Repeat-sellers

[John Morrison]

6 minutes ago, John Mitchell said:

 

That's true. Mind you, I'm too much of a hoarder to do a serious cull, plus every once in awhile I'm surprised by the sale of an image that I thought I should delete.

 

Yes... the fact that a pix hasn't sold - yet - isn't a good reason to delete it...

[Gabbro]

On 21/10/2020 at 04:41, Robert M Estall said:

That comes as no surprise. Great minds think alike as always. I won't bother with the rest of the truism. My wife used to be a picture researcher for Readers Digest Books. One of her frustrations would be to be sent off searching images only to be told at the end "remember that shot we used back in abtzc, let's find that and use that" Happens all the time. In America, the holy grail is to get an image selected for a standard text in scholastic publishing. Chances are it will be re-ordered  for updated editions for a couple of decades. I would say my collection is less than 50% repeats but it is pretty substantial. Bill Brooks and I have coverage of a site not a million miles from his location in Southern Ontario. First Nations niceties mean you can't photograph it any more. That's the kind of thing can shorten the odds of a repeat sale.

 

That makes sense. I think I have one such image. In total, it has been sold 48 times, for total gross of $5490, including bookcover and all. I call that jackpot!😎😎😎

Edited October 23, 2020 by Gabbro

[Vincent Lowe]

1 hour ago, John Morrison said:

 

Yes... the fact that a pix hasn't sold - yet - isn't a good reason to delete it...

 

Agreed.  I never cull.

 

Earlier this year I had a sale from a 6x6 transparency taken in January 1995. Originally submitted to A.N.Other agency in 1998, later scanned and placed with Alamy by said agency.  When that agency closed all my images that they had placed with Alamy were transferred to my account.  It was the first time this image has sold, 22 years after first submitting to an agency - and it was of what must be one of the most photographed views in the Lake District!

Edited October 23, 2020 by Vincent Lowe

[John Mitchell]

On 21/10/2020 at 02:41, Robert M Estall said:

That comes as no surprise. Great minds think alike as always. I won't bother with the rest of the truism. My wife used to be a picture researcher for Readers Digest Books. One of her frustrations would be to be sent off searching images only to be told at the end "remember that shot we used back in abtzc, let's find that and use that" Happens all the time. In America, the holy grail is to get an image selected for a standard text in scholastic publishing. Chances are it will be re-ordered  for updated editions for a couple of decades. I would say my collection is less than 50% repeats but it is pretty substantial. Bill Brooks and I have coverage of a site not a million miles from his location in Southern Ontario. First Nations niceties mean you can't photograph it any more. That's the kind of thing can shorten the odds of a repeat sale.

 

For many years, I contributed to a small photo library in the US that specialized in Latin America, and I'd say that eventually at least half of my income from them was for reuse of images in textbooks. Many of the images that I produced for them have become resellers on Alamy. Now, of course, even making images RM doesn't guarantee that they will be re-ordered by scholastic publishers as so many Alamy sales have very long durations or are licensed "in perpetuity".

 

Edited October 23, 2020 by John Mitchell

[Ed Rooney]

 

This repeat seller has a story. On my farewell trip to Rome in 2008, I was on my way to my old piazza in Trastevere to have lunch at Augusto's. I passed this bar in Santa Maria and noticed the ornate table. So I order a cappuccino and croissant. Normally in bars in Italy, they serve a cornetto, which means horn and is not bent. But this one had the French twist. I didn't eat it or drink the coffee. I asked for the bill. My waiter was upset that I hadn't touch the food. I explained that I was about to have lunch and I just wanted to take a picture on the nice table. "Crazy American," I heard him mumble as I was leaving. 

[Michael Ventura]

51 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

This repeat seller has a story. On my farewell trip to Rome in 2008, I was on my way to my old piazza in Trastevere to have lunch at Augusto's. I passed this bar in Santa Maria and noticed the ornate table. So I order a cappuccino and croissant. Normally in bars in Italy, they serve a cornetto, which means horn and is not bent. But this one had the French twist. I didn't eat it or drink the coffee. I asked for the bill. My waiter was upset that I hadn't touch the food. I explained that I was about to have lunch and I just wanted to take a picture on the nice table. "Crazy American," I heard him mumble as I was leaving. 

