Am I wasting my time?

[Sultanpepa]

"Am I wasting my time?"

Unless you were on Alamy 10 years ago or have upwards of 10,000 images awaiting upload, then I think the answer is probably yes. Then again, if you treat it as a hobby that gives a little return then you will probably be satisfied. It can take a little time before anything interesting happens though. At least that was my experience. You will experience lots of ups and downs too. Last year was good for me but this year has been terrible so far. So much so I have lost the drive to upload much. Good luck. I hope things pick up for you. You have many nice images.

[John Mitchell]

 

Just wondering, Hellonearth, are you shooting in JPEG or RAW mode?

 

I don't really feel qualified to give technical advice, but many of your pictures look a bit washed-out to me. Some people like that bright "stocky" look, though. Personally, I wouldn't open up the shadows quite as much for starters. It might add some of that missing "atmosphere" that Bill mentioned. 

 

Good luck.

I am shooting in RAW and then processing with LR and PS when necessary. Yes I do tend to open up the shadows quite a bit. I will give your suggestion a try although I have never before had the comment that my photos look a little bit washed out. Thanks

 

Kevin

 

 

Perhaps "washed-out" was a poor choice of words. It could easily be my monitor, which is calibrated but not the best quality. Anyway, I meant that there isn't a lot of variety in the lighting, as Bill (who knows a lot more than I do) suggested. I like your documentary stye BTW, and I don't see any reason why you won't be successful here. You have good editorial captions as well. When I started submitting to Alamy almost ten years ago, I literally began making sales right away. But things have really changed since then (an understatement). I would think that living in a highly photogenic country like Thailand could be a real plus even though it has been heavily photographed. Trying to fill gaps in the Alamy collection sounds to me like the best way to go.  -John M.

 

P.S. I've found that if you create even a few dozen repeat-sellers, they can bring in regular income on Alamy.

[Bill Brooks]

Kevin:

 

You are living in Thailand but the tourist spots have been well covered by talented photographers who are just passing through.

 

If you put Thailand in the Alamy search engine the Alamy search suggestions are all for tourist related shots. Try something different. It may be a smaller market than tourism, but if is not being supplied!!

 

Your strong point is that you live there. Why not do a series of images of subjects that have been overlooked by others? Something that you could do with your neighbours? Culture beyond the tourist spots. How do the rich live? Modern Thailand. Westerners living in Thailand.

 

A search on Thailand and business turns up city skylines at dusk, a few market shots, and a staged shot of a generic businessman that does not look particularly Thai. You can beat that !!! Do you have a day job? how about shots of your workplace and co workers?

 

A Alamy search for Thailand and rich. You get some studio shots of money. No shots that engage the viewer with the subject matter. How about you shooting someone entering a Mercedes? Lurk outside an expensive hotel.

 

Search for Thailand cockfight 123 images only.

 

You also live in Asia so it is easier and cheaper to shoot other Asian countries.

 

You should also bear in mind that most Alamy shooters are not full time stock photographers. Some are freelance professional photographers who do many other photographic things. Some are professional photographers who have a day job. Some are talented amateurs shooting professional level work to pay for their hobby.

 

Never allow yourself to be cyberbullied into apologizing for connections to microstock. Many top professionals supply microstock. Many Microstock contributors live in Eastern Europe or Asia. Your business is your business. You are free to run it any way you want, even if your business drives other photographers out of business.

 

You might want to check out this site, even if you only read the free stuff. Be sure to scroll through the older entries.

 

http://www.selling-stock.com/Default.aspx

 

Bill Brooks

[John Mitchell]

"P.S. I've found that if you create even a few dozen repeat-sellers, they can bring in regular income on Alamy."

 

Quoting myself here. In retrospect, I should have qualified the above statement by saying "regular modest income."

 

Success on Alamy means different things to different people. For me, it means making some extra money every month -- at doing something I really enjoy -- to supplement other income, in my case pensions (I'm over 65) and part-time teaching. So far, I'm managing to do that (touch wood).

 

Moral of the story: keep uploading but don't quit your day job.

[Hellonearth]

.

[Hellonearth]

Fly fishing it is.

 

wim

Totally unhelpful comment

[wiskerke]

 

Fly fishing it is.

 

wim

Totally unhelpful comment

 

 

Right why would that be?

It was my answer to the idea that all you have to do is to trawl the world with your camera and dump large amounts of images here. And that would bring in sales.

A fly fisher studies the water. Studies the fish. Is observing the fish. Casts his/her bait where the fish is going to notice it. Must I go on?

