We have reached a point where anyone with the latest iPhone can call themselves a “photographer.” In fact, it is possible to make a small or even a huge profit from your photos. This guide will go over some of the key things you need to know about selling your photos online and provide resources to help you make your photography-based business a reality.

17 Popular Websites to Sell Photos Online

If you are building a portfolio of professional-quality images, consider registering as a contributor on a stock photo site to monetize your photos. It is important to choose the website that best suits you based on your photography experience and whether you want exclusive licensing.

Alamy

Alamy offers photographers a number of different commission models to choose from.

Alamy has one of the largest collections of stock photos on the internet, with over 300 million stock images, vectors, videos, and 360-degree panoramic images. They also have an app called Stockimo that lets you sell photos taken on your smartphone.

Alamy pays its contributors monthly and offers a variety of commission models. Photographers can earn anywhere from 17% to 50% of the sale price, depending on the popularity of the image and the type of license. There is no need to sign a long-term contract with Alamy, and it offers flexible terms, including the ability to receive payments in multiple currencies.

500px

500px is a platform that combines stock photo licensing and community features.

500px Licensing hosts millions of photographers who sell their photos online through 500px ’s stock photo site. Distribution partners serve over 1 million customers worldwide, making it the best choice for creative content.

500px is also a community-based platform for amateur and professional photographers. You can follow other photographers, post your photos in the online marketplace, and enter photo contests to win prizes. Paid members can earn up to 100% royalties for exclusive photos.

SmugMug Pro

To use SmugMug, you must sign up for one of three monthly membership plans.

Shutterstock

Shutterstock is a popular stock photography website that sells photos online, and has paid out over $1 billion to the community over the past 15 years. Shutterstock is considered a microstock site that offers photos at low prices and allows non-exclusive use of the photos. To be successful on Shutterstock, it’s important to consistently contribute a large number of images. While it’s unlikely to pay you a lot of money, it can be a great starting point for beginners who want to learn how to sell stock photos.

Payments are based on time-based earnings, and photographers can earn between 20% and 30%. There is also an affiliate program available to earn extra income by referring new photographers or clients.

Getty Images

Getty Images has a massive library of high-quality stock photos.

Getty Images attracts brands and online publishers looking to license high-quality or rare exclusive images. Together with microstock site iStock, the platform reaches over 1.5 million customers worldwide.

Getty Images has stricter criteria for selling photos online than other stock photo sites. However, for high-quality photos licensed through Getty Images, the profit margin starts at 20% and can be higher. To become a contributor, you must submit a sample set of photos and go through an approval process.

iStock Photo

iStock Photo is a non-exclusive alternative to Getty Images.

iStock Photo is a subsidiary of Getty Images. The main difference between the two stock photo platforms is that iStock ’s photos are available non-exclusively, meaning that other agencies can also sell them.

Commissions range from 15% to 45%, depending on the contributor agreement. To sell your photos on iStock, you must submit and receive approval for a sample image set.

Stocksy

Stocksy is a great platform for new photographers looking to sell their photos online.

Stocksy is a popular stock photo site, and many publishers and creatives consider it one of the best ways to sell their photos online. Stocksy is popular because it offers high returns to its contributors. Photographers can earn a 50% royalty with the standard license, or a 75% royalty with the extended license. However, all photos must be exclusive to the platform.

Stocksy is an artist-owned cooperative, which means contributors become part owners of the business and can help decide its direction. Contributors also receive a share of the profits in the form of dividends when the cooperative makes a profit.

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

Picfair

If you want some control over your online photography portfolio, Picfair is a great option. You can set your own prices for photos, prints, and digital downloads, and Picfair handles payment processing, print production, shipping, and digital image licensing. You can easily set up a custom store starting at $5 per month (billed annually).

Adobe Stock

Adobe Stock integrates with Adobe’s popular photography software.

If you work on a photography project using Adobe products, you can add images, videos, vectors, and illustrations to the company’s online stock photography platform called Adobe Stock . Assets can be uploaded directly from Lightroom and Bridge. Contributors who link their Adobe ID to Adobe Stock can earn a 33% royalty.

Envato Elements

Join Envato Elements and earn a share of all subscription revenue.

Envato Elements is a powerful stock photo site that allows you to sell your photos online and connect with potential customers. With Envato Elements, you can sell your photos through the app or upload them to your own site under your brand domain. Whichever method you choose, Envato Elements is a popular place to sell your photos and make money doing what you love. Contributors receive 50% of the net subscription revenue.

