An Introductory Guide to Stock Photos
 Author: Nick Ramsay Date: 5th August 2007
Did you know that you can now buy top-quality photographs on the internet for as little as a dollar? Stock photography agencies on the web offer millions of professional-looking photos, and will even pay you for your own!
Find out...
- Where to buy professional photos for $1.00
- How to sell your own stock photos
- How you can earn commission with referrals
Where to buy professional photos for $1.00
All the photographs you see on this site cost about a dollar each, and came from iStockPhoto.com.
iStockPhoto sells Credit Packages ranging from $12 to $600. Buying the cheapest package will get you 10 credits, which is enough for ten small photos - approximately 400x300 pixels each. The bigger the Credit Package you buy, the cheaper each individual picture gets.
You can use your credits in various ways, such as buying video clips, illustrations, Flash files, or even larger versions of your favorite photographs.
$1.20 per photo (min. purchase: $12)
Big Stock Photo also sells photos on a credit-based system however, unlike iStockPhoto above, you don't need to purchase a package - you can just pay for a single credit at a time. This means you get one photo download for $2.50. The more credits you buy, the cheaper the average cost of each photo gets. Ten photos will cost you $20, and you'll need to buy 300 credits for each picture to average a dollar.
$2.50 per photo (min. purchase: $2.50)
123RF claims to have over a million royalty free stock photos, and they give you two methods of buying them. First is the credit-based system that offers packages from 15 credits for $15, to 300 credits for $225. Photos for the web can be downloaded for one credit each, and they usually measure around 600-900 pixels per picture. This is the best value for money so far, but there's a catch...
Some of the images can only be downloaded if you have registered for the subscription service. The cheapest subscription plan is $89 for 30 days, allowing you to download up to 5 Ultra High Images (worth 3 credits each) a day. The cost comes down further if you buy a longer plan.
$1.00 per photo (min. purchase: $15)
As low as 20c each with a 1-month subcription
Stockxpert is another micro stock photography website with hundreds of thousands of images, and it's growing at the rate of 10,000 new pictures a week. Photos can be downloaded with credits, each buying an 800x600 pixel image. The cheapest package you can purchase costs just $4.99. That will get you 5 credits, so you're getting one dollar images right off the bat. Larger photos are available for more credits.
$1.00 per photo (min. purchase: $4.99)
How to sell your own stock photos
The same sites described above will pay you to submit your own photographs and illustrations. The process typically involves applying to a program, uploading your images and waiting for approval, managing your files, and earning from sales.
Stock photography agencies are looking for quality, so there are some strict guidelines to follow before you can start selling your images. Each site has different rules, but generally you need to first meet the minimum requirements for file types, sizes and dimensions. Next, check that your photos are noise-free, properly lit, well composed with no frames, text, dates or watermarks. Any copyrighted content will be rejected and images showing people require model releases.
Most of these agencies seem to have a preference for topics such as business, isolated objects, fashion, seasonal imagery, and concept stock. Don't bother sending them photos of pets, flowers, sunsets, landscapes, or flags. They appear to be overwhelmed by these already.
Here is a brief summary of how much you can expect to earn from each agency:
iStockPhoto, despite its popularity, only pays a 20% royalty to photographers. This can be a lot if a customer buys a large image, but not much more than 20 cents on a small photo. However, with such a large user base, the chances of selling your images may be higher than on other sites.
Payment is made by PayPal, MoneyBookers, or bank check once your earnings have reached $100.
20% commission
Big Stock Photo pays out 50 cents or $1.00 per normal image download, depending on whether it's a small or large file. If a customer wishes to re-print your photos on cards, mugs, or T-shirts, they need to buy a special license which photographers can offer for a higher fee than the regular Photo Usage Agreement. Commission on a Special License is also much higher.
Payment is made by Paypal when you've reached at least $30, or bank check after $50.
$0.50 - $1.00 per photo (More with Special Licensing)
123RF customers can buy images with credits or on a subscription plan. It shouldn't come as a surprise then to see that they offer two different methods of paying you for your photos. If the customer buys with credits, you get paid 50%. On the other hand, if they download one of your images under a subscription, you'll get a flat $0.36. Payment is made by PayPal, MoneyBookers, or bank check.
50% commission or $0.36 per subscription download
Stockxpert keeps its commission plan simple. Photographers and digital artists get 50% of everything they sell through the site. This could be just 50 cents for a small photo, or $10 for a high quality vector download.
You can request payment when you have earned over $50 (PayPal or MoneyBookers) or $100 in the case of checks.
50% commission
How you can earn commission with referrals
As well as earning an income by selling images on stock photo sites, you can also earn commission with their referral programs.
There are various ways to make money with stock photo referral programs, such as earning a fixed commission when you introduce someone who makes a purchase, or when you introduce a photographer who uploads a certain number of approved photographs.
You can also get paid a percentage of a sale on either a first-time purchase or on repeated purchases for a limited period of time.
Another way to earn a residual income is to take a small cut from sales made by a referred photographer.
Promote your chosen affiliate program on your website, in email to friends, or as your signature link in discussion forums.
Here is an overview of the referral programs offered by iStockPhoto, Big Stock Photo, 123RF, and Stockxpert:
iStockPhoto offers various banners, badges and links to put on your website, such as the one shown here. When someone clicks through to iStockPhoto from your link, signs up and makes their first purchase, you will earn $10. Commission is paid once your referral earnings reach $100, and is paid by check or "other means", most likely PayPal or MoneyBookers.
You can also send a friend an invitation to join iStockPhoto. If they sign up, they'll get a 3 credit gift, and you'll make $10 after your friend's first purchase. You can refer up to 10 new friends a month.
$10 per referral
Big Stock Photo is a little more generous than iStockPhoto with it's affiliate programs. If you're lucky enough to have a large website, you can become a Premium Co-Brand Affiliate and offer their entire photo library from within your site and make lots of money. For individuals, photographers or small website owners, the Standard program offers 35% of a new photo buyer's first purchase. Most buyers purchase $40 - $300 worth of credits, so you could make $14 - $105 per referral.
You can also earn commission by referring new photographers, although they need to have 75 approved photo uploads to earn you just $5.00.
Commission is paid via Paypal when you've reached at least $30, or by bank check after $50.
35% commission on first purchase
123RF has a very enticing referral program. First, if you refer a customer, you get 15% commission on every purchase they make for one year, plus one free credit. 15% will earn you between $2.25 and $74.85 each time, depending on the credit package bought.
If you refer a photographer to 123RF, you can earn a cut from each photo they sell during the first 6 months. You'll get 10, 20 or 30 cents per photo depending on it's resolution, and $2.00 if the person you referred sells an extended licence.
Commission is paid when you've earned $100, most likely through PayPal or MoneyBookers, or by bank check.
15% repeat commission / 10-30 cents from referred photographer's sales
Stockxpert pay out 10% of the value of each credit purchase for the first three months. Considering the cheapest package is just $4.99, you could be looking at a lousy 50 cents, but you'll earn much more if the person you referred buys repeatedly during the first three months, or buys a larger number of credits.
You can request payment when you have earned over $50 (PayPal or MoneyBookers) or $100 in the case of checks.
10% repeat commission
Whether you want to buy high-quality images or make some extra money, stock photo websites such as those listed here give you access to more than just a world-wide library of digital photography. They let you manage it.
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