Are you looking to sell your photos as stock photography?

There are a number of sites that accept photos for sale as stock, ranging from microstock sites that accept amateur photographers to the big name players in the industry. Stock photography can be very rewarding if your images are the kind they need. This is not the same as creating a photo gallery: brokerage houses don’t want another photo of the sunset or a photo of the rosebush in your garden.

It is important to read all instructions for submitting your photos. Most sites have a minimum resolution requirement and list the topic they are looking for. And most require model releases and possibly even property releases. If you’re looking to start earning $$$ from your photos, here are several sites to try.

Microstock Sites

Shutterstock – This is a subscription-based stock site. It is free to submit photos, however, users pay a monthly membership fee. Payment is $0.25 for each downloaded photo. Since this is a monthly fee, users will typically download multiple photos per month. Shutterstock now accepts video footage as well, with a payment of 30% of the purchase price, which typically ranges from $69 to $199.

Dreamstime – This site has a generous compensation model. User purchases are made on a credit model, with a small photo (800×600) selling for 1 credit, up to a very large 8+ MP file selling for 4 credits. Photographers earn 50% of the sale, 60% if the image is exclusive to Dreamstime. There is also an increasing sliding scale based on the number of total downloads you have as a photographer. So, as a beginner selling the smallest size photo, the payment starts at $0.50 and can go up to $4.80 per image for a unique photo of more than 8 MP. Definitely check these guys out if you really want to sell your photos!

Fotolia: This is another credit-based site, with the photographer paying 33% or more for a non-exclusive photo. Currently 1 credit = $1.00, and Fotolia also has an increasing scale for the number of files sold. The photographer has some control to set the price of the image based on the file size and its overall rating. In the upper range for a photo of more than 15 MP, the maximum sale price can be 100 credits for an exclusive photo, with a payment of 64%. This is a strong competitor in the microstock industry and is worth checking out.

While it can be difficult for amateur photographers to break into the world of stock photography, microstock sites like the ones above provide a good opportunity to start making money from your photos. If you want to make money with a hobby you love, these sites could be your start!