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Author Topic: Am I the only one who sees yet ANOTHER article  (Read 7698 times)

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« on: July 06, 2017, 14:30 »
+5
on how to make money on microstock and just feels depressed? We're already heading to more contributors than buyers.....

I know this makes me a grumpy old thing, and I should feel happy happy for all these eager newbies and would-be newbies.

But I'm not and that's the truth!

:(


« Reply #1 on: July 06, 2017, 14:46 »
+2
It reminds me when I spent a couple of years in the South of France (about three years ago).
I was studying music, sort of a holiday, really. I had just quit working on finance here in London and I started to learn music at 51 (!).
All my friends there were professional musicians, mostly jazz, and very good ones.
The problem was that down there there were zillions of musicians and no audience: whenever you went for a gig, all the people in the audience were also musicians.
Sometimes there were more musicians on the stage than people in the audience.
Hard to make money in these conditions!

Brasilnut

  • Author Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock & Blog

« Reply #2 on: July 06, 2017, 15:36 »
+2
Quote
on how to make money on microstock and just feels depressed? We're already heading to more contributors than buyers.....

I know this makes me a grumpy old thing, and I should feel happy happy for all these eager newbies and would-be newbies.

But I'm not and that's the truth!

I agree that it's a tough mountain to climb for newbies. Even for veterans, earning more or even maintaining the same level of income is challenging (despite larger portfolios).

I write a lot about this in my blog so please check it out :)

« Reply #3 on: July 06, 2017, 21:13 »
+1
When I do art shows it sometimes seems the only people who come in my booth are people who want to tell me their little point and shoot or cell phone camera will take pictures just as good as mine and they could do art shows but just don't have the time.  They will never buy anything but they clog up my booth anyway.

If the newbies coming in are getting the amount of sales I get on new images I suspect they will get discouraged and quit fairly fast.  Some months it seems I sell nothing that is not 2 to 4 years old, despite constant uploading.  Last week I sold an image within minutes of approval, first time that has happened since maybe 2014.

« Reply #4 on: July 07, 2017, 01:42 »
+4
Brasilnut - for me you are a part of the problem I'm afraid. Brutally honest or not, getting yet more people to play is not helpful to us already in the game.
Yes, I know that stuff about adapt to the market etc etc. But we are now largely commodities in an already oversupplied market so we can do little except hope. Or find other markets and diversify.
I guess your blog is your diversification. Neat.
I'm doing my best to find alternatives too.
:(

Brasilnut

  • Author Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock & Blog

« Reply #5 on: July 07, 2017, 01:56 »
0
Quote
I guess your blog is your diversification. Neat.
I'm doing my best to find alternatives too.

Yes, it is my way to diversification, plus I enjoy writing :)

I recommend submitting quality footage NOW (especially drone footage) before it goes down the drain of photography in terms of earnings due to an oversupply. Hit the iron while it's hot. I'm learning footage these days but still have a long ways to go to improve quality but at least I have started...with 12 videos now on SS.

Good luck

« Reply #6 on: July 07, 2017, 02:35 »
+5
on how to make money on microstock and just feels depressed? We're already heading to more contributors than buyers.....

I know this makes me a grumpy old thing, and I should feel happy happy for all these eager newbies and would-be newbies.

But I'm not and that's the truth!

:(
I think the industry now is not a place for people whose priority is to make a quick buck more for people whose passion is photography and are technically competent and want to supplement their income. Many of these articles seem to say you can simply upload your holiday snaps and watch the $$$$s roll in if that was ever true it certainly isn't now. On other forums I am amazed how unaware some people are even of the basics and are expecting hundreds of dollars income!

niktol

« Reply #7 on: July 07, 2017, 08:22 »
+2
I am not concerned with those articles. I'd me more concerned if that was an easy lucrative business that very few people knew about. Right now most amateurs will fail miserably, and only a few with luck, hard work and talent will be able to produce decent income.

