Author Topic: Portfolio critique, and few thoughts how to progress (Read 12954 times)

Devotio777 · « **on:** November 09, 2022, 14:00 »

Hello all,

I have been creeping around for a while, made few posts, but never really introduced myself.
I am 36 years old czech guy living in The Netherlands since 2014, doing stock last few years, but it has been only last 2 years since
I delved into it on a slightly more serious level. I figured out only recently that me being an INTJ, metalhead, and antisocial outsider, this is really the
best hobby for me, only I feel like being a decade or two late to make a living out of it (with the comissions tanking fatally) Anyway, just few days ago my port at SS reached 1000 photos (and in few months time I should reach that as well on adobe and istock). That made me to evaluate a bit, and think about the future.

As of now, with port of 1000 (and bit less on other 5 agencies) my monthly average in last 3 months was 83 dollars.
I would love to keep shooting stock in any case, but as you can imagine, I would like to squeeze some cash out of it along the way.
So, here is my port: https://www.shutterstock.com/g/milos+ruzicka
I would love to hear some honest and constructive critique. I am all self-learnt, no photo courses, no friends photographers, and it is more than likely I am still making some beginners mistakes.

On the top of that, I had these ideas for the future to maximize my profit:
- do more videos (I got only few, and it is all taken with smartphone, didnt really master the video with my Sony A7IV+Tamron 35-150 f2-2.8 yet, shamefully)
- do timelapses (I live in Amsterdam, and I was thinking about finding some slightly elevated spots with good view on the landmarks)
- do more model released photos (selfies basically, I got almost no friends, so idea of asking someone to be a model for me is just unreal as much as I would love it)
- do more sets (I used to submit one photo only, while now I know it does not hurt to submit more of the same subject, different angles, slight changes)

Does anything of it make sense ?

Her Ugliness · « **Reply #1 on:** November 10, 2022, 02:33 »

Welcome to the forum.

I am sure there are plenty of other tips people can give you, but after a first glance these are the two suggestions for improiving your port that popped into my mind:

- keywording and titles. Take this image for example:
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/skyline-amsterdam-south-agricultural-field-animals-2210434507
You named it "Skyline of Amsterdam south with agricultural field and animals in the foreground". If you want customers to find what they are looking for, you need to describe your images as accurately as possible. Here the obvious seems to be missing: Sheep and cows. You just name them "animals" and I don't see sheep or cows in the keywords as well. It seems like a no-brainer that sheep and cows are the main subject of the image, so you should name them.
This is not a major problem in your port. Most images seem to be described quite accurately and keywords are okay, but I still see room for improvement. This one for example is missing the important keyword "squash": https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/pumpkins-price-tags-on-sale-dutch-2199437709
I assume the Dutch language probably only knows one word for pumpkin, as does my language, but in English many of what we would call a "pumpkin" in our languages are actually squashes. It seems like a minor thing only, but you should really make sure to include every relevant keyword.

- photo editing. In microstock it is very important that you images stand out from the mass of millions of other images, especially if you don't have unique subjects that hardly have any competition. A lot of your images seem a bit "dull" color-wise. Your landscapes often have a kind of haze, even when the sky seems blue and I think a lot of them would profit from a bit brighter colors. I am not sure what you use to edit your images, but most programs, even the cheap or even free ones, should have an easy option for enhancing colors a bit.

stoker2014 · « **Reply #2 on:** November 10, 2022, 03:19 »

Devotio777, stop taking photos at all, don't waste your time on photography. In the photo you will not earn normal money. Shoot only video. That's all that you took in the photo, shoot now on video. Get yourself a tripod, gimbal. Yes, you can hire models and shoot them however you like, but models are a cost and you have no income. Therefore, shoot videos without models for now, and only videos.
If you are not satisfied with your camera, I can also recommend the Panasonic GH6, an excellent camera for drains. But the camera is not the main thing, the main thing is to constantly shoot videos so that the size of your portfolio grows to 6000 and more videos.
Look at my posts, I wrote on which stocks you need to upload a video or where you should strive to get.
That's all.

stoker2014 · « **Reply #3 on:** November 10, 2022, 03:24 »

When shooting a video, the main thing is that there is no stupidly static video. There must be some action in the frame or you must pan the camera slowly.
The main tools of a videographer are tripod, gimbal, slider. On GH6 I can shoot a lot handheld, the camera has a good stabilizer.
If you shoot at home, you need light. You can make your own soft boxes from cardboard, or you can buy them, they are not expensive. But I think that's all you have.

Her Ugliness · « **Reply #4 on:** November 10, 2022, 03:58 »

Here is another advice: Do not take advice from people who basically do nothing but complain about their microstock income on the forum. Obviously they are doing something wrong.

stoker2014 · « **Reply #5 on:** November 10, 2022, 04:45 »

Her Ugliness, is this a stone in my garden? Where and when did I complain about my general income?
And the fact that I participate in topics that interest me is my right.
Don't write lies.

Devotio777 · « **Reply #6 on:** November 10, 2022, 06:36 »

Quote from: Her Ugliness on November 10, 2022, 02:33

Welcome to the forum.

