If you speak to anyone about where to sell photography the standard response is probably going to be "go with one of the Microstock libraries". However , if you're serious about selling photography online, you'll often find the real profits are made when you stop following the crowd and think outside the box.
The demand for photo stock images has increased substantially in during the last 20 years, beginning with the appearance of desktop publishing and more recently with web publishing. These days nearly every business on the planet is publisher and a potential photo-buyer.
Not surprisingly a large number of budget stock libraries "the Microstocks "have popped up to deal with those markets with gigantic photography collections at super-discount prices. Publishers can buy pictures of every imaginable subject for a couple of dollars or less, with the Microstock photographers happily accepting 25-50 cents per sale.
With the developments in digital photography, just about any photographer with the most basic skills and consumer equipment can supply photographs to the Microstocks. And for good or bad, there's no shortage of photographers prepared to deal on those terms.
For a while there were plenty of photographers swearing there was serious money to be made giving their photographs away for less than a buck, but these days they've gone a bit quiet.
It appears we may have come the full circle and the competition has reached a level that makes it hard for the average photographer to generate regular sales with Microstock.
I'm sure there are some doing pretty well with Microstock, but you may be sure they are very talented photographers with huge image collections, who are continually making new and unique material. They are putting real time and effort into researching their markets, and they're most likely investing seriously in each new shoot.
For the main part, the idea of any photographer just submitting thousands of random photographs to a Microstock library and making serious coin are long gone.
Another major drawback that's emerged lately with the Microstock libraries is, as soon as someone does come up with a stock photo idea or idea that actually sells well, it gets copied by lots of other Microstock photographers. The libraries themselves facilitate this, publishing live lists of photos which are currently being downloaded the most, so that the lazy photographer can just throw together a fast copy, upload it and exploit the other photographer's work.
So even if you do the hard-yards and find some untapped market, then put in the effort and time to create prime quality original commercial content, chances are you will not have the niche to yourself for long. If it works, it'll be copied
So the real question must be asked: if you have got to put that kind of time and effort and cash into shooting new stock photographs, does it honestly make sense to dump them for a buck each?
Wouldn't it make more sense to sell stock photographs where you face less competition and you actually get paid a fair and reasonable price, each time somebody uses your image?
More and more photographers are beginning to think so, and more often than not, when people ask where to sell photography online, the answer is 'find a rights managed library'.
With rights managed you license the image for a specific use for a specific period. The buyers pay only for the rights they need , so it's a better deal for them, and a superior deal for the photographers. Rather than making 50 cents or less for someone using your image, you can make $100-$200 or more. Sometimes a whole lot more!
Since you are controlling the usage as well as the sales, you can offer the high-end buyers a history of the image, and offer those who need it, first rights, exclusive use, and all of the assurances the big budget users need for the best paying licenses.
So if you really are serious about selling photographs online, you actually need to decide what type of photography business you would like.
One where you struggle with countless other photographers to mass produce photographs for a market that expects to own your photographs for a couple of bucks each?
Or one that caters to a market that values your talents and creativeness, and is prepared to pay well for quality photographs that truly talk to their audience?
Either way, the business has changed and the stock photograph sales are going to go to the streetwise photographers who research their markets and create top quality original material.
So at the end, isn't it just a matter of deciding what you want to get paid for it?
The demand for photo stock images has increased substantially in during the last 20 years, beginning with the appearance of desktop publishing and more recently with web publishing. These days nearly every business on the planet is publisher and a potential photo-buyer.
Not surprisingly a large number of budget stock libraries "the Microstocks "have popped up to deal with those markets with gigantic photography collections at super-discount prices. Publishers can buy pictures of every imaginable subject for a couple of dollars or less, with the Microstock photographers happily accepting 25-50 cents per sale.
With the developments in digital photography, just about any photographer with the most basic skills and consumer equipment can supply photographs to the Microstocks. And for good or bad, there's no shortage of photographers prepared to deal on those terms.
For a while there were plenty of photographers swearing there was serious money to be made giving their photographs away for less than a buck, but these days they've gone a bit quiet.
It appears we may have come the full circle and the competition has reached a level that makes it hard for the average photographer to generate regular sales with Microstock.
I'm sure there are some doing pretty well with Microstock, but you may be sure they are very talented photographers with huge image collections, who are continually making new and unique material. They are putting real time and effort into researching their markets, and they're most likely investing seriously in each new shoot.
For the main part, the idea of any photographer just submitting thousands of random photographs to a Microstock library and making serious coin are long gone.
Another major drawback that's emerged lately with the Microstock libraries is, as soon as someone does come up with a stock photo idea or idea that actually sells well, it gets copied by lots of other Microstock photographers. The libraries themselves facilitate this, publishing live lists of photos which are currently being downloaded the most, so that the lazy photographer can just throw together a fast copy, upload it and exploit the other photographer's work.
So even if you do the hard-yards and find some untapped market, then put in the effort and time to create prime quality original commercial content, chances are you will not have the niche to yourself for long. If it works, it'll be copied
So the real question must be asked: if you have got to put that kind of time and effort and cash into shooting new stock photographs, does it honestly make sense to dump them for a buck each?
Wouldn't it make more sense to sell stock photographs where you face less competition and you actually get paid a fair and reasonable price, each time somebody uses your image?
More and more photographers are beginning to think so, and more often than not, when people ask where to sell photography online, the answer is 'find a rights managed library'.
With rights managed you license the image for a specific use for a specific period. The buyers pay only for the rights they need , so it's a better deal for them, and a superior deal for the photographers. Rather than making 50 cents or less for someone using your image, you can make $100-$200 or more. Sometimes a whole lot more!
Since you are controlling the usage as well as the sales, you can offer the high-end buyers a history of the image, and offer those who need it, first rights, exclusive use, and all of the assurances the big budget users need for the best paying licenses.
So if you really are serious about selling photographs online, you actually need to decide what type of photography business you would like.
One where you struggle with countless other photographers to mass produce photographs for a market that expects to own your photographs for a couple of bucks each?
Or one that caters to a market that values your talents and creativeness, and is prepared to pay well for quality photographs that truly talk to their audience?
Either way, the business has changed and the stock photograph sales are going to go to the streetwise photographers who research their markets and create top quality original material.
So at the end, isn't it just a matter of deciding what you want to get paid for it?
About the Author:
Matt Brading contributes articles on how to market photography to GlobalEye Photo Stock Agency. If you're looking where to sell photography, Matt recommends the co-operative approach of GlobalEye, where like-minded photographers have been working together to increase exposure, reduce costs and sell stock photos since 1998.
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