Author Topic: Need advice for editorial stuff (Read 3172 times)

Rainer123 · « **on:** July 14, 2015, 09:14 »

Hello everbody,

i started to upload pictures several months ago on Fotolia, Dreamstime, Alamy, 123RF and 500px. Most of them out of my former photo journalistic career.

I got several editorial pictures without releases, now i am wondering where to sell them best.

Question is: Would you advice to give RM to Alamy or spread them over DT, Alamy and 123Rf?

To give you an impression of some images i already have exlusive on 500px, others are similar:

https://prime.500px.com/rainerklotz

Cheers
Rainer

wordplanet · « **Reply #1 on:** July 14, 2015, 10:14 »

I have editorial stuff spread out with most on Alamy as RM but also small batches on SS and DT. I'm never sure where they'll do best but here is my experience in case it helps:

I find that I license more through the micros, and that Alamy often licenses them for not much more than I'd get on the micros via their newspaper scheme, so it's often a close call as to where I should put them. Recently, I had a spate of editorial licenses on Alamy for $70-400 apiece earning me anywhere from $35-200, each more than I'd get for an EL.

One specific example: I split my images from an event of worldwide significance back in 2010 between the two, giving Alamy my best shots, and while I thought that after the event they wouldn't sell much, they sell for me on SS pretty frequently for editorial. The best ones languished on Alamy until I just licensed one there earning me only $35 - I only made slightly more with the rest on SS after 83 licenses in 4 1/2 years, so while SS seemed like the better spot at first, Alamy caught up with just one license. Licensing these kinds of images directly to newspapers is really better but stock is a good secondary market. I don't see any of the sites I'm with as a very good primary market for editorial.

It's easy to feel like a photo or a set of photos are doing well on the micros due to volume, but I find that the only editorial photos that earn me $100 or more on SS or DT are travel. And as I'm sure you know, you can license them for much more thru Alamy and 500px - but for me that's a closer call since I have batches I've split where SS earned me hundreds more than Alamy despite Alamy licenses of $150+ Again, I find direct licenses earn me the most but stock sites are a good secondary market. These are travel photos specifically shot for calendars and other stock, not vacation snaps.

You have an excellent and varied portfolio. Best of luck. IMHO, I'd split them up, putting the best as RM on 500px and Alamy, and see how you do.

Rainer123 · « **Reply #2 on:** July 14, 2015, 12:28 »

Thank you very much for that detailed advice and for the compliments!

StanRohrer · « **Reply #3 on:** July 14, 2015, 12:40 »

My experience is not quite a extensive as WordPlanet above. I do agree with his concepts. I put RM on Alamy and RF on iS (I'm exclusive). Where I think I have a choice, low selling images go to Alamy in hopes of 1 bigger sale. Images I think have higher repetitive selling potential I try on iS. Unreleased people go to Alamy. Those two spectrums (sales potential / model released) determine the sales outlet. Generally it boils down to sending unreleased shots with people to Alamy for editorial.

I've not tried editorial on the micros. I always felt that they would be low sales at low prices and hoped Alamy would be a better return. WordPlanet, above, seems to think differently.

sgoodwin4813 · « **Reply #4 on:** July 14, 2015, 12:46 »

wordplanet and Stan have summed it up perfectly. I would split them and see where you get the best return. If I have one that I think might sell a lot I might send it to the micros, but if it is something specialized then go for RM. The only way to know for sure with your images is to try and see. Good luck!

Rainer123 · « **Reply #5 on:** July 15, 2015, 02:56 »

I´ll start with the best ones one Alamy and 500px and give them a few months to perform.

The rest i am gonna split on 123rf and DT. Hoping to get into SS soon, seems a little hard to me, tried three times already.

Thanks and good sales to everyone!

littleny · « **Reply #6 on:** July 16, 2015, 08:38 »

I dont mention SS. Unless you have specific reasons why you dont contribute there, you may want to consider them. I contribute editorials to SS, IS, DT and Alamy. SS by far is my best sales producer for editorial, and they're review for editorial are far more reasonable then reviews of non-editorial. DT barely has a pulse these days for me and I wonder if its because my portfolio is over-saturated with editorial shots that dont sell there. idk. just something to consider

wordplanet · « **Reply #7 on:** July 16, 2015, 13:09 »

Quote from: Rainer123 on July 14, 2015, 12:28

Thank you very much for that detailed advice and for the compliments!

You're welcome.

I'm more of a journalistic and travel photographer than concepts and lifestyle, so happy to help here when I can. Good luck with SS!

PS StanRoher - I'm a "her"

For the most part editorial works best on Alamy but given their UK/European bent I find it best to split some US-centric events (with non-similar images) between Alamy and the micros, putting the best on Alamy. For example, I have many photos of Hillary Clinton that I've shot on assignments and have never licensed any on Alamy despite having some there since 2008, and licensing the pix that I put on Alamy directly through my site years after the fact at good RM prices. The handful on non-similar photos that I put on SS from that early shoot have sold over the years and one new one I uploaded is selling a few times a week since she started her run. Since you're in Europe, I'd definitely go heavily with Alamy.
Also, just to be clear, in looking at Rainer's portfolio and as I mentioned, my best-selling editorial on the micros are travel, though I do have news event photos that also do ok.

I also keep meaning to add more to 500px. How are people doing there?