Funny Article...

Steve5D · Jan 15, 2014

Sometimes I wonder if my Mom really knows what I do.

She knows I travel a bit when I shoot, and she knows I might be shooting rock stars one gig and then, like this past weekend, a relatively boring medical convention the next, but she has no idea what kind of money I make, or what's involved in terms of the actual work that goes into the job. It's kinda' cute, though, coming from a79 year old lady, so I'm always gracious.

It seems as though every time sees an article with the words "camera", "photo", "photography", etc, she'll cut it out of the magazine (usually something like Woman's Day or Good Housekeeping) and give it to me. Yesterday was such a day; I went over to her house to move some tables, and she said "Oh, Steve! I have this article on how to make money with your camera!" I really do appreciate her enthusiasm for helping me make a living, though, so I always politely thank her.

Of course, coming from my Mom, I'm not expecting too much in the way of earth-shattering insights on the business of photography, and I wasn't disappointed. The funny part is that she never reads the articles she cuts out. She reads the headlines. In this case, the headline of the article was "Ka-Ching! Turn Your Photos Into Cash!"

Since it came out of a magazine (Mom doesn't have a computer), I can't cut and paste it, nor can I post a link. The article is by a woman named Maria Lissandrello. I'm not sure what magazine it's from. I hope retyping it isn't verbotten; I just really wanted to share this, and I think I'm attributing it sufficiently enough. I'm retyping it exactly as it is in the printed article, so any typos, etc, are present in the printed piece.

Here we go:

"$$$ Ka-Ching! Turn Your Photos Into Cash!"

Love taking photos? You're in luck - that fun hobby can earn you cold, hard cash! All you have to do is submit your snaps to online stock photo agencies, then rake in the dough whenever they get downloaded for use in magazines, websites, book covers and more! "Contributors have the potential to make hundreds to thousands of dollars per month" says Scott Braut, vice president of content for Shutterstock. Here's what you need to know to get started:

SIGN UP FOR FREE!
No need to be a pro - anyone can register at online stock photo agencies! The top picks: Submit. Shutterstock.comm iStockphoto.com/sell-stock-photos.php and Fotolia.com/Info/Contributors/GeneralInformation. You'll be asked to upload an initial batch of images before becoming a full-fledged contributor. "Our review team evaluates them for quality assurance", say Braut. "If they meet our standards - for things like focus, lighting and composition-you'll be accepted and can start submitting other work!" It's free to sign up and post photos, and you'll get paid every time someone chooses one!

MAKE YOUR SNAPS SUPER-POPULAR!
"Forget about taking a photograph of a vase of flowers-the market has plenty", says photographer Susan Schmitz, who makes about $800 a month selling photos online. Instead, find your own niche: "You'll cut your competition by creating imagery that cannot be found anywhere else" says Braut. Example: Schmitz specializes in photographing dogs, but she knows that simply zooming in on a cute mug just won't bring in the bucks. Instead? "Showing the motion of a dog scratching with his leg sells well with the veterinary industry as well as with places that sell flea and tick remedies. A dog in a suitcase will sell for pet resorts.

USE MARKETING SMARTS!
You'll need to submit a description with each photo-and that's the key to success. "If buyers can't find your image when searching, it's never going to sell," says Schmitz. So write a title for your photo that's punchy, accurate and unique, like "basset hound dog scratching an itch." You'll also need to include 20 to 50 keywords, which should be super-specific: Add colors, sizes, props, as many descriptors as you can to make it likely your photo will pop up during a search - and will be more likely to put pennies in your pocket. Leave room for text! "Check out images in newspapers and magazines," says Braut. "Notice how advertisers pair them with words?" If your images don't have a place for text, they'll be less marketable.

- Maria Lissandrello

Man, who knew it could be so easy??

:lol:

JacaRanda · Jan 15, 2014

Absolutely nothing like a moms love. Always thinking about taking care of her baby.

"No need to be a pro" I am all in, sign me up!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lmao:

480sparky · Jan 15, 2014

Steve5D said:
........ "Contributors have the potential to make hundreds to thousands of dollars per month"..........

How? By submitting hundreds of billions of images a month? :er:

Let's see a little transparency here, Mr. Braut.... how much did your highest-grossing contributor make last month?

Steve5D · Jan 15, 2014

This is probably the most accurate thing in the article:

Add colors, sizes, props, as many descriptors as you can to make it likely your photo will pop up during a search - and will be more likely to put pennies in your pocket

adogslifephoto · Nov 7, 2014

Funny... I am the Susan Schmitz that was mentioned in this article and I have never met the person that wrote it nor did I ever say the quote about the flower vase. But what Scott Braut said was true. I do make a nice little residual income from my stock images (more than what was listed) and finding a niche like pet photography does help. But making a living from stock is not as easy as the article makes it out to be. If you want a full-time income from it, you need to work full time to build up a library of quality images that are marketable. If you are going to give it a go, Shutterstock is the best company to work with.

pgriz · Nov 7, 2014

Welcome, Susan! Good to hear from a real person who actually does do the photography and makes some money on the stock photos. Perhaps you could stick around and inject a little bit of reality whenever we get people who read articles like Steve posted.

adogslifephoto · Nov 7, 2014

pgriz said:
Welcome, Susan! Good to hear from a real person who actually does do the photography and makes some money on the stock photos. Perhaps you could stick around and inject a little bit of reality whenever we get people who read articles like Steve posted.

Thanks for the welcome! I would be happy to offer up some feedback. I think I actually do remember talking to that article author now. Steve - was it was an article in Woman's Day Magazine? They interviewed me but I never saw the article. I do remember telling them that it is not a way to "get rich quick" with your photos. For most contributors to stock, it's just a way to earn an extra few hundred bucks a month to help offset costs. After about 4 years of playing around with it, I actually did just quit my day job and will be making a full time effort to earn a full time income from it. Wish me luck!

Here's a little history on how/why I got into stock and what I get out of it.: