A tough gig

[Phillip]

Hi guys, and gals, boy this stock photography is a tough gig.  I keep running head-first into brick walls, and had my butt kicked, so my learning curve has been huge and I still have a lot more to learn.

 

So I really take my hat off to those of you who have stuck it out.

 

I might be about to buy my second Sony A6000, depending on the Shutter count. So, thanks for the heads up on the Sony A6000. 

 

The Sigma 150-600 I have hired for a particular shoot that I plan to do and it is a great lens, if it wasn't so heavy it would be on the camera all the time. I do have some great images, now.

 

[IanDavidson]

Philip, I am unsure what you are trying to achieve with your post.  The people on this forum and anyone who tries stock photography knows it is not easy and, generally, badly paid for the effort required.  To do well with stock photography means treating it as a job, the same as any other.  The learning curve never stops.  I have been photographing professionally for about ten years and with over 20, 000 photos on here and over a hundred thousand in my archives -  yet compared with many on here I would consider my skills to be mediocre.

 

There is much excellent advice on this forum on what and how to shoot.  I would suggest to you that you spend a little time reading carefully the advice given.  Stock photography is a numbers game with sales normally starting to occur with a portfolio in the thousands.  A marathon rather than a sprint.  
 

I wish you luck, but it is a long and difficult road ahead, and you are probably ten to fifteen years too late to the party and with AI on the horizon who knows?  On the upside, I have greatly enjoyed my photography and I suspect your best bet is to enjoy it rather than try to make a fortune.

[Phillip]

Ian, it is more of a general discussion, and I appreciate that I am 10-15 years too late, and I am not going to make a fortune. Nor is it my goal to make a fortune. I would still be doing this, even knowing what I know now. 

 

I think you guys deserve a medal.

 

As to reading, I read extensively the important thing is knowing where to find the information and understanding the language used. I am fortunate I don't have to worry about f-stop, ISO or shutter speed. I am amazed that 100 is considered low ISO when Kodachrome was 25 and 64.

 

When you say it is a marathon, it is more like double or triple that, so I am in awe of the people who have been here for a decade or more.

 

sure I am going to ask dumb questions, and more than likely ask questions that have already been asked by other people.

[Mr Standfast]

Nice to see someone who turns up asks some questions and then watch their portfolio count slowly go up!

 

Sometimes people just disappear when they realise how difficult it is! Good luck.

 

 

[MB Photography]

Twenty years ago most contributors used film which had to be scanned, dust and scratches removed and submitted on CD by post to Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Hopefully they would pass QC. You could not digitally upload like you can now.

 

This is a bit easier now 😊

[John Morrison]

1 hour ago, Phillip said:

I think you guys deserve a medal.

 

No medals for me (but decent fees would help)...

[Inchiquin]

When I joined Alamy I had a routemap which envisaged 5000 images online within 4 years. 15 years later I still haven't reached that number, though that is largely because ever-diminishing returns have forced me to spend ever-diminishing time on stock photography. However I won't stop submitting because I take photographs for enjoyment anyway so it costs nothing but time to put them up here and I still get a buzz each and every time a sale drops in.

 

Alan

[Phillip]

42 minutes ago, MB Photography said:

Twenty years ago most contributors used film which had to be scanned, dust and scratches removed and submitted on CD by post to Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Hopefully they would pass QC. You could not digitally upload like you can now.

 

This is a bit easier now 😊

I had a brief period of submitting Kodachrome 25 and 64. then my life changed direction.

 

In some ways yes it is easier and cheaper in that we no longer have to buy film and pay for processing and have to wait, a few hours or days or weeks to see the images.

 

 

Edited March 12, 2023 by Phillip

[Phillip]

I am on a steep learning curve and have made more than a few errors. However, I am learning. For example, I have a planned shoot in an area that is public, but I discovered I need a permit if I am to submit to stock libraries.

 

It is learning what the rules and regulations are dealing with bureaucracy. Whilst most of you have been around and know the ropes, I don't.

 

One case in point is not being able to ask the right question, in order to find the right answer. Take for example using a search engine, there are multiple ways of searching for information and sometimes it takes a few attempts at entering different keywords, to find what I am looking for.

[Marianne]

Good luck Philip and welcome to the forum!

 

I've got a couple of suggestions.

