Making money selling photos of yourself is one of the lucrative business
If you are possessed of taking selfies of yourself where people are calling you arrogant
Some exaggerate by calling you narcissistic personality – for me I will not call you anything
I just know that you can use this selfies obsession to make money out of it
Yes I will show you below How to make money selling photos of yourself
Nowadays you can get paid for selfies, seriously!
You mean I can sell sell pictures of myself for money since I have the passion of talking selfies
That’s true, now let me show you how to get paid for pictures of yourself
Is it legal to sell pictures for yourself?
yes it is perfectly legal to sell photos of yourself
Since your photos are not of explicit content and you are not showing any nudity
You have the total copyright for selfies or any pictures of yourself
How to take good pictures of yourself?
Follow the steps below for the best chance to get good pictures of yourself
1- Use a tripod: for the best result, you must use a tripod with a remote as timer can ruin your relaxed moment
2- Find the best balance for your camera: practice with some trial and error the best standup position for your tripod when sitting and when standing, again the best distance from your camera
3- Use a camera with flip screen: almost most smart phones will do that so you can flip the screen and see your picture before you take your shot, also some cameras have this feature
| SiteStripe Image | Title | Buy |
|---|---|---|
 | Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless Vlogging Camera Kit with EF-M 15-45mm Lens, Black | Buy Now |
 | Canon EOS M50 Mark II + EF-M 15-45mm is STM Kit Black | Buy Now |
4- Use a selfie stick: if you are taking your photos with your cell phones then keep your retractable selfie stick with you
- Portable 40 Inch Aluminum Alloy Selfie Stick Phone Tripod with Wireless Remote Shutter Compatible with iPhone 12 11 pro Xs Max Xr X 8 7 6 Plus, Android Samsung Smartphone
5- Ask a stranger to take your pictures: last option if you are in a place where you don’t have a tripod or selfie stick
6- Invest few dollars in perfect photography course: you won’t believe if you check Udemy courses for photography to turn beginners to masters like the below courses
Professional School of Photography: from Beginner to Master
Mobile Photography Iphone and Android Complete Masterclass
Portrait Photography for Beginners
Digital Photography for Beginners with DSLR cameras
How can I make money selling photos of myself?
As in any business or hobby which we decide to monetize
There are so many things to buy, prepare or learn on how to make money selling photos of yourself
I will start with the most important one below which is
1) Invest in a good camera or mobile
Since photography is the art of taking pictures with your camera
You need to invest in that camera to capture these wonderful day to day activities
In the past, photography was only for professionals
But nowadays a good camera can make you a professional photographer
Best cameras are Canon 90D Camera and Nikon D3500 DSLR Camera
If you prefer to take quick snapshot from your mobile then go for Apple iPhone 11 or Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G
2) Buy a selfie stick
If you are completely by yourself and want to capture a selfie with a stunning background
Or maybe you want to take those shots yourself for the best experience
With a cheap wireless selfie stick you are completely in control of your best shots and you will never best any spontaneous photos of yourself
3) Use a good software to edit your images
There are many photo editing software that can help you edit your photos in professional way
Like adding special effects, apply filters to your photos, crop and resize, individual color correction and rotate and print
You can use the following free photo editing like
GIMP is a cross platform image editing software which is a free open source to use
Fotor is also available as a mobile app which makes your selfies very convenient
You just open the Fotor app on your phone and it will access your photo library
Photoscape is fun and easy editing software
Photoshop Express another Adobe photo editing tool available in Windows, Android and IOS (IPhone)
4) Take photography course
You can take a cheap photography course with Udemy for less than $30
Also there are lot of courses that go 80% discount from $199 to $39.8
5) Look for photogenic backgrounds and best sceneries
I always believe if you love taking selfies of yourself
You will start building a good sense of detecting the most suitable photogenic backgrounds and finding best sceneries
You build the habit of carrying all the photography equipments in case you need to take few shots
6) Take multiple shots and filter to only best photos to upload
When taking a shot don’t take one but take multiple ones
I tried this trick myself
I found taking multiple shots help me get the perfect photo
7) Keep going and be persistent
If you have the talent and you got the passion of taking selfies
You have to keep going and be consistent and persistent
Where can I sell photos for myself for money?
