pancakes

MicrostockGroup Sponsors


Author Topic: New guide for beginners - "Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock Photography"  (Read 36565 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Brasilnut

  • Author Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock & Blog

« Reply #50 on: June 16, 2017, 16:34 »
0
I just published a list of my top 5 best selling photos at Shutterstock :)

http://wp.me/p8yHUo-fz


steheap

  • Author of best selling "Get Started in Stock"

« Reply #51 on: June 16, 2017, 16:58 »
+1
Great shots and interesting to hear about why they are successful!

Steve

Brasilnut

  • Author Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock & Blog

« Reply #52 on: June 17, 2017, 01:54 »
0
Quote
Great shots and interesting to hear about why they are successful!

Thanks Steve :) It's a good lesson for newbies to focus on which types of premium images tend to do well and simply produce more of them.

I don't know if it's the same with your portfolio but those 5 images alone (and similars) make up something like half of my revenue at SS.

steheap

  • Author of best selling "Get Started in Stock"

« Reply #53 on: June 17, 2017, 10:35 »
+2
My best seller is a cat. $2560 on Shutterstock and just $2.91 on BigStock. Go figure...

The power of getting onto the first page in the search results I guess.


Steve

SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #54 on: June 17, 2017, 10:51 »
0
I do like a good cat.

steheap

  • Author of best selling "Get Started in Stock"

« Reply #55 on: June 17, 2017, 11:20 »
0
Especially a good earning cat...

Brasilnut

  • Author Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock & Blog

« Reply #56 on: June 17, 2017, 11:28 »
+1
Oh looks like he's got a friend now...

http://www.dinamys-sas.com/a55_rium%C3%AC.html

SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #57 on: June 17, 2017, 12:02 »
+1
I do like a dog as well. Probably a bit more than cats.

dpimborough

« Reply #58 on: June 17, 2017, 15:13 »
0
Cats are much better than dogs :D

Brasilnut

  • Author Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock & Blog

« Reply #59 on: June 18, 2017, 17:44 »
0

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #60 on: June 18, 2017, 20:55 »
0
Short article on why images with people tend to sell better:

https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.wordpress.com/2017/06/18/why-images-with-people-tend-to-sell-better/

In your pics of the cropped people making rugs, didn't the rugs need property releases? I'd have expected the first pic also to require a MR, because of the recogniseable hoodie.

Brasilnut

  • Author Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock & Blog

« Reply #61 on: June 19, 2017, 01:32 »
0
Quote
In your pics of the cropped people making rugs, didn't the rugs need property releases? I'd have expected the first pic also to require a MR, because of the recogniseable hoodie.

Fortunately, the reviewer didn't have any issues and those two images were accepted commercially. However, from time to time similar commercial submissions are rejected for lack of a MR/PR. Then have to think about whether it may be submitted as an editorial and if not, just move on.
« Last Edit: June 19, 2017, 02:45 by Brasilnut »

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #62 on: June 19, 2017, 02:35 »
0
Quote
In your pics of the cropped people making rugs, didn't the rugs need property releases? I'd have expected the first pic also to require a MR, because of the recogniseable hoodie.

Fortunately, the reviewer didn't have any issues and those two images were accepted commercially. However, from time to time similar commercial submissions are rejected for lack of a MR. Then have to think about whether it may be submitted as an editorial and if not, just move on.

It would never have occurred to me that the rugs wouldn't need PRs.  ::)

steheap

  • Author of best selling "Get Started in Stock"

« Reply #63 on: June 19, 2017, 09:22 »
0
The crazy thing with all this is that everything around us has been designed by someone and so they own the rights to it. All the agencies are trying to do is to minimize the chance of a problem and so brands with a well known desire to control their publicity are weeded out, the artisan maker of a rug is so unlikely to complain about the use of their image that they will leave them in. Whatever the law actually says about these things is secondary to the desire of the agencies to protect themselves against the smallest risk.

Steve

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #64 on: June 19, 2017, 09:50 »
0
No, they want to protect themselves from the largest risk. For sure on Alamy I'd say 'needs PR' and 'no PR'; but as any tiny part of a person needs an MR on Alamy, for these pics lack of a PR is moot anyway.

« Reply #65 on: June 20, 2017, 03:59 »
0
Is instagram not popular anymore? Usually my friends upload their perfect pictures on Instagram and kill of the ghosts with help of newbielink:https://spamguardapp.com/dashboard [nonactive] , stocks often make lesser coins than IG, so I can't understand it.
« Last Edit: June 20, 2017, 08:18 by Nastasiy »

Brasilnut

  • Author Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock & Blog

« Reply #66 on: June 20, 2017, 04:19 »
0
Quote
Is instagram not popular anymore? Usually my friends upload their perfect pictures on Instagram and kill of the ghosts with help of newbielink:https://spamguardapp.com/dashboard [nonactive], stocks often make lesser coins than IG, so I can't understand it.

