Making money with Alamy

[Phil Crean]

Anybody signing up for this?

https://shutterhub.org.uk/talk-making-money-from-your-photography-with-alamy/

Phil

[spacecadet]

6 minutes ago, Phil Crean said:

Anybody signing up for this?

https://shutterhub.org.uk/talk-making-money-from-your-photography-with-alamy/

Phil

😀They're replacing us already!

[Foreign Export]

don't think it matters - they have over 100,000 photographers contributing according to the blurb - and maybe 50 active ones on the forum- surprised they don't close the forum- that would save some money 

[meanderingemu]

1 minute ago, Foreign Export said:

don't think it matters - they have over 100,000 photographers contributing according to the blurb - and maybe 50 active ones on the forum- surprised they don't close the forum- that would save some money 

 well forum provides (provided?) a nice free service for Alamy in answering questions from contributors. 

[Foreign Export]

1 minute ago, meanderingemu said:

 well forum provides (provided?) a nice free service for Alamy in answering questions from contributors. 

 

spot on

but no longer from me

im adopting the same approach I take with people who send me emails asking me to to fill in a survey for their service - simply because I bought something - pay me $350 per hour and then I will help

 

 

 

 

 

[Joseph Clemson]

I think I'll make a point of viewing the event, I'm always interested in learning more about what I should have been doing in my last ten years at Alamy.

 

I'll also be interested to hear what they have to say to these budding contributors about the reducing commision, increasing costs, potential costs and risks involved in becoming a stock photographer.  I'm sure they will be fully open and forthcoming on all aspects of contributing to Alamy.

 

P.S. I have a lot of time for James Allsworth who has always done what he can for us. It seems though that much greater powers are at play in how Alamy contributors are dealt with nowadays.

[meanderingemu]

1 hour ago, Phil Crean said:

Anybody signing up for this?

https://shutterhub.org.uk/talk-making-money-from-your-photography-with-alamy/

Phil

 

 

 And of course the image used I assume would be one that Alamy deems to qualify for promotion of Alamy's brand, yes! promotes to dilute contributors earnings, and be uncompensated for.  At least they gave credit. 

 

 

[Russell Watkins]

20 hours ago, Foreign Export said:

 

spot on

but no longer from me

im adopting the same approach I take with people who send me emails asking me to to fill in a survey for their service - simply because I bought something - pay me $350 per hour and then I will help

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why do that? Just think of the exposure!

[BobD]

Anyone doing a little maths will work out that the average photographer on Alamy has earned $2000. For arguments sake lets say the Mr average has ben here 5 years, that's $400 per year. Hardly a great incentive.

[DavidLyons]

3 hours ago, BobD said:

Anyone doing a little maths will work out that the average photographer on Alamy has earned $2000. For arguments sake lets say the Mr average has ben here 5 years, that's $400 per year. Hardly a great incentive.

The money which could be made by a photographer on Alamy in the first 10 years was much, much, much higher than it is now.

 

In the following 10 years and up to the present day the money which could be made plummeted much lower by a factor of around x10. 

 

Because of this massive decrease in value that statement in the shutterhub piece, although true, is very misleading. So the Mr. average who has been here in the LAST 5 years I would guess is NOW earning less than $80 net per year. As you say, hardly a great incentive.  And if the majority of those whose ability, diversity and relevance earns them less than $80 per year were to leave because of e.g. the new contract this would have minimal impact on Alamy / PA Media's viability as a business. Much more accurate would be stating what the average photographer has made in the last year but then this would be unlikely to attract new contributors. And so the cycle continues. Old Alamy's policy of continually replacing the disillusioned contributors with crowd-sourced, naive, new contributors whose images were never edited by Alamy for credibility and integrity was flawed from the beginning from the viewpoint of the consequences for all contributing photographers. An overhaul of this corrupted laissez-faire system is long overdue. If this is the purpose of the current changes being made by the new owners then I welcome them.

