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My first sale on Alamy 10 years ago


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Exactly 10 years ago, January 7, 2010, I got my very first sale on Alamy. It was a photo I shot to a local farmer I met along with his yak on a remote mountain path in Tibet a few years earlier. A quick shot around midday in a clear day with a strong and horrible light. Nothing of special and neither nicely edited to tell the truth. Anyway, that photo was my first one to be sold by a stock agency and it was published on the Guardian newspaper.

I still remember how thrilled I was when that sale popped up into my on line account. Somehow, it was the official begin of my career as travel professional photographer. Since then, thousands of images of mine have been sold. Many for peanuts (if not less!), others, instead, were three-digit sales and even a four-digit sale once!

At that time, Alamy was my first stock agency I joined but more agencies followed later. Over the years stock photography market changed significantly and not for the better unfortunately. Microstock agencies became much stronger and they contributed to lower sale prices while, at the same time, famous leading international photo agencies like Corbis disappeared from the market or were purchased by others. On the other side, the offer of digital images by new photographers increased too much and this was another relevant contributing factor to lower prices generally. Just to give you an idea, in 2010 there were only 12 millions of images available for sale on Alamy while today the total amount of images is one step away only from reaching 200 millions! Certainly, I can forget about still getting the average earnings of that time nowadays.

During all this time, anyway, all my hard efforts as travel photographer have been fully awarded with getting my photos published on front covers for famous magazines or tourist guides like National Geographic Traveller or Lonely Planet, calendars, books or travel brochures, but all the sincere happiness I felt when I discovered my first sale on Alamy right 10 years ago still remains my greatest emotion I got as travel stock photographer.

 

Stefano

Travel Photographer

 

Untitled-1.jpg



 

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How time flies!

Our first sale, of a New York skyline, was in June 2001. Looking back I hadn’t realised that our first 4 sales were all black and white images, 2 of them were shot on b&w infra red film.  One of these is still our highest net sale. (we got 80% back then!)

new-york-skyline-A09262.jpg

 

PS In case anyone notices it says here we joined Alamy in 2005!

We joined in 2000 (first upload was 30th Oct 2000) but merged two accounts in 2005.

Edited by Thyrsis
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Nostalgic are we? Trip down memory lane in the golden days....

 

II knew then that it took time to license images, so in fact, I didn't check my sales for a few months. Someone at work prompted me to do so and I was shocked to discover a longish list of sales. 

 

My first license was in July 2003 during my Brazilian days. I had no idea what I was doing with Photoshop, as you can see...

 

A63C2F.jpg

 

My third one in December of the same year was for $402. I was still working on my Photoshop (lack of) skills.

 

A55D9A.jpg

 

Edited by gvallee
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First sale - January 2010 - COP 15 climate demo at Parliament in Copenhagen.

Editorial - USA  - 60% of $245. My technique has improved considerably 

since - thanks to Alamy.

 

demonstrators-at-demonstration-in-front-

Edited by Niels Quist
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Ah how time flies. As Marx* said: Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

My first 2 on Alamy:

 

https://c7.alamy.com/comp/AJ2E05/boys-waving-and-playing-in-pouring-monsoon-rain-phnom-penh-cambodia-AJ2E05.jpg

sale 23/6/2005 - scanned 35mm Velvia - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

 

https://c7.alamy.com/comp/AYN3C0/u-bein-bridge-myanmar-burma-monk-crossing-u-beins-bridge-on-taungthaman-AYN3C0.jpg

sale 1/7/2005, a week later! - Amarapura Myanmar - again scanned 35mm Velvia

 

wim

 

* Groucho not Karl - but you may have guessed.

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My first sale was this image, shot on Monday 4th September 2017, sold later December 8th for $38.42 gross. McDonald’s strike solidarity rally, Old Palace Yard, Westminster. Cut down to use as a banner on the TUC website. I remember it well, it was the first time I carried an 11" MacBook Air instead of the heavier MacBook Pro retina. I'd forgotten to bring a USB card reader, the MBP had one built in. Cursing, I passed on then covering the arms fair demo at the excel, heading back home to upload rather late as live news. Since then I keep a card reader in each of my camera bags.

