Author Topic: Bad pictures that sell and sell... (Read 40365 times)

gillian vann · « **Reply #50 on:** March 25, 2019, 00:51 »

love to see an old thread resurrected!

I've got a pic of my feet on the beach, such a cliche, from my early days, it's also one of my oldest images, and the editing is terrible, but it's in the top line at SS and is hands down my best seller. I've reshot the concept, with better editing, and those don't sell at all. I have 2 images, image of sunset over farmland, one has been "properly" edited with multiple exposures to included the properly exposed sky and balanced foreground, the other is one of the set, with the fully blown out sky being all white, that one has sold well and the other "correct" image.... 0 sales. These aren't regular sellers but I often think of how customers don't see the flaws we see. Some technical flaw that would render an image "ugly" to me doesn't even register with customers. Reminds me to lighten up and relax a bit, and makes me want to say the same to editors.

Pauws99 · « **Reply #51 on:** March 25, 2019, 01:33 »

Quote from: gillian vann on March 25, 2019, 00:51

love to see and old thread resurrected!

I've got a pic of my feet on the beach, such a cliche, from my early days, it's also one of my oldest images, and the editing is terrible, but it's in the top line at SS and is hands down my best seller. I've reshot the concept, with better editing, and those don't sell at all. I have 2 images, image of sunset over farmland, one has been "properly" edited with multiple exposures to included the properly exposed sky and balanced foreground, the other is one of the set, with the fully blown out sky being all white, that one has sold well and the other "correct" image.... 0 sales. These aren't regular sellers but I often think of how customers don't see the flaws we see. Some technical flaw that would render an image "ugly" to me doesn't even register with customers. Reminds me to lighten up and relax a bit, and makes me want to say the same to editors.

Most Microstock sales are for ephemeral uses and may only be glanced at for a few seconds. Customers are generally not searching for an aesthetic or technical masterpiece but something that will do.

Trippy · « **Reply #52 on:** March 25, 2019, 18:41 »

I have a terrible photo that sells several times each day.
I'm not showing it to you - it's bad.

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #53 on:** March 26, 2019, 09:11 »

Don't know if it's bad enough, but the thread reminded me of shots I took, when I was doing something else, and they have sold.

Working at an event, I took a break for lunch. Put the Brat in the Sun with a carefully designed squiggle of mustard. Snap, and it's gone before it got cold. Quick edit when I got home.

Has sold enough times to pay for itself. "Free Lunch"

davidbautista · « **Reply #54 on:** March 26, 2019, 19:38 »

Quote from: gillian vann on March 25, 2019, 00:51

love to see an old thread resurrected!

I've got a pic of my feet on the beach, such a cliche, from my early days, it's also one of my oldest images, and the editing is terrible, but it's in the top line at SS and is hands down my best seller. I've reshot the concept, with better editing, and those don't sell at all. I have 2 images, image of sunset over farmland, one has been "properly" edited with multiple exposures to included the properly exposed sky and balanced foreground, the other is one of the set, with the fully blown out sky being all white, that one has sold well and the other "correct" image.... 0 sales. These aren't regular sellers but I often think of how customers don't see the flaws we see. Some technical flaw that would render an image "ugly" to me doesn't even register with customers. Reminds me to lighten up and relax a bit, and makes me want to say the same to editors.

You never know if a picture you consider ugly ends up selling constantly...

Enviado desde mi ALP-L29 mediante Tapatalk

etienjones · « **Reply #55 on:** March 27, 2019, 04:03 »

l have no idea why anyone would need this shot but they do, over and over . . . inside of a circus tent

swisschocolate · « **Reply #56 on:** March 27, 2019, 05:53 »

Quote from: etienjones on March 27, 2019, 04:03

l have no idea why anyone would need this shot but they do, over and over . . . inside of a circus tent

I wouldn't call it a bad picture

PrincessFerf · « **Reply #57 on:** March 27, 2019, 09:10 »

I love this thread. Funny, but extremely interesting.

YadaYadaYada · « **Reply #58 on:** March 27, 2019, 09:59 »

Quote from: swisschocolate on March 27, 2019, 05:53

Quote from: etienjones on March 27, 2019, 04:03
l have no idea why anyone would need this shot but they do, over and over . . . inside of a circus tent

I wouldn't call it a bad picture

I'd agree, many aren't bad pictures but they are not usual Micro pictures.

davidbautista · « **Reply #59 on:** March 29, 2019, 14:39 »

Quote from: etienjones on March 27, 2019, 04:03

l have no idea why anyone would need this shot but they do, over and over . . . inside of a circus tent

That's a nice photo!!