« Reply #8 on: July 07, 2017, 08:39 »
+1
I am not concerned with those articles. I'd me more concerned if that was an easy lucrative business that very few people knew about. Right now most amateurs will fail miserably, and only a few with luck, hard work and talent will be able to produce decent income.


I think that is the point. It takes too much hard work to produce decent images that sell, so let's just spin off another "cottage industry" from microstock where we tell people how to do it, and make money off their back. The old saying applies...those who can't do, teach.  ;D

steheap

  • Author of best selling "Get Started in Stock"

« Reply #9 on: July 07, 2017, 09:41 »
+3
Quote
Brasilnut - for me you are a part of the problem I'm afraid. Brutally honest or not, getting yet more people to play is not helpful to us already in the game.

What is the point of this forum if it is not to help each other? The only other reason would be to provide a place where we could moan and bitch (and there is quite a lot of that sometimes), but mainly this forum is about sharing information about the agencies and answering questions from each other.

Steve

« Reply #10 on: July 07, 2017, 14:55 »
+1
Quote
Brasilnut - for me you are a part of the problem I'm afraid. Brutally honest or not, getting yet more people to play is not helpful to us already in the game.

What is the point of this forum if it is not to help each other? The only other reason would be to provide a place where we could moan and bitch (and there is quite a lot of that sometimes), but mainly this forum is about sharing information about the agencies and answering questions from each other.

Steve


Sharing doesnt usually cost someone money.

« Reply #11 on: July 07, 2017, 15:24 »
0
There will always be newbies coming into the game. Imagine how other people felt when you first joined and they didn't want anymore competition.

I think everyone should get a chance to succeed or fail. Competition is part of life and no one can prevent it. We just have to do the best that we can.
« Last Edit: July 07, 2017, 15:45 by Minsc »

Brasilnut

  • Author Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock & Blog

« Reply #12 on: July 07, 2017, 16:44 »
+3
Quote
Sharing doesnt usually cost someone money. 

Quality content should not be shared for free, in my opinion. I invested 6 months on researching, drafting and editing. Then hired a copywriter and designer which were expensive (should I expect them to work for free?)

Even after all investments I do share free stuff but I still need to run a business. :)

Bad Company

« Reply #13 on: July 07, 2017, 16:51 »
+1
I am not concerned with those articles. I'd me more concerned if that was an easy lucrative business that very few people knew about. Right now most amateurs will fail miserably, and only a few with luck, hard work and talent will be able to produce decent income.


I think that is the point. It takes too much hard work to produce decent images that sell, so let's just spin off another "cottage industry" from microstock where we tell people how to do it, and make money off their back. The old saying applies...those who can't do, teach.  ;D

Than you must be a "Professor/teacher"  8)

« Reply #14 on: July 07, 2017, 19:09 »
+6
It's way past time that these articles can hurt.  The damage is done.

When I started in stock in 2005 SS was taking in about 3000 new photos a month.  Now they are taking in over a million new photos each month.  Nothing you can do -- improving quality, doing research, upping your volume -- will keep your income from dropping.

My income peaked in 2008 and it's been down hill ever since.  There were times when I got motivated, shot a lot, worked on improving quality but nothing turned the tide even for a little while.

I don't even care any more.  My income is 25% of what it was in 2008 and continues to erode.  I just shoot what I want to shoot these days and upload when I fee like it.  For money I concentrate on the day job.

« Reply #15 on: July 08, 2017, 05:46 »
0
I am not concerned with those articles. I'd me more concerned if that was an easy lucrative business that very few people knew about. Right now most amateurs will fail miserably, and only a few with luck, hard work and talent will be able to produce decent income.


I think that is the point. It takes too much hard work to produce decent images that sell, so let's just spin off another "cottage industry" from microstock where we tell people how to do it, and make money off their back. The old saying applies...those who can't do, teach.  ;D

Than you must be a "Professor/teacher"  8)


Nice try at a put own, but no, I am not. LOL.  8)  My images have been selling since 2005 and still do.  ;)
« Last Edit: July 08, 2017, 06:28 by cathyslife »

« Reply #16 on: July 08, 2017, 06:07 »
+1
It's way past time that these articles can hurt.  The damage is done.

