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Which of the Big Five is right for me?

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Lincoln:
Hi all, newbie here.   ;D

I'm just about to dip my toe in the microstock waters, but I'm really surprised by the lack of information on microstock companies and determining what might be the best fit for me.  I was under the impression that each company drew a slightly different audience, so it might be better to go with one that best suited my photographic niche, until I saw that people were typically members of ALL the major microstock sites.  Doesn't this create difficulties with terms of services (such as not being allowed to use the same batch of photos across different sites)?

I'm also not sure about what would typically be expected of me once uploading a collection of photos.  Would I still be allowed to use a particular stock photo I've uploaded on say, my own blog, or on Flickr?  So confused here...   ???

I think once I get a handle on how this all works, I can start uploading my batch of 5,000 to 10,000 photos.  Oh Lord...  that's gonna be fun.   :-X :-X :-X

Freezingpictures:
Hey Lincoln,

wellcome here! Some of us photographers do have websites which lots of information about the stock agencies. I for example :)  Click here
You are allowed to use the same images at the different stock agencies, as long as you do not go exclusive with one of them. If you want to go exclusive, Istockphoto would be the only one where it can make sense, however a lot of us earn more if we do not go exclusive.
Yes, you can still do with your images what ever you want, putting them on your blog or using Flickr. You still can give them away for free unless you go exclusive with istock.

Feel free to use referral links from other photographers or me, thats another way to make money on microstock.

All the best on microstock. 5000-10000 images is a lot, only very few of us have that much images.

fintastique:
I have some comparison tables in my guide which show the differences in how much you images will sell for, minimum size requirements, upload limits.

My microstock guide

Some agencies will accept virtually anything but sell virtually nothing whereas others will accept a much smaller percentage but they actually have some customers so the photos sell.

Bare in mind that the microstock agencies are all very strict about the photo being royalty free no company logos etc and others are fussy about digital noise, colour profiles etc so you make to have rework some photos.

If you have spent all that time processing a photo and keywording the amount of extra time submitting to more than one agency isn't that much more. Certainly not a business to have all your eggs in one basket.

Good luck

Lincoln:
Thanks for advice all!   ;D  It helps make some sense out of all the confusion between the stock agencies, and what's expected on my part.

iStock sounds pretty strict, but they might be the best choice to start a test run.  If my photos get accepted there, and they do well, then I could gradually sign up for the other 4 and from there I can keep building up my library on all 5 (and maybe even more).   :)  I wonder how many stock agencies I could take on before it becomes too much to handle.

yingyang0:
I'm exclusive at iStock so my opinion may be skewed. However, I'd start by trying to get excepted by Shutterstock and iStock. If you really have 5,000 to 10,000 stock quality photos then you should do well. I should caution you though. I get the impression that you have a lot of photos, and not necessary stock quality. First I'd go look at what the sites are accepting and then look at your photos with a very critical eye. Then pick your best 10 for Shutterstock, and 3 for iStock. I think for most people shutterstock and istock are their best earners (they were for me before I went exclusive).

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