Suppose you are like most people with a knack for creating copies of reality with a camera, then chances are you do this solely because you want to make and keep memories. That’s a good enough reason to be out taking pictures anyway.
However, I believe you haven’t for once thought you could use those pictures for anything else. Well, there’s more you can do with those. Besides just serving the purpose of providing memories, taking photos can also make you money.
Every content creator needs pictures from numerous bloggers to brands and agencies. What this means is most buyers are willing to pay you for the original content in your gallery.
Nowadays, taking pictures is not strictly reserved for professional photographers. Whether you’re into professional photography or just an amateur behind a mobile device, the information I’ll be sharing here will come in handy.
10 Best Ways To Make Money Online From Photography?
You can make money from taking pictures through third-party websites or apps that allow you to sell your photographs online. This way, you can sell your images from just anywhere. Many websites and apps will take minutes to get started using them.
However, using third-party websites and apps is one of many good ways to make money from your pictures. There are many other ways to make money from taking pictures. And the best part is that you don’t need to be a professional photographer.
Here are the ten best ways to make money from taking pictures:
- Sell Your Photos As NFTs
- Selling on stock photo websites
- Selling your prints
- Using apps that pay you for pictures
- Selling pictures of yourself
- Selling pictures of yourself
- Sharing your pictures on social media
- Freelance Photography
- Modeling for brands
- Editing and retouching pictures
1. Sell Your Photos As NFTs
For many photographers, the ability to sell their work in a digital format is a dream come true. It allows them to share their art with an audience as broad as the internet and get paid for it.
If you follow Logan Paul’s 99 Originals, you’ll understand that anyone can make millions selling photos online. It’s just a matter of consistency. However, it would help if you had little character and more brilliance to sell your pictures as NFTs.
NFTs are the future of art. They are digital tokens representing ownership and can be used as collateral for loans or traded on the market. You can also sell photos as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the blockchain and make a shit ton of money from it.
An NFT is a digital token that represents a unique asset. With NTFS, each photo you sell is unique and will be different from all other existing images. You can imagine how this creates an entirely new market for photographers who want to get paid for their work.
What makes this even more exciting is that these tokens are highly liquid. They can be bought and sold on any marketplace or exchange. The only thing that matters is the quality of your photography and whether or not people like what you have to offer.
You can sell your photos as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on dApp, RareBits, or OpenSeas. These are a popular online marketplace for cryptocurrency collectors and other crypto enthusiasts to buy and sell digital art and collectibles.
Here are some of the best places to sell pictures as NFTs:
If you’re considering selling professional photographs as digital art, OpenSea is one of the best places to start. OpenSea is an NFT marketplace and one of the largest decentralized exchanges for digital goods, collectibles, in-game items, and blockchain-based art.
NFTs are the future of crypto collectibles, and the Rarible platform is leading the way. Rarible is a platform for artists to sell their work as NFTs. It allows you to upload your images, set prices, and sell as many copies as you want.
The Axie Marketplace has been built from the ground up to be a marketplace for art, images, and photos that are natively digital. Every transaction is recorded on the blockchain, making it easy to prove ownership of the artwork.
At SuperRare, you can upload your images (or someone else’s) and then sell them as NFTs or give them away as gifts. You can use any image editor like Photoshop or GIMP to create your artwork on the Marketplace and then upload it onto the platform as art. Once you sell your work as an NFT, you can withdraw it to any wallet and convert it to cash whenever you want.
Nifty Gateway is an online marketplace of digital art. It allows creators to sell their work as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The Nifty Gateway is meant for creators who have already established a reputation as artists or photographers and are looking to expand their audience beyond social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter.
2. Selling Your Pictures As Premium Stock Photos
A stock photo is a ready-made picture that has been captured and made ready for immediate use. Selling on stock photo websites is an excellent way to make money from your photographs. Plenty of stock photo websites are go-to sources for individuals and companies searching for unique images.
These sites charge a licensing fee when your picture gets sold and pay a part of this fee to you. The percentage commission paid varies from site to site.
One thing to be wary of is that not just any picture will pass for a stock photo. To be better prepared to take photos that will qualify for this, it is advisable to visit stock photo sites and go through their collections for inspiration.
Generally, a good stock photo is simple, clutter-free, and portrays a specific scene. When taking pictures for these sites, an easy hack is to think of the possible ways clients could use your image—scenarios like workers seated in an office or people having coffee make for great stock photos.
Here is a list of some stock photo sites you can begin with:
Alamy is a British company with one of the internet’s largest stock photo collections. They pay as much as 50% for every picture of yours that sells. However, they set the price for your submitted work themselves.
Alamy charges $90 as the average license fee for pictures. 50% of this will mean you can make as much as $45 per picture of yours that Alamy sells.
