culture, and society, and photography plays a vital role in capturing all these.
They freeze a specific period in time, document events, and are a chronological record of events, or simply put, the keepers of stories.
Will AI replace photographers?
While it is true that some random elements of photography can be addressed by AI and thus improve the performance of photographers or even replace them partially, artificial intelligence has a long way to go before it fully replaces photographers.
Here are several reasons why:
1. Creative Vision and Artistry: Therefore, photography is not a mere science of capturing images or keenly applying varying notions of camera angle and subject distance; it is the craft that deregulates the emotions of an artist and relays them visually.
To be precise, AI can suggest something such as enhancing an image or even composition, or even informing about what may go well together, but there is one thing that AI simply does not possess – intuition and a subjective perception that are so necessary for art.
2. Subjectivity and Context: It means that the decisions made by the photographer are based on their value judgments concerning the context, the subjectivity, and the implications of the scene in front of them or the subject they are working on.
Thus, AI can fail to grasp cultural references, emotions, fertile human relationships, or other factors that define the context of a picture.
3. Adaptability and Problem-Solving: Models and photographers can at times find themselves in unfamiliar territories that may come with their share of troubles.
A professional is required to perform problem-solving and make creative decisions in their work, which is a function of experience, memory, and gut feel- all aspects that AI has not been able to capture completely.
4. Personal Connection and Collaboration: Lack of interpersonal communication skills is another factor that may hinder photography since photography at times requires the photographer to engage in business dealings, interact with people, or even work with some individuals.
The interpersonal aspect together with an understanding and meeting of individual needs and contexts as well as the desire requirements of the clients entails the use of human interactions, which AI has not got.
5. Artisanal and Fine Art Photography: Professions enlightening creativity and uniqueness like art and even professional photography, which include high levels of artisanship, are less prone to being taken over by AI.
These genres may need the emotional as well as philosophical involvement of photography to achieve such success.
6. Ethical and Legal Considerations: AI presents some ethical issues into consideration such as privacy and consent, authorization, or ownership of images.
Thus, these problems are not always clear, and decision-making and moral reasoning which are central to society involve aspects that AI was designed to, but might not handle as well.
As long as AI remains an evolving technology and, although it supports photographers in tasks associated with image manipulation, selection, or even the generation of the first layouts, the creative, instinctive, communicative, esthetic, and social dimensions of the photographic message are likely to remain beyond the agency of the machine and the preserve of the photographer.
Thus, more probably, AI and photographers will work together in the future to facilitate the improvement of the creation processes as a complete Creative Photography Reply tool rather than a complete elimination of the aesthetic sense from photography.
Can I sell my AI-generated photos?
Yes, you can sell AI-generated photos, but there are important considerations and limitations to be aware of:
1. Ownership and Rights: Similar to text generation, there are legal issues and if you use AI for photo generation you have to ensure you have the right to sell the photos.
This often entails the terms and conditions governing the AI tools or models used in your work and projects.
Also, some AI tools will retain copyright to the created content, so the T& Cs need to be read well.
2. Quality and Originality: AI is capable of producing good and high-quality pictures but the quality and distinctiveness of the images may not always be the same.
The common search criteria according to the buyers are: This refers to the specialized images the buyers are interested in.
It is crucial to make sure that all photographs which are created by the AI are unique and meet market requirements for increased sales.
3. Market Acceptance: The use of AI in photography is relatively new, and this means that the market of such images is not yet fully developed and may have a completely different set of prerequisites.
The market and its consumers, the platforms with which to sell, and the prices of content created with the help of artificial intelligence should also be researched and understood by the business.
4. Ethical Considerations: There are ethical issues about using AI to generate photos and therefore, it is right to be honest about the use of AI to create fake captions.
There could be reasons why buyers may choose to use pictures taken by human photographers since they may get credit for being real, creative, or even building a connection.
5. Legal and Regulatory Issues: Based on your jurisdiction and the purpose of the photos, there may be legal issues arising from copyrights, the right to privacy, and data protection legislation.
Based on these findings, it is recommended that someone with questions about these matters seek legal advice.
Finally, it is feasible to sell AI-generated photos but they should be done with concerns about legal rights and quality of generated photos, preferences for selling the generated photos, and ethical considerations.
With the growth of AI technology and with the integration of creative processes involving AI technology in the actual process of content creation, the possibilities or the nature of how exactly and on how AI-generated content will be sold may change in the future.