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Author Topic: What would you do if you earned $10,000/month from micro  (Read 33861 times)

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« on: April 28, 2009, 15:34 »
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Here is a question for you...

What would you do if you were earning a stable $10,000/month from microstock? (no I am not even close :))

Would you quite working and travel and enjoy life, and upload only once in a while.
Keep uploading like regular.
Go back to school..???

I don't know what I would do.  I enjoy microstock that I would probably continue uploading photos, but would probably travel a lot more.  The big shooters in microstock seem to only have $$ in their eyes and keep shooting, have more expenses and increase their income more and more.  if they can increase their bottom line then it would be worth it, but it would also be tempting to try and keep costs at an absolute minimum and keep most of the $$ as wages.

I also have dreams of doing other projects in my life, perhaps going back to school for something else I am interested in, doing pottery a few times a week... perhaps 50% photographer and 50% something else?  I guess I have a few years to decide :)


« Reply #1 on: April 28, 2009, 15:47 »
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I guess it would also require many more hours spent on shooting, post processing, etc. Otherwise it's like wishing to win on lottery :-) Right now it's seems like too much work for too little output. It has been 1 full year in microstock and I am not sure how much more I need to change to induce bigger sales. I would say that I only would be happy with proposed deal if I could have a freedom to shoot what I want which not always is allowed in commercial photography.

« Reply #2 on: April 28, 2009, 15:54 »
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At 10k/month, you're already working and likely don't have another job. If you quit uploading you'd have to pick a pretty cheap place to live because it wouldn't be long until the money started to dwindle. I'd like to spend some uninterrupted time writing.



« Reply #3 on: April 28, 2009, 15:57 »
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Since $10,000/month is way more than I need to live comfortably, definitely would travel to all the places I haven't seen, maybe go on some cruises.  :) Buy a couple of acres and move to a rural area. Organize all the tools and wood down in my basement so I can start carving again. Work on some stained glass projects, paint some watercolors and upload photos when I feel like it. Will still take lots of photos because I love it. Read more books. Become an animal rehabilitation specialist.
« Last Edit: April 28, 2009, 18:30 by epantha »

« Reply #4 on: April 28, 2009, 16:00 »
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I think that the only way to make that much would REQUIRE me to be a shooter full time. I might travel more, but only if I was an accomplished travel photographer and could use the trip as a way to generate more stock shots (& get a tax write off).

With the stiff competition these days, you would not keep that income level for long if you allow your portfolio to become stale.

Zeus pretty much covered it, while I was writing (I'm a slow iPhone typist).

« Reply #5 on: April 28, 2009, 16:17 »
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Keep uploading (part of the job) !

WarrenPrice

« Reply #6 on: April 28, 2009, 16:23 »
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Buy a big share of Fotolia.

« Reply #7 on: April 28, 2009, 16:27 »
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$120K/yr isn't enough! Must have more. So I would likely continue uploading a lot or get another part-time job/start a business and just upload occasionally to maintain ~10K/month. Oh and of course travel around a bit too but I plan on doing that regardless.
« Last Edit: April 28, 2009, 16:51 by Kngkyle »

« Reply #8 on: April 28, 2009, 16:33 »
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I would spend more time taking the photos I enjoy but wont make money.  It gets a bit boring taking stock photos and I can't seem to switch between artistic and stock easily.

lisafx

« Reply #9 on: April 28, 2009, 16:41 »
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Gee, what a nice problem that would be to have!

But seriously,  I would say that the lucky few (very few!) who are  making that much better keep shooting and uploading or they would probably see their sales decline over time. 

When I started at this I used to think that at some point - 5,000 pictures or so in my portfolio - I would be able to just relax and let the money roll in.  But now that I nearly have that in my portfolio I see that competition from long time stock sellers and talented newer members is fierce and you have to keep working or fade away.

In fact some of the top people when I started have practically sunk into obscurity now.  Hopefully they are doing something they love even more!
« Last Edit: April 28, 2009, 16:43 by lisafx »

« Reply #10 on: April 28, 2009, 16:51 »
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... If you quit uploading you'd have to pick a pretty cheap place to live because it wouldn't be long until the money started to dwindle. ...


... But seriously,  I would say that the lucky few (very few!) who are  making that much better keep shooting and uploading or they would probably see their sales decline over time.  ...


Not necessarily. Here's an example of someone who stopped uploading without experiencing a drastic decline in income.

Speaking for myself, I've barely uploaded anything in the last six months (excluding SS, of course) and have seen my income increase. Instead of creating new images and uploading them, I've instead focused on managing my various portfolios with the aim of increasing my overall exposure. So far, so good, I'd say. Sure, a more favorable placement in the IS best match played a prominent role in this, but even excluding that I can easily say that there's more to making money in this industry than simply shooting, processing, keywording, and uploading. In my mind, the traditional approach to stock photography is not going to get you as far as you should be going. The era of 'shoot it and see what sticks' is ending, and success nowadays is equally dependent upon a good understanding of Web 2.0 tools and techniques.


