How is your August so far?

[rose22]

1 hour ago, Rebecca Ore said:

Rose, you still haven't changed the title of this.  Do you need help?

yes please

[rose22]

22 hours ago, Michael Ventura said:

If I were starting out now, I doubt I would bother with stock.  With close to 9000 photos, mostly from the last 17 years of shooting, the income from Alamy is enough to pay a bill or two, such as my gas and electric bills.  Back in the 1990's, my stock income was easily half of my income and paid for at least my mortgage and then some.  And this was from less than a thousand film images.    

 

 

I hope that alamy can go back at the same alamy before so i can start making $$$, i been reading how much you guys making before than before this update.

[rose22]

20 hours ago, Bryan said:

 

As others have implied, financially, no, not now. You would do better stacking shelves, or delivering stuff etc.

 

However I have got into the habit of shooting, processing, uploading and keywording.  It fills the time, and I quite enjoy the process - but then I'm retired with time to kill. 

 

 

ii am enjoying the process too,,, 

[Robert M Estall]

I'm afraid we are not going back anywhere near the level of fees of ten years ago. Sorry to dash your hopes. I've looked at your collection so far and might offer a little advice:

You have a few interesting buildings in Vancouver's West End, but you don't name either the building or the architect. Would greatly increase the chance of a sale!

You have a few sculptures but don't name the creator or title.

You have some very dull cityscapes which would be easy to improve with a little manipulation. If you don't yet know how, you should learn; perhaps a short course? 

 

good luck!

[Graham Hardy]

My monthly average this year is 1 sale to 4,500 images.   I can only conclude I'm a crap photographer, but I tried.   In the 8 years Ive been with Alamy Ive made 210 sales for gross $6297.  Net is going to be less than $3000, and in pounds thats about £2400.  About £600 a year.   I've given up submitting photos.  The time spent in processing, uploading and key wording isn't worth the return, which of course applies to any micro stock site, not just Alamy.    I console myself with a theory that the people who started selling with Alamy early on continue to appear higher up in the page ranks, so continue selling, and continue being preferenced by the algorithm.  Those of us who started later can never catch up.  Just  a theory based on nothing but desperate disillusion and sour grapes.

[Michael Ventura]

8 minutes ago, Graham Hardy said:

I console myself with a theory that the people who started selling with Alamy early on continue to appear higher up in the page ranks, so continue selling, and continue being preferenced by the algorithm.

 

I do think this is correct.  So much more difficult to break into this game now.

[Robert M Estall]

I'm not sure about this theory; I'm what you might call an old hand, but my current sales are pretty pathetic. But not looking like pushing me into the 20% level. Thankfully, I'm not really reliant on Alamy for income.

As for courses, I certainly wasn't thinking of your laying out the sort of big bucks that Adobe charge. Something a bit more local and perhaps more like a camera club or further education

[Reimar]

So far?  One sale for $12.  AS is at $67.  Alamy has some catching up to do.

[Rebecca Ore]

One very prolific photographer here in the past recommended starting with around 3,000 photos, so you had a good chance of making a number of early sales and not falling down in the rankings.  Having a large diverse portfolio helps.   Doing really good photos helps.  And researching out things that have failed searches can be useful.  Also, while everyone will say that people doing thing are useful photos to have in your portfolio, critters doing things seem to outperform static shots of critters, too. 

[John Mitchell]

7 hours ago, Michael Ventura said:

 

I do think this is correct.  So much more difficult to break into this game now.

 

I think that probably the only way beginners can successfully break into the Alamy game these days is to come up with unique images that are going to do well in search results because of their scarcity. There's not much point in going around snapping subjects that have been done to death. At one time, you might have been able to license a shot of your big toe for $$$. Those days are long gone. 😎

[Betty LaRue]

So far in August, 2 sales for $95. 

[Allan Bell]

So far in August, ZILCH.

 

Allan

 

[Bryan]

9 item(s) to date  totalling $36.49 giving me a net $14.59 or $1.62 per lease.  

