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DPChallenge Forums >> Business of Photography >> Low Shutterstock Sales?
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 07/21/2006 08:11:12 PM · #1
OK, I have about 96 or so pics up on Shutterstock. I feel my pictures are pretty good. But I rarely make much money. This month I've averaged around 50 cents a day. Is this normal for this amount of pics? Or is it that they're mostly nature pics, ie. not commercial/business focused?

Anyways here's my Shutterstock.

Please, have a look, any comments and criticisms welcome of course. Thanks.
 07/21/2006 08:39:49 PM · #2
The images are all pretty good. The biggest sellers tend to be things that are related to technology, business, and medicine. Stock photo places have millions of pictures of trees and flowers and various things like that, but not nearly as many pictures of things related to business etc.

Throw a friend into a suit, and go to town.

-Hideo
 07/21/2006 08:43:37 PM · #3
Thanks. Sorta what I figured. I know they've all but stopped accepting sunsets.

Time to suit up a monkey.
07/21/2006 09:21:26 PM · #4
People shots are popular.Unfortunately I don't have any. I make about 60 cents to 70 cents a day with about 140 pictures. Couple $20 sales for single photos. Basically the same photos that I have submitted with my 3 megapixel camera.

Basically paid for my dSLR with the money earned from 10 micro stock agencies that I have made sales at.

Message edited by author 2006-07-21 21:25:06.
 07/21/2006 10:06:29 PM · #5
This month has been pretty slow for me. Eventhough, I've added quite a few more images July sales are down big time.
 07/21/2006 10:15:40 PM · #6
I took my photos off of Shutterstock and put them on Alamy, I went from .50 a day to .. $10 a day with the same photos.

People do sell pretty well, but my best sellers are the ones that get a 5.4 here in the challenges!

As soon as lines ends - I'll have another sale or two!

:-)
 07/21/2006 10:39:19 PM · #7
You you look at some of the current UK computer magazines; Shutterstock is advertising a lot, so sales so be good. Plus a couple write ups in some photography magazines (good press).
 07/21/2006 11:26:56 PM · #8
Yup I would say with the number of pics you have there .50 cents a day is just about right. A majority of microstock sellers do not do any better and most much lower sales. Only a few make any money and then you have to have hundreds or thousands of pics on line. Figure the time to take each one and the processing time, my guess less than 1% really pay for the expenses. Best of luck.
 07/22/2006 12:49:16 AM · #9
Topic is everything but two sales a day seems low. Perhaps re-examining your keywords would help.
 07/22/2006 01:35:57 PM · #10
Don't forget it's summer in the U.S. I think it makes a big difference. With the same images last year I made less then $5.00 last July and made that much in 1 week this year.

Slows down during weekends and holidays too. Sometimes no sale days.

Message edited by author 2006-07-22 13:36:41.
 07/22/2006 01:40:20 PM · #11
Originally posted by TechnoShroom:
Topic is everything but two sales a day seems low. Perhaps re-examining your keywords would help.


Definitely do some keyword research. Get as many relevant keywords as you can. Even make a few stretches if they apply.
 07/22/2006 02:51:16 PM · #12
I know the keywords are "key" (sorry, couldn't resist). I feel like I did pretty good.

Here's the thing though, I had over 30 dollars in sales last month. But I did upload one big batch of almost 60 photos, so I think they were appearing in searches more often due to the recent upload time. As soon as July hit, whammo. Nothing.

Question though. If I take my picture off Shutterstock, am I able to put those on Alamy, since they've already been sold?

Thanks.
07/22/2006 03:57:10 PM · #13
July is a slow month in the graphic arts/printing business. Things usually pick up as we get closer to back-to-school and the fall holiday season.
 07/22/2006 04:20:32 PM · #14
Originally posted by shanelighter:
I know the keywords are "key" (sorry, couldn't resist). I feel like I did pretty good.

Here's the thing though, I had over 30 dollars in sales last month. But I did upload one big batch of almost 60 photos, so I think they were appearing in searches more often due to the recent upload time. As soon as July hit, whammo. Nothing.

Question though. If I take my picture off Shutterstock, am I able to put those on Alamy, since they've already been sold?

Thanks.


I don't think a customer at Alamy will be happy finding out that they just spend big bucks for an image someone spend a dollar on a month ago.
 07/22/2006 04:37:47 PM · #15
Originally posted by GeneralE:
July is a slow month in the graphic arts/printing business. Things usually pick up as we get closer to back-to-school and the fall holiday season.


OMG, thank you for the ideas... off to buy schol supplies :-)
 07/22/2006 05:01:54 PM · #16
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
OMG, thank you for the ideas... off to buy schol supplies :-)

This might be the first stock photo I ever shot, right after I signed up for Shutterstock -- took it in my office at work. Had a download just the other day ... : )
 07/22/2006 09:30:42 PM · #17
[/quote]

I don't think a customer at Alamy will be happy finding out that they just spend big bucks for an image someone spend a dollar on a month ago. [/quote]

As true as that is, I'm not that happy just getting 25 cents a download.

I feel that if a customer is buying off Alamy, it's for a reason. Otherwise, why aren't they searching Shutterstock.

Anyways, does anyone actually know the rules regarding this. I imagine RF on Alamy is the same as RF at Shutterstock. If it's Licensed though, does that mean it has to be exclusive to Alamy?


07/23/2006 01:33:31 AM · #18
Originally posted by shanelighter:
Anyways, does anyone actually know the rules regarding this. I imagine RF on Alamy is the same as RF at Shutterstock. If it's Licensed though, does that mean it has to be exclusive to Alamy?


There's no rule against having the same RF image at both. It has the potential to piss people off but you can do it.

There is also no exclusivity requirement for licensed images. For non-exclusive images, L images, you can sell them anywhere because the user is paying a one time fee based on their non-exclusive usage. For exclusive images, RP images, the user is paying for exclusivity in one or more of time, market, or region. You can still sell the image elsewhere but you can't sell it in a way that infringes the rights you've sold. Alamy gives you a rights control section where you can go and change the available rights to reflect what's been sold on other sites.

So, as long as you're on top of the sales and don't allow any that infringe on each other you can sell anywhere you want.
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