In 2009, Shutterstock was the first stock photo bank to begin acting as a tax agent, followed by other major stock banks like Fotolia, Dreamstime, and Depositphotos by the end of the year. How did this manifest? These popular stock photo banks started withholding taxes from image sales.

More and more stock agencies are launching Russian-language interfaces for users. And, perhaps, this is justified, as many microstock contributors are indeed from Russian-speaking regions. But, importantly, the percentage of stock buyers from Russian-speaking regions is also increasing month by month. It seems to me that the introduction of Russian localization on stock agencies is driven by competition for new markets.

Occasionally, interesting articles appear on various microstocks that, when approached correctly, can help increase sales volume and boost your earnings on stock photo sites.

After I began working with stock agencies and monitoring my sales, I wondered, “How can I increase my photo sales on stock agencies?” All microstockers surely ponder similar thoughts at some point.

Today I want to focus on the first steps of working with the micro-payment stock photo bank Shutterstock. SS is a leading microstock platform favored by many contributors, including beginners.

Shutterstock stands as a prominent player in the microstock industry, offering photographers and graphic designers a platform to monetize their creative works.