How To Sell Stock Photography

You first need to dispel the myth that only those with high-tech extraordinary cameras can produce great pictures; that is simply not the case. Even cameras with 5 mega pixels and a 3x zoom can yield fine quality photographs. With a little refinement, along with the use of editing tools with software like Adobe Photoshop, you can produce high quality images.

Choose photographs which you think have potential commercial value and submit them to a stock photography agency that will put your pictures up for bid (with the intent to sell). If you are a novice, take the time to visit stock photography web sites so as to familiarize yourself with the kinds of commercial pictures that you can sell as stock photography. Following your research, make a list of all stock photography web sites who you think could best market and sell your pictures. Stock photography web sites are typically visited by media personnel, web designers, and advertisers who all go there to download photographs that meet their needs. For every download done, you receive an amount from the commission. The best way to ensure your work is seen and makes a decent wage, is to constantly maintain and submit your portfolio to stock photography sites showcasing the very best of your work.

The next step to sell stock photography is to coin your pictures. Your pictures can be searched by anyone that types a particular word into an Internet search engine. Therefore, it is important when naming your pictures to use key words so they have a better chance of appearing in the first two pages of a search result. As a rule, the earlier your pictures appear in a search engine, the more chances they have of being viewed and downloaded. As an example, if you clicked on photographs of football teams or players, the use of the keyword "sports" would increase the visibility of your picture.

Some of the most popular stock photography sites are: Shutterpoint Stock Photography, Photo Stock Plus, and Fotolia.com; these sites all have royalty free photographs. Sites like Corbis and everystockphoto.com, require a membership which is generally free of charge. There may be some web sites out there that do in fact charge a minimal amount but sometimes it can be worth paying these fees in exchange for the commission you will end up receiving when you are paid by the web site for your work.

Even if photography is going to be your next source of viable income (apart from your regular job), be prepared for the stiff competition already out there and well established in the field. If this is your first foray into this profession, make sure that you bid for your pictures only if they are unique and different from the rest. There are those who come into the business of stock photography with dull and sub-standard pictures and as a result are met with quick rejections by stock photography sites right from the start.

Would you like to know how to sell stock photography successfully?