I am sure there are plenty of other tips people can give you, but after a first glance these are the two suggestions for improiving your port that popped into my mind:

- keywording and titles. Take this image for example:
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/skyline-amsterdam-south-agricultural-field-animals-2210434507
You named it "Skyline of Amsterdam south with agricultural field and animals in the foreground". If you want customers to find what they are looking for, you need to describe your images as accurately as possible. Here the obvious seems to be missing: Sheep and cows. You just name them "animals" and I don't see sheep or cows in the keywords as well. It seems like a no-brainer that sheep and cows are the main subject of the image, so you should name them.
This is not a major problem in your port. Most images seem to be described quite accurately and keywords are okay, but I still see room for improvement. This one for example is missing the important keyword "squash": https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/pumpkins-price-tags-on-sale-dutch-2199437709
I assume the Dutch language probably only knows one word for pumpkin, as does my language, but in English many of what we would call a "pumpkin" in our languages are actually squashes. It seems like a minor thing only, but you should really make sure to include every relevant keyword.

- photo editing. In microstock it is very important that you images stand out from the mass of millions of other images, especially if you don't have unique subjects that hardly have any competition. A lot of your images seem a bit "dull" color-wise. Your landscapes often have a kind of haze, even when the sky seems blue and I think a lot of them would profit from a bit brighter colors. I am not sure what you use to edit your images, but most programs, even the cheap or even free ones, should have an easy option for enhancing colors a bit.

Thank you Ugliness, but hey! sheep and cows are there, in the keywords... but yeah, you are definitely right there is a room for improvement. I recently started experimenting with adding more keywords than I used to (while keeping them relevant) and it is probably a good idea to think about synonyms (I sometimes use google trends to compare two words, to see how popular they are, it is fun!)
I am using lightroom for editing. When it comes to that haze and dullness, I have a suspicion that you are talking about the pictures I have taken either on a gloomy day, or around noon, when the sky is bland and colorless, and in that case I usually use masking selectively on the sky, push the sliders, so in the end instead of completely dull sky there is just some color, but as you can imagine, once the weather conditions are bad, there is only certain amount of improvement possible, and almost everytime I tried sky replacement, I was not satisified with the result (plus it takes a lot mof time).

Devotio777 · « **Reply #7 on:** November 10, 2022, 06:57 »

Quote from: stoker2014 on November 10, 2022, 03:19

Devotio777, stop taking photos at all, don't waste your time on photography. In the photo you will not earn normal money. Shoot only video. That's all that you took in the photo, shoot now on video. Get yourself a tripod, gimbal. Yes, you can hire models and shoot them however you like, but models are a cost and you have no income. Therefore, shoot videos without models for now, and only videos.
If you are not satisfied with your camera, I can also recommend the Panasonic GH6, an excellent camera for drains. But the camera is not the main thing, the main thing is to constantly shoot videos so that the size of your portfolio grows to 6000 and more videos.
Look at my posts, I wrote on which stocks you need to upload a video or where you should strive to get.
That's all.

Yeah, I know money is in the video nowadays. I enjoy taking photos much more, but at the same time I see video as exciting new thing to learn and do.
I think my Sony A7IV is pretty good for video, but there is a lot to learn, have to find good tutorial about picture profiles, quality settings an all the rest.
As a fun fact, I recorded few videos with my smartphone last weekend at the airport, where climate activists broke in to the airport terrain through the fence.
There were some pretty dramatic moments and I thought what else should sell if not this... but to my disappointment I only sold few stills, and only for cents.
I guess in this particular case it would have been smarter to contact some news directly, the same day I took that footage.

Brasilnut · « **Reply #8 on:** November 10, 2022, 07:10 »

I can see the climate change protestor stuff selling and hopefully you're also putting them up on other agencies, including Alamy.

Terrestrial timelapses and videos are OK but nowadays would highly recommend you get a drone + qualifications now as will give you an edge on the competition.

stoker2014 · « **Reply #9 on:** November 10, 2022, 08:01 »

Quote from: Brasilnut on November 10, 2022, 07:10

I can see the climate change protestor stuff selling and hopefully you're also putting them up on other agencies, including Alamy.
Terrestrial timelapses and videos are OK but nowadays would highly recommend you get a drone + qualifications now as will give you an edge on the competition.

Drone videos don't sell well in my opinion. Yes, and in the cities of Europe you can’t fly a drone, it will be taken away and a fine will be issued. Also, the drone is an expensive thing that is easy to break or lose.

stoker2014 · « **Reply #10 on:** November 10, 2022, 08:02 »

Devotio777, if you are interested in the money, not the process, then do not shoot the editorial, few stock agencies accept editorial, and it sells very poorly. Waste of time. Yes, and you can get on the head, and the camera will be broken

.

mike123 · « **Reply #11 on:** November 11, 2022, 07:12 »

You say that you live in Amsterdam - so my advice is to take advantage of it. The bestsellers from Amsterdam must have thousands of downloads, but I see no photos from the historic center of Amsterdam in your portfolio. Go to some famous scenic spots in Amsterdam and try to get them in the best light possible.

stoker2014 · « **Reply #12 on:** November 11, 2022, 07:48 »

Quote from: mike123 on November 11, 2022, 07:12

You say that you live in Amsterdam - so my advice is to take advantage of it.

Marijuana for example.

From cultivation to consumption (smoking)!

