How to Sell Your Digital Photos online
Digital Photos are great ! and most photographers would like to sell digital photos online p>
But how to sell photos and where to do it ? The Answer for many Photographers is Microstock.Or specifically Speaking Microstock Info. (That is - what really sells !)
But most of all What Digital Photos to sell ?
Selling digital photos is an art. Most people send in the wrong things.
When most people take digital photos and then look at starting to sell through a Microstock agency,they just send all their existing digital photos - and are then upset when the photos are rejected.
Here's how to send pictures that are wanted and Sell !
Microstock agencies operate either by selling subscriptions or by selling a version of Royalty Free Stock Photos. In either case you get paid per download and you want LOTS of downloads to make it worthwhile.
You need to show up on a stock photo search on search engines to succeed.
Photrade (Beta)
Thanks to Shoemoney for this information.
it a print on demand business like Cafepress or Zazzle.
As far as I can gather you upload pictures in a similar way to
Flickr and you get a percentage of any use or adverts or merchandise sold. Hmmmm.....
So what did you think of photrade ?
(Thats apart from the cheapskates who want to use my pictures for free and ask if they can... my reply is "are you geting paid to produce/edit this project ?")- I have never had any reply to that question !
Now I don't mind donating photos to Greenpeace or any genuine helpful charity project but not just because someone doesn't want to use and pay for pictures thank you !
I read about Photrade on www.shoemoney.com (which i seriously suggest you read too !)
The video above is a bit on the tacky side and was in a cheap booth at a trade show somewhere.
That isn't the best place to make a video because people are tired and confused at trade shows.
Now I've never hear of Photrade but the only thing they seem to be offering is an additional share of ad revenue /stock photography use and merchandise money.
Nice addition perhaps but they will probably be deluged with amateur photos of all kinds of stuff and I think users wll want to go to Alamy/Bigstockphoto/Getty/Corbis/Jupiter before going to a startup company.
I could be wrong and I hope this works out for Photrade.
But I personally think it is maybe too late trying to enter an already overcrowded industry.
What do You think ?
Your Opinion on Photrade
My view might be a bit jaundiced so investigate Photrade for yourself and give your SERIOUS opinion below. All visitors are welcome to comment (and yes you can use html to promo your website !)
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cwwphotography
Well i haven't checked out photrade but i too have a shop at cafepress and a gallery at zazzle, i made my first sales at cafepress about a month ago but nothing on zazzle as yet. I only got into photography about a year ago but i am now looking into trying to sell some of my work. If you haven't heard of it i would reccomend redbubble.com where you can sell prints of your photography, although i mainly use it to get other peoples thoughts on my photography. cwwphotography Posted June 16, 2008 |
Press the Button to DIGG this page
(It says Digg on it - hint !)
KEYWORDS ARE *** REALLY *** IMPORTANT
They are almost as important as the picture.
Keywords (also called tags) are what the customer uses to look for pictures - search machines (even the smart ones) use variations on key words to look for photos.You MUST use as many variations as you can think of to get good response to your pictures.
Take the Statue of Liberty for example - how many words that describe it can you think of ? and how many themes does it suggest - or emotions - or what variants/colours/moods ?
Have a look on istockphoto for Statue of Liberty and see how many keywords they use it will be at least 20 or even 50 or 60 !
Make a list on notepad and simplify your keywording with cut and Paste.
Good Keywording is the answer to Microstock success
(OK and great pictures too !)
There's more free information on keywording on My
Keyword and SEO Page where all is revealed !
P.O.D.
Print on Demand
There are several companies that enable you to upload your photos and sell them on the internet to their customers.I've been using Cafepress. com and they have made some sales for me.
Currently I'm trying Zazzle and they seems to have a slightly easier system with some really neat widgets you can use on Myspace Facebook and your own blog or website Have a look at mine on
http://fotos4web.blogspot.com (I finally found the BLOG Widget and now it works just fine - don't use the website one or it will mess up your blog !)
I don't have many pictures there so its too early to tell how it will go.
My Gallery there is
www.zazzle.com/irishdreams
Both of these companies take quite a while to upload photos and I found that zazzle is a lot better at resizing pictures (Cafepress is a bit finicky about having the pictures about 1/2 in bigger on both sides)
Cafepress has a wider range of products to put pictures on (putting photos on their messenger bags is a bit tricky as they look awful on the yellow background).
Zazzle has MUCH bigger posters and very well priced canvas prints - so you could put your photos on your website (see what I have done with Cafepress on www.fotos4web.com where I copied the product pictures and linked them to Cafepress who will process the transaction and send me the money !)
You can do the same thing with Zazzle and they have the widget I mentioned which is currently nestling on the front page of my website. Its pretty sexy (marketing-wise !) and versatile.
Zazle has a super choice of models to show your t-shirts on and this is an excellect additional feature.
Both companies allow you to set your own prices but Zazzle allows you to sell canvas or other prints at higher prices than Cafepress.
This is a huge advantage if you are selling limited edition prints and you can offer a package of print and frame as well.
I also have pictures on Artscafe.com which is in Hong Kong and they have even more products to sell with your pictures. They include worldwide postage on their prices which is quite neat.There is a monthly fee for that.
I will be doing a full report on all of these on my blog at www.fotos4web.blogspot.com over the next two weeks. Its a special on Printing on Demand Services and what to look for.
I should mention that Cafepress has a basic free shop to try out and a paid and more expandable and modifiable one at a modest fee.
My Cafepress store is at
www.cafepress.com/fotos4web
Zazzles Galleries are all free so it s worth looking there.
It might be worth considering a different gallery for each subject .. or what do you think ?
Nice feature at Zazzle is comments on each photo and the ability to sell other peoples photos inyour gallery and get commission on them (but I'm still exploring that !)
What I find difficult with ZAZZLE is finding how to edit things once you have made them.
It would be nice to offer variants of product like mousepads with different borders etc.
You can also make your own REAL US POSTAGE STAMPS on Zazzle and these look so cool !
If you are using Zazzle or Cafepress please tell us how you are getting on in the next section.
Your View of CafePress vs Zazzle
Selling pictures on products is a neat way to expose your images !
Have you tried either of these ?
How have you done with them ?
Do you think you will try them ?
Have you bought from them ?
Let us have YOUR views !
How to Join Cafepress ..
How to Join Zazzle
Just Click here :www.zazzle.com/irishdreams
Its easy to sign up and you can start a FREE Gallery and even sell other peoples products off Zazzle for a commission !
Print on Demand Poll
Have you actually made sales from a print on demand company ?
Some people are making over $1000 a month from P.O.D.
What is the average though ?
Video on selling photos
Stock Photo 101 Day 2 - Sell Pictures Online
http://www.photoprofitz.com Sell pictures online
Runtime: 3:09
335 views
0 Comments:
The Latest Most Exciting Photo Gadget EVER !
You will REALLY Love This ! - The GISTEQ Photo Tracker
GiSTEQ PhotoTrackr™ for Digital CamerasThink about the last place you traveled to. Do you want to know exactly where all your pictures were taken? Take the GiSTEQ PhotoTrackr with you on your next trip! Utilizing the included mapping software and latest Geo-Mapping technology,the GiSTEQ PhotoTrackr allows you to record and review your trip knowing exactly where you have traveled. Furthermore, if you took pictures on your trip, it will even show you the exact location and time of your pictures.
The most exciting feature of all is that you can upload your photos to Flickr online. It's a cool way to share your trip experience with friends and families. Make your next trip special; don't let your trip gone by without precise location info. There is no subscription and no monthly fee. Get yours today!!
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How it works: (4 simple steps)
1. Use the provided software to synchronize your Digital Camera clock with GiSTEQ PhotoTrackr unit. (One time only)
2. Take the GiSTEQ PhotoTrackrunit along with you when taking digital photos.
3. Import photos and GPS log data into the provided software.
4. Share your photos with family and friends on the included mapping software or Flickr online.
Just in case you haven't figured out the stock possibilities - ask your agency if you can use this to upload pictures DIRECTLY to them from the field (or the beach,cave,mountaintop etc !
GiSTEQ PhotoTrackr™ for Digital Cameras
Best Book on Stock Photography Anywhere !
