Stock Photos

[DigiDiva]

Can anyone explain how it works and recommend any good websites to post photos on to sell as stock?

[KeithT]

Hi Chris,

Stock photo sites are quite numerous these days. The good ones tend to have very high submission conditions for acceptance, and so be sure to read their guide lines thoroughly before sending them images. These days you can upload low res images for them to see and choose, but they will require fairly high res stuff for offering to their clients as a rule. Stock sites range from the top of the tree like Getty Images, to the smaller micro stock sites like iStock linked to here.

Overall, they are not places where you will make a fortune. Even earning a small amount isn't guaranteed. To begin earning regularly, you will need to have at least 1000 images in a bank. The really successful stock image photographers, who do it for a living, usually have their own studio setups.

Watch this video from Youtube for further guidance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KCd9...eature=related


Two sites to consider contributing to below

http://www.istockphoto.com/sell-stock-photos.php

http://submit.shutterstock.com/

And finally this: http://www.microstockdiaries.com/how-to-microstock.html

[DigiDiva]

Thanks for that. I'm nowhere near ready for it yet, as Im not that experienced but its an idea I have for the future. Any tips?

[KeithT]

My tips would be to research the market you want to aim for; specialize; and be the very best you can be. Try not to build your library around the usual stuff people send. Anne Geddes is a great photographer to aspire to: http://uk.images.search.yahoo.com/se...va=anne+geddes

[Cathus]

my tips would be to avoid micro stock sites, these are sites which sell your shots for a dollar & you get 40-60c.

unless you sell thousands & thousands the money you get back is rubbish & you're selling a photo for 70p that anyone can use for any purpose they want.

Usually they have a cut off point before you actually get them to send you your commission, maybe $50 - 70 -100 which means you have to sell hundreds of shots before you make a penny from them.

Given the number of photographers on these sites they must have hundreds of thousands of pounds in their bank account meant for people who haven't even reached the cutoff because it takes them so long to reach that level of earnings.

If you want to do it, try & get signed up with a site which sells images for a reasonable return & not pence.

Just my experience form an experiment I did3 or 4 years ago.

[Stars]

I had a quick look at a couple of sites a number of months ago. What put me off was the information they wanted from me; passport details; and I couldn't figure out why they would want that info.

Rog

[DigiDiva]

Think I will give it a miss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks guys

[karenoliver]

You're probably better off attending newsy events or shooting interesting scenes locally and trying to sell them to the press. Although that is hard these days as most local newspapers have flickr groups and get shots for free that way, by just crediting the photographer. I had one local magazine ask me for some shots this week and all they wanted to do was credit me! A real cheek especially as the mag is produced by a local hotelier who has over 7 hotels and can afford to pay!

Karen

[DigiDiva]

Im pleased it's just a hobby cos I would hate to be struggling to make a living out of it. Can't be easy and it's so competative.

[AndyStevens]

Stock is a lot of hard work for very little return. I've been on Alamy a few years now and make the odd sale. As KeithT mentions, you need at least 1,000 images to be making regular sales - and the consensus among Alamy contributors is that should be 10,000!! As for subject matter, well, the world is your lobster. My first sale was off a front door of a run down house! The newspaper ran a feature on how we were having to buy old houses and do them up so a front door with peeling paint fitted the bill.

I've also sold views of National Trust properties, Peacocks and Air-Sea Rescue helicopters so there's scope for pretty much anything.

As Karen says though, you're better off going local. I've kept away from newspapers as I know they're tight and am looking more at specialist local interest magazines - the sort who like a nice landscape as a double-page spread each month. I've even emailed Editors with thumbnails attached saying 'did you know they're doing XYZ' which has resulted in publication/money. To give you an idea of difference in money though - the last Alamy sale netted me less than £20 by the time they'd taken their cut and the last magazine spread was £200!

You could also check out local venues - my dad paints and hangs stuff in his doctor's waiting room - and they sell! There is scope to get stuff in local hotels etc but make sure you're a hard business person - don't do the 'well hang it up for 6 months and give me a fiver if it sells' - sell them the framed print at a decent mark up and let them add their own margin on top (I'm doing this at the moment - well, in the negotiation stages but they should be on walls very soon as they've agreed to buy some).

I think the motto is;

Stock does not rock