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My first year on Alamy


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On Dec 7th I complete one year on Alamy. I thought it might be useful to other new people to post a small summary here of what I have accomplished. 

 

Number of images online: 800

Sales: 9 (6 RF, 3 RM)

Approximate average per image: 35.5

One refund, costumer had accidentally bought two copies of the same image.

 

In addition I had a few red flags in the forum for bad behavior   :wub:  

 

I'm overall very satisfied with my experience as a contributor, particularly when it comes to contributor support. Will keep contributing, and hopefully will have good news to report next year.

 
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That's a great first year.  I'll have been here a year on 31st December.  My year so far is a measly 5 sales, 4 RM and 1 RF with 645 images in my port.  I initially wanted to upload 100 pictures every month but that has proved difficult.  However, I've added another 100 images in about 2 weeks so I could potentially hit 1000 images before the year ends.

 

Roll on 2017 and further success!

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I waited about 8 months for the first sale. When that happened, people here told me that it would become easier to sell, and in fact it has. Something with the search engine.

 

Gennadii when you start selling I think you will be much ahead of me. Let's have this conversation again next Dec...  ;)

 

One thing I cannot wrap my head around is what sells here. The pictures that have sold are completely different in subject from one another. It's more like... hit or miss? 

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I admit that I've been with Alamy in a half hearted way since spring time this year. It seemed more labour intensive to submit and keyword the images. I submit to other sites and have sold 100 images since January, so I'm pleased even though the reward was relatively low.

In the last couple of days however, I've had a couple of sales on Alamy that are worth pretty much the same as the other 100 together, so I'm inspired to get my head down now. I've got 400 images just passed QC and aim to get to 2000 by this time next year, so fingers crossed for an interesting year.

 

And I agree Alessandra, there seems to be no pattern as yo what images sell. The needs of our clients is obviously very diverse. I'm surprised every day recently. When I show my wife some if the sales, she will say something like "Who would want to buy a picture of crushed cardboard?!" Indeed?

 

Good luck and a prosperous year ahead to you all (and me, of course)

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I waited about 8 months for the first sale. When that happened, people here told me that it would become easier to sell, and in fact it has. Something with the search engine.

 

Gennadii when you start selling I think you will be much ahead of me. Let's have this conversation again next Dec...  ;)

 

One thing I cannot wrap my head around is what sells here. The pictures that have sold are completely different in subject from one another. It's more like... hit or miss? 

I have only two sales, but I do not think it's a great achievement.

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I admit that I've been with Alamy in a half hearted way since spring time this year. It seemed more labour intensive to submit and keyword the images. I submit to other sites and have sold 100 images since January, so I'm pleased even though the reward was relatively low.

In the last couple of days however, I've had a couple of sales on Alamy that are worth pretty much the same as the other 100 together, so I'm inspired to get my head down now. I've got 400 images just passed QC and aim to get to 2000 by this time next year, so fingers crossed for an interesting year.

 

And I agree Alessandra, there seems to be no pattern as yo what images sell. The needs of our clients is obviously very diverse. I'm surprised every day recently. When I show my wife some if the sales, she will say something like "Who would want to buy a picture of crushed cardboard?!" Indeed?

 

Good luck and a prosperous year ahead to you all (and me, of course)

Hello Dave,

 

i know your situation very well.

 

Alamy needs more time. On those micro sites you get directly sales. You will make 300 sales in few months for a total of 150 USD. Then suddenly 5 alamy sales drops in on the third month what makes you 170 USD. It is just a unregular thing at the beginning while building up your portfolio. I could be for 2 months without sales at the beginning but then on the third month there is a sudden catch up.

 

So it doesnt matter how many sales you make.... the revenue matters. Better 2 sales for 50 dollars then 70 sales for 40 dollars.

 

Mirco 

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I waited about 8 months for the first sale. When that happened, people here told me that it would become easier to sell, and in fact it has. Something with the search engine.

 

Gennadii when you start selling I think you will be much ahead of me. Let's have this conversation again next Dec...  ;)

 

One thing I cannot wrap my head around is what sells here. The pictures that have sold are completely different in subject from one another. It's more like... hit or miss? 

I have only two sales, but I do not think it's a great achievement.

 

 

 

No they are the start of the great achievement to come 

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A better measure of success would be to calculate the average per image online. For instance I made short of 300 dollars and I have 800 images online so my average per online image is about 0.37 as of now.

 

But this measure could also be deceiving for new people. Those who have been here for lets say 10 years could make such calculation and figure how much they are getting for their efforts.

 

Just an idea.

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I waited about 8 months for the first sale. When that happened, people here told me that it would become easier to sell, and in fact it has. Something with the search engine.

 

Gennadii when you start selling I think you will be much ahead of me. Let's have this conversation again next Dec... ;)

 

One thing I cannot wrap my head around is what sells here. The pictures that have sold are completely different in subject from one another. It's more like... hit or miss?

