Earn money by Uploading Photos in Shutterstock
Hi guys, 'Earn money by Uploading Photos', actually I heard this is not too late. But after hearing it, I found a trusted earning system online.
I think this is a relatively simple method among many online income methods. In this article, I will explain to you how to earn money online by Photo Uploading. Read the article attentively to get a clear idea about it.
"You can earn money from Shutterstock, a well-known stock photography company similar to a photo editing website. People require images for various purposes, but images cannot be downloaded for free from this platform. A separate subscription fee is necessary for image downloads.
To generate revenue from Shutterstock, you need to have some basic skills and a fundamental understanding of photography. Whether you use a mobile phone or a camera, knowing the right angles and frames for capturing pictures can help you take meaningful photos with an Android phone."
But one thing needs to be remembered, online income is a matter of patience. The more patience he has, the more successful he will be.
You can earn a significant amount from Shutterstock. Your income could exceed $1000 per month. If you are highly skilled, you may even sell one of your images for $100.
However, this requires advanced-level photography experience to earn money by uploading photos.
First, you need to create a contributor account on Shutterstock correctly. Next, you should have a clear understanding of how to upload photos to Shutterstock and adhere to Shutterstock's photo uploading policy.
The final step involves setting up your public profile on Shutterstock and adding a payout account. Don't worry, I will guide you through each step. So, please continue reading this article with patience.
Step - 1: Create a Shutterstock Contributor account : Earn money by Uploading Photos
First of all, you have to open a contributor account. Normally if you browse Shutterstock.com in Chrome, you can create a user account, not a contributor account. You have to browse another link to open a contributor account. And this is the link.
Click on the "Get Started" button to unlock the next step. A new dialog box will open up right in front of you, just as shown below.
Please ensure that you provide accurate information in the designated boxes. In the first box, please enter your legal name. In the "Display Name" box, you can enter your nickname. It's best to keep it short as this name will be visible to customers.
Enter your email address in the Email Address box. Create a strong password for the "Password" box to ensure its security. Once done, click the "Next" button and mark the Terms of Service box.
After this, Shutterstock will send an email to your inbox. You will need to verify your email by clicking the blue link provided in the email.
Another email will be sent to you from Shutterstock with a passcode. After knowing the passcode from the mail, put it properly in the e-mail verification dialog box and click on the 'Verify' button below to verify the account.
After verifying the account, a huge dialog box will open in front of you as shown in the image below. Where you have to give your details.
First, there is the country, you will select the country. Then there is the option to give an address. You have to give the address a little nicely. In the first address box give the location of the area you live in and in the second address box give your apartment number, road number, etc. In the next box, write the city name in which you live.
Then put the Zip code or postal code of your area. If you don't know the zip code, you can find it by typing the name of your area and then spacing 'Zip code'.
Enter the name of your state or province in the next box. After that, the phone number should be given in the last box. Click on 'Next' when all the address information is complete.
Well, our account creation is now complete. Now you will see an interface like the image below.
Click on 'Go to your dashboard' and you will see a new interface.
Step - 2: Uploading photos on Shutterstock: Earn money by Uploading Photos
We have now reached the crucial step for earning money: uploading photos. We require a step-by-step guide for this process.
To begin, capture a photo of nature, a building, or any other subject you wish to upload. For instance, I captured a picture of the sunset, which is displayed below.
In your dashboard, you'll see a red "Upload" option in the upper right corner. Click on it.
A new oblong-shaped box is displayed. Click on the 'Select multiple files' option in order to upload pictures from your files.
After selecting a specific picture, please allow some time for it to upload. You will see an upload indicator. Then, click 'Next.' A new interface, similar to the image below, will appear.
1. Click and select the image.
2. Provide a detailed description of the image, taking into account the surroundings and situation in which the image was taken.
Look at the image I uploaded. It was taken from the shore during sunset, capturing the moment when the sun creates a red glow blending with the sky. Additionally, there was a receding tide in the sea. Please consider all these details when determining the most appropriate description for the image.
