Author Topic: How to sort portfolio for Micro / Macro (Read 4667 times)

Rick D · « **on:** June 30, 2016, 10:25 »

Hi everyone,

I'm just about to enter the world of multi agency and am wondering about this, how do you split and sort your portfolio between micro / macro stock and fine art for prints. Do you upload everything to all types of sites, or do you upload everything to micro and then make a judgement on what you think is then suitable for macro / print...

Thanks for your input

PaulieWalnuts · « **Reply #1 on:** June 30, 2016, 10:42 »

Quote from: Rick D on June 30, 2016, 10:25

Hi everyone,

I'm just about to enter the world of multi agency and am wondering about this, how do you split and sort your portfolio between micro / macro stock and fine art for prints. Do you upload everything to all types of sites, or do you upload everything to micro and then make a judgement on what you think is then suitable for macro / print...

Thanks for your input

For my stuff I have a clear split in subject between macro and micro. Macro/Prints goes to my personal site and some art sites. I'm also experimenting with Alamy. Everything else goes to micro.

But it's a judgement call. Macro should be something unique that isn't already covered heavily in micro. Unique could mean a lot of different things and not just subject. If you upload everything everywhere my experience is that buyers do look for the cheapest option so you're competing against yourself.

IMO maintaining consistent pricing across multiple sites is important. I avoid certain sites because they don't offer enough control over pricing or their static pricing doesn't match the price model I've come up with for my macro.

wordplanet · « **Reply #2 on:** June 30, 2016, 12:52 »

I've been struggling with this for years and it certainly slows down uploading as you split your portfolio for various sectors, but I think it's important to keep careful control of what goes where.

Though I have very little overlap, because I don't want to compete against myself, I generally upload concept type still life images to both micro and macro, as well as some very generic travel images, which has worked well for me. I upload abstract background images only to the micros.

I have some fine art work that only goes to certain fine art sites, and other fine art work that is also appropriate for stock (such as landscape and travel scenes) goes to my own site, Alamy, and other small traditionally priced sites. I don't price all my fine art work the same, but have tiers based on the work itself. I've had work in several juried New York area gallery shows, and this work is priced accordingly on the POD sites.

Sometimes I think it would be easier to just upload everything everywhere, and it certainly would be fast and efficient, but since I license a lot of work directly to magazines and calendar companies for good sums, I won't put any of my rarer and better images on the micros, even if I think they would do well there.

I have both RM and RF on Alamy and similar sites, and much of my RF work there is not on the micros but it's the type of work I feel would do better as RF than RM.

Not knowing what type of work you shoot, not sure if this is helpful to you, but hope some of it is. Good luck!

Rick D · « **Reply #3 on:** July 02, 2016, 08:15 »

Thanks for the replies both

Wordplanet - How do you differentiate between generic travel and fine art travel in your portfolio, is it a mindset you have when you shoot the images or just something you decide during post processing?

This is where I am not sure how to split my port, I ave some images that I think could be suitable for fine art / Macro, but I'm not sure and wouldn't want them to miss out on earning a few dollars because I've made the wrong judgement and think they are worth more

Rage · « **Reply #4 on:** July 06, 2016, 11:21 »

This is something I've been struggling with as well

Rose Tinted Glasses · « **Reply #5 on:** July 06, 2016, 11:40 »

First step: Edit your work ruthlessly and without emotion. Delete all the weak photographs.
Step Two: Divide what is left between "firsts" and "seconds".
Step Three: Put the "firsts" into a macro agency. And place the "seconds" and/or rejects of the "firsts" from the macros into a micro agency.
Step Four: Sit back and collect.

It works like a charm.

AlessandraRC · « **Reply #6 on:** July 06, 2016, 14:40 »

The problem is, even though I understand the concept of splitting, and sometimes it is clear to me what is what, I also see a lot of very artistically oriented pictures in microstrock sites. It is possible that those of us with amazing pictures taken at sunset at Yosemite or the Grand Canyon (these are examples of places that are amazing but very common in stock photographs) won't stand a chance to sell for more what is already being sold for less. What I am trying to say it, may be doing a search for "half dome" on shutter stock might discourage someone with a great picture of half dome from uploading only to a fine arts site that will sell the picture for more than the micro price. Unless of course you can get an angle or something very special that will set your picture as unique against all others.