{"id":53979,"date":"2021-12-24T14:28:51","date_gmt":"2021-12-24T13:28:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paolomargari.it\/?p=53979"},"modified":"2025-12-04T02:23:30","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T01:23:30","slug":"guide-the-best-platforms-to-sell-photos-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paolomargari.it\/en\/guide-the-best-platforms-to-sell-photos-online\/","title":{"rendered":"Guide: the best platforms to sell your photos online"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div><h2>Are you a professional or amateur photographer? You can monetize your work by selling photos through numerous image banks<\/h2>\n<p>The internet has created new possibilities for those who are passionate about photography. Whether you are a full-time professional photographer or an amateur photographer looking to monetize your passion, selling photos online can provide a great extra source of income &#8211; the infamous passive income.<\/p>\n<p>There are numerous platforms through which you can sell your works for various editorial purposes. The platforms are image banks, i.e. <em>marketplaces<\/em> in which buyers (from small bloggers to large publishers or international advertising agencies) choose the most suitable photos for their communication.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to these platforms, selling photos directly on your website is possible.<\/p>\n<h2>The best platforms for selling photos online in 2023<\/h2>\n<p>Many of the platforms are in English only.<\/p>\n<p>Once you have created an account, you need to look for the link for selling images (eg Sell your Photos or Become a Contributor).<\/p>\n<p>Some platforms, in addition to photographic images, also allow the sale of videos and other digital art formats. Obviously, on the same platforms, it is also possible to buy photos and some also offer images that can be used for free with a Creative Commons license.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a title=\"500px pro photographers\" href=\"https:\/\/500px.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>500px<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"PhotoDune\" href=\"https:\/\/1.envato.market\/c\/1286054\/275988\/4415\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>PhotoDune by Envato<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Twenty20 online photo sale\" href=\"https:\/\/twenty20.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><strong>Twenty20 by Envato<\/strong><\/a> &#8211; also useful for selling small-format photos taken with mobile devices<\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Big Stock Photo\" href=\"https:\/\/fave.co\/3mwtO8C\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>Bigstockphoto<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Can Stock Photo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.canstockphoto.com\/?r=1734835\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>Canstockphoto<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Adobe Stock Photo\" href=\"https:\/\/contributor.stock.adobe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>Abobe Stock<\/strong><\/a> &#8211; formerly known as Fotolia<\/li>\n<li><a title=\"PhotoCase\" href=\"https:\/\/www.photocase.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><strong>Photocase<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Stocksy pictures &amp; video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stocksy.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>Stocksy<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Dreamstime\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dreamstime.com\/#res40669446\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>Dreamstime<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Alamy\" href=\"https:\/\/fave.co\/3qqpwk8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>Alamy<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"EyeEm\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eyeem.com\/signup\/creator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><strong>Eyeem<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Crestock\" href=\"http:\/\/www.crestock.com\/243800\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>Crestock<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"iStock Photo by Getty Images\" href=\"https:\/\/fave.co\/3mrYMig\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>Istockphoto by Getty Images<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Shutterstock photo sale\" href=\"https:\/\/fave.co\/3EnPKIX\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>Shutterstock<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Foap sell photos via mobile app\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foap.com\/photographer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><strong>Foap<\/strong><\/a> &#8211; ideal for mobile photos, but rather inconvenient as it mainly works via an app.<\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Pond5 image bank\" href=\"https:\/\/fave.co\/3ErzSp5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><strong>Pond5<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Dissolve photo contributor\" href=\"https:\/\/contributors.dissolve.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><strong>Dissolves<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Film Supply\" href=\"https:\/\/apply.filmsupply.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><strong>FilmSupply<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Cavan professional photographers\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cavanimages.com\/photographers\/get-started\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><strong>Cavan<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Westend61\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westend61.de\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><strong>Westend61<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"SmugMug photo\" href=\"https:\/\/fave.co\/3emJWVI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>SmugMug<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How do the prices of photos sold online work?<\/h2>\n<p>The price varies according to the size and use (web, print) and the type of right granted (exclusive or not).<\/p>\n<p>The same photo can therefore have different prices on the same platform. In some cases, it is possible to establish a price directly, but generally, the image banks establish it.<\/p>\n<h2>Selling photos through your website.<\/h2>\n<p>It is always possible to sell directly through your website by activating an eCommerce. In this regard, there are various platforms and special plugins. A photographer in addition to having a showcase site, can activate a catalogue, presenting his works to agree on the purchase, or e-commerce, allowing the automatic download after payment of the fee. Here are some of the leading platforms.