Suddenly: no more sales

[MarkK]

On 08/11/2019 at 20:05, pierre rochon said:

I'm wondering what is happening with the "productivity" of my portfolio, and I'd like to know if any of you is experiencing a similar sudden drop of sales.

Here are my numbers for the last two years:

2017: 41 sales for $1527

2018: 57 sales for $2003

Everything was going well in 2019: I had 31 sales for $1615 at the end of August . My last sale appeared in my account on August 23.

Since then I had zero sale, and my CTR has been continually decreasing since May. It usually was around 60 and it is now hovering between 35 and 40. I kept uploading images regularly until the end of September, but I kind of lost interest and haven't uploaded since.  All my pictures are exclusive to Alamy.

It surely has something to do with the millions and millions of pics available on Alamy, but I expected to keep selling more than what I'm selling now...

I haven't been on the forum board for quite awhile but due to having the same experience of a major drop in sales I came to see if anyone else was having the same issue.  Your scenario is very reflective of mine.  I had 34 sales for $1909.  Then a couple months ago things just stopped.  I had a couple $ photos (I am not in the distribution scheme so these $ were direct sales including one that sold three years ago for a high $$$ and last month sold for enough for 2 cups of coffee) but other than that nothing.  Everything seemed to have stopped.  It is the first time since my first months with Alamy that I have not had a sale in over a month and to top it off not enough in the pipeline to have any payout.  I cannot recall the last time I didn't have a monthly payout.  As my focus is on news and was dropped from contributing to live news, I see that as part of the problem but it is what it is.  Reportage is not the same and the photos aren't pushed into the google search engine like the live news ones were.  The photos I submitted used to show up on google pretty regularly and now never.  I cannot recall the last time I saw a new photo I submitted to Alamy that shows up when I google my name with Alamy.  The constant addition of my photos to the Google searches stopped following the live news cut-off.  I am having to make a difficult decision as I have invested nearly 3 years of my life into this and now seeing zero returns.  As I have been at it for three years (which is not long for many contributors), I see this as more than a minor hiccup.  It has been a gradual drop since March/April when the live news stopped.  I have over 1000 photos approved photos sitting in waiting in my image manager but the motivation has slowly decreased month by month to the point where I am at now.  Anyways, I hope that things look up for you and others who also stopped having sales. Feeding the machine can only go on for so long before one realizes their time and effort no longer pay off. 

[Stokie]

On 03/12/2019 at 02:35, MarkK said:

I haven't been on the forum board for quite awhile but due to having the same experience of a major drop in sales I came to see if anyone else was having the same issue.  Your scenario is very reflective of mine.  I had 34 sales for $1909.  Then a couple months ago things just stopped.  I had a couple $ photos (I am not in the distribution scheme so these $ were direct sales including one that sold three years ago for a high $$$ and last month sold for enough for 2 cups of coffee) but other than that nothing.  Everything seemed to have stopped.  It is the first time since my first months with Alamy that I have not had a sale in over a month and to top it off not enough in the pipeline to have any payout.  I cannot recall the last time I didn't have a monthly payout.  As my focus is on news and was dropped from contributing to live news, I see that as part of the problem but it is what it is.  Reportage is not the same and the photos aren't pushed into the google search engine like the live news ones were.  The photos I submitted used to show up on google pretty regularly and now never.  I cannot recall the last time I saw a new photo I submitted to Alamy that shows up when I google my name with Alamy.  The constant addition of my photos to the Google searches stopped following the live news cut-off.  I am having to make a difficult decision as I have invested nearly 3 years of my life into this and now seeing zero returns.  As I have been at it for three years (which is not long for many contributors), I see this as more than a minor hiccup.  It has been a gradual drop since March/April when the live news stopped.  I have over 1000 photos approved photos sitting in waiting in my image manager but the motivation has slowly decreased month by month to the point where I am at now.  Anyways, I hope that things look up for you and others who also stopped having sales. Feeding the machine can only go on for so long before one realizes their time and effort no longer pay off. 

 

You might as well process those images, having been approved, and then take stock (no pun intended) to see how you go on. The extra images should lead to more sales.

 

John

[meanderingemu]

37 minutes ago, Stokie said:

 

You might as well process those images, having been approved, and then take stock (no pun intended) to see how you go on. The extra images should lead to more sales.

 

John

 

 

yeah, i would think just adding basic description with 5 KW would be better, than nothing, and should be minimal time

[Colblimp]

On 03/12/2019 at 02:35, MarkK said:

 I am having to make a difficult decision as I have invested nearly 3 years of my life into this and now seeing zero returns.  As I have been at it for three years (which is not long for many contributors), I see this as more than a minor hiccup.  It has been a gradual drop since March/April when the live news stopped.  I have over 1000 photos approved photos sitting in waiting in my image manager but the motivation has slowly decreased month by month to the point where I am at now.  Anyways, I hope that things look up for you and others who also stopped having sales. Feeding the machine can only go on for so long before one realizes their time and effort no longer pay off. 

