Making Money With Your Camera

What is Stock Photography?

2012-03-02T14:52:00.000-05:00

Content copyrighted by Edward Fielding

Recommended Camera List for Microstock

2012-02-16T08:58:00.001-05:00

Is your camera good enough for microstock? Here is a list of camera's accepted by Microstock agency's. Note - quality len's are typically more important than the camera. Buy a body for three years, buy a lens for life!

As of January 2012

Canon:

Canon EOS 1000D / Digital Rebel XS
Canon EOS 1100D / Digital Rebel T3
Canon EOS 1D Mark II
Canon EOS 1D Mark II N
Canon EOS 1D Mark III
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV
Canon EOS 1Ds
Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II
Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III
Canon EOS 20D
Canon EOS 30D
Canon EOS 350D
Canon EOS 400D / Digital Rebel XTi
Canon EOS 40D
Canon EOS 450D / Digital Rebel Xsi / EOS KISS X2
Canon EOS 500D / Digital Rebel T1i
Canon EOS 50D
Canon EOS 550D / Digital Rebel T2i
Canon EOS 5D
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 60D
Canon EOS 600D / Rebel T3i
Canon EOS 7D

Nikon:

Nikon D200
Nikon D2X / D2Xs
Nikon D3
Nikon D300
Nikon D3000
Nikon D300S
Nikon D3100
Nikon D3S
Nikon D3X
Nikon D40X
Nikon D5000
Nikon D5100
Nikon D60
Nikon D700
Nikon D7000
Nikon D80
Nikon D90
Nikon J1
Nikon V1

Panasonic:

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

Samsung:

Samsung GX-10
Samsung GX-1s
Samsung GX-20
Samsung NX10
Samsung NX100
Sigma:

Sigma SD1

Contax:

Contax N Digital

Epson:

Epson R-D1
Epson R-D1x

Fuji:

Fuji S5 Pro
Fuji Finepix X100

Leica:

M9
M8.2
M8
X1

Olympus:

Olympus E-3
Olympus E-30
Olympus E-400
Olympus E-410
Olympus E-420
Olympus E-450
Olympus E-5
Olympus E-500
Olympus E-510
Olympus E-520
Olympus E600
Olympus E620
Olympus PEN E-P1
Olympus PEN E-P2
Olympus PEN E-PL1
Olympus PEN E-PL3

Pentax:

Pentax K10D / Grand Prix
Pentax K2000 (K-m)
Pentax K200D
Pentax K20D
Pentax K-5
Pentax K-7
Pentax K-r
Pentax K-x

Ricoh:

Ricoh GXR A12

Sony:

Sony Alpha NEX-3
Sony Alpha NEX-5
Sony DSLR A850
Sony DSLR A900
Sony DSLR-A100
Sony DSLR-A200
Sony DSLR-A230
Sony DSLR-A290
Sony DSLR-A300
Sony DSLR-A330
Sony DSLR-A350
Sony DSLR-A380
Sony DSLR-A390
Sony DSLR-A450
Sony DSLR-A500
Sony DSLR-A550
Sony DSLR-A560
Sony DSLR-A580
Sony DSLR-A700
Sony SLT A33
Sony SLT A55

Content copyrighted by Edward Fielding

Lise Gagne - Microstock Superstar

2012-02-15T19:52:00.000-05:00

Content copyrighted by Edward Fielding

Interview with Serban Enache, founder CEO Dreamstime

2012-02-15T11:43:00.000-05:00

MO: What tips would you give an amateur photographer looking to submit their work to a stock photography site?

Serban: To learn as much as possible about what stock photography, what sells and why! Knowledge is vital for succeeding in this business and permanent learning is a must. All top photographers do that, no matter how famous they are. Never stop learning and always stay hungry for more. At the same time, have reasonable expectations and set goals. Don’t expect to earn a fortune over night. Instead, work hard to build something. This way they can enjoy a steady revenue for many years. The beauty of stock photography is that it will bring rewards (financial or motivational) over a long time span. Whether we’re talking about a hobbies or a full time photographer, stock photography will be part of their lives for many years.

More

Content copyrighted by Edward Fielding

Yuri Arcurs - The World's Top Microstocker

2012-02-06T22:26:00.000-05:00

Yuri Arcurs has taken microstock to an unbelievable level.

Content copyrighted by Edward Fielding

Stock Advice from Jim Pickerell

2012-02-06T17:31:00.001-05:00

Jim Pickerell began his career in 1963 as a freelance photojournalist in the Far East. His first major sale, a Life Magazine cover, was a stock photo of the overthrow of the Ngo Dinh Diem government in Saigon. In 1990, he began publishing Selling Stock, a bimonthly newsletter dealing with issues of interest to stock photographers and stock photo sellers, with particular focus on issues related to marketing stock images.

The key to success now is to design shoots that cost no money to produce, but which
generate unique images that aren’t similar to those already done in abundance by someone else, and the images must also be in high demand by customers so when they are licensed individually for low prices the combined total sales will generate enough revenue to make the effort worth the trouble.

More

Content copyrighted by Edward Fielding

Wanted: 60 Million Photographs

2012-02-06T15:37:00.000-05:00

The market for pictures is tremendous. It has been estimated that magazines and newspapers buy over 60 millions photos a year, although most of the pictures are taken by professional photographers, there is a good deal of non professional hobbyists making a good extra income selling their pictures to specialised markets, little known by the majority of people.

The following guide is just a sample of companies in the market for photos. It is difficult to keep such a directory current as companies constantly change their policies, addresses, editors and so forth. It is up to you to develop your own markets by submitting photos you believe to be appropriate to editor's needs. After the addresses are listed the rates paid more for extraordinary subjects depending of the news value and the quality for the accepted photo.

GENERAL NEWS AND FEATURE INTEREST PICTURES SYNDICATES:

Service, Box 2801, Washington, DC 20013 $10 to $40.

Newsweek International Service, 444 Madison Ave., NY 10022

$20 and up.* Transworld News

Stock Photos Unlimited, 29 W 38th St NY, NY 10018 $10 to $40.

MAGAZINES INTERESTED IN FEATURE PICTURES:

New Times Magazine, 1 Park Ave NY, NY. 10016

$50 and up

Popular Photography, 1 Park Ave, NY, NY. 10016 $30 and up.

National Enquirer, Lantana, FL 33464

$35 to $150.

SPORTS MAGAZINES

Fishing World, 51 Atlantic Ave., Floral Pk, NY 11001

$30 and up

Tennis Illustrated, 4222 Campus Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660.

Golf Digest, 495 Westport Ave., Norwalk CT 06856 $15 and up.

TRADE MAGAZINES:

Amtrak, 400 Capital St., N.W Washington, DC 20001 $35 and up.

Track Talk, 2205 W Fairview Ave., Montgomery,AL 36092

FAMILY LIFE AND NATURE MAGAZINES:

National Wild Life, 225 E Michigan, Milwaukee, WI 53201 $50 and up.

Cats Magazine, Box 557 Washington, PA 15301 $10 to $30.

Good Housekeeping, 959 8Th Ave., NY, NY. 10019

FARM LIFE MAGAZINES:

Mother Earth News, Box 70 Hendersonville, NC. 28739 $50 and up.

Vegetarian Times, Box 3104, Chicago, IL 60690 $20 and up.

HOBBIES AND CRAFTS MAGAZINES:

Science Digest, 224 W 57th St New York, NY 10019 $25 to $60.

Popular Electronics, 1 Park Ave, NY, NY. 10016.

GREETINGS CARDS SYNDICATES:

American Greetings, 10500 American Rd., Cleveland, OH 44144.

$30 and up.

Graphic Adventures, 9801 Harwin, Bldg O, Houston, TX. 77036.

$60 and up.

Content copyrighted by Edward Fielding

Three Quick Tips

2012-02-04T05:45:00.001-05:00

Three Quick tips from Advanced Photography.Net

Know What Is In Demand

Stock photography is a mechanism of striking a trade-off between the buyers and the sellers of stock photos. To become a successful microstock photographer, you need to assess what kind of photographs are required by the designers, advertisers and art directors. Stock photographs are meant to be used for commercial purpose, therefore you have to be particular about what is in demand and thus offer the required concept, subject or scene.

Good Photographs Make Way To Stock Photographs

Stock photographs are used for advertisements and online designing; it is thus an implicit requirement that the photographs which you submit as stock should be good and unique. The underlying qualities of a good photograph as stated by the stock photography websites are aesthetic composition, sharp image, proper focus, optimal exposure and an appropriate crop & size.

Offer The Photographs Illustrating Unique Idea / Concept

The advertisers and the web designers often choose the photographs which either tell a story or convey a message or express emotions. Such photographs help in communicating the idea & ethics of the business and assist in the brand building process. One of the most effective example of this is the twitter bird, which communicates the idea behind Twitter.

Content copyrighted by Edward Fielding

How to Photograph A Product

2012-02-02T14:12:00.002-05:00

How to video about product photography with a white background.