Getty Images is an online supplier of stock images for businesses and individual consumers. After approving your picture submission, your photo gets valued anywhere from $200 to $300 per picture. Getty images pay 20% to 30% of your picture’s value to you as commission for each sale made. They pay monthly
Etsy is a global online marketplace where tons of people put up creative stuff for sale –pictures inclusive. It is a marketplace, so you’ll have to set up and manage your online store there. A single product listed on Etsy costs $0.2 and expires after four months.
Shutterstock is an American company selling stock photos, footage, etc. They pay contributors anywhere from 15% to 40% per sale of their content. The percentage you earn depends on how many of your photos clients download within a year. On Shutterstock, you make more when customers frequent your portfolio.
3. Selling Your Pictures Online
Another great way to get passive income from taking pictures is by selling your photo prints. Doing this is exciting because it increases your chances of making money immediately. You can print your images on various other commonly used products, from pillows to smartphone cases.
Customers who are not particularly interested in the pictures could be interested in other products that carry your prints. With the proper marketing techniques in your arsenal, you will make sales.
Here are some fantastic sites where you can sell your photos:
FineArtAmerica is a great place to sell your digital images. They have over 3 million customers. With FineArt America, you can sell your pictures online and get paid directly into your bank account. They have over 3 million customers and is one of the largest online marketplaces for selling fine art prints online.
Society6 is an online platform that allows you to sell your digital art, similar to Etsy. It’s a great place to sell your photos online because it has millions of visitors every month, and artists can earn up to 60% profit on their sales. Some artists have even made over $400,000 selling prints on this fabulous website.
Cafe Press is one of the most popular sites for selling t-shirts and other products with custom-designed images and text. If you have cool pictures taken on an iPhone, you can upload them on this website, add some incredible mockups, and sell them for free.
The ImageKind platform is a great way to sell your photos online. They provide a simple interface that makes it easy to upload your images and set prices. If you’re an artist or photographer, this is also a great way to sell your work to an existing audience.
Great Big Canvas offers a unique way to sell your photos. The site allows you to upload images and create a custom canvas print. You can then choose from various sizes and add a frame if you wish. Your customers can choose the size they want and then have the canvas shipped to them in about one week.
Additionally, you can consider selling photographs on your website. Selfies sell too. You probably never thought of this because taking selfies is relatively easy and something we mostly do for fun. If you’re a selfie lover, you can make money by placing your selfies on the right online platforms and doing so the right way.
4. Using Apps That Pay You For Pictures
You can take and upload your pictures for sale on several apps. These apps typically pay you a commission for every photo of yours sold. You will make sales if your collection catches the eye.
Typically, you will need to download any of these apps, set up your profile, and begin uploading pictures. However, picture guidelines vary from app to app, and your photos will go through an approval process.
You can withdraw your earnings via the payment platforms available on each app. However, some require you to reach a minimum threshold before making profits.
Moreover, you can easily access these apps through your Google play store or Apple AppStore. Some apps are compatible with Android and ios, and others are limited to either. Here are some examples:
EyeEm is an application for photographers and photography enthusiasts. It is free and comes along with features for picture editing. EyeEm allows you to create and manage your portfolio and put your works up for display. Its market feature enables you to sell the pictures in your portfolio. And better still, to do so while learning from others.
Scoopshoot is an easy-to-use mobile phone app that allows you to upload pictures, caption them and tag a price. Payments are made via Paypal whenever your photo sells.
This app allows you to upload a limited number of pictures daily based on your approval rate. Approved photos can earn anywhere from $1.02 to $17 per download based on your earning level.
Foap helps you make money from your iPhone pictures. It is free to use, and with Foap, you can be sure your shots will easily get exposed to potential buyers. To use Foap, you need to set up an account for yourself and upload pictures to your profile. Foap sells photos at $10, and you will get a 50% commission.
With Adobe Stock, you can sell your pictures very quickly. However, you must sign up and get an Adobe ID before uploading your photos. After this, Adobe licenses and promotes the images for you. They pay a commission of 33% per picture sold.
5. Selling Pictures Of Yourself
Selling your photos online is a great way to earn money and get your name out there. You can also use it as an opportunity to build a portfolio for future jobs and clients.
There are websites where you can sell pictures of yourself for money. These sites will pay for quality photos of you. You can sell your photos and selfies on stock photo sites or sites like Etsy or eBay.
You can begin making money from your photos with a decent mobile device or camera. The better the shots you take, the greater your chances of earning better from your pictures. For this reason, you will want to invest in a quality camera or mobile device when starting.
