Quote from: everest on December 27, 2021, 02:57

Yes you can. I now make over 50.000$ year on photos and videos. It is more tough every year. My peak was at 150.000$ year so yeah feeling the pressure.

I have made over 23k for a photo in the "good old days" and dozens over 2k. Now it is very rare. That's not the game anymore. You should not count on those rare sales

You are right that for retirement and a side income stock is not bad. You probably spent way more on equipment, software, gas, computer, time. But if that's just a hobby it is fine. Usually hobbies don't get any returns at all so. But don't be deluded and take those costs into consideration before saying you made 2000$ in a year if you spent 4000 to get there.

So your stock has shown at National Geographic. Well done. Does it mean something, or will it get to enjoy the national photographer life or revenue. I doubt it. But if that makes you happy go ahead. I understand that people might feel amazing for their 1s of glory.

By the way the market reality is not dependent on SS, as I have not made a single penny on them as they don't carry any of my creative work. So every dollar of the 50k earned has been made somewhere else. Trust me . If your work is good you will get your work purchased . No need to be in the SS cheap marketplace  where you are a small fry among millions of assets and you are being paid 10c a pop

You see . Your reality is different to some that are a little more experienced in this game. Nothing wrong that you go after your reality but take into account that many other ones exist and with a much better return that the loosing Shutterstock proposition.

Quote from: William Perry on December 26, 2021, 12:41

No one said you can make a living at stock.

But a $1,000 sale for one photo ain�t bad.

Make your bread somewhere else, but in retirement not a bad gig.

Through stock some of my photos have shown up in National Geographic publications.

So get out if you want to make a living .  As one senior person in Stock told me about people leaving SS because of the cut in commissions �good�.  Less competition.  By the way, she is not working at SS.

This is simple market reality.

$50.000 still is very impressing! May I ask how many images and videos there are in your Portfolio? And those 50.000 are Not only Fromm shutterstock, I guess?

     What I find surprising in this post is that some contributors
appear to have no problem allowing the SS to manipulate and
change the original agreement you had with the agency when
you first signed up with them.
     I signed up with the SS in 2009. The signed agreement stated
that I would receive a minimum of $0.35us and I would start as a
Level 1 contributor. If I sold more than 10,000 images I would
move up to Level 2 and earn a minimum $0.38us per image, etc.
HD videos, at the time, started at a minimum $23us per clip and,
like images, increased when you achieved a certain amount of
sales.
     There was nothing in that agreement that stated the SS could
lower commissions or do whatever they * well pleased. It may be
in your agreement if you signed up more recently but in my
original agreement there is nothing stating that the SS would lower
my commission or drop me back to Level 1 whenever they * well
pleased.
     This was a binding agreement. Changing that agreement arbitrarily
is illegal and unethical.
     My hopes that we would launch a Class Action lawsuit against the SS
will not happen based on this post. My apologies if I upset a few
contributors.
     I've learned a lot in this particular post.

Highest sale this year was a dutch windmill from Kinderdijk for 90 $ and one for 70 $ (flowers). Then still 10 sales between 30 - 40 $ and about 50 sales around 10 $.

During the facebook outage in october one photo on the subject brought me about 160 downloads in one evening only on Shutterstock, which means about 80 $.

And no, I am not a shutterstock agent.

For me it was 2012 with photos. I started at the end of 2009 with Istock (I was already with Getty) 2010 I made 6000$(only Istock) 2011 60.000 (only Istock) 2012 120.000$ only Istock. 2013 crashed to 70.000 $ (only Istock). Video I started very late in the game. Only 4 years now. Only growth so far around 23k/year. Images have been steadily falling. Nowadays, I make only 2000-2400$ month very far from the hay days in 2012.

Quote from: Annie on December 26, 2021, 18:41

Quote from: thijsdegraaf on December 25, 2021, 13:20

Another new topic. Hopefully that stays alive, because my two topics with Christmas and New Year wishes have been remover (Update: The New Years topic has been moved back  ) .
If someone from the management is reading along: I was just on a Dutch nature forum. The management thanked everyone there and wished everyone a nice day. They do that every year.