OK one more analogy: he/she lets the fish go that's not big enough.

 

We share quite a bit of places and subjects, so I know what I'm looking at when I leaf through your portfolio.

Basically most of what there is to say about why you're not selling more has been said I think.

Philippe; Bill have made excellent comments.

 

I would add: make better use of All of Alamy where real searches can be seen almost real time. Use it to scout out a place or a subject. See what clients are really looking for and what they are unable to find. What keywords they are using.

Now for the bait: your style is a bit on the bland side. And I don't mean the colors, because there's nothing wrong with those. The same goes for the keywords. A bit more factual would not hurt.

 

Having said all that: 75% of my images on Alamy has never sold; 40% never been zoomed. I'm still hopeful of a couple of those, but for most of them I feel like what was I thinking? I should never even have uploaded them in the first place. Either the competition is far too good, or why would anybody ever want a picture of that? What story does it illustrate? Is that still interesting to people? Has it ever been interesting to people? Do people want to spend money on it? Pretty basic stuff I seemingly failed to take into account at the time of uploading. And let's not forget that the competition has grown really strong here. Images that made the cut in 2010 may well be far below par now.

 

What would the teacher in me say? Study a couple of subjects that you have access to near by. See if there's interest from clients. Then practice on one or two for a while. Take interest. Practice like a piano player or a football player would. Try different styles; different gear; different times of day; different approach. Rinse and repeat and see if anything changes in say a month's time.

If anybody asks for a reason, in Asia tell them: I'm a student; my teacher tells me. Even in most of the rest of the world that would be enough, regardless of your own age. It may just not get you the respect it gets in Asia.

If the subject involves people, why not talk about the images with them over a tea; a coffee or a Bintang; a Lion or a Singha?

 

wim

[Hellonearth]

 

 

Fly fishing it is.

 

wim

Totally unhelpful comment

 

 

Right why would that be?

It was my answer to the idea that all you have to do is to trawl the world with your camera and dump large amounts of images here. And that would bring in sales.

A fly fisher studies the water. Studies the fish. Is observing the fish. Casts his/her bait where the fish is going to notice it. Must I go on?

OK one more analogy: he/she lets the fish go that's not big enough.

 

We share quite a bit of places and subjects, so I know what I'm looking at when I leaf through your portfolio.

Basically most of what there is to say about why you're not selling more has been said I think.

Philippe; Bill have made excellent comments.

 

I would add: make better use of All of Alamy where real searches can be seen almost real time. Use it to scout out a place or a subject. See what clients are really looking for and what they are unable to find. What keywords they are using.

Now for the bait: your style is a bit on the bland side. And I don't mean the colors, because there's nothing wrong with those. The same goes for the keywords. A bit more factual would not hurt.

 

Having said all that: 75% of my images on Alamy has never sold; 40% never been zoomed. I'm still hopeful of a couple of those, but for most of them I feel like what was I thinking? I should never even have uploaded them in the first place. Either the competition is far too good, or why would anybody ever want a picture of that? What story does it illustrate? Is that still interesting to people? Has it ever been interesting to people? Do people want to spend money on it? Pretty basic stuff I seemingly failed to take into account at the time of uploading. And let's not forget that the competition has grown really strong here. Images that made the cut in 2010 may well be far below par now.

 

What would the teacher in me say? Study a couple of subjects that you have access to near by. See if there's interest from clients. Then practice on one or two for a while. Take interest. Practice like a piano player or a football player would. Try different styles; different gear; different times of day; different approach. Rinse and repeat and see if anything changes in say a month's time.

If anybody asks for a reason, in Asia tell them: I'm a student; my teacher tells me. Even in most of the rest of the world that would be enough, regardless of your own age. It may just not get you the respect it gets in Asia.

If the subject involves people, why not talk about the images with them over a tea; a coffee or a Bintang; a Lion or a Singha?

 

wim

 

Thank you Wim. That is real advice and I appreciate it. I have taken onboard the comments of others and will do with yours also. Now to put them into practice. Actually my comment gleaned exactly the type of answer I was looking for. In other words I did my own bit of fly fishing.   I hope I can be as successful with my photos. regards Kevin

[wiskerke]

Mai pen rai khrab!

 

wim

[spacecadet]

 

 

Just wondering, Hellonearth, are you shooting in JPEG or RAW mode?

 

I don't really feel qualified to give technical advice, but many of your pictures look a bit washed-out to me. Some people like that bright "stocky" look, though. Personally, I wouldn't open up the shadows quite as much for starters. It might add some of that missing "atmosphere" that Bill mentioned. 

