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Hi everybody, I have got into stock photography about 8 months ago. I have joined Alamy and several other agencies since then. Even though I have made many sales on every single agency I have uploaded to, I still haven't made a single one on Allamy. I have only had 4 zooms in 8 months as well. I don't seem to understand what is the issue? Is it just really hard to sell on here or am I doing something wrong? Thanks to you all!!

I find the shop's name funny, as I think of stock photography as a non-tangible in this digital era. Sorry for my lame attempt at humor...

It's the time of year where i start the process of gathering interest in my annual Stock Photography One-Day Workshop. Taking place in Cirencester, in the hear of the Cotswolds, on Saturday 4 April 2019 - a full on day to get you up to speed with stock photography at Alamy, and to give you a few insights into the way that I work. Hopefully we will again have representatives from Alamy and LiveNews on hand for an hour or so Q+A over lunch Contact me for more information and/pr to be put on the mailing list for this event KM

Hi, Recently had this photo rejected because of noise. Doesn't look too noisy to me. What do you think ? Thanks.

I don't thing I can be accused of promoting another agency judging by the images in this article..... good for a laugh though ! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5105643/The-weirdest-stock-images-online.html

I found this video poking around on Youtube. James has some interesting things to say. You can speed it up to get through it faster. Its a couple of year old but still relevant. Is surprising it hasn't had more views.

I've been looking for a blog or some sort of post on these forums about what kind of content Alamy customers are looking for. I don't know if this type of thing exists and I'm just missing it, or if there is no such thing. Any direction on this would be really helpful.

Hi Everyone I have been uploading and selling my portfolio since December. I have over 1500 images in my Alamy port so far. I like everything about the site except that I have not had one sale. I have lots of sales on other stock sites. So I am at a loss as to why none here. Most of my work is nature related and Pacific Northwest related. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks George Cole

If you want more information about the business side of Stock Photography, and many of the questions already asked on this forum, go to this site. http://www.selling-stock.com/Default.aspx I have no connection, financial or otherwise, to the site or Jim Pickerell. I started with the newsletter in 1990 and have been benefiting ever since. You do not have to subscribe to the site. A free glance down the topics, and their abstracts, will give you enough leads for an internet search. Here is more information on the site. This stock photography news site focuses on the business side of photography with a special emphasis on stock photography. Our goal is to help photographers maximize their earnings based on the quality of their work and the commitment they are prepared to make to the trade. The information provided will be applicable to part-timers as well as full time professional photographers. We’ll leave it to others to teach photographers how to take better pictures.

If you believe Wikipedia, stock photography either started with Getty and Corbis or way back in 1920 with H. Armstrong Roberts. Regardless of its true origin, it’s undisputed that Stock really took off in the 1980’s. Read more...

A quick heads up on something i'm doing in a few months time... A ONE OFF SEMINAR - HOW TO MAXIMISE SALES THROUGH ALAMY. Stock imaging and how to sell through Alamy Photo Library – maximise your sales. Exciting news, for some it has been increasingly difficult to make an impact and reasonable income from stock images, this has become more difficult by the increasing number of digital photographs being made available in the market place, but this is about to change and you can be part of that change! I have recently discovered someone who has inspired me – he is probably the top contributor and seller in the UK with Alamy – one of the UK’s largest picture agencies. Keith is a successful freelance news, editorial, arts and features photographer based in Aberystwyth on the west Wales coast. In a career spanning nearly 35 years he has covered a vast range of stories and events for major national newspapers and magazine in the UK and abroad and has been commissioned by major organisations such as the BBC, the National Trust, the National Lottery, and the Welsh Government. His photographs have been published in hundreds of books and magazines all over the world As an additional way of earning a living from his work he contributes to a small number of photo agencies and picture agencies in the UK. Since joining Alamy in 2006 he has grossed over $270,000 in image sales, that’s an average in excess of $30,000 a year – enough to buy his house, with the vast majority of those photos made within walking distance of his home in the centre of Aberystwyth!! Having not been abroad since 1987 he makes a virtue of working in a very small local area, and finds new ways of looking and seeing, and finding the commercial potential of everyday situations and activities, and he sells at least one image a day! I have invited him to lead a 1 day seminar/workshop where he will show examples of his work, talk about what makes a saleable image, how best to get them on Alamy’s site and how to keyword those images. There will be an opportunity for you to take images and have them assessed to see if they fit the ideal for Alamy. The seminar will be held at the Stratton House Hotel in Cirencester on Saturday 25th April 2015. Space will be limited so to take full advantage of this seminar and open up the opportunity for you to begin selling more images book your space now. The seminar fee is £150.00 and will include tea/coffee and a light lunch. To book call Graham Light on 01793 752671 or email him at consult@abbey-studios.co.uk www.abbeyphotoschool.co.uk and www.abbey-studios.co.uk

A question, especially for those of you who contribute News regularly. Do you see sales through the News channel or does it tend to come later when those news images have moved into the Stock collection? Anyone making consistent news sales? I appreciate that sales may take many weeks to report so it may be difficult to tell except by the licence date and even then it may be a sale from the News Feed as the client will have it on their system, especially newspapers. I realise that everyone is different but I am starting to conscientously monitor my activity to geta sense of what part of my efforts is delivering benefits - still far too early to draw any conclusions. I am now a few weeks in and working hard and full time on my photography again - it is my job (albeit largely uinpaid so far). I am realistic, I do not expect a sudden turnround in my fortunes here on Alamy - I will be grateful if I see positive signs by Christmas. But I am enjoying having the focus; that in itself is a major benefit.

Does anyone know of a good unaligned stock photographers forum/ discussion group? A place where the discussion can be taken wider than Alamy matters and we can get a broader perspective? I am a member (& back up administrator) of such a group for writers on Facebook - it was spawned when a web site we wrote for changed direction and effectively became non-paying. It has become a very useful, positive and supportive site for nearly 350 writers. I am in no way suggesting that Alamy is going wrong, far from it - Alamy is much better many other places I have submitted, but our discussions are entirely appropriately constrained to Alamy related matters. There are topics I, and I am sure others, would like to discuss that are not appropriate here. I would find such a group a useful adjunct to these forums. Would anybody else?

In another turn and twist of the stock industry, Getty has just announced the end of its deal with Flickr. Apparently Flickr and G could not come to terms, so its being converted into a G collection called "moments". Not seen any further details though.

Hi, Was looking for some opinion on this one, it's an intensely personal question. I recently had a kid, and now when I track him with the camera, I can see such a lot of different poses that are stock worthy (even if they would have been done by others); kid in cot, kid getting a massage, etc. Do folks take photos of their own kids and post them as stock photos ?

So i am thinking is it best to become exclusive member of some stock agency or post photos on all of them.As exclusive member is bonded to only stock site but can earn high commision . Sowith1@gmail.com

Still money to be made from photography apparently http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23469410

Does this bother others as much as it bothers me?! This guy has, in part, ruduced the global value of stock photography while he becomes a billionaire at our expense. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-28/shutterstock-creates-first-silicon-alley-billionaire.html