Microstockgroup Blog - The meeting place for microstock photographers

Microstock Expo 2013 Announced

Tyler Olson — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:12:19 +0000

If you didn’t attend the 2011 Microstock Expo you missed out. Now you’ve got the chance to redeem yourself with the 2013 Microstock Expo. Microstock Expo 2013 Key Info When: November 16-17, 2013, with a Photowalk and Opening Reception on Friday 15th. Where: andel’s Hotel, Berlin, Germany – Rooms start at €99 Cost: Tickets start [...]

Changing Photography Business

Jim Pickerell — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:47:53 +0000

Anyone interested in a career as a photographer – as well as photographers in mid-career — should carefully examine how the business is changing. If we look at image use on the Internet it is undeniable that more images are being made available for viewing. Here’s some numbers: It has been calculated that from the [...]

2012 Microstock Industry Survey – First Look

Tyler Olson — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:51:00 +0000

The responses have been tabulated and the results for the 5th annual Microstock Survey are ready. To date there have been 754 respondents, about 40 more than last year’s survey. A big thanks for everyone who responded. It’s great to have such a large sample size to look at. As I’ve done in previous [...]

2012 Microstock Industry Survey – Sneak Peek

Tyler Olson — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:22:13 +0000

I’ll be posting the full data from the survey very soon, but until then, here’s a little teaser from the results of the 2012 Microstock Industry Survey. At the time the infographic was created, there were 708 respondents – a nearly identical amount to last year’s survey. Thanks to everyone who took part, we’ve got [...]

The Tyranny of the Microstock Lifecycle

Guest Post — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 18:52:47 +0000

You’ve probably heard that diamonds are forever. Right! But all else is subjected to the unforgiving laws of nature. Unfortunately for us, our stock assets are no exception. Everything you upload to a stock marketplace will have it’s prime selling days and eventually fade out to never again be bought by buyers. This strict rule [...]

Are There Positive Indications Of Growth For The Stock Photo Market?

Jim Pickerell — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 13:10:30 +0000

Stephen Walker recently read a report about Shutterstock’s IPO plans on APhotoEditor. He then posted the following on the ASMPstock group on yahoo. Do I read this correctly to say that micro and traditional RM, RF are growing at a pretty good clip? Micro more so! I am back in college now finishing my Business [...]

Image Search Engine Optimization for Photographers

djpadavona — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 09:00:51 +0000

Over the past few years, reduced agency commissions have become a growing concern for photographers. At the same time, several viable options have surfaced which allow a photographer to strike out on her own and form a sort of virtual photo agency. Some options require more web programming knowledge than others. More experienced web programmers [...]

2011 Microstock Industry Survey – First Look

Tyler Olson — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:37:51 +0000

Over 700 people responded to the 2011 Microstock Industry Survey (709 to be exact), beating our previous year’s record by nearly 100 responses (nearly 200 more responses compared to this time last year). Thanks everyone! If you haven’t had a chance to fill out the survey, you can do so here. All responses will be [...]

iStockphoto 2012: Semi-Annual Analysis

Jim Pickerell — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:48:41 +0000

Our semi-annual analysis of iStockphoto sales has once again produced interesting results. As of January 2, 1012 istockcharts was tracking the sales of 38,163 of the more than 100,000 iStock contributors. More than 90% of the images in the iStock collection belong to this group of contributor. Combined these contributors have had a minimum of [...]

Licensing Images In Today’s Market

Jim Pickerell — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:50:43 +0000

I’m regularly contacted by photographers, some with excellent portfolios, wanting to know how they can license rights to their images in today’s market. Recently, I was contacted by a nature and wildlife photographer whose work was excellent. This photographer regularly conducts Photo Workshops where he teaches others how to take great scenic and wildlife [...]