Author Topic: Microstock Photography - Beginners Guide (Read 173524 times)

leaf · « **on:** May 05, 2010, 14:19 »

I just thought i would start a thread giving an introduction to Microstock Photography for the new members of the forum. Hopefully this thread can be a source of good info and resources.

What is Microstock Photography
Microstock Photography is the term given to the business of selling your photos online through a Microstock agency. Microstock Photography is very similar to traditional stock photography but sets itself apart by offering images for sale at a very low cost (typically $1.00-$40). Microstock photography also has a very low threshold in regards to who can participate, unlock traditional stock photography agencies which often require a portfolio of several hundred or thousand images before you are accepted.
[Wikipedia Definition]

Microstock Agencies
There are many many microstock agencies which are willing to sell your images. However not all agencies have enough traffic to generate decent sales. The top 4 agencies are Shutterstock, iStock, Fotolia and Dreamstime. You can check out the poll on the right side of the page for the full list. The agencies are listed in order from highest to lowest earning site according to the monthly polls on MicrostockGroup.

Getting Started
Don't be mislead by the cheap prices - Microstock is a professional marketplace and is very technically demanding. Even if you are already a professional photographer, don't be surprised if you have troubles getting images accepted when you first start uploading. Take the rejections to heart and learn from them. You can also post images in the critique section to get other users opinions.

Common Rejections

Noise - When starting out, play it safe and shoot at the lowest ISO setting on your camera. Most microstock sites are very picky in regards to the amount of noise in a photo. It is also equally important that you correctly expose your images when you are shooting. If your images are dark and you lighten them in post processing you will be adding noise into your image.
Over-Sharpened - Sharpening is often a popular tool to over-use. To play it safe, simply don't sharpen your images. It may go against your gut instinct to not make your images 'look their best' but sharpening also sharpens the noise and will is a great way to get a reject.

Microstock Tools
Microstock Keyword Tool
Keyword List Comparison Tool

Blog Resources
MicrostockGroup Blog - the blog associated with this forum
MicrostockDiaries - a blog written by Lee Torrens,providing useful microstock insight
MicrostockInsider - Steve Gibson's microstock blog with loads of useful posts
MyStockPhoto - a blog focusing on the news side of Microstock Photography
Rasmus Rasmussen's Guide - A very informative group of blog posts with the option to buy an extended version of the info
Microstock Man blog and overview of various stock sites

Learning Resources
TutorVid - Brush up on your Photoshop Skills with these video tutorials

more to come...

waseefakhtar · « **Reply #1 on:** August 05, 2010, 18:18 »

This is actually really awesome site.. I've been following this forum for 2 months now.. and just signed up now... how mind-less of me..

Smiling Jack · « **Reply #2 on:** August 05, 2010, 21:59 »

Thank you Leaf.
Smiling Jack

jwsc101 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 12, 2010, 17:42 »

Really useful, thanks

tbmpvideo · « **Reply #4 on:** December 11, 2010, 23:13 »

Well organized presentation of your information! I like it! I will pay you the highest compliment and learn from it. Thanks!

edwardevans · « **Reply #5 on:** January 12, 2011, 23:25 »

Hi! I'm a photography buff. Oh well, actually I'm just a newbie to it but I've been checking on sites and this one came up. I'm glad I bumped into this site. This would be helpful to a newbie like me,

__________

newbielink:http://www.thebestblender.com/vita-mix-recipes/ [nonactive]

suemack · « **Reply #6 on:** January 13, 2011, 00:09 »

Rasmus Rasmussen's Microstock Photographer's Guide is filled with useful information. He has a link on his site to all the articles

leaf · « **Reply #7 on:** January 13, 2011, 04:52 »

Quote from: suemack on January 13, 2011, 00:09

Rasmus Rasmussen's Microstock Photographer's Guide is filled with useful information. He has a link on his site to all the articles

thanks I added that link to the list on the first post

dannyhitt20 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 04, 2011, 22:45 »

Nice guide...

robertosch · « **Reply #9 on:** March 05, 2011, 02:32 »

"more to come..."

