Amimi Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 I’m new at photography, has anyone sold an image that wasn’t a pro? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starsphinx Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 I think the lines between novice/expert/amateur/pro are very blurred now. What definition do you use for pro? If you go down the "earns their living from photography" route then you will find a lot of "amateurs" (not earning their living from photography) take consistently better shots than some "pros". I have only recently joined Alamy and have not sold anything yet - but I have sold on microstock sites a couple of years back when I was far more novicey than I am now. Try not to worry about the where you consider yourself on the range of photographers and just concentrate on getting quality shots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_rabe Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 While I have not yet sold an image on alamy (kind of just getting started myself here), I have sold photos on other microstock sites, and I am no pro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokie Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 6 hours ago, Amimi said: I’m new at photography, has anyone sold an image that wasn’t a pro? I would hazard a guess that about 75% of Alamy contributors aren't pros ie earn more than half their income from stock. And plenty of those have sold images, me included! John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amimi Posted August 17, 2018 Author Share Posted August 17, 2018 Thank you for your input. I recently purchased my nikon, and with no formal training, I'm apprehensive about my images looking good enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amimi Posted August 17, 2018 Author Share Posted August 17, 2018 what's the best way to make an image discoverable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 25 minutes ago, Amimi said: what's the best way to make an image discoverable? Take good images and keyword them the best you can using Alamy measures to help you Kumar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starsphinx Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 2 hours ago, Amimi said: Thank you for your input. I recently purchased my nikon, and with no formal training, I'm apprehensive about my images looking good enough. What I found when I first started out (and yes it was with a Nikon) was that at the very beginning I had the camera set on auto saving as jpg and was taking "easy" shots - nice day bright light subject centred and large in the viewfinder - most those shots would have been technically adequate for stock. It was as I started developing as a photographer (at least I hope I have lol) when I moved to more challenging light and distance situations (that bird in the top of the tree when its drizzling) and exploring the controls more fully (shutter priority/aperture priority/ISO control etc) that technical quality became less in a greater number of shots if that makes sense. I also moved to RAW so had to learn post processing. When I got things right at that stage the pictures were better but I did not get it right as often. Anyway, I continued shooting and trying to improve - I read articles on the internet, I watched videos, I bought magazines and books and I spoke to more experienced photographers both in real life and online. While I am still very much a novice in this game I am no longer a total beginner and people now ask me for advice. I have never had any formal training - I have looked at free stuff on the internet, I have read and I have gone out and taken millions of photos - looking at them and working out what I got right what I got wrong then doing them again. Once I am satisfied I have a certain area understood I look for stuff I am not doing well and work on that. I do not have so much as a GCSE in photography - but I am selling my work through my website, I am being contacted and booked to take photos at events, I have sold images to the local media (been published more often because I do not charge for charity shots) and soon I hope I will see zooms and sales on here. Photography is one of those things the only way to really get better is to practice practice practice - the theory is not enough. People can pass exams on theory and still not take good photos whereas the person who has the camera in their hands who is taking photos every day will start to take good photos through experience. Just remember though that good photograph and good stock photograph are 2 different things. My most exposed image is one I hate - it is noisy and not sharp because it was first ever football match under flood lights, it was a cup final and my team had scored - and I was jumping up and down cheering when I took it. The coach and team love the photograph because it caught the moment - it is the image they want and has been shared and used for advertising - to them, it is a great photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariaJ Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 You don't need to be a professional photographer to sell images (I'm not), but you do have to be able to produce professional quality images. Learning and gaining skills in photography and post-processing is very important, as well as learning what kinds of images make for good stock images. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amimi Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 Thank you guys. I’m still learning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sally Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 A couple of comments about your keywords, which might help. Best not to add tags that aren’t relevant, for example for your canoes you have “gondola”, and for your duck you have “pheasant”. Neither are right for these photos. It isn’t necessary to fill up the 50 tags and irrelevant keywords may harm your ranking. Your captions also need to be more specific. I’m not a “professional” photographer either, indeed I only picked up a proper camera two and half years ago, but have made some success on Alamy in a year and a half by learning a lot here and elsewhere. So it’s definitely possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amimi Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 Thank you Sally, your comment is very helpful. I’m feeling my way through this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeCee Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 A healthy mix on here of both amateur and professional photographers, everyone has a chance of making some money. The large part of pro income usually comes from assignments and not from stock. There are exceptions, and some folk here generate a living entirely from stock, though doing so requires utter dedication and hundreds of thousands of high quality images. If you're just starting out, there's a lot to learn, not only in the photography side but also in the post processing, so take your time. Above all else, enjoy the journey - welcome to Alamy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brasilnut Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 I work like a professional and earn like an amateur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amimi Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 lol, that's my goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Allsopp Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 On 8/19/2018 at 22:57, Brasilnut said: I work like a professional and earn like an amateur I call myself a Pro-Am, professional in the quality of my images I photograph because I love it. A photographer needs to recognise not only how to deal with the technical limitations but also how to create an interpretation that will show, not just what the photographer saw, but what he felt. Changing lens, adjusting shutter speed and aperture and using filters are just part of a process to ensure the camera is more than a copying machine. With vision a camera is a brush with which to paint the world. You cannot photograph the warm sun on your back nor the peace you feel when alone in a beautiful location. Henri Cartier-Bresson said “It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart and head. He also said ‘One eye of the photographer looks wide open through the viewfinder, the other, the closed looks into his own soul.” This must be your aim, to put your soul into the photographs you make. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Brooks Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 25 minutes ago, Bill Allsopp said: I call myself a Pro-Am, professional in the quality of my images I photograph because I love it. A photographer needs to recognise not only how to deal with the technical limitations but also how to create an interpretation that will show, not just what the photographer saw, but what he felt. Changing lens, adjusting shutter speed and aperture and using filters are just part of a process to ensure the camera is more than a copying machine. With vision a camera is a brush with which to paint the world. You cannot photograph the warm sun on your back nor the peace you feel when alone in a beautiful location. Henri Cartier-Bresson said “It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart and head. He also said ‘One eye of the photographer looks wide open through the viewfinder, the other, the closed looks into his own soul.” This must be your aim, to put your soul into the photographs you make. Very very good advice. Look at Bill's portfolio to see how to do it. It’s not about Pro or Amateur, it’s about the image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeRay Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 8 minutes ago, Bill Brooks said: Very very good advice. Look at Bill's portfolio to see how to do it. It’s not about Pro or Amateur, it’s about the image. Good set. Maybe the caption on the first image of cows in the field needs attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokie Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 21 hours ago, ReeRay said: Good set. Maybe the caption on the first image of cows in the field needs attention. They certainly are in costume!!! John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Allsopp Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 On 8/27/2018 at 14:06, ReeRay said: Good set. Maybe the caption on the first image of cows in the field needs attention. Damn right! Thanks for that, edited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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