You don’t have to be a professional photographer to make a living taking pictures.

Many people are now taking up photography as a hobby thanks to the improved smartphones cameras and the affordability of high-quality digital cameras.

This hobby can bring in some quick cash, but most people don’t know this. You can sell your photos online if you are a good photographer and have a keen eye for detail.

How to make money with photography

You can sell your photos on a variety of apps and websites. You can either sell your photos as art or upload them to stock photo sites.

Apps that allow you to take pictures

There are several apps that will pay you to take pictures if you are interested in earning money for your photos.

Photography skills are not necessary, but they can be very helpful. They’re also one of the fastest and most profitable ways to make money from your images.

1. EyeEm

EyeEm was created for those who are looking to quickly and easily sell photos online.

EyeEm automatically scans your camera roll to find the best-quality photos. The final decision on what photos you sell online remains yours.

EyeEm is convenient but you don’t get as much profit. Only 50% of the photos you take will be yours.

2. Foap

Foap another app that lets you sell photos straight from your phone to large companies. Foap, like EyeEm is simple to use and only half of the fees are charged when you sell your photos.

Foap’s Missions section is what sets it apart from EyeEm. Foap offers a section that lets you know what company is looking for, and allows you to submit photos. You get a larger payout if your image is selected.

3. Snapwire

Snapwire works differently to other stock photography websites. Snapwire allows you to make money from your photos by answering creative Challenges. You must read the brief before you submit your photos. You will be paid if your photos are selected.

Buyers can nominate your photos and you will be eligible to compete in Buyer Requests live or other commissioned assignments. Snapwire contributors can keep as much as 70% of the payment on successful Challenges and Requests.

4. miPic

Selling photos online is easy. You just need to take photos and upload them to your gallery from your smartphone or computer. Everything else is handled by the miPic team, including printing, shipping and customer service if your photos sell. They will only show photos that are high-quality and have checked the resolution of your photos.

MiPic verifies the resolution of your photos and shows only products that will print well.

But, miPic’s convenience comes with a salary cut. MiPic artists can earn as much as 20% commission on their work. This is a good way to passively make money, even though it may not be as high as other sites.

Remember that miPic doesn’t sell your photos, it also prints your images on merchandise. You might receive 20% for a $50 wallpaper print ($10), instead of a 70% commission on a $10 image ($7)

MiPic is currently only available for desktop and iPhone devices.

Stock photos for sale

Stock photo sites are a great way to make money taking pictures. Individuals or companies that require a specific image search stock photo websites, and they pay a small amount when they choose a photo to use. You’ll receive a portion of the fee if they choose your photo.

Anybody can upload photos to stock photo sites and get paid.

What types of photos make for good stock photos?

Every picture can be used as a stock image. You need to choose the right kind of photos if you want to make money from stock photos.

Your photos should not contain any logos or brand names. This will make them inaccessible. Stock photos should be generic enough to be easily used by any company.

Consider the focal point of your photo. Stock images are often used by companies to show a specific subject, such as a person at work or a certain type of food. They should be easy to view and simple. Stock photos that are too cluttered won’t work well.

Your photos should be high-quality, bright and focused. Images that are too dark or not in focus won’t be well-received. Before you begin, take a look at some stock photo websites. These websites will give you an idea about what works and what doesn’t.

Top websites to sell photos

You want to make sure you get paid to take photos.

5. Shutterstock

Shutterstock is a great website to start, regardless of your level of experience. Every picture uploaded to Shutterstock.com may be purchased and seen by thousands.

Shutterstock’s easy-to use app is another great feature. The app can be downloaded on any smartphone and you will be able take a photo and upload it to Shutterstock. You can also get helpful tips like which images customers are looking for.

The type of customer who downloads your image from Shutterstock will determine how much you get paid. Customers who subscribe to Shutterstock’s monthly service will get less for downloading your photo, while customers who purchase your image directly will receive more. Your lifetime earnings will increase and so will the amount that you are paid per photo.

6. Adobe Stock

Adobe Stock is one the best places to sell photos online. This site can help you get your photos seen and downloaded.

Adobe Stock bought Fotolia in 2014, a large stock photo website. Anything uploaded to Adobe Stock will also be visible there. That means double exposure.

Adobe Stock pays photographers 33% from the price of their photos. Although you may make more initially than with Shutterstock, this flat rate allows you to grow.

7. Snapped4U

Snapped4U does not accept photos with different themes. Instead, Snapped4U only allows photos of events such as weddings, concerts and event portraits. Snapped4U is a popular place for people to buy photos of them.

