In need of motivation bigtime

[Marianne]

With around 1,000 images I'm seeing >1 sale per 1,000 per month, and they have been a mix of tried and true past sellers as well as some rather obscure news/reportage images - all but one are places or events in the US (the odd one out being a concept image sold as PU). Best price was $95 to a German magazine for 3/4 page/5 years via a distributor, the rest have all been either PU or Powerpoint.  $-wise I'm behind last year (about 33% of last year so 66% down) despite more sales number-wise., due to them mostly being PU/PP.

 

I'm hopeful this will improve since my zooms have been excellent and I've had 1-2 photos out of 2-3 zooms for a few obscure parks and beaches in the US. I often sell this sort of thing both via Alamy and off my own (Photoshelter) website - and I think people look at Alamy & PS for those lovely travel photos of hard to find places, so I'm hopeful I'll see these sales pop up this summer. I found two such sales made via Alamy on a realtor website in Connecticut for a lovely but tiny town where I have the only images. They were sold around the same time as a California web designer approached me via my site for one of the same images for a local insurance agent. So having these little niches can be helpful, especially when a sleeply little town starts getting trendy. 

 

I used to get a fair number UK newspaper sales - mostly re-sales of the same images or similar images of more well known travel spots in the US with an occasional sale of one of my Scotland photos, but haven't in over a year. 

 

As I'm finally starting to recuperate from vertigo which started in November, and the weather has turned lovely, I hope I'll be motivated to shoot more and plan to give myself some processing/upload goals for my backlog. Right now, motivation is low, so I can sympathize with the OP, but if I don't double my portfolio by next year, I am afraid my earnings will not budge. 2016 was the first year earnings dipped (very slightly) instead of rising, and I know I need to "feed the beast" if I want them to rise in 2017.  Too bad I've been unable to do anything for most of the past several months. A lot of catching up to do! 

 

Motivation also down due to the new system. Uploaded 2 photos (for the latest monthly challenge) and they've been processing for over 40 minutes. Doesn't bode well. 

[Sultanpepa]

With around 1,000 images I'm seeing >1 sale per 1,000 per month, and they have been a mix of tried and true past sellers as well as some rather obscure news/reportage images - all but one are places or events in the US (the odd one out being a concept image sold as PU). Best price was $95 to a German magazine for 3/4 page/5 years via a distributor, the rest have all been either PU or Powerpoint.  $-wise I'm behind last year (about 33% of last year so 66% down) despite more sales number-wise., due to them mostly being PU/PP.

 

I'm hopeful this will improve since my zooms have been excellent and I've had 1-2 photos out of 2-3 zooms for a few obscure parks and beaches in the US. I often sell this sort of thing both via Alamy and off my own (Photoshelter) website - and I think people look at Alamy & PS for those lovely travel photos of hard to find places, so I'm hopeful I'll see these sales pop up this summer. I found two such sales made via Alamy on a realtor website in Connecticut for a lovely but tiny town where I have the only images. They were sold around the same time as a California web designer approached me via my site for one of the same images for a local insurance agent. So having these little niches can be helpful, especially when a sleeply little town starts getting trendy. 

 

I used to get a fair number UK newspaper sales - mostly re-sales of the same images or similar images of more well known travel spots in the US with an occasional sale of one of my Scotland photos, but haven't in over a year. 

 

As I'm finally starting to recuperate from vertigo which started in November, and the weather has turned lovely, I hope I'll be motivated to shoot more and plan to give myself some processing/upload goals for my backlog. Right now, motivation is low, so I can sympathize with the OP, but if I don't double my portfolio by next year, I am afraid my earnings will not budge. 2016 was the first year earnings dipped (very slightly) instead of rising, and I know I need to "feed the beast" if I want them to rise in 2017.  Too bad I've been unable to do anything for most of the past several months. A lot of catching up to do! 

 

Motivation also down due to the new system. Uploaded 2 photos (for the latest monthly challenge) and they've been processing for over 40 minutes. Doesn't bode well. 

 

They'll be processing for at least 24 hrs and maybe till tuesday now it's the weekend and Monday a holiday in some parts.

[Foreign Export]

 

 

Firstly sorry for the boring negative post i am about to write.

 

Started growing my Alamy portfolio just over 3 years ago.

Last year had built up to 10/12 sales per month.

Averaged 6,000 monthly view figure and 30 monthly zooms

So far this year,

Monthly average views 1500 - 2,000

Monthly zooms 3

 

Hence sales less in number this year so far. 

Can things pick up again from here ? Don`t know.

 

Where did it all go wrong please ?

 

 

Depends why you shoot stock - if its your living then just get out there and shoot and keep at it - or try other agencies.

 

If its not your full time income - them maybe try a change of direction - shoot for print sales or for display locally

 

I can't even say its the search engine - whilst it has negatively impacted me and many others on this forum - some are saying they have seen no change.

 

 

 

Trying to make a good solid second business. I know the stock industry isn't what it used to be etc etc From what I`m told by others.

Already sell prints quite well.

