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06/02/2003 10:52:10 AM · #1 |
| I was wondering if anyone knows which stock photography sites are actually good for the photographer. I have read so much about them and so many pros and cons from another site that I don't know which ones to go with. |
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06/02/2003 12:41:48 PM · #2 |
| I've wondered that exact thing. I've found some stock places, but I'm not too sure if they'd be a good thing to do. |
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06/02/2003 01:07:50 PM · #3 |
From what I know, the best stock photography companies out there are in business to make money off of excellent photography. This means - as a general rule - several things:
1. They will not charge you exhorbitant fees for "hosting" your images. There might sometimes be minimal scanning costs involved or they may charge you extra if you wish to be included in one of their physical catalogs, but these will be *minimal* and usually deducted from your royalty check when you are paid. In other words, they are there to make their money from the people that buy your photos, not actually make the money from your pocket. Personally, I'd NEVER go with a company that wanted to charge a monthly, quarterly or yearly "hosting" fee, and there are a lot of those out there.
2. Industry standards generally offer between a 50% - 60% cut to the photographer. Sometimes more, sometimes less. The latest thing is where you just sell a stock house your image - they might give you several hundred dollars for it, but then they collect *all* royalties. You have to decide what is best for you.
3. The biggest stock houses (Getty, Corbis, etc.), knowing that they are out there to make money off of saleable images, are VERY picky. There is a lot of competition out there amongst top stock photographers. (On a personal note: After getting knocked down by the larger houses again and again, I went with a few smaller stock firms to build up my resume and portfolio. After that, I've managed to get a better idea of what's really marketable and have had more images accepted by the larger companies.)
4. To do well at stock photography, you generally have to shoot a LOT. Companies want current images that aren't dated by people's clothing styles or technology. They generally also want to rotate their stock to give customers fresh products to choose from. One of the places I have pictures with estimates that for each shot you have with them, you'll earn $.50 - $1.00 per month. So if I have 500 images with that company, I'd make around $250 - $500 per month. If you have the time to shoot as a full-time job, this can work quite well. If you take a dozen pictures a week, you'll make considerably less.
I'd suggest carefully reading the contract to get an idea of the stock photo company you're interested in. A good company will have everything spelled out in black and white, easy to read.
Those are just some of the thoughts off the top of my head. Stock photography is way fun for me... I'm definitely not a full-time pro by any means, but I tend to make enough to pay for most of my photography gear. :) |
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06/02/2003 03:03:22 PM · #4 |
| Still wondering if there is any on the web that are worth checking out. |
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06/02/2003 03:09:16 PM · #5 |
Corbis
AgeFotoStock
Good luck.
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06/02/2003 03:42:21 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by OneSweetSin:
Still wondering if there is any on the web that are worth checking out. |
Get hold of Photographers Market 2003 and work through the lists and information there. Excellent resource.
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06/02/2003 05:06:03 PM · #7 |
I agree - since you are in the US, the 2003 Photographer's Market will be the best book for you. The book gives you some advice about submissions and lots of useful addresses and contacts.
When you produce and submit a lot of stock images, you may want some submissions management software. Again for the US market check out PhotoBiz programme //www.cradoc.com(Business Management Software for Freelance Photographer). For this one you have to pay. There is another one, Photobyte, search for it. It used to dominate the market, but now is a bit old-fashioned and distributed for free, targeting photography students.
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06/05/2003 01:01:34 PM · #8 |
| I'm still wondering cause I have heard about a few sites are there any stock photography sites out there that anyone has dealt with and had sucess? |
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06/05/2003 01:11:28 PM · #9 |
Try here:
Corbis.com
I've also had luck with this company:
Alamy.com
Message edited by author 2003-06-05 13:18:43. |
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06/05/2003 01:11:34 PM · #10 |
You will have to be able to have a good grasp on editing programs to even be considered for stock photography. Being able to produce a large sized file is also a requirement. The exception is usually for web site pics, etc. There is a good article on the direction of stock photo agencies in the new issue of Photoshop mag. Here is a thread from another message board I use that has some info that may help you. Stock Info
Message edited by author 2003-06-05 13:33:31.
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06/05/2003 05:12:04 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by scab-lab:
You will have to be able to have a good grasp on editing programs to even be considered for stock photography. Being able to produce a large sized file is also a requirement. The exception is usually for web site pics, etc. There is a good article on the direction of stock photo agencies in the new issue of Photoshop mag. Here is a thread from another message board I use that has some info that may help you. Stock Info |
I see the same site that wasn't discussed in another forum is listed there...might be worth checking out |
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06/24/2003 02:45:15 AM · #12 |
thanks for your advices, but what format for submission? TIFF?
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06/24/2003 03:11:19 AM · #13 |
| I checked out some of these sites and found out that I'm fresh out of luck if I want to submit photos unless I want to buy a really expensive film camera, or a better digital plus the Genuine Fractals plug-in. Is this program worth getting for 150? I'm going to be getting a DSC F717 soon and would love to be able to submit some of my stuff to stock places just for fun, but don't think I would be able to without the program. |
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06/24/2003 03:41:11 AM · #14 |
Originally posted by Galina:
There is another one, Photobyte, search for it. It used to dominate the market, but now is a bit old-fashioned and distributed for free, targeting photography students. |
Here's a link for Photobyte. They ask you to fill in registration, although the download itself is free.
//zimberoff.com/download.htm |
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06/24/2003 04:17:00 AM · #15 |
I've sold a few images at Acclaim Stock Photography. It costs you nothing to join (although the proprietor, Fred Voetsch, will need to check some samples of your work for quality before you can submit. I've found Fred to be friendly and helpful.) I've only sold about 3 images over about 6 months, but then I only have about 30 shots up there at the moment (so much to do, so little time :-). From memory, I think Fred estimates an average of about 50 cents/shot/month, so the more shots you have up there, the better.
One thing to be aware of is that Acclaim sells shots royalty-free, so once you've sold an image to a customer, that's all the revenue you'll ever get for that image from that customer. Also, you have no control over the pricing - the site calculates the cost based on the resolution of the shot, a high-res image selling for about $90. Currently, the site doesn't take a cut of this. You have to figure for yourself whether you're happy with these points.
If you want to dip your toe in the water and see what works and what doesn't, this is a no-cost, easy way to start.
Whatever you decide to do, good luck, and let us know how you get on.
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06/24/2003 04:46:20 AM · #16 |
Corbis seems to be the best to me. Thier contract is reasonable, and it is easy to get started.
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06/24/2003 08:16:56 AM · #17 |
You may want to check out OzImages. It is different from most stock photography systems -- you pay an annual fee (which includes your own website) and then you collect all the fees from the purchasers of your images. Although they are based in Australia, supposedly 60% of the customers come from the US and Europe. They also have their "WebPix" system, where images are sold for non-exclusive use only on web sites.
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