08stock08 · « **Reply #60 on:** April 01, 2019, 21:37 »

In my very early days, I had shot some peanuts and salary text photos. Those have bad edits. Those sell every month beginning and ending. Many with feeling down and burnout download them in good numbers.

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/salary-text-letters-peanuts-319384880

Another image with blankets, sells a lot all the months.

thenatureguy · « **Reply #61 on:** April 13, 2019, 14:10 »

My top seller on SS.

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/amazon-black-piranha-teeth-1104578060

Taken with a Sony Mavica CD-300 in 2002. Just sells and sells and sells. Go figure.

davidbautista · « **Reply #62 on:** April 13, 2019, 22:51 »

Quote from: thenatureguy on April 13, 2019, 14:10

My top seller on SS.

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/amazon-black-piranha-teeth-1104578060

Taken with a Sony Mavica CD-300 in 2002. Just sells and sells and sells. Go figure.

Pretty creepy hahaha

Enviado desde mi ALP-L29 mediante Tapatalk

PigsInSpace · « **Reply #63 on:** April 15, 2019, 14:04 »

Quote from: thenatureguy on April 13, 2019, 14:10

My top seller on SS.

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/amazon-black-piranha-teeth-1104578060

Taken with a Sony Mavica CD-300 in 2002. Just sells and sells and sells. Go figure.

Woah, nice! Although I am a little disappointed it’s from a post floppy-disk Mavica, which would further enhance the story.

thenatureguy · « **Reply #64 on:** April 17, 2019, 08:29 »

Quote from: PigsInSpace on April 15, 2019, 14:04

Quote from: thenatureguy on April 13, 2019, 14:10
My top seller on SS.

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/amazon-black-piranha-teeth-1104578060

Taken with a Sony Mavica CD-300 in 2002. Just sells and sells and sells. Go figure.

Woah, nice! Although I am a little disappointed it’s from a post floppy-disk Mavica, which would further enhance the story.

Hey, I wish I could afford to fly down to the amazon and retake the picture with my Sony a6500, but, well, you know. By today's standards, the Sony Mavica CD-300 is crap, but back in 2002, it was a $1,000 top of the line prosumer camera. Never judge the past by the present.

duns123 · « **Reply #65 on:** September 21, 2020, 17:45 »

My best seller on SS but when I tried to crop it on the photo software, it didn't work. So the photo ended up like this. How it got accepted by SS's famously fussy reviews is any ones guess.

duns123 · « **Reply #66 on:** May 06, 2021, 08:20 »

Quote from: thenatureguy on April 17, 2019, 08:29

Quote from: PigsInSpace on April 15, 2019, 14:04
Quote from: thenatureguy on April 13, 2019, 14:10
My top seller on SS.

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/amazon-black-piranha-teeth-1104578060

Taken with a Sony Mavica CD-300 in 2002. Just sells and sells and sells. Go figure.

Woah, nice! Although I am a little disappointed it’s from a post floppy-disk Mavica, which would further enhance the story.

Hey, I wish I could afford to fly down to the amazon and retake the picture with my Sony a6500, but, well, you know. By today's standards, the Sony Mavica CD-300 is crap, but back in 2002, it was a $1,000 top of the line prosumer camera. Never judge the past by the present.

You won't be able to afford to if you relied on Shutterstock's miserable pay.

TonyD · « **Reply #67 on:** May 20, 2022, 00:57 »

Amazing ss just accepted this:
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/soft-focus-fairground-night-bokeh-lights-2157721979
It was actualy a mistake because the AF on the camera lens failed. If they accept blurry photos like this then I wouldn't have bothered to try to get the others taken the same night in focus which often get rejected anyway.

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Author Topic: Bad pictures that sell and sell... (Read 40365 times)

gillian vann

Pauws99

Trippy

Uncle Pete

davidbautista

etienjones

swisschocolate

PrincessFerf

YadaYadaYada

davidbautista

08stock08

thenatureguy

davidbautista

PigsInSpace

thenatureguy

duns123

duns123

TonyD

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