There are more that 4 million professional and amateur photographers producing and uploading tens of millions of stock images to online markets. In fact, since the first ever photo was taken more than 180 year ago, there have been over 3.5 trillion photos taken!

Stock photography allows photographers to expand their business and increase their profits, by providing much needed photography and stock images to individuals, companies, and organizations worldwide. If you are making a living from photography, or are considering getting into it, one of the most vital tasks you will take on is finding the perfect marketplace for your portfolio. There is an infinite number of agencies providing photographers with opportunities to market their material.

For amateur photographers, or those that are just getting started, I recommend you look into sites such as Dreamstime, Lori and 123ref. If you are more advanced you can submit your portfolio for approval on sites such as Getty Images, Stocksy, IstockPhotography, or Pond5. After signing up with the agency that suits you best, make sure to go over the requirements regarding the photographs you can upload to have your submission approved. Make sure to read the description in detail to find out what kind of artists and work the agency is looking for before uploading your material.

Another main aspect you want to consider is the market relevance of your portfolio. Stock photography is always at a high demand, and the more industries your content is relevant for, the higher chance you have for it to be purchased. While it may certainly be beneficial to create content specific for a certain industry or organization, you’ll also want your portfolio to include content that can be applied to a range of different projects.

A great way to promote your portfolio is social media. You should definitely go for photo sharing channels such as Tumblr, Pinterest and Google+. Even though the latter is often thought to be less popular, there are many advantages to having your portfolio on Google+. You can read more about the many benefits of Google+ here.

My final tip would be to stay up to date on global trends. Currently the rise of mobile photography is exploding, with social media networks such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook leading the way. This great infographic presented by Overgram shows the evolution of photography, and the tremendous rise of mobile photography:

Are you a stock photographer and have additional tips on how to succeed? Let us know in the comments!

Good luck!

We’re very excited to announce our brand new partnership with Stocksy – a stock photography marketplace created by veterans of iStockphoto and its founder Bruce Livingstone. Stocksy provides sustainable careers through profit sharing and co-ownership with artists and also pays the highest royalty rates in the industry.

This new partnership allows artists to withdraw their earnings from Stocksy to over 200 countries and in multiple currencies, using Payoneer’s global payout solutions. Options available to Stocksy artists include:

Payoneer Prepaid Debit Mastercard® Card – payments from Stocksy are received within minutes. This card provides artists around the globe with immediate access to cash in hand by using any ATM that accepts Mastercard. The card can also be used to make purchases online and in stores.

Global Bank Transfers – by taking advantage of Payoneer’s global banking network, Stocksy artists can now withdraw their earnings directly to their bank account. Supporting more than 200 countries and over 50 currencies, this payout service includes local bank transfers, wire transfers, and US ACH.

Another perk? Sign up now and until December 15th and pay no activation fee!

If you’re already working with Stocksy and wish to begin getting paid with Payoneer, simply choose your preferred payment method in your account. If you’re not familiar with Stocksy and think it might be the right fit for you as an artist, make sure to check out their site at http://www.stocksy.com/.

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