➤ 👨‍💻How to sell photos online in 2023: 21 sites and some advice 🎮

Making money as a photographer requires creativity and skills not only to take pictures but also to be able to monetize one's talent. The market is very competitive.

Index

The 21 best sites to sell photos online
How to sell photos online: practical advice
Glossary of legal terms for selling photos online

The 21 Best Sites to Sell Photos Online in 2022

To get you started, here are the best platforms to sell photos online:

Alamy
500px
SmugMug Pro
Shutterstock
iStock Photo
Etsy
Getty Images
stocksy
Can Stock Photo
Adobe Stock
Twenty20
Depositphotos
Dreamtime
EyeEm
123RF
Foap
Zenfolio
Pixieset
TourPhotos
canva
PhotoDune

One of the most common ways to sell photos online is to license your shots to companies, publishers or anyone who may have an interest in using them for their own purposes.

This is the key. You will have to follow an unconventional process starting from imagining the possible uses of your photographs by companies or blogs. Versatile photos that represent concepts tend to be popular, especially when they depict human subjects.

There are many stock photography sites to choose from. Let's take a look at the best places to sell photos online.

1. Alamy

Alamy pays contributors monthly and has an easy payment method. You will receive 50% from direct sales of Alamy exclusive photos and 40% from direct sales of non-exclusive photos. Moreover, Alamy has no long-term contractual obligations.

2px

500px is home to millions of photographers who sell photos online. Its sales partners serve over one million customers worldwide and are a point of reference for those looking for creative materials. All site content is royalty free — that is, licensed for unlimited, perpetual use — and prices are based on file size.

500px is also a platform with a community of professional and amateur photographers. It allows you to follow other photographers, publish your photos in the marketplace and participate in "Quests" (photo contests with prizes). You can earn up to 60% royalty on exclusive photos and a 30% commission on non-exclusive photos, making it a great site to sell images online.

Getting started is simple:

Create an account;
Submit your photos;
Authorize the sale;
Fill out the forms for each image, attaching any disclaimers and/or model releases;
Finally, start selling your images!

3. SmugMug Pro

Whether you're a novice photographer or an established pro, SmugMug empowers you to sell photos online with a beautiful portfolio, sales platform, and tools to help you grow. With SmugMug you get 85% of the markup you set on the base price set by the platform.

For example, if you sell a 5x7 print for €10,79 and the SmartMug's default retail price is €0,79, the markup is €10. In this case you will make a profit of €8,50. However, you'll need to take out a monthly subscription, which costs $244 a year, with the Portfolio plan. It's also true that the plan gives you access to tons of ecommerce tools that are useful for selling photos online.

4 Shutterstock

Shutterstock is the leading stock photography site that allows you to sell photos online. The platform has contributed over a billion dollars to its photography community over the past 15 years and can make your photos visible to millions of customers.

Shutterstock is a microstock site. In other words, it sells the photos at low prices and without an exclusive license. Here the best strategy to earn is to sell a large amount of usable images such as visual metaphors (concrete things that indicate abstract concepts). Don't expect to make huge profits. It's a good option to take advantage of if you're learning how to sell photos online.

Payouts are based on your earnings over time and range from 15% to 40%. There is also an affiliate program that allows you to earn extra money if you refer new photographers or clients.

5. iStock Photo

iStock Photo is the microstock arm of Getty Images. The main difference between the two realities? Your photos are not exclusive on iStock, so you can also sell them through other agencies. On the other hand, you will earn much lower commissions than selling exclusive photos. Commissions range from 15% to 45%, depending on whether the photos are exclusive or non-exclusive.

Here are the compensations for exclusive contributors reported by parent company Getty:

6. Etsy

On Etsy, unlike other places to sell photos online, most people don't go to look for stock images: it falls into the category of sites to sell objects and handcrafted creations online. So to get the most out of the platform invest in product design and marketing to promote your Etsy shop. However, since the platform only takes a small percentage of each sale, it may be worth investing your energy here to sell art online.

7.Getty Images

Getty Images is at the top end of the stock photography site market. Attract brands and publishers looking for exclusive, rare, high-quality images to license. The platform, together with its microstock site iStock, reaches over 1,5 million customers worldwide.

