The handbook, in order
Getting Started, Step by Step
Seven steps from the first decision to the first payout. Take them in order and do not rush the early ones. They are the steps that protect you.
Step 1 of 7
Decide Your Limits and Check the Law
Start with the two questions that have nothing to do with cameras. Are you 18 or older, or the age of majority where you live if that is higher? And is selling this kind of picture lawful in your country or region? If either answer is no, stop here.
Then take ten minutes with a private note and write three short lists: what you are happy to sell, what you might do for the right price, and what you will never do. You will use this list every week. It is far easier to hold a line you drew calmly than one you invent while a stranger is typing.
Read more in Chapter 6: Money, records and the law
Step 2 of 7
Build a Separate Seller Identity
Before you open any seller account, set up the things that keep it apart from the rest of your life.
- A seller name you have never used anywhere else, checked with a quick web search.
- A new email address used only for selling.
- Location tagging switched off in your phone's camera settings.
- A separate album or folder, so work pictures never mix with personal ones.
- A simple watermark with your seller name, ready to place on every picture.
Done once and done properly, this step removes most of the privacy risk before you have taken a single photo.
Read more in Chapter 1: Staying anonymous
Step 3 of 7
Choose Where to Sell by Checking, Not Guessing
This handbook does not recommend or rank selling sites. Use the same questions for any platform you are considering, and read its own help pages for the answers.
- Does it verify that sellers are adults? A site that skips this is not one to trust with your work.
- Does payment run through the site, so buyers never see your legal name or bank details?
- Are the fees, the payout methods, and the minimum payout written down clearly?
- Do its content rules allow what you plan to sell, and forbid what you never want to be asked for?
- Can you block buyers, hide your profile from certain countries, and delete your account?
- Is there a real way to reach support and to report a buyer?
If you cannot find a clear answer to one of these, treat that as an answer. Begin with a single platform and learn how it works before you consider a second.
Read more in Chapter 2: Spotting scams
Step 4 of 7
Shoot a First Set
Plan one short session beside a window in the daytime. Clean the lens, clear the background, and groom your feet the evening before. Take the same few poses from above, from the side, and from low down, then go through the results and keep only the sharp ones.
Check every keeper for anything that could identify you or your home, crop where needed, export a fresh copy without location data, and add your watermark. A small set of good pictures is a better start than a large set of average ones.
Read more in Chapter 3: Photography craft
Step 5 of 7
Write Your Profile and First Listings
Keep the bio to two or three sentences about the kind of pictures you make and how often you add more. Leave out your location, your exact age, and anything about your day job.
For each listing, say plainly what is in the set, how many pictures there are, whether they are watermarked, and how they are delivered. If you accept custom requests, state what is on offer and how long it takes. Read the platform's content rules once more before you publish.
Read more in Chapter 4: Writing your profile and listings
Step 6 of 7
Set Prices You Can Explain
Nobody can tell you in advance what your pictures will sell for, and anyone who quotes a guaranteed income is guessing or selling something. What you can do is look at sellers on the same platform whose work is similar to yours and start close to their prices.
Work out what reaches you after the platform's fee, decide whether that is worth your time, and write your price list down: single pictures, sets, and custom work. Review it after a few weeks using what actually sold, not what you hoped would.
Read more in Chapter 4: Writing your profile and listings
Step 7 of 7
Handle the First Sale, the Payout, and the Records
When the first order arrives, check that the payment shows as completed inside the platform before you send anything. Keep the conversation on the platform, be polite and brief, and decline anything on your never list without explaining yourself.
Withdraw your money through the platform's own payout system, then open a spreadsheet and write down the date, what was sold, the amount, and the fee. Add every sale after that. In most countries this income is taxable, so ask your tax office or a qualified adviser what applies to you.
Read more in Chapter 5: Dealing with buyers and setting boundaries
After the First Week
Selling pictures is slow for most people at the start, and for some it stays slow. Give it a fair trial, keep your limits where you set them, and stop if it is costing you more in time or peace of mind than it returns. That is a sensible result too.