Earning Cash from Your Photos or Illustrations
Making money from your photography and illustrations isn't as difficult as it used to be. Thanks to new types of online businesses, it has become much more fun and lucrative. This lens is dedicated to providing you with two ways for you to earn some money via these new online businesses.
One company that helps you earn money from your photos or illustrations is called Zazzle. Zazzle creates stamps, posters, postcards, calendars; etc with the photographs or illustrations that you provide them.
You receive a ten percent commission if anyone buys your merchandise. Your commission can be as high as seventeen percent if you refer the buyer. I should also mention that Zazzle is free to use. As for the licensing, your photos and illustrations will be under a nonexclusive license. This means that you are free to sell your photos and illustrations on other websites.
One of Zazzle's major competitors is a company called CafePress, and they pretty much do the same thing as Zazzle. CafePress has a different commission rate though, so you may want to take a look at them for a comparison with Zazzle. Both companies receive high scores with the general public.
Another way to earn money from your photos or illustrations is through microstock agencies. There are a large number of companies that deal with this. I am currently using iStockphoto, BigStockPhoto, Featurepics, Stockxpert, Fotolia, and 123RF.
You can also submit images or video footage to an agency called Shutterstock. If you want to submit photos or illustrations to Shutterstock then
click here. If you want to buy images at Shutterstock then you should
click here. And finally, if you want to submit video footage to Shutterstock then please click here.
Out of all of these agencies iStockphoto has delivered the most sales(Shutterstock is starting to catch up). Unfortunately iStockphoto, Dreamstime, Stockxpert, and Shutterstock are fairly picky about what they select. So if you're rejected by these four agencies you can try one of the smaller agencies like BigStockPhoto, 123RF, or Fotolia.
Don't give up on iStockphoto, Shutterstock, Stockxpert, and Dreamstime. Just keep trying and you will get there. You may also want to purchase a light tent for isolated images. Isolated images are photos of an object such as a flashlight that are on a solid background color. After I purchased a light tent iStockphoto, Shutterstock, Stockxpert, and Dreamstime all started selecting more of my images. It's worth it.
Now for a review of Fotolia. Fotolia allows you to upload your images to them for evaluation. After about three days or so(sometimes a lot less), Fotolia will either reject or accept your photos or illustrations. If your photos or illustrations are accepted, you will be paid whenever someone downloads one of your images.
If you give Fotolia an exclusive license to the image then you are paid more. A nonexclusive license will earn you less. Currently, it's about $.33 for a nonexclusive image and $.50 for an exclusive image. Fotolia, along with all of the other microstock agencies I have referenced above, allows you to make money by generating referrals for them through text or image links.
Don't expect to get rich quick from these businesses. I imagine that there are some people who do quite well using these businesses, but keep things in perspective. Don't be discouraged if your images don't sell right away. Just keep at it, and you will succeed. At the very least you will have some extra side money.
The Big Microstock Agencies
Buy merchandise at Zazzle.
Search our database for stamps, posters, calendars more...2 points
Royalty Free Stock Photos at Dreamstime.
Search our royalty free images and photos or brows more...1 point
Royalty Free Stock Photos at Fotolia.
Search our royalty free images and photos or brows more...0 points
Stock Photography: Search Royalty Free Images & Photos | iStockphoto.com
Search our royalty free images and photos or brows more...0 points
Lesser Known Microstock Agencies
- STOCKXPERT - Royalty free stock photography community
- Looking for high quality stock photos? Want to sell your work? Go no further: Stockxpert is the place to buy and sell stock images!
- BigStockPhoto - Stock Image and Photo Subscription
- BigStockPhoto - Stock Image and Photo Subscription
- 123 Royalty Free - Stock Image and Photo Subscription
- 123 Royalty Free - Stock Image and Photo Subscription
- Stock Photography Images at Can Stock Photo
- Affordable Royalty Free Stock Photography. Downloads for just $1.00, with thousands of images added weekly. Subscriptions available for just $35.95.
