MicrostockGroup Sponsors


Author Topic: How am I doing - sanity check  (Read 4011 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

« on: December 25, 2016, 10:31 »
0
Hi guys,

So after having a rather inactive account in Shutterstock for about 2 years (with about 30/40 images, generating 100 dollars over the year mostly from a single photo) I've decided to step up my game and try to take this a little more seriously.

In the past 3 months I've uploaded roughly 400 new images, moving most of the earning to new photos and in December coming close to 10$ (9.52 so far). I'm also uploading to a few of the other sites (Fotolia, pond5, 123rf and dreamstime) - but they generated a total of about 4$ in the past 3-4 months (iStock seems too complicated as it requires a different upload process, and I can't figure out what to do with Envato).

I'm trying to figure out how well I'm doing, get some feedback on my photos and basically figure out where to go from here :) the goal is 100$ a month. What should I do next? I'm at around 450 images, aiming to get to 1000 in a few months (a lot of backlog needs keywording) but wondering what else I can / should be doing?

Shutterstock profile is - https://www.shutterstock.com/g/guyn


« Reply #1 on: December 25, 2016, 11:17 »
+1
I like this one very much:
https://www.shutterstock.com/de/pic-68874208/stock-photo-taj-mahal.html?src=MsUAPl8KDnafjnTEbUDheg-5-2
But there is a gazillion of great photos from Taj Mahal.

You're probably a few years too late. To earn significant money in microstock a photo should get to the top of search results (most popular on SS, in the good old times they called it Best Match at iStock). It is much more difficult to achieve now, than it was a few years ago, because there are millions and millions more photos in the pool. And with time it should get even more and more difficult.

You must answer it for yourself, if time spent on microstock is time wisely spent. The future for individual photographers doing microstock is not looking good. Some people moved on to do better things, but their portfolios stay in the pool.

« Reply #2 on: December 25, 2016, 16:49 »
0
I like this one very much:
https://www.shutterstock.com/de/pic-68874208/stock-photo-taj-mahal.html?src=MsUAPl8KDnafjnTEbUDheg-5-2
But there is a gazillion of great photos from Taj Mahal.

Thanks, I'm mostly taking photos of my travels (which I enjoy doing any way) but it's very much a hit/miss regarding what actually works (and why) as the competition is very steep.

You must answer it for yourself, if time spent on microstock is time wisely spent. The future for individual photographers doing microstock is not looking good. Some people moved on to do better things, but their portfolios stay in the pool.

To answer this myself I need to know what options are available to me, which I honestly don't. I'd love to do more photography but realise it will likely only be a side / secondary income. That's fine. The question is how to move forward. I'm trying to sell prints with no success and I'm just trying to figure out how to get ahead in the current market assuming my goals are rather modest (again I'm aiming at 100$ a month)

Any suggestions would be appriciated

« Reply #3 on: December 25, 2016, 19:54 »
0
Not sure how to use your images.
Nice pumpkings but bad background (wall).
pic-502401679

« Reply #4 on: December 25, 2016, 22:14 »
0
I like this one very much:
https://www.shutterstock.com/de/pic-68874208/stock-photo-taj-mahal.html?src=MsUAPl8KDnafjnTEbUDheg-5-2
But there is a gazillion of great photos from Taj Mahal.

I too like this image but you need to straighten it.

SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #5 on: December 26, 2016, 00:31 »
+1
Yeah, that's slightly off-putting. People might not have the know-how to straighten it themselves, so they might overlook it. Try not to give buyers any reasons not buy your images.

« Reply #6 on: December 26, 2016, 01:35 »
0
Hi guys,

Thanks for the feedback - I'll straighten the photo though I'd really prefer if we come back to my original question ;)
Is 100$ a month viable via microstock photography these days. If not, what (if any) are the alternatives.

If yes, what would you suggest I do to improve my performance ?

Cheers

« Reply #7 on: December 26, 2016, 02:21 »
+1
...Is 100$ a month viable via microstock photography these days. If not, what (if any) are the alternatives.

If yes, what would you suggest I do to improve my performance ?...

