MicrostockGroup
Agency Based Discussion => Shutterstock.com => Topic started by: Ron on March 27, 2014, 02:21
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Honest question, because I am intrigued.
What does it take to make $3K per month from 500-800 images on Shutterstock?
I can only dream of ever being so good, and to achieve such thing.
I would love to see a port like that. It has to be like an Angel peeing in your eyes.
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I know one whom almost have that kind of revenue. It's travel images. Time and money involved is not worth it in unless you like travelling.
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travel images selling like hotcakes ? ? ?
only the few ones with the typical "postcard" look sell decently and it's not gonna come cheap to produce, a realistic budget is AT LEAST 100$/day in western countries and good luck with expensive cities in scandinavia or UK or Australia & NZ.
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Here is the port you're looking for!
http://www.istockphoto.com/search/portfolio/5767540/?facets=%7B%2225%22%3A%226%22%7D#138a8f8 (http://www.istockphoto.com/search/portfolio/5767540/?facets=%7B%2225%22%3A%226%22%7D#138a8f8)
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I'm going to Santorini for 3 days this summer. You guys think it could earn me some cash to have it thouroghly photocovered? It's one of most photographically covered place on the earth, is there a possibility at all for those images to generate any kind of profit?
I'm planning in photographing all three days as beaches are hideous there. I can't stand swimming anywhere where I can't see bottom and where bottom isn't crystal clear sand.
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Here is the port you're looking for!
[url]http://www.istockphoto.com/search/portfolio/5767540/?facets=%7B%2225%22%3A%226%22%7D#138a8f8[/url] ([url]http://www.istockphoto.com/search/portfolio/5767540/?facets=%7B%2225%22%3A%226%22%7D#138a8f8[/url])
Almost 1400 and where is the SS link?
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she is exclusive
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Honest question, because I am intrigued.
What does it take to make $3K per month from 500-800 images on Shutterstock?
I can only dream of ever being so good, and to achieve such thing.
I would love to see a port like that. It has to be like an Angel peeing in your eyes.
$3.75 per image per month with 800 images just on SS. I think less than 1% of contributors could do that. I would find that easier to do if I didn't need the money. Just produce 1 great image a week for 800 weeks.
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I'm going to Santorini for 3 days this summer. You guys think it could earn me some cash to have it thouroghly photocovered? It's one of most photographically covered place on the earth, is there a possibility at all for those images to generate any kind of profit?
I'm planning in photographing all three days as beaches are hideous there. I can't stand swimming anywhere where I can't see bottom and where bottom isn't crystal clear sand.
As you say, it's beautiful (apparently, I haven't been), but it's been covered millions of times. As you're going anyway, 'profit' isn't an issue, but how much you can now compete with what's already out there, I can't imagine. Even if you could find 'different' images, would they be what the market wants?
Anyway, enjoy your trip in what appears to be one of the most beautiful towns on earth.
In 2011, I did an experiment and visited a city I'd never visited before to see if I could recoup my costs through stock. Between iS and Alamy RM, I've more than recouped the costs, including flights (short-haul), accommodation, transport within the city and food.
But I noticed that iS are currently requesting images from Amsterdam, a city I loved but haven't been to in many years. In 2011, I'd have been right on the next available cheap flight over there, but now, "ah well, it would have been nice".
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Honest question, because I am intrigued.
What does it take to make $3K per month from 500-800 images on Shutterstock?
I can only dream of ever being so good, and to achieve such thing.
I would love to see a port like that. It has to be like an Angel peeing in your eyes.
Yo uhave to bear in mind who said this originally and how credible their facts are, not exactly renowned for being accurate.....
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As you say, it's beautiful (apparently, I haven't been), but it's been covered millions of times. As you're going anyway, 'profit' isn't an issue, but how much you can now compete with what's already out there, I can't imagine. Even if you could find 'different' images, would they be what the market wants?
Anyway, enjoy your trip in what appears to be one of the most beautiful towns on earth.
thanks!
Technically I plan to replicate every possible angle of what is already available from places publicly access-able (I'm not staying in a fancy hotel on the caldera but on the resort on the other side of the island and thus wouldn't be able to pass beyond "most" *read as locked or guarded* :) gated walls on the caldera to peek for a minute to get a shot). If I get other angles or views or treatments which I doubt there are many left really, fine, if not, I don't plan to get a headache thinking what to do. I aim for making technically correctl replicatiopns of what already sells in as many shots as I humanely can achieve in that time (only 3 days and 3 sunsets). Already studying village maps and preparing shotlists extensively. Would love to decorate my wall afterwards with images that I adore that I took myself. If it pays for a part of vacation or a whole of it, I'd be ecstatic. I have no idea how big percentage of those images sell regularly. For instance, a single shot of a traditional part of Skiathos netted me about 150 eur over last 4 years. It is my bestseller on Shutterstock, and, alas, only one so far. 2 extended licenses helped. I don't know if a huge flock of Thera pictures can give me at least several of such strong sellers. Don't know whether to risk another 150 eur cost of going to Mykonos for an afternoon. My budget is stretched and that little trip would be entirely planned upon future mykonos photo sellability. sorry to hijack thread and take your time, thanks.
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You'd be really lucky to get newly uploaded santorini shots selling, I think. They used to do well when there were very few on the sites but everywhere is absolutely flooded with them now. I made a lot of cash from Santorini at one time. The famous churches are all clustered on the northern tip in one small village. It's such a tiny area that your chances of coming up with anything other than what everybody else has are pretty much non-existent.
So kindly don't add to the competition, I've got more than enough already.
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Technically I plan to replicate every possible angle of what is already available from places publicly access-able ... I aim for making technically correctl replicatiopns of what already sells
Rent a boat if you don't like the beaches - or find somewhere you can dive off the rocks and read. Find a good fish restaurant where the locals eat and the mother makes the bread every morning. Isn't that what summer in the Greek islands is all about ? (+ spinach + feta pastries and ice cold bottles of Mythos beer obviously :))
Why go somewhere lovely and waste the time replicating photos which already exist ?
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Technically I plan to replicate every possible angle of what is already available from places publicly access-able ... I aim for making technically correctl replicatiopns of what already sells
Rent a boat if you don't like the beaches - or find somewhere you can dive off the rocks and read. Find a good fish restaurant where the locals eat and the mother makes the bread every morning. Isn't that what summer in the Greek islands is all about ? (+ spinach + feta pastries and ice cold bottles of Mythos beer obviously :))
Why go somewhere lovely and waste the time replicating photos which already exist ?
He seems to be under the misapprehension that exact copies will split the earnings. They won't because the best sellers have a search position based on their history that copies will not be able to compete with. Almost all his images will quickly slide beneath the things they were intended to replace and be lost. If he wants to waste a holiday, a significant part of the life of his camera's shutter and a lot of effort uploading hundreds or thousands of files on one subject then good luck to him. But it's not the way to make money.
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Well Ron, the answer to your question is burried in your own port and stares you right in the face.
Which 90% of your pictures would you delete if you had to?
Really had to.
??
The guys who earn a lot on a few photos are the guys who deleted.
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That's a big ask for 800 images. Here's a guess; I reckon it might be an editorial portfolio of very niche subjects/people in candid situations.....perhaps Kim Jong Un wearing his budgie smugglers at the beach. Or it could be cupcakes and vintage filters. Or even unwashed poodles wearing a hat.
PS. If it were my port, I wouldn't tell anyone about it.
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Well Ron, the answer to your question is burried in your own port and stares you right in the face.
Which 90% of your pictures would you delete if you had to?
Really had to.
??
The guys who earn a lot on a few photos are the guys who deleted.
So they had 10.000 images and kept only their top 500?
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,
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Just divide $3000 by the number of downloads you get and ask Shutterstock to raise your average royalty to that. ;D
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Just divide $3000 by the number of downloads you get and ask Shutterstock to raise your average royalty to that. ;D
Hahaha, yeah, I'll let you know how that goes.
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365 days a year divided by 12 months in a year equals 30.416666 days per month average so then we now take $3000 and divide that by 30.416666 and we get $98.630139 per day so if someone is at the top tier of .38 cents then they are selling 259.55299 images per day.
If that is from a port of 500 image that is half their port each day is selling.
Now I know I didn't calculate OD, SOD, EL, footage etc but there is no way to know that, all you can do is a rough estimate but still that is dam good right there.
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Photos or vectors? Are we talking about 500-800 photos only?
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The month that I make $3K just from Shutter I will officially retire from my day job! 8)
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maybe 2 yrs ago , some exclusive vector guy in IS can easily make it with less 300 files and $4-5 k per month i guess but now its getting hard 8)
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maybe 2 yrs ago , some exclusive vector guy in IS can easily make it with less 300 files and $4-5 k per month i guess but now its getting hard 8)
More like 'Impossible' :-\
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The month that I make $3K just from Shutter I will officially retire from my day job! 8)
where do you live now?state?I can support my own life with 2k in here..but only me..no family kids wife ...etc
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Well Ron, the answer to your question is burried in your own port and stares you right in the face.