 

knowing me, I would have eaten it anyway, then enjoyed lunch....and paid the price later 🥴

[Betty LaRue]

1 hour ago, Michael Ventura said:

 

knowing me, I would have eaten it anyway, then enjoyed lunch....and paid the price later 🥴

A man after my own heart. Waste not, want not. I would have just had a smaller lunch. I grew up being told to clean my plate, don’t waste food. It’s weird how ones upbringing can stick for life.

[sb photos]

9 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

This repeat seller has a story. On my farewell trip to Rome in 2008, I was on my way to my old piazza in Trastevere to have lunch at Augusto's. I passed this bar in Santa Maria and noticed the ornate table. So I order a cappuccino and croissant. Normally in bars in Italy, they serve a cornetto, which means horn and is not bent. But this one had the French twist. I didn't eat it or drink the coffee. I asked for the bill. My waiter was upset that I hadn't touch the food. I explained that I was about to have lunch and I just wanted to take a picture on the nice table. "Crazy American," I heard him mumble as I was leaving. 

 

If I had observed any homeless person close by I would have invited them to the table to eat the cappuccino and croissant. Looks too good to waste, although it had served your purpose.

[Ed Rooney]

As a food photographer, It's helpful to know the difference between a meal and a photography subject. On assignment, I've sometimes captured a restaurant's entire menu. 

[Michael Ventura]

2 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

As a food photographer, It's helpful to know the difference between a meal and a photography subject. On assignment, I've sometimes captured a restaurant's entire menu. 

This is true, I have had a number of food shoots where I shot way more than I (or my assistant) could consume.  Or I have photographed plates where the food was only cooked enough to look good in the photo and not safe to eat.

[John Morrison]

3 minutes ago, Michael Ventura said:

Or I have photographed plates where the food was only cooked enough to look good in the photo and not safe to eat.

 

...Or where the 'ice cream' is mashed potato... 😎

[David eastley]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strangely I have had this repeat seller this month  one in Finland newspaper and the same image for Magazine in Germany

[Ed Rooney]

It's funny, I see 5 things wrong with my shot, yet it's earned over $500 in sales. I think what I did right with that shot is: I have a simply effective caption and some good tags. 

 

Do you see what's wrong? 1. The heart on the cappuccino is poorly shaped, 2. There's a chip out of the saucer, 3. The croissant needs more butter, 4. We should loose the sugars and, 5. Loose the paper napkin. 

 

😎

[Ognyan Yosifov]

17 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

It's funny, I see 5 things wrong with my shot, yet it's earned over $500 in sales. I think what I did right with that shot is: I have a simply effective caption and some good tags. 

 

Do you see what's wrong? 1. The heart on the cappuccino is poorly shaped, 2. There's a chip out of the saucer, 3. The croissant needs more butter, 4. We should loose the sugars and, 5. Loose the paper napkin. 

 

😎

It's just a snapshot repeat-seller, Ed! 😉

Edited October 24, 2020 by Ognyan Yosifov

[zxzoomy]

My shot of a Santander Bank frontage, at a now defunct agency, was used by the Guardian about 7 times. For anyone who is not selling anything, here's a tip. Upload a lot of photos of banks. Very boring, but they sell. When I studied photography at Paddington College in 1978 they never mentioned this. But we did learn how to copy photos with a 5 x 4 camera. 

[Robert M Estall]

Sounds like you were getting set to do the City & Guilds cert. I've still got mine from the days when Oxford Brooks was called Headington Tech. Thanks for the tip, but I don't think I'll be doing banks.

Edited October 25, 2020 by Robert M Estall

[Allan Bell]

23 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

It's funny, I see 5 things wrong with my shot, yet it's earned over $500 in sales. I think what I did right with that shot is: I have a simply effective caption and some good tags. 

