Make money using istockphoto

Follow me on Instagram. This is my good luck Koi.

On a good day I feel like this happy fish as I serenely glide through a pool of loose change. For four years I have been a contributor at istockphoto. During that time I have happily watched my profits grow. For some reason most istockers consider it poor etiquette to discuss how much money they make selling photos through istock. When I first started researching microstock photo sales it was almost impossible to decipher how much money a photographer could expect to make selling photos on the internet.

Well, this post is here to help you out. All I know is what I sell on istock and I can use that data to help you make guesses at what other people earn. Some months are better sellers than others. July and December are usually my worst months and March and October are usually my best selling months. Right now, I have pictures for sale on istock. Back in April I had photos for sale. To make the math easier, lets just say I had photos for sale the entire period.

What should that number mean to you? If you shoot similar subjects as me nature, cityscapes, and still life , you would probably have similar earnings if you submitted your photos to istock. That sounds pretty good to me. What if you shoot totally different subject matter than I do?

How could you predict your potential istock earnings? There is another method that I use. Go to istocks webpage and search for photos that are similar to yours.

There you can see how long that photographer has been an istock contributor and also how many total downloads that photographer has. I hope that helps you understand the possibilities of microstock photography a little better. If you have any questions please leave a comment. This article is getting old. I wrote it in This entry was posted on August 10, It was filed under istockphoto and was tagged with earn money , istock , istockphoto.

I always wondered what folks made selling on those type of sites. Thank you so much for this realistic insight! Any idea if I am still able to sell the same images on my own? Thank you for this post about istock earnings. Is there an RSS for this blog? Their submission requirements are pretty tough however. Thank you for this insight. I have just uploaded the three samples required for me to become a contributor at istockphoto.

Hoping to be accepted and earn a little pocket money. I just was accepted on iStock and have my 18 images up for review.

Its been seven days now. Hopefully the sales will make up for it. The longer you are on istock the more images per week they allow. I get per week. From the flyout menu click contributor tools. Hi David, Thank you so much for sharing this information with us.

Want to Know How to Sell Stock Photos? Read This

You might want to check the forums at iStock. Right now, they are having some serious issues with their search engine.

The search team is working on a fix. Until then, you can expect erratic downloads. Right now, the only thing selling from my portfolio are older images. So, meantime do you advise to continue upload images? My name on istock is skyhobo. Maybe I should change it. BTW… I had a newer image downloaded today — an editorial only pic. Some of my newer editorial content is doing better than the regular stuff.

I used to exclusively look for stock type images.

To iStock or Not to iStock

Now, I like to shoot things that will look good on my blog — big wide pics with lots of small details. Stock photos work better when they are just basic pics. My style has changed.

I still upload to istock, but not with the same zeal as Several years ago almost all pictures did well. A portfolio with some slow and steady sellers is what I aim for these days.

Also, images that sell only once or twice at a large size are useful. Two big downloads makes the effort of uploading worthwhile. Things have definitely changed. If I got the deal right i have to say that it is not fair guys..

Hi I am new to I stock Photos, I started this one month ago. I have images there and I got only 4 downloads yet.

Is it worth to stick to this? Sorry to hear that. This post is a few years old and a lot has changed at iStock since I wrote it. My photos are still selling well and my earnings are staying even but not really increasing. My old photos are selling much better than the new ones.

Forums - Photography - Is it possible to make money with istockphoto? - iStock

They started tweaking Best Match last year and my new photo sales took a nose dive. Some of my new pics still do get downloaded, but only the exceptional ones.

Most sit with zero downloads. When I first started I was getting one download a day and sometimes more by the time I had pictures uploaded.

I have seen an uptick in my downloads this summer. The good news is this summer was much better than last summer and I am getting more Getty Image sales than ever before. That has helped offset the decreased overall downloads at iStock.

IStock is under new management and most of the changes over the past few months have been positive. If you have spare time maybe keep uploading and see where it takes you.

Also, take a look at your subject matter. Are you uploading unique images? Please look at my profile and see my images, your advise will be very valuble http: I started with Istock photo in November Sooo, not sure wheather it worth it. You have very cool photos in your profile, very nice.

Do you shoot raw format? I saw your profile. May be with other agencies then Istockphoto I sell better eleswhere. Who determines how many credits your photo is worth? I was recently approved as an iStock contributor. My photos are available for credits while others photographers are 55 credits. Recently iStock changed their pricing.

Photos get placed in different collections and that determines their price. Beginners get put in the lowest tier. Thanks for this article, it is very good. Just wondering though what camera do you use to take your photos? I shot with a Canon 5D Classic until Christmas Once again, the most exciting article I found through Google was one you wrote.

I gotta figure out when this article was written. I hope these kinds of earnings are still relevant. Ive followed you on Twitter and hope to learn lots more from you. Alan, sorry it took so long to respond but I wanted to take the time to do it right. I just finished writing an update to this article. You can find it here: Modularity Lite by Graph Paper Press. Photos4u2c My Photos — on display for the benefit of the world.

How Much Money Can You Make at Istockphoto Follow me on Instagram This is my good luck Koi. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram.

Order prints of the photos featured on this blog by clicking on the image or visit our website at photos4u2c. Facebook Google Twitter Reddit Email. August 10, at Thanks so much for violating etiquette and posting your numbers!

Just one Q — are you participating in the exclusive program? September 23, at Yes, I am gold exclusive September 24, at 1: February 3, at 3: February 6, at 4: Do you have to pay for the photo you want to be uploaded? August 4, at 7: August 4, at 2: Your right, no one seems to like to talk about how much they make. I have been contributing for about 5 years now and am exclusive.

So we are very similar. March 27, at August 9, at 1: September 6, at 7: September 9, at 2: January 5, at 3: January 27, at 4: January 31, at 7: January 31, at 1: February 1, at 7: February 1, at February 1, at 2: February 3, at February 6, at 1: February 6, at 2: February 21, at 5: August 31, at 7: August 31, at 8: September 1, at 4: May be with other agencies then Istockphoto I sell better eleswhere September 1, at 5: February 25, at February 25, at 8: I figured it out and am currently disabling.

February 25, at 2: May 6, at 1: May 14, at 6: June 5, at 6: Thank you so much for this information! June 26, at 1: Thanks for sharing information… August 14, at Support this site by using our links to Amazon window.

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