Microstock Photography - Beginners Guide

[Harvepino]

I'd add: rejection reason "Focus" 

[mantaigi]

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

[izzikiorage]

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

[Gel-O Shooter]

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

[Wrighty]

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

[fedmich]

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]

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

[eunhae]

Very useful thread!

[Bad Company]

OLD THREAD ALERT...

[Higosh]

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]

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.

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]

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]

Thank you for the guide Leaf.