Ok, first let me tell you that I know that this is a long stretch. Being disabled after a job injury, I'm attempting to find something that I can do and enjoy for a career. Photography is something I've always enjoyed and have been looking at the possibility of stock photography.
No, I don't have one of those big fancy cameras, but remember when digital was first put out in the world for the 'average joe' to purchase. There was no such thing as 8, 10 or more pixels. And, professionals were using 2 and 3 pixels while the world ooooh'd and aaaaah'd.
And, I'm not a professional....yet! But, I do like what I do and am very pleased with most of my photography. So, why not try to break into the market of stock photography or other photo marketing? But, first, I have some questions. I realize that, with photography, ANYTHING can be 'money in the pocket'. But, what are the steps that I need to take to endevour such a feat? A web site? No doubt! How does one advertise? How does one decide what to charge or to expect clients to offer for their work? And, I know there MUST be more to it than to enjoy taking pictures and to display them on a web site.
here are some good resources:
Fotoquote: www.fotoquote.com. This is, IMO, a must have piece of software if you want to sell your images. It's more than just pricing software, it's an education in the stock selling business.
The Photographer's Market from Writer's Digest Books.
Browse around Stockphoto.net
Sell and Resell your Photos by Rohn Eng (sp?) and he also has a book on selling on the web.
The Business of Nature Photography by John Shaw. It's out of date for the digital age but the advice is still sound (and timeless)
just a few to get you started. I'm sure others will chime in with more.
Sorry to hear of your disability and I truly hope that your photography will be a huge success.
Take a few hundred dollars and buy as many Photography "photo" books as possible and read them all and then re-read them all. Every now and again, read them some more. This will give you a great idea of what "good" photography is all about. I have about 50+ photography books in my "library". They all take there turn in my "reading room" and then they come back for more. You will know you have gathered an understanding about photography methods when you can look at a photograph and pretty much know what settings were used and what length lens was used.
Take several thousand dollars or more and get at least a semi-pro camera (like a D300 in the Nikon world) and some GOOD glass (you should know which ones after reading all those books and have found out which lenses work for the kind of photography you desire to do). I understand what you said about the "pro's" using small pixel bodies a few years ago and made great photos. Understand that the world has moved on and MANY buyers and stock agencies will REQUIRE photos from higher "pixel" bodies. Forget about the high "pixel" point and shoots or non-semi-pro cameras. These high "pixels" do not equate to lower "pixel" semi-pro and pro models for many many reasons. Yes, some photographers get away with the cheap cameras, but that is a very small percentage and you will limit the chances of your own success unless you are in a league by yourself.
After reading all those books, you also may find a certain kind of photography that pleases you the most. This just may be where you will be the happiest and specialize in that area. OR you may find a certain kind of photography that does NOT appear often and that might be the area to specialize in. If you have an absolute specialty that not many others offer (and you do it well) then you just might make it in the stock world.
Join photography groups in your area and on the web. You had better surround yourself in all things photography and live and breath it. Only in this manner will you grow wise grasshopper! (sorry...couldn't resist!).
After getting to the point where you are taking photographs, then cull cull cull. You will have to be your own worst critic. Keep your perfect shots separate from your pretty good shots. Anything else you need to trash now. No point having a bunch of photo data hanging around that will be useless to you. If you just like the memory of a certain shot that is not up to par, then keep it separate from everything else and look at them from time to time so you can see how much better you have become!! Eventually, you will trash those too as you won't want those getting out to the public!!! hehhehe The "pretty good" images might wind up being useful for crops or for computer manipulation into graphic images that also might help you make a living.
To get in the big boy stock groups, you better have photos of perfection because there are many other pros who probably have something similiar that IS perfect. You will also need to have a rather large set of images to present to those agencies. And some will expect you to continue sending them a large number each week or month. You may be able to get into some of the newer agencies with less since they are building their stock images. You need to spend a lot of energy scrutinizing the agencies for what they charge you to sell your photos! Be warned!
If you are going to do this as your business, then you may want to add some business books to your list of photography books. There are many many shooters with excellent images who do not get published or make any money because they just don't have the business acumen to keep the business side of things going. You need to know how to get your accounting in line and taxes, etc. If you used to be in business, then "focus" on photography strategies!
You need to do as many searches on the net as you can (and then, do some more) on stock photography. Read them!! There are quite a few different approaches and methods. Some will get you high money for a few images and some will get you low money for many images. Which one gets you the MOST money is the hard part. Some won't get you ANY money if you are supplying photos that should have been sent to another agency specializing in what you shoot.
