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Author Topic: How to Earn $500/Month with Stock Photography - blog post  (Read 24392 times)

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« Reply #25 on: November 05, 2018, 19:36 »
+4
.

MY POINT: A fair royalty should finance production costs not a dayjob or partner etc

...

why? no one OWES us a living - and agencies pay what the market requires - stock photography has ceased (if ever) to be a full time job for most;  those who continue just need to have a realistic expectation - for me, stock provides a sizeable chunk of my travel expenses, not a sole source of income


« Reply #26 on: November 05, 2018, 20:54 »
0
Quote
Excellent article Alex, it is very difficult to earn good money in this business, but maybe not as bad as your article suggests?

In my limited experience (I started selling stock early last year), I earned just over $500 in the last month with a portfolio of 1,500 images and 20 timelapse videos.

Id say if you are earning $500 a month from 6,000 images then youre doing something wrong.

Thanks! I painted a sort of bittersweet picture of how I see the industry going forward. Some hard-working and in-pulse contributors earning $3/4 RPI/year, such as yourself, and on the opposite end, plenty of those with a ridiculous amount of similars earning $0.3/0.4 RPI/year at best. The average and majority should be about $1 RPI/year (perhaps on the optimistic side), hence the 6,000 image-port. Speaking hypothetically can be tricky and it's become a bit academic, unfortunately. I've tried to use my port as an example but it's not the most "average", since few people travel internationally as much as I do! :D

RPI is only part of the equation and as mentioned above by Pauws99, need to look at the cost to produce such images. In my case, probably like yourself, not considerable since we're shooting locally or incidentally. I know some who do very well shooting from a home-studio. In my case, I use a lot of friends/relatives as models and even myself lately ha, that was fun.

The 4K stuff should get you to those nice monthly amounts. I've sold only 8 videos in my life and still have a long ways to go! 4K would be nice and currently eyeing the GoPro7 to capture some urban hyperlapses and perhaps a drone soon, let's see!

Oh Im a video novice too, as I said Ive only got around twenty 4k timelapses I captured with my Canon 6D. Some encouraging sales though for such a small amount.

Next step is to get a full-frame mirrorless camera that can do normal 4k video, looking at getting either a Sony A7 III or Canon EOS R.

Switching systems will be expensive but has to be done really, think mirrorless will take over now.

I also just got an iPhone XR which does reasonable 4k video, handy for places that I cant use a big camera for some 4k editorial video.

« Reply #27 on: November 06, 2018, 06:55 »
0

Oh Im a video novice too, as I said Ive only got around twenty 4k timelapses I captured with my Canon 6D. Some encouraging sales though for such a small amount.

Next step is to get a full-frame mirrorless camera that can do normal 4k video, looking at getting either a Sony A7 III or Canon EOS R.

Switching systems will be expensive but has to be done really, think mirrorless will take over now.

I also just got an iPhone XR which does reasonable 4k video, handy for places that I cant use a big camera for some 4k editorial video.

Go for the Panasocin GH5, for video is the best in my expirence, I had the sony a7sII, and it was amazing, but the GH5 has 4K 60 p, and 180 fps in 1080... For stock it works :) (Panasonic doesnt pay me hehehehehe)

Good article brasilnuts, I saw that you visit Spain (Seville) I live near, in Cdiz :)

« Reply #28 on: November 06, 2018, 07:50 »
0
No doubt to what you all say.
But you have to admit, if you are living with a partner with 300, or have a dayjob, or place with extreme cheap living costs,
this subsidizes the possibility to produce images in a way.

And -if all your dayjob money is going to cover the mentioned things-
-> you dont have many time left to produce enough high quality stuff

MY POINT: A fair royalty should finance production costs not a dayjob or partner etc

Anyway i doubt its possible to live and produce images in portugal with 430/month

It really depends on the niche, sure I can't possibly shoot high quality business stuff or exotic travel photos, but there are other things to cover if you are creative, not to mention going for CGI stuff both video and still, vectors... Adobe subscriptions are not high, Blender is free etc.
My point, once you reach $500 you can quit dayjob, as you are earning more than you used on your dayjob and you'll have a lot of time to devote to stock.
Also the people mentality is a bit different and if you are fairly young and social you'll have beautiful people standing in line for free photoshoots as long as they get nice photos for social media. I imagine being a bit older in western metropolis is a bit more difficult with models ($$$). But this is if you live in a small city, living in Belgrade is a bit different, cost are higher and you are constantly living low on time and fuel.
So with stable $500 it's a nice living, with double that you are pretty close to doctors, small company owners etc regarding living quality.

jonbull

    This user is banned.
« Reply #29 on: November 06, 2018, 11:31 »
0
500$ are about 430 at the moment.
I assume you dont live in a tent and begging for food, so
i wonder:

how is it possible to pay with that amount:

-roof over ones head
-heating, water, electicity, internet conection etc
-all the wear parts like computer monitor software etc
-equipment and saving for broken gear and replacement
-clothing
-transport
-insurance
-food

(and cmon, travelling like accommodation food transport and so on is ridiculous expensive)


To be honest, it looks like you pay AND work very hard
for donating images to the industry (which earns millions)


probably like thousand of photographer blog food blogger instagram influencer in a word...family money.. family home ....people paying bills and so on.

jonbull

    This user is banned.
« Reply #30 on: November 06, 2018, 11:36 »
0
Depends where you live, here in Serbia a middle class man has around 300euros (outside Belgrade where cost and wages are higher), now if you are alone without yourown place it is a problem but still doable, but if you have your place and are living with a partner that also has 300euros it's actually very decent and no we are not living in the tent, we have modern cars (thou buying used ones), computers (not the latest and greatest), phones, fast internet, we go on holidays to seaside etc etc.
Also, I don't think anyone in South-east or just generally Europe would write off 500$ a month, that's one nice lens every month or 10 day all-inclussive holiday in hotel in Egypt or used Ford Fiesta in 5-6 months, especially if all your dayjob money is going to things you mentioned.

