How to Overcome Fear in Photography

By: Adam Welch 

Fear. It’s an emotion to which we all can relate. Luckily, nervousness or fear in photography can be overcome with practice and patience. After speaking with a few fellow photographers and borrowing from my own experiences, I have listed some shared fears among photographers and ways you can learn to overcome them.

1. The fear: I’m afraid I don’t know what I’m doing.

Every photographer at some point feels a little out of their depth when encountering a new situation or problem. Whether it’s learning to use a new piece of equipment, a lighting conundrum, or simply making a careless mistake during a shoot – we all can feel a little lost from time to time. This is especially true when a person first begins to learn the art. There’s a lot of somewhat technical information to absorb and it can be frustrating to understand new things. I recall shooting my first large wedding. I was so nervous that I was sweating more than the groom. There were some hiccups but overall the shoot went smoothly and the client was pleased.

How to beat it:

Acceptance. That’s the best way to overcome your fear of being inexperienced. The most effective thing you can do as an aspiring photographer is to constantly remind yourself that we all start somewhere. At some point, even the most celebrated of photographers didn’t even know how to operate a camera. You will learn as you go and you will make mistakes. You will also have successes. The key to beating the fear is the determination to keep going.

2. The fear: I’m afraid people won’t like my work.

The fear of rejection is a biggie. We all feel it to some extent and we all struggle with the fact that some people simply will not like the work we produce. This is the beauty and the bane of any art form. Art, by its very nature, is extremely subjective. Each person will view a piece with there own eyes and make judgements based on their experiences.
Here is one of my personal favorite images and one of the least liked by the public.

How to beat it:

When I first began my photographic journey I was easily discouraged. It seemed that for every roll of film I used there would be only one or two decent exposures. I would get so frustrated to point I would just put down my camera. Fortunately for me, I stumbled upon this quote from Ansel Adams:

“Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop.”

That sentence hit me hard. I realized that if one of the most influential American photographers of all time was happy with twelve good images in an entire year, then I should be thrilled of the progress I was making! As painful as it can be, failure is an essential learning tool. Seldom do we gain new knowledge only from our success. Do your work as best you can and show it to the world. The rest is out of your control.

3. The fear: I’m afraid to photograph people.

Making photos of people can be compared to public speaking. Very few people (I haven’t met any) are able to hit the ground running when it comes to street or event photography. It’s just not easy. Anxiety is a constant, at least it was for me. I would worry about how the subject might react to being photographed or if I looked strange photographing a stranger on the street. Even the act of carrying my SLR around in public made me feel out of place.

How to beat it:

The short answer – just do it. Go out and confront your fear. It sometimes helps to begin in a place where other people will likely be carrying cameras such as a public park, farmers market, or other large gathering. You will feel more at ease knowing that you aren’t the only one making photos. As you become more relaxed, begin taking your camera with you on a daily basis.
Practice short excursions around your street or neighborhood and get used to being around people while using your camera. The more you do something the less frightening it will likely become.

Before you know it, you will be able to approach public situations with confidence.

4. The fear: I’m afraid my gear isn’t good enough.

Gear envy. That nagging notion that if you only had this lens or that filter or if you could afford the newest whatever – we all experience it to some degree. It’s a basic condition of humans to want what we don’t have and photographers (most, not all) are notorious for never having enough. We can sometimes let ourselves be afraid that our gear just isn’t up to the task and become convinced that all we need is more and better equipment.

How to beat it:

The best way to overcome the fear of gear inadequacy is to understand that you will never have the best gear because the best gear hasn’t been made yet. Everything is evolving and you only have to do a quick internet search to realize most camera gear updates every couple of years. Stop focusing on what you don’t have. Instead, learn to make the most of what you do have. Study the capabilities of your gear and know what it can do. More importantly, understand what it can’t do. Constantly I see eager photographers become disappointed and discouraged because their expectations grossly overwhelm the capability of their gear. If you have realistic expectations then you won’t be so prone to doing the worst thing a photographer can do – which is quit.
Do you suffer from any of these fears? Do you have others not listed here? Share with us in the comments – we’re all friends here and support each other in getting over our fears.

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How to Conquer Your Fear of People as a Photographer

By: Mat Coker 

You know the feeling; shyness around strangers, dreading new situations, sleepless nights worrying, completely self-conscious in a crowd, thinking that everyone is judging you. In short, a fear of people.
Your fear and inhibition are like having “stage fright” in everyday life. All of this leads to you suppressing your personality, your creativity, and any chance to share your gift of photography with your culture and the world. All of this fear is dangerous because it blocks your creativity, making you become miserable and anxious.
But there is hope for you because many folks have overcome their fear of people and gone on to thrive as photographers. Below are five exercises that will help you to conquer your fear of people too.

