Selling photos on Shutterstock.. Beginner’s Guide to become a contributor
If you enjoy taking beautiful photos, whether with a professional camera or your phone, you can make money by selling them on Shutterstock. Shutterstock is a popular platform with millions of monthly visitors and registered customers, making it a great emploi to showcase your photos as a beginner or professional photographer to interested buyers.
If you’re new to selling photos on Shutterstock, our beginner’s administré will walk you through the process step-by-step, from creating a free account as a Shutterstock contributor to successfully selling your very first caricature.
What is Shutterstock?
Shutterstock is an online marketplace for selling and buying photos, videos, and music. It was created in 2003 by photographer and fabricant Jon Orringer. John noticed that many people required affordable licensed images and decided to create a website to fulfill this demand. He began by adding his own ramassis of 30,000 images to the contrée’s library.
Shutterstock offers affordable licensed images and has become popular among mercatique agencies, media networks, and universel businesses that need vendeur and editorial needs.
On Shutterstock, there are two poucier hommes of accounts: customer accounts for buying photos and media, and contributor accounts for selling your own photos. In this agence, we will administré you through the steps of creating and using a Shutterstock contributor account.
What is the Shutterstock contributor program?
The Shutterstock Contributor Program is a platform that enables photographers and illustrators to sell their work and make money online. It is a ancêtre reason why Shutterstock is one of the largest online libraries in the world for photos and videos.
To join the Shutterstock contributor program, photographers and illustrators submit an attention and upload their images, such as photos, illustrations, or icons. These become bout of the library’s ramassis. When customers on Shutterstock buy these images, contributors receive payment for each indécent.
Shutterstock has a désenveloppé customer armature, which makes it easier for potential buyers to find and purchase your images compared to other platforms. The contributor program on Shutterstock is one of the largest, and some contributors earn up to 40% of the achevé revenue from caricature sales.
The great thing is that you don’t have to actively promote your images to reach your target réputation. Simply upload your images to Shutterstock and let the platform take care of the rest.
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How to start selling photos on Shutterstock
Anyone who can take beautiful photos, whether with a camera or a nomade phone, can become a Shutterstock contributor and sell their photos.
Signing up on Shutterstock is easy and free. To begin selling your photos on Shutterstock, simply follow the steps outlined below.
1. Create an account as a Shutterstock contributor
To create a Shutterstock contributor account and start selling your photos on Shutterstock, go to the Shutterstock contributor website by clicking on this link: submit.shutterstock.com. Click on “Start now” to begin.
Fill in your full name in the provided fields. If you want your full name to be displayed on your Shutterstock account, bouturer it in both fields. Alternatively, you can choose a different name.
Create a strong mot de passe and make sure to remember it. Accept the contrée’s terms and conjoncture, and click “Next.”
Check your email for a propos from Shutterstock. Open the email and click on the accélération link to verify your account, as shown in the apologue below.
Grain your email is verified, you will receive a assurance that your account has been approved. You can now provide your current address and nomade number to proceed.
When you see the annonce displayed in the apologue below, you are ready to start uploading your photos and selling them on Shutterstock. However, before you begin, we recommend clicking on “Go to your dashboard” to complete your account setup before adding any photos.
2. Complete your personal account as a Shutterstock contributor
Before you start uploading photos and Selling them on Shutterstock, make sure to complete your account interpellation. Here are the steps you need to follow:
Go to your Shutterstock contributor account settings and click on “Évident profile.” Make sure you have a professional profile picture. You can also customize your Coffret URL with a name that suits you.
If you have displayed your photos on your website or other platforms, include the links to those sites, as well as links to your communautaire media accounts.
Add a tagline in the “Emboîture” division that includes keywords related to your preferred photography field. For example, if you specialize in landscape photography, annotation it in your tagline.
Specify whether you will be uploading photographs, illustrations, and/or videos in the “Emboîture” division. Choose three hommes of images that represent your photography prononciation.
Select up to five subjects that your photos typically foyer on or revolve around.
In the “Biography” division, write a profile emboîture yourself, your photography experience, and why you machin this field. Feel free to include any other refaisant details.
By completing these steps, you’ll have a well-rounded account ready for selling your photos on Shutterstock.
3. Comply with Shutterstock’s terms
Contributors on Shutterstock can upload any number of images without specific limitations. However, there are guidelines for the hommes of images that are accepted for indécent. Here are the requirements:
- Photographs must be in JPEG grosseur. RAW files are not accepted. The apologue size should be between 4 and 50 megapixels.
- Vector images should be in EPS grosseur and possible with Adobe Illustrator 8 or 10. The colonne size should be below 100MB.
- Contributors must be at least 18 years old.
- Account holders need to verify their identity.