If you managed here to somehow pull out about $1000 monthly from stock, you'd be the king of the world all while doing what you love the most.


thats why nowadays 80 % of content are produced in eastern europe...russian and ukraine contributor are uploading the bulk...there are thousand of contributor some loading thousand of images a week...new come out everyday...you know why? because outside moscow in russsia u can live with 7 800 dollar...and in ukraine the  median salary is you know how much? 150 dollar att he moment...teache at public school earn 150 dollar...mcdonald worker 100...sale shop 200.....so you understand that even earning 400 dollar is a lot more and you are doing a funny job...take into account that model are cheap as hell...girl are beautiful and they love be photographed for penny same teenager...that's why you see thousand of people shots....sure there are creative studio and some are best one...i think miles studio and see other in stocksy...or some studio in kiev and moscow...but first of all they have ridiculous cost...i shoot in kiev often and model cost from nothing to 10dollar hours...full studio with concept setup come at 1

jonbull

    This user is banned.

jonbull

    This user is banned.
« Reply #32 on: November 06, 2018, 11:46 »
0
Depends where you live, here in Serbia a middle class man has around 300euros (outside Belgrade where cost and wages are higher), now if you are alone without yourown place it is a problem but still doable, but if you have your place and are living with a partner that also has 300euros it's actually very decent and no we are not living in the tent, we have modern cars (thou buying used ones), computers (not the latest and greatest), phones, fast internet, we go on holidays to seaside etc etc.
Also, I don't think anyone in South-east or just generally Europe would write off 500$ a month, that's one nice lens every month or 10 day all-inclussive holiday in hotel in Egypt or used Ford Fiesta in 5-6 months, especially if all your dayjob money is going to things you mentioned.

If you managed here to somehow pull out about $1000 monthly from stock, you'd be the king of the world all while doing what you love the most.


thats why nowadays 80 % of content are produced in eastern europe...russian and ukraine contributor are uploading the bulk...there are thousand of contributor some loading thousand of images a week...new come out everyday...you know why? because outside moscow in russsia u can live with 7 800 dollar...and in ukraine the  median salary is you know how much? 150 dollar att he moment...teache at public school earn 150 dollar...mcdonald worker 100...sale shop 200.....so you understand that even earning 400 dollar is a lot more and you are doing a funny job...take into account that model are cheap as hell...girl are beautiful and they love be photographed for penny same teenager...that's why you see thousand of people shots....sure there are creative studio and some are best one...i think miles studio and see other in stocksy...or some studio in kiev and moscow...but first of all they have ridiculous cost...i shoot in kiev often and model cost from nothing to 10dollar hours...full studio with concept setup come at 1

just to say in kiev   cigarette 0,8 cent package taxi 0,8 cent one ride in center.....pizza and coke in good restaurant...4 dollar....renting is the only thing that cost but outside the center is cheap as hell....imagine earning 600 dollar...200 for rent, 50 for electricity gas mobile phone and all, the rest for going out and eat or buy some stuff. then ty can do some photo work to add some more  money... so what seems unsustainable in europe become a great job in kiev compared to many   other 8 hours day job...that's why you see thousand of contributor from ukraine serbbia russia hungary.

i love food photography but cooking has become super expensive were i live....think of raspberry 2,4 euro 100 gram where i live...in kiev i buy raspberry in the street from old woman, half kilo 1 euro. just to emphasize who you and e are competing against.
« Last Edit: November 06, 2018, 11:48 by jonbull »

« Reply #33 on: November 06, 2018, 12:05 »
0
Hi Brazilnut, thanks for a wonderful blogpost! I't inspired my to dive deeper down into subcategories.
I was wondering if there is a list of "Print on Demand agencies" somewhere?
All my Illustrations are RF. I'm not sure they would be suitable as posters, but maybe a few.

Once again. Thank you for a great blogpost.

« Reply #34 on: November 06, 2018, 12:15 »
0
Hi Brazilnut, thanks for a wonderful blogpost! I't inspired my to dive deeper down into subcategories.
I was wondering if there is a list of "Print on Demand agencies" somewhere?
All my Illustrations are RF. I'm not sure they would be suitable as posters, but maybe a few.

Once again. Thank you for a great blogpost.

Take your pick
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b&ei=BsvhW4zNIKiEgAan55i4BA&q=list+of+print+on+demand+sites&oq=list+of+%22Print+on+Demand+%22&gs_l=psy-ab.1.1.0l3.37638.37638.0.44580.1.1.0.0.0.0.141.141.0j1.1.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.1.139....0.lDwYQdFfx3k

Brasilnut

  • Author Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock & Blog

« Reply #35 on: November 06, 2018, 12:24 »
0
Hi Brazilnut, thanks for a wonderful blogpost! I't inspired my to dive deeper down into subcategories.
I was wondering if there is a list of "Print on Demand agencies" somewhere?
All my Illustrations are RF. I'm not sure they would be suitable as posters, but maybe a few.

Once again. Thank you for a great blogpost.

You're welcome. Happy you enjoyed the brainstorming exercise!

obj owl hit the nail in the head there with the list, but personally I tend to stick with Photo4me and Fine Art America and have had some success, although still early days! There's quite a few threads here on this forum about Print on Demand agencies, pricing, etc.

Good luck and thanks again

« Reply #36 on: November 06, 2018, 14:28 »
0
.

why? no one OWES us a living - and agencies pay what the market requires - stock photography has ceased (if ever) to be a full time job for most;  those who continue just need to have a realistic expectation - for me, stock provides a sizeable chunk of my travel expenses, not a sole source of income

If one (can) like what he does, no problem with that,
so just some thoughts:

For example it makes sense a country have a legal minimum wage,
otherwise you will always find somebody make it cheaper
-> wage will go near to zero
this causes problems, just take a look globally,
if you cant afford a meal, the cook cant afford to buy your work and so on
-> only the biggest will survive (with max power)

furthermore i would suggest a minimum healthcare system etc is not a bad ting.

So, saying no one owes you a living, seems only one side of a point of view.
Think about -from what ever you live at the moment- says this to you tomorrow.

