This year for Mother’s day I received the most delicious gift I’d ever eaten despite the fact that this wasn’t the best Mother’s day I’d ever experienced. My best was in 2006, that Mother’s day weekend I graduated from college on Friday, celebrated my birthday on Saturday; then celebrated Mother’s day on Sunday. (Talk about a weekend!)
Allow me to go back to Christmas ’08 real quick when I was gifted with my first digital camera. Yes my first, the reason I’d waited so long to get one is initially I didn’t have the discretionary income to purchase one and I had no idea I could sell photos online in order to make money with my digital camera!
I mainly wanted a digital camera so I could start taking pictures of the things that mattered to me in life and that would provide a lifetime of memories.
I hadn’t thought to much about what else I’d use the camera for since I hadn’t had one up until that point, so in the beginning I just took pictures of two things: my daughter and my husband’s cooking.
My husband is something like a Chef Boyardee slash Emerald slash “tough guy” – ahaha! But he knows how to throw down when it comes to food, anything from grilled chicken salads to BBQ ribs.
Around the time I was gifted with my digital camera, I was just finishing the last few days of the Lemon Detox diet. I had been two weeks strong on the detox and it was time for me to finally eat a real meal, something other than lemon water with cayenne pepper and/or soup.
I requested my husband make me something light, like a salad with the works! Grilled chicken, eggs, cheese, cherry peppers, carrots – the works! Well, I don’t know if I was just hungry as hell or if the salad was really looking good that day but I grabbed my camera and snapped several shots. That salad was absolutely beautiful and it tasted scrumptious!
chicken salad
ultimate taco salad
From that day forward, every time my husband prepared a gourmet meal (in my eyes) I’d whip my digital camera out and snap away.
From the time I got the camera in January till now, I’ve accumulated several photos of different meals he’s created. My most beloved meal was the grilled lobster, steak and vegetable kabobs he made for me on Mother’s day, umm, umm!
Food pictures
cooking lobster tail on grill
I mostly show family members and friends that come over to the house the different meals he’s prepared for us, but other than that I don’t know what else to do with the photos.
Where and how do I sell these delicious photos I’ve accumulated?
Most of us are familiar with image hosting sites like Flickr and Photobucket, but are you aware that there are several sites out there that actually pay you for uploading your photos?
The great thing about this is people are actually looking for photos. Lots of people (including us) are looking for photos to either put on their website/blog, advertisements, signs, brochures, articles, magazines, newsletters, and any other place you can think to place a picture.
Because most of the good quality photos are copyrighted it makes it difficult for people to find pictures for any of the uses mentioned above. This is why many are willing to pay a small price for your pictures in exchange for not having to be concerned with copyrights.
The amount of pictures you can post for sale on the internet and get paid for are limitless and free. It’s free to post your pictures and most of the websites don’t have a minimum payout. For some of the sites the only thing you have to worry about is filling out an application.
To ensure your photos sell, focus on your photos being as professional as you know how to make them. Would you purchase a photo that was blurred out, to light or to dark?
Think about the purchaser before you upload that photo, you want this to be a win, win situation for the both of you.
So, where are some places you can upload your photos today and start getting paid for your pictures?
Big Stock Photo – They allow you to sell your photos and make artwork to get paid. Or you can refer others to buy photos and get paid an affiliate commission. Payment is made via Paypal after your account reaches $30, or $50 depending on payment option chosen.
Shareapic – Here you get paid for your photos as well as Google ads that are next to your photos if clicked. Payment is made via Paypal after your account reaches at least $20.
iStockphoto – With iStockphoto you get to name your own price for your photos. Payment is made via Paypal and they offer three other payment options, you receive your payment after your account reaches $100.
Dreamstime – You get 50% commission on sales plus an extra 10% commission if it is an exclusive sell. Payment is made via Paypal and the amount ranges from $0.50 to $7 depending on image type and the number of views.
Shutterstock - Get paid $0.25 each time a photo is submitted and downloaded. Payment is made via Paypal as well as two other options, but only after your account reaches $75 or $300 dependent on your payment option chosen.
That’s just 5 sites available for you to make money with your digital camera by getting paid to sell your photos. There are at least 50 other sites on the internet that you can use, just do a Google search to see where else you can sell photos online.
How can you sell your photos and receive the most pay?
- If you’re just getting started, sign up to websites that do not require an application. It’s quicker to get started with these sites and smarter to gradually move your way to the ones that require applications in order to get paid to take pictures.
- There are a few subject matters that are popular and will do you justice if you can get great photos. A few are: cute or funny animals, cute babies, amazing scenery/landscapes, flowers or gardens, houses – interior/exterior, cars, food and more. Learn which photos are sold and downloaded the most to get the latest subject matters first.
- Sign up to as many stock photography sites as you can, doing so in moderation will yield the most exposure therefore more chances of getting your picture paid for. The recognition and/or credibility wouldn’t hurt either.
- People will buy multiple pictures from you as long as you set fair prices. Marking your prices too high may limit your chances for re-buys or sales. To ensure people are buying from you find a way to make sure you create a win for yourself and them.
- If you frequent one stock photography site more than another and you make good money off of it, consider creating a site that houses your photos and link to the site that delivers your best sellers. That’s a real smart way to get in front of people who love photos and who are already looking to buy.
- Remember, a well photographed picture will always sell. Practice makes perfect and if you need help or want to make more money with your photos, use the short-cut at Camera Dollars and start to get paid to submit photos to the internet!
The key to success is not being afraid to put yourself (or your photos) out there. The photos I took are no where near “professional grade”, but they’re up for the web to see – that’s a start. Stay focused, stay creative and you’ll soon prove yourself to be a successfully paid photographer.
Have you started uploading your digital photos yet? Upload your photos, sign up to two or three stock photography websites, grab the guide at Camera Dollars and get paid to sell your photos online!