Better be prepared to beef up your computer system and storage devices and internet connection. You are not going to be uploading high megabyte files to an agency over dial-up!! You are going to need software such as at least Photoshop or Lightroom or Aperture or something anyway to "spruce up" your digital shots. And you will want multiple storage points and a system for retrieval.
Expect a long learning curve for understanding how to be an excellent photographer and a pretty darn good computer person. Without those two, you are going to have a very hard time getting anywhere. You need to fully understand exposure, composition, file sizes, resolution, saturation, contrast, colors, printing, and a ton of other related items.
And the main thing, remember that you got yourself into this for your love of photography!! The point and click is just the tip of the photography iceberg. There are many professionals who complain that they don't "love" photography anymore because now they are saddled with HAVING to get the shot or they don't get paid and baby doesn't get any more shoes. It seems like the semi-pros have the best time of it! Of course there are many pros who still love what they do and it shows in their photography and creativity.
You may desire to enter contests. If you manage to win in these, you will get some name recognition that might spur some interest from the stock agencies. Be careful of the contests and read all the rules. That wonderful winning shot you had just might wind up under their control and not yours! Read the fine print before entering your "golden" images.
You may just want to hold back on the website for a bit until you have enough "super" images to show. You do not want to showcase less than stellar images as you start the website up or you may be equated with being a less than proficient photographer. Once you have those great shots posted, then you may desire to post lesser quality images to beef up your site...but you better have a great reason for doing that...such as photo-documenting something that does not require an "artists" approach or obviously you could not wait for better light but it was a once in a lifetime event, etc.
And speaking of light...you will need to have a wonderful grasp of when to trip that shutter. This should come from studying all those books you bought and all those images you have already trashed!!! Don't forget the tripod!
I think it is fair to say that there are many of us here in these forums that would love to make a living off of stock sales or any other kind of photography sales. Some of us do. It will take nothing less than a total commitment to the craft and the business.
Ok, I think I used up enough bandwidth here....wishing you a happy success and hope I have not scared you off!
Rod and Troup have given you some excellent advice. I have been in the stock business for close to 20 years and can tell you that it is extremely competitive, takes a huge committment on your part in terms of time and money spent, and is becoming an increasingly difficult way to make a significant income.
In addition to what's already been suggested I would recommend you go on some of the larger agency websites and see what is in their files particularly in the type of subject matter you intend to shoot. Do your images compare favorably to those already on file?
Some agencies also list what digital cameras they will accept files from...note that most require a minimum of a 10 MP camera. Your post suggests that you don't feel a "professional" grade camera system is necessary. If that's the case, think again.
The money is being made primarily in the business and lifestyle categories of subject matter. Nature stock does not generate the sales it once used to.
One more thing....having your own personal website does not automatically mean the money will come pouring in. I know several well established stock photographers whose websites are barely paying for themselves. It takes much more than just hoping a buyer will stumble across your site. You need to let them know where to look while at the same time providing them with a product at a price point that interests them. Not an easy task.
At this point in the game I'd be reluctant to put all your eggs into the stock basket, Beverly. Sure there's money to be made in stock, and some folks are successful at it. But in truth, on the broad scale of photographers selling stock the ones making a living are more the exception to the rule than the standard.
We've been in the photo business successfully a little over 18 years now, and early on we opted for a different business model. Sure stock was a part of the scheme, but has turned out to be a small part, generating only around 20% of our income per year. We'd have to work a whole lot harder to push that up to a full time living, and in fact we've elected not to do so. Something approaching 90% f our stock sales are to established clients, a total that we've built slowly over the years.
Our principal income from cameras has been people paying us to push the button rather than paying for photos we've already taken. Said differently we sell our services as photographers rather than selling photos from our collection.
We do weddings, portraits, senior photos, scientific, industrial, advertising, event and documentary photography to name a few. In the overall scheme of things we're diversified so if one sector is down another is likely up, with the total effort adding up to a living. In our small market, I think anyone would be hard pressed to make a living in any one of those venues.
Each of those venues requires a different set of skills and sometimes a different marketing effort, so you can't develop them all at once. But if you start with one or two and add a new one or two a year, pretty soon the package will come together in a set that makes sense for your local market, gear, and the amount of effort you want to put in.
I could quote you some big numbers from our current efforts, but that would be like citing Art Wolfe's income as an example of what you can expect in the stock photo market. Yeah, it can be done, but it takes time to get yourself established. But I'm not talking small potatoes in those other markets income-wise. Our biggest wedding last summer brought in a little over $15k, and my wife is currently processing images from a 2-evening event that brought in over $6k in sales. But we never saw sales that big in our first ten years of business, if that helps you follow what I mean. It was more like $1k weddings and $500 events.