 

Good luck.

I am shooting in RAW and then processing with LR and PS when necessary. Yes I do tend to open up the shadows quite a bit. I will give your suggestion a try although I have never before had the comment that my photos look a little bit washed out. Thanks

 

Kevin

 

 

Perhaps "washed-out" was a poor choice of words. It could easily be my monitor, which is calibrated but not the best quality. Anyway, I meant that there isn't a lot of variety in the lighting, as Bill (who knows a lot more than I do) suggested. I like your documentary stye BTW, and I don't see any reason why you won't be successful here. You have good editorial captions as well. When I started submitting to Alamy almost ten years ago, I literally began making sales right away. But things have really changed since then (an understatement). I would think that living in a highly photogenic country like Thailand could be a real plus even though it has been heavily photographed. Trying to fill gaps in the Alamy collection sounds to me like the best way to go.  -John M.

 

P.S. I've found that if you create even a few dozen repeat-sellers, they can bring in regular income on Alamy.

 

As a second opinion, your shadows are a bit light to me as well. But it's largely a matter of personal preference. It's a perfectly valid style and your colours are fine. Obviously some of us just prefer a little more "meat".

If you're ever in any doubt about your monitor calibration it can be helpful just to ask the forum to have a look at your images. That's how I found out mine was a bit dark.

As you've found out already, advice offered here, even if you didn't ask for it, is always well-meant.

[John Mitchell]

 

 

 

Just wondering, Hellonearth, are you shooting in JPEG or RAW mode?

 

I don't really feel qualified to give technical advice, but many of your pictures look a bit washed-out to me. Some people like that bright "stocky" look, though. Personally, I wouldn't open up the shadows quite as much for starters. It might add some of that missing "atmosphere" that Bill mentioned. 

 

Good luck.

I am shooting in RAW and then processing with LR and PS when necessary. Yes I do tend to open up the shadows quite a bit. I will give your suggestion a try although I have never before had the comment that my photos look a little bit washed out. Thanks

 

Kevin

 

 

Perhaps "washed-out" was a poor choice of words. It could easily be my monitor, which is calibrated but not the best quality. Anyway, I meant that there isn't a lot of variety in the lighting, as Bill (who knows a lot more than I do) suggested. I like your documentary stye BTW, and I don't see any reason why you won't be successful here. You have good editorial captions as well. When I started submitting to Alamy almost ten years ago, I literally began making sales right away. But things have really changed since then (an understatement). I would think that living in a highly photogenic country like Thailand could be a real plus even though it has been heavily photographed. Trying to fill gaps in the Alamy collection sounds to me like the best way to go.  -John M.

 

P.S. I've found that if you create even a few dozen repeat-sellers, they can bring in regular income on Alamy.

 

As a second opinion, your shadows are a bit light to me as well. But it's largely a matter of personal preference. It's a perfectly valid style and your colours are fine. Obviously some of us just prefer a little more "meat".

If you're ever in any doubt about your monitor calibration it can be helpful just to ask the forum to have a look at your images. That's how I found out mine was a bit dark.

As you've found out already, advice offered here, even if you didn't ask for it, is always well-meant.

 

 

Yes, I think it's a matter of preference. To me, photos lack depth when the shadows are opened up too much.

 

That said, I've done a lot of photography in tropical regions, and the light can be very harsh, eliminating shadows altogether at certain times of the day.

[ColdCoffee]

I like your portfolio, and I think you will have a great future at Alamy. One of the keys is to get a good ranking, so your photos will show up on the first pages, or at least before the buyers give up   As a newbie, you start with a middle of the pack ranking. With zooms and sales (and who knows what else) you will rise. If you have a lot of zooms and even a sale, you are off to a good start.

 

I like your mix of people, details, place specific, and general images. Famous landmarks are still worth photographing, but look at what Alamy already has, and then try to find a different way of photographing it, or the same way, but better. Some buyers search with date filters, so having new fresh images from a place is never a bad a idea.

 

I have a very small portfolio, but with a decent ranking, I have managed to have sales every months (2-5) for the last 18 months. Yes, quantity matters, but so does time. I have never sold an imaged that have been on Alamy less than 4 months.

 

I do agree with John M, that a tiny little boost of contrast in some photos may make them pop a bit.  No need for more contrast in these typed of photos FW6YC8, but this types of photos may befit for a slight increase FB4WEW.

[Ed Rooney]

ColdCoffee + 1

[Hellonearth]

Mai pen rai khrab!