 

Do you see what's wrong? 1. The heart on the cappuccino is poorly shaped, 2. There's a chip out of the saucer, 3. The croissant needs more butter, 4. We should loose the sugars and, 5. Loose the paper napkin. 

 

😎

 

 I passed this bar in Santa Maria and noticed the ornate table.

 

6. The design on the table top is mostly obliterated.

 

Allan

 

[Allan Bell]

42 minutes ago, Robert M Estall said:

Sounds like you were getting set to do the City & Guilds cert. I've still got mine from the days when Oxford Brooks was still called Headington Tech. Thanks for the tip, but I don't think I'll be doing banks.

 

Hey Robert, we should get together and "Do a few banks."  I could do with some extra funding.😃

 

Allan

 

[Phil Robinson]

I have a few repeat sellers that keep getting reused in the papers, or more usually online: BBC Broadcasting House, Maidstone Crown Court, a row of For Sale signs down the road from me, the head of the Scottish Civil Service in Downing Street, Boots in Piccadilly Circus - no banks, but they are certainly the kind of thing that gets used repeatedly to illustrate stories in the back pages.

[Ed Rooney]

12 hours ago, zxzoomy said:

My shot of a Santander Bank frontage, at a now defunct agency, was used by the Guardian about 7 times. For anyone who is not selling anything, here's a tip. Upload a lot of photos of banks. Very boring, but they sell. When I studied photography at Paddington College in 1978 they never mentioned this. But we did learn how to copy photos with a 5 x 4 camera. 

 

. . . and not just banks, zxzoomy. Signs of most anything sell. Once in a while, they are even attractive images. Of my last 100 sales, 35 were of various signs. 

 

 

Edited October 25, 2020 by Ed Rooney

[John Mitchell]

On 24/10/2020 at 03:10, Ed Rooney said:

It's funny, I see 5 things wrong with my shot, yet it's earned over $500 in sales. I think what I did right with that shot is: I have a simply effective caption and some good tags. 

 

Do you see what's wrong? 1. The heart on the cappuccino is poorly shaped, 2. There's a chip out of the saucer, 3. The croissant needs more butter, 4. We should loose the sugars and, 5. Loose the paper napkin. 

 

😎

 

Perhaps those minor "imperfections" made the image more appealing to Alamy customers. After all, the image has done well.

 

I actually reacted more to the composition, shapes and textures than to the subject matter. But then I'm more of a muffin guy. 🤠

Edited October 25, 2020 by John Mitchell

[Ed Rooney]

I would agree with both those thoughts, John. (Blueberry muffins are my current favourite.) 

[Betty LaRue]

On 24/10/2020 at 05:10, Ed Rooney said:

It's funny, I see 5 things wrong with my shot, yet it's earned over $500 in sales. I think what I did right with that shot is: I have a simply effective caption and some good tags. 

 

Do you see what's wrong? 1. The heart on the cappuccino is poorly shaped, 2. There's a chip out of the saucer, 3. The croissant needs more butter, 4. We should loose the sugars and, 5. Loose the paper napkin. 

 

😎

Sometimes real is what’s wanted. Not that “perfect” image. You captured it perfectly, that’s what counts.

[John Mitchell]

18 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

. . . and not just banks, zxzoomy. Signs of most anything sell. Once in a while, they are even attractive images. Of my last 100 sales, 35 were of various signs. 

 

 

 

That's an exceptionally nice image of the Pike Place market sign. The ferry really makes it.

 

Pike Place signs must be the most photographed ones in Seattle. I have a couple of shots myself, but they don't get any attention, which doesn't surprise me really.

Edited October 26, 2020 by John Mitchell

[Ed Rooney]

11 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

Sometimes real is what’s wanted. Not that “perfect” image. You captured it perfectly, that’s what counts.

 

That's pretty much what I was trying to say with my list of 5 "imperfections," Betty. With food, I aim for the spot between studio perfect and casual (real). But I don't like sloppy. And, as I've said before, I only upload images I like.

 

(Everyone knows what has sold, but nobody knows what might sell.)