Does anyone make a living doing this? Apart from the real pros with unlimited funds and studio space, can someone make a living doing this? Let's say all you want is to make 60-70k a year doing this and are willing to take one or two years off of work to set this up and shoot only stock. Of course maintaining the inventory of images up to date with current trends and market swings is a must after this two year period and I understand this. I see lots of numbers being thrown about but I can't seem to find anyone who is actually in this as their main salary earning business.
Is there anyone out there making a living out of stock photography?
If you spent two years building up a portofolio it would be more than possible.
I work full time with microstock and am making a comfortable living. I am not getting rich, but it is paying the bills and enough for fun and my business expenses plus a buffer. I can't complain with that amount as I love the job.
This topic has been discussed a few times on microstockgroup. Check out these threads
I recently got 108 photos accepted (and put online) by Lonely Planet Images (www.lonelyplanetimages.com). Whatever didn't get accepted by Lonely Planet I'm trying to put up on Alamy. I've got 148 shots up there (though a lot of my submissions are failing QC). I know it'll take some time before my first sale as I'm jumping right into the macrostock industry (as well as the fact that I have a small set of photos up), but I can't help but be super excited for my first sale - hopefully it won't take half a year!!
I recently got 108 photos accepted (and put online) by Lonely Planet Images (www.lonelyplanetimages.com). Whatever didn't get accepted by Lonely Planet I'm trying to put up on Alamy. I've got 148 shots up there (though a lot of my submissions are failing QC). I know it'll take some time before my first sale as I'm jumping right into the macrostock industry (as well as the fact that I have a small set of photos up), but I can't help but be super excited for my first sale - hopefully it won't take half a year!!
I would be interesting in hearing how this goes. I just read their application process and you have to send 500 images that are available to be put online exclusively??!!?? Wow, that is a lot of pictures that one would have to save up and prepare for them. I could imagine sending 500 samples of my work, but to gather that many stock images and not put them on sites I allready contribute to in the hopes of getting accepted at lonelyplanetimages is a big investment.
How do they pay? Or what sort of prices do they sell their images for? And I guess you are just new there, but I would be interested in hearing how sales go.
Does anyone make a living doing this? Apart from the real pros with unlimited funds and studio space, can someone make a living doing this? Let's say all you want is to make 60-70k a year doing this and are willing to take one or two years off of work to set this up and shoot only stock. Of course maintaining the inventory of images up to date with current trends and market swings is a must after this two year period and I understand this. I see lots of numbers being thrown about but I can't seem to find anyone who is actually in this as their main salary earning business.
Is there anyone out there making a living out of stock photography?
I am! I am not rich from it but it is a great income for me! I only started out with a desk lamp and and 5 mp point and shoot camera. like leaf said you just need to keep uploading! even 2 photos a week...it all adds up!
now I have a studio setup in my home and I also have a Canon 1Ds Mark III to shoot with....and I now take photo sessions for people in my home! and if I get good stock type images I ask for a model release!
So yes people without unlimited funds and studio space can do it too!
I'll be resubmitting 3 more samples to Istockphoto today or tomorrow to see if they will accept me. If anyone would like to help me by recommending shots of mine either from here of from my Flickr page, I would appreciate the input.
I'll be resubmitting 3 more samples to Istockphoto today or tomorrow to see if they will accept me. If anyone would like to help me by recommending shots of mine either from here of from my Flickr page, I would appreciate the input.
Surely mate you just need to find one? Didn't you have 2 pass?
I am in the same boat I submitted a picture that had a glaring error in it not realising that they make you wait 3 days before you can try again (anyone know if they are strict about this? Or is it impossible to upload anything until the time due to a script? Sorry have not tried since I got the mail).
I'll be resubmitting 3 more samples to Istockphoto today or tomorrow to see if they will accept me. If anyone would like to help me by recommending shots of mine either from here of from my Flickr page, I would appreciate the input.