You could also offer to take photos of tourists if you live in a tourist area. Tell them where they can find them online. Upload your photos and set the price. You can charge up to $20 per image. Snapped4U will then directly sell the files to your customers.

For every photograph sold under $5, the fee is $0.50 and for photos purchased over $5, it’s 10%.

8. iStock

Many publications use Getty Photos, which makes them one of the best websites for selling high-quality photos. To sell your photos on this stock photography website, you must apply and be approved. Within 30 days of submitting your application, you will receive a response.

Getty Images has over 1.5 million users who will be able to access your photos if they are selected. The royalty rates range from 15% to 45%. Getty Images can offer you a higher rate if you agree to only sell your content. You can only upload the best photos to this program.

Sell your photos as art

You may be able to sell your photos online as art if your photos are more artistic that the average stock photo.

9. Etsy

Etsy is an online marketplace that specializes in handmade products.

Etsy is a popular place for people to buy artwork. It’s also a great place to sell photos online. Etsy allows you to create your own online shop, and begin selling your photos.

You will need to pay some upfront before you can sell anything. Each item that you list for sale on Etsy is subject to a $0.20 charge. Etsy charges a 5% commission for each item you list. There is also a $0.25 payment processing fee.

10. Fotomoto

Although Etsy is great for beginners, Photomoto is great for those who are more interested in starting a successful photography business. Fotomoto is not an online marketplace. Fotomoto is a service that takes orders and prints and then ships your photos.

Fotomoto is great for setting up your own website and selling photos. Fotomoto will handle all the business aspects so you can just take photos. Customers will be able order prints, canvas prints, postcards and other products from you.

Fotomoto has three membership levels. You pay 22% per image for a free membership. Pro and Pro Plus memberships will not only cost you less per month, but also allow you to keep more money in your pocket for each sale.

11. Society6

Society6 is similar in that you don’t actually sell photos but instead put them on things like water bottles, coffee mugs, and mousepads. Prints, canvas and other items can be sold.

Artists make 10%. This may seem low but it’s not. Upload your photos and choose the items you wish to sell.

How to Take Professional Photographs

Professional photos don’t require expensive equipment. All you need is a smartphone and some editing software.

Smartphone camera

The best smartphones today can compete with the finest digital cameras of ten years ago. You can make a living taking pictures with your smartphone if you don’t want to invest a lot.

Not all smartphones are made equal. You should make sure that your smartphone has a great camera.

Professional camera

The next step to making a living as photographer is a professional camera. It can be hard to choose the right camera.

The Nikon D3500 is an excellent budget DSLR option at a price of about $400

Another good option is the Canon EOS Rebel T7i, which is $650 more. Although it may seem expensive, it is much less than the professional equipment.

To save money, you can search for refurbished versions on eBay or in your local camera shop.

Software for photo editing

Although you can take great photos with a smartphone, editing software for photo editing will enhance your skills.

Photo editing software allows you to adjust the brightness, colors, etc. of your photos. You have a lot of great editing options, some even free.

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is the most popular photo editing software. Photoshop can transform even the most basic photograph into an artistic masterpiece. Adobe Photoshop offers tons of useful tools that allow you to create endless possibilities.

Photoshop’s fame and versatility come at a steep price. Adobe Creative Cloud is required to get Photoshop access. The entire app costs $20.99 per month.

Adobe offers a reduced version for photographers starting at $9.99 per Month, but it is still the most expensive photo editing program on the market.

Pixlr

Pixlr, a great alternative to Photoshop, allows you to edit photos without having to pay for Photoshop. Pixlr is free and can be accessed from any web browser. This means that you don’t need to download anything or spend any money upfront.

Pixlr has the essential tools you need, such as color correction and resizing. It also offers advanced tools like blurring. Pixlr has a mobile app that allows you to do photo editing wherever you are.

Pixlr Pro is a more advanced version of Pixlr. You can get extra tools for $5 per month that advanced users may find useful.

Affinity Photo

Affinity Photo is not like Photoshop or Pixlr. It’s a one-time payment.

Affinity Photo iPad is $19.99 and offers a variety of editing features that are rare in any other app. These include advanced retouching tools like liquify effects, layering or 360deg image edits, as well as layering and layering. The desktop version costs $49.99 and includes additional editing capabilities.

Affinity Pro is a great choice if you are looking for software that you can pay once.

Photography can be a fun and lucrative side hustle

You can sell your photos online for a small fee if you do some research and have a few handy tools. These ideas can help you get paid for photos if you are a skilled photographer.