[VbFolly]

22 minutes ago, Bryan said:

9 item(s) to date  totalling $36.49 giving me a net $14.59 or $1.62 per lease.  

I'm seeing very low prices this month as well. 4 of my 8 sales so far have been in the $1.30 to $1.55 gross range, and my best is $19.99.

[ReeRay]

Very poor so far. Last year July, and August in particular, were my best months. They are now shaping up to be my worst months. Ironically, after the re-rank shuffle, my BHZ ranking is sky high! Go figure that one.

[zxzoomy]

$3.84 net so far.

[Cryptoprocta]

1 licence (so far?) this month, 62c net.

[rose22]

On 07/08/2022 at 02:35, Robert M Estall said:

I'm afraid we are not going back anywhere near the level of fees of ten years ago. Sorry to dash your hopes. I've looked at your collection so far and might offer a little advice:

You have a few interesting buildings in Vancouver's West End, but you don't name either the building or the architect. Would greatly increase the chance of a sale!

You have a few sculptures but don't name the creator or title.

You have some very dull cityscapes which would be easy to improve with a little manipulation. If you don't yet know how, you should learn; perhaps a short course? 

 

good luck!

yes i guess i need to take the course of photography 

[rose22]

On 07/08/2022 at 11:37, John Mitchell said:

 

I think that probably the only way beginners can successfully break into the Alamy game these days is to come up with unique images that are going to do well in search results because of their scarcity. There's not much point in going around snapping subjects that have been done to death. At one time, you might have been able to license a shot of your big toe for $$$. Those days are long gone. 😎

should travel somewhere else to take great photos i am going to Philippines next year and i will shot every single thing 

[rose22]

On 07/08/2022 at 10:41, Rebecca Ore said:

One very prolific photographer here in the past recommended starting with around 3,000 photos, so you had a good chance of making a number of early sales and not falling down in the rankings.  Having a large diverse portfolio helps.   Doing really good photos helps.  And researching out things that have failed searches can be useful.  Also, while everyone will say that people doing thing are useful photos to have in your portfolio, critters doing things seem to outperform static shots of critters, too. 

Alamy recommended to you what to shoot, maybe we should follow what they recommended 

[meanderingemu]

42 minutes ago, rose22 said:

Alamy recommended to you what to shoot, maybe we should follow what they recommended 

Issue is many of us join Alamy because of their focus on editorial and educational imagery and now they are saying we should shoot "pretty marketing images", with no evidence of what revenue is, so not sure i am ready to invest in gear, props and models required for this.  

[Steve F]

10 minutes ago, meanderingemu said:

Issue is many of us join Alamy because of their focus on editorial and educational imagery and now they are saying we should shoot "pretty marketing images", with no evidence of what revenue is, so not sure i am ready to invest in gear, props and models required for this.  

 

It takes me long enough to set up studio shots as it is, with no guarantee of a sale. The effort involved in producing pretty marketing images is much greater, also with no guarantee of a sale. Not worth it for me...

[Cryptoprocta]

3 hours ago, rose22 said:

Alamy recommended to you what to shoot, maybe we should follow what they recommended 

Knock yourself out. as the saying goes.

[Rebecca Ore]

5 hours ago, rose22 said:

Alamy recommended to you what to shoot, maybe we should follow what they recommended 

 

 

What Meanderingemu says about the gear and props -- spend some time looking at advertising photos.  Models can be cheap enough if you're in a city with aspiring models (Model Mayham), but the best step for getting into advertising photography is probably assisting a professional advertising photographer. 

 

Friend who was a photography major in college said that the surest money was in either high level fashion photography (gear, props, and models,and a knowledge of fashion) or in combat photography, which some of the guys here can tell you about.   Get bullet proof gear and a ballistic ceramic heart plate, and a really good helmet.  He ended up becoming a programmer.

 

[sb photos]

No sales so far this month, not good as around this time last month had 10. Recently views have been around 50% of last years. Only one zoom too, it had been zoomed before too. Still, it's not the month end yet.