Can you sell JPEGs on Shutterstock? My 2026 Strategy

I’ve been selling on Shutterstock for over two years now. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that it is still tricky to understand exactly what works. Some of my images sell seven times as much as others, and the reasons aren't always what you'd expect as a photographer.

What actually sells?

In the beginning, I thought my favorite photos of buildings, dogs or houses I personally liked would do well. They didn't. It is very tricky to sell stock images because your photos need to be telling a story that almost everyone could pick up and use in their own content.

For me, focusing on family generation pictures has been the winner. Photos of a grandma and granddaughter or elderly people dealing with the everyday troubles of aging have consistently sold. These are stories that magazines and blogs need.

Grandma & Granddaugther

Fuji jpeg vs. RAW for stock

We all love the Fujifilm Straight Out Of Camera (SOOC) jpeg's for our personal work, but for stock, I’ve found that using and editing the RAW files myself is the better choice.

I tend to make the design less "artistic" than I prefer for myself. For Shutterstock, you want the images to be lighter, easy, and almost magazine-ready. The buyers wants a clean look they can drop into their own layout, not a heavy film simulation that dictates the mood too much, in my experience.

The legal side: People, Landmarks, and Art

Photography of people is definitely the best for selling. Even Shutterstock makes it clear how important this is:

"Did you know that images and videos with model releases sell more than any other content? Customers search for authentic and diverse content with people from all over the world in these categories."

... but it is also the most time consuming and tricky. You need a model release (modellerklæring) for every single person if you can spot a face in the frame. So it's a bit of findings the best balance. Capture the authentic moment while also making sure you have the paperwork in order. Also, if your image shows famous landmarks or protected art, they will also deny you, so you have to learn to shoot around those things.

Trends, Competitions, and Video

Shutterstock does a good job of telling you what the current trends are. It’s always a good idea to look over those lists and think through your own photo archive, "Do I have something that matches this already?"

I also use these trends as a personal photography competition. It’s a great excuse to get out there and create new work with a specific goal in mind. As for video? I have tried uploading a handful of clips, but that has yet to work for me. I’m still figuring out the "how" for stock footage.

Shutterstock trends

Data Licensing (Datalisensering)

There is a lot of talk about Data Licensing on Shutterstock lately. In my experience, there is very little money to be made off it. It’s essentially selling your image metadata and content for AI training. I’ll make another post specifically on that topic soon, but for now, don't expect it to pay the bills.

Is It Worth It?

Earning less than a dollar per sale in the start does not feel very rewarding. It's honestly discouraging, but if you see it as passive income and just another way for more people to see your work, then I suggest you get into it. It’s a long game (and a quantity game), but the lessons you learn about what makes a "useful" photo will actually make you a better photographer in the long run. The fun part is loggin into your shutterstock profile and randomly you'll see one of your images being sold a lot all of a sudden. My best selling photo is sold 7x as much as the other ones, and I'm still trying to figure this out!