Are you an aspiring amateur photographer? Do you have a hard drive full of beautiful pictures you have taken that no one ever really sees? Rather than let them go unseen and under appreciated you could be using them to make a little extra money instead.
With an increasing number of websites everyday, the stock photo business has plenty of customers. Whether a start-up or well established company, there is a for need royalty free images to populate websites and advertisements.
There are a number of established photo stock sites who are now turning to the general public to provide them with the images that they sell to their buyers; rather than buying up the work of pricey professionals. The subject matter is unlimited, as people need images of almost anything you can imagine at one time or another.
Sites like Shutterstock.com and Fotolia.com encourage amateur photographers to submit their images to the site and then pay them every time their image is downloaded. While you won’t make much off of one photo, usually 30-40 cents per download, most sites have thousands of registered users and that 30 – 40 cents can add up quickly. The best part, all you need to do is upload your images to site and forget about them!
This is also an opportunity for those who hope to establish their own photography business to showcase their work to a wider audience. You cannot however restrict the use of your photographs once they are uploaded and submitted to a stock photography site. You will however always receive a photo credit so purchasers will know who to come back to if they like your style.
Other sites to check out:
