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DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> To those opposing Shutterstock- where do you sell?
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 03/19/2005 10:39:00 AM · #1
Hi Everyone,

I have read a few threads that featured topics about shutterstock. It seems like a good idea for hobby photographers and a good way to bring in some extra dollars.

I was thinking about joining it until I read a couple posts from those asking "why are you giving your photos away"? True. . . I do not want to give my photos away for .20 each. So where should I sell them? Where have all of you had success? I currently photograph portraits and weddings, however, I really would like to get into stock photography on the side. I just do not want to cheapen my work.

Thanks for your help!
 03/19/2005 01:09:55 PM · #2
Originally posted by clarmore:
Hi Everyone,

I have read a few threads that featured topics about shutterstock. It seems like a good idea for hobby photographers and a good way to bring in some extra dollars.

I was thinking about joining it until I read a couple posts from those asking "why are you giving your photos away"? True. . . I do not want to give my photos away for .20 each. So where should I sell them? Where have all of you had success? I currently photograph portraits and weddings, however, I really would like to get into stock photography on the side. I just do not want to cheapen my work.

Thanks for your help!


For many, Alamy.com seems like a good first step. You only need 10-15 images to start and they are not picky of what they accept. Just as long as you follow the technical guidelines. (min 48mb, interpolation ok). Check them out. If anything they have a lot of great info for new submissions.

You may also want to read these:
//talks.blogs.com/phototalk/2004/04/istockphotocom_.html

//www.pdngallery.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=001074

//groups-beta.google.com/group/bit.listproc.stockphoto

- John
 03/19/2005 01:12:01 PM · #3
Try getty images too or wireimage if you're into that kind of thing.
 03/19/2005 01:19:34 PM · #4
I am selling at piupinoo.com a new agency and lately a smaller but older local agency has agreed to look at some of my images. i really would encourage dpcers interested in stock, to build up a library of images and use an agency that will give you more money, or for that matter go directly to cards, postcard, local magazines to your area, etc. there are several oppurtinites and there are may options. Also you can look up jim pickerall on line and photosource for industry standard pricing. When you negotiate prces directly with places. Also you can try local businesses that appeal to you for things like business reports etc.

Message edited by author 2005-03-19 13:20:17.
 03/19/2005 01:44:23 PM · #5
I am preparing photos for both publication and stock right now (in that order). Once I get a few published (lots of work, by the way), I can approach a major stock agency like Corbis, if I feel I can keep up; it's been a busy year, so I'm not sure I can keep up the pace of what a really good stock agency requires.

I think many of the photographers here could do this. There are several fine stock photo agencies out there that do it all for you: they not only take and sell your photos, but they represent you on occasion and give you assignments according to location and specialty. Corbis is one of the foremost--and quite frankly, I'm not sure I qualify with them yet.

If you can manage 200-300 new good photos each year, a larger agency might be for you, but you usually have to have some sort of track record first--usually through publication or exhibition.
 03/19/2005 01:51:21 PM · #6
I tried interpolating my images from the D300 but I couldn't get them above 31 MB let alone 48!
03/19/2005 02:36:52 PM · #7
Originally posted by mavrik:
I tried interpolating my images from the D300 but I couldn't get them above 31 MB let alone 48!


Try Genuine Fractals. (free trial version on their site). On my D70 I took jpgs/fine (which are around 17mb opened in PS and saved as a tiff), then used GF to bring them up to 48mb. Alamy accepted them. In fact, that's what they ask you to do on their site. I've also seen good results interpolating in Photoshop (bicubic smoother) but only do it in 10% increments. Set up an action for it then keep hitting that key until you're at 48.
 03/19/2005 03:01:44 PM · #8
Originally posted by mavrik:
I tried interpolating my images from the D300 but I couldn't get them above 31 MB let alone 48!


If you are shooting in Raw and your images are sharp to begin with you should have no problem whatsoever. I brought a number of images taken with my 300D to 50Mb. All I used was PS Bicubic in 2 steps.
03/19/2005 04:09:15 PM · #9
Or, you can sell on shutterstock and istockphoto...

I am interested to know how much people have made so far on all the other sites like allamy and pinupio. So far on shutterstock I've made about $140 and $65 on istock with the same images. Im pretty satisfied with them.
03/19/2005 04:09:35 PM · #10
With Alamy you likely have to buy the interpolation software they recommend to get the images at the sizes they want. You cant sharpen the images so they have to be extremely sharp to start with. You have to send them on a CD to the UK so I doubt you can do one or two every so often. I didnt get any further so likely you have to provide an X amount of images monthly or so too. Then on top of all that you have to hope that someone out there is willing to buy your image for 120 dollars or so. Personally I cant see it. All that trouble and you probably wont even get 23 cents from it.
 03/19/2005 05:08:51 PM · #11
So is anyone actually having good luck ($$) with Alamy? Is there any cost to submit or keep images there (other than your own internal costs)? What kind of prices do they sell them for?
 03/19/2005 09:03:42 PM · #12
Originally posted by moodville:
With Alamy you likely have to buy the interpolation software they recommend to get the images at the sizes they want. You cant sharpen the images so they have to be extremely sharp to start with. You have to send them on a CD to the UK so I doubt you can do one or two every so often. I didnt get any further so likely you have to provide an X amount of images monthly or so too. Then on top of all that you have to hope that someone out there is willing to buy your image for 120 dollars or so. Personally I cant see it. All that trouble and you probably wont even get 23 cents from it.


I guess I'll just give up because nobody loves me and besides the world is comeing to an end and nothing ever goes right and I could never possibly get paid for anything I have created and the whole world is doom and gloom.

So because you were to lazy to read what was posted on the site you decide to make up the rest. That will get you through life. Hope your 23 cents gets you far.
 03/19/2005 09:05:50 PM · #13
Originally posted by nico_blue:
Or, you can sell on shutterstock and istockphoto...

I am interested to know how much people have made so far on all the other sites like allamy and pinupio. So far on shutterstock I've made about $140 and $65 on istock with the same images. Im pretty satisfied with them.


How long did it take you to make that much? Sounds a little shy of my monthly beer tab.
 03/19/2005 09:55:42 PM · #14
Originally posted by nsbca7:
Originally posted by nico_blue:
Or, you can sell on shutterstock and istockphoto...

I am interested to know how much people have made so far on all the other sites like allamy and pinupio. So far on shutterstock I've made about $140 and $65 on istock with the same images. Im pretty satisfied with them.


How long did it take you to make that much? Sounds a little shy of my monthly beer tab.


Whoa... as much as this I'm against the idea of agencies like shutterstock, perhaps you might want to be a bit less haughty about it.... 205 dollars is a reasonable sum to plenty of nineteen year olds.
 03/20/2005 12:16:17 AM · #15
Originally posted by samtrundle:
Originally posted by nsbca7:
Originally posted by nico_blue:
Or, you can sell on shutterstock and istockphoto...

I am interested to know how much people have made so far on all the other sites like allamy and pinupio. So far on shutterstock I've made about $140 and $65 on istock with the same images. Im pretty satisfied with them.


How long did it take you to make that much? Sounds a little shy of my monthly beer tab.


Whoa... as much as this I'm against the idea of agencies like shutterstock, perhaps you might want to be a bit less haughty about it.... 205 dollars is a reasonable sum to plenty of nineteen year olds.


I started at the end of December/beginning of January... My G5 cost me $400 so im half way there to returning on my 'investment'.
03/20/2005 12:28:16 AM · #16
Originally posted by nico_blue:
Originally posted by samtrundle:
Originally posted by nsbca7:
Originally posted by nico_blue:
Or, you can sell on shutterstock and istockphoto...

I am interested to know how much people have made so far on all the other sites like allamy and pinupio. So far on shutterstock I've made about $140 and $65 on istock with the same images. Im pretty satisfied with them.


How long did it take you to make that much? Sounds a little shy of my monthly beer tab.


Whoa... as much as this I'm against the idea of agencies like shutterstock, perhaps you might want to be a bit less haughty about it.... 205 dollars is a reasonable sum to plenty of nineteen year olds.


I started at the end of December/beginning of January... My G5 cost me $400 so im half way there to returning on my 'investment'.


Not too bad.
03/20/2005 12:41:26 AM · #17
So has anyone had success with Alamy? Would anyone be willing to put out some figures?

Chris A
 03/20/2005 12:45:45 AM · #18
Originally posted by nsbca7:
Originally posted by moodville:
With Alamy you likely have to buy the interpolation software they recommend to get the images at the sizes they want. You cant sharpen the images so they have to be extremely sharp to start with. You have to send them on a CD to the UK so I doubt you can do one or two every so often. I didnt get any further so likely you have to provide an X amount of images monthly or so too. Then on top of all that you have to hope that someone out there is willing to buy your image for 120 dollars or so. Personally I cant see it. All that trouble and you probably wont even get 23 cents from it.


