Photographer FAQ
Get your photos off your hard drives. Share them with the world. Get Millions of Creatives to Use Your Images and Earn Side Money.
photo by John Terzi/Scopio Contributor
Follow us on @scopioimages and submit on Scop.io/Submit
Earn side money and get noticed! Scopio is changing the way people see the world through authentic photos. We connect photographers with companies and creatives looking to publish their real photos.
To build an authentic photo library, we turned to photographers around the world and launched a portal where photographers can share their work with the most edgy creatives all over the world craving authentic and diverse images. Your photos can be used by companies and creatives across the globe to earn exposure, license your creativity — and get paid for your work!
See what recent photo creators are saying about us.
If you're any of these things...
1) Looking for ways to engage people, reach a wider audience and get exposure on your IG account
2) Wanting to boost your online following and inspire others
3) Curious about an easy way to earn extra cash
4) Creative at heart
5) Searching for ways to improve your content creation skills and use new techniques
6) Thinking about growing your brand or wanting to share a mission through your images
7) Want your own shop to share with people to buy
8) Want to market yourself, and your images but don't know how
We'd love to have you take part! You can submit here. Once you submit tell us your story here!
Photo Submissions
It's 100% free for anyone to submit. You'll be paid every time your photos get published by companies. Some of our top photographers make over $2000/month. We will tag and title your work and do the leg work for you to promote you and your photos. Submit here. scop.io/submit
You'll receive an email asking you to send out and complete model releases. You can see if your photo is accepted by searching on scop.io. Submit here: scop.io/submit
What happens after I submit?Once your submission is in, and all model releases are in, your photos go to our photo editors who pick your best work. We then title and tag the images for you and put them up on our shop. Your images should be live in less than 2 weeks. You can search your name to find your page. If none of your photos made it, make sure your releases are in. Submit more than 100-200, and you have a high chance of making our weekly newsletter and featured artist. Sign up for our newsletter to check out some rising talent. We promote our community heavily.
You'll be paid every time your photos get published by companies. Some of our top photographers make over $2000/month. We will tag and title your work and do the leg work for you to promote you and your photos, all for free for you. We get you more opportunities. Submit here. scop.io/submit. Once you submit, make sure to share your photographer story or more info on a specific shoot so we can promote who you are and what you care about to the world here.
No, there's no need to create an account. You can submit directly at scop.io/submit. You can submit as many times as you want there. We'll send you details by email after you submit.
- Please submit all photos at once or multiple times if you have different shoots. Do not submit as a .zip (or other condensed) file type.
- negative space/copy space
- flatlays (food, back to school etc.)
- clear, crisp definition
- effective use of DoF
- strong design elements (naturally occuring symmetry, shapes, colors etc.)
- interesting textures
- seasonal themes (Christmas, Summer, Halloween)
- non-cliched conceptual themes
- You will need to sign Scopio's contributor agreement and model releases for all recognizable people in the photos. You can do all of this through our submission portal on scop.io/submit
- Minimum resolution is 4 megapixels, but 10 megapixels is preferred. If your images disappear when uploading it was under 4MP, and our system did not accept it. Submit the high res version to avoid this.
- No watermarks, heavy editing or logos (please edit out watermarks and logos) we can't use images with other people's brands which is why logo removal is so important. If you absolutely can't it will be considered for editorial.
- The more you submit, the better chance you have of being a regular Scopio contributor as you build your page
We like when you submit more than 50 photos, you don't need to do it at once, but it will help us pick the best of your work and promote YOU. The more you submit the more your page will grow. You are welcome to submit unlimited images. Our editor selects your best work. Just make sure your photos fit the requirements listed above. If you have photos without people, submit those separately and write 0 when uploading, also if you have editorial images with people you can't get permission for you can write 0 but make sure you do tht separately. Submit here: scop.io/submit
Try submitting by writing out "scop.io/submit" in a browser app on your phone (don't click on it from Instagram), or try submitting directly from a computer. Submit here: scop.io/submit
Please send all photos using scop.io/submit. It walks you through the process, and we'll provide everything you need there. It only takes a few minutes. Submit here: scop.io/submit
We prefer photos that are authentic, and fresh. Here is some of the latest things we are looking for.
- negative space/copy space
- flatlays (food, back to school etc.)
- clear, crisp definition
- effective use of DoF
- strong design elements (naturally occuring symmetry, shapes, colors etc.)
- interesting textures
- seasonal themes (Christmas, Summer, Halloween)
- non-cliched conceptual themes
- kids studying
- elderly
- at home care (brushing teeth, cleaning)
- technology in all forms of our life, especially with elderly and kids.
The photos should also be natural. They should represent what’s popular in your region while retaining the authenticity that makes Instagram, well...Instagram! Think about what makes your city, town or country unique, and aim to show that in your submissions. We love photos of groups, like families or friends, if you can get the ok from all of the people in the photos.