My son used to be afraid of heights at the playground. But I knew he could overcome it. So every time we were at the playground I would encourage him to try something with heights. He’d go just a little bit higher each time until he had completely overcome his fear.

How to Overcome Self-Consciousness and Fear

“If you want to conquer fear, don’t sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” – Dale Carnegie

The way to overcome self-consciousness, fear, and shyness is to practice the healthy opposite.
What is the healthy opposite of fear and inhibition? Having a healthy confidence, the ability to enjoy other people, and the courage to try your best and accept constructive criticism. Here’s how you can work toward that.

It used to be extremely intimidating to ask friends if I could take a portrait of them. At a favorite coffee 

shop of ours, I asked my friend if I could snap a few photos while we were talking. I was really 

intimidated by this, but it becomes much easier once you do it a few times, trust me.

1. Begin with a Healthy Goal

Without healthy goals to aspire to, your life will be stagnant. You need a goal or you have nothing to move toward. Here’s a good goal for you if you’re a fearful photographer. Aim to become a creative photographer who is comfortable and confident with people.
Setting a goal doesn’t help you much unless you’ve got some steps to achieve it. Let’s see how to practice the healthy opposite of fear so that you can become “a creative photographer who is comfortable and confident with people.”
Begin with the smallest steps possible, and gradually improve from there.

When I was a kid I was afraid of dogs. I didn’t want my kids to be afraid of dogs so I made sure that 

they were around dogs from the time they were infants. Whenever they showed fear I helped them to 

be brave and get comfortable with the dog.

2. Use Your Voice

If you’re afraid of people, you probably don’t speak much. You’re likely afraid of having your ideas rejected, giving damaging advice, or being locked in a heated debate. But as long as you’re a kind and thoughtful person, these things aren’t likely to happen often.
The worst part about speaking up is the nervousness you feel just before saying something. Ignore that “stage fright.” Overcome it by saying something small. Don’t go big, just practice by making small talk.

I’ve challenged myself to try street photography or photographing people while out and about. I was 

sitting in a coffee shop reading about photography when I saw this gentleman quietly having coffee on 

his own. I couldn’t resist taking a picture, waiting for the moment that he brought the coffee cup up to 

drink.

Baby Steps

Perhaps you’re interested in street photography, but you’re so afraid of people that you could never ask for a portrait of them. You could practice getting comfortable by making small talk with strangers. Don’t even bring your camera along, that’s too much pressure. Just practice small talk.
Once you get over that initial discomfort of striking up a little conversation, asking strangers to take their picture won’t be as scary.

Add bugs to the list of things I’ve been afraid of! One summer I took a macro lens around and 

photographed bugs. The time I spend photographing them and editing the photos seemed to make 

me much more comfortable with bugs! Slowly exposing yourself to the things that cause fear will 

help you to overcome them.

On the Job Training

Another way to become comfortable working with people is to get a job working at a department store portrait studio. If you work during the Christmas rush you’ll have the opportunity to photograph hundreds of families.
Because it’s your job, you’ll be forced to talk with them. This repetition will help you get over your fear of talking with people. Remember, you’re not there for the photography itself. You’re there to practice talking with people so that you can get over your fear and move toward your goal of being a creative photographer who is comfortable and confident with people.

My little girl tends to be shy of new people and new situations. It takes a little while but she will 

become comfortable with friendly people. She was very shy for her first haircut but now loves a day 

out to get her hair done.

3. Offer Compliments

If you’re not sure how to start a conversation, start by noticing something that you can sincerely compliment a person about. Self-consciousness and fear paralyze you by keeping you focused on yourself in negative ways. If you’re always self-conscious, then you need to just take the spotlight off yourself by focusing on other people instead.
When you focus on offering people compliments two things will likely happen. First your attention is turned away from yourself and on to them. Second, your mind is turned away from negative thoughts (about yourself) and toward positive thoughts (about them) instead.
When I was a senior portrait photographer I would always find some little thing to compliment students about. If it was obvious that they spent a lot of time on their hair, that’s the compliment I gave. Maybe they had a great smile, or were funny, or we had something in common.
Focusing on the other person and having something nice to say will build bridges and help you to overcome your fear and discomfort around people.