BTW- If you're interested in the wedding/portrait/seniors side of things, check out PPA. They've got extensive courses and marketing help scattered all over the country. And there a whole bunch of really nice folks in that profession.
Discussion
4 repliesNo, I don't have one of those big fancy cameras, but remember when digital was first put out in the world for the 'average joe' to purchase. There was no such thing as 8, 10 or more pixels. And, professionals were using 2 and 3 pixels while the world ooooh'd and aaaaah'd.
And, I'm not a professional....yet! But, I do like what I do and am very pleased with most of my photography. So, why not try to break into the market of stock photography or other photo marketing? But, first, I have some questions. I realize that, with photography, ANYTHING can be 'money in the pocket'. But, what are the steps that I need to take to endevour such a feat? A web site? No doubt! How does one advertise? How does one decide what to charge or to expect clients to offer for their work? And, I know there MUST be more to it than to enjoy taking pictures and to display them on a web site.
I'll take any and all advice offered.
TIA
Beverly
Fotoquote: www.fotoquote.com. This is, IMO, a must have piece of software if you want to sell your images. It's more than just pricing software, it's an education in the stock selling business.
The Photographer's Market from Writer's Digest Books.
Browse around Stockphoto.net
Sell and Resell your Photos by Rohn Eng (sp?) and he also has a book on selling on the web.
The Business of Nature Photography by John Shaw. It's out of date for the digital age but the advice is still sound (and timeless)
just a few to get you started. I'm sure others will chime in with more.
Sorry to hear of your disability and I truly hope that your photography will be a huge success.
Take a few hundred dollars and buy as many Photography "photo" books as possible and read them all and then re-read them all. Every now and again, read them some more. This will give you a great idea of what "good" photography is all about. I have about 50+ photography books in my "library". They all take there turn in my "reading room" and then they come back for more. You will know you have gathered an understanding about photography methods when you can look at a photograph and pretty much know what settings were used and what length lens was used.
Take several thousand dollars or more and get at least a semi-pro camera (like a D300 in the Nikon world) and some GOOD glass (you should know which ones after reading all those books and have found out which lenses work for the kind of photography you desire to do). I understand what you said about the "pro's" using small pixel bodies a few years ago and made great photos. Understand that the world has moved on and MANY buyers and stock agencies will REQUIRE photos from higher "pixel" bodies. Forget about the high "pixel" point and shoots or non-semi-pro cameras. These high "pixels" do not equate to lower "pixel" semi-pro and pro models for many many reasons. Yes, some photographers get away with the cheap cameras, but that is a very small percentage and you will limit the chances of your own success unless you are in a league by yourself.
After reading all those books, you also may find a certain kind of photography that pleases you the most. This just may be where you will be the happiest and specialize in that area. OR you may find a certain kind of photography that does NOT appear often and that might be the area to specialize in. If you have an absolute specialty that not many others offer (and you do it well) then you just might make it in the stock world.
Join photography groups in your area and on the web. You had better surround yourself in all things photography and live and breath it. Only in this manner will you grow wise grasshopper! (sorry...couldn't resist!).
After getting to the point where you are taking photographs, then cull cull cull. You will have to be your own worst critic. Keep your perfect shots separate from your pretty good shots. Anything else you need to trash now. No point having a bunch of photo data hanging around that will be useless to you. If you just like the memory of a certain shot that is not up to par, then keep it separate from everything else and look at them from time to time so you can see how much better you have become!! Eventually, you will trash those too as you won't want those getting out to the public!!! hehhehe The "pretty good" images might wind up being useful for crops or for computer manipulation into graphic images that also might help you make a living.
To get in the big boy stock groups, you better have photos of perfection because there are many other pros who probably have something similiar that IS perfect. You will also need to have a rather large set of images to present to those agencies. And some will expect you to continue sending them a large number each week or month. You may be able to get into some of the newer agencies with less since they are building their stock images. You need to spend a lot of energy scrutinizing the agencies for what they charge you to sell your photos! Be warned!
If you are going to do this as your business, then you may want to add some business books to your list of photography books. There are many many shooters with excellent images who do not get published or make any money because they just don't have the business acumen to keep the business side of things going. You need to know how to get your accounting in line and taxes, etc. If you used to be in business, then "focus" on photography strategies!
You need to do as many searches on the net as you can (and then, do some more) on stock photography. Read them!! There are quite a few different approaches and methods. Some will get you high money for a few images and some will get you low money for many images. Which one gets you the MOST money is the hard part. Some won't get you ANY money if you are supplying photos that should have been sent to another agency specializing in what you shoot.
