How to Make Money Selling Photos Online
There are a number of ways to make money selling photos online. The most common is to sell your photos to stock photo agencies on a per-image basis. You can also sell your photos on stock photo sites such as Shutterstock or Shutterstock Pro.
Invest in a good camera and phone for photography.
Take courses to improve your skills, or read relevant articles and watch videos on Youtube.
Be consistent in your photo selling efforts by being active on social media platforms.
How Much Can You Make Selling Selfies Online?
People are willing to pay up to $500 to take photos of themselves. The top 10 selfie-taking apps have a combined monthly revenue of $2.2 million. The top 10 selfie-taking apps have a monthly revenue of $2.2 million.
You can make anywhere from $5 to $50 per selfie.
You can sell your selfies on various platforms, including Pay Your Selfie and SmugMug.
Some platforms, like Stylinity and Clashot, pay you based on the number of views your photos have.
Etsy is a good place to sell prints of your selfies as well as accessories related to photography, like lenses and tripods.
You can make money selling selfies online.
You need to create a YouTube channel and stock photo libraries.
Shutterstock and iStockphoto are good places to find stock photos for your portfolio.
Instafeet is a good place to sell your videos online.
How can I sell my selfies online?
You can sell your selfies online by using sites like 99pics.com, which allows you to upload a photo and sell it to the highest bidder. You can also sell your selfies on other sites like Fotolog.com and Snapfish.com.
You can make money through selfies by selling them online.
Use Personal Capital to track all your side hustle income for free.
Better still, the internet has brought numerous opportunities that you can even earn from photos you take of yourself.
Selfies can be sold through social media websites and apps.
The best time to post selfies is during the morning or evening hours.
Use hashtags to increase exposure for your selfies.
Use keywords in your caption to attract attention from online shoppers.
48 Sites to make money selling photos of yourself
Sell your selfies for a price that you are comfortable with, based on the market conditions at the time of sale.
1. On your website
To sell photos on your website, you can keep all the profits.
You don’t have to worry about customer support or whether or not your host site has dealt with any requests for refunds as you’re totally in control.
It’s easy and free to create a website using website building tools (just check out our article on how to create your own website , which shows you how to launch your site in less than 20 minutes).
You can create a website using free tools such as Blogger and Tumblr (blogging platforms).
2. Sell your photos on social media
To make money selling photos, you can use social media platforms such as Instagram or Facebook.
You can also sell your photos on marketplaces, such as Etsy or Shutterstock.
Use hashtags when uploading photos to social media sites for increased exposure and potential sales.
3. Shutterstock
Shutterstock is a safe and secure platform where you can upload, sell and share photos.
You must first become eligible by either having enough points or making purchases from Shutterstock.
There are two ways of earning through success levels and licensing of your artwork.
Foap has been featured in ABC News as being a profitable app for photo selling . Users make 50% of the profits from it even when big brands, such as Sony and MasterCard buy their photos.
Foap customer service representatives are available 24 hours a day, all year round.
The platform is unique and tends to give photographers more opportunities to participate than other platforms.
Allegedly used and trusted by some major brands such as Nivea, Volvo, and Heineken just to name a few.
Foap is a photo sharing and organizing app that allows users to upload, share and discover images.
Users can browse through different categories, including photography, design, nature and food.
Foap offers users the ability to save images for later use or to share them with others via social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
4. Fiverr
It’s also another place to sell photos online by uploading selfies and other images to their marketplace.
The advantage of selling on Fiverr is its exposure through its dedicated communities of buyers looking to purchase your photos and other artwork.
Related: 5 Proven Strategies to Successfully Become a Freelance Model
Fiverr Summary
5. Printify
Printify is a website that allows users to sell prints of their selfies.
Sell prints of your selfies for $10 each, and you will earn 50% of the sale.
You will be required to submit your creative angle of the photo and if it is accepted, you win a prize money of $100 or more.
Clashot, owned by Deposit Photos, is another app that can help you make money selling photos of selfies. You can sell each photos for $10 and you will earn 50% of the sale.
6. Photoshelter
To start selling photographs, you must first apply and be approved as a contributor.
The amount of money you make depends on two factors: quality and traffic volume.
PhotoShelter provides easy tools to design your own store and sell photos on your own terms, starting at $10/month with a 14-day free trial after the trial ends.
7. Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock is a stock photography platform that you can use to get paid for taking pictures of yourself.
