The Microstock Industry is made up of Microstock Agencies. The agencies are the websites that sell high volume, low priced stock images to the public. These websites accept images and artwork from contributors (artists and photographers) in order to build a large portfolio for their buying public. For each image sold, the contributor gets a percentage or flat fee on the sale.
It's important to understand that each agency has it's own standards regarding what images it does and does not accept from its artists. In order to make money from Microstock, you must get your images accepted and "up for sale" on these websites. The full process, from taking the photographs to uploading them onto the sites, is discussed in detail on the Shooting, Editing and Keywording/Uploading pages of this website. In those sections we will discuss some detailed recommendations on how to get your images accepted.
However, for the photographer just starting out in Microstock, its helpful to understand that some agencies require their artists to pass a test before allowing them to upload while other agencies will allow any artist to upload immediately after registering. When starting out, I recommend choosing one of the agencies that does not require a test, such as Dreamstime or Fotolia. Then, once you have some experience in submitting quality images that are accepted by those agencies, you can apply to some of the other agencies that require you to submit a set of images before they accept you as a contributor to their site. A full list of agencies can be found on the Microstock Agencies pages.
Don't get discouraged. There are many successful photographers out there who had to try multiple times before they were accepted as a Shutterstock contributor due to the difficulty in passing their artist test.
It's important to understand that each agency has it's own standards regarding what images it does and does not accept from its artists. In order to make money from Microstock, you must get your images accepted and "up for sale" on these websites. The full process, from taking the photographs to uploading them onto the sites, is discussed in detail on the Shooting, Editing and Keywording/Uploading pages of this website. In those sections we will discuss some detailed recommendations on how to get your images accepted.
However, for the photographer just starting out in Microstock, its helpful to understand that some agencies require their artists to pass a test before allowing them to upload while other agencies will allow any artist to upload immediately after registering. When starting out, I recommend choosing one of the agencies that does not require a test, such as Dreamstime or Fotolia. Then, once you have some experience in submitting quality images that are accepted by those agencies, you can apply to some of the other agencies that require you to submit a set of images before they accept you as a contributor to their site. A full list of agencies can be found on the Microstock Agencies pages.
Don't get discouraged. There are many successful photographers out there who had to try multiple times before they were accepted as a Shutterstock contributor due to the difficulty in passing their artist test.