• BIGSTOCK
  • DREAMSTIME
  • FOTOLIA
  • ISTOCK
  • PIXMAC
  • SHUTTERSTOCK
  • FLICKR
  • SXC

Microstock Tips

  • microstock tips
  • microstock news
  • twitter
  • design
  • novel
Home

How much can you make with microstock sites?

Shutterstock

Sell your photosShutterstock is a leading microstock site with a subscription sales model. They have enhanced licenses and a sliding scale for payout rates based on lifetime earnings. Shutterstock's referral program is highly rated and they recently bought out BigstockPhoto to get a "a la carte" microstock option in their toolbelt (although the sites remain functionally independent at the moment). Sign up with Shutterstock using the image on the left.




Share

How much can you make with microstock sites?

laryn — Fri, 11/06/2009 - 08:14

Most people who are considering whether or not to upload to microstock sites are curious how much money can be made by doing so. (There are other reasons, too, but this is a biggie). The short answer is that it depends on how much time and energy you put into it, and it depends on the quality of your images. The top earners can make hundreds of dollars per day, but most people will not achieve that. For an overview of my experience, see below. I update the stats about once every month or two so you can get a sense of what I have earned -- without devoting a ton of time to it, to be honest.

Microstock Sites: Bigstock | Dreamstime | iStock | Shutterstock  Tags: Earnings | Sell   
(Autogenerated Keywords: Adobe | David Siqueira | designer | digital camera | digital cameras | energy | florist | Fotolia | Google | IStockphoto | Law | Law | Microstock photography | Peter Galbraith | Photographer | Photographer | Photography | Shutterstock | SnapVillage | Stock photography | Technology | Technology | USD)
  • Read more
  • Comments
Share

The Tao of Shutterstock: What Makes a Stock Photo a Stock Photo? - The Atlantic

laryn — Fri, 05/18/2012 - 12:05

There are not many occasions when one will find oneself seeking an image of a cat in smart clothes with money and red caviar on a white background. But there may well be one occasion when one will find oneself seeking an image of a cat in smart clothes with money and red caviar on a white background. This being the Internet, actually, there will probably be two or three.

Microstock Sites: Shutterstock 
(Autogenerated Keywords: CDATA | Chinese philosophy | De | Document | Microstock photography | Other | Shutterstock | Stock photography | Tao | Tao | Taoism)
  • Read more
  • Comments
Share

10 Photography Tips from a Self-Taught Photographer

laryn — Wed, 04/13/2011 - 09:19

Old Nikon Manual CoverIsaac Gube has some recommendations on how to improve your photography skills in DIY fashion:

Microstock Sites: Bigstock | Dreamstime | Flickr | Fotolia | iStock | Pixmac | Shutterstock | SXC  Tags: photography | self-taught | tips   
(Autogenerated Keywords: | Bulb | CDATA | Isaac Gube | Other | Photographer | Photography | Physics | XML)
  • Read more
  • Comments
Share

Contest: Enter the “Threadless Loves Shutterstock” Challenge! Win a $5000 Photo & Design Bundle

laryn — Wed, 06/09/2010 - 11:39

Shutterstock announces:

Threadless is an amazing creative universe where you can submit far-out T-shirt designs, vote for your favorites, and get paid if your design gets selected for a shirt. We love Threadless, and Threadless loves Shutterstock.

Microstock Sites: Shutterstock  Tags: contest | Threadless   
(Autogenerated Keywords: CDATA | Community websites | Leica Camera | Other | Shutterstock | Threadless | USD | Wacom)
  • Read more
  • Comments
Share

Shutterstock Travel Photo Contest - Win a Safari

laryn — Tue, 04/13/2010 - 09:57

Shutterstock contest

Enter your most amazing travel photo for a chance to win a 6-night African Photo Safari.

Microstock Sites: Shutterstock  Tags: contest   
(Autogenerated Keywords: CDATA | Computing | Other | Safari | Shutterstock | World Wide Web | XML)
  • Read more
  • Comments
Share

Shutterstock sets up Facebook app to follow up on Twitter app

laryn — Tue, 02/23/2010 - 16:31

A new announcement today from Shutterstock about the Facebook version of their Twitter app, allowing you to share your daily sales or acceptances with your networks:

Last August we introduced Shuttertweet, a program for Shutterstock submitters that sends a tweet when your images are accepted and sold on Shutterstock.

Microstock Sites: Shutterstock  Tags: Facebook | Twitter   
(Autogenerated Keywords: Blog hosting services | CDATA | Facebook | Facebook | Online social networking | Other | Shutterstock | Social media | Stock photography | Twitter | Twitter | Web 2.0 | World Wide Web)
  • Read more
  • Comments
Share

Explicitly include copyrights to your images in your will

laryn — Tue, 02/02/2010 - 11:08

There's an interesting thread over at MicrostockGroup regarding how to leave your royalties to your loved ones after you die. Not something you have probably thought about very often! The short form is that your beneficiaries will have to provide relevant legal paperwork to the agencies in order for the accounts to be transferred to them, so if you have a will, make sure to explicitly include the copyrights to your images in it.

