Safe Stock Photography Sites?

I'm always surprised at how much they charge on shutterstock and the like, for general website use it's always above my budget.
 
Hi there - haven't used a stock site ever before - it's something I ought to consider, I think. Any tips, please? Happy NEw Year. :)
 
Hi there Charlotte - sorry, no I meant thinking about sending images to them.
 
Chipper said:
Thanks - I have just asked them to send me their guide. HNY:)
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Don't go micro stock. Your work is worth more than being sold lots of times for pennies and the cash-out thresholds are high.

Look at traditional agencies instead, Alamy are a really good place to start IMO. I get regular payments from them with a pretty small image library (c.900 images).
 
I submit to several sites, if you are submitting to one it makes sense to use the same images at the others, unless you choose to be an exclusive.

AS shutterstock is the best earner for me, and they don't have exclusivity, I wouldn't advise that.

There is a bit of a knack to understanding what the stock libraries want, I would start with some of the middle ranking ones first before moving onto the bigger ones. It can be hard to get into Shutterstock etc. and i would not submit to Alamy until I was getting good acceptance rates at the others.

Some to consider (links to my port, some referral links)

http://en.fotolia.com/p/202044759?order=nb_downloads
http://www.dreamstime.com/Sponner_portfolio_pg1#res2709173

once happy with these, getting a good acceptance ratio, I would move onto Shutterstock as it is the best earner and maybe Istock

http://submit.shutterstock.com/?ref=676129
http://refer.istockphoto.com/ta.php...ralMethod=Link&url=http://www.istockphoto.com

Once you have mastered keywording in the iptc data it is little hardship to also submit to

http://www.123rf.com/profile_sponner/#sponner
http://www.canstockphoto.com/stock-image-portfolio/sponner?r=75298' title='Stock Photography

Alamy is good, it takes different images and doesn't edit for content just quality. In my experience the overall earnings aren't much different to the better micro sites.
 
I submit to several but by far the biggest earner for me is Shutterstock. My earnings on there dwarf Alamy.
What you will find is portfolio size is everything - more so than quality along with adding new material frequently to boost the search ranking on them. A few hundred pictures you'll make "something" but for decent money you need a few thousand.
 
for decent money you need a few thousand
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Very true, my few hundred mediocre images earn me decent pocket money, a lens or two a year. Still working on the few thousand.

p.s. stunning diving pics qnirt
 
sponner said:
I submit to several sites, if you are submitting to one it makes sense to use the same images at the others, unless you choose to be an exclusive.

AS shutterstock is the best earner for me, and they don't have exclusivity, I wouldn't advise that.

There is a bit of a knack to understanding what the stock libraries want, I would start with some of the middle ranking ones first before moving onto the bigger ones. It can be hard to get into Shutterstock etc. and i would not submit to Alamy until I was getting good acceptance rates at the others.
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No. Start with the bigger ones. You don't need to sell micro stock. There is no reason not to start with a traditional agency.

Alamy is easy acceptance, there is no reason why anyone with a half decent, modern camera couldn't get accepted. I have a 100% acceptance rate on Alamy aside from the odd technical failure on upload or similar.

Start with Alamy and then work onto specialist agencies and higher quality agencies (like Getty, Jupiter etc). But Alamy is a good starting choice for a non-specialist British photographer.
 
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Alamy is easy acceptance
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It is, they only dip sample submissions rather than checking all of them. I have 100% there too. As a newcomer to stock would still "practice" on other agencies first, I believe if you do get pinged for quality on Alamy it can affect future reviews etc. If you are confident that you understand the requirements there is no reason to wait.

I still don't see Alamy as better than micro stock though, some of the commissions can be low and the volume isn't there. Microstock earns more than Alamy for me.
 
Ive never had a rejection with Alamy. They really do seem to accept absolutely anything. Microstock, in particular iStock and Shutterstock are far more selective and SS in particular has wildly inconsistent and frustrating reviewers. However, Alamy for me sells 4 or 5 pics a year vs Shutterstocks several hundred a month or more meaning in terms of money the microstock is way ahead for me.
 
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