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a title=\"SquareSpace\" href=\"https:\/\/fave.co\/3FD7UI4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>Squarespace<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Wix\" href=\"https:\/\/wixstats.com\/?a=22691&amp;oc=145&amp;c=2260&amp;s1=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>Wix<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Woocommerce for photographers\" href=\"https:\/\/woocommerce.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>WordPress Woocommerce<\/strong> &#8211; free<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Webflow photo\" href=\"https:\/\/webflow.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>Webflow<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Shopify for photographers\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shopify.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><strong>Shopify<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can contact me if you need a professional website to sell your photos. I am happy to share my experience in this regard.<\/p>\n<h2>The main requirements for selling photos online.<\/h2>\n<p>Not all photos can be sold, but they must meet certain characteristics established by the various platforms. Here are some of the main ones:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It is essential to <strong>categorize your works well<\/strong> by inserting appropriate titles and tags that allow easy research. We must not exaggerate because the so-called keyword stuffing (already known to SEO experts), i.e. the addition of irrelevant words, is not allowed and can lead to the ban of the work or the entire account if repeated. It is the most boring part but also the most important: if a photo is not associated with the words that buyers are looking for, it will be difficult or impossible to find (and sell). The platforms provide examples of how to categorize and tag your work.<\/li>\n<li>Experts almost always evaluate photos before publication.<\/li>\n<li>Photos should generally be of high quality, large size, and <strong>high resolution<\/strong> (thus avoid excessive noise, excessive postproduction, bad cropping, refractions and other optical problems). It is also preferable that the photos contain <strong>EXIF<\/strong> data (metadata with details about the shot). It is possible to keep the EXIF data even after post-production but in some cases, they fail, for example when overlapping photos for HDR processing.<\/li>\n<li>Some platforms prefer professional but not very creative or artistic images.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid inserting <strong>watermarks<\/strong> (name or website of the author on the photo). Following approval and publication in the marketplace, platforms generally add watermarks directly to previews to prevent images from being saved and misused.<\/li>\n<li>If <strong>individuals<\/strong> are present, written authorization is required. Platforms usually provide forms to fill out. In the absence of this authorization, in some cases, it is possible to sell photos with individuals or <strong>brands<\/strong> as long as they are taken in public places, but only for editorial use. Attention also to works of art (for example paintings, sculptures, etc.) especially if taken in museums or exhibitions, as they are normally protected by copyright.<\/li>\n<li>Obviously, the photos must be the property of the author.<\/li>\n<li>Some platforms require exclusivity, others do not, so it is possible to insert the same photo on various platforms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Publish photos for free use under a Creative Commons license to make yourself known<\/h2>\n<p>It&#8217;s a great strategy for emerging photographers. For this purpose, there are two leading platforms:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a title=\"Unsplash download free high resolution photos\" href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@paolomargari\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>Unsplash<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Pexels Free Photos\" href=\"https:\/\/pexels.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>Pexels<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Flickr photo\" href=\"https:\/\/flickr.com\/photo\/paolomargari\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>Flickr<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Sell prints of your photos in various formats and support<\/h2>\n<p>Apart from selling the rights to use your picture, you can also sell a high-quality print of your photos, framed or not, on paper, canvas and other materials. Here some leading services:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a title=\"ImageKind Selling Photographic Prints\" href=\"https:\/\/fave.co\/3st3rUV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener sponsored\"><strong>ImageKind<\/strong><\/a> &#8211; Sale of photographic prints in various formats<\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Shutterfly sell photo prints high quality\" href=\"https:\/\/fave.co\/3sAyiyD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><strong>Shutterfly<\/strong><\/a> by TinyPrints<\/li>\n<li><a title=\"FotoMoto\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fotomoto.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><strong>Fotomoto<\/strong><\/a> &#8211; integrate a snipped directly on your website by adding some code<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The list is not exhaustive, and the NFT world deserves a separate chapter concerning the sale of copyrights on digital works, verified through the blockchain. If you have any other suggestions about platforms for the sale of photographs, feel free to leave them in the comments and good luck for the sales of the works!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you a professional or amateur photographer? You can monetize your work by selling photos through numerous image banks The internet has created new possibilities for those who are passionate about photography. Whether you are a full-time professional photographer or an amateur photographer looking to monetize your passion, selling photos online can provide a great [&#8230;]\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":53978,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[405],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital-marketing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paolomargari.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paolomargari.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paolomargari.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paolomargari.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paolomargari.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53979"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/paolomargari.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53979\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53980,"href":"https:\/\/paolomargari.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53979\/revisions\/53980"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paolomargari.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paolomargari.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paolomargari.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paolomargari.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}