Author: Susan Montgomery

I'm a stock photographer, with focus on editorial, classic cars, travel, and nature.

Getting business cards

I have found having business cards to be very helpful as a stock photographer. My latest version has one of my photos as the background, the URL for this blog, my Shutterstock portfolio address, and my email address, which I’ve obscured in this photo:

business card - no email

They’re useful to have when I’m photographing an event, so I can reassure people that I’m a professional, and I explain that I’m taking photos for a stock photography site. I let them know I’d be happy to send them their photo if they choose to email me, and to look for their photo in the Shutterstock site. People have invariably been very happy to have their photos taken, such as this one at last year’s civil war remembrance in Greenfield Village:

Civil-war era reenactor working on a watercolor

Or this one at last year’s Ann Arbor Mini Maker Faire:

Learning how to solder at the Ann Arbor mini Maker Faire

Now that I have this blog I’ll also be able to give it to people who ask me about stock photography.

I got them from Vistaprint, $20 for 250 nice quality cards. My earlier cards were double-sided, but I decided to have the back side blank on this new set so I can write notes on it.

Uploading your photos to stock photo websites

When you first get start you might not be comfortable with accessing your photography information, so you’ll probably upload your jpeg photo through the website’s photo loader and then enter the description, title, key words, etc. through the stock photo website itself – at least that’s how I started.

As I got more comfortable I started using a photo editor to include all the photo information within the photo file itself. Wish I’d done it sooner! It saved me loads of time because I don’t have to add all that information myself for each site, it’s part of the photo file and magically shows up when I upload the photo.

I also used to upload using the stock website’s uploaders, which sometimes can be somewhat tedious. Then I started getting more comfortable using FTP (File Transfer Protocol) to upload my photos in batches rather than individually, as you still have to do in some sites. I have found cyberduck to be a very easy to use FTP client that allows me to bookmark my sites’ FTP upload pages, including username and sometimes password, so uploading batches of photos is as easy as opening the bookmarked page and dragging the photos to the uploader.

Again, one step at a time, but trying to stay ahead of you to make your path a bit easier.

Best wishes!

Beware of copyrights and trademarks

When you shoot a non-editorial stock photo you have to be very careful to not have any copyrighted or trademarked objects in your photos. That means no logos on clothes, no easily identifiable copyrighted buildings.

I was going to write more about copyright but I noticed this great entry at Media Bakery Design that does a great job and includes a list of copyrighted work as well.

What this means in stock photography is that if there are any logos or other trademarked material in your photos you must edit them out before submission.

Note that if you plan to sell your photos for art (so NOT stock photography) that includes trademarked material that’s another story. To quote the World Intellectual Property Organization:

“Unlike copyright law, trademark law as such does not restrict the use of a trademark in a photograph. What it does forbid is the use of a trademark in a way that can cause confusion regarding the affiliation of the trademark owner to the image. If consumers are likely to mistakenly believe that the trademark owner sponsored a photograph, then there may be trademark infringement.”

Notice that this is just my understanding of it, and this is not intended to be legal advice, please do your own homework, laws do change…

iStockphoto submission page and training manual

It took me years of trying before I finally got into iStockphoto, but it was definitely worth it! They currently make up 28 % of my monthly sales.

Read their training manual very carefully and heed it. Then get inspired by their most downloaded photos. I wrote “inspired” on purpose, don’t be intimidated, everyone started out not knowing how to do this, and take one step at a time…

Be very careful about the photos you submit. If you don’t get in at first they might make you wait a month to try again, and if that doesn’t work, the wait to try again could be a year! I got two year-long waits before I got in! After that just about all the photos that got into Shutterstock got into iStockphoto. iStockphoto also generates lots of sales from their partner pages, which just boosts your income, awesome.

When you are ready to submit your photos, head over to their sales page to submit your best three photos – be sure to have a good mix of photo types, and the best quality.

Good luck!