The criteria for selecting contributors is obviously more stringent than many other stock photo sites. However, commissions for photos licensed through Getty Images start at 20% and can go as high as 45%.

8. Stocksy

Stocksy is a mid-range stock photography site, especially popular with publishers and creatives. By becoming a Stocksy contributor you get high compensation. Photographers can earn 50% royalties on standard licenses and 75% on extended licenses. But all photos are 100% exclusive. In other words, you won't be able to use them on other stock photo websites.

Stocksy is also an artists' cooperative. Essentially, you gain some ownership of the company and can help control its direction. Contributors can receive a share of profits if the cooperative makes a profit. The percentage of profits due to each is determined on the basis of the contributions made to the cooperative through the sale of photos and/or videos.

If you're interested in selling photos on Stocksy, check out the Contributor Application FAQ.

9. Can Stock Photo

Over 92 photographers have chosen to sell photos online with Can Stock Photo. There are different types of compensation, from percentages to a fixed amount. In addition, Can Stock pays you 5 dollars for every 50 photos sold by your referral. When you sell on Can Stock Photo, the platform also lists your photos on Fotosearch — a stock photography agency.

10.Adobe Stock

Adobe Stock is one of the best places to sell photos online with no subscription fees. If you already use the Adobe suite for other creative projects, you can upload photos, videos, vector images or illustrations to Adobe Stock directly from Adobe Lightroom CC and Adobe Bridge CC, and via the web.

By selling photos on Adobe Stock, you can reach millions of buyers. You'll gain exposure in the world's largest creative community, right inside the creatives' favorite apps. A 33% profit is expected on photos sold through the platform.

11. Twenty20

$2 for each licensed photo;
Cash prizes in photo challenges;
100% commission paid by a brand that hires you for a scheduled photo shoot.

12. Depositphotos

Depositphotos is a global marketplace for visual content with a library of over 183 million files and customers in over 200 countries. It has more than 100 thousand contributors from all over the world. And among its clients it boasts leading international companies such as Warner Bros, TripAdvisor, Subaru and many others. Commissions vary between 34% and 42% depending on the experience of the contributor, the level he has reached on the platform and also on the resolution and type of license of his photos.

13. Dreamstime

For nearly 20 years, Dreamstime has been providing high-quality imagery to the creative market—from freelancers to Fortune 500 companies. The agency boasts:

31 million subscribers;
600 contributing photographers;
144 million photos, illustrations, clipart and vector images;
20 million unique visitors per month to the website.

Dreamstime offers generous compensation to contributors. But it requires a consistent commitment: it is necessary to keep at least 70% of the approved content available on the site for a minimum of six months. Non-exclusive contributors can earn 25-50%, while exclusive photos generate 27,5-55% commission. You can also earn from referrals, both as a contributor and as a buyer.

14.Eye Em

EyeEm mainly focuses on advertising stock photography. Therefore, it is one of the best places to sell photos online if you want to establish yourself in commercial photography. You can even get bookings for photo shoots from companies like Airbnb, Spotify, and other popular brands.

The platform has a community of over 25 million photographers and videomakers from over 150 countries, and offers 50% commission on every photo sold.

15 123RF

16. Foap

Foap is characterized by its community of over three million creatives. Do you want to upload a professional photo shoot or maybe try to make money selling pictures of you? Either way, you can use the Foap app.

Foap offers contributors the opportunity to sell photos online and earn money in several ways:

$5 for each photo sold;
$100-2500 for Missions (contests in which companies provide a brief and set a cash prize for the winning photos);
Selling photos online through partner platforms, including Adobe and Alamy.

If you want brands like KraftHeinz, Nivea, Heineken and others to see your photos and videos, Foap is a great option for you.

17. Zenfolio

18. Pixieset

Pixieset offers photographers a “complete package” for sharing, delivering and selling photos online. With Pixieset you can easily create a beautiful online store, sell prints and customized products with your photos and get automatic order fulfillment through print on demand.

Pixieset gives you full control over your store. All you need to do is price your products and make sales. The free plan includes a 15% commission in favor of the platform. Conversely, there are no fees with the paid plans, which start at $8 per month.

19. TourPhotos

TourPhotos is a site dedicated, as the name suggests, to travel photography. In practice, it allows you to create a virtual showcase in which to display the photos of your travels.