Now comes the best part which I believe you have been waiting for and that is
Where to find the websites to sell my photos to and how to make money selling photos of yourself
Get Paid for Selfies and your photos
To make sure you don’t face any challenges while getting paid for pictures of yourself is to join multiple sites at one time
You need to have more exposures as if one site doesn’t accept your photos other sites may go ahead and accept them
Below are the list of photography sites that pay you money for selfies
Pay Your Selfie
Pay your selfie is an Android and iOS app that makes the task of getting paid for selfies convenient and easy
You start by downloading the app and start talking selfies according to the selfie tasks listed in the app
For example, the app can list a selfie task to show yourself dancing at a concert
You complete the task and you get your account credited – tasks are valued around $1
If the task due date is over you will get paid via coupons for discounts
In other words, you get paid by saving money
Pay for selfie is not a full income but it is an extra way on how to make money talking photos of yourself
Scoopshot
Scoopshot is another app that help you get paid for selfies and for photos
It is different than Pay Your Selfie in terms of it does not pay you instantly
How? OK Scoopshot is a marketplace that facilitate connecting sellers – photographers like you with buyers who are looking for specific shots
This means you submit your shots and wait to get paid for pictures of yourself or any other sceneries
Stylinity
Stylinity is a free app for both Android and iOS
It allows you to get paid for photos of yourself wearing a new piece of clothes which Stylinity recommends
They have 180+ stores to visit so it combines 2 apps together
Where you get paid for selfies and promoting clothes you like from any of these 180+ stores
You don’t have to buy any clothes you can just try it on
Still confused?
OK bear with me, I will explain it
You visit one of the stores listed in Stylinity
Try one or many clothes but before you do so you have to scan the barcode with your mobile
Start taking selfies for yourself wearing the new clothes
Submit them to Stylinity and wait till they approve your photos
Now share them from inside the Stylinity on all your social media you own
If anyone clicks and buy the item – you get paid a commission which varies from one store to another
SmugMug
Smug Mug is a paid app that lets you store your photos and you decide to make them private or turn them into public
If you decide to go public
Remember to add watermarks to your photos for copyright so nobody can use them
You pay 55$ annually or $7 per month and you can keep 85% of profit
500px
500px is dfiferent from all of the above
This is a website that allows you to create an account and upload your photos
I went there and I am really stunned with the quality of photos there
The key to getting paid for your photos is to submit high resolution photos
Write keywords to describe your photos and you have to creative here
For example, if you upload a photo of a laughing women standing in front of Eiffel tower
You have to add keywords for Eiffel tower, Paris or France also describe the women in your photo like laughing, optimistic, funny women
Who knows, may be someone looking for a picture of Paris and not even thinking about Eiffel tower
But because Eiffel tower is in Paris, most likely he will buy it
Also make sure to confirm your contact and your payout
ETSY
Because Etsy is an American e-commerce site where they focus on handmade and craft supplies
Then you definitely need to invest a lot of time and money to sell your photos on Etsy
Sell stock photos
There are so many stick photos websites that let you buy quality photos to use on your blog or for your online ads
You have to read the terms before you use them anywhere else
GettyImages
GettyImages is a British-American visual media company with headquarters in Seattle, Washington, it was founded in 1995 – they have any image you can think of
It is the God father of all stock photos, just search their site for any image you can think of in any place all over the world and you will find so many of them
They own an exclusive rights to their photos and have a very restrict rules and tools to scan the internet for any copyright infringements
I cannot forget my friend received a registered mail warning him that his Canadian business website stole pictures from them
Anyway you can make good money with GettyImages so keep it on your list
Shutterstock
Shutterstock is a huge marketplace where you can list your photos
You can make a good money if you invest some time with photography courses
You can get paid for pictures of yourself or best sceneries from your local areas or while you travel
Remember if you are taking picture of yourself or other people then you have to submit a signed model release form
iStockPhoto
iStockphoto is another competitor for stock photos and it is free to join