Buying and selling images on Dreamstime is easy! Sign up for a free account by clicking here. Content copyrighted by Edward Fielding. Artist, writer, educator. Fielding's work has appeared in Boston's Stuff Magazine, Camera & Darkroom Magazine. Formerly of BYTE magazine, Fielding is the co-flounder of Fishboy.com and teaches robotics to children at the AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH. Click here to see Edward Fielding's personal portfolio.

How To Photograph a Splash of Water

2012-02-01T12:54:00.005-05:00

Buying and selling images on Dreamstime is easy! Sign up for a free account by clicking here. Content copyrighted by Edward Fielding. Artist, writer, educator. Fielding's work has appeared in Boston's Stuff Magazine, Camera & Darkroom Magazine. Formerly of BYTE magazine, Fielding is the co-flounder of Fishboy.com and teaches robotics to children at the AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH. Click here to see Edward Fielding's personal portfolio.

How to increase your microstock acceptance rate

2012-01-30T12:44:00.003-05:00

I started with Dreamstime in July 2011. After years of putting serious photography on the back burner as we raised our son, the purchase of my first serious digital camera lead me to micro-stock and the possibilities of turning a passion into income.

At first my acceptance rate was abysmal - somewhere in 30% range. But by September my acceptance rate jump to 50% and kept climbing all the while my output increased. This month I had a personal record number uploads (over 90) and enjoyed an acceptance rate of 70%. I'm also up to over 600 images in my portfolio.

I don't keep a log or diary of everything I've done since starting to shoot microstock but think the following things have effected my learning curve. Some of these things are equipment base and others are simply learning the craft.

Lightroom 3 - In Sept I purchased Lightroom 3 and learned how to use it to tweak my images.

Shooting RAW - Shooting RAW files had an big impact on the control of my images

Learning to Shoot Stock - Basically just taking the time to look through the Dreamstime database and blogs to learn how to "see" stock photos.

Upgrading my lens - I ditched the kit lens when it seemed to be the cause of many rejects.

Read - I read Scott Kelly's book on Lightroom 3, Microstock Money Shots and Taking Stock as well as plenty of magazines and online blogs. Thanks Lately I've read "Food Photography" by Nicole S. Young which is an excellent book on setting up and shooting food shots. I've also collected some of my favorite microstock tips on a blog.

The other big change I've made lately, mostly due to the weather, is that I've been creating more images rather than searching for them. Over the summer I was taking trips looking for scenes that might sell as stock. Since the cold weather has set in, I've been creating a lot more images in the studio.

So in summary I think the trick to increased acceptance level comes from using good equipment, learning your workflow in processing images and learning to see stock images.

There is a learning curve, how long it take you to move up the curve depends your individual effort. The more you shoot, the faster you'll learn.

Buying and selling images on Dreamstime is easy! Sign up for a free account by clicking here. Content copyrighted by Edward Fielding. Artist, writer, educator. Fielding's work has appeared in Boston's Stuff Magazine, Camera & Darkroom Magazine. Formerly of BYTE magazine, Fielding is the co-flounder of Fishboy.com and teaches robotics to children at the AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH. Click here to see Edward Fielding's personal portfolio.

How to photograph glass bottles

2012-01-22T19:47:00.000-05:00

Why Get Started In Microstock Photography?

2012-01-22T19:32:00.002-05:00

How to Find a Profitable Market for Microstock Photography

2012-01-22T19:25:00.000-05:00

Photography: Getting Started in Stock Photography - Part 1

2012-01-22T19:20:00.002-05:00

International Money Makers Welcome

2012-01-17T11:08:00.001-05:00

Making money with your digital camera is not limited to citizens of the United States. It's open to people all over the world. As long as you have a quality digital camera, access to the Internet and a good eye for stock photography (see other articles on this site for an idea of the types of photography buyers are looking for), you too can make money uploading your photographs to microstock photo agencies such as Dreamstime. It's free to sign up and its free to upload photographs for sale.

In many ways foreign photographers have a big advantage over U.S. based photographers. Mainly because the cost of living is cheaper in other countries and the photographers have access to "exotic" locations. Rather than send an expensive film crew to the four corners of the earth, microstock agencies such as Dreamstime can offer photographs from around the world for a very low price. Buyers of photographs who need images from around the world can access over 12 million worldwide photographs provided by hundreds of thousands of contributors all from one place.

Payments are made when an account reaches $100 or more and can be easily handled via PayPal and other online payment options. If PayPal is not available in your country, there are other options available.

