Stock Photography Update

So I've been talking with a few friends again recently about stock photography, and have been asked a few questions about good sites, so here are the two top sites that I recommend to you and a few differences:

iStockPhoto

Firstly, iStockPhoto is more widely known by buyers and designers, so that is always a bonus. It is harder on iStockPhoto than on other sites to get your images accepted because they are tighter on quality, however the payouts per download are higher. Instead of about 25c per download, you get anywhere from 50c to $5, depending on file sizes and so forth.

Also, because of the setup where people pay per photo instead of on a subscription, less people will buy average images, but if you have a fantastic image then you will make a lot from it.


Shutterstock

Shutterstock has a payout of 25c per download, which becomes 30c after you have made $500. They are still very tight on quality, but once you understand their expectations it is easy to have all your images accepted without dramas, and they accept a lot more images than iStockPhoto. Because it is set up as a subscription, people often just want to fill up their download quota and so will often download images more, which means that even your not-so-brilliant images have a good chance. So the less cash for each downoad evens out because you generally get more downloads.


In comparison, I would recommend both these sites above any others that I have tried (which is almost all of them), but I think it is personal preference as to which one you use.

Since I have been using them, I have made double the money on Shutterstock, because iStockPhoto has only accepted 10 of my photos, while Shutterstock has accepted over 200. However, now that my skills are improving in photography and design, I am finding more images are accepted on both, and so iStockPhoto is starting to make more money for me.


And if all else fails... refer other people to the sites. Because even though it doesn't affect their money at all, you will get bonus for referring them too!

So definetly check out those two sites by clicking on the above links if you like photography or design and want to earn some extra cash!

Random question time!

I've decided that I want to hear more about what you guys think, so every now and then I will throw in a random question that you can answer or leave comments on! I'd love to get some feedback!

So todays random (and yet not so random) question is....

WHICH STOCK PHOTO SITE DO YOU PREFER TO USE TO SELL YOUR PHOTOS OR VIDEOS, AND WHY?

Tips to make money online with stock photo sites

Stock photos have always been recognised as a great way to make some extra cash online from your photos or illustrations. Here are some tips to using stock photo sites, and some links to the ones I would recommend.

After doing some research, I decided to subscribe to the top recommended sites (list of sites below):


STOCK SITES:

Shutterstock - MY FAVOURITE! GREAT SITE!!!!
i Stock Photo - GREAT SITE!!!!
Big Stock Photo
Can stock photo
Dreamstime
Feature Pics

NOTE: there are a few other sites that I would recommend NOT listed here... check back for updates, because silly me can't find the list of links I have!! :O


I have been on Shutterstock for the longest, and have found it to be extremely user friendly and a great source of income. Once you pass the initial review process, it is easy to upload your images and the review process is very quick. Also, because buyers pay a monthly subscription rather than pay-per-photo, it means that they are more likely to buy photos to fill their quota, which is great for beginner photographers who often struggle to create that top-rated image.

i Stock Photo is also very good, although it follows a different subscription system to Shutterstock. It is a pay-per-photo site, so you wont get as many downloads as Shutterstock, but you will probably get more per photo.

I have more recently signed up to the other sites mentioned above, and find that some of them are a bit slower or not as user friendly, but they are still all worthwhile because you can still make a small income from photos.


EXLUSIVE OR NON-EXCLUSIVE SALES?

Deciding between exclusive or non-exclusive sales really depends on how you like to sell your images.

Each stock photo site offers photographers the opportunity to go exclusive, meaning you can only sell your photos on one site. This means that royalty rates and the amount you get for each image downloaded is higher, which is a good option if you don't have time to submit your photos to ten different sites.

However, if you have time to submit to multiple sites, the overall downloads and income of a single image on all the sites will most likely be higher than the exclusive sales on one site. Especially if you submit to sites like Shutterstock and iStock Photo, double the sites can mean double the sales, plus non-exclusive sales also gives you the right to sell the images yourself by any other means, so if you have a friend that wants to use your image without signing up to a site, you can make a private arrangement with them without worrying about the exclusivity on the sites.


MAKING MONEY THROUGH REFERRALS:

This is the part I love.... almost all of these sites offer referral bonuses, so by using a link provided to you by the site, you can refer your friends to the stock photo sites and make money from THEIR images too, without disadvantaging them in any way.

