Addict Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Month of Aug from 4 agencies and i have over 10,000 images out there - lots of sales but a grand total of about $50 - I used to make over $2500 a month - I think i'm done; i just can't get motivated to shoot, upload and keyword anymore. Sad because this was going to be a retirement business; i guess i'll pursue golf and get out more and just look at stuff. Sorry for the rant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 So what do you want others to say? What's your question? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls. . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addict Posted September 11, 2013 Author Share Posted September 11, 2013 like i said sorry to rant but it helps to relieve the stress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 "lots of sales but a grand total of about $50" microstock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Endicott Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 I feel your pain. Started in 2005 and here I am. I've licensed one image at Alamy since 8 March....net is $12.50. I stopped shooting for the micros because of the shenanigans of the agencies. I submit to various other "traditional" agencies. It is what it is. I have 19 years to retirement and I have similar aspirations. I made a comment to a friend a few days ago privately who suggested I might go back to the mircros....I'll share it here.... We are all small fish in an overpopulated pond and our growth has been stunted….the only way that we are going to grow is if someone adds a predator to the pond that starts swallowing up the little fish. The best way to do that is to keep shooting and outlast everyone else. The barrier to entry needs to be high. That barrier currently is a larger portfolio. The best strategy, from the way I see it, is to specialize and to keep shooting. I’ve decided I am going to continue with the reportage/editorial shooting and I’m going to continue with my portrait work. I stopped shooting in 2008 being frustrated at what was developing. I started again in 2012 because I couldn't keep away. For me, this is a calling - even if it means abandoning the agents that take advantage of me and settling for other means like marketing my work on my own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulstw Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 Never give up. Just never give yourself a reason to stop. You've taken years to gather a wealthy stock of images. A lucrative set If I'm not mistaken. I'd trade places with you any day for that sort of return. Even at $50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niels Quist Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 "lots of sales but a grand total of about $50" microstock? Maicrostock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dov makabaw Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 Today had a NU sale for $1 - ugh!! Average sales value, including the NU, for this month above average overall. Frustrating, funny old business isn't it. This was going to be my retirement businress too. At this rate I will need to start saving. dov Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pearl Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 In the "How was your August" thread I said "Average month with 36 sales but generally poor prices so not very encouraging. Hoping sales will pickup when summer hols are over." My first sale in September was a nice 4 figure sum - extremely encouraging. Never give up. Pearl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDM Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 My first sale in September was a nice 4 figure sum - extremely encouraging. Never give up. Pearl My last sale was a 4 figure sum as well: $ 31.40 Aside from the fulltime pros who haven't got the option to give up, I think the advice to never give up is fine as long as one is actually enjoying one's photography. It may sound a bit simplistic but for me I really do get real fulfillment from photography (emotional and intellectual) and that is why I do it. It doesn't matter what type of photography you are doing as long as it's enjoyable to whatever degree. If it's not, then it probably is time to give up - and this probably applies to the fulltimers as well - there is nothing so soul-destroying as doing a job you can't stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashish Agarwal Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 In the "How was your August" thread I said "Average month with 36 sales but generally poor prices so not very encouraging. Hoping sales will pickup when summer hols are over." My first sale in September was a nice 4 figure sum - extremely encouraging. Never give up. Pearl Wow, this was encouraging. A 4 figure sum is pretty inspiring for those of us (well, atleast me) who don't have many images up there and are trying to get inspired to post more. Currently am in QC queue for more than 2 days, so there is a sinking feeling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Scammell Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 I sold an image via one of my stock libraries a few weeks back for £1800 - I received 50%. Not Alamy by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foreign Export Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 Which one Gordon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addict Posted September 13, 2013 Author Share Posted September 13, 2013 One of my agencies has been selling a lot of mine for like 12-36 cents each; i am unsure what for and i can't get a good answer except for things like cell phone images so they say. Anyway when i used to travel somewhere i would stay over an extra night or 2 to do stock shots; now i can't justify the extra hotel and meal bills as i'll never recoup my expenses. Killed my retirement travel plans. Used to be able to recoup expenses in maybe 6 months Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addict Posted September 13, 2013 Author Share Posted September 13, 2013 Oh, I never did micro but that agency sure looks micro now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 How did we photographers allow this to happen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Todd Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 There are a lot of reasons but you see some of them on here where people say 'at least it's better than nothing' Used to be maybe ' at least $100 is better than nothing', now it's 'at least $6 is better than nothing', soon to be 'at least 2 cents is better than nothing'... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addict Posted September 13, 2013 Author Share Posted September 13, 2013 My take on many as i said above - 6 cents or so; I hate to see these even for cell phone pictures or "paste ups" or whatever they are getting away with???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabbro Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 It's the "something is better than nothing" mentality killing this business. If you submit to micros, opt in NU and Newspaper scheme, you are not just hurting yourself, you are hurting everybody. But that is your choice. Sorry, you knew what you're getting in, so don't complain the lousy license fees. I for one, rather not selling than insulted by Daily mail for a paltry $5.95. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 How did we photographers allow this to happen? By embracing royalty free and then microstock. But that's only part of the story. The ease of production and distribution brought about by by the digital age changed everything by creating a culture of middlemen and eager suppliers. Now, even those of us who kept our RM flags flying high have been sucked into the downward spiral. The bell has tolled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartybartfast Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 I feel that people blame the new digital revolution too easily. Yes it has opened the market to huge numbers of new photos and Photography has probably become far less elitist than it ever deserved to be anyway. However that should not have had the negative effect it has had on prices. At the end of the day If we were paid an hourly rate for the work done just processing raw files, keywording uploading chasing Alamy for un-recorded sales etc, even with a reasonable sale the actual pay rate overall would probably be well below minimum wage. It is about exploitation in the long run, people will always attempt to get something for nothing and these "middlemen" as John calls them, are exploiting us because of the eagerness of some short sighted photographers that felt it was better to be published for free(microstock) rather than get paid a fair fee for all the effort. As log as these people persist in that attitude nothing will change. All we can really do is stop supplying our images altogether when you decide that it has gone too far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 I feel that people blame the new digital revolution too easily. Yes it has opened the market to huge numbers of new photos and Photography has probably become far less elitist than it ever deserved to be anyway. However that should not have had the negative effect it has had on prices. At the end of the day If we were paid an hourly rate for the work done just processing raw files, keywording uploading chasing Alamy for un-recorded sales etc, even with a reasonable sale the actual pay rate overall would probably be well below minimum wage. It is about exploitation in the long run, people will always attempt to get something for nothing and these "middlemen" as John calls them, are exploiting us because of the eagerness of some short sighted photographers that felt it was better to be published for free(microstock) rather than get paid a fair fee for all the effort. As log as these people persist in that attitude nothing will change. All we can really do is stop supplying our images altogether when you decide that it has gone too far. Just by way of a disclaimer, when I used the term "middlemen," I wasn't referring to Alamy, which still takes a smaller slice of the pie than most (if not all) of the agencies out there. Despite the drastic changes that have taken place during the past two decades, I now sell more images than I ever have, thanks mainly to Alamy. I don't feel that I'm being exploited by Alamy, but there are very few big agencies that I can say that about these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartybartfast Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 John, I did not mean Alamy either, I was talking of some of the other microstock models that I feel do exploit people who have more interest in being published than being paid a fair price this in turn brings fees down for all. I do feel that Alamy have dropped the ball with the newspaper scheme, which I why I left it recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelshots Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 I would think that when this agency started it was made up mostly of full time professional photographers . They knew what to take and they knew what would sell... so most of them are still around making money. Many of the other wingers on this site are amateurs who do not make their main income from photography yet they expect to make regular sales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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