Author Topic: it's possible to live only selling photos in microstock site? (Read 51926 times)

derek · « **Reply #100 on:** October 02, 2017, 01:16 »

During my 10 years in Micro I've come to know lots and lots of people and the very few I know that can actually live on micro-stock have got extremely specialized work not big portfolios but very niched content.

There are lots more living well off RM content but then again they have been in the business long before Micro-stock came about.

alexandersr · « **Reply #101 on:** October 02, 2017, 13:51 »

Quote from: derek on October 02, 2017, 01:16

During my 10 years in Micro I've come to know lots and lots of people and the very few I know that can actually live on micro-stock have got extremely specialized work not big portfolios but very niched content.

There are lots more living well off RM content but then again they have been in the business long before Micro-stock came about.

Thanks!

Pauws99 · « **Reply #102 on:** October 02, 2017, 15:09 »

Quote from: Morphart on October 01, 2017, 12:42

Quote from: Justanotherphotographer on March 06, 2017, 13:22
Quote from: jonbull on March 06, 2017, 13:21
Quote from: jonbull on March 06, 2017, 13:20
Quote from: Justanotherphotographer on March 06, 2017, 13:18
Quote from: jonbull on March 06, 2017, 12:03
Quote from: Justanotherphotographer on March 06, 2017, 11:25
The numbers in this thread with regards to earnings and number of people doing it full time are way off.

sure they are much more...a lot of people eran net 5000..i doubt.
Well I don't think I am in the top 200 and make more than that profit. So there's that.

you make more than 5000 dollar net profit every month.ok.

strange i read you always complaining now you make more than 60k net..year. sure.
I make more than double that. Doesn't mean I have to like being shafted by the agencies.

Jonbull, continue complaining and blasting the ones who works hard and do a good liviing. Maybe if you'd spend half the time and energy I see you spending only in this post you would also get 6k+ per month. It does happen, took me 5 years to build but you can get there. Then you need to stay active and follow the market in order to maintain the revenue, but it's part of the job.

But apparently he does

. One of oddities of this site is many of those who complain the most also claim large incomes if anyone dares to challenge their proficiency. Most of them seem to be Male....reckon theres a physical parallel scenario to be drawn ;-)

Sion · « **Reply #103 on:** October 02, 2017, 23:35 »

Quote from: alexandersr on February 11, 2017, 18:33

Hi, i'm new in this business, i wuold like to know if it's possible to live only selling photos in microstock site?

Yes you can if you're prepared to spend time, energy and expenses to shoot what is in demand and patient enough to wait a year for the money to coming rolling in.

For examples istock/getty regular shooting briefs in their sites and those emailed to the photographers are the gospels some successful shooters avidly follow.

Best of luck.

niktol · « **Reply #104 on:** October 03, 2017, 08:01 »

Quote from: alexandersr on February 11, 2017, 18:33

Hi, i'm new in this business, i wuold like to know if it's possible to live only selling photos in microstock site?

Yes. But not for everyone.

Stickystock · « **Reply #105 on:** October 03, 2017, 09:37 »

Quote from: derek on October 02, 2017, 01:16

During my 10 years in Micro I've come to know lots and lots of people and the very few I know that can actually live on micro-stock have got extremely specialized work not big portfolios but very niched content.

There are lots more living well off RM content but then again they have been in the business long before Micro-stock came about.

I don't believe this to be true. Many new comers that never touched a camera before they started doing stock do very well and make a good living out of this. My experience is that it does not matter if you are in photography for 20 or 2 years. You get it or you don't. The photographers that do this for 20 years are not better just because they are in this business longer.

increasingdifficulty · « **Reply #106 on:** October 03, 2017, 09:43 »

Quote from: Stickystock on October 03, 2017, 09:37

The photographers that do this for 20 years are not better just because they are in this business longer.

But they sure like to think so.

Brightontl · « **Reply #107 on:** October 03, 2017, 16:18 »

Quote from: Stickystock on October 03, 2017, 09:37

Quote from: derek on October 02, 2017, 01:16
During my 10 years in Micro I've come to know lots and lots of people and the very few I know that can actually live on micro-stock have got extremely specialized work not big portfolios but very niched content.

