Make money taking photos? Sure! As long as you have a digital camera, a computer and internet connection, then you have what it takes to make money taking photos. I know what you’re thinking. If you’re not a professional photographer, how on earth can you make money with your digital photos?

The answer lies in stock photo websites. You might not be familiar with all of the technical terms, but if you manage to take good pictures every now and then, you don’t have to worry about a thing. By following these simple steps, I’m confident that you can and will make money taking photos!

What are stock photos?

First of all, stock photos are pictures used for all kinds of presentations and advertising materials. You might have some of them already installed in your computer (programs like Adobe usually have great stock photos).

These images usually come with key words that can help categorize them all. For example, a picture of a handshake and one of a thumbs up can fall under “Business.” Some keywords are even as specific as “American Food” or “Asian Business.”

Now that I know what stock photos are, what comes next?

There are a lot of stock photo websites that cater to different tastes and needs. Your job is to submit your photos to these websites, so that they can sell them to companies or individuals who need original images for their presentation or advertising material.

Most of these websites ask for an uncompressed image of at least quality 8 in Photoshop. You are only allowed to submit your original creations. This is how you make money taking photos.

How do I increase the chances of my photos getting accepted?

You can learn a lot just by browsing through all the other photos in these websites. Don’t be intimidated by the idea of putting your snapshots out there. Your fellow photographers have just learned how to make money taking photos, and you can leverage from their knowledge and experience.

One way you can get ahead of everybody else is by being creative with your pictures. You can use symbolism and make sure your images are 100% sharp (unless blurriness is your concept).

Do not take pictures of anything with copyrights attached to it (such as logos) or with anyone. Any person in the picture (or the owner of the logo) should sign a model release to ensure that you have their permission to include and sell any photo where they (or their copyrighted image) are included. Since this could be a big hassle, it might be a good idea to avoid taking snapshots of anything with people or logos in them. The more you take pictures, the sooner you’ll find your niche in photography.

The Internet offers a wide variety of opportunities for budding photographers. Take advantage of this and start to make money taking photos. This is just a start-up guide, but you’ll soon find out that there’s a lot more you can explore as you become more familiar with stock photography.