Hey Leaf, you should say something about vectors too. I'm sure they are also vector newbies here, too...

Regards,

Robert

matt77 · « **Reply #10 on:** April 13, 2011, 07:12 »

I like this post very much. I will definitely be back. Hope that I can read more insightful posts then. Will be sharing your knowledge with all of my associates!

johnmessingham · « **Reply #11 on:** May 31, 2011, 07:34 »

Some food for thought, thank you.

Shank_ali · « **Reply #12 on:** July 08, 2011, 12:49 »

No-one seems to of mentioned the pleasure factor.If you really find photography enjoyable and stimulating you will certainly enjoy uploading your images to microstock sites and seeing them sell.It will encourage and inspire you and your work will get better and more productive.
You also need to view ALL your work at 100% before submitting to the various sites.It might be a PITTA but after a few months it becomes second nature with your post editing.
Also browse the microstock collections to help you understand better what type of work attracts sales.

velossaraptor · « **Reply #13 on:** July 14, 2011, 15:54 »

great intro!

lawrencebrussel · « **Reply #14 on:** July 19, 2011, 06:40 »

Nice post leaf, it was helpful.
loved this place. Amazing people here .

corareed · « **Reply #15 on:** July 19, 2011, 13:45 »

That is great! I have been thinking for some years about writing a book on microstock, but it's been done so well by folks like you. I am now thinking about a blog of something on the pet peeves of photo editors, posing models, and keywording. (Maybe that is 3 blogs.)

ruigsantos · « **Reply #16 on:** August 21, 2011, 11:23 »

Great thread!

itsrich · « **Reply #17 on:** August 22, 2011, 18:44 »

I have a great question

I am just starting to contribute stock. I have a very large catalogue.

I am starting to realise how tedious and boring all the different stages in the processes are. Is there any software that adds descriptions, names etc to retouched images and can upload TO MULTIPLE stock libraries. I want to find out which libraries work best for me without all the repetitive tasks for each stock library. Something like DeepMeta, but for multiple libraries.

Many thanks

Rich!

leaf · « **Reply #18 on:** August 22, 2011, 19:10 »

Quote from: itsrich on August 22, 2011, 18:44

I have a great question

I am just starting to contribute stock. I have a very large catalogue.

I am starting to realise how tedious and boring all the different stages in the processes are. Is there any software that adds descriptions, names etc to retouched images and can upload TO MULTIPLE stock libraries. I want to find out which libraries work best for me without all the repetitive tasks for each stock library. Something like DeepMeta, but for multiple libraries.

Many thanks

Rich!

I suggest starting a specific thread for this question. .. and maybe post a link here. Also, check out the microstock services section
http://www.microstockgroup.com/microstock-services/

gemmy12 · « **Reply #19 on:** November 08, 2011, 01:47 »

Hello everyone..
I am new to this site as well as to the photography world as well. Its my hobby though after buying my 1st DSLR, few of my photographs have won few awards and prizes by local clubs and also state level contests. Still i feel I need a lot to improve my photography. However I wat to try my photographs in microstock sites.
So can any one of you suggest me "which microstock site/sites is/are best to start for a beginner and WHY ?"
I have been searching for my answers in the net and now i think I've come to right place.

Thanking you in advance !

FD · « **Reply #20 on:** November 08, 2011, 10:47 »

Quote from: dr_skn08 on November 08, 2011, 01:47

'which microstock site/sites is/are best to start for a beginner and WHY ?"

Dreamstime because there is no entry "exam". Just don't send too many at a time or it will bring down your acceptance ratio (and your sales). Honestly, the best would be to upload here a few images full size (you can watermark them) and ask for advice. There are some top microstock photographers around that will be happy to critique you.

YodaShotInRAW · « **Reply #21 on:** January 08, 2012, 10:48 »

Thanks! Just getting started and this helped.

steheap · « **Reply #22 on:** January 09, 2012, 19:31 »

Quote

"which microstock site/sites is/are best to start for a beginner and WHY ?"

