Selling Photos Online
April’08: US$ 2687.79
Total Revenue from Microstock in 2008: US$ 9766.00
It’s now easier than ever to earn extra money from your images by selling them online via micro stock photography sites such as Shutterstock, Fotolia, Dreamstime and many more (please keep reading to find out how much I earn from each stock photography site)..
Join ‘Beginning Stock Photography‘ discussion group on MyShutterspace
It goes without saying that to be successful your shots need to be ‘good stock photographs’ and available in high resolution format. But presuming that all this is in order, how do you maximize sale ability?
Download Free Model Posing Guides
An inexperienced photographer might find it very difficult to properly direct a model for great poses that will enhance the model’s presentation, showing her best face and figure, and most importantly convey the photographer’s message.
Photocrack has made this wonderful Model Posing Guides & Tips software called the Model Pose 1.1 pro. The software comes with around 200 posing guides which can be really handy when your’e shooting in a studio/outdoor with your models.
Please click on the image above to download Model Pose 1.1 Pro
Corbis Launches SnapVillage
SnapVillage, empowered by Corbis, today announced the beta opening of a fresh, interactive and innovative online marketplace for user-generated photography at http://www.snapvillage.com. The new website has no membership fees and is now accepting submissions from photographers anywhere in the world and offering image licensing in the United States.
Built from the ground-up after an extensive review and analysis of existing microstock sites and the rapidly evolving Web 2.0 and user-generated environments, the beta opening of SnapVillage introduces innovative advances in the submission, pricing, searching and purchasing of royalty-free (RF) photography that can be bought once and used almost anywhere for any duration.
Fotolia Presents V2
NEW YORK, NY – June 18, 2007 – Fotolia (http://www.fotolia.com), the first global online marketplace for micro-priced digital stock images, announced today the launch of Fotolia V2. This new version offers users both performance and feature enhancement, as well as two new features: a public API and the ability to distribute vector files.
“Our improvements have been designed around a combination of user feedback and the team’s vision for Fotolia’s continued expansion,” explains Oleg Tscheltzoff, co-founder and president of Fotolia. “We’ve implemented changes to the site based on feedback from some of the country’s top media buyers and from our community of photographers to ensure the best user experience across the board.”
Performance: Speed, Stability and Search enhancement
Lighting for Portrait Photography Tips
Last update: Part III - Selective Control of Exposure (added on 15 June’07)
Steve Barnes, a professional portrait photographer and co-owner of Hayley Barnes Photography in League City, has written great tips on lighting for portrait photography. He writes about Behavior of Light, Controlling Exposure within the Camera, and Selective Control Exposure;
Click to enlarge
I. BEHAVIOR OF LIGHT
David VS Goliath in Stock Photography Industry
Business2.0 Magazine has published an article on how the giants of the stock photo business (ie. Getty Images and Corbis) are being challenged by the “microstock” agencies.
“Unless they adjust to the new reality, however, the giants could find themselves in trouble. Getty (Charts) has been profitable since it was founded–last year it took in more than $800 million in revenue–but magazine advertising is in decline, as is the demand for its kind of high-end photos. During the past year, Getty’s stock price has taken a dive, dropping from $90 a share at the start of 2006 to just over $50.”
[source]
>> RELATED POST
Keywords That Work (Microstock Keywording Tips III)
Ellen Boughn has finished the third part of her keywording tips for Microstock Photography at Dreamstime;
“Colors: Only use words describing color if the color is prominent in the image, Don’t describe all the colors in a plaid shirt, for example, Use a keyword describing clothing if it is a prominent feature of an image and the color is a solid color. Example: Blue would not be an acceptable keyword for the image on the left but is an important keyword to the image on the right.”
[source]
Microstock Photography Keywording Tips
Ellen Boughn has finished the second part of her keywording tips for Microstock Photography at Dreamstime;
“Overall Impression. First, get a general overall impression of the image and note the words that come first to mind:
• What does the image “say” to you?
• What is the image about?
• What is in the foreground?
• What is the biggest element?
• Which element has the most impact?
• What is the major element regardless of how much of the overall image it physically takes up?
• Ask yourself why would someone want to download the image. This may differ from why you made the picture. “
[source]
Keywording Tips for Microstock Photography
Ellen Boughn has posted some keywording tips for Microstock Photography at Dreamstime;
“We often see still life images of bottles of wine with the keywords drinking and drunk. If someone drank the wine in the pictures above they might become drunk. But there is no drinking going on. Drinking and drunk are bad keywords for these images and will produce a less than optimum search result.”
[source]
Portable Studio Background
If you’re a stock photographer or just selling stuff on Ebay, you might want to take a look at the D-Flector, a portable studio backround on a briefcase. All you need to do is open the case and put it on the top of a desk with your product on it. When you take a picture with your digital camera and flash, the reflective background illuminates with the flash, giving you an ideal white background for your product. No need to buy those expensive lighting equipments or tabletop.
