The photography industry changes each year but what doesn’t change is the need for photos. Travel and tourism industries rely on photography to tell their brand’s story, connect with their audience, and highlight experiences.
For travel photographers like myself, using traditional and unconventional strategies to monetize my travel images is always at the forefront. Realistically, you can’t be a sustainable travel photographer if you’re unable to make an income from your hard work and creativity.
With that said, I’ve compiled a list of ways (with strategies) on how to make money with your travel photos.
So grab your coffee, get your favorite pen and a notepad, and let’s take a closer look at how we can continue to monetize our travel photos in 2025.
1. Stock Photos
Stock photo sites are a staple platform for travel photographers. These sites allow photographers to earn a passive income by selling license to their photos to a range of audiences.
If you want to monetize your travel photos in 2025, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have your images on a quality stock platform. Depending on the platform, you can greatly diversify your market, increase brand exposure, and generate income in your sleep.
The challenge in 2025 is understanding what platforms will create the best results. To be honest, there’s no set formula to generate income. A lot of it will be trial and error.
But, we can explore which strategies will increase our success with stock platforms. Let’s take a look at the top stock photography sites and a few tips on how to sell your images.
Best Stock Sites to Monetize Photography
Shutterstock
Shutterstock is one of the most popular stock platforms. I am a contributor here but have not used it in a while due to using other marketing efforts. But we’re increasing our income with our photos this year so I’ll explain why I personally like Shutterstock.
For starters, it is one of the most popular platforms for stock photography. They have over 400 million of photos, illustrations, and vectors. This stock platform is known for providing high-quality images, meaning that many top businesses use them.
With that said, I like the fact that Shutterstock can easily connect me with my target audience. I also find that Shutterstock has an easy-to-use interface. I want to be able to upload my content seamlessly and this platform makes it simple to do so.
Alamy
Next on our stock list is Alamy. I haven’t personally used this platform but will be signing up. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this company.
If you’re looking to monetize your photos in 2025, then I would suggest giving Alamy a try. They have a vast pool of potential buyers from various industries, allowing photographers to gain exposure.
Also, since we’re all about monetizing photography, you’ll be glad to know that Alamy offers some of the highest earning potential. Photographers can earn up to 50% of direct sales, which is better than many of the stock photography platforms.
iStock/Getty
Just like the other stock platforms, iStock has a large global market. Photographers will receive a percentage of earnings for each image but can potentially earn higher royalties if you become an exclusive contributor for iStock.
I’m also a contributor at iStock and like that they have a seamless uploading experience, has a great reputation, and definitely love the earning potential.
Key Considerations
Stock photography is a great way to create passive income, but you’re not likely to get rich. With that said, there are some really successful stock photographers so anything is possible.
Stock photography platforms connect photographers with brands, but many platforms are saturated with photographers. This means you’ll need to stand out. The best way to stand out is by finding your niche and continuing to improve your quality.
Personally, I’ve gained traction on platforms like Shutterstock and iStock by focusing on only uploading my best work and adhering to the platform’s uploading rules.
I would also suggest diversifying platforms to start and zeroing in on one or a couple as you get more performance data.
2. Selling Stock Images on Your Website
Every photographer should have a professional website that showcases their images. But instead of just using your site as a portfolio, use it to monetize your photography in 2025.
Selling stock images on your website allows you to cut out the middleman and earn 100% commission on what you sell.
Most stock sites have rigorous uploading standards to ensure quality. If you decide to sell images on your site, hold yourself to those same standards to ensure you have a high-quality stock inventory.
Your photos should have a strong composition and professional editing. Finding a clear niche will also give you direction and narrow down your audience.
There are other important aspects to figure out as well. Here are some things to think about:
- Licensing terms for images
- Whether you’ll have pricing tears
- Model release forms (if needed)
Other factors that are important when selling stock images on your site is ensuring your website is easy to navigate and offers a seamless viewing and purchasing experience for potential clients.
Obviously, stock photography platforms have built a tailored audience that allows photographers to access many potential clients. However, there is a lot of competition on these platforms, making selling on your website attractive.
I would say that if you just use your website to house your images, it will be difficult to sell your photos. Ideally, you want to have some form of content marketing, such as a blog to drive traffic to your website.
While it may take time to build an audience, it will be rewarding if you can earn 100% of your image sales.
3. Reaching Out to Potential Clients via Email
For photographers looking for a more proactive approach, you can curate a set of images and reach out to potential clients to sell them. For this to be effective, you’ll need to really know your target audience.
What type of images do they like? Which images would really add to their brand message? The more you learn about your target audience, the better you’ll be able to personalize a gallery that aligns with their needs.
When I’m pitching to clients, I spend time looking at all of their marketing messages. If I’m signed up for their newsletter, I take a look at the last few posts to see what images they include in their advertising.
I also review their website end-to-end to see what images they use and could benefit from. Of course, social media accounts are important as well. I often look at my potential client’s social media pages to get a better idea of what content they create.
From there, I create a photo gallery that aligns with my potential client’s needs and reach out to marketing and advertising departments to see if they are interested.
Aside from curating high-quality and relevant images, your email presentation needs to be on point. That means having a clear and catchy headline, personalize your message, check for grammatical errors, and have a clear value proposition.
4. Print Sales
Selling photography prints is a great way to get your images off of digital platforms and monetize your photos in 2025.
I think it’s so important for photographers to have physical copies of their work. It’s equally important for users to physically interact with your images versus scrolling digitally.
Another thing I love about photo prints is that it creates an opportunity for your work to live and be appreciated a lot longer. The instantaneous nature of social media typically leads to photography being quickly consumed and then forgotten about.
So, how do you sell photo prints in 2025? For starters, you’ll need a unique niche that differentiates you as a photographer. You also want to ensure that every image in your collection is of high-quality to capture potential clients’ attention.
Next, you’ll need to think about who may be interested in prints and develop a marketing strategy to advertise to them.
Many businesses like hotels and restaurants purchase prints from photographers to decorate their space and have images that add to the atmosphere and align with their brand.
Create a list of local companies who you think would benefit from having your images shown in their space. After making a list, think of a marketing strategy to get yourself in front of them.
There are many ways you can go about doing it, including:
- Cold emailing: Let hem know who you are, types of photography you create, and why your images would be good to hang on their walls. Include a link to your best images and try to schedule a meeting where they could look at your prints in person.
- Cold calling: It doesn’t hurt to call beforehand to see if a company is interested in prints. Calling allows you to establish a base relationship and find out whether a prospect is actually interested in your offering.
- Sending mini prints: If you really want to stand out, send mini prints to local companies you want to do business with. Mini prints serve as a sample of your work and are effective. Businesses can analyze the quality of your work, determine its value, and get a better idea of how your images would look in their space. When sending prints, be sure to also send over all your information, such as your website and contact information.
Aside from reaching out to local businesses, you can offer to sell prints on your website. This opens the door for a wider market than what stock photography provides because everyone wants a piece of art in their home or office.
If you choose to sell prints on your website, you’ll need a solid marketing strategy to drive traffic. Social media will play a huge role in attracting prospects so be sure to create a professional and captivating social media page.
It’s also essential to keep your socials updated. You don’t need to post everyday, but 2-3 days a week highlighting your best work is a good idea.
I think the opportunities for monetization is only growing for photographers. The key is to be strategic, creative, and not be afraid to try (and sometimes fail). The opportunities are out there, we just have to take hold of them.
Comment below and let me know what strategies you plan to try this year. If you’ve tried anything in the past, now is a good time to revisit those strategies and see how you can perfect them.