Stock Photos

[DigiDiva]

HAHA, maybe I need to think of something else........

[OldBoy]

Originally Posted by DJT

Have a look at www.fotolibra.com, you pay £18 a quarter to be a member and they go 50/50 with any sales.

That must make it a win win situation for them.

[Kerry Holt]

DD try picturenation they're not too bad.

[Mudcrabmal]

Another one to look at is www.globaleyeimages.com they are Australian and I'm giving them a go they do have a yearly fee which i think in pounds is about 130 but if you sell an image for 500 bucks you get the 500 bucks. They also help you calculate the price to sell at as it varies depending on use and lots of other stuff as well.

[chris-p]

The problem with all stock photography sites is that there are too many of them - this thread demonstrates that nicely.

You used to be able to make money out of stock because not many people had cameras and were capable of taking decent pictures. Now the world and their wife have a digital camera and there are literally millions of people uploading rubbish to every single stock and micro-stock site every day. This leads to two major difficulties:

First of all you can't just be "good" any more. You're pictures have to stand out from all the cr*p and all the generally good stuff. As others have mentioned, the best way to do that is to find a niche, which is what some photographers spend their lives attempting.

The second issue is that, with the frantic levels of submission, the commission rates drop and they start charging a fortune. The example of Fotolibra above is perfect. I shot a Landrover Experience event a couple of weeks ago and, so far I've made £200 and we've got several people looking for large prints which should net a few bob as well. If I'd sold through Fotolibra I'd have lost money.

As far as I can see, the only way to make significant money out of stock is to have been a decent, well known, stock photographer before everyone else decided to have a bash!

[DigiDiva]

Back to the drawing board.....

Its wouldn't be about making money for me, it would be to see my photos somewhere being viewed and maybe in someones office etc instead of sitting unloved on my hard drive!

[KeithT]

Chris, running photographic holidays is a good idea. You don't have to have any credits to your name, but being a hotelier for a number of years myself, you will have to have plenty of stamina. You will also need the enthusiasm to walk all day with your guests and come back to cook them dinner in the evening. Just provide the holidays for those who want the scenery without the workshops. You or your husband can act as a guide with a camera and let the guests do their own thing. Offer advice to beginners as the ask for it.

[DigiDiva]

Originally Posted by KeithT

Chris, running photographic holidays is a good idea. You don't have to have any credits to your name, but being a hotelier for a number of years myself, you will have to have plenty of stamina. You will also need the enthusiasm to walk all day with your guests and come back to cook them dinner in the evening. Just provide the holidays for those who want the scenery without the workshops. You or your husband can act as a guide with a camera and let the guests do their own thing. Offer advice to beginners as the ask for it.

My hubby is into cycling. We were planning on him taking people out to the best cycling in the area and me driving around the most secret and scenic areas (not walking..lol) for photographs and to give advice (don't laugh, I will be 1st class by this happens..lol). I would provide breakfast and lunch (packed lunches) and they can do what they want evenings as we will all be sick of the site of one another by then!!!!

[binliner]

In my experiences with stock, if you have some good photos and can get accepted onto one of the big sites you will make some sales. Yes there are millions of images already on stock libraries but styles and markets change, people want up to date photos of places and new photos of people. Your work needs to be at least as good or more original than the thousands of other images of the same thing though!

Selling prints online is difficult with so much competition unless you can generate customer in the real world. Exhibitions are better and more fun! Covering events, giving out leaflets for your website and uploading the pictures to a website where people can buy prints has probably been my most consistent way of making money from photography though.

[DigiDiva]

Thanks binliner.....love your name, whats the story behind it?