Upload your photos and wait for their team to review and approve
You receive only 15% of your photos sales which is frustrating
But you can opt for exclusive status which pays you 45%
Alamy
Alamy is generouste site in terms of commission where you can earn 50% to 70% from your sold images
Once you reach $50 you can withdraw your money through Paypal, Skrill or bank transfer
BigStock Photos
BigStock is another platform website for selling stock photos
Sign up as a free contributor and finish your tutorial
Then you can upload your photos and wait for their team to review
DepositPhotos
DepositPhotos is a free platform to sell your photos
But you have to pass a brief examination test by uploading few of your best files
Once you pass the test expect to earn between 44% and 52% royalties for each photo
PicFair
PicFair gives you the flexibility of setting your own price for your pictures
You decide how much your pictures are worth and they take 20% from your price
Meaning if you believe a picture of yourself is worth $25 then you can list it for $30
You get $25 and PicFair gets $5 as 20% commission
123RF
123RF gives you 60% of any images sold on their website so it is good to give it a try
Adobe Stock
With Adobe Stock you get up to 60% commission and minimum is 20%
Crestock
With Crestock you add keywords to your images to facilitate your buyers to search for the desired images
Based on your sales, commission will range from 20% lowest to 40%
Sell photos on different platforms
These sites below pay you money for your photos listed on different platform
Instaprints
Instaprints pays you when you connect your Instagram account to get Instaprints access your photos
Not only you can sell photos but also your photos can be used as Canvas, Framed, Metal, Acrylic and greeting cards
Actually there are many more different formats
Snapped4u
Snapped4u is a marketplace to sell not your personal photos but your events like weddings or sport activities you attended
I went there and found contributors sell their photos between $2.5 to $15
Clashot
This mobile app is no longer available
Foap
Foap is a mobile app that get you paid for selfies
Most selfies are sold for $10 and you get 50% of the sale
Acora
Acora is one of the best apps that is available on both IPhone and Android
The best thing about Acora is that you can sell your pictures with no commission
You keep 100% profit and you can sell it unlimited times to different clients
If you want to make real money all you have to do is to upload so many photos
It is recommended to connect with many users and learn from the best photographers across the world
Dreamstime
Dreamtime is free to download and available on both IPhone and Android
It is one of the largest stock photos that you should not miss if you want to sell your photos online
With their different types of license you can earn $12 for each image
Their minimum payout is $100
Snapwire
Snapwire is available on both Android and IPhone
The way you can earn mon;ey on this app is by the following 2 methods
- Requests and challenges: here businesses and brands post requests with brief description and all users compete to submit their best shots
- Portfolio and marketplace: Upload your best shots and wait for Snapwire to take care of the rest, by making your images searchable for buyers to look for
EyeEm
Those of high quality photos on your mobile phone
You can still sell them at EyeEm whch is available on IPhone and Android
If you want to improve your photography skill, give EyeEm a try by connecting with other photographers like you
TourPhotos
TourPhotos is a great site if you are frequent traveller
They charge 19% on any image sold on their site
PhotoShelter
PhotoShelter allows you to choose one of their templates and build your PhotoShelter website to view and sort you images
It facilitates selling pictures of yourself immediately
FotoMoto
FotoMoto is not an stock photos website
It is a tool or widgets that integrates with your sellers like you on their website to help sell their photo online
FotoMoto will take care of the selling part online
All you have to do is just bring the customers
Build a professional photography blog
You can pursue building your own blog as another stream of income
This is a slow way on how to make money selling photos of yourself
You don’t use it as the only way but it is a side task while you are selling your photos to all the above websites and apps
Create your own YouTube channel
Since you love selfies and not afraid of sharing your photos on stock libraries
Then I assume you would be OK to create a YouTube channel to show your audience some of the tricks you have for those attractive photos you sold before
Where to get paid for pictures of your body?
There are 2 types of body pictures
First type is a complete nudity pictures – I don’t know how you would feel about that
Second type is pictures that show part of your body like in bikini or shower towel
You are trying to make it sexy but not porn
Who wants pictures of your body?
