My 3 top selling stock photos on Shutterstock, Adobe Stock and Pond5

[@GraphiteOnPaperWorks]

I've got to say, you did help me earn on Shutterstock, about USD150-200 per month, some months peaking at 300. I have 1,155 images uploaded, but I've got to work on my videos this year.

[@NicoleGlass]

That's actually quite good with a portfolio that size :)

[@GamerDude2010]

Can you share your profile ❤

[@letsdiscover8327]

Hi! I've been watching your videos for two years now, and just today I realized that I was not subscribed. So you've got a new subscriber now, who wants to THANK YOU for all the useful information you've been providing!

[@ericcutler5463]

Thank you for sharing Nicole! Happy New Year!

[@NicoleGlass]

Happy New Year! :)

[@offtherealm5438]

Nicole.....thanks for your video content. I now have 100 photos in my portfolio and have sold about 100.

[@NicoleGlass]

Nice, keep it up! :)

[@mirovrlik]

Thank You for sharing Nicole

[@letstalkbigfootbylindanewt36]

thank you. My best seller is a photo taken inside of a pop up trailer. Who would have guessed!

[@claudineweber-hilty]

Nice to see you again😃 What about a video about your workflow: how you make stockfootage, how to cut (ev more then one piece in one time) your settings on camera for slowmo uploud prozess and keywording😅. That is so confusing when working with different platforms.. 🙏🏽

[@NicoleGlass]

Hey Claudine, most of these questions I've made videos about at one point or another. Regarding my stock video process, I talked about some of that here :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHObiI2trtqNbKs

[@MarcBourbonnais1]

do you edit your images?

[@ronyzmiri]

Thanks Nicole, always interesting!

[@NicoleGlass]

Sure thing!

[@shutterspeedireland1148]

Hey Nicole, gr8 to see you!

[@NicoleGlass]

Hello ! :)

[@prasad_23]

Hi Nicole, I have been watching your videos for more than a year. I wanna Kickstart my career also in selling stock photos & videos. Hope you could let me know few of my doubts. I have Canon 200D. 1. Best websites for selling stock photos/videos? 2. Can we withdraw thru PayPal in those websites? 3. How far would you recommend using Mobile for selling stock photos/videos (out of 10)? 4. Please let me know which is websites are more strict in reviewing our photos/videos and which are less strict? (Please write in chronologically) 5. Which earns more? Stock photos or stock videos? 6. Should we use gimbal for stabilizing videos or can we stabilize in premiere pro and post them? You are my inspiration Nicole. And I now I need to work like you by selling content. Hope you could reply in your free time. Thank you My name is Varaprasad. i am from India.

[@fahadayub6878]

Question: Do we need model release for protest photos as their are people there.

[@malikshots290]

Great video, thanks so much. I’ve tried adobe and shutterstock but both of which gave flags to my photos because of grain or short descriptive captions could you make a video of how to submit your photo correctly or reasons why it’s not getting approved of photo?

[@offtherealm5438]

One tip that helped my submission approved tremendously (I'm not that great a photographer/camera experience) is RESIZE my photos to extreme smallest size and still be above 4megs requirement. Not crop or trim. 4megs = 2,000x2,000 pixels. And with photos being rectangles....I've worked this out to be 2668x1501. This has helped my main rejection reasons of grain, artifacts and focus. Hope this helps.

[@NicoleGlass]

Thanks for sharing your method!

[@offtherealm5438]

@@NicoleGlass Also for camera Shake rejections.....this may seem elementary.....but I almost always use a tripod and use and the 2 second timer delay.......cause with me, after I shoot the 📸......the camera actually shakes for a split second. I've learned all this the hard way. This ain't being fancy.....this is just things I was forced to learn if I want Shutterstock to approve my work.

[@RucontenidoMX]

I love your content!!

[@NicoleGlass]

Thanks!