Read it and become Sucessful !
This is the Publishers description and it's true !Digital Stock Photography
equips photographers with everything they need to know to create digital stock photos that sell in today's marketplace. From organizing a shoot to raking in the profits as the pictures sell and sell and sell again, all the steps are here: Capturing digital images, working with scans, digital delivery of images, evaluating equipment, organizing digital files, building an archive, and more.
Thirty assignments, designed to reflect the latest trends in photography, provide readers with a blueprint for building a stock collection.
Special sections explain how to market, negotiate and quote prices, and manage a business, plus obtaining model releases and protecting copyright.
----------------------------------------------------
Why blunder around in the dark shooting unsaleable subjects when this book tells you what to do clearly and concisely.
Everyone needs guidance - the Microstock revolution has changed the World of Stock - now everyone can be a stock photographer.
Self Publicist !
Tell the World about Your Pictures,
But you have to get them out there in the big wide world.
THe first suggestion I have is to open a Free account with Flickr.com.
Now shrink copies of your pictures to about 200 pixels (biggest side) and upload those to your Flickr website.
Make a Squidoo Lens
Make a Squidoo Lens and with the Flickr module,show the world your photo showcase. This takes about an hour or less to do and enables you when writing to Microstock agencies to point them to your Showcase and they can then quickly visit it to inspect your work. Top Tip - make several modules for your showcase each on a different Subject and this looks more Professional and Organised.
To write your own Showcase lens (don't forget to use your Name in the lens title)
Just Click Here
Books on how to sell stock photos
The Best Stock Photography Books
Digital Stock Photography: How to Shoot and Sell
If you only buy ONE book on Stock Photography then it should be this one ! Its a 256 page whopper by a lady whp really knows her business (many stock photography books are not even written by stock photographers but this one IS !)
Amazon Price: $14.93 (as of 07/25/2008)
List Price: $21.95
Used Price: $12.39
Usually ships in 24 hours
SellPhotos.Com: Your Guide to Establishing a Successful Stock Photography Business on the Internet
Photography is in the midst of a revolution. Rohn Engh shows part-time and professional photographers how to compete with the big agencies by using the Internet--the new frontier of stock photography sales--and by determining how their images, both traditional and digital, are delivered and paid for. A comprehensive guide, sellphotos.com covers everything for photographers from Internet basics and the nature of the stock photography trade to building their own web sites and operating their own business.
About the Author
Rohn Engh is a veteran editorial stock photographer who has sold to national and worldwide markets since 1960. He is founder and publisher of PhotoStockNotes, PHOTOLETTER and PhotoDaily, market letters that post photo editor picture needs. Engh also conducts photo marketing seminars nationwide. He lives in Wisconsin.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/25/2008)
List Price: $18.99
Used Price: $0.89
Tags = CASH !
A tag is what tells a search engine what's on your photo.Without tags on your photos you will get NO searches to your website for those specific photos.
That's how important it is.
So a picture of a girl in a bikini should have at least 20 tags (I always put the important ones first incase the search engines only accept three or four tags.
You can tag your photos through any program like photoshop,imageready etc.
Many Microstock companies ask you to tag pictures as you upload them - this is normal.If you have a batch of pictures with the same tags then just cut and paste them.
Stock Photography Videos from Youtube
These are unedited
I have no personal experience with any of them !!!
More Microstock News
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byStock Photo Books on eBay
Save Money on Photography books
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byPeople Pictures Sell
One lady has just broken the 25000$ downloads in the USA !
Actually that's a pretty good way to do your research on ANY subject - what people actually download ! The higher the number the more worthwhile it is to shoot.
That reminds me - I saw that one photographer was selling a lot on Shutterstock (a good company) so I went to HIS website and gave up waiting after 20 minutes - don't let that happen to you ! I'd guess that hundreds of his customers gave up too ! _
Make sure your website is up and running properly .
I edited photographers work for over 40 years and the main reason for rejecting people pictures was that the photographers didn't seem to get the idea on posing people. Awkward and distinctly nervous poses were really common. Professional Models usually rely on a set range of poses to help photographers - but what about when you work with an amateur model ?