NikonFThree · « **Reply #13 on:** November 12, 2022, 12:19 »

There is some money to be made in stock , but it is a numbers game. The more images the better your chance of sales. Also, when shooting, try to keep in mind "what kind of customers will this image be useful to?" For instance, your shots of Amsterdam would certainly apply to the travel industry, so make sure you keyword them with words like travel, travel destination, landmark, and such. Shoot more close ups, details usually sell well. one of my popular shots was of french fries cooking at a local outdoor fair. My port has about 17000 images and generates between $800-1200 per month consistently. Nice passive income. All photos, no video. Keep at it, and always have your camera ready. Good lluck

hatman12 · « **Reply #14 on:** November 12, 2022, 20:49 »

First you need to decide what you want to achieve. Do you want to be a part-time hobbyist, or do you want to be professional and make solid money? If you want to succeed you need to have a plan - just going out and snapping here and there is not going to get results. Amsterdam is one of the most visited and popular cities and photos of all the iconic places and buildings sell like wildfire to thousands of web sites. Do a search for 'the twenty most popular attractions etc...' and you'll see what sells. Then make a plan including a list. Go to one of the attractions with a plan to capture every angle. Choose a sunny day.

hatman12 · « **Reply #15 on:** November 12, 2022, 21:56 »

Some very nice pictures here at Adobe...

https://stock.adobe.com/search/images?load_type=search&is_recent_search=&search_type=usertyped&k=amsterdam&native_visual_search=&similar_content_id=

Notice a few things: first all of these pictures shout typical Amsterdam, second they are taken in bright light during Spring and summer when there are flowers and leaves on the trees, third they are processed to vibrant colors. Any buyer would be happy to pay money for these pictures.

cascoly · « **Reply #16 on:** November 13, 2022, 07:18 »

Quote from: hatman12 on November 12, 2022, 20:49

... Amsterdam is one of the most visited and popular cities and photos of all the iconic places and buildings sell like wildfire to thousands of web sites. ..

of course it's also one of most photographed sites! so, new images arer not going to sell like wildfire to thousands of web sites. ..

Devotio777 · « **Reply #17 on:** November 14, 2022, 09:52 »

Quote from: Brasilnut on November 10, 2022, 07:10

I can see the climate change protestor stuff selling and hopefully you're also putting them up on other agencies, including Alamy.

Terrestrial timelapses and videos are OK but nowadays would highly recommend you get a drone + qualifications now as will give you an edge on the competition.

Oh yeah, I am uploading to Alamy as well. Cant remember ever having a photo rejected there, but sales are very, very infrequent... just thinking about it, I cant think of anyone (I mean from people I follow who share their sale reports) except for maybe Todd Bannor, who have some consistent success with them... but then still, one sale on alamy is often more than the whole month on some bigstock, depositphotos...

Hmm, yes, I have been thinking about the drone for a while, it would be the next step, but everytime I encounter drone somewhere while on the walks, I am slightly annoyed, and thinking like: *, I dont want to be that guy. Plus I can imagine that restrictions and regulations here in The Netherlands must be quite strict. In my home country you can still roam freely like a wild animal at many places, but dutch people organize, restrict and regulate things in almost all areas of life.
So it is a bit of a mixed bag for me, but I can totally see why drone can be a great tool to have an edge in stock photo/videography.

Devotio777 · « **Reply #18 on:** November 14, 2022, 10:03 »

Quote from: mike123 on November 11, 2022, 07:12

You say that you live in Amsterdam - so my advice is to take advantage of it. The bestsellers from Amsterdam must have thousands of downloads, but I see no photos from the historic center of Amsterdam in your portfolio. Go to some famous scenic spots in Amsterdam and try to get them in the best light possible.

I am always on the lookout for good weather conditions and ready to hop on the bike and cycle to the center of Amsterdam to take photos, but competition for such a popular spot is high, so I often find myself taking photos somewhere bit further outside the center. There are many interesting neighbourhoods.
But like you say, as an insider, I have advantage to someone who is here only as a tourist for few days, so I am definitely going to keep shooting.

Devotio777 · « **Reply #19 on:** November 14, 2022, 10:11 »

Quote from: stoker2014 on November 11, 2022, 07:48

Quote from: mike123 on November 11, 2022, 07:12
You say that you live in Amsterdam - so my advice is to take advantage of it.
Marijuana for example. From cultivation to consumption (smoking)!

Haha, actually I still have somewhere plastic bag of weed that my friend found forgotten in dutch train, that I have absolutely no interest of smoking, but using it to stage a "marihuana deal" between the seller and the consumer. More exciting that the shitload of windmills I used to shoot, to the point of people around me making fun of me... but I made few consistent sellers that way.

stoker2014 · « **Reply #20 on:** November 14, 2022, 10:59 »

Quote from: Devotio777 on November 14, 2022, 09:52

So it is a bit of a mixed bag for me, but I can totally see why drone can be a great tool to have an edge in stock photo/videography.

If you are allowed to fly in Amsterdam, then a drone can help. Otherwise, absolutely useless thing. I have a drone, and I don’t live in a country where there are strict rules, I fly in the city, but they practically don’t buy drone videos from me, obviously this is all low-stock. A good drone video also needs models.
In general, I will say this, a normal drone costs about $ 1000, it makes sense to buy if you can fly in major tourist cities. If you shoot video for stocks, then a drone is the last thing after a tripod, a gimbal, a slider, a good PC.

mike123 · « **Reply #21 on:** November 15, 2022, 04:57 »

Quote from: Devotio777 on November 14, 2022, 10:03

Quote from: mike123 on November 11, 2022, 07:12
You say that you live in Amsterdam - so my advice is to take advantage of it. The bestsellers from Amsterdam must have thousands of downloads, but I see no photos from the historic center of Amsterdam in your portfolio. Go to some famous scenic spots in Amsterdam and try to get them in the best light possible.

I am always on the lookout for good weather conditions and ready to hop on the bike and cycle to the center of Amsterdam to take photos, but competition for such a popular spot is high, so I often find myself taking photos somewhere bit further outside the center. There are many interesting neighbourhoods.
But like you say, as an insider, I have advantage to someone who is here only as a tourist for few days, so I am definitely going to keep shooting.