Can you narrow the choice from 1099 images a bit down? From first look i'd submit the Dallas panorama in any case
I would be interesting in hearing how this goes. I just read their application process and you have to send 500 images that are available to be put online exclusively??!!?? Wow, that is a lot of pictures that one would have to save up and prepare for them. I could imagine sending 500 samples of my work, but to gather that many stock images and not put them on sites I allready contribute to in the hopes of getting accepted at lonelyplanetimages is a big investment.
How do they pay? Or what sort of prices do they sell their images for? And I guess you are just new there, but I would be interested in hearing how sales go.
I'll definitely be posting on this thread with updates. The commission for LPI (Lonely Planet Images) is 50% and as far as I could tell prices are comparable to other Macrostock (Alamy for example), though I haven't done any direct comparisons. They only send statements every 3 months, so I won't know anything until the end of October.
Otherwise, in terms of their application process, I really didn't realize it was that much different from other stock agencies. My initial idea was actually volunteering certain photos for use in their guidebooks (how naive I was!). LPI was the first stock agency I sent any photos to.
What's more about the application process to LPI is that you have to send at least 500 photos, all edited, keyworded, etc.. and they select what they want and reject the rest - this is my motivation to put the rejected photos up on Alamy as they're already keyworded and edited. Now if only I could stop getting "soft/lacking definition" as a reason for failing a lot of my Alamay QC.
If you're curious what I submitted to LPI, I've got all the photos up on pbase - www.pbase.com\damian_turski
Shutterstock® Announces Industry Leading Milestone:
60 Million Stock Images Downloaded
World’s largest subscription-based online stock photo agency continues explosive growth as buyers turn to affordable, royalty-free images via subscription
New York, September 10, 2008 – Shutterstock (www.shutterstock.com), the world’s largest subscription-based online stock photo agency, announced a major milestone for the stock photo industry today: 60 million stock photos, vectors and illustrations have been downloaded from its library since 2005, reinforcing the company’s status as the top online resource for quality, royalty-free images at affordable prices.
Increasingly, creative professionals, business executives, and entrepreneurs in virtually every industry are turning to Shutterstock for their image needs. With only a few mouse clicks, customers can download high resolution stock images at a fraction of the price charged by traditional stock photography and illustration sources.
“We have grown tremendously thanks to our worldwide base of talented submitters who provide our customers with an extensive library of premium royalty-free images,” said Jon Oringer, Shutterstock founder and CEO. “We take great pride in developing flexible subscription plans for every budget as well as innovative tools to empower creative professionals.”
Shutterstock’s extensive library of over 4 million images continues to grow by more than 40,000 new images a week, providing subscribers with a constant stream of fresh new content at no additional cost. Combined with its innovative subscription plans, Shutterstock continues to delight a loyal and rapidly expanding customer base.
“We are committed to providing the most innovative and user-friendly online stock photo service in the industry,” said Adam Riggs, president of Shutterstock. “We offer affordable and high quality subscription solutions for every design budget, so that whether you are an independent designer or one of the world’s largest companies, we can help you save money without sacrificing quality.”
Far out- your images are great. Much better than mine IMO. I think I must have fluked it big time when they passed mine first time - one of my three didn't even pass QA for my first submission after passing the acceptance test. Still waiting for the rest of my first batch to go through.
one of my three didn't even pass QA for my first submission after passing the acceptance test. Still waiting for the rest of my first batch to go through.
I think that is probably due to getting different reviewers each time. Not unlike how an entry here can receive a vote of an 8 followed by a 3.
I'd recommend the riders in the city and the cyclists, if you have model releases. Otherwise the gassblower and the yellow plane.
No model releases,I'm afraid. I snapped those pics while out riding my bike. Istock's policy did say they require a model release if there were recognizable faces. So I would think the ones of the horse riders in the city might be ok?
How to you guys ask such things as model releases of someone you encounter while out and about?
That raises another question about the initial review of 3 pics. If they accept me as a photographer based on my 3 pics, are these 3 pics then posted for sale, or must I resubmit them?
I'd recommend the riders in the city and the cyclists, if you have model releases. Otherwise the gassblower and the yellow plane.
