How Can I Sell My Photos?

By Michael Kryzer

If you want to sell your digital photos online then you might be in for a pleasant surprise. The marketplace for people who want to sell their photos is growing as more people are buying stock photography. If you have a digital camera and you can take good photographs you can get started right away.

Have been wondering, "How can I sell my photos online?" It is not difficult to start a business selling your photos as stock photography.

What is Stock Photography?

Stock photography refers to existing photographs that can be licensed for specific uses. The customers who buy stock photography include publishers of magazines and journals, web sites, advertising agencies, graphic artists and others. Clients can save time and money by buying existing stock photography instead of hiring a photographer.

How Can I Sell My Photos to Clients?

Stock photography images can be made available in searchable online databases. The advantage of these databases is that clients can quickly locate photographs that meet their requirements, make a purchase, and download their chosen images immediately. These databases are a great way for freelance photographers to market and sell photos.

What is Micro Stock Photography?

Microstock photography is an offshoot of traditional stock photography. It is different in that a microstock photography company usually sources images almost exclusively through the Internet, working with a larger number of photographers than a traditional stock photography agency, and selling images at comparatively low rates.

As a freelance photographer you can sign up at these online stock photography libraries and start selling your photos. You will earn a fee every time a customer downloads one of your photographs.

Who Owns the Copyright on My Photos?

Copyright is an intellectual property right and a form of protection provided to authors and creative artists. You don't have to do anything special to copyright your photos. Copyright automatically applies at the instant your artwork is created. As the person who took a particular photograph you own the copyright to that picture from the moment you took the shot. There are formal ways of registering your copyright should you prefer to do so.

So what are you waiting for? Grab your camera and start taking some great snapshots. Once you have a few good photographs, start to sell your photos at these online sites.

If you have been wondering "How can I sell my photos?" then visit CameraCareer.com
You can read our Freelance Photography FAQ and discover all you need to know to get started as a freelance photographer.