Jump to content

Selling older images


Recommended Posts

Out of curiosity, I checked my images sold in the past 12 months.

File numbers beginning with A, 12% of those sold in the past 12 months.

File numbers beginning with B = 32%

44% of my sales were of images a bit long in the tooth.

Cool beans.

 

How about yours?

Betty

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Only 7% Bs, I wasn't here for As.

I keep a log by year rather than letter- 15% are before 2011. Three-quarters from the last 4 years. 2012 has been my best year three years running but that's mostly just a matter of upload volume, I think, although Dubai and another small monopoly of mine did help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It doesn't sound like your images are negatively dated, Betty . . . but I haven't heard anyone say "cool beans" since the late '60s. 

 

Sadly, I can't do percentages. I used to know how, then I bought a calculator that did them, then I lost the calculator.  :unsure:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Strange month, very strange ... still, these too could just be cool beans ...

 

8% = A    (8.333 % if you're being picky)

8% = D        "                         "

8% = G        "                         "

75% = E

 

 

Far out man!

:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a pretty hip grandson that says cool beans. What goes around, comes around, I guess.

My point is this. I once was tempted to clean up my port. Get rid of old images that perhaps weren't developed as well as what I'm doing now. Thought maybe it would help CTR.

Paying attention tells me that these older images are still worthy. They might not license as often as the newer ones, but they still license. One of the older images that sold recently brought my highest dollar amount over several months.

Not that it was any great shakes amount, but I'll take it.

(How old is "great shakes"?) ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah American slang! I see the term "hipster" has reappeared, but the meaning has changed since we used it in the '40-'50s to described a person who liked and understood jazz. 

 

I'm getting ready to some culling of my collection, but only a handful of images I don't like. Do more images mean more sales, is this a numbers game? That has to be a big part of the story. 

 

October has fallen off slightly for me, but 2016 has been my best by far with Alamy.   :)

 

"Great shakes"? Are you referring to milk shakes?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What's old? Nearly 50% of my licenses this year were A or B image codes which goes back to around 2006. I often get the feeling that some images need to "marinate" before they begin to sell. On the other hand, about a third of licenses were for film images that were shot in 2001 or earlier. They haven't all been on Alamy as long but these archival images continue to be licensed. One in particular, with an E code, was shot in 1993. It was licensed twice in one week this summer by different clients.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My last 12 months:

 

A = 23%

B = 16%

C = 22%

D = 4%

E = 15%

F = 19%

G = 1%

 

I am pleased with the F results as I am trying to fill in the gaps and it seems to be working.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Golly gee whiz. Didn't we have this discussion about old images just recently (can't find the thread)?

 

Yes, John. We did. But it was more of a "do they sell?"  Rather than percentages, which tells us more than "does an old dinosaur license once in awhile," but actually make up a decent percentage of current sales!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sold two today - one was a B, one of my very first images and the other was a C. Sale earlier this month was an F. 

That's about the same average for the past year - about 2/3rds older images, B & C and the rest E & F (mostly F).  Alamy also collected on some infringements, but I'm too lazy to try and figure out those Letters. Nice to know the old stuff is still selling, and just as nice to know new stuff is selling too. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not going to do a full analysis but looking at just the last two months, there were 15 As, 6 Bs and 2 Cs The As & Bs were scans from my considerable 40 year archive and the couple of Cs were digital originals. So, yes, of course earlier work still sells. By all means chuck a few out if you feel the need, or want to update but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

 

I'm relieved to see a few of the more recent digital originals sell, but will they buy me that new K-1? I doubt it, but I'm not ready to just stand still yet

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting.

It might pay for me to look at my older ones to see if redeveloping them wouldn't make them better.

I'd also like a picture of Philippe's closet. I haven't seen any prehistoric clothes since I cleaned out my own closet last week.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Philiippe can probably get away with the odd lumberjack shirt in Belgium, but too many people know I'm Canadian and burst into a rendition of Michael Palin's "I'm a Lumberjack and I'm all-right..." if they catch me in one. In fact, Michael was a neighbour in NW London for some years but refrained from the ditty. Jane is a pretty smart dresser; thankfully, most people are too kind to make cruel comments about the tramp tagging along beside. Perhaps we do look a strange couple. Betty, you don't want to know what treasures I have in my closet!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Interesting.

It might pay for me to look at my older ones to see if redeveloping them wouldn't make them better.

I'd also like a picture of Philippe's closet. I haven't seen any prehistoric clothes since I cleaned out my own closet last week.

 

reconstruction-of-cro-magnon-man-sculpte

 

Come on, don't tell me my clothes are THAT outdated :huh:

 

Cheers,

Philippe

 

 

Don't throw out your spears and sabre-toothed tiger vests yet. They could be staged to make a big fashion-statement comeback. My tattered old button-down shirts are now all the rage again. B)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You are all maybe missing the point. It is all about HOW MANY images did you submit in the different years. If you submitted lots of shots in the year  C then you probably have more "C" sales.

 

That's a good point. It also can be a matter of different subject matter. A lot of my older images -- the ones that continue to sell well -- were shot with a specific market in mind in places that I don't have easy access to any longer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You are all maybe missing the point. It is all about HOW MANY images did you submit in the different years. If you submitted lots of shots in the year  C then you probably have more "C" sales.

Yes, this matters. I didn't submit many images during the time A and B reigned. I've submitted half my port in the last two years. So that makes my percentages of older images licensed in the last year look even better.

Now I need to take another look at those to see what's different from what I'm doing now.

Not that my recent images are duds...they are licensing, too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.