Depositphotos

Depositphotos is a platform that connects photographers with popular companies.

Depositphotos is a global visual content marketplace with over 270 million files and over 38 million global customers. Major international companies such as Bosch, TripAdvisor, and Subaru use the platform. Depositphotos compensates contributors based on their experience, status on the website, image resolution, and license type, with fees ranging from 25 cents to $33.82 per photo.

Dreamstime

Dreamstime is a popular photo selling website.

Dreamstime is a photography sales website founded in 2000, providing high-quality images to creative market customers. It serves a variety of clients, from independents to Fortune 500 companies, and has over 50 million registered members and over 1 million photographers.

Dreamstime offers up to 60% royalty to contributors. However, to get the highest income, you must register as an exclusive contributor. Non-exclusive contributors can earn between 25% and 45% of the image popularity.

EyeEm

EyeEm contributors can make reservations for photo shoots.

EyeEm focuses on advertising stock photography and is a great platform for selling your photos online if you do commercial photography work. Clients include Apple and Spotify. EyeEm ’s dedicated site features also allow you to book photo shoots. Images uploaded to EyeEm are also published on Getty for greater visibility. Contributors can receive a licensing revenue share of up to 55% based on their total annual revenue.

123RF

123RF is a simple photo selling site that offers non-exclusive rights.

All content on 123RF is non-exclusive, so you can sell your images on other websites as well as on the platform. 123RF markets your photos to over 10 million registered users. As a contributor, you can earn 30% to 60% of each license sold.

Foap

Foap can offer photography for big brands.

Foap is a community of over 3 million creatives. The site offers contributors a variety of ways to sell their photos, including a fee per image and a mission where brands submit briefs and cash prizes for winning entries. Foap 's clients include KraftHeinz, Nivea, and Volvo.

Zenfolio

Build your online portfolio with Zenfolio.

Zenfolio lets you build a portfolio to showcase your work, attract clients, and sell your photos. The platform offers print and digital product options. Zenfolio requires a subscription starting at $3.50 per month, billed annually. The company charges a service fee of 6.9% for self-fulfilled products and 9.9% for vendor and digital products.

Pixieset

Pixieset is a comprehensive photo sales website.

Pixieset provides photographers with the ability to share, distribute, and sell their photos online. Pixieset lets you create an online store to automatically process and sell photo prints, products, and more. Pixieset charges a 15% commission on the free plan, but there is no commission on the paid plan. Paid plans start at $8 per month when billed annually.

Tips for selling stock photos online

• Define your stock photography niche
• Get on Instagram
• Integrate ecommerce into your stock photo website

Now that you know how to sell your photos online, you can learn how to sell stock photos as a business.

Defining the Stock Photography Niche

Successful photographers have a consistent style or theme to their work. Whether you focus on travel, fashion, nature, or food, consistency is key. Photographers often find their niche by finding their style and subject matter. You can analyze search volumes through keyword research to assess the demand for topics related to your photography. Google Trends is a basic tool for evaluating popular searches. Use trends to see which image subjects are becoming more and more popular.

Instagram

Like bloggers and YouTubers, photographers who want to sell their photos online need to invest in building their audience.

Visually-focused social platforms like Instagram can help you reach a wider audience. Use Instagram tools to follow relevant accounts, engage with popular hashtags, and grow your audience.

There are also photo sharing sites that can help you connect with other photographers and grow your following. Depending on the platform, they may also offer the ability to sell licenses for your digital stock photos.

Connecting multiple accounts makes it easier to manage photo sharing across platforms, which increases your visibility. For example, you can connect your Instagram account to simultaneously post images to Facebook.

Integrating eCommerce into your stock photography website

Most photographers have their own websites to showcase their work to potential customers. Adding a Shopify Buy button to your website makes it easier for customers to purchase stock images.

For example, photographer Dave Sandford runs a store that displays his wildlife photography and offers prints and calendars for purchase.

The easiest way to sell your photos online is to build a portfolio or store on Shopify. You can set up a digital showroom using pre-designed art and photography themes, or you can use a combination of free themes and gallery apps. Then, you can monetize your Shopify photo site with social media feeds, ads, and offline sales through your Shopify POS.

How to sell your stock photos as prints and photo books

You can use your photos to create and sell products that your customers can own. For example, you can create simple framed prints or cushions. Selling your own products can be easier than you think.

