DPChallenge: A Digital Photography Contest You are not logged in. (log in or register
 

DPChallenge Forums >> Stock Photography >> Stock for beginners
Pages:  
Showing posts 1 - 25 of 50, (reverse)
AuthorThread
10/28/2010 03:46:09 PM · #1
What are some good sites to begin a stock career ;) with?
I found this recommendation on the web, but will like to know more alternatives. Thanx.
10/28/2010 04:56:20 PM · #2
My suggestion would be to start with them that most likely bring you the most money. That would be

Shutterstock, iStockPhoto, Fotolia, Dreamstime, 123RF

The 3d Studio is a good agency too. For me it is low earner, but they accept almost 100% of my image and they are right away online. But then for a beginner it is also good to get rejection as you learn what type of image will be accepted. When sending your images for the approval process, make sure they are sharp, nice free and diversified.

Once you have started uploading and worked out a workflow, then slowly increase the numbers of agencies. You can find a list of agencies that I work with at //stock.hlehnerer.com/SA.html I sort this list once a month by performance.

Good luck for your start in microstock!
10/28/2010 05:00:40 PM · #3
Originally posted by oboy:

My suggestion would be to start with them that most likely bring you the most money. That would be

Shutterstock, iStockPhoto, Fotolia, Dreamstime, 123RF

The 3d Studio is a good agency too. For me it is low earner, but they accept almost 100% of my image and they are right away online. But then for a beginner it is also good to get rejection as you learn what type of image will be accepted. When sending your images for the approval process, make sure they are sharp, nice free and diversified.

Once you have started uploading and worked out a workflow, then slowly increase the numbers of agencies. You can find a list of agencies that I work with at //stock.hlehnerer.com/SA.html I sort this list once a month by performance.

Good luck for your start in microstock!

Fixed the link for you :)
10/28/2010 05:59:49 PM · #4
Ups... Thank you!
11/01/2010 07:27:27 AM · #5
I agree with oboy.

Some people like to 'support' the new sites and perhaps like them because their images get accepted, but you would be a lot better off learning from your rejections on the best sites and getting content accepted there. If you can't get images accepted on Dreamstime, iStock, Shutterstock and Fotolia then you have to improve before you are going to get any sales anyhow.

I would submit to the top 6 or so microstock agencies for starters and go from there. Henrik Lehnerer's list looks like a pretty good list but I am surprised he has Dreamstime so low.
11/01/2010 07:31:30 AM · #6
I just thought i'd ad, Bob Davies just wrote a very long blog post about submitting to microstock with tons of great info. Something all beginners should read.
11/01/2010 09:01:56 AM · #7
How much do people make on this? I have always wanted to start putting up stuff on one of these sites.
11/01/2010 10:32:49 AM · #8
Originally posted by mbrutus2009:

How much do people make on this? I have always wanted to start putting up stuff on one of these sites.


It totally depends on what you put into it and where your skill level is when you start out. If you work hard at it there is nothing stopping you from making a few thousand dollars / month but that takes lots of hard work and nice images. If you just want to dabble with it with a few images (or under 100 images) you should expect $1-$40/month

I have ran a poll the last 2 years for microstock photographers, the results were posted here on the MicrostockGroup Blog You should get some idea of 'averages' there as well.

Message edited by author 2010-11-01 10:34:28.
11/01/2010 12:08:37 PM · #9
Oh cool thanks! :D I can't see myself putting up over 100 photos but 40 bucks in my pocket is better than 0! HAHA!
11/02/2010 04:50:04 AM · #10
Originally posted by mbrutus2009:

Oh cool thanks! :D I can't see myself putting up over 100 photos but 40 bucks in my pocket is better than 0! HAHA!


realistically, if you only upload 100 images on 4-6 sites you should expect less than $10/month. Of course it all depends on your photos

Message edited by author 2010-11-02 04:50:35.
12/16/2010 12:37:42 PM · #11
Do you have to pay anything at these websites listed. and does that mean you loose all rights over the photo you sell?
12/16/2010 01:05:24 PM · #12
Originally posted by Aleema:

Do you have to pay anything at these websites listed. and does that mean you loose all rights over the photo you sell?


No, to both questions. You can even submit the same photos to multiple sites.
12/16/2010 01:26:42 PM · #13
hate to sound pessimistic but it just seems to good to be true. Well maybe the catch is that if ur photos suck you wont make more than $5 a month. Would anyone care to look at my photos to see if they are worth posting on a stock website.
12/16/2010 01:27:01 PM · #14
Originally posted by GinaRothfels:

Originally posted by Aleema:

Do you have to pay anything at these websites listed. and does that mean you loose all rights over the photo you sell?


No, to both questions. You can even submit the same photos to multiple sites.

Note that some sites offer a higher rate for "exclusivity" -- that you only list a particular photo with them and not any other sites. Some sites do it on a photo-by-photo basis, some sites want you to only list anything with them.

