How to Make Passive Income with Stock Photography in 2023

Earn passive income through user image download.

With the rise of online media consumption and content creation, the demand for high-quality visuals is insatiable. One such side hustle that has gained remarkable traction is stock photography and videography.

As we delve into the strategies and platforms for turning your photography skills into a consistent stream of passive income, you’ll soon realize the untapped potential lying within your lens.

How to Start Making Money Through Stock Photography

As we delve into the strategies and platforms for turning your photography skills into a consistent stream of passive income, you’ll soon realize the untapped potential lying within your lens.

Here’s a full video breakdown by Call Me Lil on how anyone can actually make money from stock images. Note that many of his suggestions do encompass his method of making $3,000 a month of passive income through Shutterstock as a side hustle.

The essence of stock photography lies in capturing the essence of everyday life, from the mundane to the extraordinary. Seize the opportunity to encapsulate emotions, landscapes, and objects that tell a story or evoke a sentiment. The key is to create a collection that caters to a diverse range of needs, ensuring a broader reach and increasing the likelihood of your photographs being selected.

Step 1: Understand the Stock Photo Business

Before you start shooting photos to sell, it’s important to understand how the stock photography business works. 

Key things to know:

• Stock agencies: These are the companies (e.g. Shutterstock, Getty Images) that host marketplaces where photographers can sell their photos. You’ll upload your photos to these sites.
• Royalties: You earn money when someone buys one of your photos. The stock agency takes a cut, usually 30–50%, and pays you the rest as a royalty.
• Non-exclusivity: You can sell the same photos through multiple agencies. This increases your chances of sales.
• Competition: Millions of photos are available on the major stock sites. Yours need to stand out in quality, concept, keywords, etc.
• Trends: Some photo subjects and styles are more in demand. You need to research trends and shoot what will sell.
• Metadata: Information like titles, descriptions, and tags is critical so the surface of your photo is in buyer searches.

Spend time learning the stock photo business before shooting to know how to maximize your sales. Look at leading stock agency websites to understand their offerings.

Step 2: Choose Your Stock Agencies

Some key stock photography sites to consider are:

• Shutterstock
• Getty Images
• Adobe Stock
• iStock
• Pond5
• Alamy

I suggest initially applying to 1–2 agencies. Shutterstock and Adobe Stock are good options for amateurs, with straightforward application processes. However, while the notion of putting all your eggs in one basket might be tempting, diversification is paramount in the world of stock photography.

By doing so, you would be able to expand your reach and maximizes your earnings potential by tapping into different customer bases. Take note, when applying, do read and follow the instructions for setting up your account and submitting images. Follow all guidelines to ensure acceptance.

Step 3: Set Up Payments

You’ll need to provide payment details to the stock agencies so they can pay your royalties. Many offer direct deposit — set this up so earnings transfer easily to your bank account.

Before setting up, do check with the agency licensing models, such as royalty-free and rights-managed. Educate yourself about these options to make informed decisions about how you want to monetize your work. Each model has its benefits, allowing you to tailor your strategy to your goals.

You’ll also need to fill out a W-9 form (in the US) or a W-8 (in other countries) for tax purposes. Stock earnings are taxable so keep records for your filings.

Setting up payments properly, in the beginning, ensures you don’t encounter issues collecting your royalties down the road.

Step 4: Shoot Top Quality Photos

The essence of stock photography lies in capturing the essence of everyday life, from the mundane to the extraordinary. The key is to create a collection that caters to a diverse range of needs, ensuring a broader reach and increasing the likelihood of your photographs being selected.

Once your account is approved, it’s time to start shooting. Quality is key — stock agencies reject subpar, blurry, poorly composed photos.

Here are tips for taking great shots:

• Use DSLR camera: Invest in a quality DSLR camera if you don’t already own one. Better equipment leads to better-quality photos.
• Master composition: Photos should use principles like the rule of thirds, leading lines, framing, and symmetry. Study composition and practice often.
• Get sharp focus: Use lower f/stops like f/8 or f/11 for a sharp focus. Keep the camera and subject still.
• Control lighting: Shoot during “golden hours” of morning and afternoon for ideal lighting. Avoid shadows and glare.
• Curate backgrounds: Choose clean, relevant backgrounds that don’t distract from the main subject.
• Use props/models: Include people or relevant objects to make conceptual shots more interesting.

