The demand for quality stock cannabis photography is on the rise. Whether you’re a hobbyist, a professional photographer, or someone who’s just captured some stunning cannabis photos, there’s an opportunity for you to monetize the weed pictures on your phone. Images you sell online are commonly reffered to as sell stock photos or sell stock images online for money. And you can do this while you sleep, with your images of weed.
What are stock photos?
Stock photos or stock images are the images marketing teams, organizations and anyone uses when they need to buy the rights to an image. Let’s say we wanted to publish an article about purple indica strains, but didnt have one on hand. We could buy the rights to one online. This is where you can get paid.
How to sell stock photos online
Before you can start selling stock photos online, you need to prepare them for sale. Here’s a step-by-step process to prepare your catalog:
- Select the best photos: Review your collection and pick the highest-quality images that showcase your photography skills and are relevant to the cannabis market – only high resolution photos without weed brands in them are accepted,
- Edit your photos: Use photo editing software to enhance the colors, correct exposure, and remove any imperfections. Ensure your images look professional and appealing.
- Add metadata: Provide relevant keywords, descriptions, and titles for your photos. This will make it easier for potential buyers to find your images on stock photo platforms.
- Research the market: Typically pictures of cannabis cultivation, extracts, buds, joints and other lifestyle images are in higher demand.
- According to Shutterstock, users typically earn between $0.25 – $0.38 / download.
- Start to sell pictures of weed on Shutterstock here.
Sell Stock Photos
Sell pictures of weed on Shutterstock here.
Where To Sell Stock Photos
Select stock photo platforms that cater to the cannabis market and offer favorable terms for contributors. Some popular platforms include Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, iStock, and Getty Images. Consider the commission rates, payment frequency, and submission guidelines before choosing a platform.
Sell your stock photos
| Site Name | Commission Rate | Rating for Weed Content | Average Earnings per Download | Signup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shutterstock | 20-30% | 7 | $0.25 – $0.38 | www.shutterstock.com |
| Adobe Stock | 20-60% | 8 | $0.33 – $3.30 | stock.adobe.com |
| Getty Images | 15-20% | 6 | $0.25 – $3.00 | www.gettyimages.com |
| iStock | 15-45% | 7 | $0.21 – $2.28 | www.istockphoto.com |
| Alamy | 40-50% | 6 | $10.00 – $50.00 | www.alamy.com |
| Dreamstime | 25-50% | 7 | $0.25 – $2.50 | www.dreamstime.com |
| 123RF | 30-60% | 5 | $0.22 – $0.74 | www.123rf.com |
| Depositphotos | 34-42% | 7 | $0.26 – $1.09 | depositphotos.com |
| Can Stock Photo | 20-50% | 6 | $0.25 – $0.75 | www.canstockphoto.com |
| Bigstock | 30% | 6 | $0.30 – $3.00 | www.bigstockphoto.com |
How To Take a Picture That Will Sell?
Take Good Quality Pictures
- Composition: Arrange elements in a visually appealing way. Experiment with different angles, perspectives, and focal points to create a striking composition.
- Lighting: Capture the vibrant colors and intricate textures of cannabis plants with proper lighting. Natural light is often best, but artificial light sources can also be effective.
- Focus: Ensure your subject is in sharp focus, highlighting the plant’s details. Use selective focus or depth of field techniques to draw attention to specific areas. Most sites will not accept bad quality or resolution images.
- Background: Choose a clean, uncluttered background that complements the subject and doesn’t distract from it. Consider using props or backdrops to add context or enhance visual appeal.
Find stock images people are searching for
- Google Trends is a good place to see trends and search queries that are currently popular
- Keyword estimators – Search for tools on google that will give you insights towards trending cannabis topics like grow terms, potential grow process images, and other queries people are actually searching for
- Ahrefs, MOZ or other SEO tools are expensive but give the best insights into monthly keyword searches
- Remember the world is big place, searches in other regions might use different vocabulary, do your research!