----

Buying and selling images on Dreamstime is easy! Sign up for a free account by clicking here. Content copyrighted by Edward Fielding. Artist, writer, educator. Fielding's work has appeared in Boston's Stuff Magazine, Camera & Darkroom Magazine. Formerly of BYTE magazine, Fielding is the co-flounder of Fishboy.com and teaches robotics to children at the AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH. Click here to see Edward Fielding's personal portfolio.

How to Reduce Noise

2012-01-11T16:34:00.000-05:00

How to Reduce Noise Using Adobe Lightroom

One of the major reasons photographs get rejections from microstock agencies is excessive noise. Noisy or graining photos are no use to buyers of microstock agencies. You can reduce noise by taking pictures with plenty of light, using quality lenes and shooting at low ISOs like 100 or 200.

But some photographs can be saved or enhanced using software like Topaz deNoise or NoiseNinga. Adobe's Lightroom software starting with Lightroom 3 and of course the new Lightroom 4 have built in noise reduction that does a great job reducing noise in photographs, if you know how to use it. This video gives a great instruction on how to use the sliders in Lightroom to reduce noise:

-----

Buying and selling images on Dreamstime is easy! Sign up for a free account by clicking here. Content copyrighted by Edward Fielding. Artist, writer, educator. Fielding's work has appeared in Boston's Stuff Magazine, Camera & Darkroom Magazine. Formerly of BYTE magazine, Fielding is the co-flounder of Fishboy.com and teaches robotics to children at the AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH. Click here to see Edward Fielding's personal portfolio.

Secrets of Selling Photos

2012-01-10T12:47:00.005-05:00

To purchase this photo of a Robotic Christmas ornament, click here

The Secret of Microstock - It ain't so secret

Psst! Hey fella, want to know the secret of selling your photographs to buyers on microstock agencies like Dreamstime?

For those just discovering the world of micro-stock photograph and turning your photographs into earnings, there is a steep learning curve. You have to learn how to step up your technical game taking pictures and developing them with software like Photoshop and/or Lightroom.

You have to learn how to develop your eye for the types of photographs micro-stock buyers are looking for and you have to have the determination to continually learn and improve while being patient enough to allow your portfolio to grow to significant size - and then the sales will come.

The good news is that the secrets of success are not all that secret. Hard work, creativity, imagination, investment in good quality tools and determination are required.

All the "secrets" of getting model releases, photograph ideas, technical issues are available within the forums of the Dreamstime and other stock agency web sites in the form of FAQs, message boards and most importantly in the portfolios of successful photographers.

Books like "Taking Stock" by Rob Sylan (http://www.takingstockphoto.com/) and others give an overview of the stock photography industry.

Blogs like Making Money With Your Camera (http://makingmoneywithyourcamera.blogspot.com/) share tips to microstock photographers.

The Dreamstime community is a valuable resource for any photographer starting and your fellow photographers are very supportive of each other but don't expect to take short cuts to success by being lazy and not putting in the work needed to learn this business from the free resources available. Don't ask things like "what photographs sell" or "what should I shoot" - look around the database and find out what sells and figure out what you like to shoot. If there is a motto around here it is "Keep shooting and keep uploading".

------

Buying and selling images on Dreamstime is easy! Sign up for a free account by clicking here. Content copyrighted by Edward Fielding. Artist, writer, educator. Fielding's work has appeared in Boston's Stuff Magazine, Camera & Darkroom Magazine. Formerly of BYTE magazine, Fielding is the co-flounder of Fishboy.com and teaches robotics to children at the AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH. Click here to see Edward Fielding's personal portfolio.

Great advice from a successful microstock photographer

2012-01-10T08:31:00.002-05:00

Wisconsinart is a popular contributor on Dreamstime with nearly 1,000 photographs in his portfolio and over 3,000 sales and three years of experience dealing with microstock agencies he recently offered these observations of microstock newbies:

How do I say this in a nice way?

It's my observation and opinion that virtually all the threads about lack of sales, poor sales, theories about views, post-a-blog-get-a-sale, etc., generally are started and bumped up by Contributors who have yet to understand the business of stock.

The real answer is to keep uploading QUALITY images and CONCEPTS. If you follow and observe particular Contributors, you will be amazed at how many small portfolios are pulling in huge sales on a consistent basis. That should be proof enough right there yet the "conspiracy theories" will never go away.

Stock is also a numbers game. The more you sell, the more credit sales fall your way. The trick is to get sales in the first place. And that's where it doesn't get nice: It's a hard reality not all portfolios are created equal and there is a reason why some are successful and some are not.

