Selling Photos on Microstock for Travelers

First posted: 26 October 2009 - Updated: 28 December 2011

I often get asked by friends and other travellers about getting started in microstock. In some ways its an easy way to earn a little bit of money online. There is nothing stopping anyone from selling photos online. The bad news is that there are a lot of technical barriers to getting started and sometimes it can be a lot of work for very little reward. Many very talented and established photographers don't seem to be able to get started - partly because they get frustrated early on by the sometimes tedious nature of microstock, or by lack of initial success. For hobbyists the competition is now extremely tough.

Despite all this, some want advice on where to get started, the list below should give some tips that will improve the odds of your success, and income if you do make this a part of your travels.

Is it too late?

A very different question is whether its worth trying to break in now. Realistically you'll probably only know the answer whether it was worth it in a few years time if you're photos are still selling. My view is that the "honeymoon is over" ie. the days where hobbyists could good income from microstock are behind us. You can still make money, but it requires discipline, a good strategy and the awareness that you're competing with established and often professional photographers. Many photographers who have been successful in past years are now reporting declining sales.

Reports of declining sales are coming from many including the "Top selling microstocker", Yuri Accurs.

This guide aims to provide information needed to getting started - and is mainly aimed at photographers. Many of these things also apply to vector and illustration artists, and those who want to sell video footage, but there's different requirements in terms of the product. It is based on my opinion formed from over 5 years of selling photos successfully on microstock - and actively observing many industry participants. Note that this article focuses on the mechanics of submitting - not what is probably the most critical elements - what to shoot or how to shoot it.

Is it work?

Part of the attraction of microstock is that it sounds easy. Snap some pictures, upload, and watch the money roll in. The difficulty is that this just won't work. Each photo needs to meet the agency's review criteria. These include:

• No visible noise
• No loss of detail from noise reduction
• No sharpening artefacts
• No visible editing
• Proper keywords and descriptions
• No recognisable people or trademarks for creative stock
• Content that is commercially suitable

In practice its these criteria that mean when starting out photographers will frequently submit batches of images many, or all of which get rejected. The bottom line is that microstock is an industry like any other - if you put in a lot of work, you'll earn money from it. If you don't then the odds of doing so are slim.

1. Sign up to the right microstock agencies

   The big choice that will need to be made down the track is whether to be exclusive on Istock, or to submit to a larger number of smaller sites. Although some other sites also offer exclusivity - for 99% of photographers none of these sites are a viable alternative to collective income from the remaining sites. Starting out going exclusive on Istock isn't an option (you need a minimum of 250 downloads) and going exclusive on the other sites will cut you off from 75% of your revenue. If you want to go exclusive with Istock later, don't upload files to Dreamstime of Bigstockphoto - these lock in files for a 6-month period (dreamstime) and 3 month period (Bigstock) which will stop or delay you going exclusive down the track.

   My opinion is that at this point in time exclusivity with iStock will earn the most revenue, and give opportunities to sell images at much higher prices through Getty images. This option will however be harder initially, and require a higher standard of images to get started. Its also not heavily promoted by bloggers because iStockphoto doesn't pay any affiliate bonuses for signing up photographers.

   In the case that you decide on non-exclusivity, I'd suggest signing up and submit to all off the following sites (you can choose whether to submit photos to Dreamstime and Bigstock later):

   1. Istockphoto (owned by Getty Images)
   2. Shutterstock
   3. Fotolia
   4. Dreamstime
   5. 123 Royalty Free
   6. Veer (owned by Corbis)
   7. Pond5
   8. Photodune
   9. Bigstock (owned by Shutterstock)
   10. CanStock

   If you plan on selling footage, Shutterstock, Pond5 and iStock are the agencies I'm currently testing.

   As you can see its a pretty long list. There are plenty of other sites that you could sell through, but at the moment the chances of earning a worthwhile income from them are sometimes limited.

   Even if you don't plan on selling photos through a particular agency, I'd still recommend signing up and setting up your account while you are getting started to reserve your chosen username. Its probably also easier and faster to sort the sign-up and submission requirements (including identification) in one hit. It doesn't cost anything to have a photographers account or submit to at any of these sites. They make their income from taking a percentage of everything you earn. An additional factor is that having an account qualifies you for their referral programs (but more about that later!)

   The sites are listed in order of earnings for most photographers (although it gets very hazy after BS), so if you want to prioritise uploading to the sites that make the most money, a logical cut-off is at the "big 4", or the big 3 for video (iStock, Shutterstock and Pond5).

2. Sign up at Alamy for Rights Managed images

   Alamy Alamy offers a very different service to the microstocks and is far more geared to selling editorial photos. In my experience, sales tend to come from good niche images which would only get a handful of downloads at best on microstock. Creatively, selling through Alamy will mean that you won't be thinking quite so much about avoiding people in your shots and what advertising is there - personally I find this very liberating, and generally I tend to prefer the type of photography that sells on Alamy. Unlike the microstocks, sales can be few and far between, however prices per sale are much higher than on microstock, and sales of several hundred dollars are possible.

3. Get together sample images and first submissions

   Some of the microstock agencies require the submission of sample images and for you to fill out a photographer's "test" before you'll be accepted. Importantly this includes IStock (3 samples) and Shutterstock (10 samples). These are also the sites that will earn the most money over time, so make acceptance to these sites a priority.

   Your initial submissions need to stand out and be varied. Do not submit any photos of pets, flowers or sunsets at the beach no matter how beautiful they are. Don't submit editorial shots, or anything with a visible logo, trademark or item that could be associated with a brand. Ideally include some shots of people that are model released.

   Samples should be processed from raw files taken at a cameras base ISO and properly exposed. Avoid images with difficult lighting that take a lot of post processing to "fix", and anything other than an ISO100 or 200 shot. Make sure images are properly sharp (ie. pin-sharp) when inspected at full size - 100% and be sure that the focus is exactly where it should be. Images should not require sharpening to look sharp. While its ok to use some noise reduction, less is more. Apply it selectively in areas that need it - ie. in the shadows and areas with no detail such as skies... but never overdo it!

   Before submitting samples to Istock and Shutterstock, spend time familiarising yourself with submission requirements by reading the site forums and asking questions if you need to. If possible get the opinion of experienced contributors - but make sure you've read a lot first - we get a lot of emails along the lines of "can you have a look at my photos and tell me if I'd make it as a stock photographer" from people who haven't bothered to do basic research and don't even include basic information about themselves or their background.

   Checklist:
   • Strong, varied subject matter - no pets or flowers
   • No trademarks, private property, iconic products
   • Ideally a model released shot
   • Processed from raw, shot at ISO100 or 200
   • Sharp images
   • No Artifacts or Noise

   Before submitting samples, I'd recommend getting together a set of at least 20 potential images that you think would make the cut and culling that down to 10 to submit.

4. Get the camera equipment you need!

   Any modern DSL-R is capable of producing images that will get accepted by microstock agencies. If you're get rejections using a DSLR, chances are the problem lies with your technique, subject matter or post processing workflow, not your camera. If you're trying to use a compact or "point-and-shoot" camera you're chances of getting accepted to sites like Shutterstock and Istock are slim to none.

   If you're using a point and shoot type camera, or don't have one I'd Highly recommend getting a Digital SLR with at least 12 megapixels for stock. The reason for this is that the price difference between this and a cheaper model is now minimal, but the difference in file prices for bigger images over several years won't be. Having said that, if you have suitable equipment now, you'd be well advised to test the waters with it before upgrading. If you are planning on doing microstock seriously, a camera with 21MP or higher is recommended.

   Rewards from your work will come over a number of years, not weeks, so its worth remembering that over the long term the savings you make from cheap equipment come at the expense of long term earnings.

5. Sort out your software

   This depends partly on what camera you use - each model has its own raw conversion software, and some 3rd party products work better for that camera than other. I wouldn't recommend spending a lot amount of money on software initially, a combination of Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop Elements is sufficient to begin with.

   Things that you need be able to do are:

   • Process RAW files
   • Add metadata (ie. titles, descriptions and keywords) to files
   • Edit images for Chromatic aberration and distortion
   • Basic manipulation such as rotating, cloning out trademarks, removing blemishes from models etc.

   Manage your upload and submission workfow

   You need to set up your file structure and workflow in a systematic way. Over time you'll be managing a lot of images, so need to know what you've done with each and back them up properly. If you're uploading to Alamy and selling rights managed as well, you'll need to keep careful track of what to send to Alamy, and what goes to microstock.

   One important thing to do is to make sure you enter metadata (ie. a title, description and keywords) for each file before you upload. This will save you a lot of work!

   The other critical thing is a system to manage your uploads. While each site has a web interface to upload photos and add categories and metadata, this is the slowest and most time intensive way of uploading. If you have a fast internet connection, a better (and free) way is to set up an FTP system and upload that way.

   Another very useful tool to manage your portfolio is the picNiche toolbar. Its an add on for Firefox that allows you to easily track your uploads, sales and has a handy associative keywording tool. It can be downloaded from: Firefox add-on page but its worth checking the picNiche page for any recent improvements and tips.

6. Special Advice for Travellers

   Microstock is actual work. For me, after 5 years of work I'm earning enough to fund my travels. However, it comes at a cost. To do it successfully it almost needs to become a full-time obsession.

   Doing microstock on the road leads to an added level of complexity - you end up having to manage a large volume of files, expensive equipment and deal with slow internet connections. Meanwhile its one of the lowest paying categories. Browsing through the leaderboard on iStocksharts you won't see many successful portfolios that are dominated by travel images. Business, Lifestyle, Health, and Education are the cash-cows of microstock. Many of those who do microstock however also travel, its just that they realise that there's more lucrative and efficient ways of going about things than actually shooting and uploading travel images.

   At the moment I'm concentrating more on other projects, but still uploading a massive backlog of images from the past few years. Starting 5 years ago means that I have many images already well placed in the search, and am earning a higher percentage on iStockphoto than those starting out today (ie. 35% as opposed to 15%). When I was non-exclusive the commissions on all agencies were higher, and the competition was less. Getting started now, its hard to see the numbers working out for travel imagery. Choosing another genre of images, and using the income from those to fund your travels is a strategy that is much more likely to succeed.

Affiliate / Referral Programs!

Some of the agencies have referral or affiliate programs that you can earn money through by signing up either buyers or sellers. Shutterstock and Dreamstime are the agencies that have the most lucrative programs for signing up other sellers. (Yes - the above links are referral links - if you happen to sign up with them after clicking the links, it costs you nothing, but I earn a small commission from these two agencies. )

Its a good idea to be cautious of any advice in this industry from people who are out to earn money through affiliate programs - often these links are undisclosed. If you have any doubt you can look at a person's portfolio online to see if they're really out to earn money from you, or actually have some sound basis for what they're saying.

I've lost count of the number of times I've read articles (mostly from bloggers) that make it seem easy to earn a money selling travel photos, especially to make money for travel. Looking at their download statistics and portfolios, some of these quite clearly overstate their incomes others are over-optimistic and get carried away from the early downloads when images get a boost from being fresh in the search. Coincidentally their links to sites are almost always affiliate links. At best the offer no useful advice, at worse misleading advice to sign up for agencies that don't give the best returns. Comparatively it would be like me giving advice on how to earn a living writing a blog!