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Microstock Photography Forum - General => General Stock Discussion => Topic started by: Brasilnut on March 02, 2019, 06:59
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Hey all,
Taking a page from Steve's earnings reports, I've finally taken the courage step to disclose (most) of my stock photography/videography earnings.
Full summary on my blog:
https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2019/03/01/first-ever-earnings-report-feb-2019/
I'll be back next month!
Alex
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Thanks for sharing, insightful!
BTW - good luck in your poker tournament! Did you get a free-buy in? Or did you pay $10k to join?
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Alex, amazing article. I loved your pictures. I saw that some of the low earners are not worth the time. What are your thoughts on Bigstock? Have you ever had sales on Picfair? How many pictures you have there compared with AS or SS for example? Thanks a lot.
Enviado desde mi ALP-L29 mediante Tapatalk
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Thanks for sharing, insightful!
BTW - good luck in your poker tournament! Did you get a free-buy in? Or did you pay $10k to join?
I'll try to satellite into the main event, otherwise play some of the smaller events. Hopefully I'll be out there taking pics with a press pass...that would be the nuts!
Alex, amazing article. I loved your pictures. I saw that some of the low earners are not worth the time. What are your thoughts on Bigstock? Have you ever had sales on Picfair? How many pictures you have there compared with AS or SS for example? Thanks a lot.
Thanks! Bigstock is a low earner but at least there's some consistency there with regular small value sales. I've only had 1 sale at Picfair with 4,389 pics and 36,580 views. Disappointing but they're a new agency so need to give them time.
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Big stock WAS consistent for me albeit at a very small level. The last couple of months sales are almost non existent.
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Lol.
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Thank you very much Alex! Truly appreciated. I‘ll share it widely.
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Thank you very much Alex! Truly appreciated. I‘ll share it widely.
Thanks! I trust March will be better and not only for the extra few days, but also for some clip sales! :D
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Thank you very much Alex! Truly appreciated. I‘ll share it widely.
Thanks! I trust March will be better and not only for the extra few days, but also for some clip sales! :D
Really good stuff Alex!
Your blog has improved a lot and it looks very professional know.
Plenty of interesting stuff, thank you for sharing!
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Thanks Alex. Really useful for someone starting Stock photography like me. Have been reading a few articles from your blog and am especially intrigue by people stealing photos from other accounts in Shutterstock.
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I'm a bit late this month, but here is my February report on earnings. Bottom line - similar to previous February's, although with a much greater volume of files for sale, that isn't a great message!
https://www.backyardsilver.com/2019/03/making-money-from-stock-photos-feb-2019/ (https://www.backyardsilver.com/2019/03/making-money-from-stock-photos-feb-2019/)
(https://i0.wp.com/www.backyardsilver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/EarningsFeb19.png?w=910&ssl=1)
I did pass a major threshold over the weekend though - 100,000 downloads from Shutterstock. Just took me 11 years to do it!!
(https://i0.wp.com/www.backyardsilver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ShutterstockDownloads.png?resize=1024%2C399&ssl=1)
Steve
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much greater volume of files
Perhaps you snould follow Alex "lesson learned" part of his post and not expose the good ones? It is not difficult to copy Dolly one movement and perhaps the subjects you describe...
Thank you both for your posts, they are motivational for people like me just entering the stock world.
:)
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much greater volume of files
Perhaps you snould follow Alex "lesson learned" part of his post and not expose the good ones? It is not difficult to copy Dolly one movement and perhaps the subjects you describe...
Thank you both for your posts, they are motivational for people like me just entering the stock world.
:)
I wish I could find them motivational it just says to me I'm going to work harder and harder to stand still. Its an extremely tough business now with no reason to expect it to get anything but tougher.
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Thanks Alex. Really useful for someone starting Stock photography like me. Have been reading a few articles from your blog and am especially intrigue by people stealing photos from other accounts in Shutterstock.
Just so we don't go off into assumptions, and false targeting, people don't always steal from Shutterstock to post on Shutterstock. They steal from many other places, to post on Shutterstock and other sites. Some may be from other SS accounts. Many have been found from Pinterest or Postimage.org, or the sites that offer free images, which happen to be stolen. Some collections are sold on sales sites.
There are back doors into a number of sites, I won't post them. The same people who try to cheat and make money on SS have also been found on AS and IS and the smaller sites. There's also a big problem when someone can steal parts of illustrations and include them or modify them, as their own. Not as easy to find as photos sometimes.
I just didn't want this to turn into a ShutterStock bash, when the problem is everywhere.
I wish I could find them motivational it just says to me I'm going to work harder and harder to stand still. Its an extremely tough business now with no reason to expect it to get anything but tougher.
