Learn how to sell photography online with this complete guide. Visit https://www.payloadz.com to start selling your photos and pictures.

1. HOW TO SELL PHOTOGRAPHY
ONLINE
A BASIC GUIDE FROM EQUIPMENT TO SUCCESSFUL SALES

2. CONTENTS
Introduction to Sell Photography Online......................................3
Equipment Necessary for Professional Images.........................3
Software Programs for Editing...........................................................4
Traditional vs. Microstock....................................................................4
Agent vs. Selling on Your Own............................................................5
Licensed, Royalty Free, Managing Your Rights..........................6
Exclusive vs. Non Exclusive..................................................................7
Test Samples- What will Sell................................................................7
Marketing Strategies for Success......................................................8
Bringing Your Photography Together............................................8

3. INTRODUCTION TO SELL PHOTOGRAPHY
ONLINE
Anyone can try to sell photography online thanks to the beauty of
the Internet. If you have photographs that you believe would
sell,it’s time to learn how you can sell them successfully. It takes
proper equipment, an understanding of copyrights and the law,
testing samples and the right marketing. This eBook focuses on
eight sections, all designed to teach you tosell photography online
and to make the right choices for creating a successful setup to
ensure your photography sells, including website information,
using an agent or going through the process by yourself.
To sell anything, including photographs, successfully, you need a
product someone will want and a good marketing strategy. The
Occupational Outlook Handbook from the Bureau of Labor
Statistics estimates that the job outlook for professional
photographers will grow 13 percent between 2010 and 2020. This
outlook is about average. There were 139,500 jobs available for
professional photographers in 2010. The handbook, however,
doesn’t include independent photographers in its estimates.
Anyone with creativity, a good eye and technical understanding of
photography can become a success.
EQUIPMENT NECESSARY FOR PROFESSIONAL
IMAGES
You need a digital camera and a tripodfor this business. The
biggest names of the numerous digital cameras on the market are
Nikon and Canon. Once you choose a proper body for your digital
SLR camera, invest in different lenses, a flash and filters to

4. enhance your photographs.
You also need a powerful computer for running the photo editing
software that hogs memory and computer storage. Memory cards
are one option; however, you will need an external hard drive for
your computer strictly for storage and to create a backup for all
your images.
SOFTWARE PROGRAMS FOR EDITING
Photoshop by Adobe, the most well known software program
among professionals, allows you to manipulate a photograph to
any degree you wish. It’s possible to create layers to improve the
coloring, contrast and brightness. Photoshop can turn a color
photo into black and white or vice versa. You wouldn’t want to
display imperfect photographs on your website or sellers’ page. A
photo software program that allows editing ensures that you
display only the best.
Photoshop is only one of the software programs available.
Arcsoft, another photo editor, is a good program for home users
who send photographs to friends and family. It can get you
started with basic edits, like removing a spot on the photo. Serif
Photo Plus, Xara Photo and Graphic Designer, ACDSee Photo
Editor, Photo Explosion and Photo Impression are other software
programs available to professionals who sell photography online.
Check out some or all of them and compare the features with the
cost. You want a program that can ensure your prints are perfect
before you upload them online for purchase.
TRADITIONAL VS. MICROSTOCK
Traditional stock photography is licensed for specific uses. Owners
of stock photographytypically copyright their creative works.
Traditional stock is often sold in full sizes, whereas microstock is
sold in smaller sized images.

5. The Internet made microstock photography possible, and
thousands of photographers took note. Their best avenue became
microstock photography sites. Microstock companies are defined
by three parameters: The source of the image is exclusively on the
Internet. A wide range of photographers, often hobbyists and
amateurs, supply Microstock. Microstock photographers sell
photos at low rates, starting from as low as 20 cents, which may
include a royalty-free license. Also, an agent usually runs
microstock photography, and a newcomer needs to be accepted
before they sell photography online.
AGENT VS. SELLING ON YOUR OWN
An agent has access to tools and resources that you might not.
When you sell microstock photography online, your customer
purchases the right to download the image. Microstock agencies
act as middlemen to help promote their clients’ work. Their
marketing arm is often larger than yours. Any agent can advertise
and market your work, whether it’s exclusively online or not.
Agents typically get a commission or feethat ranges from 30 to 65
percent of your sales.
If you wish to sell photography on your own instead, you need a
website, a marketing plan and a way to secure your images soyour
work isn’t downloaded by unauthorized people. You also need to
understand copyrights, trademarks and the law to ensure proper
safety of your photography. When you sell photography online by
yourself, your budget may be limited for marketing, equipment
and software. But you’re not charged an agency commission or
affiliate fee.
Another method of selling photos online is through online selling
platforms such as PayLoadz. Such platforms facilitate the process
of selling photos by providing the payment gateway for accepting