However, there is hope. If you work at it, you can improve and stand shoulder-to-shoulder (statistically) with the big boys.

And that seems to be the biggest issue for many: Improving. Those fixated on creating theories about Views, writing blogs for the sake of writing blogs, etc., just never seem to make the leap to the one single element required for carving out your niche in the stock world: Improving.

The online stock model is a fantastic opportunity. Other than a camera and/or software, you can start your own business with no start up costs. Everyone is welcome to join the community regardless of experience or credentials.

However, joining the community does not guarantee success. It's up to you to be successful. Many quit and give up; you can see this in the New Member forum. Search through the old posts and check out the profiles of contributors announcing their arrival. A great number of them have only a handful of images in their portfolio and hardly any sales one or two years after signing up.

As I've said before, failure is not a bad thing. In the end everyone gravitates toward endeavors they enjoy doing and can do well.

Many Contributors naturally do well with stock on their own; some figure it out quicker than others but they all eventually get to where they're going.

There isn't much need to address the two groups of Contributors who succeed or quit and move on to other activities. This blog is for the group that needs help. They are failing at stock but stubbornly refuse to either move on or makes excuses for not improving.

If you are in that group, then this is how you can succeed:

1. Admit you are failing. Once you stop analyzing Views, blaming the search engine, posting messages and blogs thinking you need more exposure, then you will be able to focus on the issues that are holding you back.
2. IMPROVE! GET BETTER!

Yeah, OK, reading "Microstock for Dummies" isn't going to make you a stock guru after four hours of reading. Here are tips on how to get started:

1. Study the database. You have millions of images right in front of you to look at. Which ones get a lot of sales? Why? Can you do a similar concept? Can you EXECUTE the concept well?

2. Have no studio? No lighting equipment? No models? SO WHAT???? Again, study the database. Just browsing through it can give you ideas. Look for concepts that YOU CAN DO without models or renting an office building for a day. Sit down with paper and pencil and brainstorm.

3. Find portfolios of amateur Contributors who are successful and study their work. Can you tell if they lack resources like models and lighting equipment? How do they work around their limitations? You will discover that each individual has their own style of creativity which sets them apart from the rest. And they will have amazing sales with a small portfolio.

4. Find Contributors who are failing. Many images, very low sales. What do you find in common with these Contributors? Are you following the same path?

One of the greatest tools on DreamsTime and the most under-utilized is the POSITIVE CRITICISM forum. It can be a huge mistake to assume you know all the reasons why your portfolio is at the level it's at; doesn't everyone overlook the obvious at one point or another? It is not a bad thing to ask for help!

The real secret of the stock game is to keep uploading quality images in order for the sales to come. I did mention this is a unique community where Contributors of all skills levels are welcome. But we still compete with each other; therefore, it does not matter what level of skill you have, you have to improve and get better if you want to succeed or remain successful, especially as the stock industry evolves and changes.

Regardless, people will be people so the DT internet forums will always be full of people blaming the search engine, obsessed with View counters, or posting messages until their face turns blue hoping that will get them noticed.

So, the point of this blog is this: Do you subscribe to the various theories and excuses for not having many sales and/or quality sales? Or do you think your portfolio may perhaps have room for improvement? You would think the entire community would answer in unison for one of these statements, but the message forums indicate that is not the case.

I have essentially written a dissertation on the old saying of "Leading a horse to water..." May this blog be helpful to those who take the drink.

How do I say this in a nice way?

It's my observation and opinion that virtually all the threads about lack of sales, poor sales, theories about views, post-a-blog-get-a-sale, etc., generally are started and bumped up by Contributors who have yet to understand the business of stock.

How do I say this in a nice way?

It's my observation and opinion that virtually all the threads about lack of sales, poor sales, theories about views, post-a-blog-get-a-sale, etc., generally are started and bumped up by Contributors who have yet to understand the business of stock.

The real answer is to keep uploading QUALITY images and CONCEPTS. If you follow and observe particular Contributors, you will be amazed at how many small portfolios are pulling in huge sales on a consistent basis. That should be proof enough right there yet the "conspiracy theories" will never go away.

Stock is also a numbers game. The more you sell, the more credit sales fall your way. The trick is to get sales in the first place. And that's where it doesn't get nice: It's a hard reality not all portfolios are created equal and there is a reason why some are successful and some are not.

However, there is hope. If you work at it, you can improve and stand shoulder-to-shoulder (statistically) with the big boys.