A Posing Guide is definitely a great help then and will improve your output of saleable images tremendously.
Take a look at this one :
Posing Guide:
Tell me about the Posing Guide
Don't forget that models will be just as nervous about a photo-shot as photographers.
I was once doing a photo-shoot for a tour brochure and a nice lady came to the casting - at the end she confessed she wasn't a model at all but an investigative reprter from a newspaper - the job had sounded too good to be true - I did shortlist her but a friend of mine applied too so she got the job instead.
MicroStock Photo News
- Select Flickr photos to sell via Getty license
- Flickr-hosted images that have been chosen to be included in the new collection will get a special button with an option to purchase a microstock license ...
- Alamy boss answers critics
- Alamy's CEO has tried to allay photographers' fears that a controversial pricing model is a move into micro-stock. Earlier this month, Alamy unveiled the ...
- Stock Photography site MostPhoto.com wants social networking to ...
- Mostphotos.com is aiming to change the online micro-stock photography market by combining two tiresome traditions of web 2.0, social networking and ...
- East Lincoln Speedway Falls to Rain Again
- STANLEY, NC ? For the second Saturday in a row, East Lincoln Speedway was forced to postpone tonight's scheduled auto racing program due to heavy afternoon ...
Best Digital Photography Book by Far
The Digital Photography Book
There are hundreds of Good Digital Photography Books but this really is the best one.If you are just starting Digital Photography then this book will give you a good solid basis to work from.
Click the Link Below for more details.
The Digital Photography Book
Amazon Camera Cloud - Lots of Fasinating Stuff from Amazon
Ephotozine Latest
Ephotozine is in my opinion the BEST photo site on the Internet - whatever you want - it's there !
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byImprove your Photography The Easy Way

David Peterson's Digital Photography Secrets is a really valuable aid to digital Photographers everywhere :
For More information and a Special Offer :
EXPOSE YOURSELF !
YOU NEED LINKS - get one here for free !
Build a Lens with the aid of Squidoo and Flickr,
Then Join a Photography Group and get FREE visitors !
You can then join Squidoo Groups on photography - this will give you a link that the search engines will grab and this in turn will give you more visitors.
Here's one to start with :
If you don't have a squidoo lens then here's a starting point - its easy and VERY satisfying.
Copy this into your browser
http://www.squidoo.com/group/create_lens/stockphotos/9a514f509e9c5cd6011b8baa5692851e
Its free to join !
Miceostock information
Microstock photography, also known as micropayment photography, is an offshoot of traditional stock photography. What defines a company as a microstock photography company is that they (1) source their images almost exclusively via the Internet, (2) do so from a wider range of photographers than the traditional stock agencies (including a willingness to accept images from "amateurs" and hobbyists), and (3) sell their images at a very low rate (anywhere from $.20 - $10) for a royalty-free image.
A number of microstock sites also sell vector art, and some sell Flash animations and video, as well as images. Stephen Shankland, "With site revamp, Fotolia adds vector art", ZDNet News, June 1, 2007
Vastly Improve Your Photography Sales
You really CAN improve your sales with sound advice.There's a FREE newsletter on the subject -
For more information
Send me a Free Newsletter!
The BIG STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY SECRET
Keep it SIMPLE
Crop in closely on your subject.
Use selective Focus to blur backgrounds (a telephoto lens does this very well).
Make the picture BIG.
(Customers don't like cropping pictures and indeed some don't even realise you CAN crop a picture)
Keep it Colourful.
Colourful pictures in PRIMARY COLOURS Sell.
Look for vibrant colours - its a colourful world.
Insects are attracted to anything YELLOW
Colour is Natures way of shouting COME HERE.
Buy a Polarising Filter to give picture colours a little Oooomph ! (Polarisers accentuate colours)
Subjects that Sell (or are downloaded ..)
Think before you shoot
- Saleable subjects:
1 Statue of Liberty New York
This is the iconic view of America. Make sure the Twin Towers are not in the picture or buyers will realise its an old photo.
