camberson Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 (edited) Hello I need your opinions about my portfolio, it's been 3 months but I couldn't make any sales. While I'm selling very well on other stock sites, I still don't have a single sale here :(. I need your suggestions. For now, I only shoot white background. https://www.alamy.com/search/imageresults.aspx?pl=1&plno=925651 Edited October 21, 2021 by camberson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Ventura Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 Hi Camberson, real nice food photography and nicely done with the ones on white for easy cut outs. Food does sell, especially the unique ingredients or dishes from different cultures or places around the world. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYCat Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 If you have the same images on another site it may be that people will choose to buy at the cheapest price. Alamy sales are not frequent but usually higher price though we have been seeing some wee prices lately. This is a new and unhappy situation for us. Paulette 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Yarvin Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 52 minutes ago, NYCat said: If you have the same images on another site it may be that people will choose to buy at the cheapest price. Alamy sales are not frequent but usually higher price though we have been seeing some wee prices lately. This is a new and unhappy situation for us. Paulette I read this all the time, but it's not my experience at all. Instead, I find that many Alamy sales of food photos are to buyers without subscriptions to the big sites. I've also found that pretty much every person I meet who uses my photos from certain other sites does so because they're client or employer has the subscription already. On at least one occasion, a social media friend has asked me which of their subscriptions they should use if they want to work with my photography. Searches like that will lead to a big jump in rank and nice boost in revenue. The takeaway here is that subject matter matters. What I see from my travel, nature, and lifestyle photos (Okay, I admit I presently only have a few lifestyle photos online.) is different in each case. My personal opinion is that the most important factor in your success with stock photography is subject matter, and studio food isn't a bad subject at all. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camberson Posted October 22, 2021 Author Share Posted October 22, 2021 Thank you very much for your comments and opinions. I actually like to take food photos, I also love to cook. That's why my shootings are usually about food and will be. At the same time, I am a designer, I take the photos a designer needs and create my own style. I guess I need to be a little more patient to sell at alamy I understood that 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Yarvin Posted October 22, 2021 Share Posted October 22, 2021 Murat, welcome aboard! Sometimes it seems like I'm the only food photographer in these groups. Yes, Alamy moves much more slowly that those agencies that offer images by subscription, but in the case of food (at least), it reaches a different audience altogether. However, it's my experience, that even if you're in all of them, you're reaching only a tiny fraction of the market. Food media is growing so fast that it's almost impossible to keep track of. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobD Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 My advice would be, don't do everything on a white background. While you have a dish ready to shoot do some on a more natural background to reach a larger audience. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve F Posted October 23, 2021 Share Posted October 23, 2021 1 hour ago, BobD said: My advice would be, don't do everything on a white background. While you have a dish ready to shoot do some on a more natural background to reach a larger audience. +1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camberson Posted October 23, 2021 Author Share Posted October 23, 2021 6 hours ago, BobD said: My advice would be, don't do everything on a white background. While you have a dish ready to shoot do some on a more natural background to reach a larger audience. actually very logical. I have to try the next shot. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Yarvin Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 On 23/10/2021 at 03:24, BobD said: My advice would be, don't do everything on a white background. While you have a dish ready to shoot do some on a more natural background to reach a larger audience. I also think this is really good advice, especially given the sorts of clients that Alamy is aspiring to have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 4 hours ago, Brian Yarvin said: I also think this is really good advice, especially given the sorts of clients that Alamy is aspiring to have. What sorts of clients do you think Alamy is aspiring to have now, especially given the new "look"? P.S. Sorry if I'm veering somewhat off-topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Yarvin Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 John, the new look seems like it's aimed at professional graphic designers and others in similar professions that are currently spending large sums on photography. In my experience, well-styled food photos are a major need for this group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sally Posted November 10, 2021 Share Posted November 10, 2021 Nice photos. Alamy often emphasise going for a ‘natural look’. So, context on a table or in a kitchen or with someone’s hands doing something might be worth a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nacke Posted November 10, 2021 Share Posted November 10, 2021 Murat, I would suggest that pay attention to what Brian Y has written. He knows what he is talking about when it comes to food photography. In my own opinion, I would say that you need better information with your studio shots, What makes the subject special, more about the items in the image. Chuck 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Yarvin Posted November 11, 2021 Share Posted November 11, 2021 Chuck, you're bringing up a super important question; why do so many photographer think that studio and set-up images need fewer keywords and poorer captions than other categories? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 (edited) On 11/11/2021 at 02:01, Brian Yarvin said: Chuck, you're bringing up a super important question; why do so many photographer think that studio and set-up images need fewer keywords and poorer captions than other categories? Right. My lockdown special home-made pizza has 31 and I've been a minimal tagger for years. But there was a lot on it. Just off to do this week's. Mmm pizza. Edited November 12, 2021 by spacecadet 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 (edited) On 23/10/2021 at 08:24, BobD said: My advice would be, don't do everything on a white background. While you have a dish ready to shoot do some on a more natural background to reach a larger audience. I also give that suggestion a plus. And use props on some. About a quarter of my sales have to do with food although I've lost my appetite for it recently. Let me add a few points to the good advice you've been offered: The two mosts useful views in food closeups are overhead and dinner's view. Most of the recent images you have on your page one are shot too low, from a child's view. And it's hard to see the meal that way. Your white backgrounds hurt my eyes there're so bright. Brian's pictures look natural -- real. Too many of yours do not. I've learned something from this exchange. I'm shooting too many meals and not enough single food items. Another type of food shot is items for sale on supermarket shelves; in the past, I've had some good sales with that. Here one that's sold well: Yet another thing: you have only 543 images and 4 months with Alamy. Alamy is a long game. If you sit around and wait for encouraging sales before producing more stock, you will fail. There are a lot of things you're doing right. Good luck. Edo Edited November 13, 2021 by Ed Rooney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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