How To Make Money Selling Photos Of Yourself (in 2022)

Did you know that you can easily make money online by selling photos of yourself? If you didn’t know, this post will teach you how to make money selling photos of yourself. 

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One amazing thing about the internet is that there are many legit ways to make money on it. And one of these amazing money-making opportunities on the net is to sell photos of yourself. 

You know those photos that you meticulously took just to get the right expression, angle, and lighting? Yes, those perfect photos can bring you some cash. I guess by now, you are probably thinking about the thousands of selfies you have on your phone and how much you can make from them, right? Yeah, show me the money! 

So, if you are looking for flexible or remote jobs, then you can consider selling pictures of yourself. 

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links from Amazon or other publishers I trust (at no extra cost to you). See disclosure for details.

Now, let’s go straight to the point and tell you how to make money selling photos of yourself online. 

The Selfie Market And How To Make Money Selling Photos Of yourself

Photo of a woman taking selfies, there are ways to make money selling photos of yourself

I am sure you started taking selfies as soon as you got your first camera phone. Yes, we all did. But those photos just remained on your phone and all you did was probably to share them on your social media. 

But did you know that there is a real market for your selfies? 

The Digital Marketing Institute lets us know that selfies are actually used in promoting brand engagement. An example of this is the hit TV show, the Walking Dead. They did a selfie campaign on Instagram using the #deadyourself

Do you know that this single tactic boosted the show’s engagement with the audience significantly? 

In the year 2020, Volvo also conducted a selfie campaign using #Selfieforsafety. The aim of this campaign was to encourage drivers to take selfies with their car seat belts on and also emphasize on the importance of safety while driving. 

According to the report, this campaign helped Volvo rake in more buyers and the company was able to use the photos to assess whether drivers were wearing their seatbelts correctly. 

From these examples, you can see that selfies have a massive impact on brands and even businesses. This is why many companies and agencies are willing to pay for selfies.

So if you can take really good photos of yourself and know the best place to sell them, you will be making good money online by selling your selfies. Read on to know how and where to sell your selfies.

Tips On How To Take Selfies That Sell

Photo of a woman taking selfies, there are ways to make money selling photos of yourself

If you are interested in making money this way, follow these tips below so that your pictures would be accepted. 

1. Consider improving your photography gear 

You need to improve your photography skills if you want to make money selling photos of yourself. You also need the right equipment to do this. Although, you don’t need advanced or expensive cameras to make money selling your photos, you do need to use the right gear. 

Fortunately, there are lots of smartphones with great camera features that you can get at a decent price. And while getting ready to make money selling your photos, you should also get a great selfie stick as well. 

2. Use an editing software 

So, even though your phone’s camera is great and you have taken a beautiful selfie, you may need to make a little edit like cropping a portion from the picture to make it perfect. 

Professional photographers use editing software to enhance their pictures and make them look perfect. So there is no reason why you shouldn’t use one. 

How To Sell Photos Of Yourself

You may be asking: “How can I sell photos of myself?”. Well, this is a great question and we will tell you how you can do that effortlessly. 

First, you need to have a basic marketing plan for this venture. There is no need to hire a professional photographer or a marketer for this but what we are saying is that you have to know how and where to sell your photos. Luckily, we are here to help. 

So, here are a few ways you can sell pictures of yourself online and make money. 

1. Stock websites 

You can sell your selfies through stock websites and make money. This is a popular option and due to the high demand of self-publishing in the form of blogs and e-books, stock photos have become popular. 

People use stock photos for a lot of purposes, like blog images, e-book covers, flyers, posters, and many more. A lot of self-publishers go to stock websites when looking for images to use for their works. 

How to Make Money Selling Photos Of Yourself Using Stock Photo Websites

Photo of a girl taking selfies, there are ways to make money selling photos of yourself

Some of the stock websites you can use to sell your photos are:

A. Shutterstock 

This is one of the most popular websites where you can sell your photos for money. Shuttershock has a massive library for every image category you can think of. 

So, apart from taking photos of yourself, you can also take photos of nature, fashion, beauty, arts, and even people. The website has a specific pricing structure for each image or video you upload and this depends on the level and licensing. 

And you can earn up to 40% in commission for each download. 

B. Etsy

A lot of people think that Etsy is a marketplace for only handmade items and crafts, but that is not true. It is also a great place for selling stock photos, and you can make money on this website by selling your photos. 

Also, you can easily set up your own photo prints on the Etsy store and even set your prices. Etsy will only take 5% commission as a transaction fee on every sale. 

You can also sell physical prints of your photos on Etsy but if you don’t want to bother about logistics, then you can sell only digital prints. 

