5 Beginner Stock Photography Mistakes to Avoid

20% OFF DISCOUNT ON POND5: bit.ly/3FUF8Tr
In this video, I talk about 5 mistakes beginners tend to make when they first start selling their photos and videos on stock photography platforms.
00: Intro
00:59 Saturated Content
03:00 Portfolio Size
04:29 Sponsored Message
05:42 Inconsistency
06:50 Over-editing & under-editing
08:44 Bad/few keywords
10:03 Final thoughts
Stock photography & videography is a great way to make some passive income online. Here's my entire stock photography playlist on KZbin: • Stock Photography
My gear:
My camera - Canon 5D Mark IV: amzn.to/2LTFOwT
Canon 16-35mm lens (awesome wide angle): amzn.to/2Jsstx4
Canon 70-200 zoom lens (great for events): amzn.to/2Jms9A5
Canon 85mm 1.2 (my FAVORITE portrait lens): amzn.to/2kEuV5I
Canon 85mm 1.8 (a cheaper alternative): amzn.to/2LQMAnk
Canon 50mm 1.4 (second favorite portrait lens): amzn.to/2sAuKvN
DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone: amzn.to/2spNwqq
My favorite drone backpack: amzn.to/2snNE9M
ND filters for my drone: amzn.to/2LPmS2x
GoPro Hero6: amzn.to/2LemFEF
Find me on Instagram: / nicolesglass
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*Some of the links may be affiliate links.
#stockphotography #passiveincome #photographybusiness

[@NicoleGlass]

Thanks for watching :) Here's the link to sign up on Pond5 (as both a buyer or an artist/seller): bit.ly/3FUF8Tr

[@jamiehenry3568]

Man. I had my flower pics ready to go. Lol

[@NicoleGlass]

😅

[@siyabonga6212]

Lol i almost fell in to the trap

[@AdventuringDave]

Thanks for this video, Nicole! It's because of you that I started contributing to Pond5, after I watched your initial experience video of them mid-2020. I signed up with them then, and have had some pretty nice video sales, in fact, my biggest payout on a single sale of any platform I'm on, $50 for an osprey video. So far, I'm finding your prediction to be coming true, keep consistently uploading, and the average sales seem to be getting more frequent. Keep up the good work!

[@BrettHondow]

All very good tips and true. As for editing, I found Adobe Stock will only accept overexposed images. Anything correctly exposed is met with rejection, it's weird. They also don't like copy space for some reason. Word Hippo is also a good resource for extra keywording when you're stuck, otherwise I surf Wikipedia.

[@ridderus]

Leaving wedding and familyportrait photography and starting a new photography adventure. One of the adentures is stockphotography and i'm thrilled about it. So thanks 4 this video Nicole!

[@rypaz87]

@ridderus Out of curiosity, how is it going so far?

[@RandomHartz]

Great tips Nicole! I have also experienced the 80/20 rule with agencies as well as images. 80% of my earnings last year came from just 21% of the stock agencies and platforms i contribute to. Glad to see your family is doing well.

[@WaseemKhan-224]

Congrats Nicole for the baby ❤️❤️ hope you will continue uploading videos soon ❤️

[@mullexwing]

Great video. We are really glad we found you. We have a couple of KZbin Channels, but I always wind up with so much extra footage, and a lot that I never use. I've been contemplating going down the stock footage path. Your videos have been so helpful, thank you.

[@FinancialTutor]

Great video Nicole! Would be interested in in doing a quick interview for a video on my channel about your experience with selling stock photos, how much money you made, and if you'd recommend it to other viewers as a side hustle? If so, please let me know when works best for you to talk and I’ll send over a zoom meeting invite.

[@italogiardina8183]

For ordinary subjects then gear can help like advanced on lens flash for flowers and a third flash with radio receiver

[@dacekundrate4391]

Hi, Nicole! It's funny about flower photos. When I started selling photos on Shutterstock, I hadn't really researched tips and tricks about stock photography. So I uploaded 10 photos, they were accepted. Then after a while I was sad that nothing was selling. I had only those 10 photos. :D But after a month or so a photo did sell. And it was a flower photo. :D Although, it wasn't too generic. More like fine art style. But looking back at my start, I think I was really lucky to get that one sale.

