Microstock Photography | MyMoneySites Directory
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Microstock photography sites sell stock photos online, usually
royalty-free. The "micro" refers to selling photos cheaper
than standard stock photo agencies, but in higher quantities.
The advantage here is that almost anyone can become a photographer
for these sites and send in their photos, then get paid as the
photos are downloaded and purchased by customers of the microstock
site. Most sites pay you a commission, while others pay a flat
rate per photo.
Of course, not all photos are accepted. Each site has their own
individual guidelines for what photos they will accept. In general,
the photos should be large - typically 2 megapixels at the minimum
- and taken with a high quality camera. The image must be clean
and sharp, with no artifacts. And, photos with identifiable images
of people will usually require the person to sign a model release
form.
Keywords are also very important on microstock sites. For each
photo you submit, you must also list some keywords that describe
the photo, so that potential customers will be able to find the
photo when they search for those keywords.
Recommended sites
in Microstock Photography
The sites listed below are examples of exceptional sites in this
section of the directory.
Or, you can browse all 8 sites in this section.
Dreamstime
pays anywhere from a 50% to 80% commission for photos you sell,
which is one of the highest among microstock sites. The commission
increases as you sell more of your photos on the site. They also
allow you to sell a photo exclusively to a single buyer at a higher
price. Dreamstime has an additional program called the "Keymaster"
program. Keymasters provide keywords for photos on the site, which
are used when customers search for photos. As a Keymaster, you are
paid $0.20 for each photo that you provide keywords for.
iStockphoto
is currently the largest microstock photography site on the net
and therefore has the most potential customers. They also have a
very active community of users. To apply, you must send in three
high quality sample photos for review, as well as provide a form
of ID. The site also provides a training guide that demonstrates
what types of photos you should submit. Photographers start out
receiving a 20% commission for each photo purchased, although this
can be increased to 40% - along with other bonuses - if you decide
to sell your photos exclusively through iStockphoto. You will also
receive more exposure on the iStockphoto site itself if you choose
to be exclusive.
Shutterstock
is a popular microstock site with a large number of potential customers
- perhaps second only to iStockphoto. They pay $0.25 every single
time one of your photos is downloaded by subscribers of the site,
and increase this to $0.30 after you reach 500 downloads. The photos
you submit to Shutterstock are not exclusive to them, so you can
still sell them anywhere else you choose. Shutterstock requires
you to send them a set of sample photos before you get full upload
privileges.
Click here to browse all sites in this section.
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