 

K44E31.jpg

 

 

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3 hours ago, domf said:

Stipe your photographs are stunning, it is theft that your photos sell for less than $$$. 

 

 

Ahahaha, thank you so much for your very nice words!!

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This on 15th Oct 2007. Sold for $439, still the highest single sale I've had, then sold again in 2010 for $93.

Other images have earned more through multiple sales but that first was what got me going....

A9268R.jpg

 

Phil

 

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3 hours ago, wiskerke said:

As Marx* said: Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

 

* Groucho not Karl - but you may have guessed.

 

😂  Gave Ian a birthday card with that on last year!

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First sale, Oct 2005.  A scan from a Fuji Velvia tranny taken in Anguilla (still sells) for $52.72.   I thought I hit the lottery by joining Alamy!  That was the lowest priced sale for the next two years with most being well into the $$$, in that era.  Now I get a $$$ here and there. 

 

maunday-s-bay-anguilla-at-cap-juluca-resort-hotel-peering-through-AE9YA1.jpg

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This is a fun thread. My first was November 2006, Adam and Eve on Tryfan. It sold for $180 but It was refunded a week later

 

A climber jumping on Adam and Eve on the summit of Tryfan in Snowdonia North Wales - Stock Image
 
The day after the refund this one went for $430
 
A stained glass window of mary & jesus in the chapel at the benedictine monastery of Abbaye de St Benoit du Lac in Estrie Quebec - Stock Image
 
 
It was interesting, and disheartening, to see that of my first 50 sales a whopping 30 were for over $100.
 
Colin
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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"Ancient Forester II" (detail) outdoor sculpture by David Kemp. Grizedale Forest, Lake District National Park, Cumbria, England.

 

 

ancient-forester-ii-detail-outdoor-sculpture-by-david-kemp-grizedale-AB6PRD.jpg

 

My first sale on 19th.January 2007.  I joined Alamy on 19th.April 2006.

Country: United Kingdom
Usage: Editorial
Media: Newspaper - national
Industry sector: Media Industry
Sub-Industry: Publishing
Print run: up to 500,000
Placement: Inside
Image Size: 1/4 page
Start: 19 January 2007
End: 20 January 2007
$ 152.50
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My first sale on Alamy

WashingtonPost_Jan142013.jpg

 

Joined Alamy 08 OCT 2012

Uploaded 53 photos in November, 2012

First sale 10 DEC 2012

Washington Post print newspaper for $80

Sold again to Washington Post for this web version on 6 FEB 2013 for $27

 

 

 

Edited by Lisa
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I only had 15 images on Alamy when this sold in June 2004

one-purple-anemone-blanda-flower-in-clos

Country: Saudi Arabia
Usage: Advertising and promotion
Media: Airport display
Industry sector: Travel and Tourism
Sub-Industry: Airlines
Print run: up to 5
Image Size: Double crown 20inx30in (50.80cm x 76.20cm)
Start: 06 June 2005
End: 06 September 2005

 

It sold again in Feb 2005 for $180

 

Looking through my early sales is actually quite depressing as only 9 out of the first 50 are less than $100 and many are top $$$ sales and none were less than $$.  We didn't realise how lucky we were compared to now.

 

Pearl

 

$ 263.58
Edited by Pearl
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My first - from April 2008. Look what Newspapers paid at that time!

 

 

AT2B2M          

Country: United Kingdom
Usage: Editorial
Media: Newspaper - national
Industry sector: Media Industry
Sub-Industry: Publishing
Print run: up to 1 million
Placement: Inside
Image Size: 1/2 page
Start: 25 April 2008
End: 26 April 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$ 172.05
   

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     
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AN60CG.jpg

First sale on 26 September 2008 for $36.

 

Country: Russian Federation
Usage: Editorial
Media: Magazine - Print only
Industry sector: Media Industry
Sub-Industry: Publishing
Print run: up to 10,000
Placement: Inside
Image Size: Spot size
Start: 01 August 2008
End: 01 September 2008

 

John.

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