Stock Images Are a Great Money Making Idea

Submitting pictures to an online stock images site is a great way to make money and hone your artistic skills. However, it is useful to know a few tips first in order to make the submission process smooth and easy.

Stock image sites sell photographs, illustrations, and film footage. When you first submit images to a stock image company, you will often be asked to submit 10 images for approval. These images will reflect your experience and expertise as an artist. In addition, they will prove to the company that you have done your homework and that you know what types of images they are looking for. Treat the process like a job interview.

Research the website before you submit your images. You'll want to know what types of images sell well on their site to make sure yours fit. For instance, when I typed in "glamour photography" into one site's search engine, I found 3 main categories of images, all of which were photographs. The categories were attractive models, pictures of a woman's lips, and pictures of a camera displayed in a way that it suggested a photo shoot. So, if I were to submit an image to this site, I wouldn't submit an illustration of a model; I'd offer them a photograph of a model.

As an artist, you may have unique beautiful work that you'd like to share with the world; however, it's unlikely to sell well on a stock image site. Why? Because customers on these sites are often buying them for commercial purposes. The kind of image that sells well on these sites can be used for multiple purposes. For instance, money images can be used by banks, real estate agents and on book covers. Cartoon pictures of zebras can be used by toy store designers and in pediatric offices. Jessica Simpson pictures can seen on car mechanics' calendars and the offices of agents who represent actors.

Another key to selling your work is to remain non-partisan. If you take a picture representing a controversial issue you believe in, it may be too controversial for an online image company to include on their site.

Finally, make sure to take one photograph that tells the whole story instead of taking multiple photos to get the same point across. Making money from a stock image site can be fun and easy if you follow these simple rules.