jzak Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Hello All, I'm not sure if I posted this to the correct thread, but I just wanted to introduce myself to the forum. My name is Joshua Zakary. I am an Amateur Photographer. During my aid work in Afghanistan, Namibia, and Uganda I had the opportunity to photograph my experiences there. I just got back from working in Afghanistan, and I thought maybe I should try to sell some of my photos through the internet. That's how I got started with Alamy.com I assume that selling photos here, isn't as simple as just posted them to the web site. I've uploaded a few photos so far, adding location, description, and keywords for each image, but no one seems interested. I could use any advice you can give me on how to effectively promote my work on Alamy. Thanks! Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alamy Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 You've inspired us to create a new area for the forum - Introductions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MircoV Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Hello Jzak, First of all welcome to Alamy. You made a good choice. You have just started and you have only 4 images here online. I would say far and far away to expect sales. First you need to build a portfolio. The best is one that has quantity/quality/variation. With only four images it is not realistic to make a prediction and to ask advice. As good as nobody is able to make regular/quick sales with that small amount. Like i said create first a portfolio of lets say 3000+ images and give it at least a half year time. Then you are ready to eventually ask for advice how to improve. BTW you already have a good start with your images. They look good. Good luck. Mirco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niels Quist Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Hi Josh Welcome. Great photos. One piece of advice would be to focus more on your descriptions and key words. Remember to add singular as well as plural of words, sometimes conjugations, etc.- and more words describing the landscape and any situation important for the image (you don't even have the word "landscape"). I am sure your images are saleable. Have a go at Alamy Measures, All of Alamy, and search by using %afghanistan - then you will see all customer searches including the word afghanistan. Use it for other searches, as well, for inspiration. Niels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armstrong Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Hi Joshua, That's a nice initial submission. I would use your expertise gained during your aid work in selecting your photos to upload. For example aid work in itself is a story, the situation of ordinary Afghans is a story. Select photos that illustrate this. How about projects such as water or electricity. Photos of people doing things. Local cultures and traditions too. Stock is a slow process. It took 18 months to get my first sale so don't be discouraged. The forum is a great resource. Lots of good advice here. All the best Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 Hi Josh, welcome and good luck for the future! Couple of comments - B&W does sell on Alamy but not so often, as buyers can change a colour image to B&W if they so want. At best put the colour image up as well if you have it. Watch the keywording - you can have great images but if buyers dont see them they wont sell, eg. image EYGNX7 of the namibian child - Great image, but the keywords need to include African, namibian, child children age aged 5 years etc etc Use "All of Alamy" to see what keywords have been searched for and how often in the previous year by a group of Alamy-selected purchasers Cheers Kumar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzak Posted August 2, 2015 Author Share Posted August 2, 2015 Wow! You guys are awesome! All your input got me really excited about posting more photos on the site. I just posted another 15 images, with another 20 coming. It seems like the major points concerning selling photos on Alamy.com is it to upload as many good photos as you can, to add relevant keywords, description and title, and lastly to be patient. I will definitely try my best to do so. Concerning Kumar's point about focusing more on color images, while I understand his point, the B&W images I posted on the site were intended to be Black and White, so to post them in color, would, in my view, take away from the overall aesthetic of the piece. Thanks again for all your support and input you have given me so far. It has really helped in so many different ways. Cheers! Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiskerke Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 Black and white images now seem to have the meaning: this is (or has been) in the past. wim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzak Posted August 10, 2015 Author Share Posted August 10, 2015 Hey Guys! Thanks again for all the awesome feedback. I just had a quick question concerning the licensing questions for each photo you upload to the site. It asks me if there are any people in these photos, and have they signed a release form. Now most of the photos I have are in some remote village in Africa or Central Asia. Obviously i'm not going to be sued by a impoverished little girl who I took a photo of in some rural village in Namibia. Should I simply say there there are no people in the photo I am uploading? By selecting that there are people in these photos, and with not having a signed release, is Alamy.com going to make these photos unavailable to purchase? Also, If I have a photo of a crowd of indistinguishable people, do I also need to indicate there are people in the photo? Thanks for any help you can give me! Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiskerke Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 If you say there are no people in this picture, while in fact there are people in the image, Alamy will flag your image and send you a mail. Not immediately, but from time to time there is a sweep. Just be truthful in what you fill in: you'll sleep a lot better. wim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Hi Josh In answer to your questions 1. If there are people in your photo you must say so and how many 2. Unless you have model releases for every person in the image, or part of a person, you must answer No to "have you got model releases?" 3 if you have people in the photo and no model releases you cannot sell the image as an RF licence - so you give it a RM licence and Alamy will happily try and sell it for editorial purposes 4. If you have a crowd of indistinguishable people you still Must say there are people in the image and you do not have model releases. You therefore sell it with an RM licence on Alamy 5. Although you can sell pictures on Alamy which you are also selling on other sites you must not sell them with a different licence type. Hope that helps! Kumar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzak Posted August 10, 2015 Author Share Posted August 10, 2015 If you say there are no people in this picture, while in fact there are people in the image, Alamy will flag your image and send you a mail. Not immediately, but from time to time there is a sweep. Just be truthful in what you fill in: you'll sleep a lot better. wim Hi Win, Thanks for the feedback. I don't want to deceive anyone, and I have continually indicated on Alamy if there are people in my photos. I just wanted to have a better understand how this system works. Does Alamy treat my photo differently, if I have people in them who haven’t signed a release? Even if that photo was taken in some remove village in Uganda or Afghanistan. Thanks! Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzak Posted August 10, 2015 Author Share Posted August 10, 2015 Hi Josh In answer to your questions 1. If there are people in your photo you must say so and how many 2. Unless you have model releases for every person in the image, or part of a person, you must answer No to "have you got model releases?" 3 if you have people in the photo and no model releases you cannot sell the image as an RF licence - so you give it a RM licence and Alamy will happily try and sell it for editorial purposes 4. If you have a crowd of indistinguishable people you still Must say there are people in the image and you do not have model releases. You therefore sell it with an RM licence on Alamy 5. Although you can sell pictures on Alamy which you are also selling on other sites you must not sell them with a different licence type. Hope that helps! Kumar Hi Kumar, Thanks for the great feedback. That really helps! Cheers! Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Also, on Alamy, miscellaneous body parts -- arms, feet, earlobes, etc. -- also count as people. e.g. one visible arm extending into the frame = one person Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 "Concerning Kumar's point about focusing more on color images, while I understand his point, the B&W images I posted on the site were intended to be Black and White, so to post them in color, would, in my view, take away from the overall aesthetic of the piece." -- jzak In his polite way, Kumar is pointing out that Alamy is a stock agency, not a fine arts gallery. B&W have far less value here, as wim also said. If you click on the number next to "images" you can see other contributors' collections and their captions and keywords. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Josh, black and white doesn't do well on Alamy, but I really like your B&W images. You never know, black and white could become the new colour. Stranger things have happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafael Ben Ari Travel photographer and Photojournalist Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Hi Josh, welcome to Alamy. I am a contributor to Alamy since 2007 and my advice to you is to be patient and dedicated and build your photography content on Alamy and to believe in your work. In my first few years as a contributor to Alamy I had very few sales, but it did not put me off as I knew that one day my sales will grow as long as I kept uploading a new refreshing and interesting photography content of my work from all over the world and from my immediate environment. Today I am one of the top 500 contributers to Alamy and the sales are very good. My small advice to you is that your photos need to be very high quality visually but not less important imbedded with the right keywords and caption as well. So, I am sure that if you will keep uploading new material to Alamy and be devoted to your photography, sales will follow. I wish you all the best Rafael Ben-Ari Travel photographer and photojournalist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzak Posted August 18, 2015 Author Share Posted August 18, 2015 Hi Josh, welcome to Alamy. I am a contributor to Alamy since 2007 and my advice to you is to be patient and dedicated and build your photography content on Alamy and to believe in your work. In my first few years as a contributor to Alamy I had very few sales, but it did not put me off as I knew that one day my sales will grow as long as I kept uploading a new refreshing and interesting photography content of my work from all over the world and from my immediate environment. Today I am one of the top 500 contributers to Alamy and the sales are very good. My small advice to you is that your photos need to be very high quality visually but not less important imbedded with the right keywords and caption as well. So, I am sure that if you will keep uploading new material to Alamy and be devoted to your photography, sales will follow. I wish you all the best Rafael Ben-Ari Travel photographer and photojournalist Hi Rafael, Thanks so much for your supportive and insightful input. I will definitely try to keep at it! Cheers! Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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