Let’s be honest…when it comes to stock photography and videography, most of us aren’t rolling in passive income. If you’re anything like me, maybe you’ve earned enough to buy the odd coffee or treat yourself to a cheeky takeaway. So the question is: Why bother?
Well, here’s the thing…in my opinion there is a point, actually I think there a few. So here are some of my stock photography and videography tips, or thoughts at least!
Practice Makes…Progress
Almost everyone has heard the phrase “Practice makes perfect” right? Sure, perfection’s a bit of a myth though if you ask me, but progress? That’s real.
Uploading stock to libraries keeps you shooting, editing, colour grading, keywording…long and short of it: it keeps you honing your craft. And the more you do it, the better you get.
Low Risk, Potential Reward
Uploading to stock sites costs you nothing but a little bit of time and effort (which might seem long at first but it gets easier…although not necessarily less boring…just keeping it real…if you know me then you know that I’m all about being transparent!)
Pros: there’s no upfront investment, no marketing budget, no pitching to clients. It’s as risk-free as it gets in the creative world.
Cons: As per the above…the upload process is boring, which let’s be honest, is hardly that bad as far as things go.
So really, the question shouldn’t be “Why bother?”, it should be “Why not?”, and hopefully after reading this you’ll be on the same page as me and start getting yourself onto those stock sites!
Passive Pennies Still Count
Following on from my mantra of “honesty is the best policy”, no, you likely won’t be quitting your day job on stock earnings alone anytime soon, but think of it like this: your hard drives are probably stuffed to the brim with content that’s just sitting there, slowly gathering digital cobwebs…so why not let those photos or clips earn their keep?
Even if you only make enough to buy yourself that monstera plant you’ve been eyeing up in the garden center, or, manage to save up for that new lens – it’s still something isn’t it? And honestly, getting that “you’ve made a sale” email? Lovely little dopamine hit every time.
My Mentor Was Right
(He’s secretly going to love that)
I have to give a nod, alright fine, a full-on bow, to my mentor Adam Rhodes. He went on and on at me for ages to get my work on stock sites. (And I mean on and on, but what’s a mentor good for if they don’t nag you?…I mean encourage you..)
And of course, like any self-respecting creative, I dragged my feet, procrastinated, ignored him, forgot, remembered at 4am, said “yeah yeah yeah I know” everytime he brought it up. Got overwhelmed. Opened ShutterStock. Closed it again…You know the drill.
It wasn’t about not believing him, to the shock of absolutely no one, it was more that my neurodivergent brain instantly filed it under “do it later, but first reorganise all your cables and make sure the font on your website is the exact hex code of green you have in your head”. Which happens with almost every good piece of advice he gives me. Sorry mate!
But, surprise surprise, as per usual, he was right. And now it’s immortalised on the internet forever.
Adam is the sort of photographer/videographer who’s precise, organised, efficient and terrifyingly (annoyingly) consistent. Meanwhile, I was sitting on terabytes of footage like Smaug…only instead of gold it was random b-roll and long forgotten snaps.
So thanks Adam, you were right. Quiet smugness accepted.
Don’t They Need to Be Artistic Masterpieces Though?
No. Right that was easy, let’s move on.
Seriously though, they really don’t, I’ve uploaded content on stock sites that I thought was pants (to put it politely), but then sold multiple of that image, for example a random picture of my old tortoise in the garden that honestly could have been done by an amateur on an old Nokia 7650. Ok, maybe not that bad, but you get the point.
And stuff you might consider to be boring, like I uploaded the below photograph that I quickly took of a windscreen in Milton Keynes whilst walking with some friends, but hey, it’s one of my most downloaded images, take a look, boring right?
Where I Upload (And Where I Don’t)
Stock photography and Videography sites:
I currently use ShutterStock and Adobe Stock Contributor as my main platforms. I also techincally have Getty/iStock and (kind of) Envato, but we’ll get to those.
ShutterStock
ShutterStock has been around forever and a day, and although the earnings-per-download aren’t big bucks, the platform has great reach. You can submit both photos and video clips, and once you get used to the tagging system it becomes second nature.
That said, and I say this with love, (don’t come for me ShutterStock), their approval process can be tad inconsistent (IMO).
For example, I’ve had sets of four 4K clips, all shot on a tripod, same subject, same lighting, different angles…but they’ll approve three and then reject the fourth for “quality issues”. Make it make sense?!
