Which type of photos make success on stock photo marketplaces

Most profitable photography types and styles ∙ Story by Anahit Avetisyan

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Table of contents:

• Current trends of stock photo market ∙ Photography industry and market size, annual growth, penetration over business segments
• In what segments stock photos are mostly used?
• Who can get involved in the stock photo industry and make money on photos?
• The types of photos that are mostly sold in the stock photo market ∙ is it possible to earn money selling mobile photos?
• Best practices of stock photographers
• Selection of websites where you can start to sell your photos
• Get motivated and enter the huge industry of stock photographies

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“It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart, and head.”
Henri Cartier-Bresson

Since its start in late 1830 in France, photography has been an industry that evolves rapidly and has a high demand. Nowadays, technology allows capturing a perfect picture much easier when the camera is in the right hands. Apart from turning the skill into a hobby, people can actually make money on photos.

There is a high demand for peculiar photos by individuals as well as by companies. Today, businesses can’t do without quality images to establish their brand identities.

According to 2021 research, the global market size of photographic services is expected to grow at a compound annual rate (CAGR) of 5% and reach $44.07 bln by 2025. As of 2020, the indicator stood at $32.92 billion. The amount would be higher, weren’t there the pandemic and lockdown. However, it’s worth mentioning that photography as usual has mirrored life, and showed how the world is facing the situation during the pandemic. More people started to take at-home pictures and share them on stocks, which resulted in the growth of stock photography.

In What Segments Are Stock Photos Mostly Used?

The industry of stock photography began to surge in the 1980s when agencies started to offer clients pre-captured, ready-to-use professional images.

But, the sector saw its massive growth with the internet becoming more accessible in the 2000s.

Here are some segments that commonly use stock images:

• Branding and design

Many projects use stock images for branding as they save time and money. These photos usually accommodate marketing messages and are a part of brand identity.
Stock images are a great help for designers. By modifying them in different ways, designers can get what they want.

• E-commerce

Using stock images to present actual products can be a great solution for e-commerce entrepreneurs. It’s required to note that the image is for reference.
Pictures can be in the e-commerce content to provide insights about the services, products, etc.

• Mobile applications

Various mobile applications, including fitness, music, food, travel, health apps, and others use stock images to make their interface eye-pleasing.

• News websites and blogs

While covering news, website managers often use situational images, associated with the story. Visualization provides a better understanding of the information.

• Education

Academic works, presentations, and blogs often include generic photos. Teachers also use stock photos to make the material more engaging and easy to perceive.

• Social media

Stock photos make social media pages more interesting.
These are just a few areas that use stock photos. The list can go on and on.

Who Can Get Involved in the Stock Photo Industry and Make Money on Photos?

The stock photo industry provides possibilities for beginners as well as professionals. Becoming a successful stock photographer requires persistence and strategy. Here are answers to some of the questions that people who consider trying themselves in stock photography usually have:

What skills are required to create and sell photos? Is professional education and experience required?

A degree in photography, experience, and an impressive portfolio isn’t required to get into the industry. To become a stock photographer, you need motivation, creativity, and a digital camera. It’s worth mentioning that there are no limitations in the equipment choice either. You can capture photos via your cell phone.

The field provides various possibilities, but to take pictures that amaze, a photographer needs to be creative and know how to use various techniques such as color contrast, angles, backgrounds, etc.
There are photo editing tools that can make results more vibrant.

How do stock photo platforms work?

Every stock market has its policy. However, the general model suggests photographs providing images, and users downloading them.

Platforms where photo creators download their works, act as agencies. They protect images with a mark to prevent their free usage. To get the photo, users need to buy it.

So, the photograph receives passive income, and the agency keeps some percentage of the sale as a commission.
There are platforms where photographs upload their works for free. Generally, beginners in the sphere practice this, to get feedback on their shots.

What Are the Most Sold Types of Photos on Stock Markets?

While getting into stock photography, one of the main questions that everyone has is: how to make money on photos and which photos are profitable.

Before doing research and finding out what trends prevail in the market, it’s important to note that best selling photos have at least one of the following qualities:

• eye-catching

It goes without saying that the photo needs to grab the attention of potential buyers when they are quickly viewing thousands of images on the market.

• relatable

Photos that are well associated with a certain situation and can be used in a context sell well. They have demand among advertisers, bloggers, marketers, etc.