« Reply #37 on: November 06, 2018, 14:56 »
0
.

why? no one OWES us a living - and agencies pay what the market requires - stock photography has ceased (if ever) to be a full time job for most;  those who continue just need to have a realistic expectation - for me, stock provides a sizeable chunk of my travel expenses, not a sole source of income

If one (can) like what he does, no problem with that,
so just some thoughts:

For example it makes sense a country have a legal minimum wage,
otherwise you will always find somebody make it cheaper
-> wage will go near to zero
this causes problems, just take a look globally,
if you cant afford a meal, the cook cant afford to buy your work and so on
-> only the biggest will survive (with max power)

furthermore i would suggest a minimum healthcare system etc is not a bad ting.

So, saying no one owes you a living, seems only one side of a point of view.
Think about -from what ever you live at th e moment- says this to you tomorrow.
The point is I think that selling stock is not a job and microstock agencies aren't the government.

« Reply #38 on: November 06, 2018, 15:35 »
0
Yes microstock agencies aren't the government, just as little as other companies.

« Reply #39 on: November 07, 2018, 06:13 »
0
@Brasilnut can you comment on this?

Good reading. I was just wondering is it 2018/2019 related or written years before? If it's current it really sparks hope, which is good.
I was wondering what would happen if one sets to upload 100 images a day (back catalog and new shootings, all of excellent quality and decent commercial value)?
If persistent, it would take 3 months to reach about 9000 images online. How would that compare to 6000 in three years in your opinion?

Brasilnut

  • Author Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock & Blog

« Reply #40 on: November 07, 2018, 06:42 »
+1
@Brasilnut can you comment on this?

Good reading. I was just wondering is it 2018/2019 related or written years before? If it's current it really sparks hope, which is good.
I was wondering what would happen if one sets to upload 100 images a day (back catalog and new shootings, all of excellent quality and decent commercial value)?
If persistent, it would take 3 months to reach about 9000 images online. How would that compare to 6000 in three years in your opinion?

I wrote it last week. Yes, I believe it is contemporary...leaning more towards a realistic to cautious outlook, based on a strong commercial port (model-released) with few similar images. The projection also has editorials in the mix which, on average, earn less than model-released lifestyle type commercial work. 

If one sets out to upload 100 images/day at "excellent quality and decent commercial value" over 90 days, my prediction would be that after an initial boost as "fresh content", it would then take at least a further 3-5 months until the algos do their thing and those images reach their peak in keyword rankings to earn their peak amounts, before slowly depreciating at about 3% a month until reaching a floor (they'll never become worthless).

Back catalogs related to fashion, technology, even skylines generally don't age well, save for vintage value (Manhattan pre- 9/11 for example). If those images are contemporary they may hold their own for years to rank highly for certain keywords. Best to be shooting with future trends in mind, in any case,...Virtual Reality / Augmented reality, tablets, digital displays, etc.

This is all really academic so best to post a few examples to have a better idea of your archives.

I recall reading somewhere that uploading slowly and consistently is better than all at once in terms of earnings, plus you wouldn't be want to do keywording for 5 hours a day for the next 3 months as you'll probably drive yourself crazy. Plus you may get a nasty reviewer who will just reject a whole batch. In the end they would probably earn about the same in their lifetime but always keep in mind that some images are more time-sensitive than others!

Hope that helps!
« Last Edit: November 07, 2018, 06:50 by Brasilnut »

« Reply #41 on: November 08, 2018, 00:09 »
+1
"If one sets out to upload 100 images/day at "excellent quality and decent commercial value" over 90 days, my prediction would be that after an initial boost as "fresh content", it would then take at least a further 3-5 months until the algos do their thing and those images reach their peak in keyword rankings to earn their peak amounts, before slowly depreciating at about 3% a month until reaching a floor (they'll never become worthless)."


100 images pr day?! HELP DEAR GOD! If I'm good I can do 4 images pr. day. I think you ment 100 images in 90 days? Sorry, I'm not used to MS terms. But thanks again for important insights.

"I recall reading somewhere that uploading slowly and consistently is better than all at once in terms of earnings, plus you wouldn't be want to do keywording for 5 hours a day for the next 3 months as you'll probably drive yourself crazy. Plus you may get a nasty reviewer who will just reject a whole batch. In the end they would probably earn about the same in their lifetime but always keep in mind that some images are more time-sensitive than others!"

I totally agree!


Chichikov

« Reply #42 on: November 08, 2018, 02:03 »
+1
Depends where you live, here in Serbia a middle class man has around 300euros (outside Belgrade where cost and wages are higher), now if you are alone without yourown place it is a problem but still doable, but if you have your place and are living with a partner that also has 300euros it's actually very decent and no we are not living in the tent, we have modern cars (thou buying used ones), computers (not the latest and greatest), phones, fast internet, we go on holidays to seaside etc etc.
Also, I don't think anyone in South-east or just generally Europe would write off 500$ a month, that's one nice lens every month or 10 day all-inclussive holiday in hotel in Egypt or used Ford Fiesta in 5-6 months, especially if all your dayjob money is going to things you mentioned.

If you managed here to somehow pull out about $1000 monthly from stock, you'd be the king of the world all while doing what you love the most.



thats why nowadays 80 % of content are produced in eastern europe...russian and ukraine contributor are uploading the bulk...there are thousand of contributor some loading thousand of images a week...new come out everyday...you know why? because outside moscow in russsia u can live with 7 800 dollar...and in ukraine the  median salary is you know how much? 150 dollar att he moment...teache at public school earn 150 dollar...mcdonald worker 100...sale shop 200.....so you understand that even earning 400 dollar is a lot more and you are doing a funny job...take into account that model are cheap as hell...girl are beautiful and they love be photographed for penny same teenager...that's why you see thousand of people shots....sure there are creative studio and some are best one...i think miles studio and see other in stocksy...or some studio in kiev and moscow...but first of all they have ridiculous cost...i shoot in kiev often and model cost from nothing to 10dollar hours...full studio with concept setup come at 1


just to say in kiev   cigarette 0,8 cent package taxi 0,8 cent one ride in center.....pizza and coke in good restaurant...4 dollar....renting is the only thing that cost but outside the center is cheap as hell....imagine earning 600 dollar...200 for rent, 50 for electricity gas mobile phone and all, the rest for going out and eat or buy some stuff. then ty can do some photo work to add some more  money... so what seems unsustainable in europe become a great job in kiev compared to many   other 8 hours day job...that's why you see thousand of contributor from ukraine serbbia russia hungary.

i love food photography but cooking has become super expensive were i live....think of raspberry 2,4 euro 100 gram where i live...in kiev i buy raspberry in the street from old woman, half kilo 1 euro. just to emphasize who you and e are competing against.