Every year since I started. We upload more, work harder and make less for the same effort as the year before. You are correct. But since there's still something and a little residual, I'll keep adding new to a few places and let it ride on the others. :)
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I'm going to work harder and harder to stand still
work harder and make less for the same effort as the year before
Well, I don't have to click on Alex post again, I remember clearly that he said (wrote)
"keep pushing and learning"
Assuming all markets nowadays are oversaturated with hard competition and not always fair players... well....
Yup! that's motivation! :D :D
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double posted, sorry :)
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I'm going to work harder and harder to stand still
Assuming all markets nowadays are oversaturated with hard competition and not always fair players... well....
Yup! that's motivation! :D :D
That's not really an assumption about this particular (not all) market is it?
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That's not really an assumption about this particular (not all) market is it?
Apologies, now that I read it again it sounds awful...!!!!.
"Not fair players" I meant content thieves/reuploaders as I read in other posts.
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March 2019 earnings report is out:
https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2019/03/31/brutally-honest-march-2019-earnings-results/
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March 2019 earnings report is out:
https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2019/03/31/brutally-honest-march-2019-earnings-results/
Interesting. It's weird AS is so dead. Maybe you are selling a lot of editorials?
Enviado desde mi ALP-L29 mediante Tapatalk
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March 2019 earnings report is out:
https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2019/03/31/brutally-honest-march-2019-earnings-results/
Interesting. It's weird AS is so dead. Maybe you are selling a lot of editorials?
Enviado desde mi ALP-L29 mediante Tapatalk
Thanks! Yes, this seems to be the main reason - something like 60-65% of my images are editorial as my niche is travel. I've only managed just over 3,000 images on AS vs 9,400 on SS. Alamy I have 10,500.
I think it's a blip month and should expect $75-100 months going forward!
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March 2019 earnings report is out:
https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2019/03/31/brutally-honest-march-2019-earnings-results/
Interesting. It's weird AS is so dead. Maybe you are selling a lot of editorials?
Enviado desde mi ALP-L29 mediante Tapatalk
Thanks! Yes, this seems to be the main reason - something like 60-65% of my images are editorial as my niche is travel. I've only managed just over 3,000 images on AS vs 9,400 on SS. Alamy I have 10,500.
I think it's a blip month and should expect $75-100 months going forward!
AS should accept editorials too. BTW, nice picture you sold in alamy.
Enviado desde mi ALP-L29 mediante Tapatalk
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March 2019 earnings report is out:
https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2019/03/31/brutally-honest-march-2019-earnings-results/
Interesting. It's weird AS is so dead. Maybe you are selling a lot of editorials?
Enviado desde mi ALP-L29 mediante Tapatalk
Thanks! Yes, this seems to be the main reason - something like 60-65% of my images are editorial as my niche is travel. I've only managed just over 3,000 images on AS vs 9,400 on SS. Alamy I have 10,500.
I think it's a blip month and should expect $75-100 months going forward!
AS should accept editorials too. BTW, nice picture you sold in alamy.
Enviado desde mi ALP-L29 mediante Tapatalk
Thanks! I would show others but they are quite sensitive and don't want to encourage copy-cats! Will give a hint that many have to do with Brexit, which isn't really that surprising.
If I can't manage to sell more than 1 puny clip in April I don't know what I'll do...
I got my popcorn ready and just waiting for Steve to come out with this monthly report... :D
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Phew - what a month! $9650 earned from my activities.
(https://i2.wp.com/www.backyardsilver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/EarningsMar2019.png?ssl=1)
OK - it is the first of April, but it was a very good month - best ever, with $3663 earned. Full details, as usual, are here: https://www.backyardsilver.com/2019/04/april-1-report-on-earnings-from-stock-photos/ (https://www.backyardsilver.com/2019/04/april-1-report-on-earnings-from-stock-photos/)
If you want an email each time I post something on the blog, you can sign up in the top right. I'm going to work on a what sold where post in the next day or two.
Steve
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Phew - what a month! $9650 earned from my activities.
Nearly choked on my popcorn!
Solid month, Steve - well done.
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Phew - what a month! $9650 earned from my activities.
(https://i2.wp.com/www.backyardsilver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/EarningsMar2019.png?ssl=1)
OK - it is the first of April, but it was a very good month - best ever, with $3663 earned. Full details, as usual, are here: https://www.backyardsilver.com/2019/04/april-1-report-on-earnings-from-stock-photos/ (https://www.backyardsilver.com/2019/04/april-1-report-on-earnings-from-stock-photos/)
If you want an email each time I post something on the blog, you can sign up in the top right. I'm going to work on a what sold where post in the next day or two.
Steve
Great post.
Enviado desde mi ALP-L29 mediante Tapatalk
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Nice job! Very impressed! Not sure how you can support DP though. They are an awful agency.
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I'm confused... did you earn $9,650 or $3663?
Your post says $9650, yet - you only list $3663???