Interesting question. I've always recommended CanStock as the first site. Why? Because their reviews are very fast, they are pretty fair in terms of standards - they reject poor images, but they don't have the "too many images" problem that Dreamstime has. So you can get a good feel for whether you are putting forward the right sort of images pretty quickly on that site.

I've recommended that to all the buyers of my eBook (and a few friends as well) without any negative views so far.

Steve

gemmy12 · « **Reply #23 on:** January 10, 2012, 00:13 »

Quote from: steheap on January 09, 2012, 19:31

Quote
"which microstock site/sites is/are best to start for a beginner and WHY ?"

Interesting question. I've always recommended CanStock as the first site. Why? Because their reviews are very fast, they are pretty fair in terms of standards - they reject poor images, but they don't have the "too many images" problem that Dreamstime has. So you can get a good feel for whether you are putting forward the right sort of images pretty quickly on that site.

I've recommended that to all the buyers of my eBook (and a few friends as well) without any negative views so far.

Steve

Hello steve..
Thank you for your suggestion. i am almost a regular reader of your articles in your site and they have been beneficial for me. I do find them interesting specially the data regarding your sale. Thanks for sharing ideas. Keep it up ! :-)

THP Creative · « **Reply #24 on:** January 16, 2012, 19:05 »

Hi Guys,

Hope it's ok to post this here Leaf, just thought it relevant to the topic.

I have created a website with agency reviews, tips etc specifically to help out beginners in microstock, as I needed something like this when I began a couple of years ago.

You can see it at...

http://www.microstockman.com

Yes, it contains referral links (got to pay for web hosting somehow!).

Hope it's of some use.

Cheers

Tim (THP)

Curve · « **Reply #25 on:** May 11, 2012, 02:35 »

Nice guide thx man

THP Creative · « **Reply #26 on:** May 13, 2012, 00:43 »

Quote from: Curve on May 11, 2012, 02:35

Nice guide thx man

Hey Curve, no worries. Glad I could help. If you could take moment to +1 / facebook like the site or share it in some way that would be really appreciated.

Cheers

Tim (aka Microstock Man)

Leighh · « **Reply #27 on:** June 10, 2012, 10:23 »

Nice guide, thanks

THP Creative · « **Reply #28 on:** June 10, 2012, 18:50 »

Quote from: Leighh on June 10, 2012, 10:23

Nice guide, thanks

Hey Leighh, glad it helped. You have some nice shots - the glowing boots is weirding me out!

luissantos84 · « **Reply #29 on:** June 10, 2012, 19:14 »

Quote from: THP on June 10, 2012, 18:50

Quote from: Leighh on June 10, 2012, 10:23
Nice guide, thanks

Hey Leighh, glad it helped. You have some nice shots - the glowing boots is weirding me out!

it does look cool

I guess it is a flashlight going around the boots etc, many people do it drawing love you on the air and such around a person

ApertureFNumber: f/16.0
Model: Canon EOS 30D
ExposureTime: 30/1
ISOSpeedRatings: 100
FocalLength: 17/1

(from DT)

StockPhoto.com · « **Reply #30 on:** January 18, 2013, 09:16 »

Thank you, leaf

Ron · « **Reply #31 on:** June 20, 2013, 18:09 »

For those who want to get some more details on microstock agencies I have written up some information

http://semmickphoto.com/2013/06/19/top-8-microstock-agencies-explained/

might be useful

tickstock · « **Reply #32 on:** June 20, 2013, 18:14 »

Ron · « **Reply #33 on:** June 20, 2013, 18:45 »

Cheers, the article is for photographers...as if that wasnt clear

tickstock · « **Reply #34 on:** June 20, 2013, 21:35 »

yordaniac · « **Reply #35 on:** December 29, 2013, 20:59 »

another thanks for the post masta.
i just join a minutes ago and learn many thing from this group

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #36 on:** December 29, 2013, 21:21 »

Looks like another spam account.