- MicroStock Photo Stock Photography | High Quality Royalty Free Stock Photography
- High Quality Royalty Free Stock Photography. Microstock Means You Can Buy High Quality, High Resolution Photos and Images for as low as $0.80 per image. Instant Download at microstockphoto.com.
- Featurepics
- Another site for high quality royalty free stock photos or illustrations is called Featurepics. Featurepics is a little different however. This company allows the seller to set their own price for each image. Set the image price at ten dollars or just one; the choice is yours.
Blogs About Selling Your Images
- microstock workflow | My Stock Photography
- editing, preparing, uploading images for microstock submissions.
- Microstock Photography » Micro Travel Payoffs
- One of my favorite domain bloggers started describing his effort toward a minisite and I submit the link here to inform micro stock photographers about an excellent way to cement value form their low cost legal image gallery sites and ...
- If I had to start up a new microstock website « Digital Web ...
- This was the title of a topic here on the MicroStockGroup, and there are many good points raised from the Photographers, but the general consensus is along the lines of a microstock boutique agency, with exclusive content both RF and RM ...
- Strobist: Yuri Arcurs: Mr. Microstock
- The world's most popular free resource for learning how to use off-camera flash.
Helpful Book Topics
99 Ways To Make Money From Your Photos
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Amazon Price: $27.72 (as of 07/10/2009) 
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Photos That Sell: The Art of Successful Freelance Photography
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Amazon Price: $18.45 (as of 07/10/2009)
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eBay Photos That Sell: Taking Great Product Shots for eBay and Beyond
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Amazon Price: $21.89 (as of 07/10/2009)
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The World's Biggest Book of Photography Competitions, Awards, Grants and Places To Sell Your Photos Online
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Amazon Price: $17.99 (as of 07/10/2009)
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Sell Your Photos on IStockphoto.com
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Amazon Price: $7.95 (as of 07/10/2009)
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Microstock Forums
- Microstock Group - A meeting place for microstock photographers
- Microstock Group - A meeting place for microstock photographers.
- Talkmicro
- The Original Independent Microstock Forums.
Cameras and Accessories
Nikon D40 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens
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Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 07/10/2009)
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Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black)
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Amazon Price: $655.90 (as of 07/10/2009)
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Nikon D60 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens
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Amazon Price: $546.95 (as of 07/10/2009)
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Nikon D90 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens
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Sony Alpha A200W 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization with 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 and 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Lenses
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Amazon Price: $625.74 (as of 07/10/2009)
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What Microstock Agencies Want and Don't Need
1.) Isolated object (s) over a solid color.
2.) Business imagery.
3.) People (with a model release form).
4.) Illustrations.
5.) Animation or videos.
What The Agencies Don't Need:
1.) Flower pictures.
2.) Photos of your pets.
3.) Images taken with a one mega-pixel camera.
4.) Pictures taken with poor lighting.
5.) Photos of people without model releases.
What is a model release form, you ask? A model release form is basically a piece of paper that a model signs, which then gives you permission to make money from the photo. Without a model release form, no microstock agency will take your photo. And if you do manage to somehow have the image accepted without a model release form then you can be sued by the people in the photo. So be careful.
And as for what microstock agencies want and don't want, keep in mind that there are always allowances. When an agency says they don't want pictures of flowers, they're referring to normal flowers. If you find some type of bizarre flower in Tanzania or somewhere, then it may be accepted. A rose isolated on a white background might be accepted as well. Basically, the picture of the flower has to be both perfect and unique. Good luck.
Purchase Lighting Equipment
American Recorder SIB-101CS Photo Studio-in-a-Box
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Portable Shooting Table
A shooting table is similar to a light tent, but it's not as confining (you can shoot from multiple angles). You can light up the shooting table from the bottom and from the back. This allows you to achieve a perfect white background. I purchased this light table the other day, and it works really well. The white material is made up of some type of plexiglass; it's stronger than it looks.
