MicrostockGroup
Agency Based Discussion => General - Top Sites => Topic started by: stockyme on March 21, 2016, 07:29
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Hi All,
I've started a post few months back about worst month ever and I've received more than thousand reply on that post. BTW, Is there anyone who would like to share his/her story that is somehow encouraging to new photographers?
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I don't want to encourage new photographers, it's bad for my business.
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For new entrants the truth is that you need a combination of several things:
1. Uniqueness that has commercial appeal
2. Quality
3. Volume
4. Constant uploads
5. Diversify (illustrations, Images, video, audio if you have the skills and equipment).
Newbies tend to upload a few hundred images and make $50 and call it success. That means you need to define what success is for you and work to that. Agencies are constantly finding ways to cut your commissions, collections are growing leaps and bounds, and a lot of everyday subject matter is already well covered. That is any new entrant's challenge.
I am not new, but I am a realist as well. I am NEVER happy with my earnings because I set high goals for myself. If you don't set realistic expectations as a new micro stocker you will be very disappointed. If what you are wanting to contribute are vacation images and shooting around town or the local landmark, set your expectations low. If you are skilled and have the means to shoot in controlled lighting situations then you can start your journey into concept shooting, likely to get you more sales.
So to your question, everyone's mileage, new or veteran, will vary based on their skills and expectations.
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I'm pretty happy with my earnings. I'm doing video though, specifically motion graphics, so not a photographer. Last month I made $1850, February 2015 I made $521, February 2014 I made $30, February 2013 I made $27 and February 2012 I made $0.
I think I'm probably approaching a bit of a wall though, I can't see myself making $6k+ next Feb. I wish!
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I'm pretty happy with my earnings. I'm doing video though, specifically motion graphics, so not a photographer. Last month I made $1850, February 2015 I made $521, February 2014 I made $30, February 2013 I made $27 and February 2012 I made $0.
I think I'm probably approaching a bit of a wall though, I can't see myself making $6k+ next Feb. I wish!
Great progress!
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Thanks!
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I don't anyone can truly be happy with what they earn unless they have more than what they know what to do with. Even then, some people still want more.
I've been content with my earnings for the last couple months, but there's always that nagging feeling that I'm not earning enough or earning fast enough. I suppose that's human nature. You just keep wanting more.
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You can't afford to be happy with what you earn in this industry because the rug is too frequently pulled out from under you. Look at the 500px thing or the fotolia bans. You could be making 6 figures today and close to zero tomorrow.
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I don't want to encourage new photographers, it's bad for my business.
Better to discourage old photographers…
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I'm pretty happy with my earnings. I'm doing video though, specifically motion graphics, so not a photographer. Last month I made $1850, February 2015 I made $521, February 2014 I made $30, February 2013 I made $27 and February 2012 I made $0.
I think I'm probably approaching a bit of a wall though, I can't see myself making $6k+ next Feb. I wish!
where do you sell btw?
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I'm pretty happy with my earnings. I'm doing video though, specifically motion graphics, so not a photographer. Last month I made $1850, February 2015 I made $521, February 2014 I made $30, February 2013 I made $27 and February 2012 I made $0.
I think I'm probably approaching a bit of a wall though, I can't see myself making $6k+ next Feb. I wish!
where do you sell btw?
SS, iS, FT, P5, DT, 123RF, Envato, ME, ClipCanvas, ClipDealer, Artbeats Express, VB and I've just signed up for DP. So yeah, just a couple of sites! Was just on Envato, P5, ClipCanvas and ClipDealer up until about six months ago. Have been trying to spread the love around for a bit recently, see if I can find any other decent sites.
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I'm pretty happy with my earnings. I'm doing video though, specifically motion graphics, so not a photographer. Last month I made $1850, February 2015 I made $521, February 2014 I made $30, February 2013 I made $27 and February 2012 I made $0.
And is that before or after the currency exchange? Last summer our dollar was par with the American greenback. Since then its' slid to about $0.75 so I got a 25% raise with microstocking - along with increasing sales - my income was/is increasing accordingly.
You're with a lot of agencies. I submit clips to two agencies: SS and P5 so it'd be
interesting to factor in the income made on a "dollar per hour" basis. A lot more time is invested in creating-preparing-uploading clips.....especially if you're with 8-10 agencies!
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I don't want to encourage new photographers, it's bad for my business.
Better to discourage old photographers…
No need... they are already discouraged
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I'm pretty happy with my earnings. I'm doing video though, specifically motion graphics, so not a photographer. Last month I made $1850, February 2015 I made $521, February 2014 I made $30, February 2013 I made $27 and February 2012 I made $0.
And is that before or after the currency exchange? Last summer our dollar was par with the American greenback. Since then its' slid to about $0.75 so I got a 25% raise with microstocking - along with increasing sales - my income was/is increasing accordingly.
You're with a lot of agencies. I submit clips to two agencies: SS and P5 so it'd be
interesting to factor in the income made on a "dollar per hour" basis. A lot more time is invested in creating-preparing-uploading clips.....especially if you're with 8-10 agencies!
