Location, location, location

[Ed Rooney]

Those are the three things they say are important about having a successful business. Is it true in the stock business, too? Before digital stock, before I moved back to the States, I lived in Oxfordshire, where I was involved in buying a small cottage who's garden opened into Blenheim Park in Woodstock. Than came October 19, 1987, Black Monday, and I no longer had money; I owed money. Yes, it's a sad, two-hanky story, but I won't bore you with it. "Stuff happens," as Forrest Gump said. 

 

But a decision had to be made, and at the time, coming back to the States seemed to be the best answer. So here I am in NYC. I thought about going (back) to Rome . . . or staying in Oxfordshire. Or moving to Paris. I speak no French, but maybe I needed a challenge to get my energy moving. 

 

For stock, for Alamy, New York does not seem like the best place to be. Is that a shock for those who live in Tweety-twee, Waxforshire? I'm not really sure if I'm talking about location or subject, here. I would spend half my time shooting in a small studio, tabletop and food and such, but I have had to make a rule: I spend no money on stock these days, no trips, no props, no models, no nothin'. 

 

So what would you do if you lived in New York City and had all the time in the world? 

 

 

 

 

[Ed Endicott]

Street photography seems to be popular in New York, though I don't know how you turn a profit from it....or from landscapes.  Editorial work maybe?

[Lisa]

Take photos of people waiting in line to buy a cro-nut (part croissant/part doughnut).

[Ed Rooney]

They closed the bakery down today because of a rodent infestation. No kidding.   

[Ed Endicott]

They closed the bakery down today because of a rodent infestation. No kidding.   

 

LOL Classic!

 

...and newsworthy!

[John Mitchell]

"So what would you do if you lived in New York City and had all the time in the world?"

 

I think I would just continue photographing the subjects I enjoy most, especially if earning a load of money wasn't a top priority.

[Robert M Estall]

I suppose it's a grim fact that all those shots which featured The Twin Towers need to be replaced. That could keep you busy for a few mornings.

 

Just like all shots of London City skyline lacking The Cheese grater and the Walkie-talkie need updating. Only problem there seems to be the moire interference thrown up by the arrangement of windows on The Walkie-Talkie. I thought it was just my no-filter-Pentax K-5 at fault but yesterday I saw a Getty image and a non credited shot published with similar problems. A pretty good little set, I'm not going to even try to scrape through QC

 

Its a plot by architects and modern buildings! Back to film time! But then maybe the old scanner would throw a wobbly just like my sensor.

[Martin P Wilson]

I would do all the cool and inexpensive (no, free) events and stuff that takes place in a major city. If I could get accreditation I would shoot them too, catch the occasional big-name actor/singer/sportsman doing someone a favour, returning to their roots or just having a  bit of fun (not papparazo stuff); but that is not the prinipal purpose. Like Ed I don't spend any money on stock (it shows) but I do spend money covering events that I might otherwise have paid to go to.

 

Oh, and I would stand in line to try a cro-nut - I'll sign a release Lisa!

[Guest]

Those are the three things they say are important about having a successful business. Is it true in the stock business, too?

 

No.

[John Morrison]

A lot of photographers wish they were somewhere else. Y’know, where the light is better, the landscape more dramatic and there are “more things to photograph”. And every moment wondering is time wasted. The best place to photograph is wherever we are; it forces us to be more observant and get the best out of our surroundings... and ourselves...

[Arletta]

I think a lot of us have the same problem I was going to start similar thread. I live in Warsaw now, where everything is covered already (in photos). I was sure this is the place that will make some money for me. But sales are random. So I thought to come back to my Masuria lake district and shot boats, but... how many images of boats I can sell (sold few, nothing more)? I need action, repo, news, happenings... details of living everyday. Wherever I am I can shoot the moment.

 

I tried food and object photog. in studio shots but get boring fast. It's not me. I enjoy nature and landscapes photos most. When everybody is shooting food there is niche for me

[Dyn Llun]

Ed Rooney: "So what would you do if you lived in New York City and had all the time in the world? "

 

As this is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dylan Thomas I would spend more time in the White Horse Tavern - a place I love. Until a few years ago I sort of found myself there every March 1st. Just sit in the little back room underneath all the photographs of him and his grave and 'Under Milk Wood' posters and read his poetry and have many pints. Not quite as many as him though - "I have just drunk eighteen straight double whiskies - I think that's a record". 