Which 90% of your pictures would you delete if you had to?
Really had to.
??
The guys who earn a lot on a few photos are the guys who deleted.
The guys who earn much with few photos do not upload photos that need to be deleted. I can think of a few with that type of port, however I would never expose them to the copiers who would love to plagiarize.
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Photos or vectors? Are we talking about 500-800 photos only?
Knowing the sources, I assume photos only.
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So true, so true. Some people just troll the forums for concepts and best sellers so they can copy and steal. Why, some read and write on the SS forums and then steal from their "friends" best sellers, over and over.
And JPSDK. Or people who only upload the one or two best shots from each shoot. But that's not good for bragging rights like some want. "I have #### images on agency X." (pound chest and hope people are impressed) Don't mention that 100 are the same tomato cut, sliced and diced and re-arranged in 100 different ways. ::)
Let me restate my opinion. It's not how many photos you have, it's the quality and content of those photos. That's the answer. IMHO
Well Ron, the answer to your question is burried in your own port and stares you right in the face.
Which 90% of your pictures would you delete if you had to?
Really had to.
??
The guys who earn a lot on a few photos are the guys who deleted.
The guys who earn much with few photos do not upload photos that need to be deleted. I can think of a few with that type of port, however I would never expose them to the copiers who would love to plagiarize.
Really Hobostocker?
travel images selling like hotcakes ? ? ?
only the few ones with the typical "postcard" look sell decently and it's not gonna come cheap to produce, a realistic budget is AT LEAST 100$/day in western countries and good luck with expensive cities in scandinavia or UK or Australia & NZ.
$100 won't get you a cot in a flop house, a cup of coffee for breakfast and cover the expenses until Noon. LOL
Traveling always costs about four times more than staying at home. Although some people who pack light, backpack, take a bike or stay at hostels, do make it places for much less than even a cheap budget minded person like myself.
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So true, so true. Some people just troll the forums for concepts and best sellers so they can copy and steal. Why, some read and write on the SS forums and then steal from their "friends" best sellers, over and over.
And JPSDK. Or people who only upload the one or two best shots from each shoot. But that's not good for bragging rights like some want. "I have #### images on agency X." (pound chest and hope people are impressed) Don't mention that 100 are the same tomato cut, sliced and diced and re-arranged in 100 different ways. ::)
Let me restate my opinion. It's not how many photos you have, it's the quality and content of those photos. That's the answer. IMHO
Well Ron, the answer to your question is burried in your own port and stares you right in the face.
Which 90% of your pictures would you delete if you had to?
Really had to.
??
The guys who earn a lot on a few photos are the guys who deleted.
The guys who earn much with few photos do not upload photos that need to be deleted. I can think of a few with that type of port, however I would never expose them to the copiers who would love to plagiarize.
Really Hobostocker?
travel images selling like hotcakes ? ? ?
only the few ones with the typical "postcard" look sell decently and it's not gonna come cheap to produce, a realistic budget is AT LEAST 100$/day in western countries and good luck with expensive cities in scandinavia or UK or Australia & NZ.
$100 won't get you a cot in a flop house, a cup of coffee for breakfast and cover the expenses until Noon. LOL
Traveling always costs about four times more than staying at home. Although some people who pack light, backpack, take a bike or stay at hostels, do make it places for much less than even a cheap budget minded person like myself.
Most of the sites do not support that type of activity. They take action if they find contributors culling HCV ports for best selling images and replicating them. Most people do not complain but they should, because 9 times out of ten the sites will pull the offending images.
Threads that start with show your or who makes are a dead give away. Look at the port of the thread starters a few months later and quite often you will find copies of best selling images from many ports.
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Traveling always costs about four times more than staying at home. Although some people who pack light, backpack, take a bike or stay at hostels, do make it places for much less than even a cheap budget minded person like myself.
I travel with 7Kg of cabin luggage which is the Asian limit or 10Kg on European flights. I have a really good lightweight cabin bag. I stay in Airbnb - normally studio apartments, tower blocks, suburbs etc .. but if I was on a tight budget I would be quite happy to rent a room in a house or even on someone's sofa. I will eat street food if in Asia or at hawker markets - or at very inexpensive non tourist restaurants and markets if in Europe. Tourist restaurants are all rubbish anyhow - the best places if you can find them are never expensive. I am also very happy to eat noodles and veg or rice every day.
We get the bus from the airport (I hate talking to taxi drivers most of the time anyhow and buses are a great way to find out about a place). I would not dream of spending $100 a day anywhere - nothing like that. Unless renting a car. And if I was short of cash would be quite happy to rent out my home whilst away.
ETA: none of this is really about saving money. It's about the fact that spending more does not in my experience enhance the experience of a place.
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So true, so true. Some people just troll the forums for concepts and best sellers so they can copy and steal. Why, some read and write on the SS forums and then steal from their "friends" best sellers, over and over.
And JPSDK. Or people who only upload the one or two best shots from each shoot. But that's not good for bragging rights like some want. "I have #### images on agency X." (pound chest and hope people are impressed) Don't mention that 100 are the same tomato cut, sliced and diced and re-arranged in 100 different ways. ::)
Let me restate my opinion. It's not how many photos you have, it's the quality and content of those photos. That's the answer. IMHO
Well Ron, the answer to your question is burried in your own port and stares you right in the face.
Which 90% of your pictures would you delete if you had to?
Really had to.
??
The guys who earn a lot on a few photos are the guys who deleted.
The guys who earn much with few photos do not upload photos that need to be deleted. I can think of a few with that type of port, however I would never expose them to the copiers who would love to plagiarize.
Really Hobostocker?
travel images selling like hotcakes ? ? ?
only the few ones with the typical "postcard" look sell decently and it's not gonna come cheap to produce, a realistic budget is AT LEAST 100$/day in western countries and good luck with expensive cities in scandinavia or UK or Australia & NZ.
$100 won't get you a cot in a flop house, a cup of coffee for breakfast and cover the expenses until Noon. LOL
Traveling always costs about four times more than staying at home. Although some people who pack light, backpack, take a bike or stay at hostels, do make it places for much less than even a cheap budget minded person like myself.
Most of the sites do not support that type of activity. They take action if they find contributors culling HCV ports for best selling images and replicating them. Most people do not complain but they should, because 9 times out of ten the sites will pull the offending images.
Threads that start with show your or who makes are a dead give away. Look at the port of the thread starters a few months later and quite often you will find copies of best selling images from many ports.
+1
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Traveling always costs about four times more than staying at home.
Well, that depends totally on where you live and/or where you travel.
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Here is the port you're looking for!
[url]http://www.istockphoto.com/search/portfolio/5767540/?facets=%7B%2225%22%3A%226%22%7D#138a8f8[/url] ([url]http://www.istockphoto.com/search/portfolio/5767540/?facets=%7B%2225%22%3A%226%22%7D#138a8f8[/url])
Nah, I don't think that portfolio would be enough for $6K per month (it has double the images than in the original post). I don't think it's even close.
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The only thing I can say for sure is that it isn't what I'm shooting; or at least not the way I'm shooting it......
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my best selling pic from our Antarctica trip was a shot I took from the roof of our 1st night hotel in Buenos aires -- traffic jam at rush hour; so much for preplanned shot lists!
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1) Make 10k brilliant images so that you earn some $5k a month
2) Get to 38p level
3) Delete all but 500-800 best sellers
4) You have a good chance to still earn $3k with 300-800
I guess I would avoid following points 3-4 though :P
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my best selling pic from our Antarctica trip was a shot I took from the roof of our 1st night hotel in Buenos aires -- traffic jam at rush hour; so much for preplanned shot lists!
Isn't that always the way!
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Photos or vectors? Are we talking about 500-800 photos only?
Knowing the sources, I assume photos only.
Photos only would be really tough. I bet there are a few vector people doing that much with that size portfolio, though.
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As you say, it's beautiful (apparently, I haven't been), but it's been covered millions of times. As you're going anyway, 'profit' isn't an issue, but how much you can now compete with what's already out there, I can't imagine. Even if you could find 'different' images, would they be what the market wants?
Anyway, enjoy your trip in what appears to be one of the most beautiful towns on earth.
thanks!
