it just doesn't seem possible with compensation the way it is.

Quote from: rabelspirit on November 29, 2025, 01:38
I switched to AI videos and photos, decent earnings there, especially on Adobe.

people informed that a big amount of rejections are there with AI content.

I am hoping to get back to an income of 2-3k a month on average. Not a luxury life but livable. Last year was around 800 average, this year sadly lower, probably 600 average, because I was busy with family issues and because of rejectiongate at adobe.

Will focus mostly on video and especially on blackboxglobal distribution.

By end of next year I will see if it is doable. Otherwise I hope to get a steady 1000 a month plus some part time job to make it work.

Yes, but it is kind of difficult with most sites doing lower compensation, adobe algo changes with drastic drops, hordes of east indian/arab 'ai' spammers and outright theft of entire portfolios, etc, etc.

Quote from: SuperPhoto on November 29, 2025, 12:16
Yes, but it is kind of difficult with most sites doing lower compensation, adobe algo changes with drastic drops, hordes of east indian/arab 'ai' spammers and outright theft of entire portfolios, etc, etc.

cobalt is not east indian/arab...  or maybe

Quote from: rabelspirit on November 29, 2025, 01:38
I switched to AI videos and photos, decent earnings there, especially on Adobe.

Oh, I'm so impressed! A great career as a photographer prompter awaits you!

Quote from: SuperPhoto on November 29, 2025, 12:16
Yes, but it is kind of difficult with most sites doing lower compensation, adobe algo changes with drastic drops, hordes of east indian/arab 'ai' spammers and outright theft of entire portfolios, etc, etc.

Plenty of blonde white blue eyed people doing ai....will you feel better about your sales if the right ethnic group submits it?

Customers can remove ai with one click in a search, I don't see a big problem and most agencies don't take ai.

At the moment I have a lot of ai on Adobe, but in proportion classic camera content and camera videos are outselling ai by quite a bit. However...this might also be because I am not very good at creating sellable ai content. There are quite a few ai people doing extremely well. But they also have very good content and usually a background as a designer or 3D creator.

But the large influx of mass ai uploads seems to be going down. A lot less YouTubers promoting ai and the prompters have learned that working with stock agencies is not an easy money source.

The ai discord channel on Adobe is pretty quiet these days.

I keep doing test searches for content and especially with video it feels like photos in 2008. Basically everything is wide open. The easiest is editorial, there is so much content, even local content, nobody has ever documented or uploaded.

Financially the best is probably to do drone videos.But for next year my roadmap is already full. Perhaps in 2027 or 2028, we will see.

But I am optimistic.

A lot of experienced old-timers are leaving and retiring and the new crowd is not that interested in learning about who the customers are and how to look for needed content.

They also mass upload content with their smartphones, not just ai. Getting a real camera and learning about lighting, lenses, composition seems like a huge chore to them.

They seem to be motivated by "easy online money/passive income"...and we know they will move on after 2 years because stock agencies don't work like a YouTube channel.

So...from my perspective...the real competition is leaving and the new people coming in are not really making a longterm effort.

Of course we don't know how customer habits might change, but I doubt they will all start prompting all their needs. I did ai for 2 years and it takes ages to get it right.

Everybody has to make their decisions, but I am still optimistic, especially for video.

I did do it full time but now it's sidebusiness. I need healthcare and pay the bills also might need food 

I still am, but it is definitely more challenging these days trying to stay atop of trends and creating what's in demand and not over-saturated.

Nope gave up on it around 5 years ago and just coasting on the portfolio which brings in less and less each year.  The effort required to meet their standards didn't warrant the return

Shittystock I'm lucky to reach the $25 payout these days

Yes, full time.

Yes, I'm still full-time after more than 15 years. No Generative AI and no Video (but maybe I could start with non-AI videos).

In my country, it gets difficult if you average less than 2.5K per month. Now I'm very close.

Compared to the best years, I'm down 30-40%, but surprisingly, 2025 has been better than 2024 (+14% so far).

Hugo Kurk, drone pilot from the Netherlands is doing it full-time and earning $4k-$5k/month now.

See his latest earnings report.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJfsF4CX58M&t=608s

Will be publishing a detailed interview with him on my blog soon.

------

As for me, about 20/hours a week max...so really a part-time job with very much part-time earnings.

No way full time.  Have a full time job so have to do this in my spare time, I love doing stock though so it doesn't really feel like extra work more of a enjoyable side hustle. 

Just passed my advanced drone pilot exam so should be able to get more drone shots.  England can be frustrating, there are some beautiful places but the land has been bought up by National Trust and they won't let you make money from photos/videos if their land is included in them. 

I don't use AI, not interested in it - believe it be an exploitative technology but at least Tech Bros get even more money on the backs of others work. 