BigBubba · « **Reply #37 on:** February 20, 2014, 13:39 »

Hi,
I am also very new to all this, I find this website very helpful.
Any chance to get a beginners guide to the various letter combinations...Ss? El?...all of them

Forgive me for any mistake with my English, not my native tongue.
Lior.

hairybiker777 · « **Reply #38 on:** March 13, 2014, 23:57 »

I'm not sure I agree entirely with the advice to always shoot at the lowest ISO. I guess it's different for everyone but I've found that camera shake and too narrow a depth of field have been more of a problem for me than grain in my images. There were plenty that I thought were great until I starting routinely viewing at 100%, at which point I found out that they weren't sharp enough, for the reasons above.

I was an obsessive ISO100-no-matter-what guy up to that point. These days, I go for f/11 - f/16 and 1/1000 - 1/2000 in a lot of my daytime work whether it's fast-moving or not, and I let the camera set the ISO to match. This means I'm often at ISO640-800 but it's not a problem in decent light, and certainly not when I run the images through noise reduction software. Bottom line for me is, software can often remove noise to the point where it isn't visible at 100%, but nothing is going to fix a blurry or wobbly image.

leaf · « **Reply #39 on:** March 14, 2014, 01:44 »

Quote from: hairybiker777 on March 13, 2014, 23:57

I'm not sure I agree entirely with the advice to always shoot at the lowest ISO. I guess it's different for everyone but I've found that camera shake and too narrow a depth of field have been more of a problem for me than grain in my images. There were plenty that I thought were great until I starting routinely viewing at 100%, at which point I found out that they weren't sharp enough, for the reasons above.

I was an obsessive ISO100-no-matter-what guy up to that point. These days, I go for f/11 - f/16 and 1/1000 - 1/2000 in a lot of my daytime work whether it's fast-moving or not, and I let the camera set the ISO to match. This means I'm often at ISO640-800 but it's not a problem in decent light, and certainly not when I run the images through noise reduction software. Bottom line for me is, software can often remove noise to the point where it isn't visible at 100%, but nothing is going to fix a blurry or wobbly image.

You certainly have a point. Camera shake is probably one of the worst things to have in an image. I like to stick to low apertures for how it looks but the shutter speed still needs to be reasonable.
Also remember that the first post was made in 2010. 4 years ago. Camera tech has come a ways since thing and ISO performance improves a lot with every generation of camera.

ehrlif · « **Reply #40 on:** March 14, 2014, 06:25 »

Microstock Man and Semmick photos both sites were very informative and helpful. Thank you very much for sharing!

Rage · « **Reply #41 on:** March 16, 2014, 00:39 »

Yup, thats what I've started to feel too. Btw what software are you using for noise reduction?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

hairybiker777 · « **Reply #42 on:** March 17, 2014, 02:50 »

> Yup, thats what I've started to feel too. Btw what software are you using for noise reduction?

I use Dfine (one of the Nik Software tools) most of the time. When that won't do it, if the noise is in some background object that doesn't matter too much then I'll blur it.

chukeroro · « **Reply #43 on:** July 16, 2014, 22:15 »

I'm the newbie here! Thank you for the excellent guide!

FlowerPower · « **Reply #44 on:** July 23, 2015, 08:38 »

Quote from: Curve on May 11, 2012, 02:35

Nice guide thx man

I'll come back and give Leaf a + when I can. Nice guide.

GrabbingTheLight · « **Reply #45 on:** September 28, 2015, 10:29 »

Just joined Microstock today on a recommendation. As I have never sold any of my work this Beginners Guide will be very useful. I will no doubt have many questions to post on the forum.

sigalavaca · « **Reply #46 on:** October 08, 2015, 18:24 »

thx for the links. I have recently started in stock sites, mostly with editorial pictures. The site and topics are really helpful

Rage · « **Reply #47 on:** October 09, 2015, 22:06 »

I've been here for some time and its now that I'm starting to realize how much the message of the photo matters. Stock seems to love pictures with a in your face kind of message. Do that well for an in demand topic and you will have sales pouring in

Pauws99 · « **Reply #48 on:** October 11, 2015, 11:08 »

Yep its not about Subtlety and its not about art!

manabita110 · « **Reply #49 on:** December 05, 2015, 14:03 »

This is helpful information... I have been wanting to get into stock photography for a while, but what I think I didn't realize as an inexperienced individual is just how much I really need to learn to be successful in this field. (It didn't take long to recognize that there is A LOT to learn!) I am hoping that I will be able to learn from those with more experience than me.