Technically I plan to replicate every possible angle of what is already available from places publicly access-able (I'm not staying in a fancy hotel on the caldera but on the resort on the other side of the island and thus wouldn't be able to pass beyond "most" *read as locked or guarded* :) gated walls on the caldera to peek for a minute to get a shot). If I get other angles or views or treatments which I doubt there are many left really, fine, if not, I don't plan to get a headache thinking what to do. I aim for making technically correctl replicatiopns of what already sells in as many shots as I humanely can achieve in that time (only 3 days and 3 sunsets). Already studying village maps and preparing shotlists extensively. Would love to decorate my wall afterwards with images that I adore that I took myself. If it pays for a part of vacation or a whole of it, I'd be ecstatic. I have no idea how big percentage of those images sell regularly. For instance, a single shot of a traditional part of Skiathos netted me about 150 eur over last 4 years. It is my bestseller on Shutterstock, and, alas, only one so far. 2 extended licenses helped. I don't know if a huge flock of Thera pictures can give me at least several of such strong sellers. Don't know whether to risk another 150 eur cost of going to Mykonos for an afternoon. My budget is stretched and that little trip would be entirely planned upon future mykonos photo sellability. sorry to hijack thread and take your time, thanks.
why don't you go out and create instead of simply copy or as you call it 'replicate'. i shoot travel full time and simply shooting what everyone else shoots 'cause it sells' is lame. but then again, maybe that is your level, just copy copy copy and pray to make a bit of money. you remind me of the guy who once sent me a PM on IS and asked me where i took a shot from cause he noticed it sold a lot and he wanted to go and take the shot from the same angle??? what??? oh well, water seeks it's own level.
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As you say, it's beautiful (apparently, I haven't been), but it's been covered millions of times. As you're going anyway, 'profit' isn't an issue, but how much you can now compete with what's already out there, I can't imagine. Even if you could find 'different' images, would they be what the market wants?
Anyway, enjoy your trip in what appears to be one of the most beautiful towns on earth.
thanks!
Technically I plan to replicate every possible angle of what is already available from places publicly access-able (I'm not staying in a fancy hotel on the caldera but on the resort on the other side of the island and thus wouldn't be able to pass beyond "most" *read as locked or guarded* :) gated walls on the caldera to peek for a minute to get a shot). If I get other angles or views or treatments which I doubt there are many left really, fine, if not, I don't plan to get a headache thinking what to do. I aim for making technically correctl replicatiopns of what already sells in as many shots as I humanely can achieve in that time (only 3 days and 3 sunsets). Already studying village maps and preparing shotlists extensively. Would love to decorate my wall afterwards with images that I adore that I took myself. If it pays for a part of vacation or a whole of it, I'd be ecstatic. I have no idea how big percentage of those images sell regularly. For instance, a single shot of a traditional part of Skiathos netted me about 150 eur over last 4 years. It is my bestseller on Shutterstock, and, alas, only one so far. 2 extended licenses helped. I don't know if a huge flock of Thera pictures can give me at least several of such strong sellers. Don't know whether to risk another 150 eur cost of going to Mykonos for an afternoon. My budget is stretched and that little trip would be entirely planned upon future mykonos photo sellability. sorry to hijack thread and take your time, thanks.
why don't you go out and create instead of simply copy or as you call it 'replicate'. i shoot travel full time and simply shooting what everyone else shoots 'cause it sells' is lame. but then again, maybe that is your level, just copy copy copy and pray to make a bit of money. you remind me of the guy who once sent me a PM on IS and asked me where i took a shot from cause he noticed it sold a lot and he wanted to go and take the shot from the same angle??? what??? oh well, water seeks it's own level.
Well, were did you take that shot from? ;D
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Is it even possible to make that much from 500-800 photos on SS? At all?
I know vector artists do better with less, but that's still a stretch for so few files. More power to them if they can manage it though.
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The month that I make $3K just from Shutter I will officially retire from my day job! 8)
where do you live now?state?I can support my own life with 2k in here..but only me..no family kids wife ...etc
how life is different in different parts of the world. in my neck of wood 2k per month could support at least 2 full families with multiple children each. In Germany, for instance, they have average salaries that are 6 times what they are in my country.
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why don't you go out and create instead of simply copy or as you call it 'replicate'. i shoot travel full time and simply shooting what everyone else shoots 'cause it sells' is lame. but then again, maybe that is your level, just copy copy copy and pray to make a bit of money. you remind me of the guy who once sent me a PM on IS and asked me where i took a shot from cause he noticed it sold a lot and he wanted to go and take the shot from the same angle??? what??? oh well, water seeks it's own level.
I say replicate and you insist on copy. I will replicate the vista, not the picture. I will make gazillion different framings on gazillion different focal length from each point. Not copy particular framing. They will be my own, but they will be made from 30 or so most famous & most commercial standing places on the caldera. There is a limited and exhausted number points for standing on the maybe 2km total walkway with view upon the caldera in Fira, Imerovigli, Firostefani and Oia on a most photographed place in the world where more than million tourists with cameras come every year. One could only improve in better technique, color or be lucky to have better light, but those shots are covered before, you seen them or not. I plan to collect info about where to go to shoot. What, I should skip photographing Santorini and send it to stock just because heaps of contributors did it before?? Well, truth is that place is overexploited, but I don't plan to miss my piece of it, just plan to make a lot photos. I shouldn't shoot blue domed church? Or a boat on a roof? Or Oia windmill? Or multiple belled church tops? Sure, maybe ten guys on stock sites have original photos but they did it in 2004 and they are copying what they saw on postcards and books from guys who did in 1984 on film, and those original posters ain't any of you here I bet. Thousands of others followed and stock sites love it to advertise they have gazillion photos available and some of newer photos are better than old ones.
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I would not dream of spending $100 a day anywhere
oh really ?
try Paris or London, the cheapest dorm room in a guesthouse will cost you at the very least 30$/night with no breakfast included.
a mcdonalds meal or any other fast food chain selling junk food will be 7-10$/meal.
so, just to scrap the bottom of the barrel you need 50-60 bucks per day considering you don't smoke and don't drink and don't use any transportation.
and i could mention other cities like Dubai, Doha, Auckland, Sydney, NewYork, Tokyo, Singapore, HongKong ..
as for Asia : yes there are countries where you can live fairly well for 15-20$/day all inclusive, see Vietnam or Philippines or Cambodia and India and some parts of Indonesia but these are the exception to the rule.
6 months in India can be super cheap but how much indian photos are actually selling on stock agencies ?
couchsurfing ? good luck leaving your 10K$ gear bag in somebody's home unattended and being totally dependent on strangers giving you a sofa and a shower, yes it's doable but it's risky and if my production costs are so high that my only option is couchsurfing and eating at mcdonalds sorry but maybe it's time to find a better job !
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$100 won't get you a cot in a flop house, a cup of coffee for breakfast and cover the expenses until Noon. LOL
Traveling always costs about four times more than staying at home. Although some people who pack light, backpack, take a bike or stay at hostels, do make it places for much less than even a cheap budget minded person like myself.
it all depends on the country, some country can be as cheap as 20$/day for a single room with toilet + meals, while in Tokyo with 60$ you can barely sleep in a cubicle and eat instant noodles at 7-11.
so, talking about ROI, places like Thailand are a very good tradeoff while most of the western capitals are totally overpriced with scandinavia topping the list for the most outrageous living costs.
being cheap is just one of the many factors involved, you must always consider the security issues, unless you travel with just a Sony NEX or a Fuji X1 you will carry a bag full of gear and a laptop and a few USB hard drives for storage, just imagine getting it all STOLEN in a lurid 5$/night dorm room !! and yeah it happens all the time in such places.
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Is it even possible to make that much from 500-800 photos on SS? At all?
I know vector artists do better with less, but that's still a stretch for so few files. More power to them if they can manage it though.
Obviously not possible, but there always are virtual babies who believe any bs. Maybe several years ago...
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The month that I make $3K just from Shutter I will officially retire from my day job! 8)
where do you live now?state?I can support my own life with 2k in here..but only me..no family kids wife ...etc
how life is different in different parts of the world. in my neck of wood 2k per month could support at least 2 full families with multiple children each. In Germany, for instance, they have average salaries that are 6 times what they are in my country.
What country is that?
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Why are people so amazed? Living under a rock? There are places where people literally work for a few handfuls of rice/day. They usually make some of the clothes you wear.
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I would not dream of spending $100 a day anywhere
oh really ?
try Paris or London, the cheapest dorm room in a guesthouse will cost you at the very least 30$/night with no breakfast included.
I can travel everywhere in Europe quite comfortably with £100 a day.
Including everything: low cost flight, accomodation, local public transport, food, beer, some museum tickets and maybe even a concert ticket.
And - for a 5 days trip - it usually takes about two years to recoup the cost completely (used to take a lot less some years ago), and then I start to earn. Not exactly a way to get rich quickly but since I would travel anyway... that's fine.
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I would not dream of spending $100 a day anywhere
oh really ?
try Paris or London, the cheapest dorm room in a guesthouse will cost you at the very least 30$/night with no breakfast included.
a mcdonalds meal or any other fast food chain selling junk food will be 7-10$/meal.
I have had this conversation here before!
I regularly stay a month at a time in Paris. The apartment costs me €850 per month. That's 2 rooms, separate bathroom, kitchen, washing machine etc. And I could do it very much less expensive than that if I wanted.