I sold hundreds of my Amsterdam photos on microstock and I only have been to Amsterdam on 3-4 weekends as tourist and I never managed to get particularly nice weather there (except one time, but I don't sell these photos on microstock). So you can certainly do better. Don't hesitate to shoot the popular angles, they are popular for a reason. Just try to get a better than average photo there, so it stands out from the crowd

Brasilnut · « **Reply #22 on:** November 15, 2022, 11:19 »

I wouldn't share so openly my best-sellers from a place but it's been so long that it doesn't matter anymore.

So, I lived in Rotterdam, Netherlands between 2011-2014 and these were/are my best-sellers from that time.

At the time, Rotterdam was growing a lot with new buildings/infrastructure, so buyers picked up on those kinds of shots. Rotterdam Central station and Markthal come to mind.

I shot regularly in Amsterdam but very few sales from there with exception of inside Schiphol terminal and airplanes.

I'm keen to go back there in the spring and shoot the tulip fields with my drone.

Devotio777 · « **Reply #23 on:** November 15, 2022, 16:19 »

Quote from: Brasilnut on November 15, 2022, 11:19

I wouldn't share so openly my best-sellers from a place but it's been so long that it doesn't matter anymore.

So, I lived in Rotterdam, Netherlands between 2011-2014 and these were/are my best-sellers from that time.

At the time, Rotterdam was growing a lot with new buildings/infrastructure, so buyers picked up on those kinds of shots. Rotterdam Central station and Markthal come to mind.

I shot regularly in Amsterdam but very few sales from there with exception of inside Schiphol terminal and airplanes.

I'm keen to go back there in the spring and shoot the tulip fields with my drone.

Thanks for sharing. I forgot to say before that I am a follower of your website, and find it very helpful and inspiring.
I used to live in Breda till July 2022, had a boring job for a chinese company, working in excel, and spent countless hours reading your posts and thinking about stock instead of working.

Looks like you got into some building to have a good view on Rotterdam central station. I have been there so many times (and will be there tomorrow again on the way to a metal concert) but always thought there are too many distracting elements in the composition, and didnt take any photos.
I got a discount pass for dutch trains which allows me to travel for free at the weekends, and in combination with bike it is a great way to explore and cover many places. Nothing like cycling the whole day, shooting stock, and then ending in some pub drinking special beer to finish the day off!

Tulips with the drone sounds good.
I got this idea of capturing dutch tulips together with dutch train and rental bike also from dutch railways.
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/lisse-south-holland-netherlands-0105-ovfiets-1969662391
Sold few times, but nothing crazy.

My best-seller is one of the first, if not the very first photo that I have uploaded to stock sites
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/lighthouse-breda-by-sunset-540095644
all about that sky, which was really spectacular that moment.

followed by this one
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/scenery-traditional-dutch-windmill-called-de-1736017865
despite that bland sky

Brasilnut · « **Reply #24 on:** November 16, 2022, 07:25 »

Quote from: Devotio777 on November 15, 2022, 16:19

Quote from: Brasilnut on November 15, 2022, 11:19
I wouldn't share so openly my best-sellers from a place but it's been so long that it doesn't matter anymore.

So, I lived in Rotterdam, Netherlands between 2011-2014 and these were/are my best-sellers from that time.

At the time, Rotterdam was growing a lot with new buildings/infrastructure, so buyers picked up on those kinds of shots. Rotterdam Central station and Markthal come to mind.

I shot regularly in Amsterdam but very few sales from there with exception of inside Schiphol terminal and airplanes.

I'm keen to go back there in the spring and shoot the tulip fields with my drone.

Thanks for sharing. I forgot to say before that I am a follower of your website, and find it very helpful and inspiring.
I used to live in Breda till July 2022, had a boring job for a chinese company, working in excel, and spent countless hours reading your posts and thinking about stock instead of working.

Looks like you got into some building to have a good view on Rotterdam central station. I have been there so many times (and will be there tomorrow again on the way to a metal concert) but always thought there are too many distracting elements in the composition, and didnt take any photos.
I got a discount pass for dutch trains which allows me to travel for free at the weekends, and in combination with bike it is a great way to explore and cover many places. Nothing like cycling the whole day, shooting stock, and then ending in some pub drinking special beer to finish the day off!

Tulips with the drone sounds good.
I got this idea of capturing dutch tulips together with dutch train and rental bike also from dutch railways.
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/lisse-south-holland-netherlands-0105-ovfiets-1969662391
Sold few times, but nothing crazy.

My best-seller is one of the first, if not the very first photo that I have uploaded to stock sites
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/lighthouse-breda-by-sunset-540095644
all about that sky, which was really spectacular that moment.

followed by this one
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/scenery-traditional-dutch-windmill-called-de-1736017865
despite that bland sky

Hi Devotio,

Cool you follow my blog!

I was probably at my boring corporate job in Madrid while writing some of the posts so we were both dreaming of freedom haha

Yes, the view of Rotterdam Central was taken from my ex-office so was priviledged to have this view point. From down below it's not as interesting.

These are three pretty shots but probably difficult to have 100s of sales as still too generic. For instance the sheep with windmills, soon we'll have AI that can create almost infinite variations of this type of scene with a query-search - many threads about this here alerady.

That's why I suggested the drone perspective but not as easy as buying a drone and taking off as there are lots of rules as you've mentioned. I still think it's worth getting all the qualifications / authorizations. Much of the NL is still OK to fly without major issues, including the tulip fields.

cobalt · « **Reply #25 on:** November 16, 2022, 14:30 »

I like this picture:

https://www.shutterstock.com/de/image-photo/portion-popular-dutch-street-snack-food-2025869561

Localised food in a localised environment.