I don't know from where, and from when you got these figures
Your numbers are closer to those of 2006 than to the one of 2018.
Since Euro Maidan the prices have grown a lot in Ukraine A lot a lot.

To retake your examples:
A pack of cigarette costs from $1 to $2 (Marlboro $1.25)
A simple taxi ride cost no less than 150 uah ($5) today
A bad pizza (Celentano restaurant) cost from $6.80. If you go to Napul restaurant (the best pizza in Kiev) you will pay 2 3 times more.
Renting a 1 room flat (40 sqm) in an external district costs minimum $250 for a descent "Euro-remont" flat. Downtown you will pay $800 - $1000 for a simple "Euro-remont" flat.

Electricity, Gas etc.
Last month the price of gas has grown 60%.
Cost of transports has grown 1600% during the last 10 years - in 2008 a metro ticket costed 0.5 uah, today it costs 8 uah.
In 2018 the official average salary in Ukraine is $300 a month (march 2018). In Kiev it is $480 (march 2018).
The cost of everything grows very fast, but not the salaries.
In Kiev you don't live with less than $500 a month if you have to pay for the rent of a flat

Also consider that if you want to buy "foreign" goods they cost 20% more (as minimum)
Cars cost more, cameras cost more, computers cost more, etc. (to buy an enough good computer and an average photo camera with a good lens you need 4 - 6 months of full salary)

The only true thing that you wrote is about red fruits like raspberry, strawberry, etc. Yes they cost very little $1/kg during the season and they are so tasty.

https://blogs.elenasmodels.com/en/wages-and-salaries-in-ukraine-2018/

Grivna converter here:
http://www.viaggiatori.net/pagine/monete/UAH.php

« Last Edit: November 08, 2018, 05:08 by Chichikov »

jonbull

    This user is banned.
« Reply #43 on: November 08, 2018, 08:53 »
0
Depends where you live, here in Serbia a middle class man has around 300euros (outside Belgrade where cost and wages are higher), now if you are alone without yourown place it is a problem but still doable, but if you have your place and are living with a partner that also has 300euros it's actually very decent and no we are not living in the tent, we have modern cars (thou buying used ones), computers (not the latest and greatest), phones, fast internet, we go on holidays to seaside etc etc.
Also, I don't think anyone in South-east or just generally Europe would write off 500$ a month, that's one nice lens every month or 10 day all-inclussive holiday in hotel in Egypt or used Ford Fiesta in 5-6 months, especially if all your dayjob money is going to things you mentioned.

If you managed here to somehow pull out about $1000 monthly from stock, you'd be the king of the world all while doing what you love the most.



thats why nowadays 80 % of content are produced in eastern europe...russian and ukraine contributor are uploading the bulk...there are thousand of contributor some loading thousand of images a week...new come out everyday...you know why? because outside moscow in russsia u can live with 7 800 dollar...and in ukraine the  median salary is you know how much? 150 dollar att he moment...teache at public school earn 150 dollar...mcdonald worker 100...sale shop 200.....so you understand that even earning 400 dollar is a lot more and you are doing a funny job...take into account that model are cheap as hell...girl are beautiful and they love be photographed for penny same teenager...that's why you see thousand of people shots....sure there are creative studio and some are best one...i think miles studio and see other in stocksy...or some studio in kiev and moscow...but first of all they have ridiculous cost...i shoot in kiev often and model cost from nothing to 10dollar hours...full studio with concept setup come at 1


just to say in kiev   cigarette 0,8 cent package taxi 0,8 cent one ride in center.....pizza and coke in good restaurant...4 dollar....renting is the only thing that cost but outside the center is cheap as hell....imagine earning 600 dollar...200 for rent, 50 for electricity gas mobile phone and all, the rest for going out and eat or buy some stuff. then ty can do some photo work to add some more  money... so what seems unsustainable in europe become a great job in kiev compared to many   other 8 hours day job...that's why you see thousand of contributor from ukraine serbbia russia hungary.

i love food photography but cooking has become super expensive were i live....think of raspberry 2,4 euro 100 gram where i live...in kiev i buy raspberry in the street from old woman, half kilo 1 euro. just to emphasize who you and e are competing against.


I don't know from where, and from when you got these figures
Your numbers are closer to those of 2006 than to the one of 2018.
Since Euro Maidan the prices have grown a lot in Ukraine A lot a lot.

To retake your examples:
A pack of cigarette costs from $1 to $2 (Marlboro $1.25)
A simple taxi ride cost no less than 150 uah ($5) today
A bad pizza (Celentano restaurant) cost from $6.80. If you go to Napul restaurant (the best pizza in Kiev) you will pay 2 3 times more.
Renting a 1 room flat (40 sqm) in an external district costs minimum $250 for a descent "Euro-remont" flat. Downtown you will pay $800 - $1000 for a simple "Euro-remont" flat.

Electricity, Gas etc.
Last month the price of gas has grown 60%.
Cost of transports has grown 1600% during the last 10 years - in 2008 a metro ticket costed 0.5 uah, today it costs 8 uah.
In 2018 the official average salary in Ukraine is $300 a month (march 2018). In Kiev it is $480 (march 2018).
The cost of everything grows very fast, but not the salaries.
In Kiev you don't live with less than $500 a month if you have to pay for the rent of a flat

Also consider that if you want to buy "foreign" goods they cost 20% more (as minimum)
Cars cost more, cameras cost more, computers cost more, etc. (to buy an enough good computer and an average photo camera with a good lens you need 4 - 6 months of full salary)

The only true thing that you wrote is about red fruits like raspberry, strawberry, etc. Yes they cost very little $1/kg during the season and they are so tasty.