Quote from: DiscreetDuck on November 29, 2025, 12:36

Quote from: SuperPhoto on November 29, 2025, 12:16
Yes, but it is kind of difficult with most sites doing lower compensation, adobe algo changes with drastic drops, hordes of east indian/arab 'ai' spammers and outright theft of entire portfolios, etc, etc.

cobalt is not east indian/arab...  or maybe

that's just SP's automatic rascist rant

Hugo is the most interesting new full time creator of the last two years. But also in the blackbox group on facebook you often see drone creators with very reliable and high income.

Perhaps in 2027 or 28 I will think about a drone as well.

I need around 2500  before tax on average to make it with a low income level. 3.5k would be better. But I am not sure if I can reach that as a reliable monthly income.

Last year was around 800 a month, this year because of 80% less uploads probably around 600 on average. Next year should be better.

My biggest concern is how the dollar will hold up against the Euro. Trump is crashing the US economy like his casinos. So we might get a lot less sales from the US and the dollar might drop 20%.

First half of 2026 I will still be busy with other stuff, but by May or June I should be able to finally do stock full time. First time in my life.

Yes, full time still. Zero AI images.

Some people do it with only vectors. Others with only video.

So?

Ok, since everyone is sharing their stories, I figured I should share mine too.

I started creating stock footage exactly three years ago.

In 2023, I made $2,796.

In 2024, that grew to $6,515.

And in 2025, I'll probably end up with around $8,500.

I spend an average of just three days a month on this — shooting, editing, metadata, uploading. When you break it down, that's about $236 per day of work in 2025, doing something I genuinely enjoy. I'm not going to complain about that.

If I ever decided to focus on this full-time — say 20 days a month — I could see myself earning a full-time income within a year or two. For now, though, I really enjoy my current job. It lets me film fascinating subjects in beautiful places without spending a cent.

That is the ideal situation, a great day job that you enjoy and gradually increase your portfolio. The port becoes part of the retirement plan or just extra income for more stability.

I still hope I can make stock my full time income. I love the freedom it brings.

If over the next 2 years I find it to difficult, then I will need a part time job. Not fulltime and preferably without a camera or computer.

Quote from: cascoly on November 30, 2025, 21:06

Quote from: DiscreetDuck on November 29, 2025, 12:36

Quote from: SuperPhoto on November 29, 2025, 12:16
Yes, but it is kind of difficult with most sites doing lower compensation, adobe algo changes with drastic drops, hordes of east indian/arab 'ai' spammers and outright theft of entire portfolios, etc, etc.

cobalt is not east indian/arab...  or maybe

that's just SP's automatic rascist rant

He's absolutely right! Dozens of east indian/arab people have stolen my work! I don't watch it anymore because it disgusted me so much, I didn't want it to negatively impact my motivation to produce. Snapshot's producers aren't at risk of having their work stolen...

Quote from: SuperPhoto on November 29, 2025, 12:16
Yes, but it is kind of difficult with most sites doing lower compensation, adobe algo changes with drastic drops, hordes of east indian/arab 'ai' spammers and outright theft of entire portfolios, etc, etc.

You're right, of course. But here, people aren't interested in the truth (because you're only stating facts here), they prefer to disseminate their ideology and make accusations.

Full time here. No Ai, only videos.

Never did it full time and never will (but was playing with that thought a few years ago, before Shutterstock disaster).
Still making decent money from stock though - but I barely upload anything, as I don't want to invest my time into a market, which might not exist in the near future.

Quote from: cobalt on December 01, 2025, 06:37
Hugo is the most interesting new full time creator of the last two years. But also in the blackbox group on facebook you often see drone creators with very reliable and high income.

Perhaps in 2027 or 28 I will think about a drone as well.

It's never too late to get into drones. Grab a sub-250g mini as soon as you can and start flying, in the EU you don't even need to pass exams...just register online with your national aviation authority and you're good to go.

What really impresses me about Hugo and I cover this in detail in the upcoming interview is his obsession with researching and shooting what actually sells. He'll travel across the NL or into Germany for a single day just to film a a new AI data centre because it's something that is trending in the news. He also scouts company headquarters and warehouses he can shoot while on the road. Apparently no rules broken but he does need to be careful. He shoots with a Mavic with a superb optical zoom lens and keeps his distance while shooting outside perimeters.

Meanwhile, I'm out there shooting aerial cityscapes and tourist landmarks whenever I travel, a far less commercial and much more saturated niche. They do sell but not for much and not often enough.

Hugo has definitely cracked the code and it's great that he's so open about his work.

Update: Link to the exclusive interview:

https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2025/12/02/exclusive-interview-how-drone-footage-transformed-hugo-kurk-into-a-top-earning-microstock-creator/