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Aubrey Westlund

Aubrey Westlund is a photographer, educator, and creator of Stock Photography Academy, a course designed to help photographers turn their everyday moments into passive income. Eight years ago, Aubrey dove into stock photography, paid off $30,000 in debt, and left behind a successful wedding photography business to create a life of creative freedom. Aubrey empowers other photographers— to embrace stock photography, teaching them how to consistently upload and license images without overthinking the process. She’s a lover of capturing the beauty of everyday life, gardening, seasonal living, creating art in many forms, and finding balance as a creative business owner. Through stock photography, Aubrey helps her students master the craft, build a sustainable income, and fall in love with photography all over again.

Featured Post

A Black Friday roundup I made just for you, bestie 💗

Hi Reader! Black Friday week is basically a firehose of “BUY THIS NOW”, so I wanted to give you something that feels more… fun. Especially for those of us who like to justify our end-of-year business purchases by calling them “investments.” 😉 I put together a little list of Black Friday picks that are actually useful for photographers and entrepreneurs.All things I genuinely love. All things I’d recommend to a friend.Nothing weird. Nothing scammy. No kitchen gadgets you’ll forget to use. Here...

Hi Reader! Six years ago, I blew up my life. I left a home I loved, a career I had built, and a community that felt like mine, all to move back “home.”Closer to family. More affordable. A better place to raise a baby. Except… that version of home didn’t exist anymore. Within a month, housing prices exploded. The world shut down. The pandemic hit creatives especially hard. And like a lot of photographers, I panicked. I felt forced to pivot into anything and everything to make money as a...

Hi Reader! I want to tell you a quick story about something I set my mind to this year. This past year I applied to a new premium stock agency, The Luupe. Years ago, someone who worked at Getty mentioned The Luupe to me. Very casually and very discreetly, they said they believed it was the future of stock photography. I remember looking it up and immediately thinking there was no way I could ever get in. After a few years of proving to myself that I could do a lot of things I once thought...

Happy New Year Reader! Later this week, I’ll be sharing exactly how I worked toward my stock photography goals this year. But before that, I want to talk about something important. If earning from photo licensing is on your 2026 vision board, getting your work into premium stock matters. A lot. Think about it from the brand side for a second. A brand spends tens of thousands of dollars on a campaign. Strategy, copy, colors, creative direction. Every decision is intentional. Then imagine they...

Heads Up: Stock Photography Academy is open for enrollment! If you don’t want to get any more emails about it, click here to say, “Please turn off all emails about Stock Photography Academy.” You’ll still get my weekly newsletter. Stock Photography Academy is 50% off (Sale ends Tonight at midnight.) Hi Reader! I want to share a story that perfectly shows what can happen when a photographer finally has clarity, direction, and a community behind them. Meet Shilpa. She joined Stock Photography...

Heads Up: Stock Photography Academy is open for enrollment! If you don’t want to get any more emails about it, click here to say, “Please turn off all emails about Stock Photography Academy.” You’ll still get my weekly newsletter. Stock Photography Academy is 60% off (Sale ends at noon MST.) Hi Reader! I woke up this morning fully intending to change the Stock Photography Academy discount.Then I made coffee.Then I stared scrolling my phone.And now I's still sitting front of the fire doing...

Heads Up: Stock Photography Academy is open for enrollment! If you don’t want to get any more emails about it, click here to say, “Please turn off all emails about Stock Photography Academy.” You’ll still get my weekly newsletter. Stock Photography Academy is 60% off (Sale ends at midnight.) Hi Reader! It’s Black Friday, which means your inbox is currently drowning in “THIS IS THE BIGGEST SALE OF OUR LIVES!!!” messaging. And listen… I wish I could say I’m above it, but here I am. I’m in the...

Hi Reader, Let’s clear up a frequently asked question I hear all the time. “Can I do this if I don’t live in the U.S.?” Short answer: yes. Long answer: absolutely yes, and maybe even better. Here’s why →Stock photography isn’t limited to one country.Buyers aren’t sitting in a New York office searching for “American living rooms.” They’re in Berlin.In Mumbai.In Mexico City.Everywhere. And they’re licensing millions of dollars’ worth of imagery every year. So no, you don’t need perfect...

Hi Reader, Imagine you’re running a brand campaign that costs tens of thousands of dollars.Every detail matters — the copy, the colors, the imagery. Now picture dropping in a generic stock photo.Or worse… a poorly generated AI image 😬 Suddenly the whole campaign feels cheap, forgettable, and your audience scrolls right past. That’s why premium stock matters. Brands and agencies aren’t looking for filler content anymore. They’re looking for artistry, perspective, and identity.They want images...

Hi Reader, Photographers are told the same things over and over again: Get in the box. The box that says: “Niche down or no one will hire you.” “Make it more aesthetic.” “Choose your team: editorial, light and airy, dark and moody.” “Only post your ideal clients.” And if you don’t? “You’re not serious enough.” “You’ll never make it.” ”You’re all over the place.” But here’s the truth: you’re not failing. You’re resisting a system that was never built for artists like you. I’ve been there. As a...