And that seems to be the biggest issue for many: Improving. Those fixated on creating theories about Views, writing blogs for the sake of writing blogs, etc., just never seem to make the leap to the one single element required for carving out your niche in the stock world: Improving.

The online stock model is a fantastic opportunity. Other than a camera and/or software, you can start your own business with no start up costs. Everyone is welcome to join the community regardless of experience or credentials.

However, joining the community does not guarantee success. It's up to you to be successful. Many quit and give up; you can see this in the New Member forum. Search through the old posts and check out the profiles of contributors announcing their arrival. A great number of them have only a handful of images in their portfolio and hardly any sales one or two years after signing up.

As I've said before, failure is not a bad thing. In the end everyone gravitates toward endeavors they enjoy doing and can do well.

Many Contributors naturally do well with stock on their own; some figure it out quicker than others but they all eventually get to where they're going.

There isn't much need to address the two groups of Contributors who succeed or quit and move on to other activities. This blog is for the group that needs help. They are failing at stock but stubbornly refuse to either move on or makes excuses for not improving.

If you are in that group, then this is how you can succeed:

1. Admit you are failing. Once you stop analyzing Views, blaming the search engine, posting messages and blogs thinking you need more exposure, then you will be able to focus on the issues that are holding you back.
2. IMPROVE! GET BETTER!

Yeah, OK, reading "Microstock for Dummies" isn't going to make you a stock guru after four hours of reading. Here are tips on how to get started:

1. Study the database. You have millions of images right in front of you to look at. Which ones get a lot of sales? Why? Can you do a similar concept? Can you EXECUTE the concept well?

2. Have no studio? No lighting equipment? No models? SO WHAT???? Again, study the database. Just browsing through it can give you ideas. Look for concepts that YOU CAN DO without models or renting an office building for a day. Sit down with paper and pencil and brainstorm.

3. Find portfolios of amateur Contributors who are successful and study their work. Can you tell if they lack resources like models and lighting equipment? How do they work around their limitations? You will discover that each individual has their own style of creativity which sets them apart from the rest. And they will have amazing sales with a small portfolio.

4. Find Contributors who are failing. Many images, very low sales. What do you find in common with these Contributors? Are you following the same path?

One of the greatest tools on DreamsTime and the most under-utilized is the POSITIVE CRITICISM forum. It can be a huge mistake to assume you know all the reasons why your portfolio is at the level it's at; doesn't everyone overlook the obvious at one point or another? It is not a bad thing to ask for help!

The real secret of the stock game is to keep uploading quality images in order for the sales to come. I did mention this is a unique community where Contributors of all skills levels are welcome. But we still compete with each other; therefore, it does not matter what level of skill you have, you have to improve and get better if you want to succeed or remain successful, especially as the stock industry evolves and changes.

Regardless, people will be people so the DT internet forums will always be full of people blaming the search engine, obsessed with View counters, or posting messages until their face turns blue hoping that will get them noticed.

So, the point of this blog is this: Do you subscribe to the various theories and excuses for not having many sales and/or quality sales? Or do you think your portfolio may perhaps have room for improvement? You would think the entire community would answer in unison for one of these statements, but the message forums indicate that is not the case.

I have essentially written a dissertation on the old saying of "Leading a horse to water..." May this blog be helpful to those who take the drink.

Click here to see Wisconsinart's Dreamstime portfolio.

-------

Buying and selling images on Dreamstime is easy! Sign up for a free account by clicking here.

Microstock Photograph Keywording Advice from Carmen Pietraru

2012-01-08T17:34:00.000-05:00

CEPIC 2010 - Tyler Olson from MicrostockGroup.com interviews Carmen Pietraru from Dreamstime.com about keywording and how to choose a good image title and description.
-------

Buying and selling images on Dreamstime is easy! Sign up for a free account by clicking here. Content copyrighted by Edward Fielding. Artist, writer, educator. Fielding's work has appeared in Boston's Stuff Magazine, Camera & Darkroom Magazine. Formerly of BYTE magazine, Fielding is the co-flounder of Fishboy.com and teaches robotics to children at the AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH. Click here to see Edward Fielding's personal portfolio.

Micro Stock Photography: A Workflow Example

2012-01-08T17:28:00.000-05:00

-----
Buying and selling images on Dreamstime is easy! Sign up for a free account by clicking here. Content copyrighted by Edward Fielding. Artist, writer, educator. Fielding's work has appeared in Boston's Stuff Magazine, Camera & Darkroom Magazine. Formerly of BYTE magazine, Fielding is the co-flounder of Fishboy.com and teaches robotics to children at the AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH. Click here to see Edward Fielding's personal portfolio.