Weekly Metro ticket recharge is €20. A bowl of chicken noodles at lunchtime is €5 in Belleville. A baguette costs 1€. The tap water is potable.
So that's about €40 per day max. Which is about $55. Add say another $5 for the ingredients to cook an evening meal.
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I am off to Berlin, 125 euro flight, 20 euro seat reservation, 25 euro parking, and splashing cash on beer and schnitsel, sight seeing and having some weissenbier in the pubs and clubs. I will probably come back with a few shots I can sell, but I am not expecting to make $3K with them. However, I will deduct the expenses for this business trip ;)
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I would not dream of spending $100 a day anywhere
oh really ?
try Paris or London, the cheapest dorm room in a guesthouse will cost you at the very least 30$/night with no breakfast included.
I can travel everywhere in Europe quite comfortably with £100 a day.
Including everything: low cost flight, accomodation, local public transport, food, beer, some museum tickets and maybe even a concert ticket.
And - for a 5 days trip - it usually takes about two years to recoup the cost completely (used to take a lot less some years ago), and then I start to earn. Not exactly a way to get rich quickly but since I would travel anyway... that's fine.
it would be insane if you wouldn't, you are talking about:
- 3k pounds per month
- 3633 euros
- 4985$
I guess you are spending a lot of money, you aren't sleeping in hostels or sharing rooms with 6 persons and such, of course you must have a nice income or that would be impossible to sustain, I envy you ;D
I met an iStock exclusive a few years ago and he was traveling non stop around all the world, he told me that he was spending around 1500$ per month, paid around 10 eur / night to stay in Lisbon and it was a nice place :)
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I guess airplane fare and car rentals would make most of expenses. For boarding , you don't have to be at most exclusive places, when on continent you can always find a place to sleep several km or even several tens of km from a place of your interest with rates way lower than in city centers or resorts, and you could always eat in small inns/pubs/tavernas/whatever or simply buy groceries in local supermarkets where residents shop for theirs. I would like to go to Cuba, Bahamas, or Indonesia, but plane tickets and transport would eat thousands of dollars into the budget, food could most probably be found cheap, place to sleepover as well (if it's not exclusively resort based place like Maldives where guests aren't allowed in villages after dark).
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it would be insane if you wouldn't, you are talking about:
- 3k pounds per month
- 3633 euros
- 4985$
Of course it would be insane as a normal way of life. But I didn't say I am travelling 365 days a year.
I guess you are spending a lot of money, you aren't sleeping in hostels or sharing rooms with 6 persons and such, of course you must have a nice income or that would be impossible to sustain, I envy you ;D
For 3 or 4 weeks a year, yes.
When I was younger I was sleeping in hostels and sharing rooms. Now I like to travel comfortably, especially when I'm not travelling alone: I guess it must be annoying enough for a girl friend travelling with me to wait for me to take a photo every few seconds (although they usually find this crazy job quite interesting), that I don't feel the need to stay in a dormitory in the suburbs.
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of course, that makes sense, I was just saying it can be done with less :)
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Is it even possible to make that much from 500-800 photos on SS? At all?
I know vector artists do better with less, but that's still a stretch for so few files. More power to them if they can manage it though.
Obviously not possible, but there always are virtual babies who believe any bs. Maybe several years ago...
I believe it is possible, with a portfolio that targets a specific niche, and is very high quality content.
Some of my bestsellers on ss earn between 0.5$-3.5$ per day. Let's say the bestseller average is 1.5$/day. I would daily need to sell 67 of them to cross 100$ daily (and, hence, 3000$ per month).
The difficult part is making a bestseller, which is dependent both on timing, keywording, image quality, the current design trend/look and luck. I'm not the lucky one/good enough to make it like this, but that does not mean that someone talented (and with a good business sense, supply/demand knowledge) would not be able to make it. So I cannot say for sure, but I think it could be possible.
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I think any photo portfolio that good with so few images would be on Offset instead of Shutterstock.
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I think any photo portfolio that good with so few images would be on Offset instead of Shutterstock.
You would think that would be the case, however I know of photographers who exceed those numbers and yet none of them have been included in the Offset collection. You would think that Offset would want their HCV niche included in their collection, yet shutterstock is happy to leave new content from those contributors lower tier; in direct competition with their macro collection.
This leaves content buyers in the unfortunate position of explaining why they just spent xxx on an image when bosses/clients can find an image of similar or equal quality on the micros. It becomes more difficult every year to justify the spend to clients.
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So true, so true. Some people just troll the forums for concepts and best sellers so they can copy and steal. Why, some read and write on the SS forums and then steal from their "friends" best sellers, over and over.
Good reason to stay anonymous, no?
YES! And I've said the same to Gbalex and others as well, many times.
However if someone has two cents worth of brains, they can go to the major sites and see Best Sellers and copy them. Or search my Category and find best sellers and copy those.
So it's a personal issue. (http://s5.postimg.org/ocam8qp9f/2cents.gif) Not wanting known copiers on forums to target people who come here for information.
But I did come up with an answer for the original question. "What is needed to make $3K from 500-800 images?" Start with $2,900. ;)
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I think the original $100 a day said something about the Western World? I assumed that would be The UK or USA. And yes, I'd rent a car, I'm not as good as you younger folks.
I think the backpackers, bicycles, train, bus... whatever people are doing it right and if they come back with only a few photos, have the rewards for their effort of a lifetime, personal experience.
What take off of work for a month? HA HA. I hardly got a weekend off for 40 years. Except now, from Mid-November to April I have some personal time.
For those who can do it, I'm very supportive and I'd say, it's got to be some of the best adventures in a lifetime. Some people aren't travelers, some are. I don't miss not having done it, because I've done other things. To each their own.
$100 a day? In the 80s the B&B cost almost that in the UK, add a car, and food? $200 a day would be cheap. But that's me.
I would not dream of spending $100 a day anywhere
oh really ?
try Paris or London, the cheapest dorm room in a guesthouse will cost you at the very least 30$/night with no breakfast included.
a mcdonalds meal or any other fast food chain selling junk food will be 7-10$/meal.
I have had this conversation here before!
I regularly stay a month at a time in Paris. The apartment costs me €850 per month. That's 2 rooms, separate bathroom, kitchen, washing machine etc. And I could do it very much less expensive than that if I wanted.
Weekly Metro ticket recharge is €20. A bowl of chicken noodles at lunchtime is €5 in Belleville. A baguette costs 1€. The tap water is potable.
So that's about €40 per day max. Which is about $55. Add say another $5 for the ingredients to cook an evening meal.
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ideally you should travel 6 months no stop and move overland with trains and buses, renting a moto is also a big plus, in many countries it's easy to buy/resell motos and bicycles in reputable shops.
as for sleeping, i've slept in 2$ guesthouses in the himalaya and in bamboo shacks on the Mekong river, you can't get cheaper than that and they offered us a meal too :)
however, outside of western countries it's no big deal to find a decent 10$/night accomodation with toilet and hot water.
talking about countries where workers are paid a pittance, yes they can earn as low as 100$/month but their lifestyle is simply not accessible to foreigners and tourists unless you know and trust some locals who can rent you a room, i remember guys in south east asia paying 30$/month for a shack but this also included a few rats and no electricity and you'll always be at the mercy of thieves.
on the other side you can rent a 30sqm apartment for 150$/month in many cities of any third world country, just dont expect the Hilton or to be in downtown.
food, that's the very last of your problems apart in europe or japan.
airplanes : if you can't avoid to fly stick with AirAsia (india/eastasia/southasia/aus) and Ryanair/AirBerlin/EasyJet (europe) and Virgin (AUS/NZ).
ferry boats : usually very expensive apart rare cases like Indonesia.
trains : excellent in europe, russia, and china
camping : in the end you won't save much sleeping in your own tent, and even less renting an RV, the only option is the cheapest second hard RVs but good luck with that.
cars : sleeping in your car ? yeah i've met people who like it but it's not my cup of tea, and where do you shower by the way ? answer .. you shower in public toilets or your go in a gym ... OK .. but .. what the he-ll you're basically living like a F ing gypsy, why not moving to India then and live like a king with 500$/month instead of begging for food in Paris ?
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I think we are getting off the subject. I was under the impression that we were talking about what kind of images (500-800) could make $3K a month--not about traveling and living day to day. I want to see and hear more about downloads of images and what are the best sellers. Thanks
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I think we are getting off the subject. I was under the impression that we were talking about what kind of images (500-800) could make $3K a month--not about traveling and living day to day. I want to see and hear more about downloads of images and what are the best sellers. Thanks
Not my kind of images, as I'm learning...
