Learning how to sell nature photos is easier than you think. Start today by creating your own website or selling through online publications.
A passion for nature inspires your photos, but do you know how to sell nature photos once they’re developed? There are four principal ways to sell nature and landscape pictures: a direct, personal store, print on demand websites, stock photography sites, or sold to a publication. Luckily, the internet has a wealth of information for any of these methods.
Contribute to Shutterstock and make money doing what you love
Sell to Stock Photography Sites
Stock photography sites take part of your earnings and have different requirements for use. Some require you to reach a minimum upload amount. They do, however, provide further reach for your photography.
Licensing Agreements
Stock photo libraries use two primary licensing agreements. Understanding this distinction is essential. It will impact the future of the images you sell. Knowing which kind of licensing a company utilizes is critical, so let’s discuss them briefly.
Rights Managed
Rights-managed licensing requires clients to pay a fee based on their usage. You maintain control over your picture this way. You can also resell the images to other clients.
Clients can buy exclusive rights. They own the picture and any usage then, and you cannot resell the photo.
Royalty-Free
With royalty-free licensing, clients pay once for a picture they can use however they please. While you lose control of the photo’s narrative, you can resell it as often as you choose.
General Stock Photography Sites
There are many stock photography sites where you can sell stock photos and make money. Most of these have no specialty, just a general depository for photography. Stock photo sites draw in broader viewership. They also require a degree of competition.
More people will see your photography, yes. Those same potential clients will be visiting the work of many other artists. There are many stock sites where you can post and sell nature photography. This section discusses some of the best and their rates.
Shutterstock
Shutterstock is possibly the most lucrative option for photographers. While the royalty rate isn’t as high as other companies, Shutterstock has substantial daily download numbers.
Photographers have to apply to be accepted on Shutterstock. The application process is relatively simple; submit ten samples. If Shutterstock approves any piece, you can contribute to the site.
Depositphotos
Depositphotos bases its pay rates on downloads. Photographers can earn up to 42 percent of royalties, but they need to sell quite a few pictures.
There is some complicated math involved in establishing the rates you’ll achieve. Five hundred downloads increase your royalty rate to 36 percent. An image purchase only counts as one-third of a download, though.
iStock
Getty Images owns iStock, giving them a vast reach. They attract 1.5 million customers in over 200 countries worldwide. After you apply, they will decide if your photography is more suited to Getty or iStock. iStock has lower royalty rates: 15 percent for iStock, and 20 percent for GettyImages.
Also, keep in mind that Getty Images requires exclusivity rights on all content.
There is excellent potential for earnings when you list your landscape photos for sale. What sets iStock apart is its large user base, which increases the number of eyes on your landscape photos.
Adobe Stock and Fotolia
Adobe Stock is one of the best options for stock photography. The royalty rate is relatively high (33 percent), and any picture submitted to Adobe Stock is immediately available on Fotolia. Adobe Stock doesn’t claim exclusive rights, so you continue to have access to your work.
Adobe Stock is the only company that merged with Creative Cloud applications and PowerPoint. Clients creating Cloud presentations can search within the application and access all the photographs on Adobe Stock.