Edited June 22, 2021 by DavidLyons

[MizBrown]

2 hours ago, DavidLyons said:

Old Alamy's policy of continually replacing the disillusioned contributors with crowd-sourced, naive, new contributors whose images were never edited by Alamy for credibility and integrity was flawed from the beginning from the viewpoint of the consequences for all contributing photographers. An overhaul of this corrupted laissez-faire system is long overdue. If this is the purpose of the current changes being made by the new owners then I welcome them.

 

The thing is the average isn't the mean, and what part of Alamy/PA's income comes from agencies with whom it has other arrangements.  Also, is PA/Alamy trying to do more advertising photos (PA is newspaper based and that would be a field it understood)?  I think recruitment makes sense, but most people will not be all that good, and will abandon their photos after not that much time trying.   Recruiting 100 to find one with staying power and real talent is common in many fields.

 

I doubt the new owners will be doing curating for content and quality.  They don't even curate their blog writers for that.  What's being promoted on the blog for the most part are released photos from agencies and whatever their recent media arts graduates find fascinating, without much sense that those styles of photos sell as stock (as others have pointed out).  I suspect they'll be selling through distributors more and more and using agencies more and more (again, not an original thought of mine). 

 

Best advice also isn't original with me -- don't bother with Alamy until you have several thousand good images to put up quickly as soon as your trial images are approved.  Figure out why you're doing this, and how long you will give yourself if the goal is money and not met.   Anyone with less than 1,500 photos does risk being stuck in silver more than those with larger portfolios.

[MDM]

On 21/06/2021 at 12:54, meanderingemu said:

 well forum provides (provided?) a nice free service for Alamy in answering questions from contributors. 

 

On 21/06/2021 at 12:56, Foreign Export said:

spot on

but no longer from me

im adopting the same approach I take with people who send me emails asking me to to fill in a survey for their service - simply because I bought something - pay me $350 per hour and then I will help

 

 

The forum is a lot bigger than Alamy and overall it is a very good place. Alamy made it and they could kill it anytime but I suspect they won't do that. 

 

For me it is a place to hang out for a little while when I need a break from processing images or whatever else I am doing. For me it is not about helping Alamy out as such and there is usually somebody else to do that. I generally don't bother answering the basic newbie questions any more such as the eternally-confusing JPEG file size thing. 

 

No - if I help someone then it is because I enjoy doing that. If I am going to help someone then it is best that it is magnanimous and not begrudging. In addition, I learn a lot by helping people as well as I always try to make sure that whatever information I am imparting is accurate. Input from others as party of a discussion can refine things as well. Yes I have learnt a lot on here.

 

Above all I have made some really genuine real world friends on here, people I would never have met otherwise. And I have met lots of virtual friends who I will probably never meet in person but, in this Age of the Internet, these friendships are real. It is amazing what comes across in here about character and personality of the members. 

 

Anyway I have decided I am going to stay on Alamy for two main reasons, one of which is the forum. I would definitely really miss this place.

 

The other is that I have spent too long getting my port on here together to just bin it although I currently have little enthusiasm for it all as there is no doubt we are in race to the bottom as far as the rewards for the time spent are concerned (back on topic). 

 

 

 

Edited June 22, 2021 by MDM

[meanderingemu]

11 minutes ago, MDM said:

 

 

The forum is a lot bigger than Alamy and overall it is a very good place. Alamy made it and they could kill it anytime but I suspect they won't do that. 

 

For me it is a place to hang out for a little while when I need a break from processing images or whatever else I am doing. For me it is not about helping Alamy out as such and there is usually somebody else to do that. I generally don't bother answering the basic newbie questions any more such as the eternally-confusing JPEG file size thing. 

 

No - if I help someone then it is because I enjoy doing that. If I am going to help someone then it is best that it is magnanimous and not begrudging. In addition, I learn a lot by helping people as well as I always try to make sure that whatever information I am imparting is accurate. Input from others as party of a discussion can refine things as well. Yes I have learnt a lot on here.