Harvepino · « **Reply #50 on:** December 05, 2015, 17:22 »

I'd add: rejection reason "Focus"

mantaigi · « **Reply #51 on:** February 17, 2016, 05:07 »

Greetings to all.... Am new here n new to Microstock...I find this useful

Rage · « **Reply #52 on:** February 17, 2016, 21:37 »

Welcome to the club. Where all have you already started selling

Gel-O Shooter · « **Reply #53 on:** February 17, 2016, 22:43 »

Love that you (quite generously) gave IS exactly what they give contributors....15%!

Wrighty · « **Reply #54 on:** September 05, 2016, 14:39 »

I'm a newbie. This is a great intro article and awesome site!

fedmich · « **Reply #55 on:** September 12, 2016, 10:29 »

Thanks for making this post a sticky post so newbies can read them.
The links are all very helpful, there is a lot to learn but am feeling more informed now after reading them

Anya · « **Reply #56 on:** September 19, 2016, 05:41 »

Thank you very much for taking your time to give this usefull information!

eunhae · « **Reply #57 on:** July 09, 2017, 09:21 »

Very useful thread!

Bad Company · « **Reply #58 on:** July 09, 2017, 16:54 »

OLD THREAD ALERT...

Higosh · « **Reply #59 on:** June 13, 2019, 04:37 »

Quote from: leaf on May 05, 2010, 14:19

I just thought i would start a thread giving an introduction to Microstock Photography for the new members of the forum. Hopefully this thread can be a source of good info and resources.

What is Microstock Photography
Microstock Photography is the term given to the business of selling your photos online through a Microstock agency. Microstock Photography is very similar to traditional stock photography but sets itself apart by offering images for sale at a very low cost (typically $1.00-$40). Microstock photography also has a very low threshold in regards to who can participate, unlock traditional stock photography agencies which often require a portfolio of several hundred or thousand images before you are accepted.
[ newbielink:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microstock_photography [nonactive]]

Microstock Agencies
There are many many microstock agencies which are willing to sell your images. However not all agencies have enough traffic to generate decent sales. The top 4 agencies are Shutterstock, iStock, Fotolia and Dreamstime. You can check out the poll on the right side of the page for the full list. The agencies are listed in order from highest to lowest earning site according to the newbielink:http://www.microstockgroup.com/pollsresults/ [nonactive] on MicrostockGroup.

Getting Started
Don't be mislead by the cheap prices - Microstock is a professional marketplace and is very technically demanding. Even if you are already a professional photographer, don't be surprised if you have troubles getting images accepted when you first start uploading. Take the rejections to heart and learn from them. You can also post images in the newbielink:http://www.microstockgroup.com/photo-critique/ [nonactive] newbielink:http://tattoogrid.net/stick-and-poke-ornament-tattoo/ [nonactive] to get other users opinions.

Is there anyone here who makes a living off this? I mean as the main source of income? I am looking for ways to diversify my income, and since I love photography, I am thinking if this could be a good fit or just a waste of time.

Thanks

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #60 on:** June 14, 2019, 10:14 »

Quote from: Higosh on June 13, 2019, 04:37

Quote from: leaf on May 05, 2010, 14:19
I just thought i would start a thread giving an introduction to Microstock Photography for the new members of the forum. Hopefully this thread can be a source of good info and resources.

What is Microstock Photography
Microstock Photography is the term given to the business of selling your photos online through a Microstock agency. Microstock Photography is very similar to traditional stock photography but sets itself apart by offering images for sale at a very low cost (typically $1.00-$40). Microstock photography also has a very low threshold in regards to who can participate, unlock traditional stock photography agencies which often require a portfolio of several hundred or thousand images before you are accepted.
[Wikipedia Definition]

Microstock Agencies
There are many many microstock agencies which are willing to sell your images. However not all agencies have enough traffic to generate decent sales. The top 4 agencies are Shutterstock, iStock, Fotolia and Dreamstime. You can check out the poll on the right side of the page for the full list. The agencies are listed in order from highest to lowest earning site according to the monthly polls on MicrostockGroup.