 

wim

[Hellonearth]

I like your portfolio, and I think you will have a great future at Alamy. One of the keys is to get a good ranking, so your photos will show up on the first pages, or at least before the buyers give up   As a newbie, you start with a middle of the pack ranking. With zooms and sales (and who knows what else) you will rise. If you have a lot of zooms and even a sale, you are off to a good start.

 

I like your mix of people, details, place specific, and general images. Famous landmarks are still worth photographing, but look at what Alamy already has, and then try to find a different way of photographing it, or the same way, but better. Some buyers search with date filters, so having new fresh images from a place is never a bad a idea.

 

I have a very small portfolio, but with a decent ranking, I have managed to have sales every months (2-5) for the last 18 months. Yes, quantity matters, but so does time. I have never sold an imaged that have been on Alamy less than 4 months.

 

I do agree with John M, that a tiny little boost of contrast in some photos may make them pop a bit.  No need for more contrast in these typed of photos FW6YC8, but this types of photos may befit for a slight increase FB4WEW.

ColdCoffee,Thank you for your very useful advice. I completely take your point regarding contrast on the 2 examples you give and will endeavour to consider contrast and lightening of shadows with more care in the future.  Kevin

[Hellonearth]

One of the things I learnt from this post is that it can take some time for a sale to appear as a credit to me. Another thing I have learnt is that it is very useful to look at the post where people report photos they have found in publications that are credited to Alamy.. I have found that one of my photos, that can be seen below, has been published by the Guardian. I await news of the sale from Alamy with great interest.

 

I would like to again thank everyone who contributed useful advice and to assure them that I am, at least, trying to follow it.  Regards  Kevin

[phomme]

I think content is more important than quantity. My girlfriend has a few hundred photos place with Newzulu and makes regular sales, she has even had photos brought by Alamy.

[spacecadet]

I think content is more important than quantity. My girlfriend has a few hundred photos place with Newzulu and makes regular sales, she has even had photos brought by Alamy.

Eh? Alamy is a seller, not a buyer.

[phomme]

I mean she has had photos sales from Alamy through Newzulu.

[wiskerke]

I mean she has had photos sales from Alamy through Newzulu.

 

Forgive me my ignorance.

How does that work?

 

wim

[gvallee]

Newzulu is a news agency (I just Googled it) with 60,000 pictures on Alamy. I think that's what phomme means.

 

Interesting to see how it works. For news, what you want is speed, not an additional layer before going on-line. First upload to Newzulu who in turn uploads to Alamy?

 

Gen

[wiskerke]

Newzulu is a news agency (I just Googled it) with 60,000 pictures on Alamy. I think that's what phomme means.

 

Interesting to see how it works. For news, what you want is speed, not an additional layer before going on-line. First upload to Newzulu who in turn uploads to Alamy?

 

Gen

 

Hmm it sounded like it was the other way around: Alamy selling through Newzulu?

If it does go to Newzilla first, does it go into Alamy News or into the main collection?

Zuma goes into News almost immediately, so there doesn't have to be a delay. Especially when the editing &captioning has been done or can be trusted.

 

wim

[anna182016]

Hi Hellonearth i love your photos looks interesting

[MircoV]

Hello all J,

 

I am submitting to Alamy but also microstocks.

 

First of all microstock relies also on editorial. Actually now a very important stream. From 7 micro agencies i deliver 6 have a large editorial collection. And it are the same kind of editorial as here on Alamy.

 

To give some experience about price differences. The comment of saying that micro is cheaper is for a part misleading. You also have to check what you get from the license. An Alamy RF license in general has for example a much higher print run limit then a standard micro license. If you need the same license as on Alamy you will need an extented license what is often even more expensive there.

 

I got recently a situation that i encounter few times. Got a abo sale on large microstock agency. Very small amount but also very limited license. The same image sold the next day on Alamy for 189 dollars brutto. It can not be a coincidence since the sale happened in the same country so i can conclude it is from the same customer. I checked on the micro agency how much the same licencse would cost and i came to an amount of 210 dollars. I think here the customer bought the „simple“ license first to test and be sure and bought the extended one on Alamy since it is cheaper. As you see the otherway happens also that micro customer buys on Alamy instead. It depends on the use of course. Images for an article i would guess for most the micro agency is cheaper since they are customized for this kind of use and therefore pay less.

 

Mirco

[MircoV]

Goede middag Phillipe,

 

I am not changing sides. I am just on multiple places. Tried out some directions. We are not living forever. I just dont know what is more important now... changing the underwear or sides????