Welcome to the World of Stock photography

Recently I made the decision to sell my photographs to an online stock photography agency. This decision was not made without considering the risk involved. What risks are associated with selling your work to a stock agency you ask?

First, I am a relatively a new photographer. I opened my photography business less than a year ago, right around the time I first picked up a professional camera. So I have not had the years of experience that fortify most vetted photographers. Because of this, I feel extremely vulnerable. I ask my self, ‘is this a move that an experienced photographer would make?’

Will people take me less seriously? People value exclusivity. Some people may find it a turn off that there photos could possibly end up for sale on some website.

Secondly, will it be a waste of my time? Should I instead hold on to my images and try to find other ways to make money with them? I know that selling stock photography is a profitable business, but will it work me?

Given the choices between having my images sitting in a hard drive or available to the world for purchase, I chose to sell my valuable mega bites.

I summited my application to Getty Images to become a contributor. The process was relatively simple and within a few days my application was approved. I say application, but its more or like an audition. Their brand is very familiar to me, and to be honest, I'm proud they accepted me as a contributor. I’ve seen countless publication over the years with the words Getty Image super imposed in the lower thirds of the photograph.

To other photographers considering if they should sell their work to stock agencies or not, my advice is to follow your heart. There are few different agencies that offer this platform. Some platforms even allow you to set your own prices for your images. As for me, only time will tell what my yield will be from stock photography.

The beautiful woman in the photograph on the tile page is my mother.