You can also do videos like this.

Generic images are everywhere, but try to think of a localised story and then capture it all.

Two friends going shopping, wanting to bake a local type of cake, do the whole preparations, all food items, the handwritten recipe, the baking itself, the carefully decorated coffee table, the arrival of family or guests for teh Sunday afternoon and then of course coffee and cake and eating cake until the plates are empty and the guests leave...

The number of producers who think and create with stories in mind is very few.

You don't have to shoot it all in one day, but if you keep your story in mind, you will be much better at realising what type of images or video are really needed.

Of course you should also first do some research what is already available on the agencies. Do you discover something that is missing?

Then try to shoot into the niche.

Localised content also has less competition.

Good luck with your journey.

Devotio777 · « **Reply #26 on:** November 17, 2022, 06:56 »

Quote from: Brasilnut on November 16, 2022, 07:25

Quote from: Devotio777 on November 15, 2022, 16:19
Quote from: Brasilnut on November 15, 2022, 11:19
I wouldn't share so openly my best-sellers from a place but it's been so long that it doesn't matter anymore.

So, I lived in Rotterdam, Netherlands between 2011-2014 and these were/are my best-sellers from that time.

At the time, Rotterdam was growing a lot with new buildings/infrastructure, so buyers picked up on those kinds of shots. Rotterdam Central station and Markthal come to mind.

I shot regularly in Amsterdam but very few sales from there with exception of inside Schiphol terminal and airplanes.

I'm keen to go back there in the spring and shoot the tulip fields with my drone.

Thanks for sharing. I forgot to say before that I am a follower of your website, and find it very helpful and inspiring.
I used to live in Breda till July 2022, had a boring job for a chinese company, working in excel, and spent countless hours reading your posts and thinking about stock instead of working.

Looks like you got into some building to have a good view on Rotterdam central station. I have been there so many times (and will be there tomorrow again on the way to a metal concert) but always thought there are too many distracting elements in the composition, and didnt take any photos.
I got a discount pass for dutch trains which allows me to travel for free at the weekends, and in combination with bike it is a great way to explore and cover many places. Nothing like cycling the whole day, shooting stock, and then ending in some pub drinking special beer to finish the day off!

Tulips with the drone sounds good.
I got this idea of capturing dutch tulips together with dutch train and rental bike also from dutch railways.
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/lisse-south-holland-netherlands-0105-ovfiets-1969662391
Sold few times, but nothing crazy.

My best-seller is one of the first, if not the very first photo that I have uploaded to stock sites
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/lighthouse-breda-by-sunset-540095644
all about that sky, which was really spectacular that moment.

followed by this one
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/scenery-traditional-dutch-windmill-called-de-1736017865
despite that bland sky

Hi Devotio,

Cool you follow my blog! I was probably at my boring corporate job in Madrid while writing some of the posts so we were both dreaming of freedom haha

Yes, the view of Rotterdam Central was taken from my ex-office so was priviledged to have this view point. From down below it's not as interesting.

These are three pretty shots but probably difficult to have 100s of sales as still too generic. For instance the sheep with windmills, soon we'll have AI that can create almost infinite variations of this type of scene with a query-search - many threads about this here alerady.

That's why I suggested the drone perspective but not as easy as buying a drone and taking off as there are lots of rules as you've mentioned. I still think it's worth getting all the qualifications / authorizations. Much of the NL is still OK to fly without major issues, including the tulip fields.

Yeah, I dont have photos that are making 100s of sales, only two are just about to break first 100.
Only time will tell how much will that artificial intelligence change the industry, I hope the demand for
real photos of travel destination will still be there, because showing real photo of how certain place looks like and what you can expect as a tourist
is quite different than showcasing some AI-generated mishmash.
Hmm, but then nothing will prevent AI to mimick the drone perspective as well... but I see your point with drones, more original perspective and less saturated market.

Devotio777 · « **Reply #27 on:** November 17, 2022, 07:18 »

Quote from: cobalt on November 16, 2022, 14:30

I like this picture:

https://www.shutterstock.com/de/image-photo/portion-popular-dutch-street-snack-food-2025869561

Localised food in a localised environment.

You can also do videos like this.

Generic images are everywhere, but try to think of a localised story and then capture it all.

Two friends going shopping, wanting to bake a local type of cake, do the whole preparations, all food items, the handwritten recipe, the baking itself, the carefully decorated coffee table, the arrival of family or guests for teh Sunday afternoon and then of course coffee and cake and eating cake until the plates are empty and the guests leave...

The number of producers who think and create with stories in mind is very few.

You don't have to shoot it all in one day, but if you keep your story in mind, you will be much better at realising what type of images or video are really needed.

Of course you should also first do some research what is already available on the agencies. Do you discover something that is missing?

Then try to shoot into the niche.

Localised content also has less competition.

Good luck with your journey.

Yeah, that one is doing quite well. We were on a daytrip with my gf, I extended my hand and took the photo myself.
She was making fun of me that I bought that food only because of stock.
I can only agree with all you said, but to do this kind of photography well requires someone helping. Having at least a hand or silhouette of someone adds a lot, I think... My gf has to be in a right mood to help me out, but it is definitely one of the enjoyable kind of photography to do, with a huge space for creativity.
I had quite some hopes for this one to sell well:
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/delicious-belgian-waffle-held-front-blurred-2138095395

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #28 on:** November 17, 2022, 11:48 »

Quote from: Devotio777 on November 17, 2022, 06:56

Yeah, I dont have photos that are making 100s of sales, only two are just about to break first 100.
Only time will tell how much will that artificial intelligence change the industry, I hope the demand for
real photos of travel destination will still be there, because showing real photo of how certain place looks like and what you can expect as a tourist
is quite different than showcasing some AI-generated mishmash.
Hmm, but then nothing will prevent AI to mimick the drone perspective as well... but I see your point with drones, more original perspective and less saturated market.