• storytelling

People love photography as images have the ability to speak by themselves and mirror life.
displaying an emotion.
Photos that express sincere feelings can hardly be overlooked. Content creators often use this type to cover their material.

• evoking emotion

A photographer can evoke emotions in different ways; by playing with colors, adding a sense of depth to photos, and most importantly noticing and catching that special moment via the camera.

• aesthetic

Although the perceptions of beauty and aesthetics are individual, there are photos that hypnotize us, so that we can’t take our eyes off them. Creating a photo like that will ensure success.

• illusional

Visual illusions are interesting to watch as they show objects from unique perspectives. They are widely used in design and advertising.

Apart from the above-mentioned, there are skills and techniques that photographers can learn or discover by practice.

What’s great is that having the most powerful camera is of no absolute necessity for the creation of profitable stock photos. Today mobile devices provide tools to take pictures that make a difference, and various stock markets gladly welcome these photos.

Let’s see how to sell mobile photos and if they have demand in the market

The majority of modern smartphones allow taking quality photos that fit stock photography main standards. Mobile photography is becoming more and more popular. It allows capturing a unique moment as soon as the photographer sees it, as our phones are practically always with us.

A study done in 2017, showed that 85% of all pictures of the year were taken with mobile photos. Numbers show that mobile photography is one of the biggest revolutions and has a great demand.

Starting to sell mobile photos requires some simple steps:

• uploading photos to the stock photo platform
• adding popular tags that suit the image
• getting approved by the site
• receiving income for each sale

Although described in a few actions, selling images can take a long time.
Persistence and patience are important in stock photography. Results will come with time and work.

Best Practices of Stock Photographers

There are many stock photographers that inspire with their mastery and success. Here are a few of them:

Stock photography legend – Yuri Arcurs

It’s impossible to talk about the stock market industry without mentioning the name of the world’s top-selling stock photographer, millionaire Yuri Arcurs. 42-year old Danish photographer is considered to be one of the most influential photographers of the decade. The number of licenses he sells each year is 4.000.000. In 2012, Arcurs launched his own stock photo agency – peoples.images.com. His net worth in 2021 is estimated at $1 Million – $5 Million

Traveler – Mark Fearnley

He’s a street art photographer from the United Kingdom. Fearnley creates minimalistic pictures depicting objects from interesting perspectives. He captures photos while traveling using his iPhone and DSLR equipment.

Creating mood – Muriel Rieben

She’s a photographer from Germany who captures state and mood in her photos.

Becoming a meme-hero – András Arató or “Hide the Pain Harold”

His case shows how an image that expresses a certain feeling well can go wild. Andras Arato is a Hungarian retired engineer, who became the meme of the decade for his facial expression and uncomfortable smile. In 2011, Arato decided to upload personal vacation photos onto a social media site, after which stock image creators noticed him and Arato became a demanded model.

On What Websites Can You Start to Sell Your Photos?

Interested in the industry and have unique ideas? Start to sell photos online and make income. There are various stock markets that allow beginners to get into the business easily. Here are some of them:

Pixoto – to compete

The specialty of this website is that it ranks uploaded images. Pixoto allows visitors to choose images they like. So, photographers receive feedback and understand how competitive their works are. Here you can sell photos and canvas prints.

Wirestock – no keywords or tags

Wirestock makes the upload easier and faster. It’s a large marketplace where you can submit videos as well as images. Photos need to be 4MP or higher to be approved.

Can Stock Photo – to create thematic galleries

Can Stock Photo is one of the earliest microstock agencies where you can get specific visibility by creating galleries. There must be 3 different contributors to do that.

EyeEm – to find your best shots

The platform helps beginners with its tutorials and editing options. The “EyeEm Selects” feature allows photographers to find their best shots on the phone storage by scanning the camera roll. It recommends what photos to upload considering aesthetics. The stock also offers daily and weekly highlights, exhibitions, and awards.

Shutterstock – most popular

It’s one of the most popular photo platforms where millions of photos are available. The only issue is the chance to lose your photos in this photo-ocean is very big. So you need to place 100s and 1000s of premium class photos to rise your chances of being visible.

Stockimo – focused on mobile photography

It’s an app by stock photography agency Alamy, which allows image creators to turn their spare time into money, take photos via smartphones and sell them on Alamy.

Closing Thoughts

Stock photography is one of the growing industries. It allows talented people to earn income by using their creativity and skills, and investing as much time as they want.

Making progress in the field can be challenging, but overcoming early difficulties, and celebrating success will be totally worth it.