 |
| image by junpinzon |
Since
the advent of digital photography, more people are getting into the
craft. Some have taken it as a serious hobby while some crossed over
and turned it into a full time job. Although getting projects might
be a bit challenging at first, there are some ways where both
hobbyists and professionals alike can earn some extra cash doing what
they love.
In
this article, I will be sharing with you some smartphone apps that I
use to earn a little bit of extra cash. They are all proven money
makers and acts as supplemental income for my full time photography
career. I am yet to get to the point where I can live off the
earnings from these apps…. I’ll let you now immediately if and
when I get there. For the meantime, let’s just enjoy the journey,
they are all fun to do and they continue to earn money for me.
1. Eyeem (IOS
and Android)
Let
me start with this one. Among the smartphone/photography apps that I
use, this one has earned me the most, to date, I’m close to making
four digits from it since I joined two years ago. Eyeem is a social
media network/photo community where photographers share their photos.
The skills level of photographers there vary from newbies to seasoned
ones. It’s like Instagram but you have the option to sell your
photos at their marketplace. They are sold as stock photos and are
marketed through the network of stock photo giant, Getty Images.
There are two ways to make money at Eyeem, The first is to submit and
sell it on their marketplace and secondly, join Missions.
Company/Brands put up an image brief to explain what type of images
they need and members of the community can submit to those missions
for a chance to be selected and bought. Aside from being able to sell
your photos there, you can also improve your photography skills by
learning through the tips and inspiring stories that are shared by
other photographers.
You
can cash out every time an image of yours get sold, there’s no
threshold. Request to cash out via your Paypal account and wait a few
days for Eyeem to
process the payment and you’ll receive it in your Paypal account.
You
can create your free account HERE. or
via the app.
2. Foap (IOS
and Android)
This
is the first money-making-app-from-photos I discovered when I had my
first smartphone. I was reluctant at first because I’m used to
having my images licensed through traditional stock photo agencies. I
uploaded a couple of dozen photos at first to see what would happen.
Almost immediately I got “likes” from the community and after
about more than a week of constant interaction with fellow
photographers there, I got my first sale from the first batch of
images. They sell your photos in the market place for $10 and you
split this money with Foap. In addition to this, you can earn more if
a brand buys your image in the Missions area. They put up an offer
and give an image brief, you then submit according to the brief and
if the brand likes the image, they buy it. And just like Eyeem, your
images are sold in the network of Getty Images. I’ve earned more
than a couple hundred dollars from Foap since I joined in late 2015.
To
me, Foap is a concrete proof that you really don’t know what kind
of image will sell in the stock photo industry. I’ve been a stock
photographer for quite sometime now and I am guilty of over thinking
the production of my images. Ever since I joined Foap I loosened up
and produced more authentic and natural looking images. They love
that kind there. Take a look at the sold images page and you’ll see
that they are authentic and mostly spontaneous. It’s very seldom
that you’ll find a commercial-type-of-lighting-overly-posed-image
sold there. I must say that some are less than professional looking
images but it seems that this is the trend now, photo buyers are
going for that authentic look. You can only create your account for
free as a photo seller by downloading the app, they have it both in
IOS and Android.
You
can cash out anytime because there’s no threshold. There is a
longer waiting period though before you can get paid, it’s a month
after you’ve requested payment. They pay thru Paypal so make sure
you have a verified Paypal account.
3. Twenty20 (IOS
only)
I
am always looking for new platforms to sell my stock photos and I
scour the internet to find them. Fortunately, I found Twenty20 and
immediately signed up and created my free account. They were in the
early stages when I chanced upon them, I didn’t give it much
thought and had no expectations, but as it turns out, it’s one of
my very consistent (side)income earner. Just like the first two which
I listed above, you can earn two ways with this app, either through
the marketplace or by joining missions. I joined them three years ago
and am happy with what I’ve earned from them to date. When they
first started out, you can make $2 for each photo sold but since
Envato acquired the company, there were some changes in the
commission scheme, you can learn about it HERE. With its addition to
the Envato family, it is expected that more clients and potential
buyers will discover contents up for sale there. Envato is a well
established company and things can only go better for Twenty20.
Unfortunately there’s no Android version of the app, however,
Android users can still register and upload via the website. Learn
how to do it HERE.
There’s
no threshold and payment is made monthly via Paypal.
I’ve
listed these three apps because I already have an actual earning
experience from them. There are other apps out there that offer the
same type of business concept but I haven’t had any breakthroughs
yet so I’m keeping the testimony until I have one. I will update
this article when I’ve had success with them already.
Aside
from these, there are the conventional stock photo agencies through
which you can also sell photos and where I also sell mine. Though
they have an app available, I didn’t include them in the list
because the process works best in their website. I'll write another
article about that so I can share with you my experience and
hopefully help you succeed in selling your stock photos.
As
for now, I wish you lots of luck in trying out these apps.
