How Much Money Can You Make Selling Photos Online? $500 Week?

I love taking photos! Photography is a fun hobby that most of us enjoy. It’s easy to start, and you can capture beautiful moments with just a click. For a creative person, it’s super fun. Wherever he goes, whatever he sees, he finds a frame, a moment to capture.

But have you ever thought “How much money can you make selling photos online?” or “Can you really make money with it?”

The answer is yes, of course you can!

Selling photos online is a great way to make money from something you love. You can turn your hobby into a side job or even a full-time career. If done correctly, you will get paid every time someone downloads one of your photos!

I earn about $200-250 every month as a side income selling photos. To be honest, they are AI-generated photos sold on Freepik. But the thing is it works, if you have good photos, you can earn a fair amount.

In this blog,

• we will mainly talk about how much you can earn by selling photos
• we will see real people’s comments from various platforms and their earnings
• we will talk about what’s needed to make an earning like them
• we will also talk about what platforms are the best for this

By the end, you’ll know how to start making money with your photos. Let’s get started!

How Much Money Can You Make Selling Photos Online?

I know you are curious about how much money you can make by selling photos online. It’s not easy to answer as the income varies for many factors.

But here’s a simple breakdown:

My Personal Experience

I earn up to $200-250 a month from Freepik with my AI-generated images. If you sell real photos and do it correctly, you might earn even more.

On average, stock photo agencies pay around $0.20 per sale of royalty-free images. A single sale can earn you anywhere from $0.10 to $100. Extended licenses can bring in even more money.

They give you a revenue share from 15 to 60 percent every time your photo is downloaded.

Let’s See Some Real People’s Comments from Quora and Reddit

Norwig is a small-time player in this field. He has a portfolio of 600-800 photos. In 11 months of 2023, he had 1,971 downloads and earned $1,544.94. That’s an average of $0.78 per download.

Another friend, Amlan says that selling photos online is a volume game. With about 1,000 photos, you could make around $100 a month or more. He recommends starting with Shutterstock.com, which pays about $0.28 per download.

Nancy says, “You can make as much as you want selling photos.” However, the amount depends on several factors, like the type of photography (weddings, portraits, commercial work, or stock) and how well you market your photos.

Another photographer on Reddit mentioned that it depends on what you can shoot that’s in demand. They’ve done well with photos of wind turbines in cornfields and city skyline shots. They earn about $100 a month passively and aim to increase that to $500. See the full post here.

In summary, the amount you can make varies widely. It depends on the type of photos you take, the platforms you use, and how many photos you upload.

With effort and strategy, you can turn your hobby into a profitable side job.

Factors That Can Affect Earnings

How much money you make selling photos online depends on several factors. Let’s look at each one:

• Quality of Photos: High-quality photos sell better. Make sure your photos are clear, well-lit, and interesting. Good editing can also help improve the quality.
• Quantity of Photos: The more photos you upload, the better your chances of making money. Upload more photos to increase your sales.
• Consistency and Regularity of Uploads: Upload photos regularly. Consistency helps you stay visible on photo-selling websites. If you upload new photos often, people will keep finding your work.
• Niche Selection: Pick a niche or a special area to focus on. For example, you might choose landscapes, food, or pets. Some niches are more popular and can make you more money. Find out what people are looking for and take those kinds of photos.
• SEO Optimization: SEO or Search Engine Optimization is another important thing. Most people ignore it. It means adding relevant titles, keywords, and alt text to your photos when you add them. It helps search engines understand the photo and rank it.

Is Photography for You or Not?

Decide if photography is right for you, depending on these things.

Photography is not for you if:

• You don’t enjoy it: If you’re only interested in making money and not in taking photos, it might not be the best fit. Photography requires passion and creativity.
• You want quick cash: Making money with photography takes time. You need to build a portfolio, upload regularly, and wait for sales.

