Working online from home is the dream of many people, and one of the best ways to make that dream come true is to make your own business. Today I am going to discuss with you potential ways to make money with photos. If you love taking pictures, then this is for you.
Many bloggers (such as myself) and other media outlets like to use stock images for there websites, magazines, and blogs. And many times we have to pay for those pictures from websites such as iStockphoto, Getty Images, and Dreamstime (In case you are wondering, these links take you to the actual part on the websites where you can get more info).
So what do you need to do to get started?
Well, to begin with you can start by offering a few free stock photos on Dreamstime and sxc.hu, or you can create a Flikr account to start building your portfolio.
I think that it is a great idea, when you are starting out especially, to take a camera with you wherever you go. You never know when the perfect photo will make itself apparent to you. A camera like the Flip is great for this, or if you have a smartphone it will likely have a camera.
Once you have built up a portfolio and have gotten people downloading and using your photos, you can graduate to selling your photos on one of these sites (there are more stock photo sites than these, but these three will be the only ones mentioned in this post).
Advanced options to maximize income
When you are selling your stock photos you will need to make a decision on whether you will be selling your photos royalty free or rights managed.
A royalty free license gives the buyer the right to use the photo however and whenever the want as much as they want while paying a one-time fee.
Rights managed photos are licensed with restrictions in place such as the size, placement, duration of use and geographic distribution. There are usually recurring payments to use these images. Also rights managed licensing is usually reserved for stylized photos (meaning it has to be professional grade).
Recommendations
It is recommended once you start getting your photos downloaded and hopeful getting people to buy them, that you begin to assess your equipment.
You might want to consider getting a better camera, perhaps something that will take pictures in HD. Many people look for an HD option when buying photos, and that usually means a higher premium. So it may be wise for you to upgrade your equipment to maximize your income.