Take Shutterstock's referall program as an example:

If I get 20 downloads a day on my images, at 25c US per download (which, by the way, goes up to 30c once you pass the $500US dollar mark!!!), then you make $5 a day off your own images. It doesn't seem like much, but you already dont have to do anything to your photos once they are online.
$5 a day = approx $150 a month - going good so far


FOR EVERY PHOTOGRAPHER YOU REFER....

You get 3c per download for every referred photographer. So lets assume they also get 20 downloads a day.... thats 60c extra a day, which is approx $18 a month. Not much, but that is from THEIR photos, not yours, so you can't complain! Plus, they still get the 25c per download, so it doesn't disadvantage them in any way.

Taking all into consideration, imagine if you could just refer 10 people- that could make you approx $180 a month off other people's photos!

Sounds good to me!!!


You can also refer photo buyers, where you will get a commission on their purchases, usually from 5%-30%, depending on the site. Pretty good deal!



TOP TEN TIPS:

1. Subscribe to the top stock sites (listed above)
2. Refer all your friends and other photographers
3. Practice your photo skills... Better photos sell much more!
4. Spend the time to make good keywords- it makes it easier for people to find your image
5. Decide which is better for your needs- exclusive or non-exclusive
6. Have links to your gallery on other sites or your blog
7. Submit photos regularly to keep a good flow of income
8. Get advice from other photographers in the forum
9. Use FTP or uploading software to make submissions quicker :)
10. Bookmark all your sites so you don't get lost! (It has happened!)

Pro stock Master - handy program to upload stock photos to all sites at once!

if you have signed up to any or all of the stock photo sites listed on this blog, you will probably find that even though they are great, it can be very time consuming to upload your photos to every site.

well i just recently stumbled over a very handy program, called Pro Stock Master , that helps you to sort all your stock images and will send them off for you.

I actually tried setting up my own photo database at first, but while it was useful to keep track of photos and what sites they were submitted on, it didnt really speed up the actual process.

in this program, you can add keywords and everything, but by listing the sites you have registered for, you can also get it to submit your photos for you, and to multiple sites at once.

it also keeps track of your sale statistics, which i found great because there isn't really any other way to check them all at once except for visiting each site separately. On a single page, it lists your monthly earnings for each site, as well as other useful details.

its a freeware program (yay! bonus!) and you can upgrade it later if you want. the only limitation to the freeware version is that it has a limited number of uploads per day, otherwise its great.

it is compatible with both PC and Mac, which is great because I have just converted to Mac myself... so check it out:

Pro Stock Master

stock video - is it worth submissions?

I've been signed up to stock photo and video sites for a while, but have never tried submitting footage yet.
I never really thought about it, until recently, when I discovered that two big advertising agencies that I have contacts in use i Stock Video for video resources... and it got me thinking that maybe it is more popular than I realised.

The problem with footage sales compared to photo sales on sites like i Stock Video and Shutterstock is that subscribers have to pay a lot more for videos, which makes sense, but also means that footage has to be pretty good to get sales.

However, with the amount of video that is used by people in advertising or creating video products that use multiple backgrounds in their work, it looks like stock videos are worth the submittion.

I haven't yet tried, but from what I've seen, anyone who can create interesting or abstract moving backgrounds should give it a go. Things like moving or animated fractals or lines seem popular, probably because not many people have the time or knowledge to make them themselves.

Anyway, if you are interested, check out i Stock Video or Shutterstock footage

another great stock photo site

Big Stock Photo:

Stock Photos, Search and Download Now!

Just another great site to check out...

Buy stock photos online

Stock photo sites are an easy way to purchase royalty free images.

Shutterstock is one of the top websites that sell stock, and they have a very high standard of photo quality. Download unlimited stock photos here!

Shutterstock Stock Photo Keyword Search:

Search Terms: Match AllMatch Any

Another great site where you can download stock images is iStockPhoto:

SHUTTERSTOCK- MAKE MONEY FROM PHOTOS AND DESIGNS!

Shutterstock is a great non-exclusive royalty free stock images website, where you can submit your images as a designer or photographer, and you get paid per download.

If you are interested, you can visit the site at the following link:

Submit Photos to Shutterstock and make $$$!

I have my own gallery on shutterstock, and have found it to be a great way to earn some extra cash and get your work noticed. You get 25 US cents per download, which doesn't seem like much, but it quickly adds up when you have multiple images!

Check out My Gallery Here