You can upload your photos and sell them as paper prints or physical products like mugs, t-shirts, calendars, etc. Popular sites include:

• Printful
• CafePress
• Fine Art America

The best way to sell your photos as prints or products online is to work with a local photo studio to have prints shipped to you, or with a Print on Demand company that will dropship a variety of products (prints, phone cases, pillows, etc.) featuring your photos.

We recommend that you order a sample first to ensure that the quality of the product matches the quality in the photo.

How to sell your photos online as a photo album

Photo books are another product that can contain your photos. The more specific and consistent your photos are, the more likely you are to create a great photo book centered around an attractive subject and sell it online. Print on Demand services do not offer high margins, but they are a risk-free way to test the demand for your product before making an initial investment decision.

How to sell your photos as a service

Whether you’re shooting events, fashion shoots, or product shots, there are plenty of business opportunities that can help you capitalize on the demand for professional photography. You can list your services on freelance directories like Fiverr and Upwork, or apply to be a Shopify expert. But since you’ll need to meet clients in person, consider networking locally, too.

Here are some networking tips for selling your photography services:

• Always have your business cards ready— Because you never know when you’ll meet a potential client. (Create your own using Shopify’s free business card maker.)

• Clean up your LinkedIn profile, showcase your work, and optimize it for the key photo services you offer (e.g. event photography).

• Attend networking events attended by entrepreneurs and event organizers—often requiring a professional photographer.

• Build your personal brand as a photographer so that you're top of mind when your skills are needed within your network.

Since photographers are required to work strict time slots, unlike other freelancers, it’s a good idea to have a booking platform where potential clients can view your schedule and book when it’s available.

Setmore and SimplyBook.me offer free plans and features that are great for photographers. If you use Shopify, you can install BookThatApp to manage bookings directly on your site.

Now let's talk about usage rights and protecting your work when selling photos online.

Legal information for selling photos online

Legal Glossary for Selling Photos Online

• Editorial Use: Permission to use in blogs, newspapers, magazines and other publications.

• Commercial Use: means permission to use it for marketing and advertising to promote your products or services.

• Retail Use: Permission to use the copyrighted work to make products, including prints, posters, and products containing the photograph (pillows, mugs, etc.) that are sold. This term is sometimes discussed in the same context as commercial use, but should be considered separately.

• Exclusive Use: The person who purchased the license has the sole right to use the photo.

• Non-exclusive use: Photo licenses can be purchased and used by anyone, and are usually less expensive than exclusive licenses.

• Public domain: You can use the photo for commercial, editorial, and personal use without any restrictions or copyright claims. Works created by U.S. federal government agencies (e.g., NASA) generally fall into this category, except where noted.

• Creative Commons: Allows for conditional use, provided you follow the stated restrictions. Attribution to the creator may be required. You can generate a badge for this license for free by visiting Creative Commons.

• Royalty Free: When you purchase a license, you can use the photo for an unlimited period of time without limitation. This is the most common type of license and is usually less expensive because it is non-exclusive.

• Rights Management: You can purchase a one-time license to use the photo, with restrictions on distribution. Additional uses require the purchase of additional licenses.

• Publicity Rights: The subject of your photo has certain rights to their photo when used commercially. This is separate from copyright considerations, and it is always a good idea to get explicit permission from your subject just to be safe.

What should I do if someone steals my photo?

Content theft is a common problem, and many people often do it unknowingly.

Photographers can add watermarks to their digital images before selling them online to provide some protection against theft. If you are selling or sharing your own photos, you can apply an identifying mark using Photoshop or a watermark generator.

Small watermarks are usually placed in the corners of the photo to have less of an impact on the photo, while large watermarks are applied with reduced transparency and are the most effective way to protect your photo.

However, if someone still uses your photo, sending a cease and desist request is usually effective. Or, you can send a bill for the use of your photo. Combining the two methods and offering the person who used your photo the option to pay or remove the photo may be the most effective.

At the very least, you should always try to give credit when others use your work, even if it is for editorial purposes. Links to your portfolio site are not only useful for driving traffic to your other work, but also for search engine optimization and improving your ranking in Google search results.

Monetize your photos

Selling photos is a great online business idea. Whether photography is your job, a hobby, or a profitable side hustle, there are more avenues to selling your photos online than ever before.

While your earning potential will depend on your talent and determination, earning money doing something you love is one of the most rewarding things you can do.

How to Sell Photos Online FAQ

Where can I sell my photos online for money?

How to make money with stock photos?