Getting Started
Don't be mislead by the cheap prices - Microstock is a professional marketplace and is very technically demanding. Even if you are already a professional photographer, don't be surprised if you have troubles getting images accepted when you first start uploading. Take the rejections to heart and learn from them. You can also post images in the critique secti on to get other users opinions.

Is there anyone here who makes a living off this? I mean as the main source of income? I am looking for ways to diversify my income, and since I love photography, I am thinking if this could be a good fit or just a waste of time.

Thanks

Microstock is what anyone makes of it. Some individuals do well, some suffer. Easy answer though is, Microstock is somewhere between a good fit and a waste of time, depending.

I know people that study and make fresh images and video, and they make money. The forum here is littered with people who find, nothing but dropping returns for their efforts.

I can say, what should be first in considering this as additional income. It's not easy money.

I've seen people who think they know it all, and have arts degrees, photo experience, who don't seem to understand that Microstock is not just art. It can be art, but most important is how functional and useful any image is, to others. If it's useful and can be used for illustration or making a point, and in demand subjects, you can make some money. If you shoot a black goat, laying in a pasture, without much meaning or purpose, your financial returns will be disappointing.

If you can think "why would someone else want this image, or have a use for it" without a stretching, maybe or distant hypotheticals, you will have something that gets downloads.

Shooting photos, and getting images accepted is easy, making a sale is difficult.

georgep7 · « **Reply #61 on:** June 14, 2019, 10:50 »

Quote

since I love photography, I am thinking if this could be a good fit or just a waste of time.

Offtopic:
perhaps you have to separate those two statements:
loving a craft or a hobby is never, ever, ever a waste of time, it brings balace to mind and pleasure to one's soul
instead, waste of time is believing that love might evolve to something beneficial, it ruins balance to mind and soul

Ontopic:
making a living from stock is not the first step, don't care what others do, everyone have a different story and background.
registering to agencies, studying them, plus boring and time consuming editing, tagging, describing and uploading media are.

Lola Ginabrigeta · « **Reply #62 on:** September 27, 2019, 07:06 »

Thank you for the guide Leaf.

barkbomes9 · « **Reply #63 on:** May 06, 2020, 00:33 »

Hey! I am a wedding photographer who has 1 wife, 1 child and expecting another. Saying this, because I would like to earn side money. Don't know shet* about stock photography. Can you recommend any course on uploading, metadata, places to upload, tools...stuff like this ?
newbielink:https://testmyspeed.onl/ [nonactive] newbielink:https://solitaire.onl/ [nonactive]

THP Creative · « **Reply #64 on:** May 06, 2020, 09:32 »

Quote from: barkbomes9 on May 06, 2020, 00:33

Hey! I am a wedding photographer who has 1 wife, 1 child and expecting another. Saying this, because I would like to earn side money. Don't know shet* about stock photography. Can you recommend any course on uploading, metadata, places to upload, tools...stuff like this ?

https://www.microstockman.com/microstock-beginners-guide/ - Hope that helps

StanRohrer · « **Reply #65 on:** May 06, 2020, 09:53 »

OLD THREAD ALERT!!!!!

BarkBones9, I just saw a recent report that stock income is now at $0.49 (49 cents, USA) Per Image Per Year. What is your cost of creating images to sell? Car gas and car cost amortization, computers, camera gear, hotels, tickets, Internet service, work hours, tax accountant, repairs, and more are on the expense side of the math. How much do you hope to withdraw from your business as your personal income?

