Question

[GreenStormChaser]

Hi, I'm Robert I'm new here, wondering if there is someone who sells their pictures on the internet ???where,how??'... every dollar matters in these difficult times.
Thanks.

 

[Foques]

I do a fair share of stock images.
But most of my sales come from collaboration groups on FB and fight night / concert coverage I shoot - those are purchased from my site (hosted with zenfolio)

 

[vStiles]

I sell a fair amount of my work. 60% is direct from my FB page + 40% from other mentioned below. I have a few images on Getty as well.

Most stock sites don't pay much at all. As well, you've got to be REALLY good and have specific images for stock. Just uploading landscapes or random flower images won't get approved. Most successful stock folks do a 'theme' and run with it.

For example: simple office scenes / product shots in use / maybe a series on facial expressions. These 'sets' or themes, you would run 10-30 images all in the same vein, shot the exact same way in the exact same setting. If your exposures and compositions are top notch, you might have a market. 98% of stock image sales are to businesses wanting a certain image for an AD or pamphlet or something.

Have a look on some stock sites and see the quality of the work and what's actually up there for sale. Will give you an idea of what stock photos is all about. The real money sites like Getty and Corbis are....well... extremely hard to get even ONE image accepted to sale, let alone actually sell one.

To sell direct to clients is 100% chance all the time. Sales aren't guaranteed in any way. Your work can't be snapshots. Compositions and exposures are key to good, eye catching images that folks want to hang on their walls.

I find there's no difference having a nice website or having an organized page on FB. Much more people on FB regularly. It's a lot easier to get them to see a post from your page, rather than trying to direct folks to a website to see your work.

Personally, I also have a 'deal' in place with a few local restaurants and pubs. I provide them with free prints for their décor that they can sell to customers. I have the staff trained on how to wrap a framed image and I rotate the images every 2 months. Sometimes the owner's have a look on my page and request images.

They sell for a little more than a direct sale over FB, but that's due to the 20% I give the establishment. This has been great for me and getting local exposure to be able to sell more. If your work is good enough, the owners of these establishments will gladly take free, local art that they can make some free money off.

I'll tell you this, the real money in photography is weddings, or get yourself into the fashion world.

Selling landscapes or wildlife prints as a full time career is non existent, unless you're Lee Frost or Helen Dixon. Most of the best wild life photogs work for National Geographic, and you're not selling those.