They also state that clips should be between 5 seconds and 1 Minute. Cool. Except I’ve had a 48 second clip rejected for “clip length” with no other explanation other than the contradictory statement above. No explanation, no mercy. Ok, maybe no mercy is a bit dramatic, but sometimes it just feels a wee bit wishy washy. Sorry ShutterStock, we good though right?
Still, the application process is quick and straightforward, all you need is a few decent samples of your work, and once you’re in, it’s one of the few platforms where your uploads can quietly start to bring in passive sales. And when something does take off, it’s a genuinely satisfying feeling to know your work’s out there being used.
Adobe Stock Contributor
Adobe’s contributor platform is sleek, clean and really intuitive, especially if you already live in Creative Cloud land. Uploading is fast and keyword suggestions (for the most part) are decent, the site feels like it was actually designed with creatives in mind.
But again…the approval process? In my experience, all over the place!
I’ve had a video I uploaded the night before approved by dawn like some kind of editorial miracle, all the while a photograph I submitted six months ago is still sitting in limbo like it’s waiting for the council of Elrond to reach a decision.
I do genuinely like the platform, but the inconsistency of if and when they approve/reject your submissions can feeling like you’ve just cast your work into a void, hoping that Gandalf shows up with the eagles…eventually…maybe.
That said, getting started is easy, no dramatic portfolio reviews or gatekeeping. If your first few uploads meet the basic quality standards then you’re in. And once you’re up and running it’s genuinely rewarding to see your work nestled among high-end commercial assets, knowing it has potential to be licensed by major brands or designers around the world.*
*Or, be like me, and in a painfully ironic twist of fate, end up as the worlds unluckiest vegan, whose ridiculously cute photograph of a vole with a strawberry ends up being used to advertise a German pest control company. Cheers universe.
Getty/iStock
Technically, I have an account with them…but honestly? I hate the interface. The UX has all the charm of a government portal circa 2004. The upload process is long-winded, unintuitive, and frankly makes me want to avoid it like an overdue tax return. Some people swear by it, but me? Sorry Getty, not my president.
That said, lets be fair, plenty of contributors have had success with it. We all click with different platforms, so who knows, maybe with some time I’ll come round to it too.
Envato Elements
Ah…yes…Envato. I did apply. But in my true chaotic and feral fashion, I submitted a rushed selection of my work that was all pretty much of the same subject, hit send, and went on my merry way…essentially it was the stock contributor version of trying to sneak into Mordor wearing a high-vis and some flip-flops…
Unsurprisingly, they declined my application.
To be fair, Envato are known for being more selective than most stock platforms. They’re curating for a specific aesthetic and quality standard, especially for Elements, where buyers pay for access to a tightly curated library.
And honestly? That’s not a bad thing. It keeps their content polished, consistent and commercially strong.
I’ll give it another go eventually, this time with a bit more thought and structure!
(Dear Envato team, if you’re reading this: I promise to do better. Please let me in next time. I make a mean plant based Baklava.)
Commercial vs Editorial
If you’re new to uploading stock photography and videography onto these libraries, the terms commercial and editorial can be a bit confusing. They were for me anyway. Here’s a general breakdown:
Commercial Content
This means it can be used in advertising, marketing, packaging, websites etc. This means your work must be completely cleared of any rights issues: that means you need a model release for any recognisable person, and a property release for any identifiable locations, artwork logos and branded items – this includes tattoos! Basically it has to be legally squeaky clean.
But I hear you…
So what is an identifiable location?
Recognisable person, huh?
What the heck do you mean I need a release form for tattoos?
Let me explain:
- An identifiable location means anywhere someone could reasonably recognise, for example a photo outside The Ivy in London, a shot of the Angel of the North, or even a building like the Gherkin…If it’s private property, designed by an artist, or iconic in someway, chances are it needs a release for commercial use. If in doubt, research it!
- A recognisable person, and no this doesn’t just refer to the likes of Pedro Pascal (though let’s be honest, even from 20 feet away he’s unmistakable, that man has presence). But recognisability isn’t limited to celebrities, it can include a side profile, a back-of-the-head shot with a distinctive hairstyle, visible tattoos, or even someone partially blurred in the background if the context makes the identifiable. Yes even if they’re not the main subject! You can still use photos of people but you must ensure you have all the necessary releases that’s all.
