Selling stock photos can be an excellent source of passive income, as well as a full-time job for those willing to put in the effort. There is a learning curve, and developing photographic skills requires patience and persistence. Plan to spend a lot of time photographing a wide variety of subjects to build a large portfolio.
How Can You Become A Stock Photographer
The first thing you need to accomplish is the honing of your photography skills. Images need to be properly composed to pass the acceptance test of stock photography companies. Using Photoshop Actions in post-processing can raise the quality and sale potential of your images. Add light, clarify, enhance color, and create striking black and white images. As you learn how to use Photoshop actions, you’ll discover dozens of ways to enhance and improve your photographs.
Who Buys Stock Photos?
There are numerous buyers of stock photography, including magazines, newspapers, advertising agencies, printers, calendar companies, web site developers, and catalog businesses. Age FotoStock explains that many of these companies have both print and online versions, and need a variety of photography styles.
Advertising agencies and product marketing companies look for engaging images that provide space for text. Travel magazines purchase photos to entice readers to visit places all over the world, and their advertisers are also potential consumers of stock photography. Food and cooking magazines are interested in colorful food photographs. Calendar and post card companies look for all types of images, including specific animals (domestic and wild), scenics, florals, vintage cars, sport themes, and even insects.
What Kind Of Photos Sell?
There is an outlet for almost any type of photographic content, but some photographs sell more often than others. Many photographers choose a niche and develop skills in that area. Wildlife, food, action, travel, floral, people, and street photography are just some of the popular areas in stock photography. If you choose to include people in your images, you must obtain a model release to have them accepted by a stock company. Abstract photographs are gaining popularity among advertising agencies because they don’t distract from the product’s message. Health-related images are also very popular
Microstock Or Stock?
The main difference between the two types of stock photography is the pricing. Top stock photography companies charge high fees for the very best quality images in the most popular topics, and pay the highest fees to the photographer. Their customers are among the best known magazines and newspapers.
According to Techopedia, microstock photography involves selling your images, royalty free, for a small fee. Money is made by selling the images numerous times. You can sell your work on both types of sites to build a passive source of income. A quick online search of both types of stock companies will provide you with their requirements and their payment options. Choose the company you want to work with and start uploading and selling your images. You can earn money selling your photography to stock and microstock companies. Do the research, hone your skills, learn Photoshop, and start selling.