Hello from Italy! This looks like a nice community

[LEDmedusae]

I'm not a photographer, or, well, I have tools and skills in that sense but we'll see if they're sufficient for submitting photos here.

My main focus will be vector illustrations and probably photorealistic renders (I'm mainly a 3D artist and I sell 3D models on Turbosquid). But I'll upload material only occasionally.

In the past days I tried to subscribe to other stock websites and to read their earning rates etc. I've found a lot of confusion, shady information and not well working user's panels when it comes to submit something.
While instead Alamy gives me a better sensation of respect, the interface works and information is clear, so I might give the exclusivity for my images, removing them elsewhere. :) 

I have only 2 questions:
1) Can I hide my personal full name from images data (or in general not being found by google searches)? I can't see this option in the dashboard, but I've seen some images on here with a pseudo
2) What is the real minimum net earning I can expect to get here as non-exclusive and as beginner? I mean, for example when a client has the most convenient subscription plan and buys my image.

Thanks!
Denise

[Brian Yarvin]

Denise, nobody seems to be answering your questions so I thought I'd take a moment to tell you why.

 

1) The people who hide their names completely are exactly the very sort that don't join online discussions. You'll have to ask member services or somehow find somebody that doesn't want to be found. 

 

2) Same story, this group seems to concentrate on photographers that shoot news and/or travel. (My own Alamy collection is about 1/3 travel) To put it simply, this doesn't reflect what Alamy sells. Therefore, we've got the same problem as your first question - the people who can answer aren't here. 

 

Is Alamy worth a try? May I suggest that you take a look at the vector and 3D collections that are already here and privately contact their creators? Somebody may well answer. 

[wiskerke]

On 07/02/2021 at 12:52, LEDmedusae said:

I'm not a photographer, or, well, I have tools and skills in that sense but we'll see if they're sufficient for submitting photos here.

My main focus will be vector illustrations and probably photorealistic renders (I'm mainly a 3D artist and I sell 3D models on Turbosquid). But I'll upload material only occasionally.

In the past days I tried to subscribe to other stock websites and to read their earning rates etc. I've found a lot of confusion, shady information and not well working user's panels when it comes to submit something.
While instead Alamy gives me a better sensation of respect, the interface works and information is clear, so I might give the exclusivity for my images, removing them elsewhere.

I have only 2 questions:
1) Can I hide my personal full name from images data (or in general not being found by google searches)? I can't see this option in the dashboard, but I've seen some images on here with a pseudo
2) What is the real minimum net earning I can expect to get here as non-exclusive and as beginner? I mean, for example when a client has the most convenient subscription plan and buys my image.

Thanks!
Denise

 

Welcome Denise,

 

1) Real names are for your account only. Your images will be on sale under your brand name or pseudonym.

Photographers traditionally operated under their own name, but this has changed over time with the agencies taking over the business.

2) I have no idea what your earnings will be. Nobody will. The only way to find out is by trying. While I can more or less judge a photography portfolio on quality, it's not so easy to tell if that portfolio will sell or not. The main reason is the competition: is that portfolio at least as good as the images already available here on Alamy? Are those images of this quality available elsewhere for a lot less? The second reason has all to do with that competition: will the photographer be able to present his or her images next to those images of the competition? Besides one's overall ranking it has mainly to do with using the right captions and keywords.

This is about photography, but I don't have any idea about illustrations, 3d or vectors. Not about how many are sold in total, nor how many an individual contributor sells and how high the fees are. Nor how big the portfolio needs to be or how high the quality.

I suggest to do your own research. How? Check for subjects you have what the competition here looks like. Remember clients do not search by image, but firstly and mainly by keyword. Although it is possible to search by image nowadays. I would suggest you try that as well with your own images.

Then check if the images from the first 2 or 3 rows have been used somewhere. And if the supplier has been Alamy. (Just use reverse lookup like Google images or try something like this:

https://github.com/dessant/search-by-image  a browser extension for reverse image search using lots of sources, available for Edge, Chrome and Firefox.)

 

Oh and so far there have been no real subscription plans. There are bulk deals and other bulk contracts though. And there have been hints at subscription plans coming.

 

wim

 

edit: Bryan, I had the same idea and we're sharing a good deal of the same advice. 😁

Edited February 8, 2021 by wiskerke

[Brian Yarvin]

I knew that if I answered, somebody far more knowledgeable would join in!

[LEDmedusae]

8 hours ago, wiskerke said:

...

 

Thanks a lot for these precious advices! I am definitely a scrupolous person, I'll chose my subjects carefully.  :)  And thanks for the plugin, I didn't know about its existence!

And, yes, I wasn't asking much about my possible future here (that will entirely depend on myself, after knowing how it goes!), but I was asking indeed about the minimum earning per download we can face. You answered there are no subscription plans yet, but probably coming soon. So I will only look for these bulk deals...
So thanks a lot, you replied to both of my questions!

:)  And of course I can't know how it will go and yes, worth a try!

Considering here prices are higher than elsewhere, would you suggest to give exclusivity to Alamy, so that customers would buy my content only here instead of searching it elsewhere to get cheaper versions? Do customers compare the same image among stocks, often, in your opinion?

[wiskerke]

1 hour ago, LEDmedusae said:

 

Thanks a lot for these precious advices! I am definitely a scrupolous person, I'll chose my subjects carefully.  And thanks for the plugin, I didn't know about its existence!

And, yes, I wasn't asking much about my possible future here (that will entirely depend on myself, after knowing how it goes!), but I was asking indeed about the minimum earning per download we can face. You answered there are no subscription plans yet, but probably coming soon. So I will only look for these bulk deals...
So thanks a lot, you replied to both of my questions!

And of course I can't know how it will go and yes, worth a try!

Considering here prices are higher than elsewhere, would you suggest to give exclusivity to Alamy, so that customers would buy my content only here instead of searching it elsewhere to get cheaper versions? Do customers compare the same image among stocks, often, in your opinion?

 

Exclusivity will earn you 10% more. Percent points because 50% in stead of 40%.

Again: only trying will tell.

As for earnings, there is a thread every month here with images and global fees. It used to be exact to the cent/penny, but after some discussion, most of us report in $; $$; $$$ and maybe mid/high/low. Images sold in January 2021

There's another thread about monthly earnings. Usually given in gross numbers, because some may be exclusive while others are not and because for some the amount of images sold through distributor agencies are higher than for those only catering to the British market: How was your January 2021

As you have already heard, mostly if not all photographs not illustrations. We used to have some. Some people may have a mix though.

Clicking on the blue number next to our names here on the forum will get you to our unfiltered collections.

We do (well some do) have self-curated portfolio pages on Alamy, but there's no way to access these other than through google.

I don't use mine, but I do have one. Here it is. Try greatest hits.

 

wim

[Ed Rooney]

On 07/02/2021 at 11:52, LEDmedusae said:

2) What is the real minimum net earning I can expect to get here as non-exclusive and as beginner? I mean, for example when a client has the most convenient subscription plan and buys my image.
 

 

Denise, the mistake many new contributors make with Alamy, is uploading just a few (or a few hundred) test images and waiting to see how the first batch does before uploading more. With Alamy, you need molta pazienza. Sales may not arrive quickly. 

 

Buone fortuna e te