Selling your images
Becoming a stock photographer is easy. If you carry your camera wherever you go and if you enjoy being behind the camera as much (if not more) as in front of it - stock photography is for you. Stock photography is ideal for an aspiring/amateur photographer as a venue of learning rules and tricks of photography, understanding strengths and weaknesses of your camera (and of other cameras as well as you will inevitably develop camera and lens envy), discovering your identity as a photographer and, in the end, becoming the creative mind you've always wanted to be - all the while making a few $$$ in the process. Stock photography is also suitable for a professional photographer who understands all the ins and outs of photography, who earns her living by taking pictures and who has already developed a specialization of her own. For a pro, stock photography offers a convenience of access to a global marketplace of designers looking for stock images without the need to invest in marketing and advertisement, a venue for all those photos you may not quite know what to do with (images discarded by clients, left overs of projects, etc.) and an additional sources of revenue - quite an important asset in today's fast-paced business world that emphasizes multiple streams of income.
Becoming a good stock photographer requires hard work. Being a part of of the stock industry contributor community is a fun, creative and rewarding experience. It does not mean, however, that there is no effort involved. Don't expect to upload all the thousands of snapshots from your camera you have stored on your hard drive and start making heaps of cash. Don't expect that your artistically magnificent (but digitally altered to the point where they are of no use to professional designers) creations will be accepted upon upload. Don't expect to have easy cash flowing into your bank account immediately. Whether you are an amateur or a pro photographer, becoming a successful stocker takes time and effort. To succeed in stock industry, just like in anything else in life, you have to work hard. Learn the rules of the game. You have to understand issues involved in noise, correct exposure, composition, marketability, light, WB and DOF, etc. Learn about the review process and selection criteria. Your success will depend on your hard work and your growth as an artist.
Feel free to contact me with any questions. Good luck!
Shutterstock (SS) is among the stock industry's leading stock agencies and has been featured by many media moguls, including the New York Times and the BBC. Shutterstock photographers are paid 25 cents for a purchased picture; the price rises to 30 cents once $500 worth of their work is bought. Shutterstock is home to rich collections of high quality photographs as well as illustrations, vectors and footage clips. Submission guidelines are simple: submit 10 images (10 photographs, illustrations or clips) for review, and if 7 out of 10 are approved - you are in! Shutterstock is often quoted as the top earner by its contributors.
Fotolia (FT) boasts the largest image bank of free as well as affordable royalty free photos and illustrations perfect for any medium, web or print. According to their official release, as of December 2007, Fotolia had more than 500,000 members who had uploaded more than 2.7 million photographs and graphic illustrations. Becoming a member of the fotolia community is easy: register, upload, sell. Its review criteria are generally known to be less stringent than at SS, Istockphoto or DT, and it is probably a good place to check out if you are just starting in the stock industry. It underwent a comprehensive site-wide overhaul early in the summer of 2007, after which it became notorious for a variety of problems. I am happy to report, Fotolia has beencompletely back on track for a while now and is catching up with the big fish (SS, IS, DT) in the stock field. No exam.
Another up and coming stock agency, Bigstockphoto (BS), is very easy on uploaders as it is not characterized by any of the more stringent (sometimes, to the point of absurdity) policies (noise, composition, marketability). Again, good for a beginning stocker. Importantly, its payout minimum is among the lowest in the field - only $30, so if you are eager to get some $ for your hard work fast - Bigstockphoto is your place to submit as you won't have to wait for $100 minimum paymenets at SS, DT, and IS (even higher if you are requesting a payout by check). No exam, just register and upload.
123RF is in the same league as bigstockphoto and a few other second-tier (so to speak) stock agencies that are quite competitive with the big fish of stock industry. They attract customers, generate downoads (although not at the same rate as SS or DT) and are easy on the contributor. With 123rf, it is easy to get through the approaval process, there is no exam (although like with other "no exam" stock agencies, there is a selective review process), and the keywording and category selection process is quite user friendly. Contributors receive $0.36 per subscription download and 50% off credit downloads.