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For that kind of success you need this type of portfolio! ;D ;D ;D ;)
http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?gallery_id=208108 (http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?gallery_id=208108)
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$100 won't get you a cot in a flop house, a cup of coffee for breakfast and cover the expenses until Noon. LOL
Traveling always costs about four times more than staying at home. Although some people who pack light, backpack, take a bike or stay at hostels, do make it places for much less than even a cheap budget minded person like myself.
it all depends on the country, some country can be as cheap as 20$/day for a single room with toilet + meals, while in Tokyo with 60$ you can barely sleep in a cubicle and eat instant noodles at 7-11.
so, talking about ROI, places like Thailand are a very good tradeoff while most of the western capitals are totally overpriced with scandinavia topping the list for the most outrageous living costs.
being cheap is just one of the many factors involved, you must always consider the security issues, unless you travel with just a Sony NEX or a Fuji X1 you will carry a bag full of gear and a laptop and a few USB hard drives for storage, just imagine getting it all STOLEN in a lurid 5$/night dorm room !! and yeah it happens all the time in such places.
another factor in playing it cheap is loss of time & opportunity -- traveling by bus you have ZERO opportunity to stop for the serendipitous, AND you'll spend more of your time waiting in bus stations & arriving in a new place exhausted only to have to search out a cheap hotel
after the costs of getting there, the cost for a car & driver in places like India well repay in photo opportunities
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I have had this conversation here before!
I regularly stay a month at a time in Paris. The apartment costs me €850 per month. That's 2 rooms, separate bathroom, kitchen, washing machine etc. And I could do it very much less expensive than that if I wanted.
Weekly Metro ticket recharge is €20. A bowl of chicken noodles at lunchtime is €5 in Belleville. A baguette costs 1€. The tap water is potable.
So that's about €40 per day max. Which is about $55. Add say another $5 for the ingredients to cook an evening meal.
for a day or 2, maybe - for 2 months?
how much time do you waste taking the metro out to Belleville every day? after a baguette (no coffee? for bkfst) and a bowl of noodles, how do you manage on $5 for food / day for 2 months -- that's hardly enough for the cheapest meat, and veggies can often cost nearly as much? dal bhat gets old in the culinary capital of the world! no rest stops, cafes or bars during thee day? no museum or other cultural activities?
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how much time do you waste taking the metro out to Belleville every day?
What do you mean - out to Belleville ? :) It's only 15 mins walk max from the Canal St Martin or 3 stops to the Marais on the Metro. I tend to avoid the main tourist areas anyhow.
If you get bored of noodles buy some ingredients. The markets are fantastic and cheap. Paris is probably one of the best places on earth to buy fantastic ingredients for very little. I am quite happy to make my coffee in the morning.
ETA: yep I like the cultural things too. But the private galleries are all free anyhow. And there must be hundreds. I like the cinema though - that can be pricey.
Also - noodles was just an example really. The north african places are cheap to eat too - e.g. cous cous etc.
Anyhow - all I am saying is that you can live very well on a lot less than people imagine if you think it through and do not live like a tourist. Eg walk home at night instead of getting a taxi if the metro has stopped running etc.
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And I'd agree with you, except it was $100 not 100 pounds. And I don't stay in one place more than a night. During the day I'm on the move, not spending time retracing.
But yes, it can be done for much less than Tourist budget.
Why would I take a taxi or bus, I have a rental car. LOL ;)
Anyhow - all I am saying is that you can live very well on a lot less than people imagine if you think it through and do not live like a tourist. Eg walk home at night instead of getting a taxi if the metro has stopped running etc.
I think we are getting off the subject. I was under the impression that we were talking about what kind of images (500-800) could make $3K a month--not about traveling and living day to day. I want to see and hear more about downloads of images and what are the best sellers. Thanks
Good point Oscar.
So lets say this is the answer and it's somewhere on page one. You upload 5,000 images and save the 500 that sell, delete the rest. Now you make money on 500 images?
Or my system, you only upload your one or two best from any shoot, until you have 500 best images.
Either way, these would go against the whole more words, more images, more sites, Microstock mantra, which is pounded into every newcomers head as the only answer to how to do it right, because that's what worked in 2005.
I have an idea what it is now, so do you and everyone else. Find a niche that you can shoot, that you like and that matches your skills. Hammer the heck out of it with everything you can upload! Become a specialist.
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I think we are getting off the subject. I was under the impression that we were talking about what kind of images (500-800) could make $3K a month--not about traveling and living day to day. I want to see and hear more about downloads of images and what are the best sellers. Thanks
wrong.
travel and living cost are an integral part of the PRODUCTION costs of Travel Images.
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no museum or other cultural activities?
yeah but you're there for working, not for holiday.
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another factor in playing it cheap is loss of time & opportunity -- traveling by bus you have ZERO opportunity to stop for the serendipitous, AND you'll spend more of your time waiting in bus stations & arriving in a new place exhausted only to have to search out a cheap hotel
it's not a holiday, it's a job.
of course you'll be tired and you'll hate it.
there's nothing wrong about it, less competition for us.
people who can't stand traveling rough for months i don't think they've got any chance as travel specialists, but they can do very well on their own city.
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wrong.
travel and living cost are an integral part of the PRODUCTION costs of Travel Images.
Completely agree with you on this. So we're not off-topic.
no museum or other cultural activities?
yeah but you're there for working, not for holiday.
[...]
it's not a holiday, it's a job.
of course you'll be tired and you'll hate it.
there's nothing wrong about it, less competition for us.
people who can't stand traveling rough for months i don't think they've got any chance as travel specialists, but they can do very well on their own city.
Disagree.
Serendipity means not just fun, but also finding unplanned shooting occasions - i.e., work.
There's a fine line between the two.
Only half of my earnings from travels are from planned shots. Maybe I am a bad planner, or maybe I double my earnings by wandering as a cloud.
Museums and cultural activities mean finding new inspiration from art: a nice diversion - with possible returns - from the microstock style.
By not travelling (too) rough I'm not tired and I don't hate it, and the whole Europe is my own city.
Of course I could spend a lot less but it's not worth it (for my own sanity and quality of life).
But I guess - depending on personal preferences - both models work.
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no museum or other cultural activities?
yeah but you're there for working, not for holiday.
Lots of people don't shoot in the middle of the day, and in hot weather, a museum can be a nice cool alternative to sitting in a bar, though that's another possibility (more expensive here as museums are free [but it's not often hot]).
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I think we are getting off the subject. I was under the impression that we were talking about what kind of images (500-800) could make $3K a month--not about traveling and living day to day. I want to see and hear more about downloads of images and what are the best sellers. Thanks
Seriously?
Why don't you post up your most successful images so every man and his dog can run off and blindly duplicate them.
This is exactly what I hate about micro stock, a lazy unimaginative attitude seems to be championed. The internet is saturated with good photo tutorials on technique and gear, there's no excuse for not learning your craft.
Popular post too, depressing.
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I think we are getting off the subject. I was under the impression that we were talking about what kind of images (500-800) could make $3K a month--not about traveling and living day to day. I want to see and hear more about downloads of images and what are the best sellers. Thanks
Actually, we weren't.
The OP's question was "What does it take to make $3K per month from 500-800 images on Shutterstock?", which isn't the same at all.
The answer is, ability to discern what the market will be looking for in 6 months, a year, 18 months down the line, and shoot for that, whether it's content or style.
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And watch this guy!
22 DL's with 68 images in 1/2 month.
http://submit.shutterstock.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2657683#2657683 (http://submit.shutterstock.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2657683#2657683)
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To: Stock-will-eat-itself: You asked that I post my successful image. Google-- Oscar Williams Smithsonian magazine. I was the Ist Grand Prize winner in the Ist Smithsonian Contest. The image is "Stairway To Heaven" This photo has sold over 100,000 copies (still selling) and was shown in the Smithsonian Museum. Thank You and you are welcome to copy it.
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I think we need more discussion if the cost of travel photography is off-topic from a thread asking about how lots of money can be made from few images.
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Don't as me!
I never sell anything
:(
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And watch this guy!
22 DL's with 68 images in 1/2 month.
[url]http://submit.shutterstock.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2657683#2657683[/url] ([url]http://submit.shutterstock.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2657683#2657683[/url])
So ~ Footage is the Answer.
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no museum or other cultural activities?
yeah but you're there for working, not for holiday.
I'm not interested in a JOB! there are easier ways to make a living. I do photography to feed my travel habit - that's why these questions have no single answers - the costs/profits etc are going to vary for everyone
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....
people who can't stand traveling rough for months i don't think they've got any chance as travel specialists, but they can do very well on their own city.
ROFL!!!!!!!!!!! it's not art if you still have 2 ears
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Well it's not that far off Hobostocker. People come to places around me and visit, many during the Summer are from out of state, some are overseas tourists. So why does someone need to travel someplace else, when they are surrounded by things close to home?
Nothing against travel photography, just a thought that one could stay home and do "travel" photography, without the added expense.
I figure I could never leave this state and still be busy shooting things for the rest of my life.
Not as exotic, but there's no end to local events, attractions, art, architectural, natural, and historical sites.