I gave this one,
'Amazing sunset in the sea and creating a red glow with the sky on an autumn afternoon.'
When choosing an image on Shutterstock, it's important to select a category that best represents your image. I will select 'Nature' from the list of categories since it aligns with the type of image I need. Remember, the category plays a key role in defining an image on Shutterstock.
The next two boxes are for 'Category 2' and 'Location', and they are optional. You can leave them blank. Now it's time to complete the most fundamental task: 'Keyword Placement'. Please enter some image-relevant keywords in the keyword box.
Alright, I've added the following keywords: 'Sunset', 'Sunset Background', 'Red glow', 'Landscape', 'Evening landscape', etc.
You can also use the Keyword suggestions provided by Shutterstock. They provide these keyword suggestions based on your image style. You need to select at least 7 keywords before submitting your image.
The final step is to submit your image. Below the screen, you'll see a red 'Submit' button. Click on that.
Now, the photo uploading and submitting is complete. Shutterstock will take 2 or 3 days to review your image. Then you'll either be approved or rejected. Congratulations if you get approved!
If your image gets rejected, there are a few processes to know about, which I'll discuss in the next step. In any case, my uploaded photo was approved and that's the proof (shown in the image below).
When submitting photos for approval, it's crucial to provide a proper description and place keywords strategically. This significantly increases your chances of having your photos approved quickly.
For instance, imagine you've taken an incredible photo to upload to Shutterstock, but you fail to provide meaningful descriptions or keywords. This could seriously decrease your potential earnings.
This is because Shutterstock customers discover your photos based on the descriptions and keywords you provide. Your earnings depend on this, as I explained in detail in the fourth step.
Step 3: Shutterstock Photo rejection reasons: Earn money by Uploading Photos
Several reasons can lead to the rejection of your photos. It is important to capture clean and original images. To achieve this, you may need to disable certain camera settings.
First, ensure that the 'AI' mode on your phone's camera app is turned off. The AI mode may add enhancements to your photo that could affect its originality. For example, if you are trying to capture a photo of the sky, leaving AI mode enabled may result in the detection of the sky and unnecessary enhancements such as added blue color.
As a result, the originality of your photo may be compromised. Therefore, it is advisable to disable this feature in your camera settings.
Capture photos with your camera's highest megapixels (MP) to ensure sharp and clear images.
Also, it's important to turn off the watermark feature in your camera settings. To do this, open the camera app, click the three-dot menu in the top right corner of the screen, go to settings, and turn off the watermark option.
It causes the time and date to be replicated in the corner of the photo. One of my carefully taken pictures was rejected by Shutterstock for this reason, as you can see below.
Shutterstock rejects photos that contain-
- Watermarks
- Names
- Signatures
- Personal logos
- Time stamps
- Metadata
- Stickers
Step 4: How money from Shutterstock comes to you
Earning income from Shutterstock is based on the number of downloads your uploaded images receive. No one can download images from Shutterstock for free. Users must pay a subscription fee to Shutterstock, and a portion of that fee is paid to you based on the number of times your images are downloaded.
It's important to note that earning online income takes time and patience. You can't expect to earn just by uploading a couple of images. To start earning, you must be well-versed in professional photography and have at least 1000 approved images on Shutterstock. However, if you have a good understanding of professional photography, you can earn $0.25 per photo download.
Your income depends on various factors such as the quality of your photos, the demand for your photos, and the popularity of the types of photos you take. Building a large portfolio can significantly increase your income potential, especially if you have 800-1000 high-quality photos in your portfolio.
In addition to photos, you can also upload videos, illustrations, and vectors on Shutterstock, which can generate high income.
This is a status update regarding my portfolio. Currently, only one image is in my portfolio, but ideally there should be 800-1000 images.
Approved photos will be displayed in your portfolio. You can also view your 'pending approval' and 'recently reviewed' photos here. Furthermore, you can check if your photo has been approved or rejected under the 'Recently reviewed' section.
You can keep track of your earnings by using the 'see earnings summary' option.
