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Author Topic: My photos are probably not very good for stock...  (Read 5396 times)

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« on: June 10, 2008, 15:22 »
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I last two months since I started I got only sales on SS. So I am assuming nature/landscapes sales only there. On other sites despite of many obstacles I managed to get at least 200 pictures in my portfolios but interest is marginal. I am not going to change what I am shooting and switch to photos of happy businessmen or isolated objects all of the sudden. I will keep uploading until I got all my archive previewed and uploaded. I know that I need more patience in this business.


« Reply #1 on: June 10, 2008, 15:27 »
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you start to have a decent portfolio with 12 pages . What was you return per image last month (income/total picture in portfolio)?
With landscape I would expect 0.25 to 0.45

« Reply #2 on: June 10, 2008, 15:32 »
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If your images are being accepted then they are good enough for stock, established collections do reject on not suitable or to many like this, so if yours are being accepted then there is a place for them.

Nature as said often is a slow moving category, so you will likely not get rich overnight, while still photographing what you like try to fit in a few other incidental shots that you would normally not take and try them.

I went to a garage sale and brought a peice of coral 50p ($1), and shot it on a black background, and it sold a few times 10 - 20, so you never know what sells.

I had a look at your portfolio on two sites, and maybe while shooting landscapes, more of natures close up objects, patterns and textures are everywhere and might add interest, the one that caught my attention was the life jackets, becase I had to look twice.

David 
« Last Edit: June 10, 2008, 15:40 by Adeptris »

« Reply #3 on: June 10, 2008, 15:36 »
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I think I am at the bottom of this range, 0.25. I do include some other thing when I find it in my archive. My best sellers are still very cliche-like landscapes like Valley View form Yosemite :-)

« Reply #4 on: June 10, 2008, 15:50 »
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When you say in your archive then you have not shot them with your stock head on, one thing I have learned is that my pre-stock collection of images had very few worthy stock images, but a few events, I then had to change how I saw things to shoot for stock, an example would be I was driving along the other day, my eye saw a post box, but my thought was stock shot "Rural Postbox", now there are many already but I still took the shots and uploaded just in case.

If I shoot a landscape, I shoot the gate the fence, any textures and patternes maybe the bark of a tree, pebbles sand patterns, rock pools, rubbish, old ropes, barbed wire, anything rustic or rural etc:

Most of these will never see the light of day, but sometimes you say, that may just be worth uploading.

David   

« Reply #5 on: June 10, 2008, 16:01 »
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I agree with previous while shooting landscapes, u can take other points of view for example shooting against the sun or taking macro of leaves , flowers or insects.

tan510jomast

« Reply #6 on: June 10, 2008, 16:34 »
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I am not going to change what I am shooting and switch to photos of happy businessmen or isolated objects all of the sudden.


learn to wear two hats ! ... like hatman  ;) heh!heh!

I feel the same way as you do, in that regard.
However, I now realise the need to branch out as I am by definition a "working" photographer and an "artistic" one too.
I suggest instead of changing yourself to shoot what you don't like to, try seeing nature in the way art-directors and advertisers prefer .
Shoot with two "eyes", so to speak, shoot one set for them... so you can sell, and shoot the other set for yourself... to satisfy your own need.
Then I guess, you wait until the buyers fit into your own niche.
That's what I do, as a "newbie" in stock photography (3 months)...  however, as i mentioned in my portfolio, i am definitely NOT a newbie in the photography business, just stock.

good thread !
« Last Edit: June 10, 2008, 16:38 by tan510jomast »

« Reply #7 on: June 10, 2008, 17:20 »
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I am not going to change what I am shooting and switch to photos of happy businessmen or isolated objects all of the sudden. I will keep uploading until I got all my archive previewed and uploaded. I know that I need more patience in this business.

Hey, if you don't want to shoot what sells, more power to ya.  Better for me.

« Reply #8 on: June 10, 2008, 17:28 »
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"I know that I need more patience in this business."

Wise words melastmohican. Now heed them!

Cranky MIZ
The voice of reason

« Reply #9 on: June 10, 2008, 19:10 »
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You might consider concentrating your efforts in prints, posters, etc.  Here in Brazil this is not a very popular thing (unlike I saw in the USA, every mall seems to have a huge poster/print store), but I hae plans of trying this in some stores that seem frames.  I see paintings specially being sold in them, and a few photo prints.  In the case of Brazilian landscape, this can be perhaps an interesting outlet.

One thing I always think of doing but never go ahead is to make calendars with images of Rio and Brazil.  I don't see this for sale, and yet tourists may want to buy them.

Regards,
Adelaide

helix7

« Reply #10 on: June 10, 2008, 22:40 »
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I last two months since I started I got only sales on SS...

I think you need to give it more time. SS is well known as the instant gratification site, and all others have varying degrees of ramping-up time required before images really hit a regular pace. I personally see this most at istock and fotolia, where my newest uploads sometimes go weeks after uploading before I get a sale. Some of those same images have gone on to sell hundreds of times in a few months, but I do notice a bit of a slow start for many sites. I wouldn't compare your SS results too heavily against other sites, and 2 months may not be long enough to really get any useful statistics and trends out of your portfolio.




 

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