A few years ago, I was sitting at my computer when an email popped up.
“You’ve made another sale.”
I clicked it open, smiled, and went back to whatever I had been doing.
The funny thing is…I couldn’t even remember taking the photograph that had just sold.
Somewhere in the world, someone I’d never met needed that image for their website, magazine, advertisement, brochure, or social media campaign. They found my photo, paid for a license to use it, downloaded it, and went on with their day.
Meanwhile, I had just earned money from something I had photographed months—or sometimes years—earlier.
That never gets old.
When most people hear the words professional photographer, they imagine weddings, family portraits, seniors, or commercial clients. Those are wonderful careers, and they used to be my career when I had a family and senior portrait studio in the Chicago suburbs. But they’re also jobs that require appointments, deadlines, customers, contracts, editing schedules, and constantly finding the next client.
Stock photography is different.
It’s more like building a library. Every time you upload another image, you’re placing another book on the shelf.
You don’t know which book someone will pull down tomorrow. Or next month. Or five years from now.
But every image becomes another opportunity for someone to discover your work.
That’s what first attracted me.
I loved the idea that my photographs could keep working long after I had finished taking them.
You Already Photograph Things People Buy
Here’s something that surprises almost everyone I teach.
Many beginning stock photographers think they need exotic travel destinations, expensive models, elaborate studio lighting, or some once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
You really don’t.
Some of my best-selling photographs have been surprisingly ordinary.
Food. Taken from my cell phone!
Flowers. Taken in Walmart’s Garden Department with my cell phone!
Road trips. Taken on the side of the highway as we entered Florida with my Canon R5 camera.
Small-town scenes. This shot was taken in Torrey, Utah with my Canon R5 camera.
Food. Taken at my kitchen table with my Canon camera.
Nature. Taken in Smoky Mountains National Park with my Canon camera.
Travel destinations. Like this one at Horseshoe Bend in Arizona. Taken with my Canon camera.
Things I was already photographing because I enjoyed them. There are way too many of those to even post one!
The world constantly needs fresh images. Read that again – THE WORLD CONSTANTLY NEEDS FRESH IMAGES.
Businesses need them.
Bloggers need them.
Publishers need them.
Travel companies need them.
Teachers need them.
Web designers need them.
Every website you visit is filled with photographs that someone had to create.
Why shouldn’t some of those photographs be yours?
It Changes The Way You See The World
One of the unexpected gifts of stock photography is that it teaches you to notice things.
You’ll start seeing opportunities everywhere.
That weathered coffee mug on your kitchen counter.
The fresh vegetables you just bought.
A quiet walking trail.
A handshake.
A laptop on a wooden desk.
The first snowfall.
The family dog sleeping in a patch of sunlight.
Suddenly, ordinary life becomes full of possibilities.
Instead of asking, “What should I photograph today?”
You begin asking, “What might someone need?”
That simple shift changes everything.
It Can Become a Stream of Passive Income
Let’s be honest.
Most people are interested in the income. And that’s okay too.
Every uploaded image becomes another small employee working for you.
One image probably won’t make you rich. Ten images probably won’t either.
But hundreds…
Thousands…
Now you’re building something.
Some images never sell. Others sell once.
And occasionally one surprises you by selling over and over again for years.
Like this super simple image of The Blue Ridge Mountains that has sold 424 times so far as of today, just on Adobe Stock.
You never really know which one it will be.
That’s part of the fun.
You Work On Your Schedule
This may be my favorite part.
Nobody tells me when to photograph.
Nobody tells me what hours to work.
If I want to spend an afternoon wandering through The Smoky Mountains, or a local park, with my camera, I can.
If I want to photograph blueberries in my kitchen, I can.
If I decide to spend an entire week editing and uploading, that’s my choice too. (Actually, I probably ought to do this one LOL).
It’s one of the few photography businesses that fits around your life instead of demanding that your life fit around it.
You’ll Become a Better Photographer
Stock photography has made me notice details I used to ignore.
Dust. Dog hair (lots of that in my house!)
Crooked horizons.
Distracting backgrounds.
Brand logos. BIG no-no. Whatever you shoot – make sure there are NO BRAND LOGOS anywhere!
Wrinkled clothing.
Harsh shadows.
Tiny things matter because buyers notice them.
Without realizing it, you’ll begin making stronger photographs in every genre you shoot.
The Best Time To Start Is Earlier Than You Think
I often hear people say they’ll start once they buy a better camera.
Or once they retire.
Or once they travel more.
Or once they have more time.
The truth is, the best time to start building your image library is today.
Every month you wait is another month your photographs aren’t available for someone to license.
Those future sales can only happen after the images exist.
So…Why Would You Want To Become a Stock Photographer?
Maybe because you’d enjoy earning money from photographs you’ve already taken.
Maybe because you like the freedom of working on your own schedule.
Maybe because you’d love having a creative hobby that actually pays for itself.
Or maybe because you’ll discover something I did years ago.
Photography doesn’t have to end when you press the shutter.
Sometimes that’s only the beginning.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your everyday photographs could become a source of income, they probably can. You don’t need to be famous. You don’t need thousands of followers. You don’t need expensive gear. You just need to understand what buyers are looking for and begin building your library one image at a time.
That’s exactly why I wrote my stock photography e-book—to shorten the learning curve and help photographers avoid the mistakes that cost me years of trial and error. I’ve been a stock photographer since 2012 (wow, time flies!), so I have the experience and passion to teach you all I know. My hope is that you’ll spend less time guessing and more time building a collection of images that can keep working for you long after you’ve packed your camera away.
For a list of 25 Images You’re Probably Already Taking That Can Be Used As Stock, click HERE!
Happy Shooting!!