[@NicoleGlass]

Haha I was expecting someone to say “but my flower DOES sell!” 😅 Anyway, there’s always exceptions, but most people don’t get rich from flowers.

[@dacekundrate4391]

@@NicoleGlass Yes, you are right. Flowers are not money grabbers. I was just laughing at myself, that I was expecting to make a lot of money with 10 photos and then to top that off, my first sell was a flower. :D

[@fajareureka4103]

Actually my ordinary flower photo also sold twice. Lucky. :D

[@gasolinewine801]

Loved seeing Ellicott City, since that’s where I live.

[@Sutterjack]

The big question I have is RELEASES - I've found stock companies are nazi on releases. I don't see how you can sell any stock images of a public gathering without individual releases. Also stock images of architecture - sometimes you're required to have a building release to sell an image of a particular I building. Thoughts ?

[@NicoleGlass]

You just upload them as editorial photos/videos :) not commercial

[@cre8tivity06]

I like the shots of the “Red Rocks” in this video. I spent a few days out in Sedona, AZ last summer.

[@NicoleGlass]

Thanks! I love Sedona so much. I truly wish I could live there! (One day maybe.)

[@cre8tivity06]

I can't wait to go back and visit. I had a really good time out there. :-) @@NicoleGlass

[@NMoltchanoph]

Some stock photography platforms ask for technical data of the image. What is the correct way to do that? And what if the image was taken long ago so you don't remember much about it? Do you have a video about this issue? Thank you for your time.

[@John-Shutterlyphotos]

Consistency is so important , not to down play the other 4. I started in 2012 and did some studio photos of just about everything. One shot I took was of a joint with pipe a few matches and some marijuana. Within a week of being accepted the photo sold on A+%^#y for £400, I got half if that. It has sold a few times over the last 10 years but I have not been consistant as I should. This is a great video for us to get out and upload more content "consistently" Thanks Nicole!

[@NicoleGlass]

Wow, not a bad sale you had there! Thanks for sharing.

[@MattGotCameras]

Pond 5 looks cool too

[@rantv3848]

Yeah My first Upload is Flower That only thing I have on my Backyard and Its Beautiful 💖

[@samm8135]

Nice video..:) The Bear in YS, my group was sitting just on the other side of the Lady standing up with the Canon 400.. I sat there for 9 days and took 10K pictures..:P

[@helenawoods]

This is so great Nicole! I'm going to send this video and your channel to my friend who is getting started with stock photography 🤗

[@jbennett3578]

I'm just starting, and I wouldn't make these five mistakes. Well, not all of them. Maybe four. Four and a half, tops. Thanks for proactively correcting me. :) Liked and subbed.

[@JasonYoder]

LOL. Yes I am guilty of that. After all of these years, I still do, but I am a bit more selective about which ones to upload.

[@MarianPierreLouis]

Nicole, I just heard this morning that Shutterstock bought Pond5. Bummer about that. Please keep us posted if they change the Pond5 rates to Shutterstock rates.

[@NicoleGlass]

Yeah I saw that too. Not sure what that will mean for the future. As of right now, I believe nothing will change.

[@martinerenault357]

Hi Nicole, could you give examples for the keywords ? Thx ! 🙏

[@abidhossen1620]

Thank you so much for the informations ❤ it’s really helpful to me as a newbie to sell stock photo.

[@jaecuervoson]

I’m going to buy the picture of your water lily just to make your day!

[@dharmabob2]

Very good video. I guess I won't be uploading my water lilly photos🎉

[@NicoleGlass]

Thanks! Haha yeah, you'd be competing with lots of other water lillies !

[@uniktbrukernavn]

Kinda sad that stock photography doesn't even work as passive income. It really is a marginal way of making money when you consider the time and money spent just to create a photo that someone pays $5. Paying for models cost money + time, buying trending gear to photograph cost money even if you plan to sell it after the shoot, traveling to film a political protest cost time + money... I almost got into stock photography 20 years ago but decided against it after reading an article about a guy that had managed to turn it into a business by taking thousands of "random" photos of every day objects. Just snapshots, minimal effort. That was more than 20 years ago, imagine tens of thousands of photographers doing the same every year. We're talking billions of photos out there making $.0001 each. If one of your photos earns you $100 then you may break even taking time and cost into consideration. If you dig deeper and add the cost of the camera then it gets even worse, and then what if you had put that money towards buying Apple stock instead of camera gear that depreciates over time... Haven't even mentioned taxes yet... I guess it could work as a hobby or a way of making some money off of the left over photos from other shoots. Good video tho and all the tips are solid.