If you are relatively new and have just over 1,000 images, to have a couple which are pushing 100 DLs, you are doing just fine.

Looking at your first uploads on SS, you have 42 windmills, the rest are mostly churches and castles. Diversity is a good thing after you have the local subjects covered. Of course the exception is, if you find a new one that's better than any windmill that you already have in your collection. More of the same isn't going to grow your demand or downloads as much as finding new subjects.

Niche is a good thing if you have the demand.

Devotio777 · « **Reply #29 on:** November 20, 2022, 05:49 »

Quote from: Uncle Pete on November 17, 2022, 11:48

Quote from: Devotio777 on November 17, 2022, 06:56

Yeah, I dont have photos that are making 100s of sales, only two are just about to break first 100.
Only time will tell how much will that artificial intelligence change the industry, I hope the demand for
real photos of travel destination will still be there, because showing real photo of how certain place looks like and what you can expect as a tourist
is quite different than showcasing some AI-generated mishmash.
Hmm, but then nothing will prevent AI to mimick the drone perspective as well... but I see your point with drones, more original perspective and less saturated market.

If you are relatively new and have just over 1,000 images, to have a couple which are pushing 100 DLs, you are doing just fine.

Looking at your first uploads on SS, you have 42 windmills, the rest are mostly churches and castles. Diversity is a good thing after you have the local subjects covered. Of course the exception is, if you find a new one that's better than any windmill that you already have in your collection. More of the same isn't going to grow your demand or downloads as much as finding new subjects.

Niche is a good thing if you have the demand.

I have already move on from that windmill obsession, but at the same time, I photographed even some less-striking ones because many small dutch villages dont have any other eye-catching landmarks except for windmill or a church, so I thought it would be good to have them, just in case somone wanted a photo to represent that particular village or photo of that particular windmill.

Devotio777 · « **Reply #30 on:** November 20, 2022, 06:03 »

There is one burning question I have, and I thought I could ask in this thread instead of making a new one...

Till recently I was not thinking about stock photography and taxes, because I didnt withdraw any money and my income was low,
this is now changing a bit, and I want to prevent any bad surprises in the future.

Here in The Netherlands I have to fill a tax form every year around february/march for the previous year, and I know there is a question about
side income/own business so I am wondering, is all I have to do, count all the money that I earned from stock (and withdrew) in 2021 and thats it?

Also, I have heard somewhere that it could be beneficial to actually oficially start my own business, so that then I can include my gear, travel costs and
other things as expenses, and thus pay maybe less taxes.

Sorry for being so vague and asking what is probably obvious for most of you, but I really dont know these things...

cobalt · « **Reply #31 on:** November 21, 2022, 01:14 »

Talk to a local tax advisor.

Of course you must declare your tax income. But how to declare it, can you deduct any expenses etc…for that you need a local specialist.

Every country has other laws.

Her Ugliness · « **Reply #32 on:** November 21, 2022, 01:40 »

Quote from: Devotio777 on November 20, 2022, 06:03

Here in The Netherlands I have to fill a tax form every year around february/march for the previous year, and I know there is a question about
side income/own business so I am wondering, is all I have to do, count all the money that I earned from stock (and withdrew) in 2021 and thats it?

Also, I have heard somewhere that it could be beneficial to actually oficially start my own business, so that then I can include my gear, travel costs and
other things as expenses, and thus pay maybe less taxes.

You would need someone else from the Netherlands to answer that question. Where I live I deduct all my gear and various photo props from my income and I don't have my own "business", I am just registered as a freelancer. Every country has its own tax rules, but usually you can find the information you need online.

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #33 on:** November 21, 2022, 12:22 »

Quote from: Devotio777 on November 20, 2022, 05:49

Quote from: Uncle Pete on November 17, 2022, 11:48
Quote from: Devotio777 on November 17, 2022, 06:56

Yeah, I dont have photos that are making 100s of sales, only two are just about to break first 100.
Only time will tell how much will that artificial intelligence change the industry, I hope the demand for
real photos of travel destination will still be there, because showing real photo of how certain place looks like and what you can expect as a tourist
is quite different than showcasing some AI-generated mishmash.
Hmm, but then nothing will prevent AI to mimick the drone perspective as well... but I see your point with drones, more original perspective and less saturated market.

If you are relatively new and have just over 1,000 images, to have a couple which are pushing 100 DLs, you are doing just fine.

Looking at your first uploads on SS, you have 42 windmills, the rest are mostly churches and castles. Diversity is a good thing after you have the local subjects covered. Of course the exception is, if you find a new one that's better than any windmill that you already have in your collection. More of the same isn't going to grow your demand or downloads as much as finding new subjects.

Niche is a good thing if you have the demand.

I have already move on from that windmill obsession, but at the same time, I photographed even some less-striking ones because many small dutch villages dont have any other eye-catching landmarks except for windmill or a church, so I thought it would be good to have them, just in case somone wanted a photo to represent that particular village or photo of that particular windmill.

Well that's a good plan and no I haven't stopped shooting cheeseburgers. Still on a quest for the perfect cheeseburger.