Never, never give it away for free

2012-01-07T16:55:00.005-05:00

All photographs have value. Some more than others. For example recently the above photograph by Andreas Gursky, recently sold for $4.3 million! While other photographs might only have a value of a $1 or so but very few photographs have no value at all. Somewhere there is someone who needs that photograph, and is willing to pay for it. Especially when its so easy to purchase photographs from online microstock agencies like Dreamstime that manage the rights for you. Unless of course there is a similar image somewhere for free.

Unfortunately the Internet provides access to millions of people around the world who crave attention. Many of these amateur or semi-amateur photographers will do anything to get a credit line. Look at any photo contest these days like the ones they occasionally have in newspapers or magazines like USA Today. In the past contests used to at least give prizes to the top photos, these days they don't even have to offer a prize and people send in photos.

Newspapers, magazines and even you local news station ask you to send in your photos for free which they turn into content and sell it. Basically the photographer who gives away his valuable work is the chump who willingly sells out.

Professional photographer Tom Vezo explains a trap many photographers fall into:

Here’s just one of the many traps, in my experience, that I have fallen into years ago and that many photographers still fall for today. I get a call from a non-profit organization and they tell me how much they love my work and would like to use a photo or photos for their brochure or signage, but they have a very small budget. They don’t want to pay for the image but will give me a credit line. My first reaction is how nice it is to say they love my work and want to use it. This is where most people get soft and they go along with the stroking of their ego. Believe me it’s a sales pitch, and here is how I handle it. I say, "You must be paying for the printing, paper, binding and design for your brochure, I would like to get paid for my photo as well." My expenses for equipment, film, processing and travel are all part of my business and I must keep up my overhead, so, I must get paid for my work. Even if the photo use is for signage in a refuge, they will pay for a company to create and install it why shouldn’t we get paid for our image. NO MATTER WHAT THE USAGE OF YOUR PHOTO IS, IT SHOULD BE SOLD AT A FAIR MARKET PRICE AND SHOULD NEVER BE GIVEN AWAY FOR FREE. There’s only one exception to that rule – if it’s for your mother.

More From Tom Vezo

The problem with giving away photographs and illustrations basically is a one way trip to the bottom and the death of the entire creative industry. Think about this. As a designer and buyer of photographs, you are under constant pressure from clients and the competition to cut costs so you start using free photographs instead of paying for RF photographs. You save money so you can outbid your fellow designers. Well, guess what? They also start cutting costs and undercut your bids. Its a race to the bottom! Meanwhile the stock agencies cut their prices and the fees paid to their photographers. Eventually the photographers find they can't make any money in stock and leave. The only suppliers of photographs are the amateur hacks who will do anything just to sell a photo or get a credit line. What's next? Photographers and illustrators paying a vanity fee for designers to use their photographs?

The microstock agencies are as guilty as anyone in this free giveaway. They give away a certain amount of photographs to attract buyers. Basically the free sections are rejects from their main catalog but sometimes these photographs are rejects simply because they have too many similar images - not that there is anything wrong with the photograph.

Alex Cleanthous wrote about Dreamstime's free photograph section in his article on 15 sources for free photographs.

Dreamstime has one of the largest libraries of stock photos on the net. At the time of writing, they have just under 7 million images, and just under 80,000 contributing photographers. In order to stand out among the huge crowd, Dreamstime photographers often put their photos in the free section of the site. A search for house, for example, yields 26 pages of 20 results each. The site has been online since 2000.

Most free photos require no attribution to the photographer in your design. Photos at Dreamstime remain on the site indefinitely. Unfortunately, you can only search photos by keyword; there are no advanced search filters like orientation, color or model options, etc.

Sometimes you are giving away your photographs for free but don't even know it. Photographer Carl Chapman documents how his Flickr account has been a source of unauthorized usage of his photographs in his article "Is Flickr giving away your photography lunch?".

----

Buying and selling images on Dreamstime is easy! Sign up for a free account by clicking here. Content copyrighted by Edward Fielding. Artist, writer, educator. Fielding's work has appeared in Boston's Stuff Magazine, Camera & Darkroom Magazine. Formerly of BYTE magazine, Fielding is the co-flounder of Fishboy.com and teaches robotics to children at the AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH. Click here to see Edward Fielding's personal portfolio.

Keeping it simple

2012-01-06T17:25:00.002-05:00

Simplicity is the key to top selling micro-stock photographs. Simple concepts that get the message across, simple images that can be used in multiple applications and simple ideas such as "fresh" or "light" or "music".