When I started in stock in 2005 SS was taking in about 3000 new photos a month.  Now they are taking in over a million new photos each month.  Nothing you can do -- improving quality, doing research, upping your volume -- will keep your income from dropping.

My income peaked in 2008 and it's been down hill ever since.  There were times when I got motivated, shot a lot, worked on improving quality but nothing turned the tide even for a little while.

I don't even care any more.  My income is 25% of what it was in 2008 and continues to erode.  I just shoot what I want to shoot these days and upload when I fee like it.  For money I concentrate on the day job.


I feel like you do...don't care about the articles doing damage. The damage was done long before. What cracks me up are the people taking advantage of the captive audience on this forum. Contributors here have seen their income erode over the past years from greedy microstock sites, but some people apparently think its ok to use the traffic from this popular site to hawk their wares, meanwhile pretending that they are "helping" people by selling them information and making money off them.

As if reading their book (which costs eager newbies actual money) is going to change the oversupply of contributors and lack of buyers, whether they shoot just like the authors or not! To me that just sounds like some of the same greed that the stock sites are doling out.

If said people truly want to "help people", their discussions and information on microstock would be provided freely on this forum, which is kind of what a forum is for. Not for advertising and promoting products.  ::)


« Last Edit: July 08, 2017, 06:22 by cathyslife »


SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #17 on: July 08, 2017, 06:13 »
+1
Quote
Sharing doesnt usually cost someone money. 
Quality content should not be shared for free, in my opinion.

I agree, but the point is that unless you're sharing information for free, then you're not really sharing it. Somebody could say they 'share cooked food'... and I would agree that quality food should not be shared for free (unless your aim is to run a charity), but if you're charging for it, then you're not really 'sharing cooked food', you're running a restaurant.

I think that's what Cathyslife was getting at, in reply to steheap's comment about there being nothing wrong with sharing information in the forums. There is nothing wrong with sharing information in the forums, and there is nothing wrong with charging for quality content... but if everyone is charging for quality content, then this place becomes a shop rather than a forum.

I don't really see anything wrong with this thread on the whole, just making an observation.

« Reply #18 on: July 08, 2017, 06:21 »
+1
Quote
Sharing doesnt usually cost someone money. 

Quality content should not be shared for free, in my opinion. I invested 6 months on researching, drafting and editing. Then hired a copywriter and designer which were expensive (should I expect them to work for free?)

Even after all investments I do share free stuff but I still need to run a business. :)

Good thing you stumbled onto this forum (where people come to discuss, not buy) or else you wouldnt even have a business!

You don't want to share YOUR quality content for free, but I wonder how much you learned for free from people who come to forums like this and shared their knowledge for free?
« Last Edit: July 08, 2017, 06:24 by cathyslife »

« Reply #19 on: July 08, 2017, 06:23 »
0
Quote
Sharing doesnt usually cost someone money. 
Quality content should not be shared for free, in my opinion.

I agree, but the point is that unless you're sharing information for free, then you're not really sharing it. Somebody could say they 'share cooked food'... and I would agree that quality food should not be shared for free (unless your aim is to run a charity), but if you're charging for it, then you're not really 'sharing cooked food', you're running a restaurant.

I think that's what Cathyslife was getting at, in reply to steheap's comment about there being nothing wrong with sharing information in the forums. There is nothing wrong with sharing information in the forums, and there is nothing wrong with charging for quality content... but if everyone is charging for quality content, then this place becomes a shop rather than a forum.

I don't really see anything wrong with this thread on the whole, just making an observation.


Exactly! Well said.

Brasilnut

  • Author Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock & Blog

« Reply #20 on: July 09, 2017, 07:30 »
+3
Quote
There is nothing wrong with sharing information in the forums, and there is nothing wrong with charging for quality content... but if everyone is charging for quality content, then this place becomes a shop rather than a forum.

I agree and have toned down on the promoting. Now let's all help each other and be happy, there's too much division in the world as it is.  :)


 

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