I have only two sales, but I do not think it's a great achievement.

 

 

Gennadii, concentrate more on well defined subjects. Those will sell:

 

macroglossum-stellatarum-nectar-feeding-   cathedral-of-the-nativity-of-the-virgin-a-brunette-woman-fitness-equipment-h4c13   circular-saw-cut-wooden-beam-gge8cf.jpg   keyboard-on-a-black-background-fk9mbr.jp

 

 

 

 

 

Just my two cents, but you're wasting time shooting and keywording the following of which you have plenty. Maybe fun to shoot, but Alamy isn't the place to sell those. Pretty ladies? Yes! But what are they doing? ...... Nothing! So, why would someone buy those pictures? To illustrate what?  :huh: 

 

beautiful-model-with-blond-hair-posing-i   the-young-dark-haired-girl-studio-shot-ha-woman-in-a-black-dress-looking-to-the-   young-girl-in-a-blue-dress-posing-in-a-c   portrait-of-the-blond-on-a-dark-backgrou

 

Cheers,

Philippe

 

 

I also have my share of pretty ladies doing nothing. They haven't sold yet. One is particularly suited to hang on a wall of a dentists' office, she has perfect big white teeth. She is doing nothing but she has a great smile. 

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I waited about 8 months for the first sale. When that happened, people here told me that it would become easier to sell, and in fact it has. Something with the search engine.

 

Gennadii when you start selling I think you will be much ahead of me. Let's have this conversation again next Dec... ;)

 

One thing I cannot wrap my head around is what sells here. The pictures that have sold are completely different in subject from one another. It's more like... hit or miss?

I have only two sales, but I do not think it's a great achievement.

 

 

Gennadii, concentrate more on well defined subjects. Those will sell:

 

macroglossum-stellatarum-nectar-feeding-   cathedral-of-the-nativity-of-the-virgin-a-brunette-woman-fitness-equipment-h4c13   circular-saw-cut-wooden-beam-gge8cf.jpg   keyboard-on-a-black-background-fk9mbr.jp

 

 

 

 

 

Just my two cents, but you're wasting time shooting and keywording the following of which you have plenty. Maybe fun to shoot, but Alamy isn't the place to sell those. Pretty ladies? Yes! But what are they doing? ...... Nothing! So, why would someone buy those pictures? To illustrate what?  :huh: 

 

beautiful-model-with-blond-hair-posing-i   the-young-dark-haired-girl-studio-shot-ha-woman-in-a-black-dress-looking-to-the-   young-girl-in-a-blue-dress-posing-in-a-c   portrait-of-the-blond-on-a-dark-backgrou

 

Cheers,

Philippe

 

Philippe! I think you are right, but the needs of customers is very difficult to predict. Sometimes the surprise is that is sold, and to whom it might be needed and for what purpose. Suddenly someone will need an image, for this purpose and places.
   I try to pay more attention to keywords, but do not know how much good now I get.
Thank you for your valuable comments and hearken
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people here told me that it would become easier to sell, and in fact it has. Something with the search engine.

 

There's a time-lag between an art director putting a pic on a lightbox, to finalising the choice of pix for a project, to notifying Alamy. Then there's another time-lag until Alamy get paid... and, finally, the contributor gets paid.  So any new contributor needs patience...  :) 

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Alessandra and Andy you have both done better in your first year than I didi in mine.

 

Well done.

 

Allan

Thanks Allan, that's high praise coming from you. :)

 

 

 

Awww. Shucks!  You are making me blush. ;)

 

Hey! You are the professional photographer here. I am retired and do not do it for a living so I should be learning something from you. :)

 

Allan

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There was also was only one sale in my first year with Alamy. However, it was very important to me because it was one of a set of photos that were rejected by a previous agency. The subject is an historically important site and I knew the images were fine technically. I couldn't see why they would be rejected and so came over to Alamy. As they've since sold more than any other subject in my small portfolio, it confirms in my mind that Alamy's approach of letting the photographer decide what's salable is the right one.

 

@Alessandra, congratulations on selling nine in your first year.

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Well done! just coming to the end of my first year of submitting images with just two sales! very pleasing through,my wife found my last one when reading her food magazine! but it took a few weeks to show as a sale so you never know what tomorrow will bring.

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A better measure of success would be to calculate the average per image online. For instance I made short of 300 dollars and I have 800 images online so my average per online image is about 0.37 as of now.

 

But this measure could also be deceiving for new people. Those who have been here for lets say 10 years could make such calculation and figure how much they are getting for their efforts.

 

Just an idea.

Good call.  I made $346 from 651 images which is a 53c average per online image.  To me that's absolutely terrible, but I'm sure it'll pick up the longer I'm here.

 

 

 

Alessandra and Andy you have both done better in your first year than I didi in mine.

 

Well done.