Photography is for you if:

• You love taking photos: Enjoy capturing moments and scenes? Photography can be very rewarding. It’s a great way to express yourself and share your view of the world.
• You already have a lot of photos: If you have a collection of good photos, you can start uploading them right away.
• You’re willing to learn and improve: Photography is a skill you can keep getting better at. If you’re excited about learning new techniques and improving your photos, you’ll do well.

You Need to Understand the Market

To make money selling photos online, you need to understand the market. Let’s look at three important parts: platforms, types of photos in demand, and market trends.

Different Platforms for Selling Photos

• Shutterstock: One of the most popular platforms. It has a huge audience and lots of buyers. You can earn money every time someone downloads your photo.
• Adobe Stock: Linked with Adobe’s creative tools, making it easy for users to find and buy photos. They offer competitive earnings and a large customer base.
• Getty Images: Known for high-quality and exclusive content. They pay well but have stricter requirements for photographers.

And there are many more like Freepik, Alamy, SmugMug, Dreamstime, iStock, and more

Types of Photos in Demand

• Nature and Landscapes: Beautiful scenes of mountains, forests, and oceans are always popular.
• People and Lifestyle: Photos showing people doing everyday activities. Like working, playing, or relaxing, are in high demand.
• Business and Technology: Images of people in business settings, technology gadgets, doctors, real estate, and work environments sell well.
• Food and Drink: High-quality photos of food and beverages are popular. Especially for blogs and social media.
• Travel and Adventure: Pictures of famous landmarks, cultural experiences, and adventurous activities attract buyers.

Photography Market Trends

• Authentic Photos: Buyers want real and relatable images, not staged or overly edited ones.
• Growth in Online Content: With more websites, blogs, and social media platforms, the need for high-quality photos is increasing.
• Increased Use of AI and Technology: AI-generated images are becoming more popular. Learn how to generate images with AI like Midjourney or Leonardo!
• Sustainable and Ethical Photography: Photos that promote sustainability and ethical practices are gaining traction in the market.

This is an AI-generated image. If you would love to read another article on “how you can generate images with AI and sell them on Freepik” I will write it for you with step by step guide with earning proof. Keep an eye on Any Side Job.

Conclusion

Congratulations to all photo lovers! You have something fun and exciting that can also make you money. Let’s recap what we’ve learned:

• You can sell your photos on platforms like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, and Getty Images.
• How much you make depends on the quality and number of photos you upload.
• Focus on popular types of photos like nature, people, business, food, and travel.
• Keep an eye on market trends to stay ahead.

Keep Going! If you love taking photos, don’t stop. Upload regularly and learn what works best.

For more tips and a step-by-step guide, check out our blog “How to Sell Pictures of Yourself Online“

FAQs

Here are some common questions about selling photos online, with simple answers:

1. How do I start selling my photos online?

• Choose a platform like Shutterstock or Adobe Stock. Create an account, upload your photos, and add descriptions and tags.

2. Do I need a professional camera?

• No, you can start with a good smartphone camera. Phones like the iPhone XS are great to start with!

3. How much money can I make?

• We have already shown you some proof. Some people make a few dollars a month, while others make hundreds. It depends on the quality and number of photos you upload and how often they are downloaded.

4. What types of photos sell best?

• Popular types include nature, people, business, food, and travel photos. Authentic and high-quality photos tend to sell well.

5. How often should I upload photos?

• Try to upload new photos every week and maintain a schedule.

6. Do I need to edit my photos?

• Yes, editing can improve the quality of your photos. Use editing tools to adjust brightness, contrast, and colors.

7. Can I sell the same photo on different platforms?

• Yes, you can sell the same photo on multiple platforms unless you have agreed to give one platform exclusive rights.

8. How do I get paid?

• Most platforms pay through PayPal, bank transfer, or check. Check the payment options on the platform you choose.

9. What should I do if my photos aren’t selling?

• Improve your photo quality, add better descriptions and tags, and upload more photos. Research what types of photos are in demand and try to take similar ones.

If you have more questions, feel free to ask in the comments or check out our other blog posts for more tips!