When someone purchases an image, Adobe sends you an email about it immediately.
Sell your photos online with Adobe Stock
The freedom you are given when you start selling stock photos on Adobe Stock is incredible.
You can even sell your photos elsewhere since Adobe Stock does not require that you give them exclusive selling rights.
Profits are usually 33%.
Adobe Stock is a stock photography and video hosting service created by Adobe Systems.
It offers users access to millions of high-resolution images and videos from around the world, as well as tools to edit, compress, preview and share files.
Files can be downloaded for free or purchased through Adobe’s Creative Cloud subscription service.
The company was founded in 2006 and has since expanded to include products for design, marketing, media creation and business intelligence.
Adobe Stock is popular among designers because it offers royalty-free use of photos and videos from professional photographers and videographers who have signed up with the service.
Adobe Stock is a collection of photos, videos, and designs that can be used on websites and other digital platforms.
Adobe Stock can be used for both personal and commercial businesses.
There are different types of licenses available for Adobe Stock, including Personal, Commercial, Pro Plus, and Enterprise licenses.
To use Adobe Stock content in your digital projects, you will need to download the Adobe Stock app or create an account with Adobe Creative Cloud.
You can also find Adobe Stock content on the web by searching for “AdobeStock” or using the “Browse” feature in the Creative Cloud Desktop app.”
8. Flickr Creative Commons
Flickr Creative Commons is an excellent option for selling selfies online if you aren’t afraid of people editing or re-editing your photos before purchasing them.
Flickr offers an excellent way to sell your selfies for money because it is easy to use, secure, and accessible.
With over six million users, there’s no better place on the internet to sell photos.
One more option is Creative Market, which allows you to get paid for taking pictures of yourself right from your phone.
You can upload as many images as you want with Creative Market also having plenty of great photography products you can use to edit and sell your selfies
9. Sellfy
Sellfy is a free online marketplace that allows you to sell digital goods.
You can earn money by displaying ads, or selling physical items.
Sign up takes only a few minutes and there are no fees associated with using Sellfy.
10. TourPhotos
You can create an account with them for free and start uploading your pictures right away.
You’ll be able to make money online through TourPhotos by selling photos but also blogging.
Tour Photos is a great site for travelers and you can sell your photo for free or get money for it. Their charges are 20% commission from each image.
Each pic goes for about $10 but you get to keep 50% of the sale, Foap charges cover the rest!
11. Crestock
Crestock is a photo sharing and selling website that offers an easy-to-use interface.
You can earn points when someone views your portfolio, buys your work, or contacts you about licensing your photos.
You can also gain points through various ways, including getting feedback, advising others, and more!
Royalty rates are calculated on a progressive scale, based on the total number of images sold since joining Crestock, ranging from 20% – 40% commission.
12. EyeEm
You can make money from selling selfies on the internet without any restrictions.
You get to choose who gets to license your photos.
13. Alamy
Alamy is a website that allows you to upload photos, share them with others and sell the rights to use those images.
You can earn money by uploading your selfies and selling them to others.
You can also get paid for taking pictures of your kids or pets and uploading them online.
Alamy is a good alternative for selling photos
Alamy provides a direct purchase option without using credits or subscriptions
Alamy is a stock photography site that takes a lower cut than some other sites, so photographers can earn more money.
There isn’t much of a community aspect to Alamy, and photographers don’t get much exposure on the site.
Alamy pays out over $100 million to contributing photographers.
Alamy is a global picture agency that helps people share and discover the world’s best images.
Alamy provides editors with access to millions of high-quality images from all over the world, so they can find the perfect picture for any story or project.
Alamy also offers users a wide range of tools to customize their search experience, including filters, search engines and tags.
If you need high-quality photos for your website, blog or social media posts, Alamy is the perfect solution!
14. iStock Photo
iStock Photo is a micro-stock photo agency that sells rights-managed and royalty-free photos.
You need to go through an approval process before they’ll publish your photos for sale on their site.
Photos are needed for all sorts of uses, including ad campaigns, books, magazines, and websites – meaning there’s always a demand for high-quality stock photos.
There are many stock photography sites to choose from – make sure to check them all!
iStock is a stock photography company that offers users licensed images and videos of both people and objects.
Users can search by keyword, filter by format (jpeg, png, gif), or browse the latest submissions.
Images are available for sale on iStock’s online store or used in commercial products.
