by Jennifer Johnson

Created on: July 26, 2009

Whether you're an experienced photographer or artist or just a hobbyist, you've no doubt heard of microstock agencies and if you're reading this article you're likely debating on whether or not to try your hand at microstock.

The messageboards at various agencies are peppered with questions like, "How much can I make a month? Can you really make a living doing this? How much do you earn?"

While it's most definitely possible to make a nice living from microstock, it's definitely not a sure bet that you will. In order to make the most return on time invested, you have to do your homework and choose the agency (or agencies) that are best for you.

Choosing the best performing microstock agencies is largely a matter of trial and error, however here's a quick rundown of a couple of the more popular agencies as well links to other sites that you will probably want to consider. After a little research, you'll be better able to choose an agency that will (hopefully) perform well for you.

iStockphoto
www.istockphoto.com

iStockphoto bills itself as "the internet's original member-generated image and design community" - they started in 2000 and are considered by many the major player in microstock.

According to a recent press release, they pay in excess of $1 million dollars *a week* in artist royalties. Before you get too excited, though, you should be aware that they also have over 5 million images in their collection - and many talented artists and photographers competing.

iStockphoto offers credit packages that buyers can use to purchase images as well as a newer subscription option.

As a contributor, you earn a base rate of 20% commission on each image sold and if you decide to become an exclusive contributor, you can earn up to 40%.

Although you may not sell as many downloads on iStockphoto as you do elsewhere, the higher (relative to some other microstock sites) price paid to the contributor can make it a great place to sell your work.

Be aware, though, that they have what I would consider fairly strict quality standards and you may find you have a higher rejection rate for submissions at iStockphoto compared to other microstock sites. Even taking that into consideration, though, many artists and photographers count iStockphoto among their top moneymakers.

PROS: relatively easy to get accepted, well-known/popular among photo buyers, quite a bit of free information available on-site to help improve your artwork or photos, decent commission rate, ability

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