....
people who can't stand traveling rough for months i don't think they've got any chance as travel specialists, but they can do very well on their own city.
ROFL!!!!!!!!!!! it's not art if you still have 2 ears
Well I have two ears, but they don't work well after 40 years of loud music, artillery fire, machine shops / factories and racing cars? Do I qualify as being a near artist? ::)
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And watch his interesting keywording. 'business' on this: http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-180449990/stock-photo-jet-engine.html (http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-180449990/stock-photo-jet-engine.html)
:-)
No judgement, just observation, some of mine are probably dodgy as well!
And watch this guy!
22 DL's with 68 images in 1/2 month.
[url]http://submit.shutterstock.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2657683#2657683[/url] ([url]http://submit.shutterstock.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2657683#2657683[/url])
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Disagree.
Serendipity means not just fun, but also finding unplanned shooting occasions - i.e., work.
There's a fine line between the two.
Only half of my earnings from travels are from planned shots. Maybe I am a bad planner, or maybe I double my earnings by wandering as a cloud.
Museums and cultural activities mean finding new inspiration from art: a nice diversion - with possible returns - from the microstock style.
By not travelling (too) rough I'm not tired and I don't hate it, and the whole Europe is my own city.
Of course I could spend a lot less but it's not worth it (for my own sanity and quality of life).
But I guess - depending on personal preferences - both models work.
well in my experience if you manage to keep the costs very low you've a lot of spare time to take things easier and shoot areas of secondary importance that often turn out to be veeeeeery interesting, for instance in poor countries what you see in the downtown is quite a different story from what you see in the suburbs, almost another planet in some cases.
or you can sleep and take a day off, up to you, but that's a lot harder to justify when you're in a place where 100$/day is the bare minimum to survive.
i don't think nowadays you can travel rough in europe, there's nothing rough anymore even the cheapest trains and buses are clean and smelling good, same for the cheapest guesthouses and you won't get sick with street food, of course all this comes at a price but the standards are pretty high now compared to the 80s or 90s.
Asia instead is the best place to travel rough, you can't get rougher than India or Nepal or some parts of Indonesia and rural China ... well maybe in africa but i don't know, never been there.
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Lots of people don't shoot in the middle of the day, and in hot weather, a museum can be a nice cool alternative to sitting in a bar, though that's another possibility (more expensive here as museums are free [but it's not often hot]).
middle of the day you can shoot covered areas like markets or indoor shops or museums.
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I'm not interested in a JOB! there are easier ways to make a living. I do photography to feed my travel habit - that's why these questions have no single answers - the costs/profits etc are going to vary for everyone
to each his own, you travel AND you take photos, and while doing this you learn a lot more than the average tourist in my opinion as they're not focused on the small details and neither on looking things from an interesting perspective.
carrying a camera also will make people a bit more friendly sometimes so you end up talking and chatting with locals that would otherwise not give a sh-it.
costs/profits apart, unless it's too expensive or too far away i don't mind going in places that will never sell, we only live once.
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ROFL!!!!!!!!!!! it's not art if you still have 2 ears
modern art is a Ponzi scheme, even some iphone holiday snaps are sold in art galleries.
we should seriously try to get the foot in the door.
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Well it's not that far off Hobostocker. People come to places around me and visit, many during the Summer are from out of state, some are overseas tourists. So why does someone need to travel someplace else, when they are surrounded by things close to home?
Nothing against travel photography, just a thought that one could stay home and do "travel" photography, without the added expense.
I figure I could never leave this state and still be busy shooting things for the rest of my life.
Not as exotic, but there's no end to local events, attractions, art, architectural, natural, and historical sites.
yes, if you're lucky to live in a very nice city you don't need to go far away.
and if you live in Paris or London or NYC i'm sure you can make a living just shooting local areas and local people.
there will be always demand for the big cities, no matter if there are zillions of photos of the Eiffel Tower from any possible angle and weather condition.
i even met specialists who make landscapes of their lakes and mountains next door since 30 yrs and now they're recognized as specialists in their niche and published books etc ... they're not rich but neither poor .. i don't know why they don't shoot anything else but in the end it's all about getting the rich clients rather than begging for food selling at discount prices .. i mean i can't blame them when they sell a big print to a rich suc-ker for 10K$ ... who needs to travel when they have the right established connections and marketplace ?
doing travel stock will never pay very well, that's a given, pros would not even leave their home without an assignment and covered expenses, they would not settle for cheap guesthouses or mcdonalds meals :)
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And watch this guy!
22 DL's with 68 images in 1/2 month.
[url]http://submit.shutterstock.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2657683#2657683[/url] ([url]http://submit.shutterstock.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2657683#2657683[/url])
So ~ Footage is the Answer.
I think footage is the answer, artists get paid much better. I have a port of 91 on shutter stock a I have 40+ the last 1/2 of this mo.... 98% subs with a few 1.88. .50 and 1 2.50
Subs is why it's very difficult to make real $$ video on the other hand is not part of any subs scheme.
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I have a few photos that get downloaded every day, some even multiple times every single day. They get downloaded without fail, even on weekends. I get in a panic when I don't see them sell by noon. If I were somehow good enough to create 500 of those, I would easily make $3K a month. You'd really not even need that many. $3k a month is probably 150-200 downloads a day after throwing in OD, ELs and SODs that would naturally come with that many sales.
Unfortunately, I'm not good enough, but I have no doubt there are people out there who are.
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I have a few photos that get downloaded every day, some even multiple times every single day. They get downloaded without fail, even on weekends. I get in a panic when I don't see them sell by noon. If I were somehow good enough to create 500 of those, I would easily make $3K a month. You'd really not even need that many. $3k a month is probably 150-200 downloads a day after throwing in OD, ELs and SODs that would naturally come with that many sales.
Unfortunately, I'm not good enough, but I have no doubt there are people out there who are.
You can't just have a go and purposely create a guaranteed super-seller, because very often the most mediocre, unremarkable shots become the best sellers. beautiful shiny near perfectly executed stocky stuff will generally sell ok, but the mentioned before kind of shots often leave them in the dust.
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Shoot 300-500 of these and Blam Bobs your uncle!
(http://thumb7.shutterstock.com/thumb_small/2700/2700,1242901087,1/stock-photo-closeup-of-business-people-shaking-hands-over-a-deal-30670783.jpg)
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Shoot 300-500 of these and Blam Bobs your uncle!
([url]http://thumb7.shutterstock.com/thumb_small/2700/2700,1242901087,1/stock-photo-closeup-of-business-people-shaking-hands-over-a-deal-30670783.jpg[/url])
Not anymore! Shot these type of images and you will be on a first name basis with all the other homeless folks that live in your neighborhood. 8)
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But I did come up with an answer for the original question. "What is needed to make $3K from 500-800 images?" Start with $2,900. ;)
ROFL! Best answer in the thread!
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Yes Lisa I agree ;)
My Very Best :)
KimsCreativeHub.com
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Shoot 300-500 of these and Blam Bobs your uncle!
([url]http://thumb7.shutterstock.com/thumb_small/2700/2700,1242901087,1/stock-photo-closeup-of-business-people-shaking-hands-over-a-deal-30670783.jpg[/url])
ohh, this is one of those brilliantly original shots that microstockers fear someone may start to copy :)) this and happy smiling beautiful people... don't post those people, someone will steal the idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I've read all four pages and I'm none the bloody wiser. Therefore, I intend to forget all about the notion of earning three large from just 500 - 800 images and aim for 5,000 - 8,000.
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I've read all four pages and I'm none the bloody wiser. Therefore, I intend to forget all about the notion of earning three large from just 500 - 800 images and aim for 5,000 - 8,000.
The reality is....well, this is the reality. Most micro stockers need 5000-8000 images to make any decent money. For 500-800 you would need:
1. A style that is VERY HARD TO COPY
2. An art for which your skills to create are hard to copy
3. A market niche (there is demand for your concepts).
The lions share of micro stockers, including me, are not in this category. And if this level of artistry was so special why would you sell it on micro stock?
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Ok then I bet Nobody had copied THIS idea!
(http://thumb9.shutterstock.com/thumb_small/87944/87944,1212823246,2/stock-photo-five-year-old-boy-with-hands-painted-in-colorful-paints-ready-for-hand-prints-13468741.jpg)
do 500 -800 of these and there you go, Bobs Your Uncle!
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Ok then I bet Nobody had copied THIS idea!
([url]http://thumb9.shutterstock.com/thumb_small/87944/87944,1212823246,2/stock-photo-five-year-old-boy-with-hands-painted-in-colorful-paints-ready-for-hand-prints-13468741.jpg[/url])
do 500 -800 of these and there you go, Bobs Your Uncle!