Payments are made through PayPal or direct bank transfer.
Images may be cropped or retouched before sale to create a more perfect product for buyers.
15. Getty Images
Getty Images is one of the largest stock photo agencies in the world.
They accept submissions from photographers, videographers, and digital artists to sell their images online on this website.
You’ll need a UPC or ISBN if you want to sell photos through Getty Images, because it’s required by most retailers who purchase pictures for resale purposes.
Getty Images offers between 15% and 20% commission for royalty-free photos.
To join Getty Images, you’ll first need to download their mobile app and fill out the application.
You must be over 18 and can only submit original images, videos, diagrams, or vectors to be a contributor. When your content has been accepted, you can opt to donate or license out your content.
Exclusive images earn you money. Plus, you can track your earnings when a customer buys the rights to use your content. Getty images release a payout on every occasion when customers pick your content.
On average, your content is worth between $300 and $500 when Getty approves your submission.
Getty charges you $20-30 per month of the real value of the sales value. There is no indication of how often photographs are sold
Getty Images is a large and popular photography site.
Payout rates are lower than some of the other sites on this list, but Getty Images offers more opportunities for exposure than most.
Getty Images has a large audience that allows for plenty of exposure.
Getty Images offers a range of content-related services.
These services can be used to create and distribute images and videos.
Getty Images offers a variety of tools that make it easy to share your images and videos online.
16. Amazon Handmade
Amazon’s marketplace can be a great place to sell handmade art selfies.
You have the option of just uploading your selfies, or of uploading photos and specifying whether they will be available as digital downloads or printed products on other items.
17. Depositphotos
Depositphotos is a marketplace for selling photos online.
You can make money from the photos that you sell through this website by earning royalties (a percentage of the sales).
If someone wants to use your photo on their website or blog, they will pay a royalty fee to you.
18. CanStockPhoto
CanStockPhoto is a great place to sell selfies online.
You can filter your search by category and keywords so that only images related to what you are selling will be displayed.
CanStockPhoto is a great way to make money because you can earn extra cash fast and easily.
19. Snapwire
Snapwire is a platform that allows photographers to sell their creative work to brands, publishers, or small businesses.
You can make money by posting photos to the site and receive royalties for personal use as well.
There are thousands of people worldwide looking forward to seeing your amazing photos on Snapworx.
20. Twenty20
Twenty20 is an online photo sharing platform that allows anyone to become famous by uploading photos.
Twenty20 offers a unique insight into your everyday life through photos submitted by photographers from all over the globe.
21. Zenfolio
Zenfolio is a site that makes it easy to get paid for taking pictures of yourself.
You can use their site to set up a password-protected account for your photos, where you can upload and edit images in bulk.
Clients can access your photos using unique keys.
22. 123RF
123RF is a company that sells royalty-free images and stock photography to the web-based content industry.
Their struggles inspired the founders of this business to find high-quality, affordable art for use on websites or blogs.
In addition to selling selfies or other photos on their site, they also have an affiliate program where you can join for free and earn money by referring to other photographers.
123RF is another stock photo marketplace allowing you to make money selling your photos.
Become a 123RF contributor in 3 simple steps: Sign up as a contributor Upload your images to 123FR marketplace When your photos get sold, you can earn from 30-60% commission, depending on your contribution level.
Website: 123RF
23. Agora Images
Agora Images is one of the more popular and well-known stock photo agencies. They provide a platform for photographers to submit their images, which are then reviewed by Agoraphotographers. If the image is accepted for publication, then a revenue share can be negotiated with Agora.
24. Scoopshot
Scoopshot is a site that lets you make money from your photography. You can browse the photographs uploaded by other users and if one catches your eye, click on it to see more information. If you like the photo, and if it is not already sold, then click on “Buy Now” to purchase it for a price set by the photographer (usually around $5).
25. Instaproof
Instaproof is a newer site that pays you to take photos of yourself. You can post these photos on Instagram or any other social media platform and be paid for it! The more followers you have on social media, the more money you can make.
26. Dreamstime
Dreamstime is one of the most popular sites on this list. It’s a royalty-free image library that offers both free and payed options to purchase images. You can also submit your own images to be sold on the site, as well.
This is a free library of royalty-free photos that you can use for any project. You can also submit your own photos to profit from them.
27. Bylined
Bylined is an online platform that connects photographers and artists to companies looking for talent. Photographers can submit their portfolio, which will then be reviewed by a team of Bylined editors.
