Has anyone here been a contributor for any stock photography websites?
I just have a couple of questions ... firstly, can you be a contributor for more than one stock photography website at a time? I read the T&C for iStockPhoto but couldn't see the answer to that particular question. They covered practically everything else ...
And secondly, if the photo has already been on the internet, e.g. on a website like 365, can you then use it as a stock photograph?
@f365 Angelina does a lot of stock photography and really knows her stuff. She wrote a great commentary on one of her selfies explaining it all, but I've favved so many of her shots I can't find it. I suggest stopping by her albums (her extra albums contain a lot of her stock work) and asking her.
@zferrie Hi Zoe!!!
I'm here to help!
I started selling microstock in 2007.
1. Yes! You can sell on multiple sites, if you don't opt in as exclusively on one site.
I am on:
dreamstime, istockphoto, bigstockphoto, fotolia and veer.
Some use shutterstock, but I don't like it because they only pay .25 cents.
Shutterstock is not for me!
2. In photoshop, under: File > then File Info:
you can edit the EXIF/IPTC info,
and you will only need to write once:
title, description, keywords
and when you upload it to the sites,
it reads that data, so when you upload to multiple sites!
VOILA!
No headache of writing over and over again!
You can also include:
Your name, your website or email.
Thats not to be shown in public on the sites,
that is "embedded in your photo"
in the IPTC/EXIF data!
It copyrights your name in, its a good idea to do that before submitting!
3. No watermarks, no signatures created by you, naked commercial photo,
that someone can use as a clean copy.
4. NO USING brand logos, brand items that contain branded elements.
No company logos. Places, people, things if you want to sell commercial need to be "generic".
BUT you can sell those brandish things, and people without releases,
in the editorial sections!!!
Otherwise, model and property releases need to be included.
5. YES if you list it anywhere online, you can sell it too.
Some people will download it, to use it in articles online, or in advertisements!
Thats not using it for commercial resale.
If they sold a web template with your image,
they'd have to purchase an extended license.
You'll know in your console if you've ever sold an extended license on an image.
One photographer/artist caught someone on etsy using mine and her art,
the photographer contacted me.
I didnt do anything,
but the photographer who caught took action.
I ended up making $50, because the artist apologized and then told me how she intended to use my image!!
The internet is a small world!
And it's better to use it, than let the images go to waste!
My best sales are on istockphoto.
BUT as a newbie,
start with dreamstime, fotolia, and bigstockphoto.
istockphoto is harder for approval. theyre pickier.
bigstockphoto and fotolia will be the easiest.
dreamstime will get the most sales of the 3.
but once you know what the editors will approve and why,
you'll "see" what you need to do in terms of producing a commercially desirable photo, that the editors from each site want...
and then take your highest approved stuff to istockphoto.
You can pass their exam and learn some stuff asap.
And try to submit anytime.
But I still recommend using the other sites to get a feel for what to submit.
@f365 Wow, thank you so much ... Such great info! And perfect to get me started! I tried to get accepted by iStockPhoto and they turned me away the first time as I uploaded 3 macros (too similar ... ) then the second time because I give them 1 macro, 1 landscape night shot and 1 completely different architecture shot but the last 2 were both of the Petronas Towers so again turned away as similar subject (despite totally diff views) ... Anyway I think I will try the other agencies first!
Another question ... If an image is bought on one stock site, do you have to remove it from the others? Or can you sell the same image repeatedly on different sites?
@f365 Just re-reading your post ... What do you mean by an extended licence on an image? Do you see that type of information in your account on the stock website?
@tnaki Hi Tineke! I'm on flickr too.
Getty images scouts the site for stock artists.
A friend on my list, was approached and took a few of her photos to add to their agency collection.
But I told her, why wait for getty when you can join the sites and do it yourself.
She agreed and didnt know about microstock.
She was sitting for a year waiting for more Getty approvals, and she was very disappointed in herself being unable to keep up with their requirements.
Then she joined the microstock sites, and she is SO happy! She's really living it!
istockphoto also has a getty partnership, they choose the images from their collection there, and it has a higher percentage of acceptance to link to getty than flickr.
If youre a portrait photographer, custom, or designer,
you can find a lot of clientele on flickr if you promote your name/logo!
@zferrie Hi Zoe!
The only time you need to remove an image on multiple sites, is if you choose to opt in to selling FULL RIGHTS. You'd have to set high price.
You can also offer custom assignments in each sites forums.
Some people go in there requesting specific shots.
You have to keep it through the site, but you can upload images through the forums and show them snapshots, sketches, etc...
I don't sell full rights on what I have thats for sale to public.
But I will sell full rights on a custom assignment!
Extended licenses are different on different agencies.
Some offer an all in one,
some offer template use as one type license, t-shirt/mugs another type, greetings, posters, etc etc.
You'll see all of your sales in your console and it shows what type of license, small, medium, XL, extended, etc...
You can even sell RAW files and earn more that way!
I made $20 today, 50% 50% between dreamstime and istockphoto and it was a total of 4 files.