Escalators can be intimidating the first time you step on one. Kids are afraid they’ll get swallowed up 

in the moving steps. Once my kids figured out how to ride one, they treated the escalator like a ride at 

an amusement park! Overcoming your fear can lead to exciting things in life.

4. Visualize Criticism

You may quickly get over the fear of talking to people or the anxiety you feel over negative thoughts about yourself. But how about receiving criticism of your photographs? This is one of the worst things imaginable for some photographers.
If you panic or become consumed with anxiety and want to “just give up” over the slightest criticism of your photos, then you need to learn to take criticism better. It’s not comfortable at first, but it can be done.

Here are some steps

First, admit that you are not perfect and that you should always focus on improvement. Be humble and admit that some healthy criticism could actually help you.
Second, seek it out. That’s right, go looking for critiques! Look for people who are better than you who can show you how to improve. You want to grow as a person and a photographer don’t you? Ask successful people how you can be better.

You can document your journey of overcoming the fear of people by journalism. Get it all out on paper. What you’re thinking, what you’re feeling, and all the successes you have.

Third, visualize criticism. You can practice receiving the image critique comfortably before actually receiving it. Close your eyes and imagine someone saying, “These photos are terrible” or “That’s not your best work.” Just imagine hearing those words. Get over the shock and uncomfortable feelings. How could you respond to their harshness in a positive way?
Do you think it seems weird to use your imagination this way? Yes, it may seem strange at first. But it’s exactly how you’re already using your imagination.
Your self-conscious fear is leading you to imagine what people are thinking and saying about you. Your imagination is causing you to fear criticism and be paralyzed instead of receiving it graciously, improving, and moving forward toward your goal of being a creative photographer who is confident and comfortable with people.

I’ve embarrassed myself a few times trying to chop wood with people watching me. I needed to learn 

to do it well. So one summer I decided to chop a massive pile of wood. It wasn’t easy to learn and 

some pieces ended up a mess before I could get them to split. But by the end, I was now showing other 

 people how to chop wood. Constantly try things that intimidate you. The little successes will keep you 

moving forward and ignoring fear.

Consider who you are receiving the criticism or critique from. If you post photos online, you’re eventually going to receive harsh criticism from someone, solicited or not. The internet is an easy place for people to be mean and remain anonymous.
Please feel free to ignore people who are harsh and cruel. But always listen to the constructive criticism by other photographers who actually care about you and want to help. Their insights can be very valuable, making you a better photographer.

5. Open up, be vulnerable, and make friends

Your fear and shyness of people may come from your honest desire not to bother anyone. You avoid saying or doing the wrong thing. But are you also avoiding friendship and positive interaction too?
Begin with small talk and offer compliments. Become comfortable with conversation and criticism. Once you’ve done this then opening up and going deeper with people won’t be so hard.
Do you know what you might discover? You’re not alone in your fears. Other people (and especially photographers) are afraid too. And they’ll be thankful that you spoke up, and shared your ideas and your creativity. Courage is contagious.

This is our friend who is terrified of water. It used to be almost unthinkable for her to get out into the 

water.

However, she was determined to overcome her fear – or at least ignore it. Fear can be paralyzing, but 

finding the strength to overcome it can open new doors in life.

Go Forward Toward Your Goals

I used to be terrible with people, especially with kids. But I used all of the ideas above to break out of my shyness and conquer my fear of people. I still feel uncomfortable at times. But now I run my own photography business specializing in people! Whether it’s families or individual portraits, I’m able to connect with people and help them to feel comfortable in front of the camera.
If your goal is to become a creative photographer who is comfortable and confident with people, follow the steps above. It’ll take time, but start small and soon you’ll be thriving among people.

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4 Tips for Helping People Feel Comfortable During Their Portrait Session

By: Mat Coker

Sooner or later, almost everyone has to sit alone in front of a camera for a grad portrait or professional headshot. It is almost always an uncomfortable experience for portrait clients. But it’s easy to forget this as photographers.
When I great people for their portraits they often confess things like, “I’m terrible with photos,” “I feel sick,” or “I hate my face.”
Perhaps because I’m so empathetic, I’ve developed a knack for making the most nervous and hopeless people shockingly excited about their photos.
In this article, I’ll show you how I do it so that you can make even your most uncomfortable portrait clients happy with their experience.

I am personally drawn to black and white portraits.

