Category: Stock photo submission and tutorial pages

Thinking of applying to stock photo sites? Here are the submission pages for all the sites I have been accepted to, as well as links to their guidelines/tutorial pages that will give you a much better sense of what they seek. And once you are ready to go, the submission pages are included too!

Current stock photo submission websites

I noticed in preparing for my talk about stock photography on October 16 that some of the contributor links in the older articles are out of date, so I’ve included all current contributor links below, with my biggest sellers in bold:

The Shutterstock include a referral code, which means that if you get in I get a small fee for the first few photos you sell. It doesn’t come out of your money, it’s an extra thank you to me for having referred you. I appreciate the support!

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Accepted by Pond5 stock photo site!

I recently learned of Pond5, a stock site that used to be videos but started accepting photos, so I thought I’d give them a shot.  I submitted some sample photos, including my best photos from Shutterstock and my favorite Detroit photos, and I was delighted to learn that all the photos were accepted!  You can find the portfolio at https://www.pond5.com/artist/smontgom65

Pond5 first set 2018

We’ll see how they do, just excited to check out a new site…

Best wishes on your photography adventures,

Susan

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.

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.