Well I'm celebrating my 100th download at iStock this morning.

I uploaded my very first microstock picture to them on Feb 5th and it's taken 78 days to get to 100 sales.  That's probably good progress, but it feels like sh*t given the amount of work needed to get there (I hadn't shot an image for sale in my life before the end of January).

The first 50 sales took exactly 50 days, and the second 50 have taken 28 days.  Progress, particularly given that April was a slow month for everyone.

What I really need is to get to 1,000 a week......(!)

Next weekend I enter the next phase of my microstock project - I'm setting up a studio for the first time and I've got two models booked for 'businesswoman' sessions.  I've got a week to try out the kit, get the exposure sorted, make sure the background is burned to RGB 255 white, plan the images, get the props....

Nobody said this would be easy........

Congrats on the 100th download.

It took me 82 days to get to 100, so you have done better than me. 

I like that banana skin photo

Istock is a horrible site for my self-esteem.  I've submitted about 13 photos I think.  Only one accepted.  Not even the images I was approved with were accepted.  That one image that was accepted has sold 60 times in 40 days.  It will likely have a flame in a couple weeks which I find hugely embarrasing because it leads to a portfolio with only one photo!  I'll check my stats and my one photo has had 10 more sales... I'll be inspired to toss a couple more in the mix and be shot down again. 

It sounds like I'm complaining... but I do really respect their integrity.  I just have to suck it up.  Get over it.  Take better photos.   From my experience with one solitary photo, it looks like it's worth the extra effort required.

Congrats on getting to 100!!

I've just passed 300 d/ls off 164 accepted images (120 days), and have found that good images tend to develop a momentum of their own, whereas on some other sites you need constant uploading to maintain growth. My monthly sales have been doubling every month thanks to this. I just wish more of my port would sell 

Approaching 150 downloads, and just popped back to see when I started this thread.

I hope I have now passed the newbie pain barrier at IS and can look forward to increasing momentum as my portfolio builds and more buyers become confident in my stuff.

Of course sometimes it just depends on what search algorithms they're using from time to time, but hopefully a diversified portfolio will help resolve that.