1. Simple Light Setup

Since everyday life already throws you a heavy load of distractions and difficulties, I always encourage photographers to keep their projects as simple (but meaningful) as possible.
No matter how you choose to light your portrait subject, I recommend you do it as simply as possible. The point is to put all your focus on the person you’re photographing, not on equipment.
I either use natural light (a window and a reflector), or a one light setup inspired by Zack Arias.

Window Light

The benefit to natural light is that there are no flashes of light or large umbrellas to make the person feel as though they are at a high-pressure professional photo session. Your subject’s imagination is filled with the photo shoots they’ve seen on TV and you should relieve that pressure for them.

This is my natural light setup.

This is a portrait taken with that window light studio setup.

Using natural light and a silent shutter with a mirrorless camera allows the photography part to be as invisible as possible.

One Speedlight

My one light setup includes a speedlight with a 60-inch umbrella and a reflector.

This is my one light setup. It’s one speedlight with a 60-inch umbrella.

This photo was taken with that one light setup.

Once set up, you should forget about your gear (the window, speedlight, and the camera) and focus 100% on your subject.

2. How to Focus

This isn’t about your camera, but focusing on your subject in order to make the best portraits possible.
If you are at all self-conscious as a photographer, it is absolutely critical that you do not focus on yourself.
Perhaps you’re nervous because of a lack of confidence, or because you’re worried they’ll hate their photos. Forget all that and just focus on your subject.

Small talk

“A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.” — Edward Steichen

You can use small talk to distract the subject from their own nervousness and self-consciousness in 

front of the camera. Talk about their business, their kids, or the last trip they went on. Anything that 

will distract them from being camera shy.

Warm up

Feel free to warm up with some “test shots,” even if you don’t really need them. Have your subject sit in front of the camera for a few shots where you’re doing nothing but “testing the light.”
Direct them a little bit, but nothing too serious. I sometimes transition into the real photos by saying something funny like, “Okay the light is perfect, now let me see a cheesy smile.” It can often lead to some laughter and the first candid photo.

Candid portraits are the most joyful part of a portrait session for me. You don’t have to be a comedian 

to make people laugh. Just connect over something in your life and laughter will eventually flow.

I’ll often try to match the expression with the clothes my subject is wearing. I think a softer expression 

is more suitable for formal wear. But I’ll try everything at the moment and decide what looks best later.

Candid portraits

“There is one thing the photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment.” — Robert Frank

Yes, even a professional headshot session should include some informal candid photos. Candids are real, and even if you’re after a posed photo, candids are the path to discovering who they are when their guard is down.

When people can laugh together there begins to be a comfortable connection.

We often laugh because of the tension created by a joke. But even real-life discomfort or tension 

can lead to the eventual release through laughter.

3. Finding Soul

“Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera.” — Yousuf Karsh

I don’t care whether I’m photographing real estate agents, future lawyers, high school grads, or “mompreneurs.” I treat everybody like an executive, valedictorian, or royalty during their portrait session.
We’re all much deeper than our occupation, even though it may be a deep expression of who we are. Fill your sessions with lightheartedness and true human connection. When you look through your photos later, you should be able to see the moment that your subject finally became relaxed.
Once relaxed, you’ll find the “real” person that was trapped below the surface of fake smiles and self-consciousness.
It may take you 10 minutes or more to get there, but it is the point in the session that you can move through your creative vision with your subject. You can show them how to squinch (Peter Hurley’s famous technique with the eyes), strike more advanced poses, or move in for close-ups.

Once I know I have made the portrait that the subject needs, I move on and try other things. I love 

this very soft expression and the way that her hair creates a frame around her. This won’t likely 

appear on her business card, but I think it’s a wonderful portrait.

4. Completely Candid

“It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are.” — Paul Caponigro

Being inspired by photojournalism and the idea of capturing truly raw, candid, spontaneous photos, I decided to try a portrait session with no posing. All there would be was conversation and pictures.
Here are some of the results, which I love.

This photo is all about the eyes, and whatever is going through her mind makes me want to laugh!

A completely candid photo portrait session means taking a lot of photos. Some of them looked 

posed, but it was a matter of quickly noticing something that looked right and capturing it before

the moment passed.

I used a window as a natural light source. There were moments of silence during our conversation 

when she just looked out the window. Those were wonderful chances.

Leave room for surprises in your portrait sessions. You may find yourself thinking, “Did this client

dare to bring their kids to a portrait session?” True, they’ll tear your studio to pieces and distract her 

from her professional portrait session. But along with a little chaos comes life and surprisingly human 

moments. In the middle of it all, her son came up to be nursed. Maybe this is what Robert Frank meant 

about the “humanity of the moment.”