6. payments and ensuring that photos are stored and delivered
securely. The fee charged by these platforms is nominal because
they charge a transaction fee only, not commission as agents do.
LICENSED, ROYALTY FREE, MANAGING YOUR
RIGHTS
Selling your photos online requires you to learn something about
the law and various terms you might come across. But, it’s best to
speak with a lawyerto manage your rights when you sell
photography online. That way, you can understand your rights
and have any questions answered about breach of licensing or
copyrights. If you go through an agency, your rights are governed
by the policies laid down by the particular agency.
Copyright—A copyright registers your work with the government
to protect it.
Trademark—A trademark is the name you operate under.You also
register this with the government.
Licensing—Licensing concerns the rights you allow another party
to have.
Commercial Rights—This refers to a photo that’s designed to
create incomefor use by a commercial entity. The photo is often
usedin a brochure or magazine advertisement.
Noncommercial Rights—This refers to a photo that’s not designed
for a commercial group, individual or other entity.It’s for personal
enjoyment. A landscape photo for sale to be hung in a home
might have noncommercial rights.
First Rights—This means that one person has the rights to the
work before anyone else can purchase the license. The person
with first rights can also decline the work, freeing it to be sold to

7. another interested party.
Serial Rights—This applies to magazines in which one magazine
holds the rights to the photo.The photo cannot be sold elsewhere.
One-Time-Use Rights—This occurs when you allow a customer to
purchase the right to buy your image for use one time.
Royalty Free—This occurs when you sell photography without
gaining any royalties for the rights you hold.
EXCLUSIVE VS. NONEXCLUSIVE
When you sell photography independently, decide whether you
want tooffer exclusive or nonexclusive rights for use. When you
sell a photo and its exclusive rights, you cannot sell that image
again: You have sold all rights to it.You would typically charge
more for your photo if you also sell exclusive rights. When you
own the photo and its exclusive rights, you typically wouldn’t
allow purchasers to reprint or resell prints of the image unless
they pay more for exclusive rights. You might allow one download
of the print before you lock it again. If someone wants multiple
copies of that print, he would need to pay each time.
Nonexclusive rights are just the opposite. You have the right to
sell your photographyover and over again to many interested
buyerswhen you sell under nonexclusive rights. People who
purchase the image would not ownit. People typically pay less for
a photo with nonexclusive rights. While the one-time pay is lower,
you can make up for that by reselling the image. You hold the
legal rights to sell the image how and when you wish with
nonexclusive rights.
TEST SAMPLES—WHAT WILL SELL
Before you begin to sell photography online, produce some test

8. samples, and take them around to different places. Merchandise
marts, local fairs and local craft festivals are good places to test
your photography. You’re trying to determine what sells.
During the test phase, learn what price you can fetch for your
photographs. Use that information to price your art online. Test
markets also tell you which subjects, such as landscape, wildlife,
portraits or graphic art, will sell. The subjects that sell well can
change based on trends; however, testing the current market
before you sell photography can give you an idea of what is likely
to sell.
MARKETING STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS
Sites such as Deviant Art, ShutterFly and iStockphotos sell
photography online. Some specialize in microstock and promote
your images to companies and corporations. You might be
charged a fee for those types of websites. Free- or agent-based
websitesdo the marketing for you; however, you can market, too,
by setting up a blog that directs readers to wherever your photos
are. You can also drive traffic to your photos via Twitter, Facebook
and other social media.
If you sell photography as an independent site, you should also
useTwitter, Facebook, social media and blogs for marketing
purposes. Consider using Google and Yahoo! Advertisements as
additional means to promote your photography. If you post your
photos in Google Images, Yahoo! Images or independently from
your main website, make certain they have a trademark or
copyright to prevent free downloading. The more places you
advertise, the better your chances to sell photography online.
BRINGING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY TOGETHER
You have learned the basics about the equipment you will need to
edit your photography for sale, as well as how to sell photography

9. online. You now know the difference between microstock sites
and selling traditional photography. The information in this eBook
provided you with some insight into agency websites, your
licensing rights and the law regarding selling photography. This
eBook recommended testing your photography before launching
your business online to determine what pieces will sell. Finally,
you learned about some marketing tips and methods about selling
photography online.
Bringing what you have learned together puts you in a position to
sell photography successfully online. Once you have completed
the legworkfor creating images to sell, have determined
whichavenue you want to sell through and how you will sell
photography, get busy attracting visitors who can view and
purchase your work through third-party websites or through your
own independent e-commerce website.
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