With practice and studying professional photos, you can create amateur shots that meet quality requirements.

Step 5: Pick Profitable Niches and Trends

To maximize earnings, you need to shoot photos with commercial appeal that will sell. Studying current trends and selecting profitable niches is key. Here are some profitable niches and trends in the world of stock photography that you should consider:

Health and Wellness

With the increasing focus on well-being, images related to fitness, yoga, healthy eating, and mental health are in high demand.

Technology and Innovation

Images that depict cutting-edge technology, futuristic concepts, and the digital age resonate well with businesses and content creators.

Sustainability and Eco-Friendly Living

As environmental awareness grows, visuals showcasing sustainable practices, renewable energy, and eco-friendly products have gained significant traction.

Diversity and Inclusion

Authentic representations of diverse communities, cultures, and lifestyles are sought after as companies strive for inclusivity in their visual content.

Travel Experiences

Stunning landscapes, unique cultural experiences, and off-the-beaten-path destinations remain popular for travel-related content.

Food and Culinary Creations

High-quality images of delectable dishes, innovative culinary creations, and food styling have a constant demand from various industries.

Remote Work and Lifestyle

The shift towards remote work has created a demand for images that capture the essence of remote workspaces, digital connectivity, and work-life balance.

Family and Relationships

Heartfelt moments, family dynamics, and genuine expressions of love and relationships are consistently sought after.

Home Decor and Interior Design

Images showcasing stylish interiors, home decor trends, and creative living spaces cater to a growing audience interested in interior design.

Education and Learning

Visuals that support educational content, online learning, and skill development are essential in today’s digital learning environment.

Well-Being and Self-Care

Images representing self-care routines, relaxation, mindfulness, and personal growth align with the contemporary focus on well-being.

Business and Entrepreneurship

Visuals related to startups, entrepreneurship, office culture, and business innovation cater to a wide range of industries.

Step 6: Keyword Your Photos

If you want to get more clicks and reach, ranking for minor keywords is the way to go for a stock image agency. Similar to SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), these stock agencies typically recommend what users are clicking onto. If an image is doing well, it would have a higher likelihood of being recommended to another user.

To increase that likelihood, users need to create relevant titles, descriptions, and tags for your photos is crucial. This metadata is how buyers find your images in their searches.

• Titles: Use detailed titles focused on key search terms. E.g. “Woman drinking green juice smoothie at home”
• Descriptions: Tell the visual story of the photo and include keywords. Write at least a few sentences.
• Tags: Include all relevant terms that buyers would search for — objects, actions, locations, etc. Use 15–25 tags per photo.

Take keywording seriously — it helps drive sales. Do online research around popular related keywords and use them.

Step 7: Submit and Promote Your Photos

Once you have high-quality, well-keyworded photos, it’s time to start submitting them to your agencies.

• Submit in volumes of at least 25–50 photos at once versus one-offs.
• Stick to their image requirements and guidelines.
• Double check titles, descriptions, tags, and other info is complete.
• Add new photos regularly over time to keep your collection fresh.

Also, put effort into promoting your stock images:

• Share on your social media channels with relevant hashtags.
• Create a photography website, Instagram, or Flickr account to showcase your photos.
• Participate in photography communities to network and get your name out there.

Platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok can serve as virtual galleries for your work, attracting potential buyers and fellow photographers alike. Engage with your audience and leverage relevant hashtags to expand your reach. Promote widely so potential buyers can discover you.

Step 8: Monitor Sales and Earnings

Once your photos are published in the marketplace, check your account dashboard regularly to see if any have sold. Agencies show stats on your top-selling images.

Analyze what niches, concepts, and keywords led to sales so you can shoot more of those. Pay attention to underperforming photos and try to improve them with better keywording.

As sales start trickling in, you’ll have to decide if stock earnings are worth your time. Amateurs typically earn a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per year. Is that income stream worth the effort of shooting and submitting photos?

For most, the monetary reward won’t become substantial without putting in significant time and dedication. But as a side hobby, it can provide a nice passive income boost.

Is it Worth it?

While stock photography takes skill and effort, amateurs can earn passive income without professional experience. Follow this method of researching the business, shooting quality photos, keywording thoroughly, submitting images widely, and tracking sales.

Be realistic about potential earnings versus the effort required. But approach stock photo selling as a fun hobby that also earns you cash and any passive income generated can be viewed as a nice bonus.