Author Topic: Rare Bird Photo. Where to sell ? (Read 12524 times)

dgaurh · « **on:** June 02, 2014, 04:58 »

Hello
I have till now a small port, 50 files. However, I have two critically endangered species of birds. Gyps Indicus photos aren't really available at any microstock site. This is the Indian Vulture or Long billed vulture, IUCN red listed. Unfortunately, this old photo is from a Nikon D50 at ISO 800. After denoise, it is soft. I sharpened it and looks much better. These photos are at Alamy/Getty. Getty has only 7, all are pathetic photos. Gosh, if only my photo were sharper but theirs seems just as bad to me. Probably there isn't a market for vulture photos, right ? I want to now put it on sale but SS won't accept (I won't even try

. Do you think Pond5 will accept if I write a note about the rarity of the bird ? Alamy has better photos of this bird than Getty, MUCH better so no use trying there !
My initial plan is to sell on Pond5 for $15-20, don't think I will get a buyer. Probably after 10 years when the bird is extinct !
What are your thoughts ?
Regards
dgaurh

cobalt · « **Reply #1 on:** June 02, 2014, 05:11 »

The question is: where will the buyers go to look for bird photos?

And: are you planning to make more rare bird photos so that you have a collection that you can present?

Have you researched if there are maybe specialised wildlife agencies that might be interested in your image (and then they redistribute their collection via Getty or other places)

One single image is hard to sell. A collection is more interesting.

Good luck.

ShadySue · « **Reply #2 on:** June 02, 2014, 05:21 »

As Cobalt says, specialist agencies usually need at least 100, usually 200, files before they will consider you. And they don't accept sub-par images.
There are several stunning photos of Gyps indicus on Flickr, btw, some of them cc. (tell me about it!) and others which would be available by contacting the author.

bunhill · « **Reply #3 on:** June 02, 2014, 05:30 »

Quote from: ShadySue on June 02, 2014, 05:21

There are several stunning photos of Gyps indicus on Flickr, btw, some of them cc. (tell me about it!)

I recently read of someone who had used 'Creative Commons' images in a book. With permission. Only to discover later that the person who uploaded the shots did not own them and had no business granting the permission or redistributing the images as CC. Buyers are best sticking to using agencies which provide a clear legal guarantee complete with compensation etc. The agencies could do a better of spreading the word re these sorts of issues.

ShadySue · « **Reply #4 on:** June 02, 2014, 05:36 »

There are 13 on Getty; but as so often, many of the Flickr pics are better, at least at thumnnail resolution.

Don't get too excited about the rarity of a bird (been there, done that). The main use for these images will be wildlife charities. Often they have their own photographers, or others who donate images to them. Also, they can use Arkive images online or for presentations.

dgaurh · « **Reply #5 on:** June 02, 2014, 05:42 »

If the photo is cc probably no point quoting a high price. But on another note I sold spotted owlet for credit at IS. There would be even more of those cc on flickr if I am not wrong. Sorry can't take amazing shots of 100 critically endangered species. The thought makes me faint with joy and grief. It would take ten years and a bank robbery per my analysis

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dgaurh · « **Reply #6 on:** June 02, 2014, 05:47 »

Bird photo business is dismal, isn't it

everyone says people shots sell far more often. I don't like people. Its shooting remember, not photography

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ShadySue · « **Reply #7 on:** June 02, 2014, 05:53 »

Of the micros, iS is almost certainly your best bet, though with subs, that's not so clear. If you're indie, just send them wherever. My main interest is also birds/wildlife, but you'll never be rich. A lot of wildlife photographers gift their images to wildlife charities, Arkive or give them CC. That's what I currently intend to do if/when I stop being iS exclusive (not CC as they'd probably get used commercially).

I was at a talk on wildlife photography where the speaker showed a photo of a Hen Harrier (not so very rare bird; rare, fantastic and beautiful photo) and explained the process of getting the photo over two years, including making several pieces of photo equipment without which the shot would have been impossible. A lot of that time was working out what he'd need to make the image, working out how to make the equipment, then months waiting for the wild bird to be in the right position and hoping the light would be at least good when the bird was there.. He got two clicks, one perfect, the other OK. I have no idea how much he has made on the image, but it certainly gets him bookings as a speaker!

dgaurh · « **Reply #8 on:** June 02, 2014, 06:08 »

IS will accept the pic and sell it for a penny

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dgaurh · « **Reply #9 on:** June 02, 2014, 06:21 »

Shadysue the only money he gets is probably from being a speaker

he he . And this is only a hen harrier, whew. He should have tried the critically endangered birds for that effort. Atleast something for people to remember them by. Hen harrier can wait.

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dgaurh · « **Reply #10 on:** June 02, 2014, 06:25 »

BTW, I have decided I will put it on pond5 if they will have it. IS has subscriptions now. Alamy has better pics. Getty won't accept me. I hope pond5 starts an EL scheme and becomes bigger than SS. Those are the things it lacks. Then I will become exclusive on pond5

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ShadySue · « **Reply #11 on:** June 02, 2014, 06:33 »

Quote from: dgaurh on June 02, 2014, 06:21

Shadysue the only money he gets is probably from being a speaker he he . And this is only a hen harrier, whew. He should have tried the critically endangered birds for that effort. Atleast something for people to remember them by. Hen harrier can wait.

