Author Topic: Why all this trouble (Read 4087 times)

vonkara · « **on:** February 08, 2008, 22:19 »

There's a tread on DT call "Why you are here". I would like to put this question here also.

So why you put all this time together to produce stock images? Some probably make this for their principal incomes, but why microstock than be in an other job/business.

For myself I do that to buy what is my addiction...New cameras, lenses and chocolate. mm chocolate

CCK · « **Reply #1 on:** February 08, 2008, 23:33 »

I do it for the sole purpose of paying for my rather expensive hobby. I don't take photos to sell as stock, I just take photos because I enjoy to do it, and then sell what happens to be suitable.

Karimala · « **Reply #2 on:** February 09, 2008, 00:08 »

It started off as a whim in Sept. 2005...just wanted to see if my auto P&S photos were good enough to sell. SS accepted me on my first try, and then I promptly forgot about the whole thing for two months.

Remembered "Oh yeh...what was that site again?" and discovered that I'd earned a whoppin' $1.20. That was it.

But that moment I decided to make a serious go of it and spent every available hour learning how to shoot photos, post-processing and developing my portfolio with the goal of eventually switching careers (I didn't ever know how to use a camera when I started!).

The switch came before I was ready when I unexpectedly lost my job in Oct. 2006, but I made a go of it instead of looking another day job. Now I'm a full-time stock photographer/reviewer earning at least 3/4 of my income from the micros. The rest of my income is from providing in-home assistance to my adult disabled daughter...which I'm able to do now, because I'm no longer tied to a day job.

So...whenever someone asks "Is it worth the trouble of uploading to this site or that or being a part of the micro game," I reply with an enthusiastic "YES!" That paltry $1.20 from SS changed my entire life.

erwinova · « **Reply #3 on:** February 09, 2008, 00:31 »

Karimala: thank's for sharing.

CCK: Is that Content Contruction Kit, one of populer drupal module?

Phil · « **Reply #4 on:** February 09, 2008, 15:18 »

hi,

I started doing alamy to be able to buy gear, but I wasn't getting anywhere there (mostly because my lack of knowledge / skills etc) I kept hearing all the bad of the micros. In the end I decided that I couldn't get a sale on alamy (which I now get 1-2 month) I might as well go micro. Wish I had done it earlier

Anyway I started to be able buy gear, then to pay some bills as well, this year my kids now go to an extremely good private school that the micros pay for.

But in November my contract runs out and the chances of work where I live is very low and I dont want to move again so it looks like I will be full time stock then (so I have start shooting specifically for stock very soon (rather than just * around

)

Phil

zorki · « **Reply #5 on:** February 09, 2008, 19:08 »

Like many I was into photography and had a nice film SLR and got a digital P&S, then a DSLR and took like 10000 pictures and next thing I stumbled on Istockphoto and it was a kind of challenge to get in there. Got rejected in 2004, waited a year and got much better at photography and flew threw the inspection process in 2005. I really wished I was able to push it in 2004 and build a big portfolio early on. I think those early into it made a huge amount of money because there were so few contributors back then.

Lee Torrens · « **Reply #6 on:** February 09, 2008, 20:15 »

Vonkara, thanks for bringing this thread over from DT!

I fell in love with someone from the other side of the planet, so microstock became a way to earn money without geographical restriction.

vonkara · « **Reply #7 on:** February 10, 2008, 21:04 »

I find each of your stories interesting. It's fun to ear Karimala say: "Remembered "Oh yeh...what was that site again?" and discovered that I'd earned a whoppin' $1.20." .

And decided to continue to learn. I think we all at a moment saying ourselves that it would be a awesome career to work mostly at home (at the start) and be his own boss in a way.

I hope making the switch a day

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Author Topic: Why all this trouble (Read 4087 times)

vonkara

CCK

Karimala

erwinova

Phil

zorki

Lee Torrens

vonkara

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