TourPhotos users have two options available to manage their shots:

Offer photos for free, like a Burst-style stock site;
Sell photos online through the platform.

As a site specializing in the sale of photographs, it has a number of very useful features for professionals including the ability to add watermarks to photos, manage commissions and generate monthly reports on sales made.

20. Can go

Canva needs very little introduction. It is one of the most used photo editing apps in the world.

Within the site, there is a section dedicated to photographs: users - both with a free plan and with a pro subscription - can access stock shots to use in their projects.

It is possible to insert your own photographs in Canva - here the reference page for contributors - and then earn every time a user uses the photo in the project they are working on. The service is free.

21. PhotoDune

With a pool of over 2 million active users, PhotoDune is a useful resource for anyone looking for sites to sell photos online.

Payment equals 50% of total subscriptions divided among all contributors. To access the program, you must sign up for EnvatoElements.

Bonus: GuruShots

It's not exactly a site for selling photos online, but it's still worth mentioning GuruShots: the largest photography game available on the web.

Through contests, challenges, interactions with the community, it is possible to win physical and cash prizes (up to $800). In addition, the best shots are exhibited around the world.

How to sell photos online: practical advice

Now that you know where to sell photos online, let's see how to make your image selling business thrive.

1. Define your niche

Every successful photographer has a style or theme that runs through their work. Be it travel, fashion, cityscapes, nature, food, etc. consistency is key.

People follow you to see more content similar to what initially piqued their interest. And they stop following you when those expectations aren't met.

As you discover what types of photos appeal to your audience, you'll find it easier to find your niche. You can also check demand by analyzing search volume for certain keywords related to your photos.

Search volume

Keywords Everywhere is a browser extension that shows you the search volume right under the term you search on Google. Using it, it will be easy for you to identify requested subjects and themes, to try to fulfill the wishes of the public.

Sharing on various social platforms

It doesn't matter if you are a freelancer or if you sell prints online: you will need to leverage your network of contacts to start making yourself known.

2. Integrate ecommerce into your portfolio

Most photographers have an online portfolio to showcase their work to potential clients. By adding ecommerce to your portfolio, with the ability to accept payments from PayPal or Shop Pay, you increase your chances of earning, with the ability to sell courses, physical products and digital services.

Dave Sanford, for example, has a shop that displays his nature photography while also allowing you to buy prints and calendars.

Create your portfolio or shop on resources4gaming, and install the necessary apps to customize it according to your needs and monetization strategies; then start sharing and selling your photography in different ways: on social media, through ads, or even offline with resources4gaming POS.

There are many reasons why your ecommerce site can be the best place to sell photos online, including the independence and ability to scale your business without the limits or restrictions of online marketplaces.

Glossary of legal terms for selling photos online

To help you check the legal issues, below are some terms you need to know before selling photos online.

Editorial use. Possibility of use in blogs, newspapers, magazines and other publications.

Commercial use. Possibility of use for marketing and advertising purposes to promote a product or service.

Use for products intended for sale. Possibility of use in the creation of a physical product intended for sale. This includes using the photo for prints or posters and reproducing it on gadgets like pillows, mugs, etc. The concept is sometimes associated with commercial use, but should be considered separately.

Exclusive use. It means that whoever purchases the license is the only one who can use the photo.

Not exclusive. Non-exclusive photo licenses can be purchased and used by anyone, and usually cost less than exclusive ones.

Creative Commons. The use of the works is permitted provided that it complies with the restrictions indicated. Author credit is sometimes required. Visit Creative Commons to generate a free badge for this license.

Royalty free. Everyone can purchase a license and use the photo for an unlimited time and an unlimited number of times. Among photographic licenses, this is the most common and least expensive type, as these are usually non-exclusive photos.

Licenza rights-managed. Grants the right to use a restricted photo for distribution. Additional licenses must be purchased for various uses.

Right of publicity

For more detailed information on the protection of photographic material, read this article on copyright. Check out the major stock photo sites as well, to see how they define the various types of licenses.

How to sell photos online: conclusions

Regardless of whether photography is a hobby for you, a second job or your main job, today more than ever you can turn your passion into a business with the information contained in this article.

The profit you can generate from selling images online will depend on your talent and above all your determination. But one thing is certain: the money you make doing what you love will be the best money ever made.