C. Dreamstime 

This reputable stock photo website enables you to upload your photos and make money from them. Dreamstime has been around for over 20 years and it has been providing businesses and private individuals with high-quality images, illustrations, and clip arts. 

Dreamstime gives substantial payouts to contributors and this depends on factors like licensing, exclusivity of the image, and number of downloads. 

Photos that are exclusive generate about 27.5% to 55% in commission for the contributor (Owner) while non-exclusive images or files earn between 25% to 50% in commission. 

D. Bigstock 

Bigstock is similar to Shutterstock and even Dreamstime but what makes it unique from these stock photo websites is its credit system. This credit system allows you to make more money as the number of downloads increases. 

This credit system also allows customers to make their purchases as usual and earn credits in the process of doing so. These credits can be used for the next purchase. 

This kind of setup makes customers more inclined to buy your stock photos with their credits while also increasing the number of downloads on your images. 

This website will boost your opportunity to make money with your images. 

2. Sell your photos through your website 

If you have a website or a blog, you can make money by selling your photos on your website. Whether you are a professional photographer or not, having a website will go a long way in bringing exposure to your work and brand. 

When you post your pictures on your website, your customers will purchase and download them directly, and you keep all the income, you are not splitting it with any company. 

Selling your selfies on your website is also a good way to ensure that your website is search-engine optimized so that you can draw more traffic and attract buyers. 

There is one fortunate thing about websites, these days, you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to have a personal website. With as little as $2.75 per month, you can have a fully functional website without knowing how to code. 

3. Market your images through blogs 

Another way to create exposure or awareness for your selfies is to start a blog. On this blog, you put up your photos for display and attract buyers. 

You can optimize your texts in a way that you win the favor of search engines, increase your reach, encourage shares, and make more sales.  

4. Do a contest/giveaway 

This is an effective way to attract new customers and keep old ones. Contests or giveaways will increase your brand awareness and generate more leads. 

Where To make Money Selling Photos Of Yourself

Photo of a woman taking selfies, there are ways to make money selling photos of yourself

In this section, we are going to tell you the best apps and websites to use to make money selling your selfies online. 

1. Smugmug 

This website allows you to share, showcase, and even sell your photos. This platform makes it possible for people to build a beautiful portfolio. With this website, you can turn your beautiful selfies into cash. 

However, Smugmug is not free to join like other websites. You will be required to pay a monthly subscription fee of $12.50. 

But don’t worry, you will get 85% of the markup price and you can prevent people from stealing your pictures because Smugmug makes it possible for you to put a custom watermark on them. 

You can even limit the display size and retain the copyright. 

2. Pay your selfie 

Pay your selfie is another popular website that allows you to make money online by selling your photos. You take your beautiful selfies, upload them on the app, and follow the instructions provided in the app. 

Each selfie you take pays between $0.20 to $1. And you can redeem your cash once you reach $20. 

3. 500PX 

Another reputable website that pays people for their photos is 500px and people from all sorts of businesses come to this website to get varieties of photos for their needs. 

Immediately you sign up, you can start uploading your pictures and add relevant keywords to your images so that people can find them easily in searches. 

Your photos will be royalty-free and 500px will manage the licensing of the photos for you. 

The amount of money you earn per photo depends on the size but according to most sources, you can earn as much as 60% in royalties for exclusive photos while you can earn up to 30% royalty for non-exclusive photos. 

4. Foap 

This interesting app is a marketplace that enables you to upload photos or videos. When someone likes your pictures and purchases it, you will split your earning with the Foap app by half. 

Also, you can participate in missions. This is an occasion where advertisers and brands send out a brief about specific photos that they need. You send your entry for this mission and if your picture gets selected, you will win between $100 to $500 as a cash prize. 

5. Stylinity 

This is an online community where you will find influencers, brands, and consumers in one place. You may be wondering how you can make money selling photos of yourself on Stylinity. 

Well, Stylinity pays people to take a selfie wearing clothes from Stylinity’s partner shops. It is required that each pic you take should come with a link that directs visitors to the shop where they can purchase the products. 

Each purchase people make through your link will earn you points. These points can be converted to cash or you can redeem them as products. 

6. Scoopshot 

Scoopshot is one of the best apps to sell your photos and make money. It acts like a marketplace where you upload your photos and people who like them will have to pay you before they can download and use them. 

The app will send you a notification if someone has purchased your images and your balance will automatically be adjusted. 

Scoopshot also uses your photos to advertise and you will get paid if someone sees your photos. The app also runs contests where winners get paid for their photos. 

This is an amazing place to make money selling your photos online. 

Conclusion

So, if you are a selfie lover and you also love making money, why not sell those beautiful photos and make passive income. 

If you have any questions or you know of other websites or apps where people can sell their photos and make money, do let us know through the comment section. 

Share for good karma ;)

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