To do this:
1. Click on the menu icon located in the upper corner of the screen.
2. Select 'Account settings'.
3. Scroll down to find the 'Payout Information' section. You will see an image below to guide you.
The part of the image that is colored is where my email is located. I have hidden this for security reasons. You can choose a payout method such as PayPal, Payoneer, or Skrill from this section. However, you can add your payment account at any time.
If you are not earning a substantial amount of income initially, or if the income is not significant, then there is no benefit in adding a payment account. The minimum payout amount on Shutterstock is $25.
Once $25 is credited to your account, you can add your PayPal or Payoneer account by navigating to Payout Information.
Step 5: Set up a public profile on Shutterstock
When you first signed up for Shutterstock, you created a Basic account. However, your level of professionalism as a contributor is reflected in your public profile.
To set up your public profile, start by clicking on the three-line menu at the top corner of the home screen and then select 'Public Profile.' This will bring up a new interface that looks like the image below. From there, you can enter all the necessary information.
This is my public profile setup. I have filled everything in here. I will show you how I did it. First, you need to upload a profile photo, meaning your photo.
In the 'Display name' box, the nickname you gave to the basic account is shown here.
The next option is the Portfolio URL. Shutterstock will create a portfolio URL based on your nickname, which will be your Shutterstock account URL.
Please make a note of the following text:
The next box is for entering the website name. If you have a website, you can provide the URL link here.
The 'tagline' box is intended for using related words based on the type of picture you will take. For instance, if you capture a nature-related picture, use keywords like nature, landscape, or portrait. Separate these words with commas. This will enhance the richness of your profile. Alternatively, you can use any photography-related tagline.
Remember to choose your country in the 'location box'. Next, in the About section, select 'Photographer' under 'Contributor Type' since you will be taking pictures.
Then comes the Style box. From here, select three styles corresponding to the type of photo you want to take. For example, as I take pictures related to nature, I choose: 'Nature', 'Beauty', 'Astrography', and 'Photographer'.
In the next section, you can choose the 'subject' of your photos. There is a brief list of image categories. For example, if you're taking a beautiful and natural photo, you can select 'beauty', 'nature', and 'landmark'. If you're uploading images of buildings, choose 'Architectural', 'Buildings', and 'Design' as your subjects.
Shutterstock values information about the equipment you use for photography. Use the next section to list any camera devices or special photography equipment, such as a 'tripod', 'Camera', etc. Even if you have just a 48MP Android phone camera like me, you should still enter it there.
At last, the next box is for your 'Biography'. It means you have to say something about yourself and put it here. So, I give my biography in this box like the image below.
I believe this text could serve as a basis for your biography. However, be sure not to simply copy it verbatim. You should adjust it as you see fit. It's important to include some details in the biography about your connection to photography.
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After completing the setup of your public profile, the only remaining step is to link your social media account. To do this, simply paste the URL of your social media profile. However, please note that linking your social media account is optional and can be skipped if you prefer.
Once you have pasted the URL, click on the 'save' button indicated in red at the top or bottom right corner of the screen.
With this final step, your public profile setup in Shutterstock will be complete.
Conclusion
Ultimately, your income depends on your professionalism, and how well you can capture objective photography. You should take photos in a way that will make you remember why you took them long after. The article covers almost everything you need to know about earning from Shutterstock.
Keep reading
For more advanced tips, consider reading the blogs of Shutterstock contributors. These blogs, written by professional contributors, cover important topics such as increasing income on Shutterstock, perfecting the angle and frame for a photoshoot, and identifying the best-selling photo categories. Being part of the Shutterstock community is crucial.
While I only highlighted one photo category in the article, graphic designers can use Shutterstock as a primary source of income. You can generate significant revenue by contributing to various categories like illustration, vector, video, and model release. Ultimately, the more you learn about Shutterstock, the more successful you can become.
At last, it's the complete guideline to earn money by uploading photos.
Jobair Tuaha
Hi, I'm Jobair Tuaha, owner of the 'Tech Defense' website. From curiosity of knowing unknown, I'm passionate of writing Tech blog as well as modern Tech Gadgets review. By this attempt, I formed this platform.
