Buy and Sell Photos on Dreamstime!

Dreamstime is the most user friendly microstock photography site to get your feet wet in. Dreamstime pays more on average than other sites and is quickly becoming an industry favorite. How do you get started as a contributor to Dreamstime? After signing up for an contributor's account you may have some of these common questions:

1.) What types of photos do they accept? Dreamstime is not in the business of point and shoot photography - so your images need to be a step above by containing an intellectual concept behind the image. According to Dreamstime they are looking for " well defined commercial concepts, marketable good compositions with creative insight, high technical level in terms of color, definition, lighting." In short they must be good photos! The concept of your photos should be clear with no distractions from the main theme you are trying to achieve. Sharp focus and good lighting are key.

2.) Should I edit my photos first? Ensure that your images are shot with the highest resolution your camera can do. Editing your images can increase sales if done correctly - if you choose to edit your photos ensure that it only enhances your work and looks good at 10x magnified.

3.) Do they accept illustrations too? Dreamstime loves illustrations. Vector files should be saved in raster format, JPG at a high resolution, saved at highest quality and submitted in this format. As soon as they are accepted or right from the first submission you can also upload an additional format (ai, cdr or eps extensions accepted) which will sell at a higher price.

4.) How would I get paid? Photographers can request a payment as soon as their earnings balance is higher than $100. Payments are sent as bank checks (that you can cash at a local bank), by PayPal, Payoneer (Dreamstime Prepaid MasterCard - click for fees -) or MoneyBookers.

5.) More Dreamstime tips: It may take a while (month or so) to get up and going on Dreamstime and notice profits coming back but be persistent - it's worth it. Every photo you upload today will still be earning you money in 2 years. You are looking to sell the same image to many people - this adds up. So be patient. (Unless you also opt to sell the rights of your image which is an option Dreamstime includes and you'll be able to set your own price.) Dreamstime also offers an 'exclusive' contract option - if you choose to sell your image exclusively with Dreamstime you'll earn more per image. Note that if you are shooting images of people make sure you have them sign a 'model release' so that you can sell the image. Dreamstime has blank model release forms that you can download as well.

You can sign up for a contributor's account here

Scroll down to continue reading ...

So you want to beef up your current designs, websites or squidoo lenses but don't want to shell out a lot of cash for images? Dreamstime is your best solution. It's incredibly user friendly and boast a talented contributer base. Sounds great! Still you may have some basic questions for operating as a Dreamstime buyer:

1.) What license is granted for the images? This depends on what your needs are. The regular downloads are accompanied by the Dreamstime Royalty-Free License. For types of usage that are not included in this license you can use the Extended Licenses which are more expensive than the regular RF one. These licenses provide several types of usage forbidden by the RF license, however some restrictions still apply. You can find more details on Dreamstime's Terms of Use page.

2.) Can I use the images in more than one project? If each project is different as a concept (not a template based presentation) then you can use the photos for more than one client, you don't have to buy them twice. If the concept is the same you cannot use the images because this will be seen as redistribution. The total number of copies shouldn't exceed 500,000 copies.

3.) How can prices be so low? Thanks to the continual evolution and diversification of digital technologies, Dreamstime can provide images of a very high quality at a completely convenient price. All the images are carefully analyzed and selected by Dreamstime , in order to make sure that only the best are included and that the range of subjects is extensive. Note that several restrictions apply and that depending on your usage you should acquire the appropriate license for downloading the images. Dreamstime can help you choose the appropriate license.

4.)What's the deal with the free images? Yes that's right! Dreamstime
offers promotional free credits from time to time which allows you to evaluate any image on the site. Also Dreamstime has an entire section devoted to free images donated by contributers. Images downloaded from the free section can be used under the Limited Royalty-Free license. They can be found in the "Free photos" page.

5.) Can I contact a photographer / contributer? Sure! And they love feedback. In order to contact a contributer, you can either leave a comment to one of his images or contact support and ask them to forward your message.

You can sign up for a buyer's account here

Scroll down to continue reading ...

1.) Think Big. Dreamstime provides photo buyers the option of buying the image only once and then using it as many times as they like, with just a few restrictions. In other words, there are no license fees except the initial fee and no other royalties to be paid except those included in the initial cost. (Note that the maximum number of copies for printed materials is 500,000 copies for Dreamstime photos.) This provides a lot of flexibility and is a booming industry in the current economy as many businesses are seeking out ways to maximize profit - microstock photography is a perfect solution.

2.) Blogs! Dreamstime provides blog space for community members to talk about themselves, who they are, what they think, what they do or what photography means to them. Its a great place to catch up tips, advice or promote yourself. The blogs are open to all members - photographers, designers or regular users.

3.) Contests. Dreamstime has monthly contests to give photographers and illustrators ideas for submissions. They provide the topic and guidelines, you provide the creative solution. Each month the prize varies for the winning submission however recently they gave away a 120 BG Ipod video. There are contests for buyers as well.

4.) Message Boards & Community. Differing from Dreamstime blogs, the message boards are a great way to find effective answers to your every question.

5.) Free Images! If you are a designer, here you can search for and download high resolution stock images for free, while also having the option to purchase RF licensed images. If you are a photographer, the heavy traffic of this section offers you the opportunity to achieve great portfolio exposure by offering free images.

You can sign up for a Dreamstime's account here

Scroll down to continue reading ...