Three years isn't long at all.  As you've put a lot of time and effort in so far, why not continue?  Start by getting those 1000 pics on sale and just continue.  For me, anyway, it makes no sense to stop.

[MarkK]

14 hours ago, LawrensonPhoto said:

Maybe get into the habit of caption and keywording before you upload then you might have had some extra sales from those 1000

 

Edited December 11, 2019 by MarkK
deleted response

[MarkK]

15 hours ago, Colblimp said:

Three years isn't long at all.  As you've put a lot of time and effort in so far, why not continue?  Start by getting those 1000 pics on sale and just continue.  For me, anyway, it makes no sense to stop.

Three years is a long time for me as most of that time was concentrated on taking photos instead of teaching at University which I need to get back to.  Cheers.

[Colblimp]

21 hours ago, LawrensonPhoto said:

Maybe get into the habit of caption and keywording before you upload then you might have had some extra sales from those 1000

That's something I must start doing

[Fahd Khan]

Last sold picture dated 22 October, 2019. No Sale November and so far empty December.

 

Khan.

[peter_m]

The last and only sale for me on May (~ 2$ net). For 1 year contributing here ...

[Colblimp]

6 hours ago, LawrensonPhoto said:

You have photo mechanic with structured keywords, two or three clicks will fill up 30-40 keywords so why haven't you started doing this!?

Because I don't know how to do it

 

[Colblimp]

Just now, LawrensonPhoto said:

Didn't I send you some links to do that?

I can't remember - goldfish memory

 

[Allan Bell]

I know I can find the answer for myself but for the uninitiated reading this thread does PM (not Boris) process raw images as well as keywording or is it just for keywording?

 

Allan

 

[Allan Bell]

14 minutes ago, LawrensonPhoto said:

PM is used to quickly view and cull your images (raw or jpg), apply IPTC data including name change and copying to a predefined location and send via FTP or other means in an instant. If you want you can drag the images over to LR, edit, and then send.

As an example this: {city}, {location}, {country}. {day} {iptcmonthname3}, {iptcyear4}. will give me 'Ashford, Kent, UK. 12 December, 2019 completely automatically to all files it's applied to, etc. Another example is my copyright: {credit} {year4} returns ©Paul Lawrenson 2019    etc, etc, etc

 

Thank you Paul.

 

Allan

 

Edited December 11, 2019 by Allan Bell

[Sally]

1 hour ago, Colblimp said:

I can't remember - goldfish memory

 

Or set up a keyword hierarchy in Lightroom. There is also a plugin for keywords and you get 30 free credits if you use Alamy Lightroom Bridge. Its here

https://www.lightroom-keywords.com/

 

I haven't used it except once just to test it so cannot vouch for it.  I have spent a long time creating and revising a hierarchy. It's worth knowing the basics of how this works before you start doing it, but it is a definite time saver in the long run.

[Colblimp]

2 hours ago, Sally said:

Or set up a keyword hierarchy in Lightroom. There is also a plugin for keywords and you get 30 free credits if you use Alamy Lightroom Bridge. Its here

https://www.lightroom-keywords.com/

 

I haven't used it except once just to test it so cannot vouch for it.  I have spent a long time creating and revising a hierarchy. It's worth knowing the basics of how this works before you start doing it, but it is a definite time saver in the long run.

I actually don't have a clue what that means - I truly am computer illiterate!  But thanks. 😊

[Colblimp]

4 minutes ago, LawrensonPhoto said:

If you do come down this way, bring your laptop and I'll set you up

I'm coming!  Lappy is always with me - thanks!

[Betty LaRue]

12 hours ago, peter_m said:

The last and only sale for me on May (~ 2$ net). For 1 year contributing here ...

Peter, you take lovely images. That said, I don’t believe your gorgeous landscapes will do well here, unless they are of a popular tourist attraction.  Think what pictures a travel guide would want to advertise your country or locale. You have a popular lake? Get shots of people boating, water skiing or fishing on/in it. If your landscapes are of places where people hike, a tourist draw, then show the hiking trails, or even people hiking them. Then in your caption: the where, the activity, and such. Like a place in my country the caption might be: “People hiking on a trail in the Arbuckle Mountains in southern Oklahoma, USA, a popular tourist area for camping, hiking and water sports.”
Concentrate on towns, cities, popular shops, people doing things and also scientifically identified plants. You have some cows and horses, those you have will do, unless you have a horse pulling a plow or being rode as a family activity. If you have a cultural center town, like in one of your pictures, take shots of one of the buildings, art, music, museum, etc. Especially showing people entering and/or leaving.

Don’t shy away from having more people in your images. You don’t need releases for editorial. Farmers farming, fields of crops, harvesting.
You are making the same mistake I did after I joined. Not really understanding the types of images that do well on Alamy. I hate to admit it took me a few years to grasp editorial photography, and nobody told me.

If I’m overstepping, please say so and I’ll zip my lips...er, chain my fingertips...or whatever! 😁

Just don’t give up. You’ve proved you can produce the quality; you just need the right subjects. Then build your numbers. Take a vertical and a horizontal.

