Phil Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Wow - amazing. $150 4x6 prints from an iPhone and 35mm and Instagram. http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/03/10/photographer-made-15k-on-instagram-in-one-day/ Guess that says something about the power of social media. Note: changed the article link. Hope it sticks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizair Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Phil. The link comes up as Page Not Found. Not sure what the problem might be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panthera tigris Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 I do like his photos but whenever I read a story like this I just think its hype, theres always something that does not ring true - a sensationalist story aimed at getting click throughs for a short period of time - am I just an old grouch? Who would pay 150 USD for a 4x6? Its self publicity. I don't believe it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 I do like his photos but whenever I read a story like this I just think its hype, theres always something that does not ring true - a sensationalist story aimed at getting click throughs for a short period of time - am I just an old grouch? Who would pay 150 USD for a 4x6? Its self publicity. I don't believe it. You may or may not be an old grouch, tig, but your stated point of view is spot on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted March 10, 2014 Author Share Posted March 10, 2014 I fixed the link to the article in my original post. The Forbes article must have been taken down. I find $15k worth of Instagram 4x6 prints sold in a day also somewhat hard to believe. But - I'd find it almost as incredible if he sold $1500 worth of instagram 4x6's in a day. I haven't looked at this guy's work - Is he that good? Or was he just in the right place at the right time and pushed the right buttons? I have trouble trying to understand what might be driving the demand for this genre of images. For lack of better insight I'd guess that the gross proliferation of iPhone images has driven down the expectations/discernment of a large percentage of image buyers. They've become so accustomed to iPhone images that they consider them "good enough". Hence the rise of Stockimo, etc. - that's going to fill the large and growing niche of "it's good enough". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
losdemas Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I fixed the link to the article in my original post. The Forbes article must have been taken down. I find $15k worth of Instagram 4x6 prints sold in a day also somewhat hard to believe. But - I'd find it almost as incredible if he sold $1500 worth of instagram 4x6's in a day. I haven't looked at this guy's work - Is he that good? Or was he just in the right place at the right time and pushed the right buttons? I have trouble trying to understand what might be driving the demand for this genre of images. For lack of better insight I'd guess that the gross proliferation of iPhone images has driven down the expectations/discernment of a large percentage of image buyers. They've become so accustomed to iPhone images that they consider them "good enough". Hence the rise of Stockimo, etc. - that's going to fill the large and growing niche of "it's good enough". Link to the original Forbes article. Maybe the disclosure at the end of the article bears some relevance? ("Disclosure: I’ve known Daniel Arnold for about 20 years, and own several prints of his photos") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustydingo Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Nothing would surprise me . . . a guy with 28,000 followers gets less than 100 of them to spend $150 on a print (or prints). Not the most outrageous claim I've heard this week. Reminds me a tiny bit of the apocryphal tale of the farmer who couldn't sell his bales of hay (insert similar goods) at a particular price, so he lowered the price. Still no luck . . . he then went the other way and added a zero to the price . . . and sold out in a day . . . dd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokie Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 My 'other job' is architectural design and I went to see a chap for a very small job and quoted him a price of £300 (which is really cheap for me). He'd had a quote of £1300 for the same job and was saying why should I use your services as this other chap was charging a lot more (for exactly the same thing actually) and my price was too cheap therefore by implication I wasn't any good!! He eventually went with the higher price so it goes to show that sometimes it pays to charge more for our work! John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin P Wilson Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 My 'other job' is architectural design and I went to see a chap for a very small job and quoted him a price of £300 (which is really cheap for me). He'd had a quote of £1300 for the same job and was saying why should I use your services as this other chap was charging a lot more (for exactly the same thing actually) and my price was too cheap therefore by implication I wasn't any good!! He eventually went with the higher price so it goes to show that sometimes it pays to charge more for our work! John. In consultancy and IT we talk about customers favouring suppliers who are "reassuringly expensive". It is a feeble assessment by buyers but that is how it is especially where there are big players (as in IT). It makes it difficult for the small guy to penetrate the market. As a member of consultancy teams I know I have lost (esp public sector) work because we were not expensive enough - a battle I fought and lost with my CEO. If we don't value our work why should a customer? Best advice I had on setting price was from another independent consultant. Your price should be "the highest price you can ask for while