Better be prepared to beef up your computer system and storage devices and internet connection. You are not going to be uploading high megabyte files to an agency over dial-up!! You are going to need software such as at least Photoshop or Lightroom or Aperture or something anyway to "spruce up" your digital shots. And you will want multiple storage points and a system for retrieval.
Expect a long learning curve for understanding how to be an excellent photographer and a pretty darn good computer person. Without those two, you are going to have a very hard time getting anywhere. You need to fully understand exposure, composition, file sizes, resolution, saturation, contrast, colors, printing, and a ton of other related items.
And the main thing, remember that you got yourself into this for your love of photography!! The point and click is just the tip of the photography iceberg. There are many professionals who complain that they don't "love" photography anymore because now they are saddled with HAVING to get the shot or they don't get paid and baby doesn't get any more shoes. It seems like the semi-pros have the best time of it! Of course there are many pros who still love what they do and it shows in their photography and creativity.
You may desire to enter contests. If you manage to win in these, you will get some name recognition that might spur some interest from the stock agencies. Be careful of the contests and read all the rules. That wonderful winning shot you had just might wind up under their control and not yours! Read the fine print before entering your "golden" images.
You may just want to hold back on the website for a bit until you have enough "super" images to show. You do not want to showcase less than stellar images as you start the website up or you may be equated with being a less than proficient photographer. Once you have those great shots posted, then you may desire to post lesser quality images to beef up your site...but you better have a great reason for doing that...such as photo-documenting something that does not require an "artists" approach or obviously you could not wait for better light but it was a once in a lifetime event, etc.
And speaking of light...you will need to have a wonderful grasp of when to trip that shutter. This should come from studying all those books you bought and all those images you have already trashed!!! Don't forget the tripod!
I think it is fair to say that there are many of us here in these forums that would love to make a living off of stock sales or any other kind of photography sales. Some of us do. It will take nothing less than a total commitment to the craft and the business.
Ok, I think I used up enough bandwidth here....wishing you a happy success and hope I have not scared you off!
Troup Nightingale
In addition to what's already been suggested I would recommend you go on some of the larger agency websites and see what is in their files particularly in the type of subject matter you intend to shoot. Do your images compare favorably to those already on file?
Some agencies also list what digital cameras they will accept files from...note that most require a minimum of a 10 MP camera. Your post suggests that you don't feel a "professional" grade camera system is necessary. If that's the case, think again.
The money is being made primarily in the business and lifestyle categories of subject matter. Nature stock does not generate the sales it once used to.
One more thing....having your own personal website does not automatically mean the money will come pouring in. I know several well established stock photographers whose websites are barely paying for themselves. It takes much more than just hoping a buyer will stumble across your site. You need to let them know where to look while at the same time providing them with a product at a price point that interests them. Not an easy task.
We've been in the photo business successfully a little over 18 years now, and early on we opted for a different business model. Sure stock was a part of the scheme, but has turned out to be a small part, generating only around 20% of our income per year. We'd have to work a whole lot harder to push that up to a full time living, and in fact we've elected not to do so. Something approaching 90% f our stock sales are to established clients, a total that we've built slowly over the years.
Our principal income from cameras has been people paying us to push the button rather than paying for photos we've already taken. Said differently we sell our services as photographers rather than selling photos from our collection.
We do weddings, portraits, senior photos, scientific, industrial, advertising, event and documentary photography to name a few. In the overall scheme of things we're diversified so if one sector is down another is likely up, with the total effort adding up to a living. In our small market, I think anyone would be hard pressed to make a living in any one of those venues.
Each of those venues requires a different set of skills and sometimes a different marketing effort, so you can't develop them all at once. But if you start with one or two and add a new one or two a year, pretty soon the package will come together in a set that makes sense for your local market, gear, and the amount of effort you want to put in.
I could quote you some big numbers from our current efforts, but that would be like citing Art Wolfe's income as an example of what you can expect in the stock photo market. Yeah, it can be done, but it takes time to get yourself established. But I'm not talking small potatoes in those other markets income-wise. Our biggest wedding last summer brought in a little over $15k, and my wife is currently processing images from a 2-evening event that brought in over $6k in sales. But we never saw sales that big in our first ten years of business, if that helps you follow what I mean. It was more like $1k weddings and $500 events.
BTW- If you're interested in the wedding/portrait/seniors side of things, check out PPA. They've got extensive courses and marketing help scattered all over the country. And there a whole bunch of really nice folks in that profession.