Once the portfolio is approved, photographers can upload their work to be sold on behalf of a company looking for photos and videos.
28. Image Vortex
Image Vortex is a site that pays you to upload and share photos. Every time someone likes your photo, you earn money. The more people who like your photo, the more you make!
This site is an excellent way to make money. It’s not like you’re getting paid for just uploading your photos, they also give you the chance to get tips and tricks on how to improve your photos and make you more money.
The site is easy to use, just upload the photos you want to share, then wait for others to like them. The only downside is that if you don’t have a lot of followers, you may not make that much money.
You can also get paid to promote products or services through your photos.
29. PhotoDune
PhotoDune is a site that allows users to sell their photos of themselves or pictures of other people. PhotoDune has over 12 million members, with over 10 million downloads every day.
It is a great place to upload your photos and sell them for profit. It is also a good site to download stock photos of people, animals or other things that you can then use in your own projects.
You do not need to be a professional photographer in order to sell photos on PhotoDune. Anyone can join and start selling their pictures for profit.
The site is very easy to use and there are many tutorials available to help you get started.
30. Stockimo
Stockimo is a stock image website where you can sell your photos.
It offers 3 different membership levels, which are free for the basic level and $5 per month or $50 per year for the Pro level.
31. Snapwire
Snapwire is a great site for people who want to sell their photos. You can upload your photo and it will be seen on the Snapwire website as well as many other sites like Yahoo, Bing, and Google.
There is a photo release form that you will need to fill out before uploading any photos on the website. Snapwire takes no responsibility for copyright infringement or if your photo will be used in any way that you do not agree with.
The company will allow you to upload up to 5 photos at a time for free, but if you want more than that or access to more photo sharing websites you will need to upgrade.
Snapwire also has a mobile app that allows you to sell your photos directly from your phone. You can get paid through PayPal or check,
32. SmugMug Pro
SmugMug is the best site for selling your photos because it has a monthly fee, but you make more money from sales.
This website also makes it easy to see all of your sales and what you sold them for.
The best thing about this site is that if a customer puts in an incorrect email address, the website will automatically send you a message to correct it.
33. Foap
Foap is a photo stock website that allows you to upload your photos which are then licensed for commercial use. Foap has over 2 million images in their gallery, with more being added every day.
The images are licensed on a royalty-free basis, which means that you will not be charged for each time someone uses your photo as long as the copyright holder is properly credited.
You can also earn money by referring new members to the site. For each person you refer, you will receive $5 and they will receive a 30-day free trial. You can refer up to 5 people per month.
34. Pixieset
Pixieset is an online marketplace of creative images. They offer a wide range of licensing options to suit the needs of photographers, designers and other creatives.
Pixieset’s mission is to help creatives make money with their images.
They offer an online marketplace where photographers, graphic designers and other creative professionals can sell photos of themselves for commercial use under a Creative Commons license.
They also offer a variety of services to help creatives sell their images, including:
A free library of stock photos for personal and commercial use
A website builder that allows photographers to showcase their work online
A social media platform that allows photographers to connect with customers and promote their work.
35. Etsy
Etsy is a website where you can sell your crafts or artwork. It’s also one of the few sites that will allow you to sell photos of yourself.
36. Zazzle
Zazzle is a good place to sell photos of yourself that you have taken. You can upload your own work, or buy others’ products and then customize them with how you want to see them. You can also make your own products on Zazzle, like shirts and bags with photos of yourself or other images you might want to sell.
37. Creative Market
Creative Market is a site that allows you to sell art and photography.
If an artist wants to sell their work here, they can create a profile with prices for individual artwork or photos.
They have a really great customer service team.
38. Flickr
Flickr is a photo-sharing website that has been in operation since 2004. It was created by Ludicorp, a Canadian company based in Vancouver and backed by Yahoo!, with the goal of making it easy for people to share their photographs.
The site offers the ability to upload, tag, search and organize images on a variety of topics from animals without alphabets all the way to zebras. There are also groups dedicated to specific topics like photography, food and fashion.
39. iStockphoto
This site is one of the best-known stock photo agencies online. If you’re interested in licensing your photos for commercial use, this is a good place to start.
One of the best ways to make money with your photos is to sell them as stock images. A stock photo is a digital image that can be licensed for use in advertising and other commercial applications.