There are lots more living well off RM content but then again they have been in the business long before Micro-stock came about.

I don't believe this to be true. Many new comers that never touched a camera before they started doing stock do very well and make a good living out of this. My experience is that it does not matter if you are in photography for 20 or 2 years. You get it or you don't. The photographers that do this for 20 years are not better just because they are in this business longer.

Yes, you have several good points here.
Photography is certainly not rocket science. A good grasp of it can be picked up with a few weeks following videos on YT and a few months of practice on the field.
And newcomers can tackle microstock with a fresh prospective.
Video is totally another kettle of fish, much, much more complex

Stickystock · « **Reply #108 on:** October 04, 2017, 05:33 »

Video is totally another kettle of fish, much, much more complex

No I think it's the same with video. It's composition and light and correct style of video's and not crappy dull light video's. You can learn technique on Youtube and shoot with modern DLSR. But the same goes here. Composition, subject and correct light and editing.

DavidArts · « **Reply #109 on:** October 10, 2017, 11:41 »

it definitelely WAS POSSIBLEif you've started years ago... but today? Really really hard...

I live only with microstock... since 2011 I think... but today this world is in the middle of a very big Chrisis... we're in downtrend since 2 year and at this point I cannot see how things could possible turn in better any time soon...
Millions of new images... easy approval process.... hudreds of thousands of new contributors...
Things are discouraging today for a beginner....

Quasarphoto · « **Reply #110 on:** October 10, 2017, 17:10 »

Quote from: alexandersr on September 30, 2017, 22:28

Hope some day to live from MS.

Spend as little time as possible on this forum, it's a whiners club. Concentrate on the task, would you like to do it or you really want to do it? There's a 90% fallout, even with 100 gazillion photos out there of contributors. Photography is a dead business since the 80's when SLR's became popular. Since then it's all 'downhill' yet there are always a couple of new kids on the block who will push through and make it. Nobody says it's easy, but what is easy these days?

chess1master · « **Reply #111 on:** October 10, 2017, 18:48 »

- Try smaller portfolio, more quality less quantity
- Do a business plan (short, mid, long) and find a good accountant.
- Focus on story telling, hard to copy own style, forecasting future trends - so dont shoot "stop-motion" style
- Take care on small amount of precise keywords
- Avoid low earner agencies (mostly under 3% of total earning)
- Stock photography is NOT art of selling (don't listen the "successful" people who telleing its just about selling, or selling zillion pictures, its just LIE and PSYCHOLOGY. The high earners are always hidden and quiet, and LOVE what they do) - so do it with passion, as every good thing in your life.
- Be prepare working hard on yourself (learn, shoot, sell, feedback)
- Photography is not dead, as painting, or sclupting... dont listen naysayers

Clair Voyant · « **Reply #112 on:** October 10, 2017, 19:31 »

Yes!!! It is totally possible. Easy? No. Possible? Yes.

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #113 on:** October 10, 2017, 23:14 »

Quote from: chess1master on October 10, 2017, 18:48

so dont shoot "stop-motion" style

Does anybody do that though? That would actually be a pretty good niche to sell in, now I think about it.

Pauws99 · « **Reply #114 on:** October 11, 2017, 00:51 »

"The high earners are always hidden and quiet," H'mmmm any one that tell that Yuri guy...he could have done so much better.

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #115 on:** October 11, 2017, 06:05 »

And as for it not being about the art of selling.... surely titles, keywords, descriptions and any kind of social media marketing, would be classed as the art of selling. And they're all going to have a positive impact on sales if done correctly.

cobalt · « **Reply #116 on:** October 11, 2017, 08:39 »

Yes, if you work very hard and pay close attention to what customers really need and what is missing in the industry.

But it will take several years and thousands of files with interesting, timeless content before you can do it full time.

Might be easier if you live in a country with low costs, if you you can survive on 1000 dollars or less, then this is pretty easy to achieve.

But if you need 6000 and more, also to pay for production costs, then you have a very different challenge.