No model releases,I'm afraid. I snapped those pics while out riding my bike. Istock's policy did say they require a model release if there were recognizable faces. So I would think the ones of the horse riders in the city might be ok?
How to you guys ask such things as model releases of someone you encounter while out and about?
That raises another question about the initial review of 3 pics. If they accept me as a photographer based on my 3 pics, are these 3 pics then posted for sale, or must I resubmit them?
I can't even get myself to ask them to be photographed, never mind signing a model release. lol My aspirations on becoming an ok street photographer are zero, especially with the laws here that prohibit taking photos of people in public places.
Well, in the cases of both of these shots, I did then go uyp to the people, gave them my contact info (name, e-mail, addresses for my Flickr page and DPC profile) and asked if I could post the pictures. That's a far cry from a model release, and I would also think someone might expect some $$ if I stand to potentially make something off their shot.
Well, in the cases of both of these shots, I did then go uyp to the people, gave them my contact info (name, e-mail, addresses for my Flickr page and DPC profile) and asked if I could post the pictures. That's a far cry from a model release, and I would also think someone might expect some $$ if I stand to potentially make something off their shot.
Don't mention money to them as I would suspect that would beg the question of payment, instead just state that to show the images as part of your portfolio you wondered if they would mind signing to say that it's ok for you to use and display said image(s), I have also considered offering to send them a print of the picture if it turns out as a keeper (just exchange emails addresses if possible). Never done this yet but have considered it as something I will do when I start taking pics of people with a mind to submitting to microstock sites.
ETA: Just noticed Photoshelter is not going to be operating as a microstock site frmo October the 10th, I've pasted the message below:
September 11, 2008
Dear Friends,
We're contacting you today with some unfortunate news - we will be closing The PhotoShelter Collection, effective October 10, 2008. Going forward, our team will refocus heavily on enhancing our original product, The PhotoShelter Personal Archive, which several thousand photographers use for bulletproof storage and online image sales directly to their own clients. Our financial position remains solid and we look forward to working with the photography community for years to come.
More details about timing and the implications for contributors can be found in a personal statement on our corporate blog, and this FAQ document.
Just one year ago, we started the Collection with a mission to "change the image marketplace for good." Since then, we've amassed a remarkable global community. We've built a unique position in the industry fueled by integrity and a true passion for photography. We've held our commitment to fair treatment of photographers with a 70/30 split of every transaction, opened up your access to information through our School of Stock and symposium events, and gave every photographer - regardless of one's network, location, or level of expertise - a fair shot at selling your work to the industry's top buyers.
However, our approach was insufficient to change buyer behavior on a grand scale and generate revenues quickly enough to satisfy our goals for this product line. While image buyers worldwide appreciated our new approach, the size of our image selection and the incumbent player's entrenched subscription relationships were a persistent challenge. As a result, we saw few strategic options for the Collection that would allow us to stay true to our commitment to a better deal for photographers and our desire to change the industry.
Despite today's decision, we remain committed to using technology to advance both the art and business of photography. Our team's energy and innovative resources will ensure that the Personal Archive remains the best online solution to help independent photographers write their own success stories. If you are not yet a Personal Archive subscriber, we hope you will continue your relationship with the PhotoShelter community through that product.
We want to express our deepest gratitude to our global community of contributors. We've enjoyed a full year of seeing your exceptional images cross our desks, developed warm relationships with many of you through PhotoShelter events, and shared in your excitement when you've achieved sales through our marketplace.
We're looking forward to chatting more with you in person and demonstrating some new Personal Archive enhancements at October's PhotoPlus International Conference.
I have been using dreamstime for a while now although I never got my portfolio up to a large amount yet. Have sold a few on ethere too. A pro friend of mine mentioned them as I had never heard of them before and she puts her non-useable ones there and gets paid a little every now and then for pictures she can't use to make money elsewhere. I have tried shutterstock but guess I always get a checker who is having a bad day as I haven't been able to get 7 out of 10 yet - usually 6 - typical. Will keep trying as this would not be a full time business idea for me but to get a little cash every now and then while knowing people are buying my work is good enough for me for now.
