How Do I Sell My Pictures Online?

Stock Photography

• Selling photos online usually means that you will be selling your photo as a stock image for the use by others. Stock images can be used in print campaigns, personal websites and other manners that you allow. Some sites where you can set up an account and sell your photos are Fotalia.com, Shutterfly.com and Shutterstock.com.

  With these websites, you are free to set up an account and upload the photos you wish to sell. Once you̵7;ve got your photos in place, you can choose the price, picture sizes and restrictions you wish to put on the use of your photos. When picking a price, keep in mind that pricing them too high can cause people to think twice about buying your photo. Scope out other photographer̵7;s prices to see a ballpark figure for similar prints.

Knowing What Sells

• Figuring out how to sell the right kind of photos to a website is important. For the most part, trying to sell pictures of friends and family is not advised. Most of the time, the market has no desire to buy your personal photos. If you want to sell your photography, stick to more abstract subjects, such as landscapes.

  Many people looking for stock photography to buy need an emotion or idea conveyed in a photo. Try taking pictures of things that represent a moment, rather than simply pointing and shooting. Tourist-type photos rarely sell and are overabundant.

  Keep in mind that some sites sell certain types of pictures that others may not. Check out a website̵7;s content to see what kind of photos are sold more often there and tailor your photo uploads to this standard. Make sure that the photos you wish to sell are high-quality and in focus. People tend not to pay for fuzzy, nonprofessional looking images.

Legality

• When taking pictures to sell, steer clear of photographing any material that is subject to copyright laws. Avoid displaying logos, trademarks and other brand recognition in your photo. If your photo contains a recognizable person, make sure you have the person, as well as any other included in the image, sign a model release form. This way, they are aware that you may be selling their likeness for profit.

Creating a Site

• If you feel you have enough quality material, you can create your own website to sell your photos. To do that, buy a domain name and build your website from scratch or host it at a site such as Wordpress.com or Blogspot.com. Make sure your site has a way to order your prints. Setting up a site yourself may be more complex, however, and should only be done if you know how to run a website.