Yea, instagram is huge! It's more about building your professional profile and networking. There's some really talented people on there so a nice place to get some inspiration (avoid the narcissists).


Brasilnut

  • Author Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock & Blog

« Reply #67 on: June 22, 2017, 08:07 »
0
Hey fellow photography grinders,

I've decided to share the love and I've put together a new offer, which lasts until the 30th of June. Thereafter, I'm off to the beach.

So here it is: Buy a copy of my book and I'll critique 5 of your stock images. I'll advise you:

- whether they have commercial value;
- how to improve them technically;
- on which agencies I would recommend to submit; and
- even which key words to use to make sure buyers find your image among the masses.

Visit my blog for more details at www.brutallyhonestmicrostock.com

Thanks

Alex
« Last Edit: June 22, 2017, 08:19 by Brasilnut »

Brasilnut

  • Author Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock & Blog

« Reply #68 on: June 24, 2017, 05:09 »
+1
Anybody here have much luck with photography competitions? I'm trying for the Travel Photographer of the Year 2017: Here's my latest post:

https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2017/06/24/travel-photographer-of-the-year-2017-my-entry-wish-me-luck/

Good luck!

« Reply #69 on: June 24, 2017, 05:23 »
+2
Anybody here have much luck with photography competitions? I'm trying for the Travel Photographer of the Year 2017: Here's my latest post:

https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2017/06/24/travel-photographer-of-the-year-2017-my-entry-wish-me-luck/

Good luck!
Read the T &Cs carefully  :o

Brasilnut

  • Author Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock & Blog

« Reply #70 on: June 24, 2017, 05:34 »
+1
Quote
Read the T &Cs carefully 

Good point. I've made a link of the T&Cs available on the blog post.

steheap

  • Author of best selling "Get Started in Stock"

« Reply #71 on: June 24, 2017, 09:21 »
+1
There is a great section on "selecting your images" which should give us all something to think about in terms of what makes a great photograph:
http://www.tpoty.com/awards/selecting

Steve

« Reply #72 on: June 24, 2017, 09:26 »
+1
There is a great section on "selecting your images" which should give us all something to think about in terms of what makes a great photograph:
http://www.tpoty.com/awards/selecting

Steve
Yes I might turn it into a checklist and pin it on the wall apart from "subtlety" no $$ for that on Mstock in my experience ;-)

Brasilnut

  • Author Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock & Blog

« Reply #73 on: June 25, 2017, 15:59 »
0
Here's a quirky article I just put together from a photo shoot I did today on deciding whether images should go to Micros (RF) or Midstock (RM):

https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2017/06/25/shots-of-the-italian-alps-from-today-which-will-go-as-rf-and-which-as-rm/

Hope you enjoy!
« Last Edit: June 25, 2017, 16:14 by Brasilnut »

Brasilnut

  • Author Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock & Blog

« Reply #74 on: June 29, 2017, 14:40 »
0
Exciting news!

Veteran stock photographer, Steve Heap and I have teamed up. We are offering both my Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock Photography and Steve's Getting Started in Stock (4th edition) for a bundle price of $10.99, a discount of almost $5 from purchasing them separately.

Our respective books complement each other nicely as I took a broader view, discussing the various agencies out there, photographic technical elements and opportunities outside of microstock using the skills gained from being a stock contributor. Steves approach was to focus less on the market and the photographic skills needed and put much more detail around the OK, so how do I do it? question, with chapters about how to work with each agency, a workflow for handling all the images, sections on keywords and keywording tips and so on.

You can purchase this bundle either on my site at: https://brutallyhonestmicrostock.com/2017/06/04/new-guide-for-beginners-brutally-honest-guide-to-microstock-photography/

Or at Steve's site: http://www.backyardsilver.com/stock_photography_ebook/

Quote
It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed - Napoleon Hill


Good luck

Alex & Steve
« Last Edit: June 29, 2017, 14:47 by Brasilnut »


 

Related Topics

  Subject / Started by Replies Last post
22 Replies
10758 Views
Last post January 15, 2008, 19:38
by madelaide
25 Replies
23149 Views
Last post January 15, 2018, 16:36
by steheap
81 Replies
169357 Views
Last post February 20, 2024, 06:48
by Photographer999
18 Replies
5530 Views
Last post July 13, 2014, 17:13
by ShadySue
19 Replies
7094 Views
Last post June 19, 2022, 15:24
by Milleflore

Sponsors

Mega Bundle of 5,900+ Professional Lightroom Presets

Microstock Poll Results

Sponsors