ImageCollect submission page and FAQ page

I was all excited when I got into ImageCollect, a website of celebrity photos, but I haven’t had much luck with them, probably because my celebrity list isn’t all that… Someday I’ll get a real biggie and maybe then things will turnaround for me. You can check out their most popular photos and you’ll see that nice close up photos are best.

Their FAQ page tells you a bit more about what they are looking for, including detailed guidelines as to how to caption your celebrity photos.

If you have that celebrity photo you can head over to their registration page to get started.

Good luck!

Alamy submission page and resources page

Alamy is the eleventh stock photo website I got into, in 2013, and I have yet to make a payout, but when a photo sells the commission is significant, plus they’re very easy to add to so I keep at it.

Read their excellent Resources page, with submission guidelines and even Photoshop tutorials! Then check out some of their featured photographers.

Once you are ready to submit your photos, head over to their How to Sell Your Images page and you’re ready to go!

Veer submission page and guidelines

Veer is the tenth stock photo website I got into, as part of that spurt in 2012. It has been a bit of a dud and they take forever to get back to you on acceptances, or maybe just me because I’m not a big moneymaker for them… It’s interesting to see what my most popular images are in each of the sites, there are big differences from site to site…

Read their Photographer Guidelines, with good philosophies for good stock photography.

Once you are ready to submit your photos, head over to their contributor page and you’re ready to go!

Panthermedia submission page and quality standards

Panthermedia is the ninth stock photo website I got into, also in 2012. I had nothing for a while, then an exciting sale of $12 that I thought was the start of something big, but since then not much. Their top photos page seem to include a lot of landscapes, so you nature lovers, give this one a shot.

Read their Quality Standards page, with many details as to what makes for a good stock photo

When you are ready to submit your photos, head over to their sales page and you’re ready to go! If you use this link I get a referral bonus and the pleasure of watching your progress! Thanks.

Photodune submission page and guidelines

Photodune, part of Envato Marketplaces, is the eighth stock photo website I got into, as part of that spurt in 2012.

Read their Introduction to the Marketplace for Authors, which has a particularly in-depth section on copyright. Then check their top sellers.

When you are ready to submit your photos, head over to their author page and you’re ready to go!

Deposit Photos submission page and tutorial

Deposit Photos, a German site, is the seventh stock photo website I got into, in 2012. They’re easy enough to add to, as long as I remember to change the language to English!

Check out their tutorial, a very detailed set of guidelines of what they like to see.

When you are ready to submit photos go to their registration page to set up an account and you are on your way.

Good luck!

Can Stock Photo submission page and guidelines

Can Stock Photo is the sixth stock photo website I got into, in 2012, when I decided to take the stock photo business to the next level. Not a huge income source, but it’s one of the easiest and quickest submission processes so I figure I may as well. Maybe your style will suit them better, and maybe in the future I’ll try some new styles that are more appealing to them.

Read more about them here, and get a sense of what sells by looking at their recent downloads.

When you are ready to submit photos if you would register and start submitting! It doesn’t cost you anything and I get a referral bonus and the pleasure of watching your progress! Thanks.

Learning from stock photo websites’ recommendations for contributors

Another great way to get a better sense of the expectations of stock photography sites is to check their suggestions for contributions. In Stock Photo Submission and Tutorial Pages I have an entry for each stock photo site I’m on, and within each entry I have link to that website’s suggestions for contributors. Read them over, and you’ll have a much better sense of what’s expected in stock photography.

Big Stock Photo submission page and contributor’s page

Big Stock Photo is the fifth stock photo website I got into, in Fall 2009. Their photo submission page is one of the easiest to use.

Check their contributor’s page for some great suggestions. Also check out their most popular search phrases this week.

When you are ready to submit your photos, go to their Sell Your Images page. You’ll create an account, go through their contributor tutorial, then you’ll be able to the upload area and submit ten photos for consideration.

Good luck!

Fotolia submission page and general info page

Fotolia is the fourth stock photo website I got into, in Fall 2009 – not a great money maker for me, but your style might suit them better.