 

Above all I have made some really genuine real world friends on here, people I would never have met otherwise. And I have met lots of virtual friends who I will probably never meet in person but, in this Age of the Internet, these friendships are real. It is amazing what comes across in here about character and personality of the members. 

 

Anyway I have decided I am going to stay on Alamy for two main reasons, one of which is the forum. I would definitely really miss this place.

 

The other is that I have spent too long getting my port on here together to just bin it although I currently have little enthusiasm for it all as there is no doubt we are in race to the bottom as far as the rewards for the time spent are concerned (back on topic). 

 

 

 

 

 

i think i am aligned with you.  i also think i need to learn from your wisdom regarding the so called "basic newbie questions", but will also stay out of the refusing to adjust for Alamy's market ways and approach questions, since most time it ended up being ignored....  i will however still try to guess what that bird is type of question

Edited June 22, 2021 by meanderingemu

[Betty LaRue]

7 minutes ago, MDM said:

 

 

The forum is a lot bigger than Alamy and overall it is a very good place. Alamy made it and they could kill it anytime but I suspect they won't do that. 

 

For me it is a place to hang out for a little while when I need a break from processing images or whatever else I am doing. For me it is not about helping Alamy out as such and there is usually somebody else to do that. I generally don't bother answering the basic newbie questions any more such as the eternally-confusing JPEG file size thing. 

 

No - if I help someone then it is because I enjoy doing that. If I am going to help someone then it is best that it is magnanimous and not begrudging. In addition, I learn a lot by helping people as well as I always try to make sure that whatever information I am imparting is accurate. Input from others as party of a discussion can refine things as well. Yes I have learnt a lot on here.

 

Above all I have made some really genuine real world friends on here, people I would never have met otherwise. And I have met lots of virtual friends who I will probably never meet in person but, in this Age of the Internet, these friendships are real. It is amazing what comes across in here about character and personality of the members. 

 

Anyway I have decided I am going to stay on Alamy for two main reasons, one of which is the forum. I would definitely really miss this place.

 

The other is that I have spent too long getting my port on here together to just bin it although I currently have little enthusiasm for it all as there is no doubt we are in race to the bottom as far as the rewards for the time spent are concerned (back on topic). 

 

 

 

I agree with what you’ve said. Back when the new contract was announced, I made the statement I would no longer spend my time answering basic newbie questions, and that’s exactly what I meant. But anything I can do to help the regulars who have been here, I’ll always help if I can. 

I really don’t know what I would have done without your help, Mick, and Mark, and others, recently. I don’t have the kind of technical expertise you have, but if I ever have the tip of an oar in the water, I’ll share it with the regulars. That’s what friends do.

[Allan Bell]

45 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said:

I agree with what you’ve said. Back when the new contract was announced, I made the statement I would no longer spend my time answering basic newbie questions, and that’s exactly what I meant. But anything I can do to help the regulars who have been here, I’ll always help if I can. 

I really don’t know what I would have done without your help, Mick, and Mark, and others, recently. I don’t have the kind of technical expertise you have, but if I ever have the tip of an oar in the water, I’ll share it with the regulars. That’s what friends do.

 

DITTO. And what you said.

 

Allan

 

[Panthera tigris]

5 hours ago, Paul J said:

Sell direct, that's the best advice you will get if you want to make money. 

 

 

 

It's incredibly difficult to do though.

[John Mitchell]

19 hours ago, Panthera tigris said:

It's incredibly difficult to do though.

 

Near impossible, I'd say. Ten years ago my PhotoShelter website actually made a decent profit. Nothin' but tumbleweeds now. That said, Google Image Licensing might (?) open up some possibilities for independent sales. Alamy certainly seems to have embraced it.

[Cryptoprocta]

I may watch it, if I've got nothing more pressing to do at the time. It could have some ideas I hadn't considered before.

But it should be entitled Alamy makes more money from your photos.