The point is, if you like it and you have a good idea for local variations and a special subject niche, there's no reason not to do that. I'm only speaking about, the market and how much you might expect by adding another 50 windmill images. They look nice.

As for taxes, and like everyone else says, you'll need to consult someone who knows the local laws.

Contrary to what someone else wrote, you can't deduct equipment, at least not in the US. You depreciate the equipment over a period of time. I don't know your laws or the UK laws.

Equipment you’ll use for more than a year—including cameras, lenses, lighting, light boxes, filters, tripods, computers, and hard drives—counts as capital expenses. Each year you can deduct a portion of the cost of capital expenses over their useful life.

I have a list of all equipment, the year purchased and how much it cost. I can say one thing about any country and taxes... Keep Good Detailed Records!

Her Ugliness · « **Reply #34 on:** November 21, 2022, 12:44 »

Quote from: Uncle Pete on November 21, 2022, 12:22

Contrary to what someone else wrote, you can't deduct equipment, at least not in the US. You depreciate the equipment over a period of time. I don't know your laws or the UK laws.

Equipment you’ll use for more than a year—including cameras, lenses, lighting, light boxes, filters, tripods, computers, and hard drives—counts as capital expenses. Each year you can deduct a portion of the cost of capital expenses over their useful life.

Yeah, but he is not in the US. Here I can deduct the full price of the equipment at once. Only when a single piece of equipment is over 952 € I have to depreciate the equipment over a period of time and the time varies depending on what kind of quipment it is.

So it's really little use giving advice here, because it could be completely different in the Netherlands.

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #35 on:** November 22, 2022, 11:39 »

Quote from: Her Ugliness on November 21, 2022, 12:44

Quote from: Uncle Pete on November 21, 2022, 12:22

Contrary to what someone else wrote, you can't deduct equipment, at least not in the US. You depreciate the equipment over a period of time. I don't know your laws or the UK laws.

Equipment you’ll use for more than a year—including cameras, lenses, lighting, light boxes, filters, tripods, computers, and hard drives—counts as capital expenses. Each year you can deduct a portion of the cost of capital expenses over their useful life.

Yeah, but he is not in the US. Here I can deduct the full price of the equipment at once. Only when a single piece of equipment is over 952 € I have to depreciate the equipment over a period of time and the time varies depending on what kind of quipment it is.

So it's really little use giving advice here, because it could be completely different in the Netherlands.

Wow is there an echo, but no quote for what I actually wrote?

Quote from: Uncle Pete on November 21, 2022, 12:22

"As for taxes, and like everyone else says, you'll need to consult someone who knows the local laws."

Odd, I think I said sometimes equipment must be depreciated, not deducted all at once. Some expenses are deductible for each year.

https://www.taxgate.nl/which-costs-are-tax-deductible/

Dutch:
Digital photo camera
Data carriers (CDs / CD-Rs, memory cards).
Software.

cascoly · « **Reply #36 on:** November 22, 2022, 13:10 »

Quote from: Uncle Pete on November 21, 2022, 12:22

...
...
As for taxes, and like everyone else says, you'll need to consult someone who knows the local laws.

Contrary to what someone else wrote, you can't deduct equipment, at least not in the US. You depreciate the equipment over a period of time. I don't know your laws or the UK laws.

Equipment you’ll use for more than a year—including cameras, lenses, lighting, light boxes, filters, tripods, computers, and hard drives—counts as capital expenses. Each year you can deduct a portion of the cost of capital expenses over their useful life....

in the US if you use cash accting as small business can deduct gear at full price in the year purchased. ymmv

ouatedeP · « **Reply #37 on:** November 23, 2022, 09:54 »

Quote from: Devotio777 on November 20, 2022, 06:03

Till recently I was not thinking about stock photography and taxes, because I didnt withdraw any money and my income was low,
this is now changing a bit, and I want to prevent any bad surprises in the future.

make sure you understand when money is taxable in your jurisdiction. Not withdrawing might not mean it's not taxable. Check between earned VS paid VS vested

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #38 on:** November 23, 2022, 13:42 »

Quote from: cascoly on November 22, 2022, 13:10

Quote from: Uncle Pete on November 21, 2022, 12:22
...
...
As for taxes, and like everyone else says, you'll need to consult someone who knows the local laws.

Contrary to what someone else wrote, you can't deduct equipment, at least not in the US. You depreciate the equipment over a period of time. I don't know your laws or the UK laws.

Equipment you’ll use for more than a year—including cameras, lenses, lighting, light boxes, filters, tripods, computers, and hard drives—counts as capital expenses. Each year you can deduct a portion of the cost of capital expenses over their useful life....

in the US if you use cash accting as small business can deduct gear at full price in the year purchased. ymmv

Yes that is an option. Generally not the best way to do that, for most people or most businesses, but yes, it's allowed. What I mean is, I'd prefer and many accountants would say the same, to take depreciation, over the life of the equipment, rather than a lump sun, one time.

I have the list. When I bought something and I also track if I sell it. At some point I should be able to stop listing Canon 10-D 2004, but I haven't asked, so I don't know. I pay someone who knows more than me and she takes classes every year and knows the tax laws. She has a good sense of humor too, because she needs one with my documents and paperwork. "No you can't deduct that..."

I bring in a red shoulder bag, full of receipts, notes, files and printouts of income and expenses from various sources. Now she jokes about the "Red Bag". (maybe when I'm not there she calls it the Devils bag?)

