Extra Income Using Shutterstock

Is It Beginner Friendly

Commissions are never very high. You will likely earn under a dollar for each photo, but once you have built up a large portfolio on the site, it all becomes passive income. Once you upload your photos, they are reviewed. If approved, the photos stay on the site forever. You may earn a commission on a photo or video that was uploaded four or five years ago.

Now, it is important to realize that the quality of your photos absolutely matters. As stated before, once you upload your photos, they have to be approved. Pictures that look good to the naked eye, may still not pass the approval process. Any indicators of shakiness, blurriness, or flaws in quality will cause the photo to be denied. Out of 50 photos uploaded, it is entirely possible to only end up with 12 (or less) that get approved. Your best bet is to try to always use a tripod when available to help avoid some of the common flaws that appear in amateur photography.

One of the most common aspects that most amateur photographers do not think of before uploading is the paperwork. Paperwork for stock content? Yes! If any people appear in your photos, you are required to have a model release form that is signed by those individuals. This must be submitted along with the photos. Your photo may be of outstanding quality and still get rejected because the required documents aren’t submitted, so be sure that you take this into consideration.

The last option, video, will generally earn you the most commission for each license sold. This is especially true if you are able to submit a video that is recorded in 4K resolution. The higher the resolution, the higher the commission per sale. Try to keep videos under a minute long and ensure that the quality of both video and audio are as great as they can be. Also, simple is often better. Remember, like most other money-making ventures, a niche is always a good idea. Choose a topic of your photos that will be consistent across your entire portfolio. Now, master that niche.

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