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You can make tons of money selling photos as art but only a few people have been successful at that.  I don't think anyone selling microstock could do it because they've sold their images for such a low price.  Perhaps getting rid of all microstock images and changing your name could hide that past but then if you don't make it selling art, you'll probably end up flipping burgers.

Peter Lik and fellow Australian Ken Duncan are reminders of how business ability is much more important than photographic ability when you want to make serious money in this business.

Exactly. This is the essence.

This is not about the artistic value, commercial usability etc.
Especially because there are really some super rich people who spends their money on stupid things in the name of "collecting stuff". Their desire to be "different" and to say to people "I paid x millions for this uber cool thing" drives them and sometimes it doesn't make any sense. They are like blessing from above lol.
But what exactly they would like to "collect"? I think the image has to be different (not necessarily artistic) and maybe to have some sort of "story" and "history". Standard stock wouldn't work in this case. And of course, we need to reach this kind of people somehow...

wrong thread

I've never thought that selling photos for tons of money is something possible, until today.

$1M: http://www.peterlikexposed.com/archives/237
$3.9M: http://www.rollitup.org/toke-n-talk/598074-3-9-million-dollar-photo.html
offered for $1M: http://onemilliondollarimage.com/home/


Obviously, none of us really knows how exactly is possible to sell an image for millions.
I can assume that it can be done with high traffic and / or by getting in touch with the right people (idk how). Or is it simply "the right place at the right time"...

Share the knowledge and share more examples like these if you know or find any... Because I think we have had it with earning peanuts per sale with agencies lol.

I have images worse than the second one, can I get 5 mil?

buyers buy cr-ap art as an investment, they dont care less if it's real art or if it was lifted from a dump.

they buy a LIK for 1 million and in a few years they could sell it for 1.3 millions or even 2 millions.
in the worst scenario they sell it for the same price, it's a way to diversify their investments ... gold, silver, stock options, hedge funds, paintings, photos, villas, land ...

it's the same reason they buy a Ferrari or a Porsche.
these cars are going to be worth MORE in the future especially if they're limited edition.

75 millions ? and why not 7 billions ?

in the art market the sky is the limit, it's a Ponzi scheme, but fully legal.