The portrait session was supposed to have been for her. But who she is on her own isn’t who she is 

completely. We’re all much deeper than ourselves and are who we are partly because of the people 

around us.

Perhaps you know your subject has reached their maximum level of comfort when they can nurse 

their baby even while the camera is still clicking. I’m thrilled to photograph people one on one and 

make portraits that they’ll use as authors or business people. But I’m even more thrilled when those 

portraits become intensely human moments.

 Get Comfy

The next time you greet a nervous portrait client, remember that the experience has been hyped up in their mind. Distract them from their discomfort with small talk, warm them up with “no pressure” test photos, and make laughter a part of your session.
Include the candid photos when you deliver their photos. Even if they don’t use them for business purposes, they may be the photos they (and you) love most.
I’d love to hear what else you do to help people get comfortable in front of your camera. Let me know in the comments below.

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How To Photograph Shy Adults

By: Annie Tao

Some people are not as comfortable in front of the camera as others. Perhaps they are shy, or perhaps they believe they have physical “imperfections”, so they aren’t at ease when it comes to having their photo taken. (I put quotes around that term because often these are not imperfections at all, but rather, beautiful parts of their body that they over-think.)
Unless they are a professional model, most people fall into this category to some degree. If they don’t feel comfortable, it will show in the photos. Luckily, there are things you can do that may help.

Give your subject something to do

Holding a pose will often garner an awkward expression. Thus, photograph them as they move. People are much more comfortable when they are in motion, than when they are still.
They don’t have to do anything overly complicated. The movements can be subtle, like looking up from a head-down position or fixing something, like part of their clothes.

Do your social psychology homework

Photographing people is part technical and part psychology.
For most people, you cannot start shooting the second your subject arrives and expect them to look natural, so communicate with them before the shoot if they are shy or concerned. Children aren’t the only ones who need time to warm up!
Make sure your subjects know how the shoot will go and what they need to do to prepare for it. If they are concerned about something, address it as quickly as possible. The longer a concern goes unresolved, the more it will grow.
Perhaps they have a scar on their arm they feel self-conscious about. Once you know that, you can address it, like letting them know you will try your best to avoid shooting it. Maybe they aren’t sure what to wear that will flatter their curvy body, so you can give them clothing suggestions or reassure them that you will use certain angles and lighting to accommodate this. Or maybe they are just plain shy, in which case, you want to make sure you talk to them! Let them know a little about you. Talk about common interests.
Making your subjects feel at ease is a very important and integral part of portrait photography.

Avoid silence

When you have a shy or uncertain subject, being silent for a length of time can be unnerving for them.
Talk to them during the shoot, but be careful not to bark orders at them (ie. “Sit there, look here, put your hand like this, move your body like that!”) because that will achieve the opposite of what you want.
Rather, tell them what they are doing right, so they know to keep doing that, and explain what you are doing before you do it.
The entire shoot doesn’t have to be instructional or too commentated, but a little bit of talking will make your subject feel more confident and “safe”. With these feelings, personalities and natural expressions will surface.

If you are photographing children, you’ll want to read: How to Photograph Shy Children as well.
Do you have any other tips for working with people? Please share in the comments below.

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How to Make $500 a Month From Your Photography Hobby with Microstock

By: James Wheeler 

I am an amateur photographer, but I make around $500 in revenue from my photos each month. Photography is a hobby for me, but it can be an expensive hobby at times. This money pays for photography software, computer hardware, and lenses, so the hobby I love doesn’t cost a dime. This article will discuss how I did this with microstock, and provide tips on how you can do the same.

Making your first buck

In 2010, I wanted to improve my photography so I purchased an entry-level DSLR and started to actively study how to become a better photographer, mainly from resources on the internet. As I tried different techniques, compositions, and camera settings, I posted my photos to sites like Flickr, Facebook, and 500px. In the beginning, I didn’t get very many views or likes but still enjoyed posting and learning from other photographer’s photos on those sites.
After shooting, learning, and posting for two and a half years, a design company saw a photo of mine on Flickr and asked if they could purchase a commercial license. I did a couple of quick searches about licensing and pricing on the internet, then sold my first commercial license for $75. This is the first photo I ever licensed.

Pay for your hobby

Before this first sale, I hadn’t considered selling licenses to my photos. However, I had gotten to the point where I wanted to upgrade my entry level DSLR and lenses to a full frame system but couldn’t justify the cost for my hobby. However, I could justify the cost to myself (and my wife) if the money for the upgrade came from licensing my existing photos.

