Author Topic: I feel dissapointed so much because... (Read 12841 times)

ShadySue · « **Reply #25 on:** January 08, 2017, 15:57 »

Quote from: Kokkoros on January 08, 2017, 15:45

encrenciel,

You can succeed but it's hard work. Here is the formula:

- Focus on industry specific concepts;
- Research your concepts completely - competition, trends, industry, etc;
- Create with essential keywords in mind;
- Fly with eagles. In other words, try to surpass the best examples you can find because mediocre work doesn't sell and creating it is a waste of your time;
- Go exclusive with Getty / iStock;
- Have fun or don't bother.

Cheers, -m

Good advice except for iS/Getty exclusivity. At one time that was a seriously viable option. Now that iS is more and more a cheap subs seller and Getty sales can be in single figures of cents even for exclusives, and important keywords can be removed willy nilly from your files (and false keywords added), it's not such a great choice.

encrenciel · « **Reply #26 on:** January 09, 2017, 02:27 »

Quote from: Kokkoros on January 08, 2017, 15:45

encrenciel,

You can succeed but it's hard work. Here is the formula:

- Focus on industry specific concepts;
- Research your concepts completely - competition, trends, industry, etc;
- Create with essential keywords in mind;
- Fly with eagles. In other words, try to surpass the best examples you can find because mediocre work doesn't sell and creating it is a waste of your time;
- Go exclusive with Getty / iStock;
- Have fun or don't bother.

Cheers, -m

I see lots of negative assumptions concerning istock. Well i know for everyone it's not the same story, but going exclusive with them is not a good idea for a starter i guess! I might be wrong tho!

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #27 on:** January 09, 2017, 02:35 »

Quote from: stockmarketer on January 08, 2017, 14:36

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on January 08, 2017, 14:15
I make $2750 to $3750 without that much effort. More if I do freelance work. If I could be bothered, then I'm sure I could put a bit more effort in and get up to around $5000 after six months or so.

This is the kind of bragging that leads to 1,000,000+ new uploads from contributors PER WEEK. It puts dollar signs in the eyes of potential new contributors and sets unrealistic expectations.

It's not like I was saying that others would or could make the same, I was just saying what I make.

Mantis · « **Reply #28 on:** January 09, 2017, 09:15 »

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on January 09, 2017, 02:35

Quote from: stockmarketer on January 08, 2017, 14:36
Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on January 08, 2017, 14:15
I make $2750 to $3750 without that much effort. More if I do freelance work. If I could be bothered, then I'm sure I could put a bit more effort in and get up to around $5000 after six months or so.

This is the kind of bragging that leads to 1,000,000+ new uploads from contributors PER WEEK. It puts dollar signs in the eyes of potential new contributors and sets unrealistic expectations.

It's not like I was saying that others would or could make the same, I was just saying what I make.

I understand what Stockmarketer is saying, but I think the impact of you saying it is minimal, if at all. Much of what supports Stockmarketer's position is all of the "you can make thousands" (I'm paraphrasing) in online blogs, tutorials....essentially easy money advice all over the net. None of the ones I've seen have ever been updated to show how the industry has matured for the seller and is backsliding for many of us in terms of income. So, you saying this on one discussion board I think is only a small taste of what the bigger draw for newbies is.......articles like this:

http://www.momseveryday.com/test/money/headlines/How-to-Make-Money-Selling-Photos-Online-254948201.html

"But the key to higher earning is to submit a higher volume. If 100 images could bring in $100 a month, then calculate that out by 1,000."

stockmarketer · « **Reply #29 on:** January 09, 2017, 11:30 »

Quote from: Mantis on January 09, 2017, 09:15

I understand what Stockmarketer is saying, but I think the impact of you saying it is minimal, if at all. Much of what supports Stockmarketer's position is all of the "you can make thousands" (I'm paraphrasing) in online blogs, tutorials....essentially easy money advice all over the net.

I can guarantee you that right now prospective contributors are doing their homework, reading this very blog to see if microstock is worthy of their time. They want to see real earnings from real contributors before they jump in with both feet. I know it's happening because I did it myself eight years ago. I scoured MSG for all the insights I could get before I decided to take the plunge. (And I think the most telling thing is that virtually NONE of the contributors from 2008 are active here today, and may not be active in microstock any longer, surely realizing the futility of microstock long before we have.)

All I'm saying is this: if anyone is reading this forum because they are thinking of jumping into microstock today because they think they can make thousands a month, consider that you'll be competing with one million new images per week, not to mention the 100 million available right now. Within a year, you'll be competing with close to 200 million and 2 million added per week.

Check out the posts, here and on the SS forums, about dwindling sales. Make sure you're paying attention to the veterans -- rather than other newbies... of course if someone has been at this for just a few months or years, every month is the BEST MONTH EVER! But once someone's portfolio has a few thousand images, reality ALWAYS sets in and the earnings flatline and then tumble as their own growth rate is crushed by the agencies' total collection growth, steamrolling right over them like it's done to all of us veterans.

angelawaye · « **Reply #30 on:** January 09, 2017, 11:36 »

Very true! I started in 2007 and have lost hope in Micro. It has busted apart from the seams!

I think it is important to be a realistic optimistic! If you have a specific niche that really helps.

I'm moving myself into Macro this year. It will be very hard to make this change and I will have to be patient but I see Micro going downhill and soon our work will be selling at 5 cents for an XXL.

Brasilnut · « **Reply #31 on:** January 09, 2017, 12:47 »

Quote

All I'm saying is this: if anyone is reading this forum because they are thinking of jumping into microstock today because they think they can make thousands a month, consider that you'll be competing with one million new images per week, not to mention the 100 million available right now. Within a year, you'll be competing with close to 200 million and 2 million added per week.

It's tough out there and all about managing expectations. When I started all I wanted to do was to recoup the costs of my equipment, I wasn't even thinking of profits.

However, one expected surprise has been that I’ve received an education in the technical aspects of photograph simply by participating in that market. Now some people pay $1000s for photography courses when they can just submit to microstock sites and maybe even make a few $!

Kokkoros · « **Reply #32 on:** January 10, 2017, 11:01 »

Quote from: encrenciel on January 09, 2017, 02:27

Quote from: Kokkoros on January 08, 2017, 15:45
encrenciel,

You can succeed but it's hard work. Here is the formula:

- Focus on industry specific concepts;
- Research your concepts completely - competition, trends, industry, etc;
- Create with essential keywords in mind;
- Fly with eagles. In other words, try to surpass the best examples you can find because mediocre work doesn't sell and creating it is a waste of your time;
- Go exclusive with Getty / iStock;
- Have fun or don't bother.

Cheers, -m
I see lots of negative assumptions concerning istock. Well i know for everyone it's not the same story, but going exclusive with them is not a good idea for a starter i guess! I might be wrong tho!

Yeah, there's a lot of dogma on this forum regarding Getty / iStock. It's good that you are seeking advice but remember, most successful stock shooters keep a low profile and rarely comment here. Focus on the output of these people. Their work is easy to find. -m