https://blogs.elenasmodels.com/en/wages-and-salaries-in-ukraine-2018/

Grivna converter here:
http://www.viaggiatori.net/pagine/monete/UAH.php




well i not go kiev in a year but your prices are incorrect...taxi fare minimum 150 gryvna? u dreaming...in center is one dollar 30 40 gryvna...cigarette cost 24 gryvna package less than a euro...pizza napule is more expensive but nothing compared to west..and nail is a premium pizzeria one who goes those with only...cheaper pizzeria cost 100 gryva for a good pizza...va piano in arena cost much less....and we are talking about going in very center of capital  city...consider the rest  of country we are talking about much less money...
i repeat even earning 400 dollar is a lot compared to 90%   of works in ukraine that's why there are literally thousand of people shooting the same stuff, copycat, late factory who use many photographer   producing photos...production cost are ridiculous.

jonbull

    This user is banned.
« Reply #44 on: November 08, 2018, 08:59 »
0
Depends where you live, here in Serbia a middle class man has around 300euros (outside Belgrade where cost and wages are higher), now if you are alone without yourown place it is a problem but still doable, but if you have your place and are living with a partner that also has 300euros it's actually very decent and no we are not living in the tent, we have modern cars (thou buying used ones), computers (not the latest and greatest), phones, fast internet, we go on holidays to seaside etc etc.
Also, I don't think anyone in South-east or just generally Europe would write off 500$ a month, that's one nice lens every month or 10 day all-inclussive holiday in hotel in Egypt or used Ford Fiesta in 5-6 months, especially if all your dayjob money is going to things you mentioned.

If you managed here to somehow pull out about $1000 monthly from stock, you'd be the king of the world all while doing what you love the most.



thats why nowadays 80 % of content are produced in eastern europe...russian and ukraine contributor are uploading the bulk...there are thousand of contributor some loading thousand of images a week...new come out everyday...you know why? because outside moscow in russsia u can live with 7 800 dollar...and in ukraine the  median salary is you know how much? 150 dollar att he moment...teache at public school earn 150 dollar...mcdonald worker 100...sale shop 200.....so you understand that even earning 400 dollar is a lot more and you are doing a funny job...take into account that model are cheap as hell...girl are beautiful and they love be photographed for penny same teenager...that's why you see thousand of people shots....sure there are creative studio and some are best one...i think miles studio and see other in stocksy...or some studio in kiev and moscow...but first of all they have ridiculous cost...i shoot in kiev often and model cost from nothing to 10dollar hours...full studio with concept setup come at 1


just to say in kiev   cigarette 0,8 cent package taxi 0,8 cent one ride in center.....pizza and coke in good restaurant...4 dollar....renting is the only thing that cost but outside the center is cheap as hell....imagine earning 600 dollar...200 for rent, 50 for electricity gas mobile phone and all, the rest for going out and eat or buy some stuff. then ty can do some photo work to add some more  money... so what seems unsustainable in europe become a great job in kiev compared to many   other 8 hours day job...that's why you see thousand of contributor from ukraine serbbia russia hungary.

i love food photography but cooking has become super expensive were i live....think of raspberry 2,4 euro 100 gram where i live...in kiev i buy raspberry in the street from old woman, half kilo 1 euro. just to emphasize who you and e are competing against.


I don't know from where, and from when you got these figures
Your numbers are closer to those of 2006 than to the one of 2018.
Since Euro Maidan the prices have grown a lot in Ukraine A lot a lot.

To retake your examples:
A pack of cigarette costs from $1 to $2 (Marlboro $1.25)
A simple taxi ride cost no less than 150 uah ($5) today
A bad pizza (Celentano restaurant) cost from $6.80. If you go to Napul restaurant (the best pizza in Kiev) you will pay 2 3 times more.
Renting a 1 room flat (40 sqm) in an external district costs minimum $250 for a descent "Euro-remont" flat. Downtown you will pay $800 - $1000 for a simple "Euro-remont" flat.

Electricity, Gas etc.
Last month the price of gas has grown 60%.
Cost of transports has grown 1600% during the last 10 years - in 2008 a metro ticket costed 0.5 uah, today it costs 8 uah.
In 2018 the official average salary in Ukraine is $300 a month (march 2018). In Kiev it is $480 (march 2018).
The cost of everything grows very fast, but not the salaries.
In Kiev you don't live with less than $500 a month if you have to pay for the rent of a flat

Also consider that if you want to buy "foreign" goods they cost 20% more (as minimum)
Cars cost more, cameras cost more, computers cost more, etc. (to buy an enough good computer and an average photo camera with a good lens you need 4 - 6 months of full salary)

The only true thing that you wrote is about red fruits like raspberry, strawberry, etc. Yes they cost very little $1/kg during the season and they are so tasty.

https://blogs.elenasmodels.com/en/wages-and-salaries-in-ukraine-2018/

Grivna converter here:
http://www.viaggiatori.net/pagine/monete/UAH.php





8 gryvna are 0,25 euro...in my post i talked about euro not dollar...probably thats the difference in price you told....leaving aside the small stuff the point is ...kiev is a city that with 700 dollar you can live...you say with 500 dollar you cant live...so how can live millions of people in kiev considering they earn much less than 500 dollar?
in addiction in ukraine like russia the bulk of richness s in hand of a little part of population.
sur with 500 dollar you don't have luxury life...dont go to napule....but you live a good life in kiev...even paying a rent...is the same life you live in italy with 1500 euro...that's why thousand of people do still micro in ukraine uploading like crazy...while in rest of the world micro is just becoming an hobby.

jonbull

    This user is banned.
« Reply #45 on: November 08, 2018, 09:03 »
0
Depends where you live, here in Serbia a middle class man has around 300euros (outside Belgrade where cost and wages are higher), now if you are alone without yourown place it is a problem but still doable, but if you have your place and are living with a partner that also has 300euros it's actually very decent and no we are not living in the tent, we have modern cars (thou buying used ones), computers (not the latest and greatest), phones, fast internet, we go on holidays to seaside etc etc.
Also, I don't think anyone in South-east or just generally Europe would write off 500$ a month, that's one nice lens every month or 10 day all-inclussive holiday in hotel in Egypt or used Ford Fiesta in 5-6 months, especially if all your dayjob money is going to things you mentioned.

