Stock
Most casual photographers buy a camera so they can capture memories, not because they plan to make millions of dollars selling coffee table books and calendars. Many simply wish to take snapshots of a vacation or document their child’s first baseball game. However, regardless of the reason for buying a camera, we all leave the
serious photography to the professionals, right? Photography is a highly technical and competitive industry. It is difficult to get started and buy all the necessary equipment to become a true pro. Sports photographers might pay $7000 or more for a single lens; talk about prohibitive!
Photographing sports on a professional level requires hair trigger timing and focus, seasons' worth of practice, and it can be exceedingly difficult to penetrate the industry. Likewise, other types of photography (wedding, portrait, fine art, studio, etc.) might not be a great fit for everyone - and who is born with the knowledge on how to manage pre- and post-production printing, publishing, shipping, websites, and run art fair booths? Not to mention the time it takes to develop a strong, diverse portfolio. Yes, indeed, new photographers face a considerable learning curve when trying to start a business, a proposition that is often compounded by stiff competition!
OK, take a deep breath.
I’m not here to discuss any of the above. (There are several
books available for those of you who want to go that route.) While I do have some experience behind the lens, there is a sizable difference between enjoying supplemental income from photography and making a living (and eventually, a lifestyle) behind the camera. Be that as it may, there is a way that even casual hobbyists can make a couple bucks without jumping into the small business world. Go no further than online Stock Photography.
Stock agencies typically sell your photos to graphic designers. Pretend you are a business owner looking to do a magazine ad with a photo of a palm tree on a beach. You have several options. You could dig through your vacation album to Hawaii in hopes of finding something that will work. Or maybe you could send an employee to go take the photo for you. Too bad you’re based in Iowa. A plane ticket could run you several hundred dollars. Hiring a professional photographer to take the image also seems pretty costly.
The answer to this dilemma is to buy the image from a stock agency. You can purchase one single file (with many different types of licenses) or a monthly subscription that allows you to download a set number of images per day/month. Spending $50 for an extended license on the perfect photo might not seem like a bad idea now!
Of course, for such demand, there must be a supply. That’s where you come in. There are many stock websites to which you can upload your photos and earn commissions. The best thing is, once a photo is accepted, it remains online and brings in money each time it is downloaded - it’s like free money! Now your photos can finally start paying off that expensive equipment!
One thing that often turns photographers off to posting their images as online stock is the prospect of selling a photo for $0.25. Honestly, if your work is gallery quality, you should try selling prints. However, for many of us, hundreds of potential stock images are gathering electronic dust in our computers. I'm sure a $20 commission would help them feel useful and appreciated!
Selling stock may seem easy at first but it does require a decent degree of skill. Stock agencies have a certain level of quality they must maintain. Photos that are improperly exposed, not focused sharply, framed poorly, or are of a subject that will not sell or is already well covered, will not be accepted. Photos with distracting noise or artifacts will also be declined (though sometimes noise/blur is desired).
So how can you figure out if your photos are good enough for stock? First, check out the popular images at each stock site. The message boards and discussion forums are also good places to ask for tips, advice, and critique. You may notice a lot of popular images have people in them. You will need any model (even it if is yourself or your spouse or children) to sign a model release with an additional witness. General model release templates are found easily online and can be fine tuned to suit your specific needs.
If you're interested in product photography, you may want to look into building your own
lightbox. It's great for achieving seamless backgrounds.
Onto the stock websites!
Every stock website is different, but they do share many similarities. They require you to upload photos (through a browser or FTP if you want), provide an image Title, Description, and tag the image with applicable Keywords (
important!!!). I use a program that embeds keywords into my images that are automatically detected by the website. It saves a lot of time when submitting to multiple sites. Check it out:
XnView. You'll want to keyword your images correctly so they show up in searches.
All images are reviewed by real people (though not all reviewers are equal) before they are authorized for online sale.
Here are the stock websites I use:
iStockphoto is a well known site with plenty of subscribers. They require you to 'apply' by submitting three sample photographs (they also accept vector illustrations, video clips, and sound clips) along with a scan of your ID (which they require to authorize payments). A major downside to iStockphoto is the upload limit (15 images/week) and the long wait times for image approval. I suppose this is done in an effort to encourage photographers to submit only their best images.
Dreamstime is another large stock site. Like iStockphoto, there is also a limit on the number of uploads you may make - up to 100 per day or less, depending on your approval rating. Waiting times for approval can be very long, but they are usually quicker than iStockphoto. Dreamstime is a bit more forgiving on images than agencies like iStockphoto and Shutterstock.
BigStockPhoto is another great site. I actually have the most images accepted with them.
I haven't worked with Fotolia very much. They hold images to extremely stringent guidelines and (I have heard) can be a royal pain to work with. If you're feeling adventurous, give it a shot!
Shutterstock is another agency with an application process and they are pretty stringent. They require an ID (I simply used a credit card for them to verify my identity) and 10 photos for review. If they accept 7 out of 10, then congratulations, you are in! If you don't pass, you have to wait 30 days before you can apply again. Choose your photos wisely...
There are many other online stock agencies but these are the ones with which I have the most experience. If you have any questions about stock photography that have not been covered here, feel free to
contact me.