Betty

 

[meanderingemu]

5 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

Peter, you take lovely images. That said, I don’t believe your gorgeous landscapes will do well here, unless they are of a popular tourist attraction.  Think what pictures a travel guide would want to advertise your country or locale. You have a popular lake? Get shots of people boating, water skiing or fishing on/in it. If your landscapes are of places where people hike, a tourist draw, then show the hiking trails, or even people hiking them. Then in your caption: the where, the activity, and such. Like a place in my country the caption might be: “People hiking on a trail in the Arbuckle Mountains in southern Oklahoma, USA, a popular tourist area for camping, hiking and water sports.”
Concentrate on towns, cities, popular shops, people doing things and also scientifically identified plants. You have some cows and horses, those you have will do, unless you have a horse pulling a plow or being rode as a family activity. If you have a cultural center town, like in one of your pictures, take shots of one of the buildings, art, music, museum, etc. Especially showing people entering and/or leaving.

Don’t shy away from having more people in your images. You don’t need releases for editorial. Farmers farming, fields of crops, harvesting.
You are making the same mistake I did after I joined. Not really understanding the types of images that do well on Alamy. I hate to admit it took me a few years to grasp editorial photography, and nobody told me.

If I’m overstepping, please say so and I’ll zip my lips...er, chain my fingertips...or whatever! 😁

Just don’t give up. You’ve proved you can produce the quality; you just need the right subjects. Then build your numbers. Take a vertical and a horizontal.

Betty

 

 

 

Great post Betty,  and pretty much what i was thinking when i was looking at Peter's portfolio.   

 

one caveat on the "picture of people without release " : Please check the local regulations.   

[peter_m]

6 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

Peter, you take lovely images. That said, I don’t believe your gorgeous landscapes will do well here, unless they are of a popular tourist attraction.  Think what pictures a travel guide would want to advertise your country or locale. You have a popular lake? Get shots of people boating, water skiing or fishing on/in it. If your landscapes are of places where people hike, a tourist draw, then show the hiking trails, or even people hiking them. Then in your caption: the where, the activity, and such. Like a place in my country the caption might be: “People hiking on a trail in the Arbuckle Mountains in southern Oklahoma, USA, a popular tourist area for camping, hiking and water sports.”
Concentrate on towns, cities, popular shops, people doing things and also scientifically identified plants. You have some cows and horses, those you have will do, unless you have a horse pulling a plow or being rode as a family activity. If you have a cultural center town, like in one of your pictures, take shots of one of the buildings, art, music, museum, etc. Especially showing people entering and/or leaving.

Don’t shy away from having more people in your images. You don’t need releases for editorial. Farmers farming, fields of crops, harvesting.
You are making the same mistake I did after I joined. Not really understanding the types of images that do well on Alamy. I hate to admit it took me a few years to grasp editorial photography, and nobody told me.

If I’m overstepping, please say so and I’ll zip my lips...er, chain my fingertips...or whatever! 😁

Just don’t give up. You’ve proved you can produce the quality; you just need the right subjects. Then build your numbers. Take a vertical and a horizontal.

Betty

 

Thanks for the comment. Actually my city (the oldest living city in Europe) was this year European capital of culture. That not help for sales ...

[IanDavidson]

15 hours ago, LawrensonPhoto said:

PM is used to quickly view and cull your images (raw or jpg), apply IPTC data including name change and copying to a predefined location and send via FTP or other means in an instant. If you want you can drag the images over to LR, edit, and then send.

As an example this: {city}, {location}, {country}. {day} {iptcmonthname3}, {iptcyear4}. will give me 'Ashford, Kent, UK. 12 December, 2019 completely automatically to all files it's applied to, etc. Another example is my copyright: {credit} {year4} returns ©Paul Lawrenson 2019    etc, etc, etc

I can highly recommend photo mechanic.  It has increased by workflow speed by over 50%.  I spend a lot of time in Downing Street covering cabinet meetings.  I have a cabinet meeting template that gives location and date and caption The keyword field is pre populated (more on this later). I have a  (constantly changing) list of ministers set up so I just type /javid/ and I get Sajid Javid Chancellor of the Exchequer “  (correct spelling and job title ) Add this same /javid/ in the keyword field and sorted.  I go through my photos in PM giving them a star marking and only export to Lightroom those with a five star rating thus cutting down the Lightroom overhead.   

 

If, as is often the case, I am running with two or more stories I can select which photos to import with which template.  

 

I also set  up a basic template which populates all the IPTC fields so I just have to add title, caption and keywords.

 

Alamy has issued guidance for the title/caption for UK election photos.  I will set this up in a template before I go out later so I just have to add a few details.  PM is a real time saver and should increase title and caption accuracy and consistency.  

[meanderingemu]

On 12/12/2019 at 08:48, peter_m said:

Thanks for the comment. Actually my city (the oldest living city in Europe) was this year European capital of culture. That not help for sales ...

 

 

i wonder if that was a question of timing, as i am seeing many hits for Rijeka (next year's ECC) in last month or so....