looking the customer in the eye and not blink". I have used and shared it ever since. A lot of truth in it. I am looking to take my photography well up market from where I currently am; easy as I am at rock bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dov makabaw Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Thanks for sharing Phil, a great story. Is there a contributor to Alamy that has made $15 k in one day? I suspect that there are few that have made that in a month! Oh look, was that another pig flying past my window?! dov Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokie Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Thanks for sharing Phil, a great story. Is there a contributor to Alamy that has made $15 k in one day? I suspect that there are few that have made that in a month! Oh look, was that another pig flying past my window?! dov I think it was just my avatar! John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSnapper Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 First rule of pricing a job: Find out what the client's budget is Take it all km Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IkonographyCollection Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Is there a contributor to Alamy that has made $15 k in one day? I suspect that there are few that have made that in a month! Yes. But not this year or last... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I saw that story the other day. I looked at the photos,saw he had 28,000 followers. After thinking about this and doing some homework,I believe he did sell some prints,but I am not buying the $15,000 figure from an unknown of images that were of only fair quality and of strangers. Only one image I would have bought from that whole collection and paid no more then $10 for a 4x6. Keep in mind that Instagram and other social media sites can use and abuse your photos! Read this article from a lawyer: Promotional Benefit Or Rights Grab? Is social media synonymous with a loss of rights over your images http://www.digitalphotopro.com/business/promotional-benefit-or-rights-grab.html L I believe this part of the story, Linda: "With zero idea how to pay his rent next month and photo work sparse. . . ." I'm gonna jump on the F Train now and head over to Brooklyn. Obviously that's where things are happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustydingo Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I saw that story the other day. I looked at the photos,saw he had 28,000 followers. After thinking about this and doing some homework,I believe he did sell some prints,but I am not buying the $15,000 figure from an unknown of images that were of only fair quality and of strangers. Only one image I would have bought from that whole collection and paid no more then $10 for a 4x6. Keep in mind that Instagram and other social media sites can use and abuse your photos! Read this article from a lawyer: Promotional Benefit Or Rights Grab? Is social media synonymous with a loss of rights over your images http://www.digitalphotopro.com/business/promotional-benefit-or-rights-grab.html L I believe this part of the story, Linda: "With zero idea how to pay his rent next month and photo work sparse. . . ." I'm gonna jump on the F Train now and head over to Brooklyn. Obviously that's where things are happening. Ed, try not to pick any fights this time . . . dd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 No, I'm always making the peace sign these days. (Of course it does look a bit like a kung fu stance.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Todd Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I saw that story the other day. I looked at the photos,saw he had 28,000 followers. After thinking about this and doing some homework,I believe he did sell some prints,but I am not buying the $15,000 figure from an unknown of images that were of only fair quality and of strangers. Only one image I would have bought from that whole collection and paid no more then $10 for a 4x6. Keep in mind that Instagram and other social media sites can use and abuse your photos! Read this article from a lawyer: Promotional Benefit Or Rights Grab? Is social media synonymous with a loss of rights over your images http://www.digitalphotopro.com/business/promotional-benefit-or-rights-grab.html L I believe this part of the story, Linda: "With zero idea how to pay his rent next month and photo work sparse. . . ." I'm gonna jump on the F Train now and head over to Brooklyn. Obviously that's where things are happening. A friend of mine is producing the Brooklyn Fringe in July. Lots of good photo ops if you want Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Thanks, Alex. I don't tend to do events. They make me feel like an unpaid PJ. (I seem to be eliminating all sorts of activities.) I grew up in Brooklyn. In the last few years it's become the ultra-chic neighborhood of NYC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dyn Llun Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Thanks for sharing Phil, a great story. Is there a contributor to Alamy that has made $15 k in one day? I suspect that there are few that have made that in a month! Oh look, was that another pig flying past my window?! dov Not through Alamy of course, but yes - and more. I had an exhibition opening night once that went very, very well.................! It might have been the wine that swung the sales though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Brooks Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 When microstock first came on the scene there were suddenly a lot of PR stories about housewives making big money from their photographic hobby by selling family pictures as microstock. One even made $100,000 per year. These are feel good, space filling, PR stories, concocted over drinks with a reporter repaying a favor. Not much fact checking going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.