Please no watermarks, logos and brand names, heavy retouching or facetuning. You can remove things like logos using photo editing software (more on this later). We do take some editorial and some illustrations, so if you have something unique, please submit your creative work and we will review it as a part of our first collections.
If you’re not sure whether your photos would work for Scopio, we’re happy to take a look at your proposed submissions. Simply send an Instagram DM to @scopioimages or email us at photographers@scop.io. We’re happy to help. Submit here: scop.io/submit
Your photos can make it to famous brand campaigns, book covers, social media pages, printed tees, its awesome to see how people love and use your images. It's easy exposure if you're trying to grow your sphere of influence — you'll be right in front of everyday people, creatives and companies you admire. You get your own photographer page we curate, and all the information needed for creatives to find your photos. We tag, and title your images we accept. This also gives you the potential to expand your skills and get more opportunities to work with companies in the future. We make it easy for you so you can spend your energy on creating content. We know how hard it is to manage your own work. We sell your photos and for our top photo creators we sell their work on prints and canvases, and do other activations like gallery shows, email campaigns, and advertisements to highlight you.
Submitting your photos to Scopio opens the door for more chances to get seen and published, and more opportunities to impact the world. See what recent photo creators say about us.
We also connect photographers with more people that are interested in their photos. Besides boosting your follower count, this can pave the way towards future relationships with other content creators, and become a part of our community changing the world through authentic photos. Submit here: scop.io/submit
Your images will be accepted if they are model-released if they have people in them, are high-quality, do not have logos or watermarks. If you're not sure whether your images will work, please send some samples to photographers@scop.io or send in more on our submit page.
You're also free to submit as many images as you'd like to Scopio. This will only increase your chances of getting noticed and published and building your photographer page. Submit here: scop.io/submit
Please do not submit images with watermarks. We are unable to promote these to businesses around the world as they would be unable to use them. Please send in original photos without watermarks whenever you're submitting. Submit here: scop.io/submit
Please do not submit photos with logos. We cannot sell these photos commercially, which means that you'll make less and will have less opportunities to distribute your work. Logos can be anything from a laptop emblem to a newspaper title.
If you have logos in your work, please edit them out before submitting to maximize your potential. Submit here: scop.io/submit
There are a variety of tools you can use to remove logos in your photos and ensure that they can be sold commercially. This will make sure you can maximize your opportunities. Submit here: scop.io/submit
Try these approaches:
- Edit your images with retouching software: Use a tool such as Photoshop to remove logos
- Crop sensitive stuff: Crop logos out of your photos if you have space
- Use an app: Using iOS? Try something like Snapseed or TouchRetouch. Aviary or TouchRetouch are apps that are available for Android. For desktop, try your favorite photo editing tools or something like Inpaint.
We have a blog post on how to edit logos out here. Submit here: scop.io/submit
Yes! Your images will be credited to you when we show them to clients, and some of our clients even credit you when they publish the photos. This is a stellar way to get more eyes on your work if you’re trying to grow your following and influence, as your work will be visible to millions. Submit here: scop.io/submit
If your submissions are accepted, they can be published for a variety of design purposes, emails, social posts, or in print and branded material. Your images will have the potential to travel the globe and power more human storytelling. Besides this, you'll build on your skills and portfolio. How cool is that? You can see if your photos were accepted on scop.io, we refresh the content every week. Submit here: scop.io/submit
You are signing a non-exclusive agreement, which is photographer-friendly. This means that you retain copyright to your images. You can re-use and re-sell your images under other non-exclusive provisions, so feel free to keep ‘em up on Instagram, too! Submit here: scop.io/submit
Yes, feel free. Since this license is non-exclusive, you are free to re-use and re-sell your images under other non-exclusive agreements. It’s a very flexible agreement for you. You can also expand reach on your photos by placing them in Scopio’s library. We'd love to promote a large collection from you, and it will increase your digital footprint. You can submit as many times as you would like. Submit here: scop.io/submit
Please submit photos as JPG or PNG files. Submit here: scop.io/submit
The absolute minimum is 4 megapixels, we prefer images that are 10 megapixels or above. Submitting images that are higher resolution increases the chances of your submissions being published. Make sure you submit the original high res file (not a download from fb etc.) Not sure how to calculate megapixels? Enter your image’s dimensions in this calculator. Submit here: scop.io/submit
Community is key! Send them our link at scop.io/submit. You will not compete for them, as we are building the largest library of real people photos, the more faces the better. Submit here: scop.io/submit
First, your photos will be submitted for approval. After they're approved by our team, they might be published by savvy creatives all over the world.
Your photos will also be added to Scopio's library, which is becoming the world's largest photo library featuring real-life people. Savvy brands and companies across the globe will be able to search out and use your images. It's an amazing opportunity if you’re trying to get your work out there, become an influencer and give your portfolio a boost.