But stock, I want to make it work. Plus i only want to work with Alamy. I have enjoyed the past three years very much.

Just not sure what happened from about November last year with views and zooms. 

 

But it feels like being a kid at the beach when you build a sandcastle... then later someone comes and walks over it !

Best analogy i can come up with 

 

Seems its not just me then feeling the change for 2017.

 

 

Correct - certainly not just you.

I always look at matters in cycles, and i think this one will work its way through in time

Given your requirements - i can only suggest that you persevere - keep variety in your images and upload regularly - even if small quantities

Ive had a decline in the position of my images since November - reversed somewhat in the new search adjustment - but despite all that am having some good months this year - persevere

[Foreign Export]

 

search engine seems to have changed - which may assist - refer to Doc's thread 

 

Loving that total. 22222

 

thanks - i hadn't spotted that - think I've now spoilt the pattern

[Foreign Export]

In terms of myself , after 10 years as a contributor, I decided at christmas time that my photography routine of shooting stock and shooting personal travel images needed to be broadened.

 

Whilst there is no shortage of images to take in and around Sydney I found myself being drawn to the same areas with the likely result of taking the same images again.

 

So what I decided to do was:

 

• return to film photography for personal projects - bought a Twin lens reflex and black and white film and away we go - initially personal portrait work by the beach/cliffs
• focus more time on seascape photography - during and after sunrise - properly executed, filter system bought, instagram account opened - and will launch a website of seascapes/landscapes later this year - when I've decided which provider to use.
• bought a quality A3 printer and now embarking on displaying my shots around the home
• spend more weekends travelling to visit new locations for personal not stock work

I feel refreshed by this approach , a little weary ( i don't like rising early to shoot around dawn) , fitter because I'm doing a lot more walking/climbing, and exited because i want to succeed with the seascape imagery - but i might not.

 

Key for me - keeping it new and introducing variety - but all willingly

Have to say some of those landscape shooters on youtube are great for ideas and motivation 

 

Martin

[ReeRay]

I don't feel my uploading rate to Alamy has diminished though entering MI has really put me off - rather than encouraging - the process of tagging. And most recently, with that new horrid cross-hair tool that allows one to merge tags gets in the way so that clicking on what you think is elevating a tag to a Super, actually doesn't register it and one has to click again to make it go blue.

 

That's my de-motivating factor.

 

Rgds,

Richard.

Exactly. Infuriating beyond words. My motivation flies out of the window when I think of the last step....... AIM!

 

Frankly, if we'd started with AIM, proceeded to V2 and arrived today at V1 I'd call that progress. Instead, we have the opposite.

[Betty LaRue]

I guess I'm the Outlier here.

I tag and caption in Bridge before uploading. It's just a matter of choosing the supertags, then filling out the Optional page, which is easy enough.

The whole thing is so much faster, because choosing supertags is way faster than moving a large clump of tags around in three boxes.

 

Now, working on legacy images, which I'm slowly chipping away at, is another story. Still dealing with strings of unrelated tags compiled into phrases. But I'm slowly getting there. Once those are finished, I'll be walking on cloud nine.

 

But then, as I've mentioned in another thread, I seem to be a bit more adaptable than the average Joe. "God grant me the serenity to accept that which I cannot change" and all that. . So I try to stay on that serenity cloud. It makes for fewer ulcers.

Betty

[Allan Bell]

I guess I'm the Outlier here.

I tag and caption in Bridge before uploading. It's just a matter of choosing the supertags, then filling out the Optional page, which is easy enough.

The whole thing is so much faster, because choosing supertags is way faster than moving a large clump of tags around in three boxes.

 

Now, working on legacy images, which I'm slowly chipping away at, is another story. Still dealing with strings of unrelated tags compiled into phrases. But I'm slowly getting there. Once those are finished, I'll be walking on cloud nine.

 

But then, as I've mentioned in another thread, I seem to be a bit more adaptable than the average Joe. "God grant me the serenity to accept that which I cannot change" and all that. . So I try to stay on that serenity cloud. It makes for fewer ulcers.

Betty

 

 

I am now Keywording and Captioning in LR using Alamy's instructions so Bridge has now become redundant.

 

Allan

[Foreign Export]

 

I guess I'm the Outlier here.

I tag and caption in Bridge before uploading. It's just a matter of choosing the supertags, then filling out the Optional page, which is easy enough.

The whole thing is so much faster, because choosing supertags is way faster than moving a large clump of tags around in three boxes.

 

Now, working on legacy images, which I'm slowly chipping away at, is another story. Still dealing with strings of unrelated tags compiled into phrases. But I'm slowly getting there. Once those are finished, I'll be walking on cloud nine.

 

But then, as I've mentioned in another thread, I seem to be a bit more adaptable than the average Joe. "God grant me the serenity to accept that which I cannot change" and all that. . So I try to stay on that serenity cloud. It makes for fewer ulcers.

Betty

 

 

I am now Keywording and Captioning in LR using Alamy's instructions so Bridge has now become redundant.

 

Allan

 

 

I may try the same