If you managed here to somehow pull out about $1000 monthly from stock, you'd be the king of the world all while doing what you love the most.



thats why nowadays 80 % of content are produced in eastern europe...russian and ukraine contributor are uploading the bulk...there are thousand of contributor some loading thousand of images a week...new come out everyday...you know why? because outside moscow in russsia u can live with 7 800 dollar...and in ukraine the  median salary is you know how much? 150 dollar att he moment...teache at public school earn 150 dollar...mcdonald worker 100...sale shop 200.....so you understand that even earning 400 dollar is a lot more and you are doing a funny job...take into account that model are cheap as hell...girl are beautiful and they love be photographed for penny same teenager...that's why you see thousand of people shots....sure there are creative studio and some are best one...i think miles studio and see other in stocksy...or some studio in kiev and moscow...but first of all they have ridiculous cost...i shoot in kiev often and model cost from nothing to 10dollar hours...full studio with concept setup come at 1


just to say in kiev   cigarette 0,8 cent package taxi 0,8 cent one ride in center.....pizza and coke in good restaurant...4 dollar....renting is the only thing that cost but outside the center is cheap as hell....imagine earning 600 dollar...200 for rent, 50 for electricity gas mobile phone and all, the rest for going out and eat or buy some stuff. then ty can do some photo work to add some more  money... so what seems unsustainable in europe become a great job in kiev compared to many   other 8 hours day job...that's why you see thousand of contributor from ukraine serbbia russia hungary.

i love food photography but cooking has become super expensive were i live....think of raspberry 2,4 euro 100 gram where i live...in kiev i buy raspberry in the street from old woman, half kilo 1 euro. just to emphasize who you and e are competing against.


I don't know from where, and from when you got these figures
Your numbers are closer to those of 2006 than to the one of 2018.
Since Euro Maidan the prices have grown a lot in Ukraine A lot a lot.

To retake your examples:
A pack of cigarette costs from $1 to $2 (Marlboro $1.25)
A simple taxi ride cost no less than 150 uah ($5) today
A bad pizza (Celentano restaurant) cost from $6.80. If you go to Napul restaurant (the best pizza in Kiev) you will pay 2 3 times more.
Renting a 1 room flat (40 sqm) in an external district costs minimum $250 for a descent "Euro-remont" flat. Downtown you will pay $800 - $1000 for a simple "Euro-remont" flat.

Electricity, Gas etc.
Last month the price of gas has grown 60%.
Cost of transports has grown 1600% during the last 10 years - in 2008 a metro ticket costed 0.5 uah, today it costs 8 uah.
In 2018 the official average salary in Ukraine is $300 a month (march 2018). In Kiev it is $480 (march 2018).
The cost of everything grows very fast, but not the salaries.
In Kiev you don't live with less than $500 a month if you have to pay for the rent of a flat

Also consider that if you want to buy "foreign" goods they cost 20% more (as minimum)
Cars cost more, cameras cost more, computers cost more, etc. (to buy an enough good computer and an average photo camera with a good lens you need 4 - 6 months of full salary)

The only true thing that you wrote is about red fruits like raspberry, strawberry, etc. Yes they cost very little $1/kg during the season and they are so tasty.

https://blogs.elenasmodels.com/en/wages-and-salaries-in-ukraine-2018/

Grivna converter here:
http://www.viaggiatori.net/pagine/monete/UAH.php


i know people who   work in bank and earn 10000 gryvna month...in bank!!...your salary statistic is biased towards a small group of people who earn a lot....480 dollar is 12000 gryvna.i doubt shop seller or people working in cafe earn   this.....my friend from zhytomir has mother who work in hospital...she earn 7000 gryvna...your stats are biased towards kiev....mos contributor in ukraien comes from outside kiev.

jonbull

    This user is banned.
« Reply #46 on: November 08, 2018, 09:10 »
0
Depends where you live, here in Serbia a middle class man has around 300euros (outside Belgrade where cost and wages are higher), now if you are alone without yourown place it is a problem but still doable, but if you have your place and are living with a partner that also has 300euros it's actually very decent and no we are not living in the tent, we have modern cars (thou buying used ones), computers (not the latest and greatest), phones, fast internet, we go on holidays to seaside etc etc.
Also, I don't think anyone in South-east or just generally Europe would write off 500$ a month, that's one nice lens every month or 10 day all-inclussive holiday in hotel in Egypt or used Ford Fiesta in 5-6 months, especially if all your dayjob money is going to things you mentioned.

If you managed here to somehow pull out about $1000 monthly from stock, you'd be the king of the world all while doing what you love the most.



thats why nowadays 80 % of content are produced in eastern europe...russian and ukraine contributor are uploading the bulk...there are thousand of contributor some loading thousand of images a week...new come out everyday...you know why? because outside moscow in russsia u can live with 7 800 dollar...and in ukraine the  median salary is you know how much? 150 dollar att he moment...teache at public school earn 150 dollar...mcdonald worker 100...sale shop 200.....so you understand that even earning 400 dollar is a lot more and you are doing a funny job...take into account that model are cheap as hell...girl are beautiful and they love be photographed for penny same teenager...that's why you see thousand of people shots....sure there are creative studio and some are best one...i think miles studio and see other in stocksy...or some studio in kiev and moscow...but first of all they have ridiculous cost...i shoot in kiev often and model cost from nothing to 10dollar hours...full studio with concept setup come at 1


just to say in kiev   cigarette 0,8 cent package taxi 0,8 cent one ride in center.....pizza and coke in good restaurant...4 dollar....renting is the only thing that cost but outside the center is cheap as hell....imagine earning 600 dollar...200 for rent, 50 for electricity gas mobile phone and all, the rest for going out and eat or buy some stuff. then ty can do some photo work to add some more  money... so what seems unsustainable in europe become a great job in kiev compared to many   other 8 hours day job...that's why you see thousand of contributor from ukraine serbbia russia hungary.

i love food photography but cooking has become super expensive were i live....think of raspberry 2,4 euro 100 gram where i live...in kiev i buy raspberry in the street from old woman, half kilo 1 euro. just to emphasize who you and e are competing against.


I don't know from where, and from when you got these figures
Your numbers are closer to those of 2006 than to the one of 2018.
Since Euro Maidan the prices have grown a lot in Ukraine A lot a lot.