[@1parag]

Hi Nicole! Thank you for the advice.

[@manasublime]

Aloha, mahalo 4 the amazing & thorough video & information!

[@jhgfghjfuzrtfchchghgf]

Cool video! How do you handle situations where you have no model release, especially in other countries when doing street photography / shooting stuff when you travel? How do you ensure you are allowed to sell the image, especially when it's only 1 other person on it? That person might have consented to you taking the picture, but might not be happy if you sell it to others?

[@AvanteAvenue]

Loved this video! Do you have one on uploading video or images straight from our phones (iPhone) to stock web sites? I would love to do that for Shutterstock, Adobe and Pond5. Newbee here getting ready to start uploading. Thank you. And, congratulations on your baby!!! 🙂❤️👍

[@TGMarshall]

Hi Nicole, Where you gone? :) What's your thoughts on the Pond5 Shutterstock tie up?

[@NicoleGlass]

Hello Trevor, I disappeared to take care of my baby! I had no idea how much work having a baby would be. Hope to be back soon:)

[@ultraphobic69]

Thank you Nicole. Great vid

[@MattGotCameras]

Hey Nicole, thanks for the advice. I’m going to look into stock photos

[@NicoleGlass]

Sure thing! I definitely recommend focusing on stock video, earnings potential is higher than photos

[@autotraveller-mani3016]

thank you so much, that was very helpful

[@joncothranphotography9375]

Thanks, Nicole!

[@HitchCollections]

Thanks Nicole 💯🍾📸

[@PinkPulpito]

most of my photos get rejected for almost any reason every time so out of like 40 photos ive only gotten like 4 in my portfolio. Im currently using an iphone x and i get alot of noise complaints from shutter stock. the only other camera i have is a nikon d70 so i can try to upload some from there. I would really like to get a good camera and build up my portfolio.

[@mwhunt904]

Great video. Are you making normal video sales at SS? In the past month all of my sales have been clip pack sales. So instead of $20 a sale, I've been getting 36 cents to $1.80! My advice to anyone, avoid SS until they change this practise. It is killing the royalty free industry.

[@AndyFeliciotti]

Great info! Thank you Nicole!

[@NicoleGlass]

Sure thing :)

[@Carlos_Machado_]

Hi Nicole! Thank you for the advice. I definitely make those 5 mistakes and so I need to improve on those... Would you advise a photographer to use stock platforms exclusively for photos? Thanks

[@NicoleGlass]

Hi Carlos, I would definitely recommend uploading video footage and make that your focus. I talked about this a little bit in my previous video (Stock Photography in 2022). The earnings potential is a lot greater for video

[@CesareFerrari667]

Hi there Nicole! Something I found controversial is the use of keywords - some say to use as many as possible, some say otherwise. Personally I see that good specific keywords perform better than many keywords, but assuming that keywording is as important as content, I see a lot of difference depending on the platform. What you think?

[@NicoleGlass]

Yeah, some platforms prioritize keywords based on the order you type them in or the ones you choose to prioritize, but in general you should still have good quality keywords and more than just 3-4.

[@Kryscina]

Congratulations on your baby, Nicole!

[@NicoleGlass]

Thank you ☺️

[@LateBoomer1964]

Hey Nicole, congrats on the new baby. I'm curious will you be weighing in on the Pond 5 / Shutterstock merger soon?

[@NicoleGlass]

Thank you! As you can probably tell, the baby has kept me busy. Waiting for the day that it will get easier and I get some free time back (will that happen? Idk!) I didn't weigh in on the merger, but hope to make some new videos again soon.

[@jiteshshine2537]

Great information 👏, can you suggest best mobile editing video app for stock fotages ?

[@callidus5586]

Thankyou for the video. It helped me.

[@benly32]

Well said, thank you!

[@Saeshmedia]

Nice video.Thanks for sharing 👍🏻

[@peesukarhu_OFFICIAL]

Do you recommend using single word keywords or keywords that consist of 2 to 4 words? I tend to do the latter one, but I don't know if that's a bad idea. A great video, thanks for the info!