Hobbyists consider it is free to shoot digital after the sunk costs of buying a camera. But as a business, equipment and repair costs must be a part of the equation. Amortizing purchase and repairs over the estimated use/life of the equipment is a very back of the napkin calculation. But I figure, for pro gear, it might come in at, maybe, 10 cents per shutter click. If I get 1 stock photo in 10 clicks ($1), I'm having an awesome day. One stock worthy photo in 100 clicks ($10) it is still an awesome day. If I'm shooting boat racing at 10 frames per second ($1 per second) and come home with 2000 photos ($200), of which only a few will be unique action and stock worthy, they may still be only good for the audience of that day (not general stock sales at $0.49 PIPY). Time to sharpen your math pencil - but with some really fuzzy source numbers. What kinds of shots are you intending to sell, and is there a viable market of buyers for those shots, and how do you compare with the other photographers in your competition.

Thus ends the first lesson on the business of stock photography in the year 2020.

georgep7 · « **Reply #66 on:** May 06, 2020, 11:12 »

Discouraging is easy. Like newborn or product or whatever section is virgin ground and he/she can start from scratch and have a side income.

let's try the opposite. Not a transition to stock photog but what requested. A possible side income with what equipment might got.

Give couples a discount if they do sign releases of e.g. next day or prewedding shooting.
While finishing to be on the run, you are still outdoors: lot of stuff in the road, urban, nature(?) to shoot.
When in an event lots of food, furniture, signs, design, hearts, compositions whatever non-people included to shoot.

Never tried this, too late now, so, just guessing what i would do a few years back.

enulight · « **Reply #67 on:** June 23, 2020, 01:45 »

Thank you for the advice

MicroSto70 · « **Reply #68 on:** July 15, 2020, 09:25 »

Hello everyone

I am new here at MicrostockGroup and hoping on having some interesting conversations and collaborations on these creative topics.

Thank you leaf for the introduction it was very interesting to read.

Sincerely

MicroSto70 · « **Reply #69 on:** July 15, 2020, 09:37 »

Dear Uncle Pete and Georgep7

Thank you for sharing

. These are quite interesting topics and to be honest didn't, know that there where Online Sales for Photos and that this was a lucrative business. What are the credentials to be able to make it besides creativity and a good feel of what people are looking for?
For instance, do I need to be a Photographer holding a Diploma or Certificate or can I just be a Hobby Photographer and still be able to make it in this business?

Thank you for your reply and sincerely

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #70 on:** July 16, 2020, 07:44 »

Quote from: MicroSto70 on July 15, 2020, 09:37

Dear Uncle Pete and Georgep7

Thank you for sharing . These are quite interesting topics and to be honest didn't, know that there where Online Sales for Photos and that this was a lucrative business. What are the credentials to be able to make it besides creativity and a good feel of what people are looking for?
For instance, do I need to be a Photographer holding a Diploma or Certificate or can I just be a Hobby Photographer and still be able to make it in this business?

Thank you for your reply and sincerely

I wouldn't call stock a lucrative business. Some do well with hard work, many hours, being very smart and creative. Many more will try and quit or find out very fast, that this isn't easy money. Add to that that the market is down right now because of the world pandemic and virtually every agency has cut artists commissions.

Still, anyone who wants can try and see, which is what's nice. Open to anyone who wants to see if they can make something from the stock photo market.

Pauws99 · « **Reply #71 on:** July 16, 2020, 08:12 »

Quote from: MicroSto70 on July 15, 2020, 09:37

Dear Uncle Pete and Georgep7

Thank you for sharing . These are quite interesting topics and to be honest didn't, know that there where Online Sales for Photos and that this was a lucrative business. What are the credentials to be able to make it besides creativity and a good feel of what people are looking for?
For instance, do I need to be a Photographer holding a Diploma or Certificate or can I just be a Hobby Photographer and still be able to make it in this business?

Thank you for your reply and sincerely

One of the good things is that is a totally equal opportunity business...you are judged solely on the quality of your images.

marthamarks · « **Reply #72 on:** July 16, 2020, 08:35 »

Quote from: MicroSto70 on July 15, 2020, 09:37

For instance, do I need to be a Photographer holding a Diploma or Certificate or can I just be a Hobby Photographer and still be able to make it in this business?

You do not need to hold any kind of photography certificate or have any formal training. I don't have either one.

