Photography Income
Photo Task Apps: Get Paid to Take Photos of Stores, Products and Objects
Quick Answer
Photo task apps pay you to take a specific photo someone asked for. Field Agent, Premise, Roamler and FotoPay pay for photos of store shelves, displays and prices. Data projects such as Trove and short-term collection gigs pay per approved photo of everyday objects, often to train AI. Pay is per task and depends on where you live.
Most apps that pay for photos want your best shot. Photo task apps want a useful one: the cereal shelf at your supermarket, the price on a petrol station sign, a mug on a table from three angles. Someone needs that exact picture, and you happen to be nearby with a phone.
That makes them one of the easiest ways to get paid for taking pictures, and also one of the least predictable. This guide covers the main types, what they reportedly pay, and how they compare with stock photography and photo challenges.
How photo task apps work
The app shows tasks near you. You accept one, go to the place, take the photos it asks for, answer a few questions and submit. If the client approves your work, you get paid, usually to PayPal or a bank account.
- You do not choose the subject. The client does, down to the angle and the lighting.
- Pay is per task, not per sale and not per win.
- Availability depends on your location. Busy cities get many tasks; small towns may get none for weeks.
Apps that pay for photos of stores and products
Field Agent
Store-based jobs: display audits, price checks, out-of-stock checks and mystery shops, most of them with photo requests. Reported pay ranges from about $2 to $12 per job, with some jobs paying more. Once you accept a job you usually have a short time limit to finish it.
Premise
A task marketplace where you share opinions or take photos in and around your city. Tasks mix surveys and local reporting. Pay is small per task and varies by country.
Roamler
A crowd-work app for in-store checks that started in Europe and is preparing a launch in the United States. Tasks are photo checks of shelves and displays for brands.
FotoPay
An Android app listed on Google Play that pays for gig photos of product displays and store conditions for brands.
Apps that pay for photos of objects for AI
AI models need large sets of real photos of ordinary things. Some companies pay people to take them.
- Trove is a photo app that pays for images used to train AI. It is reported to be US only, with past projects paying around $0.25 to $0.60 per photo through PayPal.
- Data collection gigs appear on job boards from companies such as Firstsource and DATAmundi, asking contributors to photograph everyday objects at home. Recent listings advertised around $0.28 per approved image, limited to specific countries.
These are short projects. They open, fill and close, so treat them as occasional extra money rather than a steady source.
Photo tasks, stock photos and photo challenges compared
| Photo task apps | Stock photo apps | Photo challenge apps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who picks the subject | The client | You | The challenge |
| You get paid when | The task is approved | Someone licenses the photo | Your photo wins |
| Typical amount | Small, per task | Small, per sale | A share of a prize pool |
| Depends on location | Yes, a lot | No | No |
| Examples | Field Agent, Premise, Roamler | Foap, Adobe Stock, Shutterstock | Rawly |
More on the other two: apps that pay you to take photos and the photo contest app.
How to tell a real photo task app from a fake one
Real task apps tell you the pay for each task before you accept it and pay after approval. Be careful with any app that asks for a fee to unlock tasks, pays mainly for inviting friends, or promises a fixed daily income. Our guide to photo salary apps lists the warning signs.
Where Rawly fits
Rawly is not a task app. Nobody hires you for a photo. Instead, everyone shoots the same challenge live in the app, the community votes, and some challenges carry a prize pool funded by their creator or a brand. It works the same in a small town as in a big city, because entries come from wherever you are. Actual earnings depend on challenge outcomes.
Frequently asked questions
What app pays you to take pictures of objects for AI?
Trove, reported to be US only, has paid for photos used to train AI, and data collection companies such as Firstsource and DATAmundi post short projects that pay per approved photo of everyday objects. These projects are limited to certain countries and close when they are full.
How much do photo task apps pay?
Usually a few dollars per task. Field Agent jobs are reported at about $2 to $12, and AI photo projects at well under a dollar per approved image. The total depends on how many tasks are available where you live.
Is there an app that pays you to take photos of stores?
Yes. Field Agent, Premise, Roamler and FotoPay pay for photos of shelves, displays and prices in stores, as part of audits and price checks for brands.
Are photo task apps available in every country?
No. Most run in a limited list of countries and tasks cluster in big cities. Check the app in your area before counting on it.
Is Rawly a photo task app?
No. On Rawly nobody hires you for a specific photo. Everyone shoots the same challenge live, the community votes, and some challenges carry a prize pool. Actual earnings depend on challenge outcomes.
No client. Just the challenge.
Free on iOS and Android.
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