That's not even an idea. Every second family album since the 60s' may have a similar snapshot. Any shot you might see in microstock is a regurgitation of something that has been done to death decades ago in ads or hundreds of years ago in art, it's just that most microstockers are way too uneducated to realize it. Their claims of others stealing their nonexisting ideas just makes them look like a stupid rube in the eyes of anyone with just a minimal art education....
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Ok then I bet Nobody had copied THIS idea!
([url]http://thumb9.shutterstock.com/thumb_small/87944/87944,1212823246,2/stock-photo-five-year-old-boy-with-hands-painted-in-colorful-paints-ready-for-hand-prints-13468741.jpg[/url])
do 500 -800 of these and there you go, Bobs Your Uncle!
That's not even an idea. Every second family album since the 60s' may have a similar snapshot. Any shot you might see in microstock is a regurgitation of something that has been done to death decades ago in ads or hundreds of years ago in art, it's just that most microstockers are way too uneducated to realize it. Their claims of others stealing their nonexisting ideas just makes them look like a stupid rube in the eyes of anyone with just a minimal art education....
Your stupid posts make me laugh.
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Ok then I bet Nobody had copied THIS idea!
([url]http://thumb9.shutterstock.com/thumb_small/87944/87944,1212823246,2/stock-photo-five-year-old-boy-with-hands-painted-in-colorful-paints-ready-for-hand-prints-13468741.jpg[/url])
do 500 -800 of these and there you go, Bobs Your Uncle!
That's not even an idea. Every second family album since the 60s' may have a similar snapshot. Any shot you might see in microstock is a regurgitation of something that has been done to death decades ago in ads or hundreds of years ago in art, it's just that most microstockers are way too uneducated to realize it. Their claims of others stealing their nonexisting ideas just makes them look like a stupid rube in the eyes of anyone with just a minimal art education....
Your stupid posts make me laugh.
I see I hit the nail on the head with that post...
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(http://thumb9.shutterstock.com/thumb_small/87944/87944,1212823246,2/stock-photo-five-year-old-boy-with-hands-painted-in-colorful-paints-ready-for-hand-prints-13468741.jpg)
... slightly off topic here but I was in Russia a couple of years ago and saw this on a bunch of billboards in St. Petersburg. Adorable image. Wish it was one of mine 8)
...and back on topic - whoever has the answer is probably busy making images ...
which is what I should go back to doing. Happy spring!
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Any shot you might see in microstock is a regurgitation of something that has been done to death decades ago in ads or hundreds of years ago in art,
(http://freesmileyface.net/smiley/laughing/laughing-019.gif)And you believe this?
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Ok then I bet Nobody had copied THIS idea!
([url]http://thumb9.shutterstock.com/thumb_small/87944/87944,1212823246,2/stock-photo-five-year-old-boy-with-hands-painted-in-colorful-paints-ready-for-hand-prints-13468741.jpg[/url])
do 500 -800 of these and there you go, Bobs Your Uncle!
That's not even an idea. Every second family album since the 60s' may have a similar snapshot. Any shot you might see in microstock is a regurgitation of something that has been done to death decades ago in ads or hundreds of years ago in art, it's just that most microstockers are way too uneducated to realize it. Their claims of others stealing their nonexisting ideas just makes them look like a stupid rube in the eyes of anyone with just a minimal art education....
Your stupid posts make me laugh.
I see I hit the nail on the head with that post...
Oh you silly boy.
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Oh wait, I came up with another answer. "What is needed to make $3K from 500-800 images?" Another 5000 to 8000 images! :D
But I did come up with an answer for the original question. "What is needed to make $3K from 500-800 images?" Start with $2,900. ;)
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And if this level of artistry was so special why would you sell it on micro stock?
exactly.
they would sell a dozen prints in art galleries for 50K $
but trust me, you don't really need such artistry for art galleries, yesterday i stumbled upon a gallery and among dozens of other weird images they were selling the photo o a tree for 800 bucks, i asked the owner and he started raving about esotheric symbology, conceptualism, hidden meanings, wheel of life, death and rebirth, poetry, bla bla bla bla bla bla and finally "if you really like it i can make a fat discount" !
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Any shot you might see in microstock is a regurgitation of something that has been done to death decades ago in ads or hundreds of years ago in art,
([url]http://freesmileyface.net/smiley/laughing/laughing-019.gif[/url])And you believe this?
It's hardly a question of belief. Not everyone comes to microstock photography from burger flippin' you know. I know this will inevitably sound snobbish but to clear things up: my father is painter and I'v been an art director for a decade, art major from a pretty elite university. When I'v been browsing stock as a buyer for years I don't think I ever seen anything original with some rare exception, which was usually something pretty nonsensical. Read a few (many) art/art history books, ad awards publications, annuals & get a clue.
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Ok then I bet Nobody had copied THIS idea!
([url]http://thumb9.shutterstock.com/thumb_small/87944/87944,1212823246,2/stock-photo-five-year-old-boy-with-hands-painted-in-colorful-paints-ready-for-hand-prints-13468741.jpg[/url])
do 500 -800 of these and there you go, Bobs Your Uncle!
That's not even an idea. Every second family album since the 60s' may have a similar snapshot. Any shot you might see in microstock is a regurgitation of something that has been done to death decades ago in ads or hundreds of years ago in art, it's just that most microstockers are way too uneducated to realize it. Their claims of others stealing their nonexisting ideas just makes them look like a stupid rube in the eyes of anyone with just a minimal art education....
Your stupid posts make me laugh.
I see I hit the nail on the head with that post...
Oh you silly boy.
It was such a perfectly unnecessary (=butthurt) reply by you, I just couldn't resist pointing out... :)
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Bobs Your Uncle!
I don't know about that - one of my aunties had a beard so we were never quite sure.
On the art thing, put a headset on the Mona Lisa.
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Ok then I bet Nobody had copied THIS idea!
([url]http://thumb9.shutterstock.com/thumb_small/87944/87944,1212823246,2/stock-photo-five-year-old-boy-with-hands-painted-in-colorful-paints-ready-for-hand-prints-13468741.jpg[/url])
do 500 -800 of these and there you go, Bobs Your Uncle!
That's not even an idea. Every second family album since the 60s' may have a similar snapshot. Any shot you might see in microstock is a regurgitation of something that has been done to death decades ago in ads or hundreds of years ago in art, it's just that most microstockers are way too uneducated to realize it. Their claims of others stealing their nonexisting ideas just makes them look like a stupid rube in the eyes of anyone with just a minimal art education....
Your stupid posts make me laugh.
I see I hit the nail on the head with that post...
Oh you silly boy.
It was such a perfectly unnecessary (=butthurt) reply by you, I just couldn't resist pointing out... :)
You are a very arrogant individual, one who infers that he/she is far more educated and experienced than the masses who choose to be a part of this forum. You make COMPLETELY UNSUBSTANTIATED statements in here that we are all STUPID, yet you are the mighty engine of success. Your rhetoric essentially states that if we micro stock contributors had your level of expertise, we'd all be successful. Have you returned from fantasyland yet?
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You are a very arrogant individual, one who infers that he/she is far more educated and experienced than the masses who choose to be a part of this forum...
Yes, out loud: I am actually 100% sure of that. Last time I checked this wasn't exactly a high art academy board. But you are welcome, raise your hands: how many have taken years of classical/contemporary/applied art classes, drawn/painted hundreds of portraits, figures, nudes, done posters, billboards, annuals, you name it, anything since photoshop (and the rest) 1.0? Of course this is arrogance to you, what else could you say.
. You make COMPLETELY UNSUBSTANTIATED statements in here that we are all STUPID, yet you are the mighty engine of success. Your rhetoric essentially states that if we micro stock contributors had your level of expertise, we'd all be successful. Have you returned from fantasyland yet?
What does this delusional rant has to do with my posts? Did I say anything about success in micro or it's relation to expertise in art? You don't need any of that to be successful in micro... and yes I insist: running around claiming that these things like a balancing elephant montage or a handshake shot is his/her idea to be safeguarded from concept thievery, does make them look extremely stupid * 100000000000... but that's not everybody. I'm sure there are many people here that get same amount of laughs out of these originality claims in micro. Here are some caps from me too : It's STUPID :)
Just check SS forums, people going in there all up in arms about their "idea getting stolen" then others just keep posting the link after link after of "his idea" often from decades ago. How can someone be that stupid? Quite amazing.
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I think there is a difference in a copied idea and a copied work. In the SS forums they dont claim the idea is theirs that often, they just point out someone copied their image. Which is a different case. Imo
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You are a very arrogant individual, one who infers that he/she is far more educated and experienced than the masses who choose to be a part of this forum...
Yes, out loud: I am actually 100% sure of that. Last time I checked this wasn't exactly a high art academy board. But you are welcome, raise your hands: how many have taken years of classical/contemporary/applied art classes, drawn/painted hundreds of portraits, figures, nudes, done posters, billboards, annuals, you name it, anything since photoshop (and the rest) 1.0? Of course this is arrogance to you, what else could you say.
