Getting Started in Microstocks - Dreamstime

Start submitting to Dreamstime and make money from your photography - register NOW!!






Dreamstime was the first microstock agency to accept my photos way back in October 2008. It has an active and inclusive community and many of the photographers with the agent are very loyal to it.

It was one of the easier microstocks to start with too and from reviewing the current literature it still is.

Many agencies require you to submit a set of photos i.e. Shutterstock, of which you must have 7 acceptable photos before they will start selling your photos. On Shutterstock, if you don't get accepted, you have to wait a month before submitting 10 more photos for review.

Dreamstime is different, after registering for free, you can start uploading photos for review. Even if they are rejected, you can still upload more.

Why join Dreamstime?

• Helpful online community, with active forums and blogs.
• Good exclusive offer for photographer short of time. You get 20 cents for each accepted file and 60% of the sale price (compared to only 30% for most images by non-exclusive photographers).
• Fair easy to build up a portfolio.
• Make money - Dreamstime is my second largest earner, for most photographer, it is in the top four.
• Helpful feedback on rejected images.

I've enjoyed being with Dreamstime. It's the community I'm most involved with as I've found the forums and blogs useful. If you haven't started yet with microstocks, I believe this is a great agency to start and sell photos. Whilst you might not make a lot of money, (some do, especially if you view it as a business) you will start making some money from photography and maybe cover the cost of it.

Good luck!!!

For a general overall of the main microstock agencies see my previous article Getting Started in Microstocks

Getting Started in Microstocks

Stock Image - Finance and China









If you have a DSLR camera, a passion for photography (and video) and an appetite for learning then microstocks could be for you. Treat it as an experiment and the very least it will do for you is to broaden your photographic horizons.

I’ve spent time on Flickr, which is great for learning photographic style and getting inspiration.

Microstocks are great for learning those softer technical skills that could help you earn some money from your photography like; why ISO is important, how to deal with noise, how to make isolated images and what kind of pictures sell.

You have a choice of agencies to start with but some require that you qualify for photographer status first before you can submit i.e. Shutterstock and 123RF.

I’d suggest that you first try Dreamstime and Fotolia because;

• You can summit photographs once you have registered.
• If your photographs get rejected, you will get feedback.
• You will learn from rejections and be in a better position to submit more photos.

Fotolia, despite not requiring you submit photographs for inspection before accepting you as a photographer, are very fussy over what they accept.

You can build up a portfolio and also understand which photos are the most suitable to use to gain qualified status at 123RF and Shutterstock.

Shutterstock is now considered to be the number one in microstocks. It certainly is in my experience but it’s also notoriously hard to get accepted. It took me three goes.

Here are some tips for submitting to Shutterstock (also for 123RF).

• Only submit photos that were taken at ISO 100 or less.
• Submitted photos should be different from one another.
• Use the Shutterstock forums to help. They have one specifically for critiquing new submitters.


And good luck. I’ve found that once you have been accepted by Shutterstock that they are fairly constistent with what they accept and reject. It’s now my favourite site.

There are other microstock agencies but these ones are in the top 6 and they provide some income and a lot of fun. Good luck in your microstock adventures and be careful - it's very addictive!



Free Registration at Fotolia

Submit Photos to Shutterstock and make $$$$