« Last Edit: April 28, 2009, 17:04 by sharply_done »

« Reply #11 on: April 28, 2009, 16:55 »
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I haven't uploaded seriously in over a year now and my income on all but Shutterstock have remained somewhat steady and on some sites it has increased dramatically. (dreamstime -- this month is BME) Shutterstock has taken a huge hit though... only making about 1/3rd what I was during the good days. I'm just a small fry though so my stats don't mean much.  :-X

« Reply #12 on: April 28, 2009, 17:05 »
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Okay, I admit it. I'd have to pick a cheap place to live because my income would quickly dwindle.

lisafx

« Reply #13 on: April 28, 2009, 17:08 »
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Interesting info Sharply and Kyle.  Hope you guys are right.  It would take some of the pressure off for sure.  

In my case, I love doing stock, so I will keep at it as long as I can, but nice to know if we had to take a break for a few months we could get away with it.  

I still think that it would be hard to keep income at current levels after a year or more of inactivity.  

And Sharply, in your case it sounds like you have still been working at it, but just switching your energies to improving your exposure rather than adding new pictures.  Sounds like a very good use of time IMHO. :)

« Reply #14 on: April 28, 2009, 17:18 »
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... And Sharply, in your case it sounds like you have still been working at it, but just switching your energies to improving your exposure rather than adding new pictures.  Sounds like a very good use of time IMHO. :)

Yep, the writing's on the wall.

If you choose to keep with the old ways of simply shooting and uploading without investing any time into optimization and management, I think you'll inevitably see your market share erode as more and more of your competitors modernize their approach. When that happens, what are you going to do - shoot even more or take a step back and rethink things?

« Reply #15 on: April 28, 2009, 17:20 »
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Hmmm, I think I would need a bit more money than that since having more spare time would definitely tempt me to do some more traveling :D  Another alternative is to choose a cheaper area to live in :)

WarrenPrice

« Reply #16 on: April 28, 2009, 17:49 »
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... And Sharply, in your case it sounds like you have still been working at it, but just switching your energies to improving your exposure rather than adding new pictures.  Sounds like a very good use of time IMHO. :)

Yep, the writing's on the wall.

If you choose to keep with the old ways of simply shooting and uploading without investing any time into optimization and management, I think you'll inevitably see your market share erode as more and more of your competitors modernize their approach. When that happens, what are you going to do - shoot even more or take a step back and rethink things?


Sharply Done, would love to hear more about your approach to optimization.  And, I've heard several mentions of Web 2.0 Tools but have very little knowledge of just what that is.  Maybe we should start a new thread to talk about those tools? 

Off to query my SEO guy and google web 2.0.   :-\

« Reply #17 on: April 28, 2009, 17:54 »
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I'd keep shooting lots and lots of photos (taxes would eat a big chunk of that change anyway).

« Reply #18 on: April 28, 2009, 18:44 »
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I would bother less about uploading.  Even with very little new images in the past year, I'm keeping an almost stable monthly earnings - of course, very far from 10k!   ;D

I would make more charity donations.  They already make me feel so good.


PaulieWalnuts

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« Reply #19 on: April 28, 2009, 19:11 »
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I'd quit the day job, keep shooting/uploading, and use the schedule flexibility to spend more time with the family enjoying life.

tan510jomast

« Reply #20 on: April 28, 2009, 19:40 »
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leaf, you must be joking ... 10K a month  :o
if i make 35K a year,even 25 US $  , which many of you are already earning that,
 i 'd pack up and go back to tunisia or costa rica, and won't come back to Canada, except to renew my passport. rofl.

« Reply #21 on: April 28, 2009, 20:44 »
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Well I don't see how I could travel more :) I wouldn't mind extra the income though.

« Reply #22 on: April 28, 2009, 23:55 »
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1. Quit day job FINALLY!!!
2. Do full time shooting
3. More travelling
4. Pay a student to take over the boring stuff like uploading, maybe keywording too

Life would definitely be more fun!

« Reply #23 on: April 29, 2009, 02:14 »
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1. Quit day job FINALLY!!!
2. Do full time shooting
3. Rent a studio

« Reply #24 on: April 29, 2009, 02:33 »
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... And Sharply, in your case it sounds like you have still been working at it, but just switching your energies to improving your exposure rather than adding new pictures.  Sounds like a very good use of time IMHO. :)

Yep, the writing's on the wall.

If you choose to keep with the old ways of simply shooting and uploading without investing any time into optimization and management, I think you'll inevitably see your market share erode as more and more of your competitors modernize their approach. When that happens, what are you going to do - shoot even more or take a step back and rethink things?

So far I haven't done anything other than upload images and my earnings are still increasing.  It might be because your portfolio is full of great images and will keep earning more, as there are still new buyers using microstock.  There is increasing competition but a lot newcomers will find it harder to make money and are more likely to give up than they were a few years ago.  Some that were doing well will not be able to make enough to go full time.  I am still blindly optimistic that there are a few more years of good times ahead :)

It is a good idea to use everything you can to promote your portfolio and I might have to spend time doing that in the future but for now I am sticking with uploading as much as I can.


 

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