You can find their general information page for photographers here. Look also at their best sellers for the month.

When you are ready to submit your photos, you can go to their sign-up page and give them a shot. Good luck!

123RF submission page and general info page

123RF is the third stock photo website I got into, in Fall 2009 – not a great money maker for me, but your style might suit them better. Check out their FAQ page and their latest uploads.

When you are ready to submit your photos, I would appreciate you using this link. It doesn’t cost you anything and I get a referral bonus and the pleasure of watching your progress! Thanks.

Dreamstime submission page and FAQ page

Dreamstime is the second page I got into, in 2009, around the same time as Shutterstock, and they currently make up about 8% of my sales. They are considered easier to get into than Shutterstock, so it might be a good starter page.

Check their guidelines, you’ll see photos only have to be 3 MegaPixels in size. Look also at their editor’s choice of best photos page

When you are ready to submit your photos, I would appreciate you using this link. If asked for a Referral ID, please use res1430553 . It doesn’t cost you anything and I get a referral bonus and the pleasure of watching your progress! Thanks.

Shutterstock submission page and guidelines

Shutterstock is the first stock photo website I got into, in 2009, and their critique forums were very helpful in teaching me about stock photography in a supportive environment. They currently result in about half of my stock photography income.

Read their guidelines carefully and follow them. Photos must be at least 4.0 Megapixels in size. They are known for being particularly picky about things being in focus. Also check out their 50 most popular photos this week.

When you are ready to submit your photos, I would appreciate you using this link. It doesn’t cost you anything and I get a referral bonus and the pleasure of watching your progress! Thanks.

Review – Ten Mistakes you are Making with your Photography

Lynford Morton is a photography coach who runs photography workshops in Washington, DC. You can download a very useful booklet from his website that reminds you of typical mistakes we can make when we are not thinking through our photographs.

I encourage you to download it and review it from time to time to check that you’re not making one or more of the 12 mistakes!

Review – National Geographic photography video courses

Many of us dream of becoming National Geographic photographers one day so what better resource than an actual National Geo photographer! I have considered attending a National Geographic photography workshop, but they are beyond my current budget and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to absorb that much information that quickly. So I was delighted when I found National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore’s video courses!

The set of “Fundamentals of Photography” and “The Art of Travel Photography: Six Expert Lessons” is currently on sale for $90, and well worth the investment. Fundamentals of Photography has twelve hours of video covering basics of equipment, camera setting, light, composition, plus specific advice for different kinds of photography. He takes you on the field and shows you how he thinks through and composes photographs. He also comes with a 150 page PDF guidebook that summarizes the lessons and his advice. I can already see an improvement in my thinking as a photographer from watching these videos. The Art of Travel Photography is composed of five hours of densely packed information that takes you along on some of his trips and gives you lots of information to improve your photography, plus an assignment with each lesson to get you started.

Mr. Sartore is very easy going, and makes his point with great examples of real photos he has taken both professionally and personally. He has many “in the field” examples where he shows you how he sets up a photograph, and how he improves on it. Remember that motto, “don’t take the shot, make the shot”. Mr. Sartore will show you how to do that.

Getting model and property releases

Most of the most popular stock photos have people in them. You must have a model release for all identifiable people in your photos, unless you take an editorial photo. I by identifiable they pretty much mean that if there is a person they must have signed a model release…

You can find sample model and property releases in Shutterstock’s legal page. The trick is then getting people to sign them. Start with family and friends who are willing to be your models. My sister is game for any photos. With my sons I tend to angle the shot so their faces aren’t exposed as much, keeping in mind their photos could end up on the side of buses or on billboards. I have approached some strangers to see if they would be willing to have their photos taken, such as this cute dancing couple, and so far they have all signed, but it’s just not something I’m very comfortable with, likely one reason I have focused more on editorial.

But many people are quite comfortable doing so and are very successful, so don’t let my hesitation stop you!