bgolden Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Hi everybody, I'm new to the forum and relatively new to Alamy and stock in general - I've only been uploading for about a year - and would like some advice on my collection. I've had a good read through many similar posts and understand that I don't have a large number of photos and that to some extent stock is a numbers game. So I have increased the rate of my uploading new shots but my performance of sales and zooms after a good start has become almost non-existent. By the end of last year (after my first 10 months) I only had about 300 shots uploaded but I did have 3 sales and significant zooms. This year with over 600 shots, I have so far since January 1st just 2 zooms in total and no sales. I'm beginning to feel like the 'invisible man'. Can anyone advise? Take a look at my shots and offer critique? Maybe my stuff just isn't the stuff of stock or maybe not good enough (although if there's no zooms, I don't know how they're being assessed). I am getting views so I guess I'm appearing in searches but that's it. All comments would be very much appreciated. Bob Golden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Morgan Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Hi Bob. My first advice is stop with the vignettes. You do a lot of it, and I don't think it helps with the photos. Especially when seen first as small images, the vignettes usually look more dominant than in the image when it is larger. Still, with just your few amount of photos, You have done all right so far. I didn't have my first sale until I had over 600 images. You also may have been put down in rank after the last couple of re-ranks, so not as many of your images are showing in searches. Jill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokie Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Bob, you have a good collection with a large variety of subjects, well executed and keyworded. Although looking at E7DH77, a picture of the houses of parliament, you haven't got 'houses of parliament' in the keywords! The (not so) secret is volume. Keep uploading as you are and sales will come, oh and watch those keywords! Good luck, John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgolden Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 Hi Bob. My first advice is stop with the vignettes. You do a lot of it, and I don't think it helps with the photos. Especially when seen first as small images, the vignettes usually look more dominant than in the image when it is larger. Still, with just your few amount of photos, You have done all right so far. I didn't have my first sale until I had over 600 images. You also may have been put down in rank after the last couple of re-ranks, so not as many of your images are showing in searches. Jill Thanks Jill .. I really appreciate the suggestion .. the vignette's thing is something that I've recently realised I've been doing a lot .. I'll be taking your advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MircoV Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Buy a mirrorless camera, have it always with you and keep your eyes open for interesting subjects this will help the volume. Good luck. Mirco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgolden Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 Bob, you have a good collection with a large variety of subjects, well executed and keyworded. Although looking at E7DH77, a picture of the houses of parliament, you haven't got 'houses of parliament' in the keywords! The (not so) secret is volume. Keep uploading as you are and sales will come, oh and watch those keywords! Good luck, John. Thanks John ,, I appreciate the encouragement .. and I'll be reviewing my keywords! Best wishes, Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatrioticAlien Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 As above, You should really put down what type of planes tail numbers and what country they belong too. Apart from that, they seem okay. I believe the etihad is an old 777 maybe a 200 series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustydingo Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Buy a mirrorless camera, have it always with you and keep your eyes open for interesting subjects this will help the volume. Good luck. Mirco Not sure why you'd have to buy a new camera, and a particular type of camera at that, to help with volume . . . And there is an alternative to wandering around shooting what you just happen across . . . some advocate actually having a plan (or plans), following ideas and concepts and attempting to predict what may interest buyers in the near future, and then actually seeking the content to expand / represent / explore those ideas. The thinking is that will result in a more targeted collection, with a higher chance of having images that would be sought by buyers than a collection comprised of shots of randomly found subjects. dd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatrioticAlien Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Buy a mirrorless camera, have it always with you and keep your eyes open for interesting subjects this will help the volume. Good luck. Mirco Buy a mirrorless camera, have it always with you and keep your eyes open for interesting subjects this will help the volume. Good luck. Mirco Not sure why you'd have to buy a new camera, and a particular type of camera at that, to help with volume . . . And there is an alternative to wandering around shooting what you just happen across . . . some advocate actually having a plan (or plans), following ideas and concepts and attempting to predict what may interest buyers in the near future, and then actually seeking the content to expand / represent / explore those ideas. The thinking is that will result in a more targeted collection, with a higher chance of having images that would be sought by buyers than a collection comprised of shots of randomly found subjects. dd Someone get the popcorn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MircoV Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Buy a mirrorless camera, have it always with you and keep your eyes open for interesting subjects this will help the volume. Good luck. Mirco Not sure why you'd have to buy a new camera, and a particular type of camera at that, to help with volume . . . And there is an alternative to wandering around shooting what you just happen across . . . some advocate actually having a plan (or plans), following ideas and concepts and attempting to predict what may interest buyers in the near future, and then actually seeking the content to expand / represent / explore those ideas. The thinking is that will result in a more targeted collection, with a higher chance of having images that would be sought by buyers than a collection comprised of shots of randomly found subjects. dd I am really bad with expressing in English i guess. When i read what i wrote then it sounds indeed harsh . Dustydingo i agree with you. What i meaned is sometimes when you have the camera always with you, (i am very lazy carrying larger camera so maybe thats why i mentioned mirrorless) you will find some subjects that where not in your plan and helps to add more images. I dont mean mainly but just helping . Thanks for your correction and avoiding Bob Golden buying a new camera to shoot everything what crosses his path . Mirco P.S. i hope no popcorn needed.