To retake your examples:
A pack of cigarette costs from $1 to $2 (Marlboro $1.25)
A simple taxi ride cost no less than 150 uah ($5) today
A bad pizza (Celentano restaurant) cost from $6.80. If you go to Napul restaurant (the best pizza in Kiev) you will pay 2 3 times more.
Renting a 1 room flat (40 sqm) in an external district costs minimum $250 for a descent "Euro-remont" flat. Downtown you will pay $800 - $1000 for a simple "Euro-remont" flat.

Electricity, Gas etc.
Last month the price of gas has grown 60%.
Cost of transports has grown 1600% during the last 10 years - in 2008 a metro ticket costed 0.5 uah, today it costs 8 uah.
In 2018 the official average salary in Ukraine is $300 a month (march 2018). In Kiev it is $480 (march 2018).
The cost of everything grows very fast, but not the salaries.
In Kiev you don't live with less than $500 a month if you have to pay for the rent of a flat

Also consider that if you want to buy "foreign" goods they cost 20% more (as minimum)
Cars cost more, cameras cost more, computers cost more, etc. (to buy an enough good computer and an average photo camera with a good lens you need 4 - 6 months of full salary)

The only true thing that you wrote is about red fruits like raspberry, strawberry, etc. Yes they cost very little $1/kg during the season and they are so tasty.

https://blogs.elenasmodels.com/en/wages-and-salaries-in-ukraine-2018/

Grivna converter here:
http://www.viaggiatori.net/pagine/monete/UAH.php


i know people who   work in bank and earn 10000 gryvna month...in bank!!...your salary statistic is biased towards a small group of people who earn a lot....480 dollar is 12000 gryvna.i doubt shop seller or people working in cafe earn   this.....my friend from zhytomir has mother who work in hospital...she earn 7000 gryvna...your stats are biased towards kiev....mos contributor in ukraien comes from outside kiev.


https://www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=Taxify-Taxi-Kyiv-Ukraine&from=Arena+City%2C+вул.+Басейна%2C+2А%2C+Київ%2C+Київська%2C+Ukraine&to=Kiev+Academic+Drama+Theatre+on+Podol%2C+Андріївський+узвіз%2C+20Б%2C+Київ%2C+Київська%2C+Ukraine&fromCoord=50.44138,30.520878&toCoord=50.460438,30.514515

56 gr for 4 km and more ride....it's like 1,5 euro....in italy i spend 15 euro for a ride like this...

http://www.pizza-celentano.kiev.ua/picca/

118 gryvna foor a 28 , normal, pizza,...its less than 3,5 euro..and still we are talking about kiev center.. in model to small city price are easily 20 30% less. the point is 500 dollar put many in line with salary earned by normal job in ukraine...so it's a tough life for sure but the same as millions of ukraine people, with the difference that you work less, do something you like....in any country 500 dollar put you under a bridge...tha'ts why micro is experiencing the overflow of contributor from russia and ukraine in last years

« Reply #47 on: November 08, 2018, 09:12 »
+1
@Brasilnut can you comment on this?

Good reading. I was just wondering is it 2018/2019 related or written years before? If it's current it really sparks hope, which is good.
I was wondering what would happen if one sets to upload 100 images a day (back catalog and new shootings, all of excellent quality and decent commercial value)?
If persistent, it would take 3 months to reach about 9000 images online. How would that compare to 6000 in three years in your opinion?

I wrote it last week. Yes, I believe it is contemporary...leaning more towards a realistic to cautious outlook, based on a strong commercial port (model-released) with few similar images. The projection also has editorials in the mix which, on average, earn less than model-released lifestyle type commercial work. 

If one sets out to upload 100 images/day at "excellent quality and decent commercial value" over 90 days, my prediction would be that after an initial boost as "fresh content", it would then take at least a further 3-5 months until the algos do their thing and those images reach their peak in keyword rankings to earn their peak amounts, before slowly depreciating at about 3% a month until reaching a floor (they'll never become worthless).

Back catalogs related to fashion, technology, even skylines generally don't age well, save for vintage value (Manhattan pre- 9/11 for example). If those images are contemporary they may hold their own for years to rank highly for certain keywords. Best to be shooting with future trends in mind, in any case,...Virtual Reality / Augmented reality, tablets, digital displays, etc.

This is all really academic so best to post a few examples to have a better idea of your archives.

I recall reading somewhere that uploading slowly and consistently is better than all at once in terms of earnings, plus you wouldn't be want to do keywording for 5 hours a day for the next 3 months as you'll probably drive yourself crazy. Plus you may get a nasty reviewer who will just reject a whole batch. In the end they would probably earn about the same in their lifetime but always keep in mind that some images are more time-sensitive than others!

Hope that helps!

Thank you for the extensive answer! It's not really a personal question, but while reading the article I got really curious how would a really aggressive strategy work out instead of long term, really modest weekly uploads you suggested. 

« Reply #48 on: November 08, 2018, 09:24 »
0
"If one sets out to upload 100 images/day at "excellent quality and decent commercial value" over 90 days, my prediction would be that after an initial boost as "fresh content", it would then take at least a further 3-5 months until the algos do their thing and those images reach their peak in keyword rankings to earn their peak amounts, before slowly depreciating at about 3% a month until reaching a floor (they'll never become worthless)."


100 images pr day?! HELP DEAR GOD! If I'm good I can do 4 images pr. day. I think you ment 100 images in 90 days? Sorry, I'm not used to MS terms. But thanks again for important insights.

"I recall reading somewhere that uploading slowly and consistently is better than all at once in terms of earnings, plus you wouldn't be want to do keywording for 5 hours a day for the next 3 months as you'll probably drive yourself crazy. Plus you may get a nasty reviewer who will just reject a whole batch. In the end they would probably earn about the same in their lifetime but always keep in mind that some images are more time-sensitive than others!"

I totally agree!

Theoretically I think it's really doable, thou you have to have that amount of decent stock images waiting on the hard drive or have photoshoots in parallel daily. If I was to split the work (pp, keyword, upload, submit) into 10 images - pause - 10 images, it even seems easy and fun, beats working with papers in office for 8 hours.