But I'm not a full-time "pro" and never have claimed to be.

"Making it" in this business depends on your income requirements. I'm a "hobbyist" even though I've been at it for almost 40 years, because I've never had to depend on photography for my essential income. It really has bought me some great camera gear and nice trips, however.

steheap · « **Reply #73 on:** July 16, 2020, 08:42 »

And, of course, you can always read two of the honest books on how to get started in stock photography!

You might find a link somewhere here....

Steve

Bryan Salinas · « **Reply #74 on:** August 22, 2020, 17:24 »

Thanks for advice, you helped to me

Cheers

Just another Snapper · « **Reply #75 on:** July 29, 2022, 12:23 »

G'Day.

Actually I joined this forum primarily to learn alot of stuff about Microstocks, Perhaps foolishly I have invested a few grand in various toys.

BUT.. One Serious Question straight off the bat. I Have found that by submitting stuff to Wirestock...' my stuff appears on Adobe, Shutterstock etc. BUT Having opened direct accounts with the aforementioned. None of my directly posted stuff gets accepted. They only seem to accept my stuff through Wirestock....

Can anybody tell me if this is just a matter of Big Boys club - to hell with small fry and Newbies? or is there some magic special filter that Wirestock puts things through to make them marvellous?

TonyD · « **Reply #76 on:** August 02, 2022, 00:07 »

You certainly don't need formal qualifications like diplomas for stock. They only help in learning composition color lighting DOF etc. & background stuff like spreadsheets, computers etc. so qualifications do help with the technical side (although they won't stop your work getting rejected from SS for example) And they don't teach you what subject matter to shoot for stock.

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #77 on:** August 02, 2022, 13:13 »

Quote from: Just another Snapper on July 29, 2022, 12:23

G'Day.

Actually I joined this forum primarily to learn alot of stuff about Microstocks, Perhaps foolishly I have invested a few grand in various toys.

BUT.. One Serious Question straight off the bat. I Have found that by submitting stuff to Wirestock...' my stuff appears on Adobe, Shutterstock etc. BUT Having opened direct accounts with the aforementioned. None of my directly posted stuff gets accepted. They only seem to accept my stuff through Wirestock....

Can anybody tell me if this is just a matter of Big Boys club - to hell with small fry and Newbies? or is there some magic special filter that Wirestock puts things through to make them marvellous?

I suspect and make a note of that "suspect" that part of the reason Wirestock is becoming so picky is, they pre-review and have better standards, which means the agencies might give them a faster track into being accepted. WS doesn't want to be sending in a big batch of Crapstock, which is what the agencies have to deal with, so better credibility, and a better acceptance rate, more images, might help them get passed. MIGHT

If I found that images through WS were getting accepted, when the same images uploaded myself were rejected, I'd sure be using more WS and working less.

I still upload my own to SS, AS and DT for now. Alamy has become microstock, the rest of the places WS will forward my work to, I don't care, which makes that easy upload and forget about them. Sometimes, if I get something rejected by SS or AS (because I don't get rejections on DT) I'll upload the identical image to WS and check the box for SS or AS. You can also go back after and add agencies to images.

Meanwhile I'm not suggesting that WS is the best answer for everything and everyone. I find it fine for what I want to get out to places I don't care about and if I get some spare change, that's nice. Some people have gone 100% WS and are happy. I think each of us needs to decide how we work things.

So if it's rejected on SS, then send it to WS.

85% of something is far better than 100% of nothing.

KWphoto · « **Reply #78 on:** November 08, 2022, 17:06 »

this has been very helpful post. I am new to microstock photography. It looks like the market is saturated!

chillbilldill · « **Reply #79 on:** February 19, 2023, 15:58 »

There are a couple dead links in the guide here.

MicrostockGroup Blog
Rasmus Rasmussen's Guide

avishfilms · « **Reply #80 on:** December 14, 2023, 09:19 »

Thank you for the guide

Photographer999 · « **Reply #81 on:** February 20, 2024, 06:48 »

I can't create a new topic here. It's probably to protect against spam

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