Many websites and apps like Stylinity, Pay your selfie, Scoopshot, Smugmugpro, or 500px are available for you to sell your pictures on. Selling on any of these platforms is an excellent way to earn quickly. However, since millions of photos are available on such media, you want to keep abreast with the following tips.
One of the best ways to make money selling your pictures online is by investing your time or money in excellent image editors. Learning to edit your pictures is more of an invest-in-yourself effort. You will need to get a great photo editing application.
Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom are excellent editors to try your hands on. You will have to learn to use an editor proficiently. You can achieve this without stress by leveraging the many tutorials available on Youtube or Udemy.
If you’re looking for something more professional and long-term, consider signing up with one of the many stock photography websites and start uploading your photos. You could even get a small fee whenever someone downloads your picture from their website.
6. Sharing Your Pictures On Social Media
Social media is a big marketplace you don’t want to ignore. You can share your pictures here, too, for money. Although social media websites like Instagram or TikTok will not pay you for uploading your photos.
You can use those sexy pictures to build an audience and monetize that traffic by selling them something or becoming an Instagram brand ambassador for a company in your niche.
Many people are not aware that you can make money from your photos. Alternatively, you can use social media sites to create a portfolio of your best work and share it on social media. This will help you gain exposure and build your brand. I suggest you read our guide on growing and making money from Instagram to learn more about this.
Brands will be interested in working with you when you have a large following. You can also offer your services as a paid contributor or photographer for magazines or websites. You can charge between $50-$100 per image, depending on the quality and uniqueness of the photo.
The good news is that there is no limit to how much you can make using these sites. They are easy to set up and won’t require much time or effort. While it may seem like all you need to do is take a great photo and post it on Facebook or Instagram, and people will start buying prints, there’s more to it.
8. Freelance Photography
Another way to make money from taking pictures is by freelancing. Working as a freelancer will open you up to a large clientele base. There are a lot of freelance sites where numerous clients will find your picture-taking skills useful. And if you have worked on your editing and retouching skills, you will be open to more earning opportunities.
I’m a photographer, and I’ve been doing this for about three years. It started with me taking pictures of my friends in front of the Eiffel Tower, and then it turned into me getting paid to take photos of people’s babies and dogs.
Freelance sites make it easy for you to meet good clients that need your service. When starting, you will need to prepare a portfolio with samples of your picture. I advise you to take the time to do this properly. It will determine how fast visitors to your profile get converted to clients.
If you don’t like the idea of doing freelance photography on Fiverr or Upwork, you can become a Paparazzo for big media sites and magazines. This type of work is similar to stock photography. Still, it is different because you are working for the publication instead of being hired by them as an independent contractor.
Selling your service as a freelance photographer for people who need help with various things, from real estate photography to weddings, modeling, and even sports photography. If you have a good eye for detail and know how to take great photos, this could be a fun way to earn extra money while also doing something that interests you.
9. Modelling For Brands
One of the best ways to make money selling pictures online is by modeling for brands. Brands are looking for people of different races to market new or rebrand existing products for their customers.
The best thing about this idea is that you don’t need to know how to use a camera or retouch photos. You only have to be photogenic and pass a message using body language. Becoming a model for big brands is another easy way to make money selling pictures online.
You don’t need to be a big-time model to make money from partnering with brands. You can create your portfolio website to show off your best photos from previous shoots and behind-the-scenes videos from recent jobs so potential clients can see what they’re paying for before hiring you. Ensure the site is easy to navigate, so people don’t get lost while looking through your photos and videos.
You can easily create a portfolio on Instagram. The more photos you add, the greater your chances of landing a brand that will be willing to work with you. If you’re still finding it hard to work with big brands like Nike or Apple, consider reaching out to a small local business that needs some pictures for its website or Instagram account and grow your fan base from there.
10. Editing & Retouching Photos
Finally, editing and improving images is a minor and less entertaining part of making money from photos. Editing and improving photos is another not-so-fantastic but gratifying way to make money from pictures. One way to make your images outstanding is by having them retouched by a professional.
If you have photo editing skills, there are several ways that you can turn your hobby into a money-making venture. Photo editing is a side hustle introverts can enjoy because it allows them to be creative and artistic while making some extra cash on the side or a steady income source, depending on your business model.
If you want to get into this side hustle business, you’ll need to invest in photo editing software. I recommend Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop. There are also other programs out there, like Pixelmator or GIMP, but the former are two programs that are industry standards.
You can also edit and retouch photos; many freelancers do this as a side hustle. You can do it yourself and sell your services or join forces with other photographers to scale your business.
Whether or not you’re into photography professionally, taking pictures can become a means of earning income passively. Exploring any of these ways I’ve shared will make you cash on the side. It’s always fun and inspiring to turn your passion into your paycheck, so put these to work, and chances are you will be glad you did.