However, I think that exclusivity is probably better-suited to someone with experience at sales -- it's really hard to tell at the beginning which photos will sell and which won't. Note that acceptance/rejection patterns will vary among the different sites, as will sales.

I would suggest carefully reading the terms/conditions for all the sites before signing up with any of them, and see which will work the best for your particular situation.
12/16/2010 01:40:03 PM · #15
Originally posted by Aleema:

hate to sound pessimistic but it just seems to good to be true. Well maybe the catch is that if ur photos suck you wont make more than $5 a month.

With microstock sites income is really dependent on the number of pictures you have posted, as well as quality and topicality. I've had (only) 150-200 pictures posted at Shutterstock for quite a while, and yes, I usually average $5-10/month.

On the other hand, I also get the occasional download under their "extended license" agreement -- the other day I got a $28 payment -- and you just never know what kind of picture will sell ...

If you want to sign up at Shutterstock here is my referral link... note that they are quite picky about noise in photos, and they have a rather strict approval policy for new photographers -- send in your very best images to start with.
12/17/2010 07:19:22 AM · #16
Originally posted by Aleema:

hate to sound pessimistic but it just seems to good to be true. Well maybe the catch is that if ur photos suck you wont make more than $5 a month. Would anyone care to look at my photos to see if they are worth posting on a stock website.


If you are expecting a get rich quick scheme them yes it most definitely is too good to be true. For those who have great stock images though, it can certainly be a source of income to compliment your other photography work.
12/17/2010 07:43:06 PM · #17
is it just me or does istockphoto want you to sign your life away and give almost ALL your information out including a copy of your drivers licenses, after reading their manual just about every photo i have is not what they want. This is the first one I have been to but are all the stock websites like this? They named everything u cant do with the photos you upload but they didn't mention if u can put it on other stock websites. Can you?
12/17/2010 08:32:32 PM · #18
Unless you agree to an exclusivity contract, you can put your photos wherever you want.

However, do not put the same photos on microstock sites and rights-managed ("macrostock") sites.

Most of the sites want (are required to obtain, really) an ID and tax information in order to pay out royalties.
12/20/2010 10:16:35 AM · #19
yeah i guess i did not think of it that way. It is like another source of income, and you probably have to file a tax return depending on how much u make?
12/20/2010 01:43:29 PM · #20
AFAIK all of the sites will report payments to the IRS and send you a 1099 (Misc. Income) statement -- if you have to file a tax return anyway it will be reportable income, either as miscellaneous or on Schedule E (Rents and Royalites).
02/08/2011 08:09:59 PM · #21
You may find this post useful too.
02/14/2011 04:51:00 AM · #22
Originally posted by Aleema:

is it just me or does istockphoto want you to sign your life away and give almost ALL your information out including a copy of your drivers licenses, after reading their manual just about every photo i have is not what they want. This is the first one I have been to but are all the stock websites like this? They named everything u cant do with the photos you upload but they didn't mention if u can put it on other stock websites. Can you?


iStock is one of the more thorough sites, but like has been mentioned, since stock photography is a second or primary income for a lot of people they need to be professional and keep their (and your) finances in order.
02/14/2011 03:21:31 PM · #23
I just wanted to pipe in here and say that Cutcaster.com is friendly to new submitters. It's not the biggest, or the oldest, but it is growing!

We have created a needs list (found as a link at the bottom of the page.) that can start you on your way

You can also browse our curated lightboxes to see what we love! (click browse at the top right.)

I have found that a lot of new stock photographers, who watch trends and shoot specifically for stock, can make enough to satisfy their need for new gear in their first year with a portfolio of about 500 images.

In my experience, the biggest pitfall for new stock photographers, is looking at their images at web size, instead of full size (actual size) for errors like blur, and artifacts. The other hurdle is being able to roll with the rejections. They happen to the best of us.

As with all endeavors, you get out what you put in. Resting on a portfolio of 50 images will not let you quit your day job.

Hope this helps.

-C

ps. Sorry for the lack of links. The system wouldn't let me link them. :-/

02/20/2011 12:23:36 PM · #24
Hey guys. I signed up to Fotolia and there's something i don't get. The part about the taxes. I'm from greece so do i need to fill this information too? It's says something about USA resident and stuff...

Message edited by author 2011-02-20 12:23:58.
02/20/2011 01:13:28 PM · #25
Originally posted by chris23:

Hey guys. I signed up to Fotolia and there's something i don't get. The part about the taxes. I'm from greece so do i need to fill this information too? It's says something about USA resident and stuff...

Yes you have to.
Pages:  
Current Server Time: 03/28/2024 07:00:56 PM

Please log in or register to post to the forums.


Home - Challenges - Community - League - Photos - Cameras - Lenses - Learn - Prints! - Help - Terms of Use - Privacy - Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2024 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 03/28/2024 07:00:56 PM EDT.