Author Topic: "Microstock ABC. Guide to sell your pictures online." by lev dolgachov (Read 11396 times)

Lev · « **on:** January 01, 2008, 22:27 »

in case i need an introduction in this community, let me introduce myself.

my name is lev dolgachov, i'm photographer from Estonia, Northern Europe. i have photographs published in VOGUE, Playboy, Penthouse, Men's Health, Maxim, FHM, Glamour, Marie Claire, ELLE, InStyle and many others.

i'm one of microstock industry top-performers, selling over 120.000 pictures a year.

if you want to see my microstock portflios, check "buy pictures" section of my site, http://dolgachov.com

i've recently thanslated to english my microstock related article. i share my microstock experience there and i believe this article is very useful for newbies. it exists over a year in Russian language and is constantly updated. during a year i've got hundreeds of readers feedbacks saying "thank you for this piece, it was very helpful for me". that's why i decided it's worty enough to exist in English as well.

it's called "Microstock ABC. Guide to sell your pictures online." feel free to read it and to spread a link to it anywhere you want if you want:

http://dolgachov.com/microstock_abc.html

thank you!

hatman12 · « **Reply #1 on:** January 02, 2008, 03:14 »

Interesting article, but clearly a means of obtaining referrals. No harm in that I suppose given the reputation he has built.

I am a great admirer of Dolgachov's work; simple, fresh, inspiring.

Lev · « **Reply #2 on:** January 02, 2008, 05:23 »

thanks for your terrific words about my work.

your commentary about the article is confusing though. to avoid confusing people we must PLEASE admit every good microstock article and every good microstock forum are means of obtaining referrals. it's absoluthely natural and more of "and" than of "but", my friend. like, say "interesting pictures in stock portfolio, AND clearly a means of obtaining sales".

CCK · « **Reply #3 on:** January 02, 2008, 09:57 »

This is a good article, and I bookmarked it. I certainly have no problem if a person who goes though the trouble to help me, makes money by way of referrals in the process. In my case there will not be referrals, because I am a member of all the agencies linked there, but if I wanted to join I would have used the links in the article.

vonkara · « **Reply #4 on:** January 02, 2008, 11:01 »

Quote from: hatman12 on January 02, 2008, 03:14

I am a great admirer of Dolgachov's work; simple, fresh, inspiring.

Same thing here. I discovered him just a week ago (StockXpert) and send him a congratulation site mail. He responded after three minutes whit a link to his website inviting me to give a look to it. (great and simple website)

Dolgachov's work is so refreshing compared to the standard business people taken in 15 different angle.

(while it's completely another category) Happy to see him writing something here!

Lev · « **Reply #5 on:** January 03, 2008, 12:08 »

thanks for terrific words about my work.

microstock has a lot of good performers. i'm always enjoying to look at theit work. open "top50" somewhere on big stocksite and browse portfolios. you'll be amazed in a good way.

ann · « **Reply #6 on:** January 04, 2008, 14:31 »

I just read your (Lev's) 2-part article on Microstock ABC. It's informative and well-organized, and you clearly are very generous sharing your time and expertise with fellow photographers.

Your photography shows the same high quality and wonderful sense of personality that your writing does! smiles - Ann

Lev · « **Reply #7 on:** January 05, 2008, 23:32 »

thanks, Ann.

i really hope your new SS try will be successful.

null · « **Reply #8 on:** January 06, 2008, 02:48 »

Seconding all that has been said here, I don't mind at all that somebody that puts time and effort in sharing his knowledge gets some profit out his generous work. Whenever I signed up with a new site, I always used referrals of people that I admired for their generosity to share knowledge and tricks.

ParisEye · « **Reply #9 on:** January 06, 2008, 07:11 »

Really interesting article ; I just finished part 1 and I am now reading part 2. A must-read for every newcomer (like me !).
Thanks

madelaide · « **Reply #10 on:** January 06, 2008, 11:40 »

Very interesting information, and I liked the tip about model releases for non-English people (as one day I may use people in my shots).

One thing got me curious, about RM licensing.

Quote

Sometimes photographers are allowed to sell a rights-managed picture through several image banks, but they are required to notify them of purchases of the picture through other stock photo companies, so that all of them have complete information about all deals involving the picture.

