OK - let's do this ....

[Sheila Child]

I have not been on Alamy long and would appreciate some constructive critique.

 

My portfolio page is here:  https://www.alamy.com/portfolio/sheilachild

 

There are 595 images so far under the All Images gallery but if you have a specific interest, I have created 18 separate galleries named:

 

Owls

Sugar Gliders

Raptors

Frogs

Geckos and Lizards

Mantis

Beetles

Butterflies

Harvest Mouse

Chameleon

Millipede

Still Life

Wildlife

Fungi

Microphotography

Landscapes

Buildings

Waterscapes

 

I await comments with interest.

 

Sheila

[VbFolly]

You have some great wildlife and macro images in your collection. These can be quite hard to sell though, and I would suggest you could improve your chances by writing full captions. At the moment, you have included scientific names in the tags, but not in the captions. Captions can be very important in getting your images seen, so I would include the scientific names, and probably the location too. Good luck.

[NYCat]

If your wild things are shot in the wild I would definitely put "wild" and the location in your captions and keywords. If they are zoo pics I don't think you should be afraid to say so. I have sold zoo images as being from a specific zoo. You could try looking in All of Alamy in Measures to see any possible searches. I like your images. Great frogs! We are up against the best, I'm afraid, in the wildlife category but it is not impossible to sell. Latin names are crucial and I include them in captions as well as keywords.

 

Paulette

 

PS. Just tried putting %zoo in All of Alamy and got six pages of searches. Not all really zoo searches but I must get myself to the Bronx Zoo again soon.

[Sheila Child]

Thanks for the compliment VbFolly.  I will do as you suggest.  I thought that putting the scientific name in the tags was enough but clearly not.  The same goes for location.  I will add those details to the caption.

 

Thanks too NYCat aka Paulette.  Some animals are in the wild, but most are captive in some way shape or form, typically Safari Park rather than a zoo for the big guys.  There is always something wrong with the background in zoos.  I have never made any claims that the animals are all in their natural habitats.  I am too fond of my home comforts and bank balance to go chasing creatures, big or small, in the wild.  Too old for safari tents I'm afraid.

I do understand that not everything is easy to sell but I take pictures of things that I like to take pictures of really, rather than seeing this as an income stream.  If any income comes as a result of being on Alamy then great, but it is not my prime objective.  If just one image sold I would be thrilled and it would be a red-letter day if I got over the $50 threshold.  I will however, do what I can, as you both have suggested, to improve the chances of that happening so again, advice much appreciated.

 

I submitted one of my Harvest Mouse pictures for a 2019 calendar competition  and it was picked - RA0MDP.  At lest I have had one success recently but that was before my Alamy venture.

 

Thanks again for your comments. 

 

Sheila

[Phil Robinson]

You have some really great images - especially the insects and frogs - but I'd agree that more information in the captions would be a huge improvement.

Latin names at the very least and where the animal is from, even if photographed in captivity. 

I have never had much success with selling natural history on Alamy but there are people who have, and most of your images are better than mine.

Good luck

[NYCat]

I understand your desire to do this for the love of it but you might as well increase your chances for sales. I have spent a fortune on trips to wild places and have come to the end of the finances and "youthful" energy for doing that but the memories as well as the images are lovely to have. I do think the important information should always be in the caption as well as the keywords. I have experimented and it does make images come up earlier in searches. Give yourself every opportunity for a sale. 

 

Paulette

[IanDavidson]

You have some great images.  I agree totally with the suggestions on captions.  Try to make complete sentences with all information and repeat in tags.  IMHO you have to think not as a photographer but as if an image buyer, particularly what do they want (and remember to segment your proposed buyers) and how they search.  

 

Captions and keywords quality are at least as important as image quality and quantity.  

 

You need thousands of images to get regular sales.  

 

What is is your target audience?  Use AoA to search for your keywords and look at how many images turn up.  You have to get your CTR up and sales to improve your ranking and thus how far up the search results you appear. ( it is somewhat of a catch 22)  Outside the first two or three page make sales less likely, no matter how good the images.  

 

None the less, great images....

[Sheila Child]

Thanks for your comments Phil and Ian.  From the first few pages of your Alamy listings I can see that you are both  quite interested in politics and people.  Nothing wrong with that at all but I have shied away from people pictures for two reasons: a) There are plenty of pros out there who are very good at this, much better than me and b) I really can't be bothered getting release forms.  Mini-creatures, owls and other wildlife are delightfully free of this paperwork.

 

I do take on board your recommendations for captioning though and you both echo the views of NYCat and VbFolly.  I can see from the way all four of you have captioned your images that I need to do more - and I will.

 

As for target audience - my dream is to get an image, just one image, in the Natural History Museum's member magazine.  The editor said that they use Alamy "a lot" for such purposes and that conversation was one of the reasons, along with a recommendation from the man who taught me microphotography, to go with Alamy.  I guess publications such as that, would be my main target audience.  I can also see some of my animal images on notebooks, t-shirts and the like but who knows how that industry source their images.  I doubt that the newspapers would be remotely interested unless they just happen to see something they like.

 

I see items and images carrying an Alamy or Alamy Live credit occasionally in The Daily Telegraph.  No idea who the photography might be because that never seems to be included.

 

Thanks again for your constructive comments.  Your time is much appreciated.

 

Sheila

 

 

[wiskerke]

27 minutes ago, Sheila Child said:

As for target audience - my dream is to get an image, just one image, in the Natural History Museum's member magazine.  The editor said that they use Alamy "a lot" for such purposes and that conversation was one of the reasons, along with a recommendation from the man who taught me microphotography, to go with Alamy. 

 

Good and achievable goal! Go for it!

I would study their imagery and try to understand their needs. Follow trending topics and try to predict them. (That will involve politics 😁.)

Because you already had a conversation, maybe go back and ask them about it: what are those trending and future topics; what quality; what specific criteria, certainly what are their no-no's and what sort of things are hard to find for them. Because what clients really like is when you are able to solve problems for them.

And share your dream objective with them, sometimes (if not mostly) people are genuinely helpful.

 

wim

[Sheila Child]

Thanks WIM,.

 

I had thought of doing something like that by sending a link to my portfolio page and referencing our previous conversation.  Now I think that I will take a more direct route and make direct contact.

 

Thanks for the trending, topic and quality advice too. - much appreciated.

 

Sheila