[@monzaj1706]

Thank you, i find this video very useful! 😊

[@Florin-rq5nw]

Thanks

[@KG-nf4qe]

Can I use multiple stock website and sell same photo to all of them..is that okay?

[@99.YamanKumar]

Thank you so much 🙂🙏🏽

[@ez4u2cthomaspolk]

Great information thank you so much!

[@dionputra5530]

how to find good keyword and description on demand photo? Did you use SEO to find demands?

[@rammanoharsaitr4157]

Ma'am I had a doubt Does the editing photos in Mobile Phone ( light room) makes the image less quality while seeing through PC...?

[@johnmontana18]

Good tips. Key word is unique as you said.

[@NicoleGlass]

Indeed!

[@zimalarts8412]

Should i go for Pond5 Exclusively? or not i need your suggestion please

[@Dzsozi75]

Thank you. It was very useful. 🙂

[@NicoleGlass]

Glad to hear it! ☺️

[@jiml8594]

Do you sell many videos taken with your GoPro on Pond5? I took your advice and am now shooting videos for Pond5. I took my videos off Shutterstock. I have over 5200 pictures on Shutterstock and still get a monthly check but rarely upload any pictures there anymore due to their price restructuring. .10 cents a shot is not worth my time. I have high hopes for Pond5. Thanks for your videos, tips and advice.

[@keithjohnson5398]

That was my thought about shutterstock as well, how could it ever be worth my time. After watching one of Nicole's early videos on getting started, I even signed up with shutterstock but never went any further than just joining. Their pricing structure changed shortly after I signed up. I even started getting my editorial files organized.

[@NicoleGlass]

I have one underwater GoPro video that sells quite a bit. Other than that, my sales are mostly footage from my Canon.

[@Bertkido]

Hey Nichole I've been following you for a while now and learned a lot from you. I've been selling my photos in shutterstock and it's been good not a lot of them yet but they are selling. I know i n one of your videos you showed us how to find your photos being used, but I forgot and I can't find your video that shows how. Can you point me in the right driection? Thanks..

[@MauiTravelVideos]

Aloha -- Thank You Very Much, Nicole.

[@NicoleGlass]

Hope you’re doing well!

[@MauiTravelVideos]

@@NicoleGlass Mahalo Nui Loa. Come back to Maui soon -- we'd love to see you here on the island. Best Aloha 2022 Wishes.

[@pikseloyunlar6913]

hi thanks for video, i want to ask is it important for sells which frame rate we shooting or which type we choosing pal/ntsc ?

[@Usmanali-mn7cj]

Mam what should be portfolio of Shutterstock for good earning?

[@ibabar7015]

what are the conditions/criteria to upload the photos and videos on POND5? Need help please

[@moapnr]

Hello Nicole.... nice to see you 😊 How to download orginal application....... software...... And for new login does we need to pay or free.... ❤️

[@oddballmedia]

Hi Nicole. Great info. I find it difficult set a price on my uploades? Can you help?

[@harryjj-fk5tx]

Personal observation or not, its very good information

[@alandimery3379]

Hello Nicole. I am new to stock video and I am finding your videos very useful, thank you. Can you tell me please, as I am just starting out, would it be better for me to use Pond5 and get the higher payment percentage or spread the videos across 3 or 4 platforms? Also, can I upload a video as commercial and editorial? Thanks.

[@velichor]

Hi there! I’m wondering if you know if it’s legal to sell stock media of brands, and owned property, such as a video of a trendy restaurant that includes the logo, or inside a government-owned building. Am I going to get in trouble for stock such as that, or do I simple need to give credit to any copyrighted content? Thanks!

[@photographer136]

Nice one Nicole take care from the U.K.

[@NicoleGlass]

Thanks!

[@shutterspeedireland1148]

hey Nicole, great to c u ;)

[@sexyant9519]

I am the 1000th person to like! Thank you very much for your experience

[@NicoleGlass]

aww thank you for the 1000th like! :)

[@andrewdutton3831]

Are you selling any stills on Pond5? And secondly, where is your still photography portfolio doing the best? (istock? Alamy? Adobe?)

[@andrewdutton3831]

Disregard....I got the answer in one of your other videos!

[@denizumut1]

Hey Nicole, just a quick question about keywords: in almost every stock platform, their system automatically generate few keywords, ie: "man, woman, exterior, long shot, green, day" etc.. is it better to delete those and just using our own keywords, or keeping them together with our own?