. You make COMPLETELY UNSUBSTANTIATED statements in here that we are all STUPID, yet you are the mighty engine of success. Your rhetoric essentially states that if we micro stock contributors had your level of expertise, we'd all be successful. Have you returned from fantasyland yet?
What does this delusional rant has to do with my posts? Did I say anything about success in micro or it's relation to expertise in art? You don't need any of that to be successful in micro... and yes I insist: running around claiming that these things like a balancing elephant montage or a handshake shot is his/her idea to be safeguarded from concept thievery, does make them look extremely stupid * 100000000000... but that's not everybody. I'm sure there are many people here that get same amount of laughs out of these originality claims in micro. Here are some caps from me too : It's STUPID :)
Just check SS forums, people going in there all up in arms about their "idea getting stolen" then others just keep posting the link after link after of "his idea" often from decades ago. How can someone be that stupid? Quite amazing.
Hands up those of you that did this then lowered yourself to microstock?
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You are a very arrogant individual, one who infers that he/she is far more educated and experienced than the masses who choose to be a part of this forum...
Yes, out loud: I am actually 100% sure of that. Last time I checked this wasn't exactly a high art academy board. But you are welcome, raise your hands: how many have taken years of classical/contemporary/applied art classes, drawn/painted hundreds of portraits, figures, nudes, done posters, billboards, annuals, you name it, anything since photoshop (and the rest) 1.0? Of course this is arrogance to you, what else could you say.
. You make COMPLETELY UNSUBSTANTIATED statements in here that we are all STUPID, yet you are the mighty engine of success. Your rhetoric essentially states that if we micro stock contributors had your level of expertise, we'd all be successful. Have you returned from fantasyland yet?
What does this delusional rant has to do with my posts? Did I say anything about success in micro or it's relation to expertise in art? You don't need any of that to be successful in micro... and yes I insist: running around claiming that these things like a balancing elephant montage or a handshake shot is his/her idea to be safeguarded from concept thievery, does make them look extremely stupid * 100000000000... but that's not everybody. I'm sure there are many people here that get same amount of laughs out of these originality claims in micro. Here are some caps from me too : It's STUPID :)
Just check SS forums, people going in there all up in arms about their "idea getting stolen" then others just keep posting the link after link after of "his idea" often from decades ago. How can someone be that stupid? Quite amazing.
I have (answer to the above bold text)
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Koss Stereophones 1979
(http://s5.postimg.org/gl0sunnc7/koss_1979.jpg)
:D
On the art thing, put a headset on the Mona Lisa.
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Microstock is not art it is about commercial images
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You are a very arrogant individual, one who infers that he/she is far more educated and experienced than the masses who choose to be a part of this forum...
Yes, out loud: I am actually 100% sure of that. Last time I checked this wasn't exactly a high art academy board. But you are welcome, raise your hands: how many have taken years of classical/contemporary/applied art classes, drawn/painted hundreds of portraits, figures, nudes, done posters, billboards, annuals, you name it, anything since photoshop (and the rest) 1.0? Of course this is arrogance to you, what else could you say.
. You make COMPLETELY UNSUBSTANTIATED statements in here that we are all STUPID, yet you are the mighty engine of success. Your rhetoric essentially states that if we micro stock contributors had your level of expertise, we'd all be successful. Have you returned from fantasyland yet?
What does this delusional rant has to do with my posts? Did I say anything about success in micro or it's relation to expertise in art? You don't need any of that to be successful in micro... and yes I insist: running around claiming that these things like a balancing elephant montage or a handshake shot is his/her idea to be safeguarded from concept thievery, does make them look extremely stupid * 100000000000... but that's not everybody. I'm sure there are many people here that get same amount of laughs out of these originality claims in micro. Here are some caps from me too : It's STUPID :)
Just check SS forums, people going in there all up in arms about their "idea getting stolen" then others just keep posting the link after link after of "his idea" often from decades ago. How can someone be that stupid? Quite amazing.
Hands up those of you that did this then lowered yourself to microstock?
Believe me whoring away at ad agencies is not a classy thing at all. Especially nowadays with this disgustingly bad taste all over everything. Last time art director, graphic artist was a 'noble occupation' was about 20 years ago at best.
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You are a very arrogant individual, one who infers that he/she is far more educated and experienced than the masses who choose to be a part of this forum...
Yes, out loud: I am actually 100% sure of that. Last time I checked this wasn't exactly a high art academy board. But you are welcome, raise your hands: how many have taken years of classical/contemporary/applied art classes, drawn/painted hundreds of portraits, figures, nudes, done posters, billboards, annuals, you name it, anything since photoshop (and the rest) 1.0? Of course this is arrogance to you, what else could you say.
. You make COMPLETELY UNSUBSTANTIATED statements in here that we are all STUPID, yet you are the mighty engine of success. Your rhetoric essentially states that if we micro stock contributors had your level of expertise, we'd all be successful. Have you returned from fantasyland yet?
What does this delusional rant has to do with my posts? Did I say anything about success in micro or it's relation to expertise in art? You don't need any of that to be successful in micro... and yes I insist: running around claiming that these things like a balancing elephant montage or a handshake shot is his/her idea to be safeguarded from concept thievery, does make them look extremely stupid * 100000000000... but that's not everybody. I'm sure there are many people here that get same amount of laughs out of these originality claims in micro. Here are some caps from me too : It's STUPID :)
Just check SS forums, people going in there all up in arms about their "idea getting stolen" then others just keep posting the link after link after of "his idea" often from decades ago. How can someone be that stupid? Quite amazing.
I have (answer to the above bold text)
Well that makes 2, and I'm quite confident that's about it here.
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But I did come up with an answer for the original question. "What is needed to make $3K from 500-800 images?" Start with $2,900. ;)
If there is an MSG Hall of Fame, this answer needs to be entered
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Yes, out loud: I am actually 100% sure of that. Last time I checked this wasn't exactly a high art academy board. But you are welcome, raise your hands: how many have taken years of classical/contemporary/applied art classes, drawn/painted hundreds of portraits, figures, nudes, done posters, billboards, annuals, you name it, anything since photoshop (and the rest) 1.0? Of course this is arrogance to you, what else could you say.
This does not make you a better stock photographer. 'Art director' sounds very nice and also art classes etc... but I know many so called artists and art directors that create stuff that looks like crap. (I am in advertising for over 15 years and working 10 years as self employed also working for big company's like Peugeot and Audi) I am not saying you make crap but stating you are an art director or artist does not mean you are very good and better in judging work. And if you were you would be able to outsell the others here since you have commercial and art skills. One of my friends is trying to get a job teaching art and painting. She thinks she is really skilled but her work looks like my 9 year old son made it. But she did 'art classes' and all that and thinks she is really great. A good art director would know what to create and would know the marked and should be able to translate this into commercial images. But again... I am NOT saying your work is crap. But I also think that it sound a little bit like you are trying to look important. If your sales numbers could back this up you would have a point. :)
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This does not make you a better stock photographer.
Did I say it does? You need to recheck, the conversation was about something else...
But now that you mentioned it, it does. Coming form a graphic artist background obviously gives you a head start at producing graphic artist compatible images.
'Art director' sounds very nice and also art classes etc... but I know many so called artists and art directors that create stuff that looks like crap. (I am in advertising for over 15 years and working 10 years as self employed also working for big company's like Peugeot and Audi) I am not saying you make crap but stating you are an art director or artist does not mean you are very good and better in judging work. And if you were you would be able to outsell the others here since you have commercial and art skills. One of my friends is trying to get a job teaching art and painting. She thinks she is really skilled but her work looks like my 9 year old son made it. But she did 'art classes' and all that and thinks she is really great.
I didn't do 'art classes'. I went to the applied graphics department of an art university. The output of the the ad industry is mostly crap. that's not new. The marketing people clients employ are usually so thick light bends around them, and their taste in visuals is of a back alley pimp.
A good art director would know what to create and would know the marked and should be able to translate this into commercial images. But again... I am NOT saying your work is crap. But I also think that it sound a little bit like you are trying to look important. If your sales numbers could back this up you would have a point. :)
You just wrote few sentences ago it doesn't make you a better stock photographer. Bit of a self contradiction.
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It does help. But I meant that if you are an art director it does not automaticly make you a better stock photographer just because your businesscard says you are an art director. It depends on how good of an art director you are. So if the average stock artist would make xx amount with xxx images you should be above that average level. If not... you can have art director behind your name but it does not mean you have better skills in photography.
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I have (answer to the above bold text)
[/quote]
[/quote]
Well that makes 2, and I'm quite confident that's about it here.
[/quote]
No you are not right. I am too and I know a few other artists. Illustrators. I guess they are reading this forum bur not participating. Why, well this is not a very friendly place, I was insulted a few days ago with no reason. I don't communicate that way. When they show you that you are not welcome, you leave, don't you.