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I'm confused... did you earn $9,650 or $3663?
Your post says $9650, yet - you only list $3663???
My attempt at an April Fools report was perhaps too subtle. It was, of course, $3663. I thought the rest of the post made that clear. Sorry.
Steve
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Phew - what a month! $9650 earned from my activities.
OK - it is the first of April, but it was a very good month - best ever, with $3663 earned. Full details, as usual, are here: https://www.backyardsilver.com/2019/04/april-1-report-on-earnings-from-stock-photos/ (https://www.backyardsilver.com/2019/04/april-1-report-on-earnings-from-stock-photos/)
If you want an email each time I post something on the blog, you can sign up in the top right. I'm going to work on a what sold where post in the next day or two.
Steve
Still good in any case, nice to see that people who work hard are making decent returns for their efforts.
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I'm confused... did you earn $9,650 or $3663?
Your post says $9650, yet - you only list $3663???
My attempt at an April Fools report was perhaps too subtle. It was, of course, $3663. I thought the rest of the post made that clear. Sorry.
Steve
Ah,kk. For me - $9650/month in royalty sales would be a good wage. Still $3,663 is quite good. I believe after about $3,000/month in sales (at least for north america) - then it starts to become 'livable' if you are living in a small to mid-sized city. Anything above that starts to become fun money :)
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I'm confused... did you earn $9,650 or $3663?
Your post says $9650, yet - you only list $3663???
My attempt at an April Fools report was perhaps too subtle. It was, of course, $3663. I thought the rest of the post made that clear. Sorry.
Steve
Ah,kk. For me - $9650/month in royalty sales would be a good wage. Still $3,663 is quite good. I believe after about $3,000/month in sales (at least for north america) - then it starts to become 'livable' if you are living in a small to mid-sized city. Anything above that starts to become fun money :)
Or like myself, have four other sources of income, so I can continue to "make money" on Microstock? ;D
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Yes, I was going to say that - I don't see any path to creating a living wage (in the USA) out of this activity. The headwinds are too strong. But as a supplemental income stream, it is fine.
Incidentally, I'm impressed with Society6 as a place for more artistic shots. I've only got 32 pictures there, and my store has been open for no more than 6 months perhaps, but I get $20-$30 a month from it. Again, not fantastic in the grand scheme of things, but getting arty shots onto someone's wall does feel better than seeing a shot of a bitcoin on a webpage somewhere. I wrote about my latest sale on my blog today.
https://www.backyardsilver.com/2019/04/society6-more-sales/ (https://www.backyardsilver.com/2019/04/society6-more-sales/)
Steve
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I'm confused... did you earn $9,650 or $3663?
Your post says $9650, yet - you only list $3663???
My attempt at an April Fools report was perhaps too subtle. It was, of course, $3663. I thought the rest of the post made that clear. Sorry.
Steve
Ah,kk. For me - $9650/month in royalty sales would be a good wage. Still $3,663 is quite good. I believe after about $3,000/month in sales (at least for north america) - then it starts to become 'livable' if you are living in a small to mid-sized city. Anything above that starts to become fun money :)
Or like myself, have four other sources of income, so I can continue to "make money" on Microstock? ;D
Cool, what else do you do/what types of income sources? (Me too for that matter - but I think it would be fantastic to make a living from doing this, because it is quite fun!)
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For me - $9650/month in royalty sales would be a good wage. Still $3,663 is quite good. I believe after about $3,000/month in sales (at least for north america) - then it starts to become 'livable' if you are living in a small to mid-sized city. Anything above that starts to become fun money :)
$3k/month goes long ways in most parts of the world! I'm in Portugal where the minimum wage is relatively low for European standards at $700/month.
$3k/month is a huge salary here. Same goes for microstock hot-spots such as Ukraine and Thailand.
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For me - $9650/month in royalty sales would be a good wage. Still $3,663 is quite good. I believe after about $3,000/month in sales (at least for north america) - then it starts to become 'livable' if you are living in a small to mid-sized city. Anything above that starts to become fun money :)
$3k/month goes long ways in most parts of the world! I'm in Portugal where the minimum wage is relatively low for European standards at $700/month.
$3k/month is a huge salary here. Same goes for microstock hot-spots such as Ukraine and Thailand.
Ah, where I live, $3k usd/month pays the basic bills (living, food, internet, rent - not owning, etc). You need more than that to start to do fun stuff.
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For me - $9650/month in royalty sales would be a good wage. Still $3,663 is quite good. I believe after about $3,000/month in sales (at least for north america) - then it starts to become 'livable' if you are living in a small to mid-sized city. Anything above that starts to become fun money :)
$3k/month goes long ways in most parts of the world! I'm in Portugal where the minimum wage is relatively low for European standards at $700/month.