 

Probably not the answer you were expecting - but........!

[Inchiquin]

The only approach to stock that makes any sense to me is to enjoy what you do and take photographs that please you. If they're good enough they stand a chance of selling over time. I've actually lived in Tweety-Twee in Waxfordshire and after a couple of years there's nothing left to photograph, nothing new happening, and on Alamy you're competing with 700 identical pictures of the village centre taken by tourists who stopped their car on the double yellow lines for 30 seconds to grab a shot.

 

I tend to take my most interesting pics in cities but there's no way I'd ever live in one again. The great thing about cities is that you can always find a new angle somewhere (and as Robert said above they always need updating anyway). The bad thing is that your pics are still competing to be seen against thousands of others. Nevertheless my most productive location has been Moscow. I have just 122 pics of Moscow on Alamy out of 140000, but four of them sold within a year of my trip.

 

Alan

[David Kilpatrick]

Well, there's more than one example here of a photographer whose location would never be expected to produce high levels of sales (Keith, in Aberystwyth; Alan, Seaton on Northumberland coast) but through a combination of energy/output and exploiting the strengths of the location both make almost daily 'pictures found' appearances. Concerns over climate change and a strong interest in unusual weather conditions no doubt help, and in the UK, that favours coastal locations. Not only is the light generally one stop brighter much of the time for no other reason than the sea/beach/sky reflection thing, it's often more varied, and coastal scenes make for stronger simpler shots as you have access to the world's biggest seamless background.

 

Second pointer - in Keith's case - is the presence of university or colleges and a young demographic, especially if that's combined with creative/sports opportunities. Most cities hit that mark but you've also got to consider size. Vast metropolitan areas isolate the individual photographer. Ed's former location near Oxford was probably as good as it gets except that Oxford is now not only horribly expensive but congested and losing the battle against development. Rival Cambridge has better light...

Third pointer would be high levels of public art, festivals, calendar dates, parades, exhibitions - preferably year-round. Being a home to orchestras, theatres, stadiums (though I can't see that mainstream sports like football, baseball etc have much stock sales value - mostly news). I'd always want a large number of parks, preferably a zoo or two, extensive pedestrian areas (places which are all six-lane freeways and everyone in cars don't make great images), active new architecture and building as well as some heritage.

Spun the dials and it told me Ed should move to San Diego. Easy!

[Martin P Wilson]

Well, there's more than one example here of a photographer whose location would never be expected to produce high levels of sales (Keith, in Aberystwyth; Alan, Seaton on Northumberland coast) but through a combination of energy/output and exploiting the strengths of the location both make almost daily 'pictures found' appearances. Concerns over climate change and a strong interest in unusual weather conditions no doubt help, and in the UK, that favours coastal locations. Not only is the light generally one stop brighter much of the time for no other reason than the sea/beach/sky reflection thing, it's often more varied, and coastal scenes make for stronger simpler shots as you have access to the world's biggest seamless background.

 

Second pointer - in Keith's case - is the presence of university or colleges and a young demographic, especially if that's combined with creative/sports opportunities. Most cities hit that mark but you've also got to consider size. Vast metropolitan areas isolate the individual photographer. Ed's former location near Oxford was probably as good as it gets except that Oxford is now not only horribly expensive but congested and losing the battle against development. Rival Cambridge has better light...

Third pointer would be high levels of public art, festivals, calendar dates, parades, exhibitions - preferably year-round. Being a home to orchestras, theatres, stadiums (though I can't see that mainstream sports like football, baseball etc have much stock sales value - mostly news). I'd always want a large number of parks, preferably a zoo or two, extensive pedestrian areas (places which are all six-lane freeways and everyone in cars don't make great images), active new architecture and building as well as some heritage.

Spun the dials and it told me Ed should move to San Diego. Easy!

In that case I need to work Nottingham much more effectively.

[Allan Bell]

"The grass is always greener on the other side."

 

David makes valid points, above, as usual. I'm in the Cambridge area and sometimes wish I lived near to the coast or even up north or down south but most of the time make do with the village I live in with the odd photographic trip into Cambridge. As I have my bus pass it is free. Yes make use of all the freebies you have to hand and get out there and shoot anything and everything, even if it has been done before.

