Want to learn how to make money with your camera?

You don’t need a real fancy camera or lots of expensive gear. In fact, I’ve even sold photos on microstock sites with my little point and shoot, and even with my iPhone! What’s the secret? Well, you have to know the different types of photos that people will buy on microstock sites, and it might not be what you think. If you’re anything like me, you probably take mostly photos of yourself, your friends, maybe some landscapes or flowers. But these aren’t the types of images that people are willing to pay for on a microstock website.

If I was running a business, what photos would I PAY for?

Put yourself in the shoes of someone who is willing to BUY photos from a website and what would you get? Well, most people who will buy photos are running some kind of business and want to buy photos to make a profit. One example would be someone who is running a restaurant or food-related site. They want to post photos of specific food, say tiramisu, but they don’t have any photos handy to use. They might be able to find some free photos, but those are usually pretty low in quality. So instead, they turn to a microstock site and look for a photo of tiramisu that they think will help them make money.

Take photos of specific objects

Food is one specific example of photos that can sell, but in general, photos of products (though not with brand names) are good candidates for acceptance by microstock sites. Be sure to place the objects against a clean background and isolate them from any other objects that would disturb the image. A white background is usually preferable. Even if you don’t have your own photo studio, you might try using natural diffused light from a window, filtered with a translucent curtain, shower curtain or something else to diffuse the light. You can use a white sheet or white butcher paper in the background. Remember, you can always clean up the image some in Photoshop.

Check out part two of this series:  How to Make Money by Selling Photos on Microstock Photography Sites Part 2.