Chichikov

« Reply #49 on: November 08, 2018, 11:15 »
0
Depends where you live, here in Serbia a middle class man has around 300euros (outside Belgrade where cost and wages are higher), now if you are alone without yourown place it is a problem but still doable, but if you have your place and are living with a partner that also has 300euros it's actually very decent and no we are not living in the tent, we have modern cars (thou buying used ones), computers (not the latest and greatest), phones, fast internet, we go on holidays to seaside etc etc.
Also, I don't think anyone in South-east or just generally Europe would write off 500$ a month, that's one nice lens every month or 10 day all-inclussive holiday in hotel in Egypt or used Ford Fiesta in 5-6 months, especially if all your dayjob money is going to things you mentioned.

If you managed here to somehow pull out about $1000 monthly from stock, you'd be the king of the world all while doing what you love the most.



thats why nowadays 80 % of content are produced in eastern europe...russian and ukraine contributor are uploading the bulk...there are thousand of contributor some loading thousand of images a week...new come out everyday...you know why? because outside moscow in russsia u can live with 7 800 dollar...and in ukraine the  median salary is you know how much? 150 dollar att he moment...teache at public school earn 150 dollar...mcdonald worker 100...sale shop 200.....so you understand that even earning 400 dollar is a lot more and you are doing a funny job...take into account that model are cheap as hell...girl are beautiful and they love be photographed for penny same teenager...that's why you see thousand of people shots....sure there are creative studio and some are best one...i think miles studio and see other in stocksy...or some studio in kiev and moscow...but first of all they have ridiculous cost...i shoot in kiev often and model cost from nothing to 10dollar hours...full studio with concept setup come at 1


just to say in kiev   cigarette 0,8 cent package taxi 0,8 cent one ride in center.....pizza and coke in good restaurant...4 dollar....renting is the only thing that cost but outside the center is cheap as hell....imagine earning 600 dollar...200 for rent, 50 for electricity gas mobile phone and all, the rest for going out and eat or buy some stuff. then ty can do some photo work to add some more  money... so what seems unsustainable in europe become a great job in kiev compared to many   other 8 hours day job...that's why you see thousand of contributor from ukraine serbbia russia hungary.

i love food photography but cooking has become super expensive were i live....think of raspberry 2,4 euro 100 gram where i live...in kiev i buy raspberry in the street from old woman, half kilo 1 euro. just to emphasize who you and e are competing against.


I don't know from where, and from when you got these figures
Your numbers are closer to those of 2006 than to the one of 2018.
Since Euro Maidan the prices have grown a lot in Ukraine A lot a lot.

To retake your examples:
A pack of cigarette costs from $1 to $2 (Marlboro $1.25)
A simple taxi ride cost no less than 150 uah ($5) today
A bad pizza (Celentano restaurant) cost from $6.80. If you go to Napul restaurant (the best pizza in Kiev) you will pay 2 3 times more.
Renting a 1 room flat (40 sqm) in an external district costs minimum $250 for a descent "Euro-remont" flat. Downtown you will pay $800 - $1000 for a simple "Euro-remont" flat.

Electricity, Gas etc.
Last month the price of gas has grown 60%.
Cost of transports has grown 1600% during the last 10 years - in 2008 a metro ticket costed 0.5 uah, today it costs 8 uah.
In 2018 the official average salary in Ukraine is $300 a month (march 2018). In Kiev it is $480 (march 2018).
The cost of everything grows very fast, but not the salaries.
In Kiev you don't live with less than $500 a month if you have to pay for the rent of a flat

Also consider that if you want to buy "foreign" goods they cost 20% more (as minimum)
Cars cost more, cameras cost more, computers cost more, etc. (to buy an enough good computer and an average photo camera with a good lens you need 4 - 6 months of full salary)

The only true thing that you wrote is about red fruits like raspberry, strawberry, etc. Yes they cost very little $1/kg during the season and they are so tasty.

https://blogs.elenasmodels.com/en/wages-and-salaries-in-ukraine-2018/

Grivna converter here:
http://www.viaggiatori.net/pagine/monete/UAH.php




well i not go kiev in a year but your prices are incorrect...taxi fare minimum 150 gryvna? u dreaming...in center is one dollar 30 40 gryvna...cigarette cost 24 gryvna package less than a euro...pizza napule is more expensive but nothing compared to west..and nail is a premium pizzeria one who goes those with only...cheaper pizzeria cost 100 gryva for a good pizza...va piano in arena cost much less....and we are talking about going in very center of capital  city...consider the rest  of country we are talking about much less money...
i repeat even earning 400 dollar is a lot compared to 90%   of works in ukraine that's why there are literally thousand of people shooting the same stuff, copycat, late factory who use many photographer   producing photos...production cost are ridiculous.


I live and work in Kiev since 2006
I think that I know enough well what are the real prices here
Taxi, yes and no: I never told about a "minimum" fare, but about a "simple" one. You should know that very few normal Ukrainian people use the taxi for short distances. Only fat foreigners and rich Ukrainians will take a taxi to go from Maidan to Besarabka Ukrainians walk (a lot), and they use metro and marshrutka (a lot). Only if they need to move on a longer distance they take a taxi.

Here a (good) statistic about the cost of life in Kiev.
https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Kiev
You can set it in $ or if you want.
For my personal experience I can tell that many prices are a little undervalued (5 - 20%)
For example the utilities are higher, specially after the last growth of the gas and electricity prices.

$400 is not a lot compared to the average salary in Kiev - $384.43 (the only one you should refer to). It is a normal salary.
(I don't tell about Ukraine, but about Kiev, because most of the photographers works in Kiev)
Yes production costs are still not very high at the moment, but it is changing, and the equipment cost like everywhere else, and very often more.

"you say with 500 dollar you cant live...so how can live millions of people in kiev considering they earn much less than 500 dollar?"
Well it is enough easy to answer to that. After the fall of Soviet union all the people living there (so in Ukraine too) have became owners of the flat where they lived. So not having to pay for the rent of the flat they can effectively live with less money. But things are changing, the population is growing and today not everybody is owner of the flat where he lives.
If you are not owner of your flat, and have to pay a rent, it is not so easy to live decently with $500 a month.
Try to live in Kiev with $500 a month, then you will tell me :D

« Last Edit: November 08, 2018, 11:50 by Chichikov »


 

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