How to sell photos online?

[zeunice]

Hi guys, I was looking for a thread here in clubsnap for the above but can't find it.
How you sell photos online?
I read from other sites like below link.

http://www.freeimages.co.uk/editorial/sellimages.htm

I got a lot of pics saved on my hdd since i start photography last 2009.
I want to make used of it and for my future pics to be taken.
Hope you can give inputs.

 

[Rashkae]

Hi guys, I was looking for a thread here in clubsnap for the above but can't find it.
How you sell photos online?
I read from other sites like below link.

http://www.freeimages.co.uk/editorial/sellimages.htm

I got a lot of pics saved on my hdd since i start photography last 2009.
I want to make used of it and for my future pics to be taken.
Hope you can give inputs.

You say you can't find?? Did you even try to do a search for "stock photography"? Did you even see the entire section called "The Photo Biz"???

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/forums/95-The-Photo-Biz

 

[niceboyatsg]

Wow that's a good idea. Same here. Want to sell my photos not only in sg but whole world. Lol.
Will do some reading at photo biz as well.

 

[catchlights]

not sure what images you have now, but selling photos thru stock agencies is totally different ball game. if you thinking of making some quick money with the photos lying inside your HD, I'm afraid that you are too optimistic, you need to have a sizable portfolio unless each images you have is top seller, you probably will see your first earning of $50 one year after you start uploading.

other than the photos need to be free from technical flaws, (correct exposure, sharp focus, noiseless, no CA, not too over processed etc) the photos also need to be stock image orientated, they will reject images which they think have little commercial value.

any human subject with recognizable feature in the photos will need model release, any identifiable buildings in the photos need property release. and photos has to be free from any logo, trademarks, brand names (you need to remove them digitally)

tho many agencies are accepting editorial images (no model release or property release needed), but it does not mean you can send in anything, and also it may not really sell well compare to photos with releases, largely depends on the subjects.

there are few stock shooters in CS, but usually keep very low profile, busying shooting and submit new contents to agencies.

 

[weird]

I remember coming across some sites where u upload the pictures and if ppl want to buy they will contact u. but I can't remember the url liao.

 

[Doctor Inferno]

Your images have to be technically perfect or close to perfect for it to be accepted. That includes no noise, no chromatic aberration etc. There's 123rf, shutterstock, dreamstime, istockphoto etc. istockphoto has one of the strictest approval standards for stock photo submission.

Not sure out of how many of your "a lot of pics saved on my hdd since i start photography last 2009" includes really good photos, but the way you put it sounds like you want to sell every other photo you shot.

For a start, you can try dreamstime, the go easier on approval and the standard is not as high as istock.

 

[brapodam]

As catchlights mentioned, your photos will need to have commercial value. Your photos will need to be used by other people - so they must be useful to them. Random shots of stuff around you, no matter how technically perfect and well executed, will not be accepted if the stock agency thinks nobody will use it.

 

[catchlights]

Go to all the sites, see what kind of the photos are selling best, and check out the photos similar to what you have now, do you think worth the effort of uploading them? if not, can you shoot what people are shooting now?

If you plan to submit your photos to all the sites, I suggest you get into istock first, the reason is istock has the strictest standard among all, so if your photos able to get accepted by istock, very unlikely to have any issue with other sites. but be warned, istock need you to send same sample photos and passed a quiz before accepting you, once you able to upload photos, each photos will subject to approval, btw, if you image rejected rate is too high, you may get kick out by some of the agency.

and before you sign the contracts with any agancies, you need to read the agreement very carefully, the minimum payout is US$50, if you quit halfway, you may loss all the earning, and dreamstime need you to list your photos with them for six months, so you get pinned down six month before you able to quit. if you inactive for two years, some sites may just remove you.

so if you still thinking of making some quick money from selling stock photos? to be honest, very unlikely to happen if you are a newbie.

 

[NedKelly]

hehee looks like most people jumped into conclusion that OP is thinking of selling stock or micro stock photos. if that is the case then yes stock photo sites are the place to go.

However OP might be interested in selling his photos as personal art pieces.

Redbubble is one but once again volume of traffic may not be very high.
good thing is they have facilities to handle print, mount and sending for a commision of course.
And you will have to actively promote your own craft

or if you are adept in setting up websites, you probably can set up your own or pay for an account such as those on smugmug where they supply you with tools to create accounts so that people can order and pay for your photos. I think they also have facilities similar to redbubble but cannot confirm as I havnt used them before.

 

[catchlights]

hehee looks like most people jumped into conclusion that OP is thinking of selling stock or micro stock photos. if that is the case then yes stock photo sites are the place to go.

However OP might be interested in selling his photos as personal art pieces.

Redbubble is one but once again volume of traffic may not be very high.
good thing is they have facilities to handle print, mount and sending for a commision of course.
And you will have to actively promote your own craft

or if you are adept in setting up websites, you probably can set up your own or pay for an account such as those on smugmug where they supply you with tools to create accounts so that people can order and pay for your photos. I think they also have facilities similar to redbubble but cannot confirm as I havnt used them before.

Did you click the link in TS's post and read it? btw scenic photos are not the best seller.

 

[gnohz]

Scenics can easily be one of the most difficult areas to sell, unless we have good contacts and relationships with established stock libraries, publishers, collectors etc

 

[JacePhoto]

Catchlights has a good reply/ summary to the TS question...

 

[NedKelly]

Did you click the link in TS's post and read it? btw scenic photos are not the best seller.

O
my bad missed that.

 

[Sion]

Hi guys, I was looking for a thread here in clubsnap for the above but can't find it.
How you sell photos online?
I read from other sites like below link.

http://www.freeimages.co.uk/editorial/sellimages.htm

I got a lot of pics saved on my hdd since i start photography last 2009.
I want to make used of it and for my future pics to be taken.
Hope you can give inputs.

If you are interested in making some money out of stock photographty, start from today to do the necessary research and then shoot for what you've found out.

This is better than trying to sell what you have in your HD which may be the results of what an amateur suka suka shoots in his weekends.

What sells may not be the nice photos we amateurs always believe in.

Wishing you all the best.

 

[catchlights]

If you are interested in making some money out of stock photographty, start from today to do the necessary research and then shoot for what you've found out.

This is better than trying to sell what you have in your HD which may be the results of what an amateur suka suka shoots in his weekends.

What sells may not be the nice photos we amateurs always believe in.

Wishing you all the best.

Couldn't agree more with your suggestion of start shooting stock orientated images.

happen to read this post from istock forum, in reply to a new comer saying of no sales of his images..

Istockphoto is not a site to showcase lovely photographs.Designers use this site to BUY content.Produce content that is useful and the sales will start to flow.Competition is fierce which makes it all the more rewarding when you sell a photograph that you have produced.