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Author Topic: How much money can i except  (Read 12375 times)

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« on: July 12, 2013, 14:58 »
0
Hey, im new to stock fotografie. How many pictures i need to have 50$ every month?

I can not over pictures with peoples due im new in the potographie.
« Last Edit: July 12, 2013, 15:07 by mebe »


fritz

  • I love Tom and Jerry music

« Reply #1 on: July 12, 2013, 16:12 »
0
1000 files

« Reply #2 on: July 12, 2013, 16:20 »
+2
1 or 50 or 1000. Or maybe somewhere in between.
It depends on your skills, subject matter, postprocessing, keywording, which agencies you supply, etc.
If you are a beginner to photography, it's going to be very tough.
You are like 10-8 years too late.

« Reply #3 on: July 12, 2013, 16:23 »
+4
... And you'll need keyword help.

« Reply #4 on: July 12, 2013, 16:42 »
0
1 or 50 or 1000. Or maybe somewhere in between.
It depends on your skills, subject matter, postprocessing, keywording, which agencies you supply, etc.
If you are a beginner to photography, it's going to be very tough.
You are like 10-8 years too late.

I am a beginner in selling my pictures, but not in the photography. My subjects are: architecture, landscape, travelfotographie. But no pro shoots with models.

I dont use much postprocessing. At the begining i will try with fotolia. Which agency you can recommend me?

With these conditions starting, whats your opinion i can except on money. Can I achieve $10 - $50 pro mont with my "normal" pictures nothing incredible. How many pictures should I have? In wich periodi can except this? In 3,4,5..12 months?

Best regards
« Last Edit: July 12, 2013, 16:46 by mebe »

« Reply #5 on: July 12, 2013, 16:55 »
0
the subjects you mention are not really sought after, so you will need many more images than if you shoot lifestyle or in general work directly with stock in mind.

I would think you will need 6 months of regular uploads to see sales. Around 30-50 files a week. If you have a lot of usable older work, try 100 a week. But you will need time for description and keywords and uploading.

Try several agencies -basically any from the top 6 that will take you. I wouldnt supply one agency only. It will take much too long to build up a steady income.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #6 on: July 12, 2013, 16:57 »
0
Mebe: How long is a piece of string?

It is really, really impossible to answer your question.

Even if we saw your entire portfolio, we couldn't guess how much you might make.

Even if it was clear that your photos were better than anyone else's images of the same subject, we don't know if someone with even better ones will come along tomorrow.

Even if your photos are unusually exceptional, someone else's lesser photo might sell because it fits the buyer's layout better.

Check out the Fotolia forum here if you haven't already:
http://www.microstockgroup.com/fotolia-com.

Unusual choice, most people here rave about Shutterstock. (I make no comment about them, having never had dealings with them.)

« Reply #7 on: July 12, 2013, 17:05 »
0
I dont use much postprocessing. At the begining i will try with fotolia.

I haven't got 50$ from them last month (with 3540 pictures)

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #8 on: July 12, 2013, 17:13 »
0
the subjects you mention are not really sought after,
And/or there's a lot of competition.

« Reply #9 on: July 12, 2013, 17:14 »
+2
I am a beginner in selling my pictures, but not in the photography. My subjects are: architecture, landscape, travelfotographie. But no pro shoots with models.

Sounds like you don't do any planned shoots, and just capture what you find while walking about.  The market for that was hot in 2004.  Not so much today.

« Reply #10 on: July 12, 2013, 17:35 »
0
I dont use much postprocessing. At the begining i will try with fotolia.

I haven't got 50$ from them last month (with 3540 pictures)

That looks bad..

Thank to you all for your answers. Then I think stock photography is not the right thing for me...
« Last Edit: July 12, 2013, 17:41 by mebe »

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #11 on: July 12, 2013, 17:37 »
0
the subjects you mention are not really sought after,
And/or there's a lot of competition.
Though there's probably even more competition in models shots.

« Reply #12 on: July 12, 2013, 18:22 »
-2
I dont use much postprocessing. At the begining i will try with fotolia.