Microstock Sites: Dreamstime | iStock | Shutterstock  Tags: copyright | death | will   
(Autogenerated Keywords: | Copyright | Fotolia | IStockphoto | iStockphoto | lawyer | Mass media | Microstock photography | MicrostockGroup | Other | Shutterstock | Stock photography | Storage | United States copyright law | Visual arts)
  • Read more
  • Comments
Share

eHow: How to Make Money With Your Digital Camera (Selling Microstock)

laryn — Sun, 09/27/2009 - 21:26

I've written a short introductory article for eHow entitled "How to Make Money With Your Digital Camera (Selling Microstock)" -- take a look here. It is a short overview and I'm interested in any feedback you may have -- either to improve this article or for ideas for future articles you may be interested in.

Excerpt:

Microstock Sites: Bigstock | Dreamstime | Fotolia | iStock | Shutterstock  Tags: Sell   
(Autogenerated Keywords: | CDATA | Company Technology | digital camera | EHow | eHow | Mass media | Microstock photography | Other | Stock photography)
  • Read more
  • Comments
Share

7 tips for selling your photos - Macworld

laryn — Fri, 09/25/2009 - 15:01

MacWorld has seven tips for would-be microstockers (see below). It's always helpful to read other people's summaries of the things that they find important. This is a decent list of basics.

  1. Understand how it works: "...Selling stock photos is not easy money. It will take time to build up a decent sized portfolio (at least 100 pictures) before you see any sizable return..."
  2. Think like a designer: "...Designers want photographs with ample amounts of uncluttered negative space so make sure you leave room for a headline or other text..." [Click the title above for more]
Microstock Sites: Bigstock | Dreamstime | iStock | Shutterstock  Tags: Sell   
(Autogenerated Keywords: Aman Anderson | CDATA | COO | designer | Fotolia | Human Interest | Human Interest | IStockphoto | iStockphoto | Kelly Thompson | Microstock photography | Person Career | Photographer | Photographer | Photography | Stock photography)
  • Read more
  • Comments
Share

Selling editorial photos as microstock

laryn — Wed, 09/23/2009 - 22:48

Shutterstock and Dreamstime allow you to sell images on an editorial license, meaning that purchasers will only be able to use the images in editorial formats (e.g. magazines, newspapers, etc). This is useful for images that you have taken which are of specific interest (famous people, places, current events...) and may not have model or property releases.

This sample editorial image from my collection was taken on the day of George W. Bush's inauguration and depicts items that might not normally have passed as royalty-free for various reasons. It is usable as editorial imagery because of the public nature of the event and the public interest in the event.

Microstock Sites: Dreamstime | Shutterstock  Tags: Editorial License | Sell   
(Autogenerated Keywords: CDATA | George W. Bush | Jon Oringer | Mass media | Microstock photography | Shutterstock | Social Issues | Social Issues | Stock photography | Visual arts)
  • Read more
  • Comments
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • next ›
  • last »
Syndicate content

My latest images:

My most popular images:

Tags in Microstock Sites

Bigstock Dreamstime Flickr Fotolia iStock Pixmac Shutterstock Snapfish SXC

User login

  • Request new password

Clutching Dust and Stars

  • 10 Photography Tips from a Self-Taught Photographer
  • Explicitly include copyrights to your images in your will
  • How much can you make with microstock sites?
  • eHow: How to Make Money With Your Digital Camera (Selling Microstock)
  • 7 tips for selling your photos - Macworld
  • Selling editorial photos as microstock
  • Selling video clips at Shutterstock and iStock
  • Dreamstime: Editorial License
  • Dreamstime: Extended Licenses
  • Dreamstime: Buying and Selling Microstock Imagery

  • Search and Compare All Major Royalty-Free Stock Image Sites With New ... - DigitalJournal.com
  • Search and Compare All Major Royalty-Free Stock Image Sites With New ... - PR Web (press release)
  • Dollar Photo Club startuje w Polsce - Marketing Przy Kawie
  • Dollar Photo Club startuje w Polsce, zdjęcia w cenie 1$, zawsze - Centrum PRasowe
  • Hobbies That Can Pay Off -- Savings Experiment - DailyFinance
  • How Stocksy Is Trying to Reinvent the Stock Photo Industry - Inc.com
  • Stocksy aims to bring the soul back into stock photography - CNET
  • New execs and smartphone apps: Stock photo market still in flux - CNET
  • Today in APIs: Census Bureau Remains Dedicated to API Strategy, and 7 New ... - ProgrammableWeb (blog)
  • Great Escape Publishing Hosts Ultimate Money-Making Photo Workshop in ... - PR Web (press release)

S h u t t e r s t o c k D r e a m s t i m e i S t o c k p h o t o B i g s t o c k
  • microstock tips
  • microstock news
  • twitter
  • design
  • novel