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Morgan Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Buy a mirrorless camera, have it always with you and keep your eyes open for interesting subjects this will help the volume. Good luck. Mirco Not sure why you'd have to buy a new camera, and a particular type of camera at that, to help with volume . . . And there is an alternative to wandering around shooting what you just happen across . . . some advocate actually having a plan (or plans), following ideas and concepts and attempting to predict what may interest buyers in the near future, and then actually seeking the content to expand / represent / explore those ideas. The thinking is that will result in a more targeted collection, with a higher chance of having images that would be sought by buyers than a collection comprised of shots of randomly found subjects. dd I think you need to do both. You should always have your camera with you. My 3 largest sales have been from images I just happened to take while killing time waiting for other things. One when I was too early to pick my son up from college, another standing on the train tracks waiting for a train, and the other while I was out shopping. Always have your camera on you. Jill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustydingo Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Buy a mirrorless camera, have it always with you and keep your eyes open for interesting subjects this will help the volume. Good luck. Mirco Not sure why you'd have to buy a new camera, and a particular type of camera at that, to help with volume . . . And there is an alternative to wandering around shooting what you just happen across . . . some advocate actually having a plan (or plans), following ideas and concepts and attempting to predict what may interest buyers in the near future, and then actually seeking the content to expand / represent / explore those ideas. The thinking is that will result in a more targeted collection, with a higher chance of having images that would be sought by buyers than a collection comprised of shots of randomly found subjects. dd I am really bad with expressing in English i guess. When i read what i wrote then it sounds indeed hars . Dustydingo i agree with you. What i meaned is sometimes when you have the camera always with you, (i am very lazy carrying larger camera so maybe thats why i mentioned mirrorless) you will find some subjects that where not in your plan and helps to add more images. I dont mean mainly but just helping . Thanks for your correction and avoiding Bob Golden buying a new camera to shoot everything what crosses his path . Mirco Got it Mirco, we do actually agree that the random situations we come across can of course be part of your portfolio, I just didn't want a new contributor to think that the random wandering was, on its own, going to lead to riches I used to take my camera everywhere . . . I now take it most places, but often go out without it--from a lifestyle perspective, it's actually quite liberating--somewhat akin to not checking Alamy stats daily (or even weekly) . But I am working on several themes and ideas (photographically) for here and another place, and I think the results will be much more profitable than relying on serendipity. dd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYCat Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 I like your photos and you have Latin names for some animals but it's a good idea to always add Latin names. Love the black-faced sheep and would suggest putting what kind they are. Paulette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
losdemas Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 <snip> <snip> I think you need to do both. You should always have your camera with you. My 3 largest sales have been from images I just happened to take while killing time waiting for other things. One when I was too early to pick my son up from college, another standing on the train tracks waiting for a train, and the other while I was out shopping. Always have your camera on you. Jill Jill, you're worrying me. Much more of that sort of behaviour and you'll be the subject of an AlamyNews report ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgolden Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 Buy a mirrorless camera, have it always with you and keep your eyes open for interesting subjects this will help the volume. Good luck. Mirco Not sure why you'd have to buy a new camera, and a particular type of camera at that, to help with volume . . . And there is an alternative to wandering around shooting what you just happen across . . . some advocate actually having a plan (or plans), following ideas and concepts and attempting to predict what may interest buyers in the near future, and then actually seeking the content to expand / represent / explore those ideas. The thinking is that will result in a more targeted collection, with a higher chance of having images that would be sought by buyers than a collection comprised of shots of randomly found subjects. dd I am really bad with expressing in English i guess. When i read what i wrote then it sounds indeed harsh . Dustydingo i agree with you. What i meaned is sometimes when you have the camera always with you, (i am very lazy carrying larger camera so maybe thats why i mentioned mirrorless) you will find some subjects that where not in your plan and helps to add more images. I dont mean mainly but just helping . Thanks for your correction and avoiding Bob Golden buying a new camera to shoot everything what crosses his path . Mirco P.S. i hope no popcorn needed.... Phew .. I can cancel that Amazon order now! But thanks for the input anyway Mirco! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgolden Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 Buy a mirrorless camera, have it always with you and keep your eyes open for interesting subjects this will help the volume. Good luck. Mirco Not sure why you'd have to buy a new camera, and a particular type of camera at that, to help with volume . . . And there is an alternative to wandering around shooting what you just happen across . . . some advocate actually having a plan (or plans), following ideas and concepts and attempting to predict what may interest buyers in the near future, and then actually seeking the content to expand / represent / explore those ideas. The thinking is that will result in a more targeted collection, with a higher chance of having images that would be sought by buyers than a collection comprised of shots of randomly found subjects. dd Thanks dd .. that's certainly something I'm going to look at .. I need to focus (no pun intended!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgolden Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 I like your photos and you have Latin names for some animals but it's a good idea to always add Latin names. Love the black-faced sheep and would suggest putting what kind they are. Paulette Thanks Paulette! I'm going to have to do a bit of researching so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Morgan Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 <snip> <snip> I think you need to do both. You should always have your camera with you. My 3 largest sales have been from images I just happened to take while killing time waiting for other things. One when I was too early to pick my son up from college, another standing on the train tracks waiting for a train, and the other while I was out shopping. Always have your camera on you. Jill Jill, you're worrying me. Much more of that sort of behaviour and you'll be the subject of an AlamyNews report ! One can get a much better pic of the train that way! Jill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulOutWest Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Keywording is very sparse. The image with the black faced sheep has 4 keywords. I rarely have less than 15-20. I would add the breed (if known) Latin name, flock, group, livestock, wool, farm, pasture, country, region, etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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