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Author Topic: Getting Shutout  (Read 3827 times)

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WarrenPrice

« on: January 16, 2010, 21:49 »
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I'm on the verge of getting shutout for the first time since joining shutterstock.  It has been exciting to get at least one sale everyday.  I wonder how long it will be before I stop being excited by a sale and start measuring success by monthly payouts.  Any of you more successful microstockers remember when you stopped feeling good about such a streak (32 straight days with at least one sale) and started to expect several sales each day?

Anybody wanna buy a file and keep the streak alive?   ;D



« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2010, 03:42 »
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When is started I had 29 days in a row then one day with zero then 64 days in arow.

Two and half years on and I'm lucky to through one week without a zero day.

I guess it's a combination of less photos to submit (I had a big stockpile in the beginning) and  more competition. oh it could be other things such as aliens,bad reviewers,best match shakeups,solar flares and alike.

No I don't want to keep your streak alive :)

WarrenPrice

« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2010, 12:46 »
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No I don't want to keep your streak alive :)

LOL... I was just kidding...sorta.  But it would have been nice to maintain the streak.  A sale this morning started a new one.  I hope it can be 64 days for me.

BTW:  thanks for the info on your success at SS.  I am really enjoying this honeymoon period.


« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2010, 14:39 »
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SS is one site where you have to keep uploading to make sales. I was getting 200+ sales per day on SS then stopped uploading completely because my studio was just too busy and as a result my SS sales dropped to like 30 a day. As soon as I get time I'll start uploading consistently again and I'm sure that will increase sales.

If you want more SS sales try setting a schedule of how many photos you upload per day or week .. preferably per day .. and then stick to your goals.

WarrenPrice

« Reply #4 on: January 17, 2010, 16:38 »
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Thanks, Randy.  I appreciate the input.  Nice portfolios.  I especially envy your access to all those gorgeous models.   ;D

« Reply #5 on: January 17, 2010, 16:56 »
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I especially envy your access to all those gorgeous models.   ;D

Getting models is the easy part. A quick search on modelmayhem.com will give you tons of wannabe models who will work for free in your area. It's a great resource and it's free to use.

On a side note, I never pay models for stock work. Actually I make them pay me. They can pay for their session starting out at $500 depending on what they want and I don't make them sign a MR. Option two, they only pay $75 but they are required to sign a MR. A lot of photogs do TFCDs for stock which is ok if it's a model you know from previous experience will make you tons and tons of sales. First time around though make them pay ... preferably in advance because a lot of wannabe models don't take it that serious and will flake out, not show up, be an hour late, etc.

On contracted stock jobs then yeah I pay the model .. actually I add the model fees on the clients bill but the point is they get paid. For micro though there is really no reason to have to pay for models.

RT


« Reply #6 on: January 17, 2010, 19:11 »
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I especially envy your access to all those gorgeous models.   ;D

Getting models is the easy part. A quick search on modelmayhem.com will give you tons of wannabe models who will work for free in your area. It's a great resource and it's free to use.

On a side note, I never pay models for stock work. Actually I make them pay me. They can pay for their session starting out at $500 depending on what they want and I don't make them sign a MR. Option two, they only pay $75 but they are required to sign a MR. A lot of photogs do TFCDs for stock which is ok if it's a model you know from previous experience will make you tons and tons of sales. First time around though make them pay ... preferably in advance because a lot of wannabe models don't take it that serious and will flake out, not show up, be an hour late, etc.

On contracted stock jobs then yeah I pay the model .. actually I add the model fees on the clients bill but the point is they get paid. For micro though there is really no reason to have to pay for models.

You do contracted stock jobs (Getty I presume) no wonder all these models pay you $500 upwards, I'd imagine they're kicking your door down, please share some examples if you will.

I'm really impressed that you manage to do contract stock jobs, shoot high end commission work for clients and yet still have enough time to shoot family portraits and spend hours as a reviewer for a microstock site, I couldn't find any info or examples on your website or your blog but I'd be interested to hear more, especially your reasons for reviewing because it's obviously not the money.
I run a studio and must admit I barely have enough hours to keep up with the stock work I do,  I couldn't afford (time or money wise) to shoot family portraits or model portfolios let alone review on a microstock site, how do you do it.

WarrenPrice

« Reply #7 on: January 17, 2010, 21:40 »
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Back on track.  Six downloads today and still some time on the clock.

I'm trying to make regular submissions but starting to get too many rejections.  Will lowering the acceptance ratio affect my status with SS?


« Reply #8 on: January 18, 2010, 11:14 »
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You do contracted stock jobs (Getty I presume) no wonder all these models pay you $500 upwards, I'd imagine they're kicking your door down, please share some examples if you will.