[@NicoleGlass]

Some of them are okay to use, but I’ve noticed that their keywords often don’t match the photo. Just make sure they’re accurate and then add some of your own.

[@hanskuoni8475]

Well done

[@maja.w.podrozy]

Can I sell videos as commercial that I also use on my youtube channel?

[@carolynvines2027]

You had a baby in 2021? Congratulations!

[@NicoleGlass]

Thank you! ☺️

[@Donkhl_s1981]

Do you think Shutterstock buying Pond5 will be bad for Contributors

[@johannjcqs5270]

Hello Nicole ! I was wondering, given your experience, do you think that uploading stock video filmed with a smartphone is a good idea or is the quality standard really high ? In this case is there a demand for vertical video stock ?

[@NicoleGlass]

Depends what you’re shooting. I’ve definitely used my cell phone camera to document some protests and made good sales with them. But you would need good subject matter and of course good lighting if you’re using a phone. Regarding vertical video: I have not uploaded that or seen any vertical video uploads

[@johannjcqs5270]

@@NicoleGlass thanks Nicole. If I ever upload any vertical content I shall tell you if it as an impact or not.

[@johannjcqs5270]

@@NicoleGlass Do you mute most of your video content before uploading if the audio is not of importance ?

[@NicoleGlass]

@@johannjcqs5270 yes I do!

[@emanuelgarcia7397]

Does this passive income increase over time or what ,how much do you get paid.

[@NicoleGlass]

It can if your clips are useful to buyers, and if you consistently upload

[@alvaro93364]

How much did that white lens you use cost? Is that a prime lens?

[@NicoleGlass]

That's the Canon 70-200 Version III www.amazon.com/Canon-70-200mm-2-8L-Digital-Cameras/dp/B07DFVF7M4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=IIR4SVUCIK1O&keywords=canon+70-200&qid=1657114010&sprefix=canon+70-200%2Caps%2C64&sr=8-1

[@WCIN]

Teach me how to sell

[@hafizurmahdi5284]

Hey Miss Glass, can I upload my photos both on my Instagram as feed and on stock sites to sell?

[@NicoleGlass]

Yes!

[@blairblair5913]

Hi, I own some historical artefacts replicas which were bought as souvenirs , if I will took the photos of them and publish them on some site like Shutterstock would that be legal to sell?

[@NicoleGlass]

You could upload those as illustrative editorial images

[@blairblair5913]

@@NicoleGlass great thank you

[@angkorbackroad]

Cool

[@angkorbackroad]

Thanks you for sharing, if you visit ANGKOR Cambodia will be your assistant to explore the most hidden Angkor for free , i am positive .

[@dinagalall]

If you are okay answering. Is stock photography your main source of income?

[@NicoleGlass]

No it is not. I make around $1-$2k a month with it, not enough to live in this area

[@dinagalall]

@@NicoleGlass Thank you for replying.

[@sagstar]

Your “water lily” is actually a lotus flower just fyi from a plant nerd.

[@NicoleGlass]

You are right haha, that was at the Lotus Festival in DC

[@CalciFrostHV]

Shutterstock acquires Pond5 for $210M Do you think they'll be slashing the rates for Pond5 video? They also appointed a new CEO.

[@Jalalkakar77]

You are so nice

[@richcoup3770]

🤘🏼

[@tommysab937]

To

[@stylesboydev3893]

Kas mai bi ek photographr hota to kuch kar ke dikha tha par kya kare mai photographer banne ki bahut koshish kar rha hu Bhagwan 🙏 ki dya se kash mai photographer ban jau 🙏🙏 jai mahakaal

[@pritamroychowdhury6594]

Bro money ke liye stock photography mat karo if you love photography then do stock photography or you don't like photography then don't do it 🙂❤️

[@TheRedFang11]

XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD, i create account on shutterstock and prepare my best flowers, mountain and forest phots for upload then watched this wideo makes me laught

[@TrickiKnow]

You have a cute baby, girl or boy?

[@NicoleGlass]

Little boy:)

[@TrickiKnow]

@@NicoleGlass 🙂

[@gasolinewine801]

Loved seeing Ellicott City, since that’s where I live.

[@gasolinewine801]

Loved seeing Ellicott City, since that’s where I live.

[@NicoleGlass]

Nice place to live! I love going there :)