Is it really so? I don't remember ever reading that, but quite frankly I don't have much patience to read every single sentence... I have sold RM images and the only thing I did was to remove them from sites were I had them as RF as well.

Regards,
Adelaide

Amos Struck · « **Reply #11 on:** January 06, 2008, 18:06 »

Welcome dolgachov, we allready meet at my Microstock News Press (www.stockphotopress.com)

I like your article very much and i think it will help a lot new photographers to join up the microstock family.

Lev · « **Reply #12 on:** January 06, 2008, 20:32 »

Quote from: madelaide on January 06, 2008, 11:40

One thing got me curious, about RM licensing.
Quote
Sometimes photographers are allowed to sell a rights-managed picture through several image banks, but they are required to notify them of purchases of the picture through other stock photo companies, so that all of them have complete information about all deals involving the picture.

Is it really so? I don't remember ever reading that, but quite frankly I don't have much patience to read every single sentence... I have sold RM images and the only thing I did was to remove them from sites were I had them as RF as well.

Regards,
Adelaide

sure. if you sell picture RM, you can not sell it RF. still you can sell it RM on several agencies IF THEY ALLOW IT and share info. i'm affraid i'll need to make a little research to give you exact agancies names. still it's not a matter of things i wrote my guide about - the guide is about RF only and little part about RM is just to give a very basic knowledge about RM existance at all ;]

Lev · « **Reply #13 on:** January 06, 2008, 20:34 »

FlemishDreams, ParisEye, Amosnet - thank you.

it's terrific to hear such a things.

takestock · « **Reply #14 on:** January 07, 2008, 17:48 »

Have just printed off your guide for a friend who is planning to go micro.
Excellent! Thanks

madelaide · « **Reply #15 on:** January 07, 2008, 18:13 »

Quote from: dolgachov on January 06, 2008, 20:32

still you can sell it RM on several agencies IF THEY ALLOW IT and share info. i'm affraid i'll need to make a little research to give you exact agancies names. still it's not a matter of things i wrote my guide about - the guide is about RF only and little part about RM is just to give a very basic knowledge about RM existance at all ;]

I'll take a look in those sites I sell RM images (not many). The only thing I know is that they don't require exclusivity - this is one aspect I always check.

Regards,
Adelaide

Lev · « **Reply #16 on:** January 07, 2008, 19:08 »

please drop a line to this thread with results of your research, ok?

Lev · « **Reply #17 on:** January 14, 2008, 09:35 »

madelaide, any news on your RM research?

ChasingMoments · « **Reply #18 on:** January 14, 2008, 10:42 »

Lev, thanks for doing this great article and for the English version of it... I remember it was helpful to me a while back in Russian as I was lurking around your lj. Mind if I link to the english version on my site?

Lev · « **Reply #19 on:** January 14, 2008, 12:02 »

sure. any linking is ABSOLUTHELY welcomed.

madelaide · « **Reply #20 on:** January 14, 2008, 18:55 »

Quote from: dolgachov on January 14, 2008, 09:35

madelaide, any news on your RM research?

I couldn't find any reference in TSS/MyLoupe nor in FP about having to report any other site's sales.

In MyLoupe all I saw was the don't sell RM what has sold as RF. They even go farther saying we should not offer the same image in two licensing terms, but they know I did that and did not "punish me" when I asked to have one RF changed to RM because I had sold it as RM elsewhere (and they can't do it, I have to reupload it, but I have already removed the RF), nor asked me details about the RM sale.

Regards,
Adelaide

Lev · « **Reply #21 on:** January 15, 2008, 19:01 »

i know people sell RM on Alamy the same stuff they sell RF on micro. it's a total mess.

madelaide · « **Reply #22 on:** January 15, 2008, 19:38 »

I have images as RM and RF in different sites (some sites don't have RM option), but once I sell it in one model, I removed it from the other, so a RM image won't sell as RF and vice-versa. But in these cases the RF sites are not micro.

Regards,
Adelaide

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Author Topic: "Microstock ABC. Guide to sell your pictures online." by lev dolgachov (Read 11396 times)

Lev

hatman12

Lev

CCK

vonkara

Lev

ann

Lev

null

ParisEye

madelaide

Amos Struck

Lev

Lev

takestock

madelaide

Lev

Lev

ChasingMoments

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madelaide

Lev

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