I guess I'll just give up because nobody loves me and besides the world is comeing to an end and nothing ever goes right and I could never possibly get paid for anything I have created and the whole world is doom and gloom.


Hrm, what was that thing I heard about onion skins?

Originally posted by nsbca7:
So because you were to lazy to read what was posted on the site you decide to make up the rest. That will get you through life. Hope your 23 cents gets you far.


I read it enough to see that it was not something I was able to fulfil the requirements for. I did not make up 'the rest' I simply mentioned that I believed they also required a continued upload in order to maintain an account there, which is something I've heard a lot of the stock agencies like Alamy and Corbis require.

I was neither attacking Alamy or defending shutterstock and the like. But with people claiming they are making 100+ dollars a month at 20+ cent stock agencies and people claiming they are making 150+ dollars per download it is all very intoxicating to people with shining dollar signs in their eyes. The fact of the matter is that even if someone can get lucky enough to be approved at a stock agency like Alamy then they are likely facing a very long wait until they get an image sold. That isnt doom and gloom, that is realism. The people who have the appropriate images, the portfolio, and the inventory to do well at the 'high-end' stock agencies are the people who are doing it and not asking about it on DPC. On the other hand the people who are getting 100+ dollars a month at the 'cheap-end' stock agencies are the ones who would likely do well at the 'high-end' agencies. Then there are plenty of other people who make 4-5 dollars a month and who are the average photographer who is asking the question about selling stock. If they can only sell 4-5 dollars a month at basically a cheap fest then chances are they wouldnt fare very well at places at Alamy.

Message edited by author 2005-03-20 00:48:27.
 03/20/2005 12:56:42 AM · #19
Originally posted by Montereykiddo:
So has anyone had success with Alamy? Would anyone be willing to put out some figures?

Chris A


I'll let you know this summer after I have a few images in thier catalog.
 03/20/2005 01:03:12 AM · #20
Originally posted by moodville:
Originally posted by nsbca7:
Originally posted by moodville:
With Alamy you likely have to buy the interpolation software they recommend to get the images at the sizes they want. You cant sharpen the images so they have to be extremely sharp to start with. You have to send them on a CD to the UK so I doubt you can do one or two every so often. I didnt get any further so likely you have to provide an X amount of images monthly or so too. Then on top of all that you have to hope that someone out there is willing to buy your image for 120 dollars or so. Personally I cant see it. All that trouble and you probably wont even get 23 cents from it.


I guess I'll just give up because nobody loves me and besides the world is comeing to an end and nothing ever goes right and I could never possibly get paid for anything I have created and the whole world is doom and gloom.


Hrm, what was that thing I heard about onion skins?

Originally posted by nsbca7:
So because you were to lazy to read what was posted on the site you decide to make up the rest. That will get you through life. Hope your 23 cents gets you far.


I read it enough to see that it was not something I was able to fulfil the requirements for. I did not make up 'the rest' I simply mentioned that I believed they also required a continued upload in order to maintain an account there, which is something I've heard a lot of the stock agencies like Alamy and Corbis require.

I was neither attacking Alamy or defending shutterstock and the like. But with people claiming they are making 100+ dollars a month at 20+ cent stock agencies and people claiming they are making 150+ dollars per download it is all very intoxicating to people with shining dollar signs in their eyes. The fact of the matter is that even if someone can get lucky enough to be approved at a stock agency like Alamy then they are likely facing a very long wait until they get an image sold. That isnt doom and gloom, that is realism. The people who have the appropriate images, the portfolio, and the inventory to do well at the 'high-end' stock agencies are the people who are doing it and not asking about it on DPC. On the other hand the people who are getting 100+ dollars a month at the 'cheap-end' stock agencies are the ones who would likely do well at the 'high-end' agencies. Then there are plenty of other people who make 4-5 dollars a month and who are the average photographer who is asking the question about selling stock. If they can only sell 4-5 dollars a month at basically a cheap fest then chances are they wouldnt fare very well at places at Alamy.


Fair. But, no, Alamy does not have a set minimum for submissions and their is no charge or catalog fee. If your images are not good then you will not sell many, I agree. If you don't send in many then you will not sell many. That's a given. If you never try you will never know.
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