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SP500 Platinum Photo Studio In a Box by Square Perfect
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PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO CONTINUOUS LIGHTING UMBRELLA KIT + Free 27 Watts 5500K Fluorescent Photo Lamp Bulb
This is a cheap set of umbrella lights for those of you who do not want to spend a lot of money. The bulbs have a fairly weak light output, so you may want to purchase some different ones. They're easy to swap out.
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Build Your Own Light Tent
- Tutorial: Building Your Own Cheap Light Tent - EyeFetch.com
- EyeFetch.com: Tutorial for building a cheap home-made light tent for photography.
- Light Box / Light Tent Photo Gallery by Bill Huber at pbase.com
- Pbase.com: Bill Huber's website on how to build a light tent.
- Cheap 1$ Light tent / Light box : SoDoItYourself.com
- Sodoityourself.com: Ever wanted to do product shots but don't have the bucks to spend on a proper light tent? Why not build one yourself.
My Take on The Xsi
- Canon Xsi Review
- Photography enthusiasts are always looking for a great deal when it comes to digital single-lens reflex cameras. And the new Canon Xsi should impress just about everyone. Even the professionals may be surprised at how powerful this so-called "entry-level camera" really is.
The Canon Xsi
Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera (Black Body Only)
Amazon Price: $799.99 (as of 07/10/2009)
The Canon Xsi is a great upgrade from the Xti. While it may be a bit on the light side, it's still a great camera for beginners or semiprofessionals. The Xsi has more megapixels, a self cleaning system to remove dust, longer battery life, larger screen, and more.
Software for Illustrations and Photography
Adobe Photoshop CS3
Adobe PhotoShop CS3 for Windows. Does NOT include more...0 points
Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0
Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 software combines pow more...0 points
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2
New Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 is the ideal cho more...0 points
![Adobe Illustrator 9.0 [Old Version]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51RB3YBQBXL._SL75_.jpg)
Newer is not Always Better
![Adobe Illustrator 9.0 [Old Version]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51RB3YBQBXL._SL160_.jpg)
Adobe Illustrator 9.0 [Old Version]
Amazon Price: (as of 07/10/2009)
You might think that the newest version of Illustrator is the best version. However, in the case of microstock illustrations, you would be mistaken. Almost all of the microstock agencies require you to make your eps or ai files compatible with Illustrator 8.
So keep this in mind if you buy Illustrator. Personally, I bought Illustrator 9 for my vector images. It's all you really need, and it can be upgraded to Illustrator CS2. So remember newer is not always better. It's also a lot cheaper.
Keywords
It's important that you use as many keywords as possible. But don't spam your keywords. In other words, make sure each keyword is relevant to the image. If you spam your keywords, then you may be banned. I usually try to use between fifteen and thirty keywords, which is a fairly good number. Keywords don't guarantee a sale, but they may help. Use them wisely.
Interesting Fact
- Source.
- The pioneer of microstock photography was Bruce Livingstone when he created iStockPhoto, originally a free stock photo site that quickly became an industry phenomenon.
- An iStockphoto Super Star.
- This person has sold over three hundred thousand images on iStockphoto alone. It's a very impressive achievement, and it proves that you can make a living at microstock photography. But it will require a lot of hard work. As for the money, in four years this woman has made at least seventy five thousand dollars.
That's at twenty five cents each. However, more than likely she has sold many images for much more than that. So this individual has probably made more than a hundred thousand dollars in a span of four years with over eight thousand photos.
List Your Gallery
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Other Work I've Done
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wayfarer wrote...
Very informative lens from one who knows the biz. The software info and the wants/don't want info is especially helpful for a beginner. Well done!
Posted May 25, 2009
by Jrtmedia
I'm a freelancer who builds websites, trades stocks, sells photography and illustrations, writes articles; etc. With time, who knows what else I'll do...
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