Microstock

So, I started researching photo licensing and learned about microstock sites. These sites are websites that act as an intermediary between buyers of photo licenses and photographers. They are called “micro” because they typically sell photo licenses for less than where professional photographers have historically set their prices.
As a result, there is a lot of negative information about microstock sites on the Internet. Despite this negative information I decided to try posting my photos on Shutterstock, one of the most popular microstock sites. At the time, I had only made one sale ever so I felt that getting a small payment for each sale was better than no payment at all.
The first month I made less than $10 with 55 photos accepted by Shutterstock. However, I kept uploading my photos when I had time. A monthly later I had 100 photos on the site. In my third month, I checked my stats one morning and found I made $56 dollars from selling extended licenses from these two photos.

A work in progress – keep at it

This was a bit of beginner’s luck because after that I didn’t have a day with more than $50 in sales for many more months. But it kept me motivated to continue uploading my photos to Shutterstock and even upload to multiple other microstock sites as well.
I also started uploading my better photos to art-on-demand sites like Fine Art America. These sites allow you to upload your photos, set a price, and create a storefront for anyone to purchase prints of your photos. When someone purchases the art, these sites handle the payment, printing, and shipping of the photo and send you money from the sale.
Lastly, I upgraded my photo blog to sell licenses directly from my website. Despite the fact that my photos are available on all the popular microstock sites, stock photo buyers continue to see my photos on social media and purchase licenses directly from my website.

Realistic numbers – don’t expect to get rich

Two years after my first photo license sale, my monthly revenue from photos was about $500 a month. This $500 is an average, with my biggest month was $1400, while some months have been lower. Now that my photos have been posted, they can continue to get sales indefinitely. In 2016, I did not have much time for photography and only posted eight photos over the course of the year. However, I still averaged $460 a month in revenue from the photos I had posted in previous years.
These revenue numbers are for all the photos I have posted online. I only post my best photos from each day out shooting. My current online portfolio of all my photos is around 700 total. Microstock sites don’t accept all of my images, so on some of the sites, I only have 300 photos accepted and up for sale there. Doing the math, my photos earn less than $1 a month on average (per photo). And in reality, it is even less because I have one photo that has earned over $4000 over the years, while others have gotten no sales.

However, I am fine with this because I take the photos I want to take and then post to stock sites to see if they sell. Photography is still a hobby and the pleasure it gives me comes first, making money is secondary. Often, the photos I like best are not the best sellers on microstock sites. For example, I prefer the photo of me and my shadow below because I really enjoyed making it, but the snapshot I took of a split trail while on a hike, sells much better.

What sites work best

Although I have posted a portion of my collection to over 20 sites over the years, all of these sites can be categorized into one of two types; microstock and art-on-demand. 75% of my photography revenue has come from microstock sites, while only 8% came from art-on-demand sites. The remaining 17% is through direct sales from my photography website.
I have tried a number of art-on-demand sites over the years but currently only post to Fine Art America because it is the only site where my images consistently sell. I have also tried many microstock sites. Typically, if I hear of a new one, I will upload 100 of my best photos to begin. If I start to get sales, then I will upload the rest of my collection. Here are my top five microstock sites based on earnings. I currently only post to these five sites as I have found the other ones aren’t worth the time it takes to post the photos.

• Shutterstock
• 500px
• Fotolia / Adobe Stock
• 123RF
• Big Stock Photo (Owned by Shutterstock)

Last tips for you

If you are an amateur photographer who wants to make additional revenue from photo licenses, here are the steps you can take:

• Post your photos to social sites. My favorite is 500px, but I have also started posting to Instagram, and I still post to Flickr, which was my favorite a couple of years ago.
• Setup your own photography blog. My blog does not get as many photo views as my social sites, but all my social sites link back to my photo blog. It makes it easy for potential buyers to purchase licences if they see them on social media. I used Squarespace for my blog because it was easy to set up in one day.
• Upload photos to Shutterstock. Most microstock photographers who post their revenue on the web list Shutterstock as a top earner. So it is likely that if your photos will sell, they will sell on Shutterstock more than other sites, making it a good place to start.
• Upload photos to other stock sites. Once you see some success on Shutterstock then go ahead and post your top photos to other microstock sites.

It has been seven years since I decided to take photography seriously and I have improved a lot over the years. However, I still have a lot to learn, but these days the software, courses, and gear that help me make photos are all paid for by revenue from the sale of photo licenses, rather than out of the family budget from my day job.  Share this article.

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