If Internet marketers are good at anything, it’s finding creative ways to make money online. One intriguing way to bring more cash your way might be to start your own stock photography site. There are multitudes of people who need excellent quality stock photos to use with their blogs, websites, sales pages, and more.

But not everyone has an endless stream of ready-to-publish photos at their fingertips. That’s why good stock photo sites are so popular. If you’re thinking about expanding your horizons, this might be an appealing option to explore.

With a decent digital camera, an eye for the interesting, and a knack for lighting and composition, you could find yourself with a successful new business. So, how do you go about building a stock photo business? What are the legal issues be you might face?

First, there are some legal issues that you’ll want to be aware of if you decide to get into the stock photography business. The biggest question is who has the rights to the photos or the images and what exactly can you photograph and sell without having to get permission?

It’s best to do your own research on the legalities of photographing the particular subject(s) that you’re interested. But, there’s some basic information that can set you on the right path.

Nature – If you’re photographing the trees, flowers, clouds, bugs, and birds that you see while on a walk through the park, you’re probably safe from facing copyright issues.

Photos shot on public property – If you’re shooting photos on public property, you may need to seek the permission of the governing authority that oversees that property, especially if there are security reasons. But, if you’re simply taking garden-variety photos, such as the nature photos mentioned above, it’s probably not necessary.

Private property – Don’t shoot photos on private property without permission of the property owner.

Buildings – You can photograph buildings that are in a public place or visible from a public place.

Works of Art – Often, works of art such as paintings, sculptures, statues, etc. are off limits if you’re planning to photograph them for a profit, unless you have permission from the copyright owner, which is usually the artist, not the owner of the piece of art.

Public Domain – Subjects that are public domain are those created before January 1, 1922. Copyright laws do not protect them.

People – If you’re planning on using a photo of a celebrity on your own site or to sell a photo that you took of a celebrity, you’ll need to have that person sign a release. People who aren’t celebrities are also protected from having a photo of them sold or used without their express permission. Be cognizant of the ramifications if you’re planning to include pictures of people in your stock photo site.

While using your own photography skills is an excellent way to create another stream of income, you’ll want to do thorough research before posting and selling your photos.

You should explore which photo categories you’ll want to sell. Studying established sites such as istockphoto.com, shutterstock.com, corbis.com, etc., will help you learn the ropes.

Pay close attention because you’ll need to have procedures and clear, strongly-stated terms of service established for your customers. You’ll need to build up a very large stock of digital photos to offer. Then, build your website and optimize it so that you start bringing in traffic.

Don’t forget to start a buzz about your new site by participating in discussions and forums, and submitting some good quality articles to directories on how to use photos to add impact to a website, sales page, or blog.

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