There are a few ways to earn money from stock photographs. One way is to sell the photographs through stock photography websites, such as Shutterstock, iStock, or Adobe Stock or my current favourite is eyeem.com as the pay-out share is fair and is simple to set up. I will be deep diving on how to earn money through Eyeem.com.

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Here are the steps to sell stock photography successfully on EyeEm:

  1. Sign up for an account: To sell your photographs on EyeEm, you will need to create an account and become a member of the EyeEm community.
  2. Upload your photographs: Once you have an account, you can start uploading your photographs to the EyeEm marketplace. Make sure to optimize your images by giving them clear and descriptive titles, tags, and captions.
  3. If you have people in your photos (even if they have their backs to you) you will need model release forms, more on this and how to obtain them below.
  4. Optimize your profile: Your EyeEm profile is an important tool for marketing your photographs. Make sure to fill out your profile information, including your bio, location, and links to your website and social media accounts.
  5. Earnings – I recommend PAYPAL – connect you’re paypal account to get you’re earnings payout (see below for more detailed instructions on setting up paypal payouts).
  6. Engage with the community: Participate in EyeEm’s community by commenting on and liking other photographers’ work. This will help you build relationships with other photographers and potential clients.
  7. Use EyeEm’s features: EyeEm has several features that can help you market your photographs, such as collections, albums and Missions. Make use of these features to showcase your best work and increase visibility.
  8. Promote your work: Share your EyeEm photographs on your own website, social media and other platforms to increase visibility and attract potential clients.
  9. Wait for sales: Once your photographs are live on EyeEm, you can wait for sales to come in. EyeEm will notify you when one of your photographs is sold, and you’ll receive payment for the sale.
  10. Keep adding new images and repeat the process: To be successful on EyeEm, you need to keep adding new and interesting images to your portfolio. This will keep your portfolio fresh and attract new clients.

Here’s an example of an EYEM account that I set up in about an hour and loaded some pics from this laptop taken at the zoo, on holiday and from my garden that I was able to repurpose for stock and demonstration for this blog. I will be adding much more stock from my photography workstation soon, as I have a library of stock to leverage (which I have now listed though 2 months later, I still haven’t received a payout from EYEM so not sure I would list more photos with EYEM, I will investigate ADOBE next and report in a new blog)

Model Releases If you plan to sell stock photographs on EyeEm or other stock photography websites, you will need to have model releases for any photos that contain recognizable people. A model release is a legal document that gives you permission to use a person’s image for commercial purposes.

Here are the steps to obtain model releases:

  1. Identify the individuals in the photograph: Before you can obtain a model release, you need to identify all the individuals in the photograph.
  2. Get in touch with the individuals: Contact the individuals and explain that you would like to use their image for commercial purposes and ask them to sign a model release.
  3. Provide the individuals with a model release form: Give the individuals a copy of the model release form to read and sign. Make sure to provide them with the original form, one for their own records, and a digital copy that you can keep on file.
  4. Obtain the signed forms: Collect the signed forms from the individuals and keep them on file.
  5. Make sure the forms are valid: Check that the forms are filled out correctly, include all necessary information and are signed by the individuals.

It is important to note that some photographs, even if they contain no recognizable people, may require property releases. This is the case for example if the photograph contains trademarked or copyrighted logos, private property, or specific places that have restrictions.

You can use online resources such as NZIPP’s model Release forms to create and manage model and property releases.

Setting up PAYPAL for earning payouts

To get payouts from EyeEm through PayPal, you will need to set up a PayPal account and link it to your EyeEm account. Here are the steps to do so:

  1. Sign in to your EyeEm account: Go to the EyeEm website and sign in to your account.
  2. Go to the settings page: Once you’re signed in, click on your profile icon, then select “settings.”
  3. Link your PayPal account: In the settings page, scroll down to the “Payment Method” section and click on “Link PayPal Account”. You will be prompted to sign in to your PayPal account or create one if you don’t have one.
  4. Confirm the link: Once you’ve signed in to your PayPal account, EyeEm will ask you to confirm the link by clicking on a button.
  5. Wait for sales: Once your photographs are live on EyeEm, you can wait for sales to come in. EyeEm will notify you when one of your photographs is sold and will automatically transfer the money to your PayPal account.
  6. Track your earnings: You can track your earnings and see your transaction history in your EyeEm settings page.

It’s worth noting that depending on your country, some restrictions may apply, and you may need to provide additional information to verify your identity.

It’s also important to check EyeEm’s terms of service and fee schedule, as they may take a commission on your sales, and you may also need to meet a certain threshold before you can withdraw your earnings.