[@nicejayreviews70]

I have a question mam,,if i upload a photo it must be landscape? Thanks in advance😊😊😊🙏

[@ernestjoblues]

is it a must to upload images that shot by full frame camera or by iphone ?

[@zoyakim9066]

Hi Nicole, your videos are very interesting! I do have one question, can I upload the same photos on Pond5 and Shutterstock?

[@NicoleGlass]

Yes you can!

[@tonywoodhouse6988]

@@NicoleGlass Can you go exclusive for footage on Pond 5, but non exclusive for photos?

[@shack109]

Like dryer sheets in a laundromat?

[@NicoleGlass]

Ha... yes. Good memory! And TOES lol

[@andrewblackburn555]

Hi Nicole! Firstly let me say thank you. Your videos on here got me started in stock photography and although I've done little for a year I am now restarting. My question is; do you use a stock uploader (Xpiks or similar) to upload to multiple sites or have you got your own way of doing such? Thanks. And congrats on being a Mum!! Am sure life is now VERY different for you...:)

[@NicoleGlass]

Hi Andrew, thank you for the kind words! It is certainly a big challenge balancing photography with motherhood. To answer your question: I upload to various platforms directly. But I know plenty of people who use other services (like Wirestock) to do the work for them.

[@andrewblackburn555]

@@NicoleGlass Thanks for the reply Nicole - much appreciated...😊. I've tried out Xpiks, which is quite simple to use and is just one off payment (I think). There are a few other uploaders about but don't really have the inclination to try them all!! All the best with motherhood - the world's most important job.

[@obse02]

👋

[@Travelphotodiscovery]

Does it make more sense to shoot 4K vs HD for video, which is more in demand by any of these agencies?

[@richardmurphy4648]

So, the toe is out? 🤭 Hope you and your family are all well. Good to see you back again 🤟

[@NicoleGlass]

Haha yeah the toe never sold again after that video 😂 Happy New Year!

[@richardmurphy4648]

@@NicoleGlass Happy New Year to you all, also 🤟

[@Aggelos12345678]

It's great that you share this kind of content and I'm ready to start uploading! Quick question though, Why aren't you upload the same content in multiple stock sites?

[@NicoleGlass]

Adobe doesn’t accept news footage, for example. So that portfolio looks quite different

[@angkorbackroad]

brilliant

[@realdavidpayne]

Your video was featured on Channel 5!

[@NicoleGlass]

What? Which one? Any chance you have a link

[@realdavidpayne]

@@NicoleGlass kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4PJdKqKaLqEr5Ysi=gfIBY2YOitH0Pai- At 24:24

[@KVergot]

Question: Can you upload (and is it helpful) the same image in different aspect ratios and also portrait/landscape if the image lends itself to that kind of flexibility? Or will it likely get rejected?

[@Akshayaccesspar]

Yes

[@wendylucid6049]

My top seller is 66 times and I’m happy with that ,

[@Roydaboi]

How much did you earn and how big is your portfolio

[@jimwilliams5099]

How often do you load up photos, and how many at a time?

[@NicoleGlass]

I've been on a break to take care of my newborn, but in normal times I would upload at least 100 new videos per month and even more photos (but as I said, I stopped focusing on photos and mostly focus on video now)

[@artsamples09]

Hi Nicole , I am a beginner ... i would like know how to contact stock platforms so I can sell my stock videos , thanks

[@NicoleGlass]

Just go to the websites and create accounts :)

[@oneeyedphotographer]

How did the shutterstock changhes affect you?

[@NicoleGlass]

Photo earnings decreased but video earnings increased.

[@jiml8594]

Do you sell many videos taken with your GoPro?

[@NicoleGlass]

I’ve sold a few - but I don’t have much GoPro footage for sale. Just a handful

[@anzaeria]

From my experience, I find that GoPro videos rarely sell. I sell much more videos that are shot with my Panasonic M4/3 cameras - the G6 and G7.