Interesting guy. He was always mainly interested in wildlife, but had a career as a wedding photographer. Realised after years that he was happiest when he didn't have a booking for a while so that he could go off and shoot wildlife for the love of it. Now he has taken a big pay drop to be the staff photographer for the UK's biggest wildlife charity. He has to do all the 'corporate events' stuff etc for press releases, but he also gets access and insider information not available to other people.

Do you get the BBC wildlife TV programmes where you live? Nowadays, they often have a ten-minute segment at the end showing how the footage was made, whereby I realise that I'm such a dilettante. For one of the Madagascar programmes, the film-makers were stuck in a tiny tent on a platform in a tree for four weeks while it poured, bored silly and playing cards (I'm sure they came down at night!). Anyway, they got the footage when the rain stopped, I think it was about ten or fifteen seconds as shown.

Gannet77 · « **Reply #12 on:** June 02, 2014, 06:39 »

All sound advice, but then, you can never tell can you?

I took a snap of a butterfly once at a roadside stop in India, years ago; not particularly rare or endangered. Just took it while waiting for a bus.

Put it on iStock because it was pretty, not really expecting sales. It's never had any normal downloads, but sold one EL, for like, $60 or so.

No big deal, but it was worth uploading I'd say. Your bird won't earn anything on your hard drive.

ShadySue · « **Reply #13 on:** June 02, 2014, 07:02 »

^^What Gannet says.
Also be aware also that serious wildlife publishers don't buy from micros as they need guarantees that the birds are fully wild and the photo hasn't been altered other than dust spot removal and a bit of levels.
If you check through e.g. on iS, you'll see that micro buyers often prefer a 'lovely photo' taken in a zoo than a more natural 'wild' image, even if it's perfectly obvious that the animal is in a zoo.

dgaurh · « **Reply #14 on:** June 02, 2014, 07:12 »

All of my birds are wild and...... photoshopped im sorry but without photoshop my mom won't buy it

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ShadySue · « **Reply #15 on:** June 02, 2014, 07:13 »

Quote from: dgaurh on June 02, 2014, 07:12

All of my birds are wild and...... photoshopped im sorry but without photoshop my mom won't buy it

Stick to micros, then.

dgaurh · « **Reply #16 on:** June 02, 2014, 07:14 »

I do dust, levels and colour

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dgaurh · « **Reply #17 on:** June 02, 2014, 07:15 »

Colour is strictly not allowed. I know I know. I've seen nat geo pics and i've seen those same birds a thousand times. If they aren't photoshopped i'll eat my shirt

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dgaurh · « **Reply #18 on:** June 02, 2014, 07:17 »

We dont have bbc but i'm a big fan of their library, most of it is on netflix. Amazing videos.

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ShadySue · « **Reply #19 on:** June 02, 2014, 07:22 »

Quote from: dgaurh on June 02, 2014, 07:15

Colour is strictly not allowed. I know I know. I've seen nat geo pics and i've seen those same birds a thousand times. If they aren't photoshopped i'll eat my shirt

The places that bloke who did the talk sells his pics to ask to see the original RAW file as well as the .tif.

dgaurh · « **Reply #20 on:** June 02, 2014, 07:24 »

That's right its probably so that place can do a better photoshop and have full control.

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ShadySue · « **Reply #21 on:** June 02, 2014, 07:25 »

Quote from: dgaurh on June 02, 2014, 07:24

That's right its probably so that place can do a better photoshop and have full control.

No, it's to make sure there have been no changes to the original.
Also he has to sign guarantees to that effect.

pkphotos · « **Reply #22 on:** June 02, 2014, 08:04 »

A rare bird photo should be sold as RM and not RF. It is unlikely to get many sales but if someone does want it, there will probably be few photos to choose from. Therefore they should be forced to pay a decent amount for such a photo. This kind of photo is wasted on micro. Leave micro for very popular animals that sell over and over.

ShadySue · « **Reply #23 on:** June 02, 2014, 08:10 »

Quote from: pkphotos on June 02, 2014, 08:04

A rare bird photo should be sold as RM and not RF. It is unlikely to get many sales but if someone does want it, there will probably be few photos to choose from. Therefore they should be forced to pay a decent amount for such a photo. This kind of photo is wasted on micro. Leave micro for very popular animals that sell over and over.

Can you suggest RM agencies, other than Alamy, mentioned above, which would accept one image?

cuppacoffee · « **Reply #24 on:** June 02, 2014, 13:33 »

Maybe this site?

http://images.sciencesource.com/search?function=query&gallery=8&key=Indian+Vulture

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Author Topic: Rare Bird Photo. Where to sell ? (Read 12524 times)

dgaurh

cobalt

ShadySue

bunhill

ShadySue

dgaurh

dgaurh

ShadySue

dgaurh

dgaurh

dgaurh

ShadySue

Gannet77

ShadySue

dgaurh

ShadySue

dgaurh

dgaurh

dgaurh

ShadySue

dgaurh

ShadySue

pkphotos

ShadySue

cuppacoffee

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