Use the right equipment and settings
- Camera: DSLR or mirrorless cameras offer more control over settings and deliver higher image quality than point-and-shoot or smartphone cameras.
- Lenses: Macro lenses for close-up details, wide-angle lenses for expansive shots, and prime lenses for sharp, high-quality images are useful.
- Tripod: A sturdy tripod helps ensure sharp images by minimizing camera shake, especially during long exposures or macro photography.
- Lighting equipment: External flashes, light diffusers, and reflectors can help you achieve the desired lighting effect when natural light is insufficient.
Build a Portfolio of Cannabis Photos – Pick a Niche and Own It.
Create an impressive portfolio showcasing your best cannabis photos. Ensure your portfolio demonstrates your versatility and skill, including different types of cannabis images, such as close-ups, lifestyle shots, and garden scenes. A strong portfolio will help you attract more buyers and increase your earnings. Find a style that is unique and run with it to build a clientele of loyal customers.
- Versatility: Include a variety of cannabis images, such as macro shots of buds, lifestyle photos involving cannabis consumption, and wide-angle images of cannabis gardens, to demonstrate your range of skills and styles.
- High-quality images: Ensure that all photos in your portfolio are of the highest quality, with sharp focus, proper exposure, and accurate colors.
- Organization: Categorize your images by subject, style, or theme to make it easy for potential clients to navigate your portfolio.
- Regular updates: Continuously update your portfolio with your latest and best work to keep it fresh and relevant.
- Personal branding: Create a unique and consistent visual identity for your portfolio, including a logo, color scheme, and typography, to make a lasting impression on potential clients.
Marketing Stock Photography
Promote your work by leveraging social media, creating a personal website, and networking with industry professionals. Share your portfolio and engage with your target audience to generate interest in your photography.
- SEO is key. Optimize file names before uploading with the keywords you want to show up for.
- Link to your images. Showing the website that you are important with other links pointing to your images is key.
- Write guest blogs on notable websites that will directly reach your target audience (arguably weed authors / creative agencies etc) with value adding content on why good stock photos are important.
- Use all features provided by the stock image site. Categorize your images correctly and use location / topic features to their maximum potential.
Incorporate Metadata Wisely: Fill in the metadata fields such as title, description, and tags with relevant keywords and phrases. This metadata is crucial because it helps search engines understand the content and context of your images, which can influence how they are indexed and ranked.
Engage in Community and Forums: Participate in photography and design forums or communities related to the stock image site. This can increase your visibility, help you gain backlinks, and drive traffic to your images.
Utilize Social Media: Share your stock images on various social media platforms with appropriate hashtags. This not only increases exposure but also creates opportunities for your images to be shared and linked back to, which can positively impact SEO.
Monitor Your Analytics: Regularly check the performance of your images. Many stock photo sites provide analytics tools that allow you to see how often your images are viewed and downloaded. Use this data to adjust your SEO strategy and focus on taking the weed pictures with the keyword themes that work best.
Consistent Branding: Develop a recognizable brand for your stock photography. This includes using a consistent naming convention, style, and theme across your portfolio. A strong brand can lead to higher search engine rankings as users begin to search for your specific style or brand name.
Update Profiles Regularly: Keep your stock photo portfolio fresh with new content. Search engines favor regularly updated content, which can lead to better rankings.
Keyword Research To Find Trending Weed Topics: Conduct thorough keyword research to understand what potential buyers might search for. Use tools like Google’s Keyword Planner to find high-volume, low-competition keywords that can attract more viewers to your images.
Build a Personal Portfolio Website: In addition to using stock photo sites, consider building a personal website where you can showcase your work. This gives you more control over SEO and allows you to attract direct traffic to your images. It builds credibility, and can drive value based on the links you are pointing to your weed photography profiles.
Leverage Blogging On Your Website With Topics Overlapping With Cannabis: Create a blog on your website where you can discuss your work, share insights into your photography process, and include your stock images within the content. This not only adds more content for search engines to index but also helps in establishing you as an authority in your field.