[@SalvadorLosAngeles]

Can anyone answer: Are we able to take a stock video and then simply use one of the freeze frames as a stock photo? Is that allowed or recommended?

[@NicoleGlass]

You can certainly try, but the quality has to be high enough for the agencies' standards.

[@SalvadorLosAngeles]

@@NicoleGlass thank you

[@LisaCulton]

I'm also selling a lot of editorial photos. My top editorial photos show mask-wearing people sitting in a Cathedral and waiting for a train in Vienna, Austria.

[@NicoleGlass]

Oh awesome! I went to high school in Vienna :) My brother still lives there.

[@LisaCulton]

@@NicoleGlass Cool! The pictures are from Summer 2020, but I haven't been back since - due to the restrictions. Back then, I thought, "OK, I'll sell these pictures during the pandemic - while it lasts..." Little did I know that they would become timeless. Oh My!

[@99.YamanKumar]

👏

[@joncothranphotography9375]

I have only been doing stock for a year and only on 2 platforms, but I have not sold one single image.

[@NicoleGlass]

What is your portfolio like?

[@joncothranphotography9375]

@@NicoleGlass wildlife photography. I am going to add some random images to hopefully get some sells...

[@FilmshooterOH]

Wildlife is a very saturated market. Try to diversify your stuff.

[@joncothranphotography9375]

@@FilmshooterOH exactly! I am going to upload random stuff to see what hits...

[@jimwilliams5099]

How many different places do you post photos to, and which ones are making you the most money?

[@NicoleGlass]

I’ve dabbled with a lot of them but my biggest, main ones are Pond5, Shutterstock and Adobe Stock. I used to use Alamy a lot but stopped uploading as it wasn’t doing so well

[@micciapc]

Hi Nicole, I have a doubt about shutterstock's popularity indications. Below the photo you indicated regarding the climate, there is a popularity score none and a usage score never used. How come? Are Shutterstock's values unreliable? On the other hand, under your other photos (such as yours with the mask and the shopping cart) high popularity and high use is indicated

[@ruff_house]

I feel like that information is bugged, my top sellers say that that they never been used but sell almost daily

[@NicoleGlass]

Yeah I’m not sure how they rank them. The one with me and and the mask was one of my most popular in 2020 but hardly sells anymore. I also have some photos that never sold showing up on my first page. So not really sure there.

[@micciapc]

@@NicoleGlass I had the doubt that it was not reliable. Thank you

[@BrettHondow]

@@ruff_house Same here, very unreliable stats.

[@deondixon3267]

❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@TheDroneAngle]

It hasn't been worth the effort for me. The last video I sold on Pond5 was a sunrise hyperlapse which they sold below my set minimum price and it went for less than the $25 they pay out...so I may never get the money unless they sell something else. I gave up putting photos up there.

[@NicoleGlass]

It probably sold in a lower resolution, thus the lower payout.

[@TheDroneAngle]

@@NicoleGlass It was about 75% of what I listed the resolution purchased for...just saying.

[@FilmshooterOH]

Stock video and photos are a long game. You really need to build a solid portfolio of clips and photos to make decent money. I have a bit over 1600 videos online and am making $275-300/mo.

[@DanielaMartinez-zf8fs]

🙌🏾💚

[@RotanaHammad]

please can we know your Shutterstock account

[@thewho9112]

Time V effort, stock websites are a waste of time. If you spent the time doing other things you know make money, do that. I shut down my stock photos, best decision I made. So much time wasted keywording and captioning for pennies back. Do the maths on your own. Try and work out an hourly rate and factor in travelling expenses, equipment replacement and wear and tear, plus the proportion of your annual insurance costs.

[@ricardozapata3728]

33 cents per photo on Adobe stock. The value this companies give to the work of everyone is ridiculous.

[@NicoleGlass]

It’s not for everyone. It does pay for my mortgage so I have a different perspective of it.