I'm really impressed that you manage to do contract stock jobs, shoot high end commission work for clients and yet still have enough time to shoot family portraits and spend hours as a reviewer for a microstock site, I couldn't find any info or examples on your website or your blog but I'd be interested to hear more, especially your reasons for reviewing because it's obviously not the money.
I run a studio and must admit I barely have enough hours to keep up with the stock work I do,  I couldn't afford (time or money wise) to shoot family portraits or model portfolios let alone review on a microstock site, how do you do it.

No not Getty. I've gotten some contract jobs through micro but it has always been directly through the client. Yeah I stopped doing family portraits (burnout) same with weddings simply because I can't stand doing them. I just specialize in seniors ... and charge more that way I can work less taken only the clients who really have money and still make the same as people who shoot tons of lower-income seniors.

It's all about productivity .. I'm always using that word. For example I rely on Photoshop for productivity, meaning I can preform darkroom procedures in a fraction of the time digitally .. rather than using Photoshop to fix things that could have been done in real life while shooting. When you get everything possible in camera then you don't have to waste time later .. you're already pretty much done. I try to spend only 1 minute per image during post. 90% of the time it's more or less moving the files to the computer and converting the RAW to a JPG real quick. If I do feel the need to pop a color or anything it's always something that can be done in a few seconds .. if it takes longer than that I just don't bother doing it. Also in the cases where I do something like that I only do it after the client has made their purchase. This way I'm not doing little touch-ups to photos they won't buy anyway. Combine that with a similar studio workflow .. knowing the exact spot, angle, etc., where a light is going to sit before your client even walks into place, knowing the pose ahead of time ... all the saved minutes add up and before long you are getting better results in 30 mins than what would take other people a couple hours to get.

Maintaining productivity and being fast, efficient and accurate every time without thinking about doing it will allow you more time than you ever thought you had. It's the best thing you can invest your time into mastering.

RT


« Reply #9 on: January 18, 2010, 11:41 »
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You do contracted stock jobs (Getty I presume) no wonder all these models pay you $500 upwards, I'd imagine they're kicking your door down, please share some examples if you will.

I'm really impressed that you manage to do contract stock jobs, shoot high end commission work for clients and yet still have enough time to shoot family portraits and spend hours as a reviewer for a microstock site, I couldn't find any info or examples on your website or your blog but I'd be interested to hear more, especially your reasons for reviewing because it's obviously not the money.
I run a studio and must admit I barely have enough hours to keep up with the stock work I do,  I couldn't afford (time or money wise) to shoot family portraits or model portfolios let alone review on a microstock site, how do you do it.

No not Getty. I've gotten some contract jobs through micro but it has always been directly through the client. Yeah I stopped doing family portraits (burnout) same with weddings simply because I can't stand doing them. I just specialize in seniors ... and charge more that way I can work less taken only the clients who really have money and still make the same as people who shoot tons of lower-income seniors.

It's all about productivity .. I'm always using that word. For example I rely on Photoshop for productivity, meaning I can preform darkroom procedures in a fraction of the time digitally .. rather than using Photoshop to fix things that could have been done in real life while shooting. When you get everything possible in camera then you don't have to waste time later .. you're already pretty much done. I try to spend only 1 minute per image during post. 90% of the time it's more or less moving the files to the computer and converting the RAW to a JPG real quick. If I do feel the need to pop a color or anything it's always something that can be done in a few seconds .. if it takes longer than that I just don't bother doing it. Also in the cases where I do something like that I only do it after the client has made their purchase. This way I'm not doing little touch-ups to photos they won't buy anyway. Combine that with a similar studio workflow .. knowing the exact spot, angle, etc., where a light is going to sit before your client even walks into place, knowing the pose ahead of time ... all the saved minutes add up and before long you are getting better results in 30 mins than what would take other people a couple hours to get.

Maintaining productivity and being fast, efficient and accurate every time without thinking about doing it will allow you more time than you ever thought you had. It's the best thing you can invest your time into mastering.

Umm no that's not what a contracted stock job is, a contracted stock job is when a stock site contracts a photographer to do a shoot for a fixed fee (the photographer pays all the model,location and other costs) and then the site takes copyright of the images and sells them themselves, Getty do it.

As for the rest, well I won't comment anymore, you should post this stuff on the SS forum they'd love it.

« Reply #10 on: January 18, 2010, 11:48 »
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Umm no that's not what a contracted stock job is, a contracted stock job is when a stock site contracts a photographer to do a shoot for a fixed fee (the photographer pays all the model,location and other costs) and then the site takes copyright of the images and sells them themselves, Getty do it.
As for the rest, well I won't comment anymore, you should post this stuff on the SS forum they'd love it.

That was a typo .. my bad. I was just referring to contracted jobs in general.


 

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