Stock photography and % your total income

leaf

Premium Member

« on: July 02, 2007, 16:04 »

#link

me - i am self employed and work as a photographer with things like weddings and portraits and such, as well as doing the micros. Microstock is about 30% of my total income.

i enjoy variety which has encouraged me to do not only stock - and perhaps it is smart to diversify as well. Perhaps I learn more by doing different types of photography as well.... i like to think so anyhow. I like shooting for stock the best however, and i might even argue that it pays the best.


« Last Edit: July 02, 2007, 16:06 by leaf »	Ignore \| Logged

admart01

« Reply #1 on: July 02, 2007, 16:17 »

#link

not sure I had an option that fit me -- I'm self-employed but not as a photographer. Micro is a lot less than 50% of my income


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leaf

Premium Member

« Reply #2 on: July 02, 2007, 16:24 »

#link

ok, i edited the options.

if you are self employed but not as a photographer, you are still self employed (according to the poll

)

hope i didn't confuse anyone with adding options... you may have to change your answer now. Undecided

and no too surprisingly - there seems to be a lot of self employed people here.


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CJPhoto

« Reply #3 on: July 02, 2007, 16:36 »

#link

Just a hobby for me. I make more in a day than I do in two months on micro.

When I go back to NZ (land of the low wage - compared to london anyway) that should change a bit.


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Pixart

« Reply #4 on: July 02, 2007, 17:05 »

#link

It was just a hobby for me, but now at the end of the month I collect a few payouts I am thinking about doing more micro, less other. I'm going into my 3rd year in biz and now the referrals are rolling in.

I'm trying to work part-time while raising kids. I do mostly team sports photography, small schools and the like, but it is becoming much more than a part-time job (more than full time even) and I'm sick of editing photos after the kids have gone to bed until 4 in the morning.

I am also a licensed reseller of photobooks and dvds on my website which requires a bit of work, but makes a little extra $. My husband has suggested that I'd perhaps be happier just shooting stock and promoting the photobooks a little more aggressively. I do lack a certain amount of disipline though, and am afraid I would get too lazy if I only shot stock and had no deadlines.


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Mellimage

« Reply #5 on: July 02, 2007, 17:09 »

#link

My income fluctuates quite a bit over the year.
Not only the microstock part. So I was trying to estimate an average. But since this is my first year in microstock, it is hard to estimate it well.
I am self employed, but not in photography.


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a.k.a.-tom

Premium Member

« Reply #6 on: July 02, 2007, 17:16 »

#link

Always been my hobby. A year ago, I started uploading to the micros for fun. That opened a door for me into doing assignment work for magazines/book publishing. I still don't feel like that is work, to me it's having fun and getting handed a lot of money for enjoying myself. My wife, also a hobby shooter, has a modest business selling cards, prints, mugs, etc, using her and my photos online. Microstock itself is less than 40% of money earned in our photography 'hobby'. The majority of the photography money comes from the assignment work.
I am still in my day job of 34 years, my wife works in real estate. The money from photography is our 'pin money'. Cool

-tom


« Last Edit: July 02, 2007, 23:13 by a.k.a.-tom »	Ignore \| Logged

madelaide

Premium Member

« Reply #7 on: July 02, 2007, 18:39 »

#link

Maybe I'm being too well paid in my job (don't let the HR guys read this! Cheesy

), so although the extra income of stock photography (micro and macro) is welcomed, I should say it's more a hobby.

Regards,
Adelaide

PS: Leaf: the hobby option appears twice!


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leaf

Premium Member

« Reply #8 on: July 03, 2007, 02:37 »

#link

wow, i'm sprised that 1/4 of the people here have micros as over 50% of their income. nice to see


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KiwiRob

« Reply #9 on: July 03, 2007, 14:33 »

#link

Quote from: CJPhoto on July 02, 2007, 16:36

Just a hobby for me. I make more in a day than I do in two months on micro.

When I go back to NZ (land of the low wage - compared to london anyway) that should change a bit.

it's only land of the low wage if you have a crappy job, I earn several times minimum wage and didn't have to work that hard to get it. I earn about 1-2% of my salary through MS, it's a hobby which is almost pays for my gear.


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tsmarkley

« Reply #10 on: July 19, 2007, 11:51 »

#link

Micro keeps me in photo equipment only, its not really any part of my income since I have had only two payouts. This is strickly fun.


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Keefo

« Reply #11 on: July 19, 2007, 15:07 »

#link

I'm definitely the odd-ball. I think I've posted a total of 5 pictures across a few sites, and have about $9 in sales total. For me it's not even a hobby. It's a cool facet of photography. It's an industry that's continuing to emerge, grow, evolve, and I just find it absolutely fascinating. I love reading the forums here, and on the microstock sites. It's such a neat thing to see people grow from, "my husband says I take nice pictures of the family at Christmas time and of our family cat, so I thought I'd give this a try" to a year later talking about payouts and downloads and new equipment and how to expand sales, and which sites to post to next, etc. I just wanted to stick my toe into the water. I wanted to get a small taste of what it's like to have uploads accepted, and rejected; what it's like to have your first download, 2nd, etc. I just find it so interesting I can't look away

Also, I find the community (microstock in general, this site in particular) just amazing. The interactions, the learning that takes place, the back-patting, the hand holding, the comraderie, the earnestness to teach and share the photography and business experience just blows me away. I've learned a ton about photography, business, this industry, and just plain people, from browsing here and other microstock sites. Someday I might decide to put some effort into it, but for now I'm having fun just watching.


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CJPhoto

« Reply #12 on: July 19, 2007, 15:50 »

#link

Quote from: KiwiRob on July 03, 2007, 14:33

Quote from: CJPhoto on July 02, 2007, 16:36

Just a hobby for me. I make more in a day than I do in two months on micro.

When I go back to NZ (land of the low wage - compared to london anyway) that should change a bit.

I too will be earning several times average wage (not just minimum) and still wont be able to afford the house that I want in Auckland.

Where are you based.

For me Microstock earns enough money so my GF cant complain that I just bought a new paperweight (aka dustpump, aka 100-400L) - bring on Africa on my way home to NZ>


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