My Fastest Selling Photo?!
Stock photography is a long, numbers game but every now and then surprising sales happen.
Stock photography is a fantastic passive income.
Income is generated for years to come after an initial burst of effort on your part. No stock needed to be sold, customers queries to answer and no premises needed.
What more could you want?
Stock photography is possibly my favourite way to make money.
Take photos of whatever you enjoy and wait for the money to come rolling in.
But how long do you have to wait for the sales?
Sometimes stock photos, even seemingly great ones, don’t sell at all. You’ll wait until you’re in the ground rotting. And still they won’t sell.
Sometimes sales are so speedy you can’t quite believe it. There’s a thrill to be had from that.
The secret to selling stock photography
Here’s the secret recipe to making money with stock photography:
1) Snap the shot.
2) Tag it.
3) Upload.
4) Wait. Wait. Wait. Waaaaaaait.
5) PING!
Honestly, it is that simple.
How long does it take to sell a stock photo?
Here’s an example of possibly my fastest selling stock photo (i.e. general stock photography, not news/editorial)
This image was approved on the 5th March 2024.
What is it? An aerial view over Salts Mill, Saltaire– a converted textile mill in the UK built by Titus Salt in the Victorian era and now used as a David Hockney art gallery.
Not exactly the best shot I admit. It was leftover from some images taken when shooting the location for a sunrise shoot.
My best photos I tend to save for book cover sales or print sales.
But the rest? They might as well be offered up to the world and make me some money too.
I’m writing this article on the 7th March 2024.
Yup.
That’s right.
That miserable, dreary grey landscape shot sold in 24 hours.
I received notification of yesterday’s sale this morning as I sipped my coffee in bed.
Lesson to be learned
Don’t bin the less than beautiful shots.
The ones that don’t make the pick.
The ones that are so far from epic you wonder whether you actually even have any photographic skill.
Certainly don’t leave these images clogging up your hard drive.
Personally I’d have thought the colourful sunrise header photo would be the one that sells. I’m sure it probably will in coming days, weeks or years.
You can never quite predict though what sort of photo a customer is looking for.
Which photo do you prefer?
Colourful sunrise over Salts Mill, Saltaire on a misty morning:
Or dreary, moody and arguably miserable looking winter landscape view over Salts Mill, Bradford:
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts!
If you’re interested in reading more about the process of shooting aerial photography with a drone, I’ve written about the planning and build up involved in photographing the Bridge Over the Atlantic at Great Bernera in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.