 

Allan

[Phil Robinson]

Aberystwyth is the new New York.

[Guest]

There's more to stock than 'found' photography, it's the poorest paying. What really does pay the bills is modern business, great diversity in ethnicity, great locations for shoots........ wow, that almost sounds like New York.

 

The problem with changing location is that the photographer is still the same person - usually it's they who need to be changed, not the location.

[Robert Brook]

The clue is "For stock, for Alamy ...".  And other clue is "...about having a successful business"

 

1. Alamy may be based in Oxfordshire, where you wanted to live, but it's only a small part of the tapestry.

2. You can't have a successful business without knocking on doors

3  There is good money to be made from still-life work, if it's well done, providing you have an agent who knows how to sell it

[Robert Brook]

"There's more to stock than 'found' photography, it's the poorest paying".  Geoff

 

Not necessarily.  But it’s down to the what, why, how and who.  Particularly ‘who’.  Who is selling it for you. 

 

And, as KM demonstrates, even Alamy can make a good stab at it, if the photographer has talent.

[Guest]

"There's more to stock than 'found' photography, it's the poorest paying".  Geoff

 

Not necessarily.  But it’s down to the what, why, how and who.  Particularly ‘who’.  Who is selling it for you. 

 

And, as KM demonstrates, even Alamy can make a good stab at it, if the photographer has talent.

 

In relative terms it's not a great end of stock photography - it works well for some types of work but shooting signs, the outsides of shops etc...?

 

I know a number of people who earn six figures from 5-9k images, anyone doing that on Alamy or indeed most other agents with secondary editorial work/found stock photography... now that would be impressive.

 

Robert is one example of a photographer who would find gems in the most desolate of places......

[Martin P Wilson]

There's more to stock than 'found' photography, it's the poorest paying. What really does pay the bills is modern business, great diversity in ethnicity, great locations for shoots........ wow, that almost sounds like New York.

 

The problem with changing location is that the photographer is still the same person - usually it's they who need to be changed, not the location.

 

There is the obvious "found" and then there is the found image that comes from knowledge, insight,contacts, a seeing eye and a creative approach. Most of us have a lazy streak and tend to take the obvious and easy route (mea culpa) - hence the mass of obvious "found" stuff which I suspect is what Geoff means. Then there is "found" stuff, perhaps more correctly the "sought out", that has been the mainstay of photojournalism and news photography throughout its history, Cartier-Bresson, Erwitt, Parr, McCullin et al had/have the ability to see past the obvious; might look easy but most of us cannot do it consistently as they can/could.

 

That is why I am already trying to change myself as a photographer and make the most of the location wherever I happen to be and whatever the weather. I am fortunately in the position to have the time (if not always the discipline) to work at that change. Having just (modestly) broken a long drought on Alamy I am a little more motivated.

[Robert Brook]

^  Thanks Geoff.  Now somebody give me a whack on the nose before I get big headed.

 

Ian? Where's Ian? Bring Ian back.

[Guest]

 

 

 

 

There's more to stock than 'found' photography, it's the poorest paying. What really does pay the bills is modern business, great diversity in ethnicity, great locations for shoots........ wow, that almost sounds like New York.

 

The problem with changing location is that the photographer is still the same person - usually it's they who need to be changed, not the location.

 

There is the obvious "found" and then there is the found image that comes from knowledge, insight,contacts, a seeing eye and a creative approach. Most of us have a lazy streak and tend to take the obvious and easy route (mea culpa) - hence the mass of obvious "found" stuff which I suspect is what Geoff means. Then there is "found" stuff, perhaps more correctly the "sought out", that has been the mainstay of photojournalism and news photography throughout its history, Cartier-Bresson, Erwitt, Parr, McCullin et al had/have the ability to see past the obvious; might look easy but most of us cannot do it consistently as they can/could.

 

That is why I am already trying to change myself as a photographer and make the most of the location wherever I happen to be and whatever the weather. I am fortunately in the position to have the time (if not always the discipline) to work at that change. Having just (modestly) broken a long drought on Alamy I am a little more motivated.

 

 

 I wouldn't see photojournalism as a route either....Magnum Images having to sell off the family silver....hmmm

[Guest]

Try making work like this in Oxfordshire.... the best commercial stock is old advertising - old adage. Original image from http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/viaje_mais_magazine_usa