Let me tell you a little bit about myself
I am Catherine and have been taking photographs for a while now. Actually, I have been fortunate enough to travelled a fair bit and live in several countries - mostly because of work. And made sure I always take photos of different subjects - cover as many as I can.
So how do you make money from your photographs?
Let's start simple - go through your photos and select the best 30 photos you believe a good friend would like to purchase. Then thin it down further to the best 15 photos covering a range of subjects. I cover subject like animals, architecture, food, landmarks, backgrounds and editorial (famous icon, person or event). The sky is literally the limit.
Most (if not all) digital photos needs to be edited with software (from Picasa to professional software like Adobe Lightroom), doing the basics like removing spots marks on the image. Make sure it is not over expose and keep at least 80% of the original image the same. Remember - you can't make a bad image perfect.
After editing your photos, upload them to sites (more later). Keep a record of which site you have uploaded the image to and record the basics (accepted, if sold, for how much, how many times). I even keep a record of the reference number assigned to the image (for example the filename or site number given).
And how do I get started selling my images?
There are many places you can use to sell your images, from micro stock / image libraries, to photography websites, even your own site, and if you believe you are really gifted, why not approach a local gallery.
What is a micro stock / image library? Well, here are some of the sites I have been using for over 5 years. Sometimes I even buy images here for my own website.
Sites accepting only exceptional (quality and subject) images:
Site accepting high quality images:
- Depositphotos
- GL Stock Images (FAIR-TRADE)
- Bigstock
- 123RF
- Pond5
- 500PX
- Canstockphotos
Lastly, sites accepting most decent quality images (good for beginners):
All these sites require you to join and open an account with no need to pay anything - only if you want to buy. But there is always a catch (or option) - a non exclusive contributor allows you to distribute your images to more sites, but at lower costs. Each site is designed differently, targeting a different audience - only experience will show which one fits your style the best.
How much can I expect to start earning?
You will typically get between 30% to 40% of the sales price while the site will take the rest managing the images, sales and clients. You get payed a royalty that is often paid out into a Paypal or bank account.
There are others more profitable sites that I have joined that pay out more than the library sites, so in the comment please leave me a message if interested. So get involve, dust off those old beautiful travel photographs and make some money from them. I promise that eventually the cash will start to trickle in if you persevere at it and improve your photographic skills and style.
Looking forward to your responses and comments below. Or check out my Vividrange photography site.
Don't forget to up vote my post so more people can learn and get involve by learning from our experiences.