- But I already have a model release for my subject, why do I need another form if they have tattoos? Well if you think about it, as a fellow creative this makes perfect sense, tattoos often fall under intellectual property. Tattoos are artwork, and artwork = rights!
Talking of rights and regs, here’s a little disclaimer of my own:
Granted, I was an investigator for close to a decade, but sadly, that does not qualify me to dish out legal advice…though it does mean I could probably find out who didn’t submit their model release, on a serious note, if you’re ever unsure then check the contributor docs, or speak to someone with actual legal credentials…not someone like me, my Level 5 BTEC isn’t covering mine, or anyone else’s butt!
Editorial Content
This is used to illustrate news stories, opinion pieces, educational content, blogs and documentaries etc. These images or videos don’t need releases and often include real-world elements like brands, signage, crowds of people etc. But editorial content comes with it’s own restrictions: it can’t be used in advertising, and 9 times out of 10 requires you to give more specific information such as descriptive keywords and titles including: dates, locations and full context of what’s happening.
Here’s an example using one of my listings, note the Video details section:
“Cornwall, United Kingdom – October 3 2024: Audi A4 interior steering wheel car being driven by a tattooed man driving and wearing a Breitling warch.”
Screenshot of one of my editorial stock videography listings on Shutterstock. Used here for educational and illustrative purposes.
In this screenshot of my listing, the video shows the hand of a man with some tattoos, wearing a watch, driving a car. Seems simple enough right?
Even though I do have a model release for the person in the video, I don’t have any release forms relating to his tattoos, and he is head to toe covered from artists all over the world…track down every artist for a property release? Yeah…no thanks.
On top of that, there is branded content here, the watch is a Breitling and the car is an Audi and the logo is visble on the steering wheel in some parts of the clip, these are both protected trademarks and so for commercial use I would need property releases from these brands too.
So instead, I just uploaded it as editorial, meaning if people purchase my listing then they can use it in things like articles, blogs, documentaries and news reports but not in advertising or promotional content.
Moral of the story? If your subject is wearing luxury brands and has tattoos from five continents…maybe just go with editorial to save yourself the paperwork-induced breakdown.
If you want better idea of what is classed as editorial vs commercial take a look through my Adobe or ShutterStock listings. Or ofcourse if you want to purchase some of my listings, I am not below shameless self-promotion, plug plug!
It is worth noting that Adobe Stock Contributor takes editorial a step further, oh yeah, you’ve gotta earn your place with them, but just look at it like a side quest!
While most platforms let you upload editorial content straight away, with Adobe you won’t see the option to submit illustrative editorial until you’ve racked up at least 100 downloads across your portfolio.
Granted this means when you’re starting out it might be a bit frustrating, but it’s Adobe’s way of filtering out low effort uploads and maintaining their quality standards, which I think is perfectly fair…even if I haven’t hit the 100 downloads and can’t submit editorial yet, it is what it is!
Final Thoughts
Am I the best? No.
Have a made millions? Also no.
Do I currently get loads of downloads? Not even close.
But, Netflix didn’t start with Stranger Things, it started with DVDs in the post and a questionable UI, or if you were born in the 90’s like me you’ll remember it as a BlockBuster card, my long winded point being that Rome wasn’t built in a day.
I’ve been at it less than a year, as of writing this, and every month I learn something, improve something, or make a random sale that gives me a weird little boost of validation (yeah I’ll admit it).
It’s slow growth, but it is growth.
At the end of the day, it’s night (sorry), at the the end of the day, stock photography and videography probably won’t make you rich overnight but it will sharpen your skills, give forgotten files a chance to make you a little bit of money, potentially even get you enough to buy that Sigma 105mm Art Lens you’ve been keeping in your Wex basket for months.
Whether you’re wanting a little side hustle, experimenting creatively, or just trying to make peace with your overflowing hard drive, it’s a low risk, low pressure way to get your work out into the world.
So if you ask me, which you probably didn’t, get uploading, embrace the rejections, celebrate the weird sales (shoutout again to my vole featured on the German pest control website), and remember, it’s not about perfection, it’s about progress
And maybe, just maybe…about proving Adam right. Again. Let’s not make a thing of it.
Recent Comments