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Agencies sell stock photography to advertisers, web designers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and anyone who needs photographs to market their products. Instead of employing their own photographers, clients can license photos from agencies, paying the photographers a one-time fee for each. Stock photographers can earn a healthy living, or make money from their hobby on the side.
Steps
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Take good stock photos in a high-resolution format. There are a number of books and online sources explaining how to do this, as well as how to determine which kinds of photos are most in demand. Stock photos are not snapshots, but are carefully composed and lit.
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Edit your photographs using computer software. Take care to save them where you can find them again and back them up. You can use any photo editing software, such as Photoshop, Affinity Photo, or GIMP.Advertisement
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Have your models sign releases. This applies to nonprofessional models, including friends and family, as well as to professional models. You can download the release form from each stock agency or use a standard release form, which is available online or through photography stores and catalogs.
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Check out stock agencies on the Internet. Compare your photographs with theirs to make sure they're of similar quality and subject matter. Check the payment schedule and how much traffic the web site gets. Determine how likely it is that you will sell your photos through a particular agency, and find out if the agency is looking for photos in specific categories.
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Attach keywords to your photos so an the agency can categorize them. Use as many as apply, but don't use keywords that have nothing to do with your image just because they're popular in searches. The more categories your photo appears in, the more likely it is to sell. You might want to find an online keyword tool to help you choose popular keywords.
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Upload your photos. Each agencies will have instructions for how to do this. You can use the form available from the agency, ActiveX/Java, or file transfer protocol. You can buy software that will allow you to upload your photos easily.
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QuestionWhat are some stock photography companies?Community AnswerShutterStock is one example.
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Tips
- Consider joining an online forum for stock photographers. You can discuss which photos sell best, trade tips, ask about problems and find out which agencies offer the best incomes.Thanks
- Stock photos sell for years. Determined photographers with good eyes can earn a living selling stock photos. With a large collection of photos, photographers can continue to earn even when they are not actively taking and submitting new photos.Thanks
- Consider selling your photos to a micro-stock agency, which will allow you submit smaller images. While most stock agencies require that you be able to blow the photo up to 50mb without losing quality, micro-stock images allow you to use almost any digital camera above 8 megapixels.Thanks
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Things You'll Need
- Good quality digital camera and accessories
- Computer with a connection to the Internet
- Software for editing, uploading and managing your photos
About This Article
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 27,152 times.
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