Stock Photography Success Tips: Best Stock Photo Sites 2021
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- Approval of 80% or higher: upload the maximum. Applies for the first 50 submissions if you’re new.
- Approval of 50-80%: upload 1/2 the maximum number of images per week.
- Approval of 30-50%: upload 1/3 the maximum number of images per week.
- Approval of 10-30%: upload ¼ the maximum number of images per week.
- Approval of 0-10%: upload 1/6 the maximum number of images per week.
- But, if you’re an exclusive contributor, you can submit 50% more.
photo by evgenyatamanenko via iStock
If you’re like me then you’re using this downtime in our industry to seriously evaluate how diverse your revenue stream is.
I’ve covered this topic in depth on our website before, but have been evaluating different stock photography websites for myself.
I’ve touched on this topic before, but figured I should take all of the information I know about the best stock photo sites and compile it.
photo by scyther5 via iStock
Stock photo websites are definitely a type of revenue that you need to build up over time, so don’t expect to start using any of these best stock photo sites to make enough to pay your rent this month. But, if you use them correctly, then you may be able to use them to pay your rent in the future.
Think about stock photo sites like a retirement account, they aren’t going to get you rich tomorrow, but they’re a great way to build income for your future self.
I chose the following stock photo sites for this review: iStock, Dreamstime, Getty Images, and 123rf. I chose them for a few reasons.
photo by Tossatis Chongjiragal via iStock
First, I only wanted to choose websites that were popular and well-known. That way there’s less element of surprise when using them.
Second, I wanted to explore stock sites that pay their photographers a decent amount. After all, what’s the point of featuring sites that don’t pay out?
Lastly, I wanted sites that only accept high-quality photos.
With that, let’s get to the review!
Editor’s Tip: Part of finding success in stock photography is creating images that stand out. To do that, you need to develop your creative eye so you can see unique compositions where other photographers can’t. Our 30-Day Creative Eye Challenge is exactly what the doctor ordered! Learn new skills that will help you find beauty in the mundane and create images that compel people to press the “buy” button. Check it out!
iStock
What is the pay rate?
In order for you to understand the iStock pay rate, you first need to understand how customers pay for images through this site.
Customers can opt to either pay a monthly subscription, an annual subscription, or they can purchase “credits.”
Now, each one of the photos on iStock are a certain amount of “credits,” with the least expensive ones costing around $12. The least expensive photos are part of the Essential collection, the more expensive ones are part of the Signature collection.
These two collections are especially important for you to understand because you get a different royalty percentage based on them. For photos that are part of the Essential collection, you can collect 15% royalties, but for photos that are part of the Signature collection, you can collect royalties between 25-45%. Plus, since the Signature collection photos are more expensive, your overall paycheck will be higher.
How do you set up an account?
Importantly, when you sign up with iStock, you sign an agreement that says iStock is the only stock image website you are going to work with if you are accepted for the Signature collection. This means that not only can you not submit rejected photos to other stock image websites, but you can’t submit any work at all to other stock image websites.
When you think about the pros and cons of iStock, this is definitely one of the biggest cons. No photographer likes to feel like they don’t have control over their work. But, the higher pay rate means I still believe iStock is one of the best stock photo sites out there right now.
When you go to set up an account, you can either apply through iStock or Getty Images since they are both owned by the same parent company. You can submit up to 15 photos, in jpg format, or 3 videos for your application.
How do I ensure my images are approved?
photo by jacoblund via iStock
Since iStock is one of the best stock photo sites, they are looking for images that will be appealing to businesses.
But, unlike some of the other stock photo sites, iStock tends to try and stay on trend. For instance, there are plenty of images on iStock of people wearing masks since the pandemic broke out.
If you want to get your photos accepted here, make sure your photos are trendy, make sure there is no noise or distraction in any photo, and make sure you have model and property releases for each photo.
What are the top pros and cons of working with iStock?
photo by Pekic via iStock
The top pros of working with iStock is that they are one of the largest and best stock photo sites in the world. If you get your photos on iStock they will be put in front of millions of potential buyers.
Another pro of working with iStock is that you can make significantly more royalties with them, if you are accepted for the Signature collection. Granted, it can be difficult to get accepted for this collection.
The biggest con of working with iStock is that, for their Essential collection, royalties aren’t very high at 15%. You can definitely make more with one of the other best stock photo sites in this article.
Get more details about iStock in our detailed iStock review.
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Dreamstime
What is the pay rate?
Dreamstime is another one of our best stock photo sites specifically because of the Dreamstime pay rate.
It is a little confusing, but you can expect to make between 25-50% royalties on each photo, with the possibility of an extra 10% bonus if you have an exclusive contract for any file.