I haven't got 50$ from them last month (with 3540 pictures)

That looks bad..

Thank to you all for your answers. Then I think stock photography is not the right thing for me...

Wise decision.

« Reply #13 on: July 12, 2013, 18:52 »
0
the subjects you mention are not really sought after, so you will need many more images than if you shoot lifestyle or in general work directly with stock in mind.

I would think you will need 6 months of regular uploads to see sales. Around 30-50 files a week. If you have a lot of usable older work, try 100 a week. But you will need time for description and keywords and uploading.

Try several agencies -basically any from the top 6 that will take you. I wouldnt supply one agency only. It will take much too long to build up a steady income.
Sorry, but I completely disagree. 90% of my photo income has been made off of the 3 areas he mentioned, and I far exceed $50 per month with relatively few files.

Ron

« Reply #14 on: July 12, 2013, 19:37 »
0
The problem is the payout levels. You can submit to 5 agencies and make 10 dollar per month each, but you have to wait 5 months to hit payout. The good thing is, you will get 250 dollar at once.

« Reply #15 on: July 13, 2013, 03:43 »
0
One should never say never. I know a photographer in Germany who photographed only cats. With a mobile small studio with limited equipment (2 flashes, background paper). And he earns a lot of money. Once through the commissioner, and then by stock agencies.

« Reply #16 on: July 13, 2013, 04:20 »
0
Hey, im new to stock fotografie. How many pictures i need to have 50$ every month?

You need 127 images and distribute them through 9 agencies. If you are like me. Which you are not. But that would be based on my numbers.

I'd recommend selling through Shutterstock, iStock, Fotolia and Dreamstime first. And it takes about six months of uploading to get to a more or less regular level of downloads.



Mactrunk

« Reply #17 on: July 13, 2013, 04:44 »
0
The problem is the payout levels. You can submit to 5 agencies and make 10 dollar per month each, but you have to wait 5 months to hit payout. The good thing is, you will get 250 dollar at once.

Yes, so true haha! I hate it wen I put all the proffit together but I can't get payout for the complete amount! But on the other hand it does make a nice bonus the next month.

Back on topic: there is really not an anwser for this. There was a poll on this forum were I think the average downloads for 300 images is 100. That would be about $40 to $50. But that is average. You could be above or under this. But I would suggest not to give up before you even tried. You will never know if you dont try. Try to get into shutterstock and Fotolia. They are my best earners for me. Good luck!

Donvanstaden

« Reply #18 on: July 14, 2013, 02:27 »
0
I dont use much postprocessing. At the begining i will try with fotolia.

I haven't got 50$ from them last month (with 3540 pictures)

That looks bad..

Thank to you all for your answers. Then I think stock photography is not the right thing for me...

Wise decision.

I disagree.... I have just over 100 images on Fotolia and make about 40USD per month and I am seeing 10% growth month on month.... I suggest getting on Shutterstock... that's where I started. You start seeing sales much quicker than any other site which is good motivation. I have over 300 images there and I hope to make 300USD this month. I mostly shoot wildlife which is not a 'standard' stock market but so far so good... Good Luck  ;)

« Reply #19 on: July 14, 2013, 10:25 »
+1
Give OP some hope.  Mebe needs to try before deciding to remain there or go away. Someone's wise decision may be foolish for others.  Mebe, Please go ahead with what ever you have and see how it all goes. If you need to tweak here and there, you would adjust to your surroundings.  You already know photography. People like me, start with nothing and we gain the ground. Don't pay much attention to rejections, criticism and of course the nay sayers. If people say, you can't do it, you must do it.

EmberMike

« Reply #20 on: July 14, 2013, 10:49 »
+2

I think if anyone is going into something new, having little or no experience in it, and immediately worrying about how much money they'll make, they're already doomed to failure.

When did creative endeavors become so focused on the numbers before the craft? Maybe it was always like this, I'm just noticing it more today.

Instead of worrying about how many images you need, how about worrying about learning your craft and getting good at what you do. And enjoying it. The number one thing I read around here when it comes to people wanting to leave the business is burning out on image production. If you don't love what you're doing long before you decide to make an income from it, you're in for a long, hard road ahead.

