Microstock Photography Selling Tips

Info media photography : Digital photography created an easy way for almost any type of photographer to create images for use as microstock photos. The biggest agencies are humming with business—Shutterstock, Dreamstime, fotolia and iStockphoto.

Microstock companies have caused the price of images to drop precipitously sometimes to less than a dollar. It might not seem like it’s worth it to get involved with something that pays so little and is so time consuming.

I’ve found if you keep at it, you can have some success. At Dreamstime, when an image sells, it goes up in price so you earn more. You can start earning .50 on a photo and watch the price you get paid go up to $8 as more people download it. I now get paid several dollars each time my image of the Disney Hall sells.

Image by Matthew Bamberg

Many people join more than one agency. I don’t; I prefer to be connected with one, because the amount you receive for a sale is much more than if you don’t. When you join just one agency, you can become “exclusive.” All this takes is a mouse click on a short agreement.

The best part about selling photos at microstock agencies is that months after you get a portfolio up of about 500 pictures, you can make several hundred dollars a month without doing anything. Be warned that getting 500 images accepted is challenging and that it takes several months to upload them if you work at it part time.

No doubt about it, the microstock business is an extremely competitive field to get into. It used to be harder to get images online because the agencies wanted professional models whom have signed indemnity releases doing everyday things.

There are two types of photos that most agencies accept—editorial and RF photos (a negotiation of sorts for acquiring the rights to use the photo). Royalty Free photos (photos that are sold that are not editorial) must not contain any writing or any symbol that is trademarked (like a Wells Fargo bank sign).

Microstock agencies today accept photos without release forms (for both people and property) if you indicate that they are editorial. Editorial images mean that they can only be use for newsworthy publications. They would range from House and Garden to your daily newspaper. More than half of the images I’m selling are editorial. This is a great opportunity for street photographers.

Popular images include those with groups of people and scenic locations. To date, my most popular image is the inside of a tequila factory with three huge containers of coppery liquid occupying the frame. Just goes to show you how esoteric some of the photos you have to take can be, that is if you want to delve into this business.

Anything that has trails and/or stars of light from shooting with long shutter speeds is a good bet for making some money. Two shots of mine—both editorial images—Disney Hall and a wet street in Paris sell well. The former has long red and yellow trails from vehicles passing in front of the wispy, steel structure; and the later has lamps where lit stars have formed by using a small aperture (large f/stop) when shooting.

Image by Matthew Bamberg

To comply with the strict guidelines of microstock agencies, you not only must have the proper equipment (lighting, studio, and camera), you have to have a good eye and do a little research as to what’s selling on the microstock site they’re interested in.

Even if you have a good eye, take several pictures of your subject from all different kinds of angles, even weird angles (lying down with your camera angled and tilted)

Have fun and good luck out there.