There’s potential for long-term partnerships, too; Scopio’s users will also be able to see your image credit if they’d like to work with you directly. We do exclusive works often and once we know you we can reach out with more opportunities. We will also let you know the most popular image categories in case you'd like to submit more in the future and increase your influence. Submit here: scop.io/submit
You can sign the licensing agreement after you upload your photos to Scopio. The steps will walk you through this automatically. Submit here: scop.io/submit
We'll DM or email you to let you know. Submit here: scop.io/submit
Model releases Take 2 Minutes
Yes. If you are the photographer and you appear in your own image, you will need to fill out our short form and sign a model release for yourself. Submit here: scop.io/submit
No. But if your model releases aren't completed, we'll try to reach out to you via DM or email to let you know what has been signed and who you need to send a reminder to. It's best to ask models to inform you when they sign the release. We have an easy link you can copy and send. Submit here: scop.io/submit
A model is anyone that appears in your photos, including you! Each model has to fill out one model release in order to maximize your photo submission and have a better chance of getting scoped out. Submit here: scop.io/submit
Please fill out one model release for yourself each time you submit, unless the photos of you from all submissions are from the same shoot. Submit here: scop.io/submit
A model release is a legal agreement that allows photographers the ability to license images of other people. If you appear in a photograph that a photographer is trying to license (and you are recognizable in the image), you will need to sign a model release for it. And if you're a photographer, you'll need to get all of your models to sign releases. If you are a photographer and you appear in your own images, you will need to sign a model release for yourself. Submit here: scop.io/submit
Each separate model needs to sign one model release per shoot. If you have separate shoots with the same model, have them fill one out for each shoot. Submit here: scop.io/submit
We provide the model release for you so that it's an easier process. After you finish uploading your photos and click submit, we'll create a special model release page just for you where you can view the images you submitted send out releases to your friends to sign. Your browser should automatically refresh to this page.
Make sure you create a bookmark of this page so you can go back to it later. If you lose track of your special model release link, just email photographers@scop.io. Submit here: scop.io/submit
Recognizable people in images should sign model releases if the photographer is trying to license or publish photographs of them.
You might need to sign multiple model releases if you appear in more than one photo.
If you're the photographer and you appear in your own images, you will also need a model release. Submit here: scop.io/submit
Yes, they would need to sign a model release. In this case, model simply refers to a photo’s subject — not just those Gisele Bündchen types. Submit here: scop.io/submit
Yes, we would need a model release for your child if you or someone else submitted photos of them. You will be able to fill out a model release using their name and information. Since we need your consent as a parent or guardian, please don't forget to add your signature at the end to give permission to sell their photos. Submit here: scop.io/submit
You can submit images that are not model released, but they can only be published with little uses. In this case, we suggest also submitting images of people who do agree to sign a release. This will increase your chances of being published and paid for your hard work. Submit here: scop.io/submit
Like the licensing agreement, the model can access the model release online through our web-based submission portal. Submit here: scop.io/submit
Payment
We will pay you if any images you submit are purchased by one of our clients through our subscription or on individual image purchases.
Submit here: scop.io/submit
If your images are purchased, we’ll reach out and pay you using PayPal when you reach $50. If you don't have a PayPal account, it's very quick and easy to sign up. We also do Payoneer for countries where Paypal does not operate.
Submit here: scop.io/submit
You get 40% of individual image sales, 20% of every download in our subscription, and 100% of revenue from customers who contact you through Scopio for collaboration opportunities. You can be paid up to $500 USD per image that is purchased. Receiving credit on your images in Scopio's library also opens the door for more sales and connections for you.
Another way to increase your payout is to refer photographers to us that might be interested in submitting. Simply DM us on Instagram @scop.io or shoot us an email at photographers@scop.io with their Instagram handles (and yours), and we’ll reach out.
We will email you to set up a payment if your images are purchased. You can also see which images were accepted, that we will market on our website.
You can increase your chances of being paid by:
- Making sure your submissions are the highest image quality possible (10 MP or above is ideal)
- Submitting as many photos as you have available for this project. A wide variety gives us more to choose from.
- Featuring elements from your distinct region or culture
- Ensuring that all the people in your photos sign releases for all images they are in. If you don't know the people in your photos or can't obtain releases from them, the photos will be accepted as editorial with more limited uses.
- Ensuring that all images aren’t edited heavily or Facetuned
Sometimes royalties are included in payments. Our goal is to sell your photos non-exclusively to audiences, sometimes we partner with other companies and it is a one time payment, and other times we will sell you per sale. This opens up the door for future connections and additional projects, and name recognition for you. We also print products from our top quality images. You just upload once and we tag, title, and promote and sell it to creative buyers and think of ways to get your content out into the world and make you money. Submit here: scop.io/submit
About Scopio
We're a high-tech company based out of New York. Scopio provides authentic real and diverse photos businesses can finally use.
We're committed to the photo creators and creatives of the world and want to help them create long-lasting influence and partnerships to humanize storytelling. Never before have we had access to the world's images. We built Scopio to be the platform for any creator in the world to license their work and have equal access. Read about us here. Follow us on Instagram @scopioimages.
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Got more questions? Email us at photographers@scop.io or DM @scopioimages on Instagram