Thanks to the development of the Internet, even non-professional photographers have the opportunity to earn money on the sale of their photos by posting them in photo banks (stocks, microstocks). But successful work in this area is impossible without knowledge of the rules for working with photobanks.
Instructions
Step 1
In order to start working with microstocks, register in the selected photo bank, in several at once. There are about two dozen of the most popular stocks, find them through a search engine. When registering, you will need to provide your passport details.
Step 2
Browse the hit pages. This will help you understand exactly what and how to photograph. You should know that you can actually sell only those photos, the subject of which is in demand. Always focus on what the consumer is demanding at the moment. Do not plagiarize, but catch the main trends and work in their direction.
Step 3
Photos in the photo bank are searched in the same way as in any search engine - by keywords. When uploading a photo to microstock, indicate the necessary keywords, usually at least seven are required. The more accurate your chosen keywords are, the higher the chance that your photo will be found and purchased.
Step 4
If you do not work exclusively, that is, not for one photo bank, but post your photos on many, it makes sense to download special programs that make your work easier. For example, ProStockMaster allows you to insert keywords into a photo file. Having entered them once, you can upload a photo to different stocks, keywords will be automatically inserted into the corresponding fields.
Step 5
All photos for stock must be processed with programs that remove "artifacts" - that is, certain defects. Something can be done in Photoshop, but you better look for other specialized software. For example, it could be Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.
Step 6
In many cases, you will need to refine your photographs by cutting out the desired subject and placing it on a white background. To do this, use Photoshop CS 5 - it is the most convenient, as it allows you to cut out even very complex objects. With its help, remove any logos from the photos - their presence is unacceptable, photos with logos are not accepted.
Step 7
Provide all photographs depicting people with a release - a special document in which the photographed person agrees to the use of his photograph. The procedure for creating a release is as follows: download the form on the stock, fill it out. Give the photographed person a signature. Then scan the document and attach the resulting file to the photo; there are special fields for uploading it on stocks.
Step 8
After your first photos are taken and placed in the photo bank, fill out a special tax form. If this is not done, you will be charged 30% of the proceeds from the sale of your photographs. You can see an example of filling out the form here:
Step 9
As soon as at least one photo is purchased from you, enter your payment details. Usually this is an account in one of the most common payment systems - WebMoney, PayPal, etc. Most stocks have a minimum transfer limit - for example, $ 50. This means that you will be able to withdraw the earned money only after you have earned at least $ 50.
Step 10
Upload photos in the highest resolution available on your camera. The minimum allowable resolution in most stocks is 4 megapixels. Smaller copies of the uploaded photo will be automatically created on the stock for the uploaded photo, so it will be sold in different price ranges. Your income will average from $ 0.25 to $ 2.50 per download of a photo, depending on the resolution chosen by the buyer. Successful photos can be bought thousands of times.
