Sell pictures and photos online – which platforms are worth it?
For years I have been photographing with heart and soul, but at best I show the photos in our travel blogs. Why not search through my own photo archive and offer pictures for sale on various online portals? The registration is free of charge and with a little luck we generate some income. Definitely better than to let the pictures “rot” isolated on the network storage.
I have worked several times with the big Stockphoto portals, but as a buyer of media for use in brochures or on websites. So I knew the big names in the industry.
Over the years, my network storage has accumulated hundreds of photos that could be sold well. With the setup of my home photo studio, I was now also able to do studio photography and thus produce photographs, which were ideal for selling on these online sales platforms. Why not offer these photos for sale?
On a boring Sunday morning I started my registration in the photo portals “Adobe Stock” and “Shutterstock” and uploaded my first pictures.
After uploading the pictures, in both portals you need to provide them with a title, one or more categories and keywords. Keywords are automatically suggested for the uploaded pictures, which a system in the background suggests to match the motif. This is very practical, saves a lot of time and provides good keyword ideas. I simply use both systems for keyword creation, combine the automatic suggestions and my own keywords into a common list and then insert them on both platforms.
For motifs that show clearly identifiable people, appropriate model contracts, also called model releases, must be uploaded before the images can be submitted.
The same applies to motifs that represent property that can be perfectly identified, such as houses, for example.
After submitting the images, it takes 2 to 3 days, depending on the portal, until the submitted images have been checked and are ready for sale.
Shutterstock
Update September 2020: I sell most of my pictures here, but the revenues are a joke with the latest license sales model. At Adobe Stock I earn much more money with less sold images. Meanwhile I don’t even bother to submit my pictures to Shutterstock anymore. The review process of the submitted images is in my eyes often arbitrary and extremely intransparent. Save yourself the time and register directly with Adobe Stock, I’d guess you have ten times more revenue.
The registration takes about 10 minutes, the upload of the pictures is ergonomic and intuitive. Keywords are automatically suggested for the uploaded pictures, which a system in the background suggests according to the motif. This is very practical, but doesn’t work as well as Adobe Stock. I simply use both systems for keyword creation, combine the suggestions and my own keywords into a common list and then add them to both platforms.
Your earnings will be paid out directly to your PayPal, Payoneer or Skrill account after reaching a minimum balance of 25€.
Click here to register:
Adobe Stock (including Fotolia)
Adobe Stock pays the highest average revenue per image sold. However, in my experience, not as many images were sold as at Shutterstock. Only 10% of my photos were sold at Adobe Stock.
Registration also only takes about 10 minutes and uploading and submitting photos is as convenient as at Shutterstock. As already written, I find the automatically suggested keywords much better than those of the competition.
Meanwhile Fotolia also belongs to Adobe Stock. Those who upload their pictures to Adobe Stock automatically sell their own pictures to Fotolia. With only one account you can serve two large platforms.
There is one big advantage here when it comes to model releases or property releases: Adobe is a pioneer of digital signatures and this is also noticeable in the contract creation process. While other providers require us to sign contracts on paper, scan them in and attach them to a picture to be submitted, the contract process at Adobe Stock is completely digital. Our model receives the contract by e-mail, signs it with a finger on the smartphone and sends it back digitally. Without having to print a single page of paper. This is ingenious, saves paper and protects the environment.
Your earnings will be paid out directly to your PayPal, Payoneer or Skrill account after reaching a minimum balance of 25€.
Click here to register:
All the links in this text are Amazon Affiliate Links or Shutterstock Affiliate Links and by clicking on an affiliate link I will earn a percentage of your subsequent Amazon purchases or earn a payout for your registration. However, this circumstance does not influence the background of my product recommendation. This product recommendation is independent, honest and sincere.
Bei allen genannten Links handelt es sich um Amazon-Affiliate-Links oder Shutterstock Affiliate Links. Durch einen Klick auf einen Affiliate-Link werde ich prozentual an Euren darauf folgenden Amazon-Einkäufen beteiligt oder erhalte eine Provision für Eure Registrierung. Dieser Umstand beeinflusst aber nicht die Hintergründe meiner Produktempfehlung. Diese Produktempfehlung erfolgt unabhängig, ehrlich und aufrichtig.