Well now my question.
I had a sale on December 23 of a close up of the flowers of ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris) for 9.98 (level 4).  https://www.shutterstock.com/nl/image-photo/flowers-seed-heads-ragwort-jacobaea-vulgaris-1799221774  That was the highest amount I've received for a photo from Shutterstock (member for two years). I know from the Shutterstock forum that someone had received over $300, but she mainly photographed American celebrities and I mostly flowers, insects, nature and Dutch buildings, cities.
I'm curious what your highest sales figures are this year at Shutterstock. (Maybe I'm getting all depressed reading the answers  )

Thijs, you're really good at getting people to talk about their numbers. How about for the next thread, you can see if people would reveal their RPIs, RPDs, and what subjects they shoot? Then we will all be cooking with gas 

Ref: https://www.microstockgroup.com/general-stock-discussion/you-have-a-good-photographer-friend-who-says/msg570706/?topicseen#new


RPI = Total Sales / Number of Files
RPD = Total Sales / Number of DLs

Use only one agency (say SS), separate Photos from Videos, and only use Total Sales for 2021 -  to ensure we are comparing apples with apples.

 

We have been cooking electrically (induction) Annie for a year now.    I know Pete's topic (answered one myself)
For me it was all about photos, this year on Shutterstock (I know you sell well too (quite rightly) )
Like many others, I didn't upload anything for three months after the 10 cents introduction and became a member of Alamy and Adobe. I noticed that not uploading didn't work and that I sold less at Adobe and much less at Alamy.
Like many others I started again at Shutterstock (Muratart did the opposite. Murat has added another hundred pages of photos since the last time I checked with him  )
Every now and then I read (in addition to all the complaints) about quite high amounts that were still received for a photo at Shutterstock.
I was curious about that, although I know that the quality and subject of my photos probably contribute to the fact that I won't receive them so soon. I will try a little more, but it must remain a hobby that I enjoy.

Due to the input of level6, this topic is now also about whether you can still earn a good living with Stock. Pete's topic is much more appropriate to answer that question.

Impressive Everest. Thanks.

Thank you Wilm. I suspected something like that because I know your photos of course.

Quote from: thijsdegraaf on December 27, 2021, 03:09

Quote from: Annie on December 26, 2021, 18:41

Quote from: thijsdegraaf on December 25, 2021, 13:20

Another new topic. Hopefully that stays alive, because my two topics with Christmas and New Year wishes have been remover (Update: The New Years topic has been moved back  ) .
If someone from the management is reading along: I was just on a Dutch nature forum. The management thanked everyone there and wished everyone a nice day. They do that every year.

Well now my question.
I had a sale on December 23 of a close up of the flowers of ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris) for 9.98 (level 4).  https://www.shutterstock.com/nl/image-photo/flowers-seed-heads-ragwort-jacobaea-vulgaris-1799221774  That was the highest amount I've received for a photo from Shutterstock (member for two years). I know from the Shutterstock forum that someone had received over $300, but she mainly photographed American celebrities and I mostly flowers, insects, nature and Dutch buildings, cities.
I'm curious what your highest sales figures are this year at Shutterstock. (Maybe I'm getting all depressed reading the answers  )

Thijs, you're really good at getting people to talk about their numbers. How about for the next thread, you can see if people would reveal their RPIs, RPDs, and what subjects they shoot? Then we will all be cooking with gas 

Ref: https://www.microstockgroup.com/general-stock-discussion/you-have-a-good-photographer-friend-who-says/msg570706/?topicseen#new


RPI = Total Sales / Number of Files
RPD = Total Sales / Number of DLs

Use only one agency (say SS), separate Photos from Videos, and only use Total Sales for 2021 -  to ensure we are comparing apples with apples.

 

We have been cooking electrically (induction) Annie for a year now.    I know Pete's topic (answered one myself)
For me it was all about photos, this year on Shutterstock (I know you sell well too (quite rightly) )
Like many others, I didn't upload anything for three months after the 10 cents introduction and became a member of Alamy and Adobe. I noticed that not uploading didn't work and that I sold less at Adobe and much less at Alamy.
Like many others I started again at Shutterstock (Muratart did the opposite. Murat has added another hundred pages of photos since the last time I checked with him  )
Every now and then I read (in addition to all the complaints) about quite high amounts that were still received for a photo at Shutterstock.
I was curious about that, although I know that the quality and subject of my photos probably contribute to the fact that I won't receive them so soon. I will try a little more, but it must remain a hobby that I enjoy.