The site offers a wide range of pricing options, from $0.49 to $149 and up for the most popular images—the higher prices are reserved for professional photographers who have signed licensing agreements with Getty Images.
You can also sell your photos as part of a collection, which is an album of images that are sold together.
40. Stocksy
Stocksy is a stock photo site for photographers. The company offers contributors 50% of all their sales revenue on Stocksy, which can be as much as $8 per image.
41. PixMac
PixMac is a website that pays you to take pictures and upload them. They offer $0.10 per photo uploaded, which can be increased by referring friends and family members (up to $0.45 per photo). It’s a great way to make some extra cash, and it’s easy to do!
42. Snapped4U
Snapped4U offers a free 14-day trial and then charges $2.99 per month after that for your photos, which you can set to be public or private.
43. 500PX
500px is one of the most popular sites for photographers to sell their work online. You can upload your photos and then link them with an account on iStockphoto, Getty Images or Shutterstock to sell them as stock photos.
44. Sharesix
Sharesix is a website that pays users to share content. It’s one of the many sites where you can make money selling photos of yourself.
45. Start a Patreon Account
Patreon is a membership platform that connects creators and their fans, or “patrons.” It offers a way for artists to get paid from the people who appreciate their work. Artists can set up a profile, post content and images, and offer rewards to their fans.
Patreon is similar to other online fundraising services such as Kickstarter or GoFundMe.
46. Fotomoto
Fotomoto is a website where you can upload, share and sell your photos. You get paid for every photo that sells, with the price ranging from $0.25 to $200.
You can also get paid for referring others to the site. For example, if you refer a friend and he/she uploads photos that sell, you will receive 10% of the sale price.
To get started, you need to create an account and then upload your photos. You can also browse through the site’s library of free stock images to use on your website or blog.
47. Society6
Society6 is a website that has been in business since 2009, and they have since expanded into many different countries. They offer both prints of photos as well as items like coffee mugs, pillows and t-shirts. They also offer their own software for uploading your photos and creating a shop to put them in.
48. Fan Sites
Tips to make money selling photos of yourself
Take good quality photos
Shots from different angles
Use Google Analytics
Show off your social media profiles
Include a watermark
Learn effective SEO practices
Make eye contact with the camera lens
Find your niche and build your audience
Post several images regularly
Open an online shop
Edit your photos
Use a professional email
Be patient
Ask for feedback
Non-revealing photos
Can I sell my pictures online?
Yes, you can!
There are many sites that allow you to sell your pictures online.
Is selling pictures of yourself Illegal?
You are allowed to sell the photograph to whoever you choose presuming you possess the rights to it (assuming you are of legal age of majority in your country).
How to Make Money Selling Photos Online
There are many ways to make money selling your photographs online.
We have mentioned a ton of sites that will pay you for your photos.
15 Sites and Apps That’ll Buy Your Selfies
1. Pay Your Selfie
2. SmugMug – get paid to send pictures of yourself
3. Stylinity
4. 500px
5. Scoopshot
6. Clashot
7. Etsy
8. Instaprints
9. SquarePeep
10. Foap
11. Create Your own Website
12. Start a YouTube Channel
Create Stock Photo Libraries
13. Shutterstock
14. iStockphoto
15. BigStock
5. Join Photo Contest to make money
This is a good way to get your name out there and make some extra cash at the same time. Sites like PhotoContest, Fotolia Image Search, Dreamstime, and Bigstockphoto all regularly have photo contests.
You can enter stock photos into these contests to make money selling your images. You will usually be given a theme or topic for the contest. You will then have to create a photo-based on the subject. The photos are usually judged by popular vote, with the winner being awarded cash and prizes.
Do you need a DLSR or professional camera to get paid for photos of yourself?
No, you don’t need a fancy camera to get paid for photos of yourself.
You can make money selling stock photos with your iPhone or even your cell phone.
What Kind Of Photos Sells Best?
The best photos to sell are the ones that tell a story or depict an emotion.
You don’t want your photo to be just another stock image of a person walking down the street, for example.
You want it to be something that people can relate to, and that they will find interesting enough to vote for you.
Conclusion
As you have seen in this post there are a ton of ways to make money selling photos of yourself. We recommend picking a handful of the methods listed here and get to work. Don’t give up on it just because you post an image and it doesn’t sell or you don’t make money. Re-evaluate and then go to additional sites on this list. You will eventually find the sites that work well for you. Then you can double down on content to make more profits.