Some advertising companies like these type of sexy pictures as an advertisement for body shower or cream products
These type of products have to be associated with a beautiful sexy model
Keep in mind, there are single men who like to buy these types of body pics
Anyway I decided to remove all the sites below on purpose – I did not feel good about them
Tips To Improve Photos of yourself and Selfies
I urge you to read the below tips carefully for best chance to improve your photos taken for yourself
Buy a tripod stand for your camera or mobile
Sometimes even with the best wireless selfie stick picture can still show your hands stretched indicating that you are holding a mobile
It is better if you invest in a stand, I found an affordable tripod for camera with 4.8 stars and hundreds of buyers
You can use that one with camera, android and iphone mobiles
It comes with a remote so you don’t have to rush yourself before the timer elapses
Just when you are ready with your pose, click on your small remote to capture your picture
Grow your social media sites
Taking pictures of yourself and feeding your social media sites can work together
I cannot imagine someone who is possessed with selfies and fear uploading them on social media
Especially some social media like Instagram and Pinterest are dedicated to photos and pictures, so you have to feed them with all of your best poses taken for yourself
Use Hashtags
Hashtags play great role in increasing the number of your viewers
I heard that some users explore daily specific hashtags they are fond of
I really encourage you to use all hashtags related to selfies and portraits like
#selfies, #selfietime,#selfiesunday, #selfienation, #selfiequeen,#selfiesaturday, #selfiestick, #selfiee, #selfiegram, #selfiesfordays, #selfieaddict, #selfielove, #selfiegirl, #selfieday, #selfieking, #selfiegamestrong, #selfiemode, #selfieee, #selfiegame, #selfiemania
#selfportrait #selfshot #faceoftheday #photooftheday #picoftheday #selfietime #instapic #myself #portrait #pose #self
Try paid advertisement
I know what you would think about advertisement and how it will drain your pocket
Totally wrong, paid advertisement on social media is not pricey at all
I remember with $10 on Pinterest, I was able to reach 2,000 plus new users and I got so many followers
I think same thing for Instagrams
Invest in photo editing software
Sometimes you have the best shot but it needs little touch
You can invest in photo editing software even if your pose is good, it is highly recommended to use different touches and upload all of them
Best photo editing software on market are
- Adobe photoshop
- Adobe lightroom classic
- Affinity photo
- Lumiar Al
- InPixio photo editor
Use pictures of high quality
When it comes to upload pictures on social media, they have to be of very high quality
I know you have to reduce all pictures size before uploading them to your own blog
But when it comes to social media, this rule does not apply
Know your audience
You have to monitor and analyze your pictures
What type of pictures get more shares and comments
Does your background matter? if so then be picky about outdoor pictures more than indoor
Does part of your exposed body get more shares like pictures of your own feet
Perhaps you can focus about taking pictures of your feet
Join photo contests
You can get paid to send pictures to photo contests
But what is way more important is to learn and gain experience from competitors
Not only you will gain confidence but it will teach you a lot whether you win or not
Never give up
Taking pictures of yourself is an ongoing process, you cannot take lot of pictures and say that’s it for the end of month
You should have a schedule or routine to take pictures throughout the year
Common techniques to consider for best shots of yourself
I discussed earlier best tools and equipment but I did not cover the type of shots you should consider when taking pictures of yourself
- Single photos is way better than group photos
- Candid photos beats pose photos – meaning any spontaneous and accidental one is way better than arranged pose
- Wide shots is better than close ups – always try to show an appealing backgrounds
- Looking away is better than looking at the camera – a high percentage of the best selling photos have their people looking away from the camera
- Blurry or unidentified subject is wat better
- Best shots at dawn or dask
Things to consider before selling photos of yourself
Before making money of your own pictures, you have to know what types of license you are selling to buyers
License for your photos
All licenses have different prices so you have to know the difference between them
And where your pictures are being used for
Licenses you should be aware of
- Rights Managed (RM) License – buyers should define where the pictures will be used and length of time
- Editorial Use License – buyers cannot use pictures in any form of advertising or commercial
- Royalty Free License (RF) – default in stock image where image is purchased once and used in unlimited applications – buyers purchase images once and use it in an unlimited application and also on different publication like Calendar or T-shirt
- Royalty Free Extended License – similar to the above but with extended usage to be used in derivative products like mugs and website template
- Creative Commons License – setup by non profit organizations to easily help photographers license their work
- Public Domain – to be used by anyone in whatever publications
Your terms and conditions
If you are making money selling photos on Etsy or your own blog
You have to make sure to set your terms and conditions on where to use your images and for how long
You should provide different prices for different licenses
On the other hand side, if you decide to sell your pictures to stock photos sites
Then read their terms so you don’t get surprised to find your own pictures listed on websites you don’t want to work
For example, finding your pictures listed on casino websites or sex calls site, I don’t believe you would let it go easily
Final thoughts on making money selling photos of yourself
Finally I hope I showed you a way on how to make money selling photos of yourself
It is not a hard way
But you will not make a reasonable income if you don’t put yourself in a position to always learn about photography
And invest time to outdoor looking for the perfect shots