When you have 5000 files, thats usually when you can make a good income.
I can generalize because, the editors won't approve unless they believe it's desirable for commercial.
So it's more of a numbers game than a quantity game.
They only accept quality to begin with.
So you really want to work on quantity to get the ball rolling.
Focus now, on your first 100 approvals.
One you hit that milestone, you'll be home free, and from there on, you'll be able to run with it whenever you want, and turn it into a career.
Some people earn $5000 a day.
A great site to go to is:
www.arcurs.com
He has videos on his success.
He is also on dreamstime.
and now on all the larger stock agencies.
@f365 Hey, loved your guide! I just have one questions, I'm trying to start on Dreamstime, but it wants to know if I want 'Commercial RF', 'RF (No keywords)', or 'Editorial'...Is there any chance you can help me out?
@f365 Thank you again ... just had 9 out of 12 photos rejected by Bigstock, mainly for focus and exposure issues when viewed at 100%. These were my top-rated photos on 365 ... guess I am on another steep learning curve! Your information has been amazing ... thank you again!
I know this is an old discussion, but I just wanted to say thanks for all of your wonderful tips! I just recently got into stock photography and I can't believe how much time I've wasted re-typing keywords and titles. Thank you for that tip to embed that stuff!!! :-)
@allegresse THANK YOU! I wish you much success in stock!
@burningjello Chase, I just read this, I'm sorry I missed it!!!! Did you get it? I'm sure you did! Wish I was there to help sooner! But if anyone else reads: You want, Commercial RF. Editorial is for shots you don't have releases for, stuff that you can shoot only for editorial that you can't sell as commercial. Like Ipads with the Apple logo - you can shoot it but you can only set it editorial.
Pics of people on the street. The President, celebrities, all editorial.
if you want to shoot smartphones, you need to use the magic wand in photoshop and erase the logos, then you can take photos of the bodies of popular stuff. The logos just need to be removed.
Commercial RF is the best option for stock shots in Dreamstime.
@allegresse Zoe, how are you doing now? Are you getting the results you want and learning the formula?
I just read this, sorry so late!!!
I didn't know anyone replied to me here!
its a very exciting learning process.
Don't give up. Instead, try 10 times harder, and learn to SEE scientifically,
NOT emotionally.
Then once you train your eyes to see what you never noticed before,
you can work creatively with more confidence.
I notice things right off the bat now, that a few years ago, I never realized.
It feels so good.
Don't look at it as rejection, look at it as a developmental process.
You will develop the eye of a commercial photographer, and it will take you further than you ever imagined.
I am using my skills now, to photograph my products for amazon, aside from stock and video.
The training in stock, has benefited me in so many ways.
You can use the training to shoot product photography for companies.
I set up a facebook fan page, for my product photography services,
and a clothing company privately messaged me for 400 clothing shots!
However, my amazon business is growing incredibly fast.
If I did not train in stock, I would not be able to come this far.
Take the long road, and do it thoroughly.
Learn to be easy on yourself, and just patiently, ask the questions,
HOW, WHY, WHEN,
and take a second, third and fourth look at every image.
Tweets ahoy!
Join the Group
Pin With Me
@zferrie Hi Zoe!!!
I'm here to help!
I started selling microstock in 2007.
1. Yes! You can sell on multiple sites, if you don't opt in as exclusively on one site.
I am on:
dreamstime, istockphoto, bigstockphoto, fotolia and veer.
Some use shutterstock, but I don't like it because they only pay .25 cents.
Shutterstock is not for me!
2. In photoshop, under: File > then File Info:
you can edit the EXIF/IPTC info,
and you will only need to write once:
title, description, keywords
and when you upload it to the sites,
it reads that data, so when you upload to multiple sites!
VOILA!
No headache of writing over and over again!
You can also include:
Your name, your website or email.
Thats not to be shown in public on the sites,
that is "embedded in your photo"
in the IPTC/EXIF data!
It copyrights your name in, its a good idea to do that before submitting!
3. No watermarks, no signatures created by you, naked commercial photo,
that someone can use as a clean copy.
4. NO USING brand logos, brand items that contain branded elements.
No company logos. Places, people, things if you want to sell commercial need to be "generic".
BUT you can sell those brandish things, and people without releases,
in the editorial sections!!!
Otherwise, model and property releases need to be included.
5. YES if you list it anywhere online, you can sell it too.
Some people will download it, to use it in articles online, or in advertisements!
Thats not using it for commercial resale.
If they sold a web template with your image,
they'd have to purchase an extended license.
You'll know in your console if you've ever sold an extended license on an image.
One photographer/artist caught someone on etsy using mine and her art,
the photographer contacted me.
I didnt do anything,
but the photographer who caught took action.
I ended up making $50, because the artist apologized and then told me how she intended to use my image!!
The internet is a small world!
And it's better to use it, than let the images go to waste!
My best sales are on istockphoto.
