Last week we asked one of your fellow readers to tell us where she's
selling her photos and which websites are bringing in the most money.
You'll find her answers below...
-- Lori
Lori Allen
Director, AWAI Travel Division
P.S. Photography is a fun way to make money while you travel, but it's
not the only way. At the Lucrative Traveler Workshop this December in
Panama, we'll talk about how to combine photography with travel
writing, suitcase import-export (getting paid to shop for souvenirs),
and creating your own tours, too. Come join us and find out how to
break out of the daily grind and live comfortably traveling wherever
-- and whenever -- you want.
Plus, be one of the first 21 people to sign up for this lucrative
winter getaway and you'll get a free trip to the white-sanded San Blas
Islands to visit -- and photograph -- the Kuna Indians and their
famous, colorful embroidery.
Find out more and see photos here:
http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/tpi/panama
**********************
September 27, 2008
The Right Way to Travel
**********************
STOCK PHOTOGRAPHER REVEALS: How to Play the Field to Your Best
Advantage --
An interview with stock photographer Kathy Burns-Millyard
NOTE: If you missed last year's interview with Kathy, you'll find it
here: http://tinyurl.com/4dlneu.
This year, a few things have changed.
Here's what Kathy has to say now about selling her photos as stock to
online websites like iStockphoto.com and Shutterstock.com...
TRWTT: Kathy, last year, you were selling images on three different
stock sites: Shutterstock, Fololia, and BigStock. Are you still
selling photos on these websites? Have you added any other agencies?
KATHY: Early this year I realized I could increase my photography
income by making my pictures available to more customers and markets.
I always submit to ShutterStock, Dreamstime, Fotolia, and BigStock.
When I have the time and energy, I also add photos to iStockphoto.
And I have a few hundred images on 123RF and StockXpert.
TRWTT: You mentioned in 2006 that Shutterstock was your favorite. Is
that still true today?
KATHY: In some ways, yes, but Dreamstime is a strong contender for me
this year, and it's becoming my preferred site.
The reason why is a little complicated...
Theoretically, if you double the amount of photos you have for sale at
an agency, then you should be able to expect to earn higher income.
It's not quite that cut and dry, but it is reasonable to expect
noticeable increases in income in return for noticeable increases in
your portfolio size.
This year, that has not been the case for me at ShutterStock. And
according to others, I'm not the only one.
While I still like Shutterstock, Dreamstime is becoming my new
favorite for a few reasons:
1. They heavily cross-promote photos all over their site. If someone
is looking at a dog picture, they also see similar photos from across
the site and the photographer's portfolio. I have over 10 years of
experience building and promoting websites, and cross-promoting and
linking play a major role in getting more targeted traffic and buyers
to an offer.
2. They have a complex ranking system, favoring quality
photographers. So if 90% of the photos you submit to Dreamstime are
accepted, then your photos will be shown in search results before
those of other photographers who only get accepted 80% of the time.
For me, this is a huge incentive to only submit my best pictures.
3. I earn much more per photo at Dreamstime than I do at
ShutterStock. At ShutterStock, it's easy to get a steady supply of
downloads from the start, so you see money coming in almost
immediately. But over time, when you figure out the average income per
photo sold, Dreamstime will pull in more. My total monthly earnings
are about even between the two sites, despite the fact that I have
fewer photos at Dreamstime than I do at ShutterStock, and I sell less
there, too.
TRWTT: What kinds of photo subjects sell best for you these days?
My best sellers tend to be photos of food, tableware/dishes (See
examples here: http://tinyurl.com/4lmswu), and concept shots.
I really enjoy doing food photography and I've become quite good at it
in the last year or so.
Several of my editorial shots do well, too. I have a high school
football editorial series from back in 2006 that still sells quite
well on both ShutterStock and Dreamstime, as does a Marine bootcamp
graduation set I did last year.
TRWTT: Now that you've been at it for a few years, what advice would
you give to someone who's starting out?
KATHY: I could probably write a book on this question, but here are
some quick tips:
** Be prepared to be persistent and patient. Even if you CAN get 1,000
pictures accepted overnight (which is next to impossible for most
beginners), it is not likely going to earn you a full-time living from
day one.
** Learn what makes a great stock photo. Most beginners don't realize
there is a big difference between "stock" photos and photos that are
just pretty or artsy. Stock photos need to convey an idea, or help
sell a product or service. They're often very clean and uncluttered...
in some cases they may seem minimalistic or even boring.
** Stock photos are like copywriting... they need to sell the dream or
illusion. Most high-selling stock photos depict the "ideal" scene, or
perfection instead of reality... and this can be quite frustrating for
beginners to accept and adapt to. The best example I know of this is
teenagers. In the real world, teenagers have acne. In stock photos,
teenagers have flawless porcelain skin.
** Rejection is not personal. In fact, rejection can be one of the
most valuable tools you have right from the start. You can't learn and
improve if you don't fail. And the same applies if you are rejected
and refuse to learn and improve from that.
I'm 100% addicted to photography, and if I go too long without
shooting photos I become impossible to live with! I love the challenge
and the constant opportunity for personal and professional growth, but
it definitely takes a lot of confidence and determination to succeed.
TRWTT: Thanks, Kathy, and good luck!
[Ed. Note: Even if you're only making a couple hundred dollars a month
from sales at an online stock agency, remember -- that money is
usually "passive income." The work you do today will continue to sell
for weeks, months, even years after you've uploaded your first photos.
So a check for $200 today will likely mean another check for $200 next
month and another the month after...even if you don't do any more
work. Your photos literally sell themselves while you focus on other
things like starting your own side business or expanding your
photography into other areas.
When Lise Gagne started out, she didn't have any experience and her
camera came from a pawn shop. It's all she could afford. Now -- just
four years later -- she's iStock's top seller -- with 748,373 image
sales, and counting.
She makes a healthy six-figure income doing what she loves... and
enjoys the freedom to live where she pleases, travel when she wants,
and express herself creatively.
You'll find Lise's presentation (along with several other
photographers who make a living taking pictures and doing what they
love), in our Workshop-at-Home kit, here:
http://www.thephotographerslife.com/phr/letushelp .]
*******************************
The Right Way to Travel is a FREE newsletter from the American Writers
& Artists Inc., available to AWAI members and friends.
This newsletter is coming to you because you are either a member of
The Ultimate Travel Writer's Program or Turn Your Pictures into Cash,
or you have opted to receive information about getting paid to travel
from the AWAI Travel Division.
(c) 2008 American Writers & Artists Inc.
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