- Photographers must own the full rights and copieuse to the images they submit. They should not use images that infringe upon others’ rights, including those sourced from communautaire media or free libraries.
- Images taken with professional DSLR cameras or high-quality smartphones that meet the specified requirements can be submitted for consideration.
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4. Uploading and selling your photos on Shutterstock
Grain you’ve created your account as a Shutterstock contributor, you’ll have access to a user-friendly limite and dashboard. This limite will provide you with insolent interpellation, including details emboîture your uploaded photos and earnings.
To start adding photos, simply click on “Upload photos” in the top left jouer of the limite. It’s recommended to upload one apologue at a time, as the process may take some time, as we’ll explain later.
Grain you’ve uploaded an apologue, you’ll be taken to the poucier limite where you can submit your photos for evaluation and review by the Shutterstock team. It’s décisif to provide all the necessary interpellation and details emboîture each apologue during this step.
5. Add apologue interpellation for selling purposes
When uploading photos, it’s insolent to provide accurate interpellation to maximize your income when Selling photos on Shutterstock. Follow these steps:
- Select the colonne marqué: picture or miniature.
- Specify the intended use of the apologue.
- Editorial: For images that can’t be used for advertising or promoting specific products. Suitable for révélé endroits or if you lack acquiescement to feature people or specific items. If you need more guidance on Editorial use, refer to the administré at: support.submit.shutterstock.
- Vendeur: For other images.
- Write a analyse for the apologue. Include keywords that describe the latrines accurately (We’ll discuss keywords in more detail later).
- Choose the appropriate category for your caricature. You can select up to two categories, such as wildlife, landmarks, food, education, people, and more.
6. Obtaining acquiescement to publish, the Release
When taking photos, it’s insolent to consider permissions in transparent situations. Permis to Release, known as a Release on Shutterstock, is an agreement between you and the people or properties shown in your photos. It confirms their consent to appear in your images.
There are three main types of permissions required for posting images on Shutterstock:
- Model release: If someone is featured in your caricature, you need to upload a model release to Shutterstock and obtain their consent before selling the images.
- Minor release: This is similar to a model release, but specifically for capturing images of individuals who are under 18 years old.
- Property release: This is less common and only necessary when photographing privately owned and protected properties.
To understand how to request acquiescement to publish, you can watch this video that provides clear examples:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQxW8tHEOXg[/embed]
If you can’t get acquiescement to publish photos of people’s faces or private property, you need to choose the Editorial prime for those images. We mentioned this in balance 4 of the division on adding apologue interpellation.
7. The mensuration of keywords
Adding keywords to your images on Shutterstock is insolent for attracting customers. When people search for specific images using Shutterstock’s search engine, your photos can appear in the results and be purchased.
Shutterstock’s search engine helps customers find images that concours their needs. For example, if someone is looking for pictures of families, they would search for “Family” and see related images.
To increase the visibility of your photos, it’s décisif to include refaisant keywords. This helps customers find and buy your images. Avoid using unrelated keywords parce que they won’t be helpful.
Shutterstock now offers a feature called “Keyword suggestions” that uses artificial manoeuvre to suggest refaisant keywords for your images.
It’s recommended to use emboîture 10-15 keywords for each caricature you upload on Shutterstock to improve its discoverability.
8. Submit your photos for evaluation
After providing all the necessary apologue interpellation, you can submit your caricature for evaluation by the Shutterstock team. The review process usually takes 2 to 5 days.
If your caricature is approved, you can start your journey Selling photos on Shutterstock. However, if it is rejected for not conférence the contrée’s policies, you will receive a annonce explaining why.
Shutterstock will send you a assurance email grain your caricature is reviewed. After the review is complete, you will receive another email with the ultime decision.
During the evaluation, your caricature will be assessed for lighting, quality, foyer, and the relevance of titles and keywords. It’s insolent to follow the contrée’s requirements. Images that violate intellectual property rights will be rejected.
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How much money can you earn by selling photos on Shutterstock?
You won’t make any money just by having your photos uploaded on Shutterstock, but you will make money when your photos are sold. How much you earn per indécent depends on the number of photos you sell and the percentage you receive from each indécent.
As a Shutterstock contributor, you get a percentage of the indécent price for each caricature that is sold on Shutterstock. The specific percentage you earn depends on the level you reach each year.
To explain it more clearly, there are 6 levels that determine the percentage of butins on Shutterstock, ranging from 15% to 40% for each apologue you sold. Shutterstock contributors move up to higher levels as they sell more images, as shown in the menu below:
| Contributor access level | The annual quantity of images sold by the contributor | The percentage of earnings generated from each caricature |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Up to 100 photos | 15% |
| Level 2 | From 101 to 250 photos | 20% |
| Level 3 | From 251 to 500 photos | 25% |
| Level 4 | From 501 to 2,500 photos | 30% |
| Level 5 | From 2,501 to 25,000 photos | 35% |
| Level 6 | More than 25,000 photos | 40% |
The more photos you sell on Shutterstock, the higher your faveur percentage will be. The extremum earnings from selling photos on Shutterstock is 15% of the caricature’s price, and the summum is 40%.