As you look around the various micro-stock agencies such as Dreamstime, be aware of the images that catch your eye in the small thumbnail format. Views are the first step towards sales and images that have a lot of impact even in the smallest of formats are going to get noticed and sold.

Simplicity is also in the backgrounds. Subjects kept off to the side with simple backdrops, allow for negative space for copy. Leave centered subjects for your family snapshots. For micro-stock, most often you'll want to follow the two thirds composition rules. Place your subject in the left, right, up or down third of the image.

You'll notice a lot of images on a pure white background in micro-stock portfolios. This is because many of the buyers of these images use them on web sites that have white backgrounds or they are designers who use several images to build up one image in software such as Photoshop. With a white background its easier for the buyer to cut out the image and to use it elsewhere.

----
Buying and selling images on Dreamstime is easy! Sign up for a free account by clicking here. Content copyrighted by Edward Fielding. Artist, writer, educator. Fielding's work has appeared in Boston's Stuff Magazine, Camera & Darkroom Magazine. Formerly of BYTE magazine, Fielding is the co-flounder of Fishboy.com and teaches robotics to children at the AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH. Click here to see Edward Fielding's personal portfolio.

Words of Wisdom

2012-01-05T21:17:00.003-05:00

In Ellen Boughn's book "Microstock Money Shots", Dreamstime's CEO Serban Enache offered these tips for photographer's just starting out in Microstock:

* Be motivated, but also patient. In other words, trust the system to help you be successful, but don't expect results overnight.

* Submit only quality images. Do your research to b sure you are submitting stock-oriented themes and creative concepts.

* Submit a variety of images. Quantity is not the same as diversity in your portfolio. Edit drastically to eliminate too many similar images.

* Always aim higher. Learn from rejection to continually improved your skills.

* Take Photos! Allocate a significant amount of time to honing your craft.

* Follow the rules. Read teh agency's website as well as industry forums and blogs to understand the rules.

------------

Buying and selling images on Dreamstime is easy. Sign up for a free account by clicking here. Artist, writer, educator. Fielding's work has appeared in Boston's Stuff Magazine, Camera & Darkroom Magazine. Formerly of BYTE magazine, Fielding is the co-flounder of Fishboy.com and teaches robotics to children at the AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH. Click here to see Edward Fielding's personal portfolio.

Microstock Photographs - What should I shoot?

2012-01-03T09:00:00.009-05:00

Here is a list of photograph subjects that a microstock agency told us they are looking for:

People Photos

This is our most in demand category. Real-life scenes of people in their natural surroundings have been selling especially well. Some customers still prefer clean, composed studio shots, including shots of people isolated on white backgrounds. But we are noticing increasing demand for "reality" shots.

Three-quarter view photos of smiling, attractive people are in high demand, since they can be used for many purposes. Shots of couples smiling and on dates or trips are in demand.

When you photograph people, consider:

Diversity
Authentic images of people from a variety of races and ethnicities are needed in every category.
Model releases

Be sure you have model releases for the people in your photos. Learn more about model releases in our Contributor Tutorial.

Creative Concepts
Always think about how you can add a creative twist to your images that shows a specific concept. We need conceptual images that convey ideas such as wealth, fear, health, balance, success, pride, anxiety, addiction, heartache, joy or surprise.

Business and Commerce
Many of our best-selling images show people at work. Images of people talking on phones or wearing headsets, people in business meetings, money, office buildings, and office objects are all very desirable.

Sports and Action
We need images of activities such as skiing, baseball, football, snowboarding, skateboarding, running, weightlifting, workout, yoga, aerobics and Pilates.

Travel
Images that can be used to illustrate vacation, leisure and luxury concepts are big sellers.

Food
Many customers have a need for well-styled, appealing food shots.

Holidays and Celebrations
Images related to Christmas, Halloween, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving and Valentines Day enjoy bursts of sales several months of the year. Also consider images that represent birthdays, weddings, and other celebrations.

Older Adults and Senior Citzens
Many companies are trying to market products to adults ages 50 and up. Images of people in these age groups are in demand.

Technology
Consider images that would be useful to Internet and E-Commerce businesses, such as keyboards and computer screens.

Health Care
Realistic images of doctors, nurses, technicians, patients, hospitals, medicine, etc.
Wellness, Beauty and Spa

We see a lot of interest in pictures of spas, beauty products, and other images related to personal care. Faces are great.

Buy this RF photograph

------------