Due to the input of level6, this topic is now also about whether you can still earn a good living with Stock. Pete's topic is much more appropriate to answer that question.

Impressive Everest. Thanks.

Thank you Wilm. I suspected something like that because I know your photos of course.

I think you may have misunderstood me, Thijs. I didnt mean the whole of Pete's thread, I meant my first post on top of the page that I linked above - and a few more related ones after that.

If people are to go to all the trouble of talking numbers then those are the numbers, if collected and compared, that would greatly benefit everyone. (ie. the comparison of the average return for different types of subjects. No-one has collected that kind of comprehensive data before, I don't think. And that would be a goldmine of important info.)

But I fully understand your position with microstock and where you are coming from. Sorry to have troubled you. (But definitely an idea if anyone's interested for another thread as I said above.)

Quote from: thijsdegraaf on December 25, 2021, 13:20

Another new topic. Hopefully that stays alive, because my two topics with Christmas and New Year wishes have been remover (Update: The New Years topic has been moved back  ) .
If someone from the management is reading along: I was just on a Dutch nature forum. The management thanked everyone there and wished everyone a nice day. They do that every year.

Well now my question.
I had a sale on December 23 of a close up of the flowers of ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris) for 9.98 (level 4).  https://www.shutterstock.com/nl/image-photo/flowers-seed-heads-ragwort-jacobaea-vulgaris-1799221774  That was the highest amount I've received for a photo from Shutterstock (member for two years). I know from the Shutterstock forum that someone had received over $300, but she mainly photographed American celebrities and I mostly flowers, insects, nature and Dutch buildings, cities.
I'm curious what your highest sales figures are this year at Shutterstock. (Maybe I'm getting all depressed reading the answers  )

Thijs, you're really good at getting people to talk about their numbers. How about for the next thread, you can see if people would reveal their RPIs, RPDs, and what subjects they shoot? Then we will all be cooking with gas 

Ref: https://www.microstockgroup.com/general-stock-discussion/you-have-a-good-photographer-friend-who-says/msg570706/?topicseen#new


RPI = Total Sales / Number of Files
RPD = Total Sales / Number of DLs

Use only one agency (say SS), separate Photos from Videos, and only use Total Sales for 2021 -  to ensure we are comparing apples with apples.

 

     What I find surprising in this post is that some contributors
appear to have no problem allowing the SS to manipulate and
change the original agreement you had with the agency when
you first signed up with them.
     I signed up with the SS in 2009. The signed agreement stated
that I would receive a minimum of $0.35us and I would start as a
Level 1 contributor. If I sold more than 10,000 images I would
move up to Level 2 and earn a minimum $0.38us per image, etc.
HD videos, at the time, started at a minimum $23us per clip and,
like images, increased when you achieved a certain amount of
sales.
     There was nothing in that agreement that stated the SS could
lower commissions or do whatever they * well pleased. It may be
in your agreement if you signed up more recently but in my
original agreement there is nothing stating that the SS would lower
my commission or drop me back to Level 1 whenever they * well
pleased.
     This was a binding agreement. Changing that agreement arbitrarily
is illegal and unethical.
     My hopes that we would launch a Class Action lawsuit against the SS
will not happen based on this post. My apologies if I upset a few
contributors.
     I've learned a lot in this particular post.

Quote from: Annie on December 28, 2021, 14:02

The bottom line for all of this, is that we can then decide whether to keep shooting a particular type of subject - or not. Or whether we can try other types of subjects to maximise our income. Then we have choices and thats much more proactive than just looking back and complaining, or feeling downhearted about the whole situation. It may not be the complete solution but it can help.

But just saying I received $100 for my top sale is not enough, in my mind, to make those type of decisions. You could have got next to nothing the rest of the time.

Totally agree Annie. Good points you are making. I left and then came back with a new account (but even my original account was not that old) so I can't help you out, I don't have the powers to do so, unfortunately.

The funny thing is that I came, to this site, in the first place to find the answers to the questions you are asking, actually. I am sure an old guard here is willing to help you out.

Right folks?

Maybe Brasilnut can help you out. He does it all the time with his own sales, likes the numbers and is a diamond member. What do you say Alexandre?