 

Allan

Thanks Allan, that's high praise coming from you. :)

 

 

 

Awww. Shucks!  You are making me blush. ;)

 

Hey! You are the professional photographer here. I am retired and do not do it for a living so I should be learning something from you. :)

 

Allan

 

You have nothing to learn from me, your port is excellent, me being professional means I earn an income from photography, it doesn't mean I'm better than anyone. :)

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Great to see my fellow newbies doing well! (although maybe after a year we can't call ourselves noobs anymore :huh: ).

 

My first anniversary here was a couple of weeks ago, and have had 23 sales (plus two as yet unreported, and one infringement pending) for a total of $998 gross with just over 1500 images now for sale. Have been super pleased with this, and has massively exceeded my expectations. 

 

However I was very lucky to have had plenty of time to be able to invest in Alamy during that year as I wasn't working... Now I'm back in the UK and working full time again, my Alamy and photography time is drastically reduced so I'm under no illusions that I will be able to maintain that level of growth (although I hope I do, and I will certainly try!). 

 

Good luck to everyone for another good 12 months! 

 

Lizzy

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I'm just past my first year, too. Alessandra you have done much better than I at building up your portfolio! I think I spend too much time second guessing what to take pictures of...I've beaten AoA to death for gaps in my local area, but still struggle for volume because I've never really mastered indoor / studio lighting.

 

Anyway my stats are:

Images online: Just under 200, a few just waiting for update

Sales: $331 gross, 4 sales. One of the sales accounted for $200 of that, but it was my first one so very exciting. All been downhill since then ;)

 

 

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I'm just past my first year, too. Alessandra you have done much better than I at building up your portfolio! I think I spend too much time second guessing what to take pictures of...I've beaten AoA to death for gaps in my local area, but still struggle for volume because I've never really mastered indoor / studio lighting.

 

Do you think you're sales and zooms are of your best images? Or of your mediocre or worst images?

Have you had lots of views of subjects that have not been zoomed? Are your images as good as the ones that did get zooms and sales?

 

As to indoor lighting, that used to be a really difficult thing as one couldn't see what one was doing. But now with digital, there's no difference with outdoor lighting: you get what you see. If you like it, shoot it. Maybe you have to use a tripod or something sturdy, but that's about it.

You can go for all natural lighting or for totally quirky. The choice is yours. OK, maybe, ultimately, the client has something to say also ;-)

 

wim

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...

Have you had lots of views of subjects that have not been zoomed? Are your images as good as the ones that did get zooms and sales?

...

wim

 

I haven't been able to see files, not my own, which have been zoomed and sold, via Alamy measures - mine or AoA..

What am I missing, please?

 

(That said, it's not always the 'best' (whatever that means) image which sells, it might be the one which 'best' fits a layout, or page colour scheme, or ...

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...

Have you had lots of views of subjects that have not been zoomed? Are your images as good as the ones that did get zooms and sales?

...

wim

 

I haven't been able to see files, not my own, which have been zoomed and sold, via Alamy measures - mine or AoA..

What am I missing, please?

 

(That said, it's not always the 'best' (whatever that means) image which sells, it might be the one which 'best' fits a layout, or page colour scheme, or ...

 

 

You can see your own zooms and sales I presume:

If you go to www.alamy.com/AlamySearchHistory/contributorsearch.aspx, when you're logged in of course, click on the numbers under Your sales and Your zooms.

Your sales also turn up in your Summary of items sold: www.alamy.com/stock-photography-contrib-sales-history.asp

All this is somehow clickable on your handy dashboard aka My Alamy too: https://secure.alamy.com/MyAlamy-AIM.aspx.

 

We are not able to see which images have been zoomed or sold if those are not our own. Sales could of course be found if we would look for them the same as we look for our own sales.

 

With:

 

> Do you think you're sales and zooms are of your best images? Or of your mediocre or worst images?

> Have you had lots of views of subjects that have not been zoomed? Are your images as good as the ones that did get zooms and sales?

 

I meant to ask if the zoomed (or sold) images were of a better quality than the images that had been viewed, but not zoomed (or sold).

In your Pseudonym Summary, if you click on a keyword or search phrase, all your own images that have been viewed, are shown.

(You of course know all that, sorry for having been too dense.)

 

You're right of course about images having to be fit for a purpose, but still there can be quite a difference between the images that only get views and the ones that get zoomed and sell.

Even in my 12th year I try to keep looking for clues to why clients prefer some images over others.

The other reason for me to check those views is wrong or missing keywords. Isn't everybody doing that?

 

wim

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And then there are the images that get no zooms but do sell. The images that were zoomed in my port are not my "best images" but they might have been my best image on that subject. The best image is the image a customer likes. It is hard to predict what a customer will need. Sometimes a customer will buy a less attractive or perfect image on a subject because it has the right orientation, the right color combination, was taken on the right year, season etc. It would be madness trying to predict all that, but of course we all try to make sense of it.

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