How to Become An Online Photographer

A photographer can travel to exotic locations.

You can turn a photography hobby into an extra source of income by becoming an online photographer. Making money with your photographs using online platforms may start slow and will take hard work and dedication to move from a hobby to part-time income. If you have passion for photography, making additional money online can be a bonus for something you love doing.

Instructions

1. Set up an online portfolio that features your best photos. If you can, make a website using your own domain name for your portfolio, then link other online profiles that can help build your credibility and show more of your sample works. You can also upload your photos in Photobucket or Flicker for easy access on your portfolio.

2. Sort your photos according to theme or location, and also according to what kind of rights you want for these photos. Selling your photo's copyright means you are giving up your full rights to it for a particular client. This generally means you will get paid more compared to just sharing the limited rights to a photo, which allows you to retain ownership of it. Keeping your copyright to a photo means you can still resell it to other clients. A company that buys full rights to a photo can do anything with it from altering, reusing or even reselling it without your consent. Selling your copyright can easily exceed $1,000 for a top photo, while a photo with non-exclusive, limited-use rights can range from $10 to $1,000. Most photos will be on the low range because the field is so competitive and because tock photos are so common.

3. Find stock photo websites that are open to online photographers, then list your options on where you want to apply. Read the agreement on each website to ensure that you understand its regulations and if you agree with the stipulations on how you can monetize your photos. Expect that they will get commissions on any of your photos sold using their platform. This can usually range from 10 to 50 percent of the gross earnings of a sold photo.

4. Sell your photos using your own website. Although this would mean you won't share earnings with a third-party site, your own website requires much more time investment and technical maintenance from you. You must spend money and time promoting your site to photo buyers who frankly prefer aggregated sites for convenience.

5. Upload each photo that you want to sell. Decide whether you want to sell exclusive rights for each photo or you only want to share rights for different clients.

Tips & Warnings

• Aside from using stock photo websites and your own website, try finding direct third-party clients who may need online photographers. However, it is essential that you build an impressive online portfolio to increase the potential of getting hired.

• When uploading photos for your portfolio, remember that these can be readily accessed by the public. Don't use large and high-resolution photos to avoid the risk of theft. Put a watermark of your name on the photo. Make sure it doesn't look annoying to ruin the photo's aesthetics and appeal. Upload only small resolution photos with decent sizes for Web and online portfolio use.

References

• Big Sun Photography: Selling Photography Online
• Pixiq; How Much Should You Charge for a Photograph?; Haje Jan Kamps; December 2010
• Photopreneur: Photography Deals that are Worse than they Look
• The Photographer's Life: Selling Photos for Cash: A Quick-Start Guide to Becoming a Professional Photographer
• Learn Digital Photography: Online Photography Lessons To Become A Professional Photographer
• The Online Photographer; Let's Fight About Copyright!; June 2011

Resources

• Ask Dave Taylor: How Can I Sell My Photographs Online?
• Become Stock Photographer: How to Become a Stock Photographer
• Learn Taking Pictures; How to Become a Successful Photographer; Jonathan Valentine; June 2011
• Digital Photography School; 5 Tips for Building Your Photography Portfolio; Natalie Norton