This is a lot more than iStock.
There’s also a 20 cent bonus for each of up to 100 photos that get approved on Dreamstime after you become an exclusive contributor, which means you can’t sell those photos on any other sites. You can become an exclusive contributor after you get 50 photos approved for the site.
How do you set up an account?
First, you have to register. There’s actually no formal application process for Dreamstime except when you begin uploading photos. The editors at Dreamstime are also rather particular about which photos they accept.
How do I ensure my images are approved?
photo by BartekSzewczyk via iStock
Like much of the website, ensuring your images are approved is also sort of confusing on Dreamstime.
Dreamstime generally wants generic images with “well defined commercial concepts” and “marketable compositions that show creative insight.” They also like high technical levels of color, definition, and lighting.
But, your approval rating for your images dictates how many images you can submit every week. Confusingly, this number changes every week, but the breakdown looks like this:
Importantly, Dreamstime hates when you keyword spam and you will get caught for doing it. If you want to avoid the trouble of keywording entirely, you can work with “Keymasters,” which are employees paid to keyword your photos for you. It costs 60 cents per photo, but Dreamstime swears it’ll increase your sales.
What are the top pros and cons of working with Dreamstime?
There are a ton of pros and cons of Dreamstime.
I think the creators of Dreamstime make it a point to ensure photographers love working with them. Their pay rate is really high and the process for approval or rejection is usually really quick.
While some of the processes you must go through are confusing, it’s worth it for the higher paycheck.
Get more details about Dreamstime in our full Dreamstime review.
Getty Images
What is the pay rate?
The Getty Images pay rate begins at 20% for royalty free images, and jumps to 25% for videos. Since no Getty Image is available for less than $50, and many of them cost as much as $499, that 20% pay rate can really add up.
Getty also offers something known as Rights Managed licenses, which allows businesses to pay less depending upon how they will use the image.
Getty has a calculator for Rights Managed pricing.
How do you set up an account?
As I mentioned before, whenever you apply for iStock, you also simultaneously apply for Getty Images.
Unlike iStock, Getty Images requires an exclusivity agreement for any images that they approve.
How do I ensure my images are approved?
photo by piola666 via iStock
Getty Images is definitely one of the best stock photo sites because their clients pay premium for images here.
As such, they are looking for editorial and strong conceptual, artistic commercial images. This means you can be a bit more creative with the photos you submit to Getty, but it also means they better be beautifully composed and shot.
Thankfully, Getty has a website dedicated to different types of shots they like to see. You can browse it for inspiration.
What are the top pros and cons of working with Getty Images?
I think the biggest pros and cons of Getty Images really align. For example, there’s huge potential to make a lot of money on Getty, since the images are much more expensive than on other sites, but that potential doesn’t always translate since you’ll be competing against a ton of other photographers and you’ll probably have less photos approved.
But, it is exciting to work with one of the best stock photo sites that also allows you to actually be creative.
Get additional information about Getty Images in our top-to-bottom Getty Images review.
Editor’s Tip: Expanding your ability to earn income from your photography means honing the skills you already have and learning new ones. Doing so doesn’t need to take a ton of time or money, either! Join the PhotographyTalk 30-Day Creative Eye Challenge, and you’ll see just how quickly you can learn to see creatively and use your photography skills to create visually stunning, impactful images.
123rf
What is the pay rate?
123rf thinks it is one of the best stock photo sites because of its pay rate. It pays anywhere between 30-60% for photos, but in order to actually make 60% you must have had 1 million photos accepted to the site.
The 123rf pay rate breaks down like this. For customers who are subscribed to 123rf, you will make 21 cents for each image a customer uses. Once you have more than a thousand photos on the site, that number slowly climbs as you build rapport with the site.
How do you set up an account?
You create an account on the registration page, provide a government-issued ID, and then submit 10 photos (with keywords) for review.
You will probably hear back within a week. You must have at least 10 photos accepted in order to begin working with them.
How do I ensure my images are approved?
photo by Drazen Zigic via iStock
Firstly, make sure all of your images are oriented correctly. If a photo is upside down or sideways it will be automatically rejected.
Secondly, if your images are almost identical, they will be rejected.
Thirdly, you can’t submit anything controversial. As an example, you can’t submit photos of flags or money burning or anything bordering on “too sexy.”
What are the top pros and cons of working with 123rf?
The biggest con of working with 123rf is the paycheck. You probably won’t make very much with them, but if you’re simply after some exposure and a slowly growing passive income, then it still makes sense to sign up.
Get more familiar with 123rf by reading our 123rf review.
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