2 Eiffel Tower Paris
Not just the standard view from Palais de Chaillot - apart from anything else you will be shooting into the sun ! Try Sunsets but not night shots as the Electricity company owns copyright on the pattern of lights on the Tower - and they sue ! (really ...they DO)
3 Lovely smiling girls face
Must have great complexion and not be over-made-up. Healthy smiling pic with good teeth and clear sparkling eyes are what sells - EYE CONTACT with camera is essential.
4 Family on beach having good time
Should be parents in late 20's or early 30's with 2 or 3 young (2/ 6 yrs) children. Scrutinise facial expressions carefully. Edit out pix with blinking people or wierd facial expressions. Use FILL-IN Flash to avoid harsh shadows and a telephoto lens to blur background.
5 business meeting - variety of situations needed - from 2 people to a group of 20. Look at stock catalogues for ides.Must be modern clothes,haircuts and especially up to date computers,pda''s phones or they won't sell.
6 girl at computer - should be in a variety of facial expressions and can also double as telesales with headpiece phone.
7 Kids in room on computer - modern computer - plainish background but with kids postersetc on wall - one child teaching younger one,playing video games,unidentifiable child from behind on chat room to use as child safety tool.
8 Kids playing video consoles (latest) Children must have excited expressions and actually be playing rather than just sitting there staring at a screeen
9 Kids/Teenagers with MP3/4 Player/ipod or pda - similarly with latest colour phone sending messages and looking happy/sad/excited/glum.
10 family dinner with appetising food - all around table - not just a christmas feast - parents helping children - children playing with fod - situations are important
11 Colourful cars - exotic cars,custom cars,old cars - NOT vintage/veteran car rallies where the cars have show cards or are just in lines - its boring !
12 Palm Fringed beaches - must look PERFECT and have lots of space in sky for text.
13 Backgrounds - plain textures,leaves,seasons,feathers,macro pix of insect eyes, unusual textures of natuere and buildings.
14 How to series of photos for hobbies,car maintenance,cooking etc Must be accompanied by text or easy to read photos that are self explanatory.
16 Mother and Baby with non-distracting background.
Close-ups of baby and mother face to face, attractive clothes on mother essential.No jewellery in shot.
17 Capital Cities of the World - must be ICONIC views - look at local postcards and do similar viewpoints BETTER !
18 Cats and kittens Lines of cute baby animals are what really sells - 5 or more in a row. Play with them till they are ALMOST asleep to get best shots
19 Dogs and puppies - similarly to kittens - a row will be best - pro tip - smear BACON fat on the puppies lips and they'll spend the next few miutes licking it off (and off each other !)
All these have to be SHARP, COLOURFUL,preferably humorous,DUST FREE (look at them in 100% in Photoshop to retouch them) ,well composed,colourful (yes I know I said it before but it's THAT important) and tells a story - that old saying about a picture =10000 words is right - if the picture tells the story ! MAKE the picture tell the story so it doesn't need a caption.
The only other thing thats really needed is to KEYWORD every picture - thats what makes pictures sell.Use every applicable keyword you can think of and include your name in the EXIF information so you get paid.
You can do this in Photoshop or any similar program but its essential.
Send the photos on a cd/dvd with your name and address on the dvd/cd AND enclose a *contact sheet* of all the photos that are on the dvd/CD. That way the editor can view at a glance the content of the cd/dvd and it also looks more professional. Don't forget to put your NAME AND ADDRESS on the CD and the Contact Sheet.
Take a look at my own stock photos at www.digifotostock.com to see more saleable subjects
New Stock Photography YouTube vids
Out of the dross of Youtube - I found these gems !
Reader Feedback
| BioGuy
Nice lens - a little bit of everything! Posted July 19, 2008 |
|
Janet21
Another great lens! Nice addition to the Everything Photography group. Thanks for joining. :) Posted March 13, 2008 |
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lisadh
Great tips. Thanks for the info! Posted January 29, 2008 |
| flowski
Thanks for all the great tips about selling stock photos, very interesting. Posted December 04, 2007 |
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fotos4web
I'm writing a book on selling Microstock photos (well I do have a LOT of experience !) Get a FREE copy by sending me a *good question* on selling stock (first 30 good questions get a free copy) to microstock@fotos4web.com Posted July 28, 2007 |
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