Make Money From Your Photography (Microstock)
I’m a web developer and my wife is a graphic designer. We started selling photos online over two years ago as a way to earn a little extra money out of something we enjoyed. We only had a little 4 megapixel point-n-shoot camera but my wife knew a little about editing photos from studying Design. We thought we knew about photography then, but now we know what we didn’t know then.
We only earned $16 in our first month, but with persistence and lots of research we raised this to $270 in six months. As it was a part time hobby we didn’t expect it to earn so much so quickly, but this early success convinced us of the potential and we quickly invested in a digital SLR. Over two years later we’re now earning around $600 each month with a modest portfolio of around 700 photos listed with eight agencies. We’re still hobbyist photographers creating stock photos in our spare time.
You may be wondering, “Who sells photos in the microstock market?” Through the internet I’ve connected with hundreds of other microstock contributors. You would be surprised at the amazing variety of people who contribute to this market and each has a similarly impressive variety of reasons. There are many retired couples who simply want to see their work published; there are also people who earn tens of thousands of dollars each month. There are a huge variety of people in the middle for microstock is their job or who, like me, have microstock as part of their monthly income. Yet one of the largest groups are photography students – both students who have formally chosen photography as their career and hobbyists who study for fun.
Why is microstock so good for students? There are three main reasons: freedom; money; and education.
Microstock is free to participate and there are no work hours, no bosses and no due dates. Microstock pays money which is great given photography isn’t cheap. Microstock is also a great way to educate yourself if you’re interested in learning about the commercial side of photography. What better teacher than a global market of photo buyers?
Isn’t microstock ‘bad’ for the industry? If you do any research about microstock you will quickly find that it’s controversial. The concept only works with the Internet and high quality digital cameras, so it’s still relatively new. Subsequently there are still many professional stock photographers with strong feelings about the impact microstock is having on the industry.
I have personally spoken with some of the world’s most successful stock photographers and they tell me that they’re not noticing any impact on their business from microstock. Photos compete on quality and not price (microstock photos sell cheaper but in higher quantity) and there will always be buyers interested in the top level of the market, regardless of the price.
It’s also logical to expect that the hundreds of photographers who now make a living with microstock have displaced some ‘traditional’ stock photographers. This happens with any technological change as big as the Internet and digital photography and it’s understandable that those on the receiving end are not happy about it.
Microstock has also brought new buyers to the market. Small businesses, charities and bloggers weren’t big buyers of stock photos when they cost $350 or more. Now that blog size images are $1 and print size images are $10, you can imagine how sales have increased.
So how much can I earn in microstock? That depends on both the quality and quantity of photos you can produce. Full time microstock contributors with a portfolio of 7,000 high quality images earn over $20,000 per MONTH! At the other end of the scale some contributors with only a handful of images earn just a few dollars. Like me, you’ll most likely find yourself between these two extremes.
I typically will earn a little under $1 per photo per month. On the internet you can find monthly earnings figures and links to portfolios. With some research you can easily compare your portfolio or photography skills with others to determine more or less how much you could expect to earn with your photos in the microstock market.
Is it easy to get into microstock? Not at the start. Many agencies require a test submission which is generally stricter than their usual review process. Microstock agencies also review submissions based on what sells; typically these are images that are super sharp, noiseless and commercially appealing. Because of this process many established and highly skilled photographers experience early rejections and quickly dismiss the microstock opportunity. By beginning with the middle tier agencies that don’t require you to pass a test, you can easily get an idea of what types of photos are accepted and which ones sell well. After that, it’s relatively easy to start earning money.
Here’s two of my best selling photos. Each is a simple shot taken with the intention of selling for stock, but with no more preparation that being in the the necessary place with my camera. Both these photos earn over $30 per month though their success varies between agencies.
Creating above average success is not that easy. Average per-photo prices of top microstock contributors can literally be up to ten times what I earn, so you can imagine the difference in the quality and appeal of the photos they produce. They also need to repeat this many times to create a portfolio large enough to raise their earnings above average.
How can I improve my chances of success? Here are my top suggestions for people who want to get started selling their photos in the microstock market:
Managing your expectations can often sound easier than it actually is. A typical sales pitch might read, “click here to start earning money from the photos sitting idle on your computer”. That’s not exactly realistic and you’ll soon quit if you begin with this expectation in mind. Do your own research to figure out what sells, create these photos well, and be smart about how you contribute. Concentrate on workflow.
If you wish to contribute many photos it makes tons of sense to have an efficient workflow so you don’t waste time doing unnecessary and repetitive tasks. Do your research and refine your process so you can put a quality product into the market as efficiently as possible. Microstock is business. If you’re more of an artist than an actual commercial photographer you may want to seriously consider if you and microstock are a good match. Don’t get me wrong, artistic photos will sell in the microstock market, but not nearly as well as commercial photos.
Research. I’ve already given you a few things to research but don’t stop with those. Get all your questions answered before you get started so you save time and don’t accidentally do anything that doesn’t work to your advantage. My blog is written for people selling photos in the microstock market, so I invite you to continue your research with me at Microstock Diaries. If you have any other questions or would like more details, you’re also welcome to ask me questions directly via my Contact page.
6 Microstock Sites Where You can Make Money from Your Photos Here are a number of Microstock programs that offer photographers money for their images: Shutterastock, Dreamstime, Crestock, fotolia, 123rf, Stockxpert.
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