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Author Topic: To Quit or Not to Quit  (Read 5651 times)

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tab62

« on: January 03, 2013, 20:12 »
0
Just curious- how many of you have ever thought I am done with this business? I have thought about this a few to times to be honest.  I love photography but lack of sales at times makes me sour and I feel that I must be doing something wrong. 


Whenever I ask if sales are weak on a particular company I get replies like- made a killing today just sold a pic for $250 and 12 pics for $30 each best day of my life. Maybe being a newbie I expect too much? I hear a lot about the veterans hitting the "Wall" heck I cannot even hit the floor!

On a positive note I have a few friends that have really helped me and probably kept me from quitting. I am grateful for them! I just want to see if my feelings are 'normal' that's all

Thanks.

Tom 


« Reply #1 on: January 03, 2013, 20:34 »
+3
Everyone has probably felt that way at one time or other (well, maybe not the top earners).

Rather than quit, when you start feeling burnt out by stock, just take a break. Do other photography. Helps keep stock in perspective. Then come back and work some more at it. In the meantime, your portfolios are still earning money--maybe not as much as you'd like, but it's something.

Ken
(new to this forum, but involved in microstock since 2005)

« Reply #2 on: January 03, 2013, 20:52 »
0
It's less about quitting for me now, and more about building something better. But, everybody has their own goals and levels of success, so it is hard to say what the best solution is for anyone in particular. You pretty much have to look out for yourself.

ruxpriencdiam

    This user is banned.
  • Location. Third stone from the sun
« Reply #3 on: January 03, 2013, 21:24 »
+1
Newbies have to get their port and reputation built.

It can take you a good year depending.

To get good reliable sales you will need a good solid port and at least 1500 images to help stand out among the near 25 million out there.

This is a marathon.

And do as others say take a break.

Right now I am in winter and dont usually do much shooting except every once in a while.

I spend time looking at what is and isn't out here so I have ideas for later when the weather breaks.

« Reply #4 on: January 03, 2013, 21:46 »
+1
Tom I remember your first pictures here on MSG (tennis ball, fish oil, money etc) and honestly you have done a great job, looking at your portfolio I can see some cool pictures, concepts

it is really surprising to see you made it this way, regarding having more sales time will help you with that as you continue to shoot/edit better, same for all of us :)


tab62

« Reply #5 on: January 03, 2013, 22:00 »
0
Thank you all! I think I need a vacation  :)  Maybe just a week on some typical island and, no stock shooting,  just drinking and laying in the water...

« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2013, 00:28 »
0
Never.
I only have to work out how much money I would need to save in the bank at an interest rate of 1.8%, or how many houses I would have to buy that yield a profit on capital of 6% to make what I get from stock to know that I would be crazy to drop this. It's quite instructive to value your portfolio like that.

Poncke

« Reply #7 on: January 04, 2013, 03:44 »
0
Not yet, I am too new and I am so full of ideas and I know I can do so much better than the level I am at now. I picked up a camera only 18 months ago, and joined stock 10 months ago. The possibilities are endless for me still. I love producing images. I know your feeling tho when people reporting insane sales. But I will get there. I know I will. I can see it happening already.

« Reply #8 on: January 04, 2013, 04:39 »
+2
You may get to the level of insane sales but my guess is that you will never get to the point of not knowing that you can do so much better than where you are. The urge to want to do better never goes away.

« Reply #9 on: January 04, 2013, 05:41 »
+1
hit the wall after about 3 years (I think it would be quicker now), then 2 years trying to work out how to get past it, overall I spent 5 years of feeling I should get organised and more focused for stock and was determined to take the next step 12 months ago. Then I decided that I really just couldn't be bothered anymore and have pretty much taken a year off and got involved in other stuff, photography became playtime again (without thinking would this make good stock).
Last couple of weeks started to get motivated again and will start doing stock again.

« Reply #10 on: January 04, 2013, 05:46 »
0
Never.
I only have to work out how much money I would need to save in the bank at an interest rate of 1.8%, or how many houses I would have to buy that yield a profit on capital of 6% to make what I get from stock to know that I would be crazy to drop this. It's quite instructive to value your portfolio like that.
Good point.  For most, it's no replacement for the day job but something that produces a passive income even if your're not doing much at certain points.

« Reply #11 on: January 04, 2013, 07:36 »
+1
I have thought about quitting many times. Here is what has helped me:

- Have a break, don't do anything stock related in a month or so. Don't even plan any future shoots or check stats.

- Ramp up your photo quality, concepts/subjects and production speed. That way your sales will eventually get higher. More images with more demand and better quality will equal in more dollars. Of course the total amount of produced images is not necessary the key, but the faster you are to shoot and edit, the better hourly wage you get. Be your hardest critic, just to get the quality up. To get the quality up do what is necessary: study more, test shoot, buy equipment etc.

- The sites have already millions of images. I have found out that nowdays I get best sales from images that are somewhat hard to produce, may require special props, location, shooting skills and/or editing. Generic shots seem to get buried (there are of course some lucky exceptions).
« Last Edit: January 04, 2013, 07:44 by Perry »

« Reply #12 on: January 04, 2013, 07:42 »
+1
You may get to the level of insane sales but my guess is that you will never get to the point of not knowing that you can do so much better than where you are. The urge to want to do better never goes away.

Well stated.

LSD72

  • My Bologna has a first name...
« Reply #13 on: January 04, 2013, 07:57 »
0
With seeing the monthly threads in Alamy, then looking at my sales... it might be discouraging but it is not to me. I run my own race without worrying about what others do. I have never made the money to support myself full time with it but I did not look at it (even MS included) to be a full time thing. If it happens, GREAT! It gives me some real nice bonuses sometimes though. I keep doing my own thing though and that is good enough for me. I have cut back to a total of 3 Agencies with one on the chopping block when I hit payout. That gives me 1 RF outlet and then a RM outlet.

Got this one last Semester to go through for school then hope to get a job welding. If I work on the road... then there is the bonus of working and having new areas too shoot at each job which satisfies my personal photography and stock.

Poncke

« Reply #14 on: January 04, 2013, 10:11 »
0
^^ These guys at Alamy reporting big sales are the ones that are constantly shooting store fronts and street names in every city of the UK and then they travel to another country and do the same. And then all they do is keywording thousands of images and get them through the ridiculous keywording and upload system. And then once they are done, they start again. And any spare time they have they are on the forum arguing with each other over the evil that RF is. LOL. Sorry bunch of photographers.

« Reply #15 on: January 04, 2013, 10:38 »
+3
If you take thousands of photographers and their ports, chances are every week (or even every day) one of them is going to be lucky with a few EL or SOD or Alamy sales or something like that. If you compare yourself every week to the person that just won the lottery you won't come off feeling very lucky. Instead keep track of your stats every few months and notice if they are going up or down. It is frustrating when they go down, but over the long haul they tend to go up. If you hit the wall, hopefully you do so at a level that is worthwhile for the amount of continuous effort you need to stay at the wall. Don't obsess on stats every day, but do keep an eye on what sells and where and what doesn't and what sites don't perform over the long run.

When you get a week of lousy sales (and the last week of December is one of the worst in this business) or a heap of rejections or any other setback it is natural to want to quit. Just take a break, or work on some other aspect of photography or something. Soon you will see something or have an idea and you can be back at it (or maybe you find something else more worthwhile).


 

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