 

I noticed the Image ID 2P8YKA6 says it is public domain. Did you click the wrong box somewhere? You should check.

 

Several of your images don't say where they were taken. You can't just assume that if you put in the name of a river, for example, that's enough. You need the town/city, Australia (I'm guessing) and similar identifying features in your keywords. You've got rural images with garbage - a problem everywhere - plastic bags blowing up against property - but if, for example, an editor is looking for such an image, if they somehow find yours, they'll want to know where it was taken - you don't even have the country, let alone the town. If they are specifically looking to illustrate the problem in rural Australia (I'm guessing again), they won't find your photo since they'll be searching keywords such as "Australia." 

 

Read up on keywording. I'm sure you can find some good articles online. It's great that you are being spare with yours, as opposed to putting in a bunch of spammy words, but there are essential keywords you need to add.

 

You also have one image - I forgot the number - that has one keyword - "delete" - did you mean to delete it or is this a mistake? It's one of the horse & buggy ones.

[Phillip]

3 hours ago, Marianne said:

Good luck Philip and welcome to the forum!

 

I've got a couple of suggestions.

 

I noticed the Image ID 2P8YKA6 says it is public domain. Did you click the wrong box somewhere? You should check.

 

Several of your images don't say where they were taken. You can't just assume that if you put in the name of a river, for example, that's enough. You need the town/city, Australia (I'm guessing) and similar identifying features in your keywords. You've got rural images with garbage - a problem everywhere - plastic bags blowing up against property - but if, for example, an editor is looking for such an image, if they somehow find yours, they'll want to know where it was taken - you don't even have the country, let alone the town. If they are specifically looking to illustrate the problem in rural Australia (I'm guessing again), they won't find your photo since they'll be searching keywords such as "Australia." 

 

Read up on keywording. I'm sure you can find some good articles online. It's great that you are being spare with yours, as opposed to putting in a bunch of spammy words, but there are essential keywords you need to add.

 

You also have one image - I forgot the number - that has one keyword - "delete" - did you mean to delete it or is this a mistake? It's one of the horse & buggy ones.

 

 

Thanks for the advice and I will endeavour to fix the issues, I kind of get lost navigating around and lose track of where I am.

 

Spare with my words, I once got feedback on a Uni assignment, I was told to give a brief synopsis, the lecture said I mean't brief, not anorexic!

[Phillip]

Just picked my second a6000 with kit lens and the 55-210 as well for an unbelievable price, I made an offer that I could pick it up now or he could wait until next week. No signs of wear and tear and looks like the shutter count of about 5,000. 

 

He had gone down the Nikon path. 

 

Thanks, I think it was Rebecca who put me onto the A6000.  Much better to have camera's that all use the same mounting system.

[Phillip]

On 14/03/2023 at 12:25, Marianne said:

Good luck Philip and welcome to the forum!

 

I've got a couple of suggestions.

 

I noticed the Image ID 2P8YKA6 says it is public domain. Did you click the wrong box somewhere? You should check.

 

Several of your images don't say where they were taken. You can't just assume that if you put in the name of a river, for example, that's enough. You need the town/city, Australia (I'm guessing) and similar identifying features in your keywords. You've got rural images with garbage - a problem everywhere - plastic bags blowing up against property - but if, for example, an editor is looking for such an image, if they somehow find yours, they'll want to know where it was taken - you don't even have the country, let alone the town. If they are specifically looking to illustrate the problem in rural Australia (I'm guessing again), they won't find your photo since they'll be searching keywords such as "Australia." 

 

Read up on keywording. I'm sure you can find some good articles online. It's great that you are being spare with yours, as opposed to putting in a bunch of spammy words, but there are essential keywords you need to add.

 

You also have one image - I forgot the number - that has one keyword - "delete" - did you mean to delete it or is this a mistake? It's one of the horse & buggy ones.

 

 

I am gradually building a portfolio on Australian Bush Foods, and all the words in my latest submission is an accumulation of my learning process. I don't always know what words to put and I run out of ideas, because I want to be as accurate as I can.  For Plants and Animals I will always put in their Latin biological names as well as common names. For example, I took photos of' a bird and I didn't even know its' common name as I had never seen it before. 

 

I was in the process of deleting my account, but have since decided not to do that.