Brasilnut · « **Reply #117 on:** October 11, 2017, 09:51 »

Quote

Might be easier if you live in a country with low costs, if you you can survive on 1000 dollars or less, then this is pretty easy to achieve.

Great point.

Thailand sounds nice

increasingdifficulty · « **Reply #118 on:** October 11, 2017, 10:31 »

A few months of constant sweating and you'll be on a flight back to Europe.

Rage · « **Reply #119 on:** October 11, 2017, 23:06 »

$1000 a month should be achievable, but it'll take a great portfolio. Hard to get if you are in some third world country with little that people want to buy

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #120 on:** October 12, 2017, 01:21 »

Quote from: izzikiorage on October 11, 2017, 23:06

Hard to get if you are in some third world country with little that people want to buy

Although thankfully, due to the wonders of the internet, you have the ability to sell your stock to people from countries other than the one you live in.

Pauws99 · « **Reply #121 on:** October 12, 2017, 01:42 »

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on October 11, 2017, 06:05

And as for it not being about the art of selling.... surely titles, keywords, descriptions and any kind of social media marketing, would be classed as the art of selling. And they're all going to have a positive impact on sales if done correctly.

We largely contract out the "art of selling" to the Agencies who spend $$$$ on it its largely what differentiates them. If you can add to that surely thats a good thing. Personally I couldn't sell ice creams in the desert ;-).

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #122 on:** October 12, 2017, 02:00 »

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on October 12, 2017, 01:21

Quote from: izzikiorage on October 11, 2017, 23:06
Hard to get if you are in some third world country with little that people want to buy

Although thankfully, due to the wonders of the internet, you have the ability to sell your stock to people from countries other than the one you live in.

Ah, hold on... are you on about the content that people can make in these countries? That it might not be appealing to those buyers from the US/Europe? Well, there's always tropical beaches, temples, exotic landscapes, places the US likes to bomb etc.

Rage · « **Reply #123 on:** October 12, 2017, 07:12 »

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on October 12, 2017, 02:00

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on October 12, 2017, 01:21
Quote from: izzikiorage on October 11, 2017, 23:06
Hard to get if you are in some third world country with little that people want to buy

Although thankfully, due to the wonders of the internet, you have the ability to sell your stock to people from countries other than the one you live in.

Ah, hold on... are you on about the content that people can make in these countries? That it might not be appealing to those buyers from the US/Europe? Well, there's always tropical beaches, temples, exotic landscapes, places the US likes to bomb etc.

This is what i meant. Hard to shoot the sort of stock that you see in the top sellers list in a place like pakistan, india or sri lanka.

The niche stuff from here sells well though but there are hardly any buyers.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

cobalt · « **Reply #124 on:** October 12, 2017, 15:21 »

These countries have human beings, don´t they?

Taking pictures of elderly people moving around, being helped or cared for by family, young people repairing cars or working in construction, families cooking together.

And you can do it in local clothes, or get a T-shirt and old jeans (not very expensive in these countries)...and voila...many scenes can be created in a generic way for the world market.

Sports, yoga, body weight exercises...looking after pets,taking care of the farm...environmental issues, global warming, pollution in cities...

Women starting a small business and families working together with their business. All kinds of images of children in learning situations.

And of course there are probably a million recipes waiting, travel locations, young people working on computers...I mean you need to have a computer and an internet connection, so there is already a certain selection going on.

There is a strong demand for localised content from all parts of the world.

There are thousands of artists from these countries already uploading really excellent stock.

the biggest barrier is internet access, but with mobile phones going everywhere, I am sure there will soon be hundreds of thousands joining the stock race.

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Author Topic: it's possible to live only selling photos in microstock site? (Read 51926 times)

derek

alexandersr

Pauws99

Sion

niktol

Stickystock

increasingdifficulty

Brightontl

Stickystock

DavidArts

Quasarphoto

chess1master

Clair Voyant

SpaceStockFootage

Pauws99

SpaceStockFootage

cobalt

Brasilnut

increasingdifficulty

Rage

SpaceStockFootage

Pauws99

SpaceStockFootage

Rage

cobalt

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