A lot of photographers use WordPress sites to showcase their photography, but if you’d like to use your site to actually sell some images, there actually a few simple plugins you can use on WordPress to accomplish this. For starters, it helps to be using a theme that is meant for photo galleries and displays. If you need help finding a photography theme, you may want to start your search here. Next, you’re going to want to download a plugin that’ll help make the purchasing process smooth.
The WP iSell Photo Plugin was created specifically for WordPress users who wanted to sell their images via their WordPress sites. It’s a free plugin that will convert your image galleries into an online photo store. Basically, it’s a gallery plugin and an ecommerce plugin in one. The plugin uses PayPal to process transactions and features a “one-click” checkout. Once your customers purchase your images via PayPal, you can use the plugin to have them redirected to a thank you page.
Because the plugin is super lightweight, there isn’t a lot of room for customization, but if you’re only looking to sell a few photos for fun, or are looking for a simple way to sell your create galleries and sell your images only using one plugin, this will certainly get the job done. For anything more complex, you may choose to use a plugin specifically designed for ecommerce, like the WooCommerce plugin, but in that case you’ll have to take care of creating any image galleries and photo displays on your own or by using another plugin.
There’s also the option of downloading the premium WordPress Photo Seller Plugin, which allows for a lot more customization (photo dimensions, watermarks, allows for photos to be sold at different price points rather than at a flat rate) and allows you to sell both digital versions of your photos and physical prints, but it’s not free. This plugin will set you back $68, but if you’re serious about selling photos online, it may be worth it.