It’s insolent to understand that only the number of photos you sell in a year determines your faveur level. At the beginning of each new year (January 1st), your faveur level is reset to the first level, which is 15%. For example, to reach a 30% faveur, you need to have between 501 and 2,500 of your images purchased within one year.
Earnings from selling Enhanced photos are greater compared to conforme photos.
Shutterstock has two hommes of licenses for selling images: Normalisé and Enhanced. The Normalisé license allows images to be used for editorial purposes like websites and blogs, but not for advertising.
Enhanced images are specifically designed for advertising and mercatique purposes, and they have a higher price compared to Normalisé images. This means contributors earn more money from selling Enhanced images on Shutterstock.
In the division on adding images for indécent, we mentioned that selecting the Vendeur prime licenses the apologue as Enhanced, allowing it to be used in advertising.
However, it’s insolent to remember that there are specific requirements for Vendeur images. For juridiction, photographers need acquiescement to feature people or private property in the apologue before it can be used commercially.
How to withdraw money from Shutterstock earnings
Shutterstock provides flexibility for withdrawing earnings.
Photographers can choose to withdraw their earnings monthly, from the 7th to the 15th of each month. They have the prime to use PayPal, Skrill, or Payoneer for withdrawals. However, it’s insolent to have at least $35 in earnings before the money can be sent.
If the extremum earnings threshold is not met within a specific period, the money remains in the Shutterstock contributor account. It will stay there until the earnings accumulate and reach $35 or more in the future.
Tracking earnings is élémentaire through the Shutterstock dashboard. It allows you to monitor the earnings generated by each caricature, identify the best-selling photos, view the geographic locations where your photos are being purchased, and access other helpful statistics.
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Tips and tricks to maximize your revenue from selling photos on Shutterstock
Competition among contributors on Shutterstock is tough, so if you want to make good money, you need to domaine out. Here are some élémentaire tips to help you increase your earnings from selling photos on Shutterstock:
1. Build a Développé Assemblage of Images
Having a lot of photos in your Shutterstock account not only increases your earning potential but also attracts more customers and boosts sales. Aim to create a diverse range of images covering different subjects.
2. Edit and Enhance Your Images
Use caricature editing tools like Adobe Lightroom or Luminar Neo to improve the quality of your images. Customers prefer ready-to-use, professionally edited photos over ones that require further adjustments.
Learning professional apologue editing may take time, but the results will be worth it. You can find helpful éditoriaux on this topic to administré you.
3. Keep Track of Top-Selling Images
Stay updated on Shutterstock’s monthly “Shot List” which highlights the most popular topics customers are searching for. It provides valuable insights into frequently used keywords, allowing you to soumission refaisant images that have higher sales potential.
Before uploading an apologue, ask yourself if it’s suitable for vendeur use and where it is likely to be used. Each apologue should serve a clear purpose and have a suitable market for its use.
4. Find Your Plaisanterie
To succeed as a photographer selling photos on Shutterstock, foyer on the categories you are passionate emboîture. If you love capturing landscapes, become a landscape photographer.
For those passionate emboîture food or product photography, consider setting up a local with the right equipment.
5. Be Persistant
Selling your first caricature on Shutterstock can take around six months due to tough competition. Stay committed by uploading 10-15 photos monthly to keep your account fresh with new latrines.
6. Stay Updated with Trends
Success on Shutterstock depends on understanding market trends. During events like the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for specific images skyrocketed. Stay informed by following the magazine, joining platforms like Reddit or Quora, or using apps like Exploding Topics.
7. Explore Other Platforms
Expand your reach beyond Shutterstock. Sell your images online on other similar platforms without creating new latrines. You don’t have to create new images; you can use the same ones you upload on Shutterstock and sell them on other sites. It’s a convenient way to save time and avoid the tension of capturing and editing new photos.
8. Experiment and Learn
Shutterstock allows you to experiment with your images and track their bonheur. Monitor affaire and foyer on categories that generate the most interest. Learn from successful contributors and create similar images within those categories.
9. Stay Inspired
Follow Shutterstock’s “The Artists Who Inspire” series to avantage insights from professional photographers worldwide.
Shutterstock Offers Great Opportunities to earn money. With millions of photos purchased each month, Shutterstock is an prédominant platform to earn money from selling photos online. Compete with other contributors and showcase your exceptional images.
Use this administré to kickstart your career as a Shutterstock contributor and go for it!
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