$100 a month from SS alone is not hard to reach, but you do need to think about images from a buyer's perspective - what could someone do with the image? Look at ads, any corporate marketing materials you see, web sites for various types of businesses large and small. How many images you need very much depends on quality and subject matter - out of the way locations and random objects will require much larger portfolios than high-demand subjects.

Shoot at least horizontal and vertical of anything you think is useful (many uses prefer horizontal but books will typically look for vertical); think about copy space around the subject, think about closeup and wide views. Make sure you get the details you need to keyword fully and accurately. For anything shot outdoors, try to pick times of day when the light is good.

Regarding keywords, your images need work. I saw an image of Bath Cathedral that had Canterbury as a keyword, oysters that had mackerel as a keyword, images with both Nagasaki and Tokyo, octopus which had moray and mackerel, but not octopus; all sorts of images with keywords for things I didn't see in the image. I'm assuming you're doing cut and paste without editing  - don't do that sort of spamming; it won't help your sales and some sites may suspend you for doing it on a regular basis.

Some things that seem boring - many home maintenance projects - have a good market as lots of companies in the business need stock images for their work. Things you'd never sell prints of can be solid subjects for stock photography. Search for things you're thinking of shooting on one of the major sites and see what sort of competition there is - and is there anything you can bring to the subject that isn't already covered.

Good luck

SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #8 on: December 26, 2016, 02:23 »
0
I rarely do images, mainly just video, and $100 a month with video is very achievable, even if someone is just starting out. High quality work and lots of it is the key... plus decent titles, descriptions, keywords and having your stuff on most of the top selling sites.

I guess it's pretty much the same for images, but with a much lower return you're going to need lots and lots of images... so 450 might not cut it. Especially if those are only making your $10 a month currently. Although it's never quite that simple... uploading ten times more images should mean you can hit your target. You should get cracking!

memakephoto

« Reply #9 on: December 26, 2016, 12:32 »
+1
Asking for a critique from MicrostockGroup May have some value to you but no one here will be able to tell you what you need to do to achieve your goal.

You shouldn't need a critique from this site though, you should be your own worst critic already. You're not. If you could see your own work objectively, you wouldn't need anyone to tell you your Taj Mahal pic was crooked, you would have already seen that yourself and fixed it.

Learn to see your work as others do (not your friends and family either). Then take your best shot and compare it to a similar shot on SS. If it doesn't hold up, then you know what you need to do.

« Reply #10 on: December 26, 2016, 12:39 »
0
Asking for a critique from MicrostockGroup May have some value to you but no one here will be able to tell you what you need to do to achieve your goal.

You shouldn't need a critique from this site though, you should be your own worst critic already. You're not. If you could see your own work objectively, you wouldn't need anyone to tell you your Taj Mahal pic was crooked, you would have already seen that yourself and fixed it.

Learn to see your work as others do (not your friends and family either). Then take your best shot and compare it to a similar shot on SS. If it doesn't hold up, then you know what you need to do.
Very true but I would never be my own worst critic while Crestock are around arrogant ******s.

« Reply #11 on: December 26, 2016, 14:05 »
0
Put a focus on commercial work that sells. Every contributor who has a camera take everyday and travel photos. That stuff has been done over 10000 times by everyone else.

Look at public billboards, advertising and websites and see what type of imagery they use. Those are the stuff that sells, not everyday photos like leaf textures, rock textures, trees and generic urban landscapes.
« Last Edit: December 26, 2016, 14:15 by Minsc »


 

Related Topics

  Subject / Started by Replies Last post
8 Replies
5778 Views
Last post February 08, 2009, 17:45
by Phil
9 Replies
4706 Views
Last post September 25, 2009, 05:34
by PedroV
4 Replies
5100 Views
Last post March 07, 2010, 12:43
by Dook
4 Replies
4011 Views
Last post October 15, 2010, 18:39
by jsolie
1 Replies
2078 Views
Last post June 25, 2011, 04:05
by Leo Blanchette

Sponsors

Mega Bundle of 5,900+ Professional Lightroom Presets

Microstock Poll Results

Sponsors