BUT as a newbie,
start with dreamstime, fotolia, and bigstockphoto.
istockphoto is harder for approval. theyre pickier.
bigstockphoto and fotolia will be the easiest.
dreamstime will get the most sales of the 3.
but once you know what the editors will approve and why,
you'll "see" what you need to do in terms of producing a commercially desirable photo, that the editors from each site want...
and then take your highest approved stuff to istockphoto.
You can pass their exam and learn some stuff asap.
And try to submit anytime.
But I still recommend using the other sites to get a feel for what to submit.
I made $20 on a basic extended license on bigstockphoto on this image:
I uploaded the examp here on 365!
I have it for sale on 3 sites.
http://365project.org/f365/rf-stock-365/2011-08-23
Zoe, I'm also getting into film and audio stock
on istockphoto and the other sites. Dreamstime doesnt have those yet!
Another question ... If an image is bought on one stock site, do you have to remove it from the others? Or can you sell the same image repeatedly on different sites?
Many, many thanks again!
Getty images scouts the site for stock artists.
A friend on my list, was approached and took a few of her photos to add to their agency collection.
But I told her, why wait for getty when you can join the sites and do it yourself.
She agreed and didnt know about microstock.
She was sitting for a year waiting for more Getty approvals, and she was very disappointed in herself being unable to keep up with their requirements.
Then she joined the microstock sites, and she is SO happy! She's really living it!
istockphoto also has a getty partnership, they choose the images from their collection there, and it has a higher percentage of acceptance to link to getty than flickr.
If youre a portrait photographer, custom, or designer,
you can find a lot of clientele on flickr if you promote your name/logo!
my flickr is http://www.flckr.com/photo/f365
add me there when you join!
@zferrie Hi Zoe!
The only time you need to remove an image on multiple sites, is if you choose to opt in to selling FULL RIGHTS. You'd have to set high price.
You can also offer custom assignments in each sites forums.
Some people go in there requesting specific shots.
You have to keep it through the site, but you can upload images through the forums and show them snapshots, sketches, etc...
I don't sell full rights on what I have thats for sale to public.
But I will sell full rights on a custom assignment!
Extended licenses are different on different agencies.
Some offer an all in one,
some offer template use as one type license, t-shirt/mugs another type, greetings, posters, etc etc.
You'll see all of your sales in your console and it shows what type of license, small, medium, XL, extended, etc...
You can even sell RAW files and earn more that way!
I made $20 today, 50% 50% between dreamstime and istockphoto and it was a total of 4 files.
When you have 5000 files, thats usually when you can make a good income.
I can generalize because, the editors won't approve unless they believe it's desirable for commercial.
So it's more of a numbers game than a quantity game.
They only accept quality to begin with.
So you really want to work on quantity to get the ball rolling.
Focus now, on your first 100 approvals.
One you hit that milestone, you'll be home free, and from there on, you'll be able to run with it whenever you want, and turn it into a career.
Some people earn $5000 a day.
A great site to go to is:
www.arcurs.com
He has videos on his success.
He is also on dreamstime.
and now on all the larger stock agencies.
He is so inspiring and wonderful!
I know this is an old discussion, but I just wanted to say thanks for all of your wonderful tips! I just recently got into stock photography and I can't believe how much time I've wasted re-typing keywords and titles. Thank you for that tip to embed that stuff!!! :-)
@burningjello Chase, I just read this, I'm sorry I missed it!!!! Did you get it? I'm sure you did! Wish I was there to help sooner! But if anyone else reads: You want, Commercial RF. Editorial is for shots you don't have releases for, stuff that you can shoot only for editorial that you can't sell as commercial. Like Ipads with the Apple logo - you can shoot it but you can only set it editorial.
Pics of people on the street. The President, celebrities, all editorial.
if you want to shoot smartphones, you need to use the magic wand in photoshop and erase the logos, then you can take photos of the bodies of popular stuff. The logos just need to be removed.
Commercial RF is the best option for stock shots in Dreamstime.
@allegresse Zoe, how are you doing now? Are you getting the results you want and learning the formula?
I just read this, sorry so late!!!
I didn't know anyone replied to me here!
its a very exciting learning process.
Don't give up. Instead, try 10 times harder, and learn to SEE scientifically,
NOT emotionally.
Then once you train your eyes to see what you never noticed before,
you can work creatively with more confidence.
I notice things right off the bat now, that a few years ago, I never realized.
It feels so good.
Don't look at it as rejection, look at it as a developmental process.
You will develop the eye of a commercial photographer, and it will take you further than you ever imagined.
I am using my skills now, to photograph my products for amazon, aside from stock and video.
The training in stock, has benefited me in so many ways.
You can use the training to shoot product photography for companies.
I set up a facebook fan page, for my product photography services,
and a clothing company privately messaged me for 400 clothing shots!
However, my amazon business is growing incredibly fast.
If I did not train in stock, I would not be able to come this far.
Take the long road, and do it thoroughly.
Learn to be easy on yourself, and just patiently, ask the questions,
HOW, WHY, WHEN,
and take a second, third and fourth look at every image.