« Reply #21 on: July 14, 2013, 18:25 »
+3

I think if anyone is going into something new, having little or no experience in it, and immediately worrying about how much money they'll make, they're already doomed to failure.

When did creative endeavors become so focused on the numbers before the craft? Maybe it was always like this, I'm just noticing it more today.

Instead of worrying about how many images you need, how about worrying about learning your craft and getting good at what you do. And enjoying it. The number one thing I read around here when it comes to people wanting to leave the business is burning out on image production. If you don't love what you're doing long before you decide to make an income from it, you're in for a long, hard road ahead.

Is stock photography necessarily that much of a "creative endeavour"?  It can be for some, probably many of us, but if you're serious about it then it should primarily be a business where you find your niche and then you target it, regardless of what your creative spirit might prefer you to do.  I know times have changed significantly but isn't that what Yuri did?  Focussing on numbers first is good business sense in any industry, I suspect it just feels a bit alien as many of us (myself included) approached it the other way around (ie, arse-backwards in the business world! Making images and having fun first, then numbers later).

Mebe sounds like an experienced photographer who looking to diversify revenue streams by branching out into stock.  S/he asked a perfectly reasonable question to try to find out if it was even worth their time.  It's not like $50 a month, generally speaking, is an extraordinary amount of money.

Mebe - I haven't made $50 per month but I'm not too far off it in the last six months, across 11 sites with 100-200 images with no people, although only the top six sites have been worth anything, and they match the top six in the poll on the right.  The kicker as someone else said, is the payout limits, which I've only hit on Shutterstock and iStock.  Stock is very finicky and you have to pixel-peep to ensure your quality is absolutely spot on, which may be a change from the photography you know, but I've found that learning curve interesting and useful.  Your old photos may not be up to scratch because of this though.  Do listen to rejections when you get useful feedback, but don't take them to heart and not every rejection will make sense, but some will and give you something to learn.  Definitely make use of an English dictionary for your titles, descriptions, and keywords.  Be warned it will be time-consuming.

marthamarks

« Reply #22 on: July 15, 2013, 02:11 »
0
Stock is very finicky and you have to pixel-peep to ensure your quality is absolutely spot on, which may be a change from the photography you know, but I've found that learning curve interesting and useful.  Your old photos may not be up to scratch because of this though. 

This was the most important lesson I had to learn about submitting to stock sites. For decades, I shot with Kodachrome or Velvia and thought I was making great images. And in many cases, I was. When the digital revolution roared in, I scanned them thinking I could use them that way. But in the scanning process they picked up so much noise they were unusable. I've sold dozens of quality prints made from my drum-scanned slides, but none of them is good enough for stock. Even after I switched to digital in 2004, my first DSLR (Canon D20) wasn't nearly as good as the two 7Ds I use now. (Great for wildlife!) Most of the images I'm selling as stock were made in the last 3-4 years, and my once-prized inventory of slides is all but worthless. C'est la vie.

gillian vann

  • *Gillian*
« Reply #23 on: July 15, 2013, 06:41 »
+1
Hey, im new to stock fotografie. How many pictures i need to have 50$ every month?

I can not over pictures with peoples due im new in the potographie.

with 50 unique images you'll be just fine (cos that should generate between 100-500 images going by the ports of ppl here).
I have 500 images (and I'm rubbish at making multiple images of the one shoot) and have just hit $300/month. no illustrations or video (just got a D800 so that could be in my future)

EmberMike

« Reply #24 on: July 15, 2013, 06:47 »
0
Is stock photography necessarily that much of a "creative endeavour"?  It can be for some, probably many of us, but if you're serious about it then it should primarily be a business where you find your niche and then you target it, regardless of what your creative spirit might prefer you to do...

Sure, but shouldn't that be after someone has at least honed their skills and learned how to create a good image? The OP stated that they are a new photographer. Just seems to me like they might be skipping a few steps and jumping straight into the numbers game of stock.


 

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