Before currency exchange. I make a lot more than I did a couple of years ago, with the dollar being stronger against the pound. It is a lot of places to upload to, but it's hard to tell which ones will pay off without trying. I give them a try and decide whether it;s worth uploading new stuff there. I've given up on ClipCanvas, Revostock gave up on everyone, about to stop uploading to ClipDealer and Dreamstime.
I don't have a massive portfolio at the moment. I have at Envato on my exclusive account, but my non-exclusive stuff is only about 60 clips, so it's worth testing the waters as they don't take too long to upload and keyword. Especially if I can copy and paste a lot of the content from existing portfolios elsewhere.
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I'm pretty happy with my earnings.
I guess from my perspective I can't imagine anyone really "happy" with their earnings when all the time, not to mention equipment is invested. There's so much to factor in. Some of us have far less "expense" factors. I'm still shooting with a T3i and my only investment over the past two years was a used 18-55mm lens for $50....Year to year my income increases 25% - 35%.....but despite that, I work 8-10 hours a day, many times, 6 days a week.
Regardless, as with most people I'm sure, I love what I'm doing and still get a kick when someone has chosen my photo/video over countless others.....
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After starting the SS upload has passed about two months. Having lived two months have settled generate revenue of $ 25 the first month, second month, $ 110. There investing more than 10 hours per day if you spent one year in this way does get a satisfactory return one years after?
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Not only in this industry the rug gets pulled...It is happening all over, print on demand sites, marketplaces...there is too much change happening, and happening too fast...
You can't afford to be happy with what you earn in this industry because the rug is too frequently pulled out from under you. Look at the 500px thing or the fotolia bans. You could be making 6 figures today and close to zero tomorrow.
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After starting the SS upload has passed about two months. Having lived two months have settled generate revenue of $ 25 the first month, second month, $ 110. There investing more than 10 hours per day if you spent one year in this way does get a satisfactory return one years after?
Takes me about a week to upload and tag my 60 clips to a new site. That's not a week of work though, most of that is waiting for stuff to upload, so I can do other stuff in the meantime. Actually selecting and clicking upload, naming, describing and tagging is only a few hours.
I see your point, but if everyone was worried about whether sales would offset the amount of work involved, then nobody would upload anything... as there's no guarantees. Sure, you can do a bit of research, check the polls here, try and figure out if certain things sell at certain sites more than others, but there's still an element of risk, no matter how good your stuff is. I think it's still worth testing the waters, unless the site is really small, has no history etc. Even if it's just with a core selection of your work, to get an idea.
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I'm safe and sound and that's enough to be happy! There will be always shortage of $$$ but that's not a reason not to be happy so the answer is YES!
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I'm safe and sound and that's enough to be happy! There will be always shortage of $$$ but that's not a reason not to be happy so the answer is YES!
Great response!
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same here - if I weren't happy with my results, I'd be doing something else
that doesn't mean I wouldn't like more sales
another factor is the residual income that accrues, so that there's a steady income even when I take off for a month of travel
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same here - if I weren't happy with my results, I'd be doing something else
that doesn't mean I wouldn't like more sales
another factor is the residual income that accrues, so that there's a steady income even when I take off for a month of travel
Sums it up too many people seem to do this microstock stuff even though it makes them unhappy why I wonder?
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same here - if I weren't happy with my results, I'd be doing something else
that doesn't mean I wouldn't like more sales
another factor is the residual income that accrues, so that there's a steady income even when I take off for a month of travel
Absolutely! I'm heading off travelling at the end of May. World Series of Poker in Vegas for a couple of weeks, on to Thailand for a couple more weeks, and then not really sure after that. I could still do that if I didn't sell stock, but the "not really sure after that" would mean me coming home and restocking the coffers. Based on my current income from stock, the fact I'll get a regular (although slightly fluctuating) income every month, and if I stick to countries that aren't ridiculously expensive... then there's no reason why I can't stay on the road for six, twelve or even twenty four months!
I mean obviously, I'll get killed by snakes, spiders or gangsters long before that... but it's the thought that counts!
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I'm pretty happy with my earnings. I'm doing video though, specifically motion graphics, so not a photographer. Last month I made $1850, February 2015 I made $521, February 2014 I made $30, February 2013 I made $27 and February 2012 I made $0.
I think I'm probably approaching a bit of a wall though, I can't see myself making $6k+ next Feb. I wish!
where do you sell btw?
SS, iS, FT, P5, DT, 123RF, Envato, ME, ClipCanvas, ClipDealer, Artbeats Express, VB and I've just signed up for DP. So yeah, just a couple of sites! Was just on Envato, P5, ClipCanvas and ClipDealer up until about six months ago. Have been trying to spread the love around for a bit recently, see if I can find any other decent sites.
DP digitpoint? how bout deviantart and cafepress? and etsy
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DeviantArt for selling images, maybe, but not sure I can embed my videos into some kind of hand-crafted cushion on Etsy! :)
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I don't want to encourage new photographers, it's bad for my business.
(http://hdwallpapersd.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Popeye-Img.jpg)
Happy i'am