Quote from: ouatedeP on November 23, 2022, 09:54

Quote from: Devotio777 on November 20, 2022, 06:03

Till recently I was not thinking about stock photography and taxes, because I didnt withdraw any money and my income was low,
this is now changing a bit, and I want to prevent any bad surprises in the future.

make sure you understand when money is taxable in your jurisdiction. Not withdrawing might not mean it's not taxable. Check between earned VS paid VS vested

Right, another fine mess. When is it reported, when was it paid, what does the tax bureau see vs what's real. Fairly messy sometimes, and in the US with duplicate forms, can be even worse.

pangamedia · « **Reply #39 on:** November 23, 2022, 15:33 »

In the netherlands you can deduct cost below 450 euros at once, any amount higher has to be deducted over several years. If you earn less than 1000 euros (per month if I'm right) I recommend not starting your own business as your earnings are being seen as side earnings from a hobby. (But in this case you cannot deduct any equipment cost).

Quote from: cobalt on November 21, 2022, 01:14

Talk to a local tax advisor.

Of course you must declare your tax income. But how to declare it, can you deduct any expenses etc…for that you need a local specialist.

Every country has other laws.

For any other advice, I agree with cobalt and it's better to find a local tax specialist. If you find a good one, please send me his/her contact details as well

cascoly · « **Reply #40 on:** November 24, 2022, 13:14 »

Quote from: pangamedia on November 23, 2022, 15:33

In the netherlands you can deduct cost below 450 euros at once, any amount higher has to be deducted over several years. If you earn less than 1000 euros (per month if I'm right) I recommend not starting your own business as your earnings are being seen as side earnings from a hobby. (But in this case you cannot deduct any equipment cost)....

in the US one of the req's is that the business shows a profit at some point, regardless of actual sales amount

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/earning-side-income-is-it-a-hobby-or-a-business

Devotio777 · « **Reply #41 on:** November 24, 2022, 14:32 »

Thanks all for your input about taxes, it is indeed gonna be pain in the ass, as I expected. I am just afraid I will spend more for the consultation than what I earn in a month or two from stock, so I am determined to keep investigating online, or ask some dutch people in my surroundings.

Thanks also for encouraging me to take photos of the most touristy parts of Amsterdam which I was somehow overlooking, thinking that it would be too difficult to compete with what is already there. I am not thinking that anymore.

Here comes one fresh story (from today) that I would like to share. Full of determination and encouragement, and knowing that the weather will be good today, I set off
on my bike to the centrum of Amsterdam, to take photos around canals... after doing some pre-scanning before combined with online research on google maps and stock agencies, I found few good spots, took out my tripod, and started shooting the scenery with historical houses along the canal with houseboats in the foreground. In just a moment big group of tourists with a guide appeared meters away from me, where they all stopped, listening to the speech of their guide. I usually hate being seen, but I just ignored them, and kept shooting, trying different settings and slightly changing the composition. I had to interrupt my session to meet my gf for a coffee and cake in one of the nearby cafes, only to continue later, after susnet. So I started to unscrew my ND fliter from Irix that I purchased only recently, when the * thing fell on the ground, and then, to my horror, bounced to the side and slowly disappeared in the canal !!! I didnt even try to catch it, instead I was just staring at the spot where it fell as if frozen, and left the scene to have that coffee. I started by saying "if I tell you what just happened to me, you will think that I am joking"... then I told my gf what happened, and accused myself of extreme clumsiness in front of her. Together we revisited the spot, to measure the water level, only to find it deeper than expected. Then my gf walked away to the neaby big, old, docked boat, the one where people are actually living in it. She knocked on the door, and I sharply waved at her to stop it and come back. From whatever reason, I am the one who would never do that, expecting that I would get negative response, something like: what . do you want, dont disturb... but the doors opened, and my gf politely asked the older dutch man, whether he has some tool which we could use to try to retrieve the nd filter from the depth of the canal. To my surprise, in a short moment, he borrowed us 2 meter long stick with the net at the end, and we used it to comb the muddy bottom of the canal, in hopes to catch the filter in the net. I knew chances were super small, and unfortunately there is no happy ending here, but at least we tried. My gf left, I opened strong beer that I had ready in my backpack, visited few more places to take more photos, and returned home. At least I had some good sales today, to make that misery of losing 100+ euros nd filter less painful. So I hope next time I am less clumsy, and I hope some of the photos I took tonight will sell.

mike123 · « **Reply #42 on:** November 25, 2022, 05:02 »

That IS a great story man!!

And think about it, if you deduct your equipment from taxes, you didn't lose 100€, but much less

.

If you just want to deduct your equipment from taxes, you should not need any expensive consulting.. It's pretty simple: you either deduct the whole cost in one year or you split the cost over several years. All information can be found via Google. You can probably even call the tax office and ask. That's what I've been doing when I started with taxes (talking from Germany here, so Netherlands might be similar). Also remember to deduct everything you use for work, like computer, editing software and so on.

cascoly · « **Reply #43 on:** November 25, 2022, 12:39 »

Quote from: mike123 on November 25, 2022, 05:02

..
If you just want to deduct your equipment from taxes, you should not need any expensive consulting.. It's pretty simple: ...

i maintain 3 xls workbook (USA)

expenses.xls
consolidated.xls which tracks income & costs (postage, hosting, etc) for amazon, ebay & photos

each of these has a 1 row summary
at end of the year i just copy those 2 lines to 2022taxes.xls and moves individual figures to their appropriate places on the 1040 tax form

Khairul Ramadhan · « **Reply #44 on:** October 09, 2023, 07:19 »

I see your portofolio, and i think u have nice stock

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