How Much Money I Made With Stock Photography in 2024
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- By: Peter Orsel
After starting stock photography in late 2022 and making my first $1,900 in 2023, it’s time to share what happened in 2024. I already wrote about my first year, this is the update.
I upload travel content, so if you’re a travel photographer, you can do the same, as long as you’re uploading quality files.
This was also the year my income became mostly passive: I didn’t upload a single file for the first six months.
In This Post
How many files did I upload in 2024?
For the first six months, I didn’t upload anything. I was busy moving to a new place in Bali, had family visiting, and picked up other freelance work. The upside was that the money kept coming in regardless. In August, I found time to upload 700 files, bringing my total portfolio to 5,264 files.
Previous posts about Stock Photography
If you’re curious about selling photos through stock photography, these articles are worth a look.
How much did you earn in stock photography in 2024
All of 2024 added up to $4,397 USD.
Most of these files were uploaded back in 2023, so this income was close to fully passive. Compare that to my first year: I made roughly the same amount in the first six months of 2024 as I did in all of 2023.
To track how much I earn per upload, I divide a given month’s earnings by the total number of files in my portfolio that month. In 2023 that averaged $0.05 USD per file per month. In 2024 it rose to $0.075, mainly because of two standout months in March and September.
In March, I sold 23 photos through Shutterstock in a single day for a combined $218 USD, the best single day I’ve had on that platform. In September, Adobe Stock gave me my best month ever on that platform: $214 USD. Pond5 added another $91 USD in October, from an AI training payout, which I’ll get to below.
What platform sells best?
Here’s how my 2024 earnings were split across platforms:
- Envato Elements: 30,2%
- Shutterstock: 28,5%
- Adobe Stock 22,9%
- Pond5 6,7%
- iStock 5,6%
- Depositphotos 1,7%
- Blackbox 1,6%
- 123RF 1,3%
- Alamy 0,6%
- Dreamstime 0,6%
- Freepik 0,13%
My three best platforms accounted for about 80% of the $4,397 total. A handful of smaller platforms hadn’t reached their minimum payout yet, so that money is still waiting on the account.
For the full breakdown of which platforms I’d suggest starting with, and which ones I’d avoid, I keep an up-to-date page with the numbers for every year.
Did i reach my goals?
My goal for 2024 was simple: double what I made in 2023. I hit it comfortably. After $1,900 in 2023, I brought in $4,397 in 2024, more than double.
This passive income stream kept generating money without much effort on my end for most of the year, which says more about the value of consistent, patient uploading than about chasing quick wins. Every one of these files would otherwise be unused on a hard drive.
I didn’t expect the same growth to repeat in 2025. Doubling again would have needed a much bigger portfolio, and with a remote job taking up more of my time, I had less room to shoot and upload new content. See here how 2025 turned out.
How do i see the future of stock photography?
With AI tools becoming more accessible and image generation improving fast, the market is getting more competitive. Even so, I still think stock photography adds value. Some images simply can’t be generated, and buyers still care about real content.
That said, I wouldn’t rely on stock photography as a permanent income stream. I treat it, along with this blog, as a bonus on top of other work: money that makes travel more affordable and lets me upgrade my gear. If you depend fully on stock income, the next few years could be rough.
As a digital nomad, spreading your income across multiple sources is the way to go. If you want ideas, I’ve written about the best ways to earn money while traveling the world.
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About Me
Peter Orsel is a Dutch travel photographer based in Bali, specialized in drone and landscape photography. He has visited over 40 countries and writes detailed, no-nonsense guides based on firsthand experience.