You earn between 15% and 40% commission when one of your images or videos is downloaded at Shutterstock. This means you get paid $0.10 to $5.80 for images, $10.20 to $39.80 for extended licenses, and $1.25 to $47.92 for each video. In other words, Shutterstock pays you based on your current image and video levels.
How much can you make as a Shutterstock contributor? Shutterstock is one of the leading stock photo agencies, and contributors can make a decent income by selling their photos through them. Generally speaking, Shutterstock pays out 15-40% of each sale to its contributors.
How much does a Shutterstock photo cost? Depending on what buying method you use. A Shutterstock photo can cost between $0.26 and $9.80 with a Standard license. For an Extended license, the price ranges between $67.96 and $99.50 per image.
The minimum payout amount is $35 and the maximum is $2000.
The best-selling style of images varies from one year to the next, but overall, images of people (or lifestyle photography) are an all-time best-selling genre in stock photography. Other concepts like landscapes, flowers, and beaches are also consistently popular.
As a Shutterstock contributor, you will earn a percentage of the price Shutterstock receives for licensing your content. There are 6 separate earnings levels for images and for videos, ranging from 15% up to 40%. You can graduate through them independently based on your download count in each category.
Keep It Simple
They have a high chance of being rejected simply because they have enough of those subjects in their database already. Once you are accepted by Shutterstock, then submit all the photos you like. The hardest part of Shutterstock is getting in. Don't try and wow them with anything fancy to begin with.
The payment cycle for Shutterstock contributors is monthly. Accrued earnings for the prior month are calculated at the beginning of every calendar month. Contributors whose accrued earnings meet the minimum payout amount and are eligible to receive payment are notified by email once their earnings are calculated.
1. Alamy. With over 60 million images, Alamy is the largest stock photo website, but they also pay well too. Photographers earn 50% of every sale, and aren't restricted to selling exclusively with Alamy.
Shutterstock
Don't expect to earn as much here, but it's a good place if you're just learning how to sell stock photos. Payouts are based on your earnings over time and range from 20% to 30%. There's also an affiliate program where you can earn additional money if you refer new photographers or customers.
Tip #1: Download the Shutterstock Contributor App
We know how quickly those memories on phones can fill up. That's why we offer an on-the-go solution for uploading your images to Shutterstock. Shutterstock Contributors can use our app for iOS or app for Android to upload images from anywhere there's phone signal.
You earn between 15% and 40% commission when one of your images or videos is downloaded at Shutterstock. This means you get paid $0.10 to $5.80 for images, $10.20 to $39.80 for extended licenses, and $1.25 to $47.92 for each video. In other words, Shutterstock pays you based on your current image and video levels.
Stock photography, the practice of capturing images that anyone can license for a fee, can be a lucrative side hustle or even a full-time job. For photographers, it can be a steady source of income using both previous works and new shoots in which they call the shots from the subject to the post-processing treatment.
Contributing images to Shutterstock is free and you earn money each time your content is licensed.
Drone Photography
And images that have strong leading lines will continue to be in demand for stock photography. But photos that capture relaxing scenes like beaches, snow-capped trees, and fields of flowers will be the most popular.
On average, stock photographers make $0.02 per image per month with stock photos, while professionals make $0.05–$0.25 per image per month. Royalty-free sales earn between $0.10 and $99.50, while extended licenses bring up to $500.
However, it's actually illegal and risky. Using content without permission constitutes copyright infringement and can lead to lawsuits and fines. It also robs artists and creators of fair compensation. Shutterstock is here to make the licensing of content easy - all our content is royalty-free.
Numerous factors influence the the success of your portfolio on Shutterstock, however there are three aspects that we feel are particularly important: content, customer need, and metadata. Both quantity and quality matter. Uploading new content on a regular basis will keep your portfolio fresh and relevant.
All images must be at least 4 MP (megapixels) or larger and set at highest quality settings to produce an acceptable file dimension for submission to Shutterstock. The maximum file size you can upload using your web browser is: 50 MB for photos, 100 MB for EPS.
For an initial review you must submit a batch of exactly 10 of your best photos. If at least 7 of the 10 submitted photos are accepted, you will be notified of acceptance and can start submitting as many photos as you wish.
Random sales may appear in 1-2 months (this may be shorter for some stock photography agencies, see Shutterstock vs. Alamy), but regular income is only realistic in 1-3 years. Experienced photographers often say: Stock photography business is not a sprint, but a marathon.
With the Shutterstock Image licenses, there is no set time frame for using the images after a download. With a Standard Image License, you can store those images for your own use.