$3k/month is a huge salary here. Same goes for microstock hot-spots such as Ukraine and Thailand.
Ah, where I live, $3k usd/month pays the basic bills (living, food, internet, rent - not owning, etc). You need more than that to start to do fun stuff.
$3K income is not $3k salary though....you have the costs associated with producing the work. Paying models, props, travel equipment etc. If you can clear $3k after that I would say in most places i'e not major cities that's plenty for a fairly decent but modest lifestyle.
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I'm confused... did you earn $9,650 or $3663?
Your post says $9650, yet - you only list $3663???
My attempt at an April Fools report was perhaps too subtle. It was, of course, $3663. I thought the rest of the post made that clear. Sorry.
Steve
Ah,kk. For me - $9650/month in royalty sales would be a good wage. Still $3,663 is quite good. I believe after about $3,000/month in sales (at least for north america) - then it starts to become 'livable' if you are living in a small to mid-sized city. Anything above that starts to become fun money :)
Or like myself, have four other sources of income, so I can continue to "make money" on Microstock? ;D
Cool, what else do you do/what types of income sources? (Me too for that matter - but I think it would be fantastic to make a living from doing this, because it is quite fun!)
I'm 100% behind your "quite fun" assessment.
I have been self employed since about 1970, always had second job, played in bands, managed a bowling alley, bartender, to make ends meet, so there for being your own boss. Not as great as it sounds. No benefits at all except no BS office politics and when I golfed I could come in at 9AM and no one asked me why I was late.
That business is pretty much dead, but a few good customers left. Since I am the business, my photo expenses, some of them, I track and they are a deduction. I depreciate the camera equipment, track miles for some events, and have a large buffer unclaimed, in case I ever get audited again. I'll just say, Keep Good Records!
eBay, I buy at auctions, sell on eBay. I don't do that intense find sales kind of buy and sell that some do, but for someone who wished to do that, there are ways to buy locally and sell on Amazon and eBay for a good profit. I just do research and try to cherry pick things that I can flip easy. I also have bought at resale shops or garage sales (trunk sales) and taken to the auctions. It's hit and miss. For eBay I stay away from trendy items, too much variability, breakables and antiques. Anything small that's easy to ship is the top of my list.
Rich Uncle (made that up, I always wanted one though?) No inheritance, no IRA, sold almost all my stock that I accumulated since the early 70s. That paid off all my debts so I could start over. That was a source of income until last year, last was buying a better used car. Also used last savings to buy an abandoned home, which is cheaper than paying rent. That's not income, it's more about cutting expenses. Office is in the back bedroom now, more expense cutting.
Social Security. It's nice to get some "free money" every month. Not nearly a living income, and keep in mind, unlike being employed, I paid in 100% not 50%. Another reason why self employed only sounds good. ::)
Safety team, flagging and communications, independent contractor for assorted race groups and race tracks. Day work, Summer only, April to Mid-October. Nice people and great fun! If life at this point is about fun at doing what I enjoy, I've hit the sweet spot at 72. ;D
Photography led to those connections, while working at the tracks led to more access for photography, magazine, website and media connections. Nice two way relationship. Lots of time and work for a "retired" guy?
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Wow. An interesting life.
People usually talk past in a "look at me" and giving advices way.
You give so many ideas and options and in a so cool manner.
I rarely compliment unknown people online, so:
Thanks for this post.
:)
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April 2019 earnings report is out with a special Turd of the Month Award!
https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2019/04/30/brutally-honest-earnings-report-april-2019-including-turd-of-the-month-agency/
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April 2019 earnings report is out with a special Turd of the Month Award!
https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2019/04/30/brutally-honest-earnings-report-april-2019-including-turd-of-the-month-agency/
Thanks for posting. I would have thought Wemark should be the turd contenders. I have uploading on hold until I see some evidence they have sold anything!!!!
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April 2019 earnings report is out with a special Turd of the Month Award!
https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2019/04/30/brutally-honest-earnings-report-april-2019-including-turd-of-the-month-agency/
Thanks for posting. I would have thought Wemark should be the turd contenders. I have uploading on hold until I see some evidence they have sold anything!!!!
Thanks! Certainly strong contenders for the next months. I'm willing to give them a bit more time though...
I believe that Steve has had a few sales on there, so that's encouraging.
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April 2019 earnings report is out with a special Turd of the Month Award!
https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2019/04/30/brutally-honest-earnings-report-april-2019-including-turd-of-the-month-agency/
Thanks for posting. I would have thought Wemark should be the turd contenders. I have uploading on hold until I see some evidence they have sold anything!!!!
Thanks! Certainly strong contenders for the next months. I'm willing to give them a bit more time though...
I believe that Steve has had a few sales on there, so that's encouraging.
Nice to know it may be possible but they have hardly hit the ground running in their bid to revolutionise the industry ;-).