How to Get Paid to Take Pictures With Your Phone

The smartphone market has evolved like no other in the last few decades. In 2005, it was considered fancy to even be able to take a picture using the same device you take calls with; in 2022, however, most smartphones boast multiple cameras, incredible zooming abilities, nighttime photography, and other incredible features.

While some people use their quality cameras to capture selfies and take visual notes of where they parked their car, others make the most of it by turning taking pictures into a side hustle. Did you know you could get paid to take pictures even if you’re not a professional photographer?

In this article, you’re going to learn about 10 websites and apps where you can sell your pictures and earn money easily!

Shutterstock is probably the best known of all stock photo websites. Since its initial launch in 2003, it has already paid out more than $1 billion to its contributors – and you could get a slice of that pie, too! Depending on how many stock images you manage to sell in a year, you can collect from 15% to 40% of the sum the buyer pays Shutterstock.

Even though Shutterstock is one of the stock photography industry pioneers, it’s in no way outdated. The platform is constantly updated to make it more user-friendly! Not only can you quickly snap and submit photos using a mobile app, but you can also use in-built tools to keep track of all that extra cash you’ll be making by selling photos.

Using the Foap app is another convenient way to get paid to take pictures. The commission here is a bit higher than on Shutterstock (50%), so it’s no wonder a whopping 3 million people are already using it to sell pictures and make money online!

Aside from casually uploading your pictures via Foap’s Android or iOS application, you can also participate in theme-focused missions that the platform announces regularly. The pictures that get picked as winners get higher rewards than usual, so it’s always worth trying!

Depending on where you live, you might witness various celebrations like weddings, anniversaries, graduations, etc. It’s an eye-pleasing sight for sure – but did you know you could also get paid to take pictures of them? And we're not talking about starting an official event photography business, either!

Snapped4U is a website where you can sell photos you’ve taken of various celebrations and have them purchased by their participants. The price limit is $20 per photo, but most contributors tend to offer more affordable deals. The commission the website takes is not that high, either: it’s 10% for photos priced at $5–20 and $0.50 for photos you sell for less.

EyeEm is one of the most popular stock photography websites – and for a good reason! Not only does it have some of the world’s leading photo agencies as partners, but it also allows you to choose whether you want to keep the copyright to the stock photos you submit.

EyeEm lets you make money selling your photos online, as well as get hired to take photos at specific shoots. Of course, this is more relevant for photography business owners than those taking pictures on their phone camera – and yet, it's nice to have options if you decide to go the professional photography business route!

Have you ever paused for a moment when taking photos and thought, ‘Wow, this would look great on a T-shirt!’? If you have, you should know miPic offers a great opportunity to get paid to take pictures and sell them printed on various merchandise, such as shirts, tote bags, mugs, and so on.

Artists get paid up to 20% of each sale of their work, and while this rate might seem low, you must remember miPic takes care of printing and shipping your pictures around the world. Additionally, merchandise typically sells for a lot more than photos, so the lower rate might still end up making you more money in the long run!

This website is a bit different from the ones discussed before. Instead of simply submitting your pictures and selling them, you need to apply to briefs posted by companies and individuals looking for specific images they are ready to pay you to take.

As you can see, this is more of a side hustle than passive earnings. The good news is, Snapwire only keeps 10% of the sales – the rest is your profit! Joining the platform is also absolutely free, so it's a great way to get paid to take pictures in your free time.

When thinking of ways to get paid to take pictures with your phone, you shouldn’t overlook one of the most popular free apps of our time – Instagram. According to statistics, Instagram posts get over 4 billion likes every day, and businesses are keen to make the most of such an engaged audience.

Yes, Instagram won’t pay you per picture, but look at it this way: the nicer pictures you upload and the better-looking feed you have, the more likely you are to be approached by various companies looking for social media influencers. You might be skeptical now, but there are people living in top real estate they could afford from influencing alone all around the world!

Typically listed among the world's largest stock photography websites, Getty Images and iStock are extremely popular among brands and companies. Once you become a contributor, you can start selling not just your photos but also illustrations and videos on the website.

You can get paid from 15% to 45% of your photo sales: the exact rate depends on how many photos or videos you manage to sell. While it might be lower than, let's say, on the Foap app, selling stock images on the biggest sites might help you not just get paid to take pictures but also potentially see them on billboards, book covers, or other exclusive spaces!

A lot of people see Etsy as a place to sell handmade decorations or niche jewelry – however, the website actually offers a lot more than that. Etsy shops can sell digital files as well as physical goods, which means you can use it to sell your photos online without bothering with printing and shipping.

Due to Etsy's artsy vibe, however, you won't want to offer stock photos, real estate or event pictures here. Think of something people might want to print and hang in their homes. If you've got some time, a little editing can also go a long way: try various color schemes and maybe even quotes!

If your phone does not have the highest quality camera or you simply have no free time to dedicate to photography, you might be thinking this article is not for you. Are there any ways to get paid for taking pictures that aren't good enough for your average photography website?

There actually is one: you can use Ibotta or other apps that pay you cashback on your purchases.

Take snaps of the receipts you get shopping and upload your photos to the app: as long as the quality is good enough for the receipt to be readable, these apps will pay you a percentage of what you spent back! While cashback isn't technically making money, it's a nice way to spend a little less and keep your wallet fuller with effortless passive income.

Learning how to get paid to take pictures is great if you're looking for an opportunity to boost your personal finance situation and use a side hustle for a little extra cash.

Honeygain is another passive income option you shouldn't overlook, though: it helps you make money by effortlessly sharing your internet connection via a simple app for your computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Download it now so you can start making money right away!