piksells said:
Hi metroshane and others...
I submit pictures to around eight different stock libraries. I'm an enthusiast, and have been submitting for the past few months.
There is no doubt about it that it is quite a thrill when your images are accepted, and an even bigger thrill when they start to sell!
Each library is a little different, both in the images they will accept, and in the way they sell.
There are a few rules that seem to apply across all the libraries:
1. Technical quality is a must - blurry pics, blown-out highlights etc are out.
2. The bigger the image the better...most want at least 2.5MP (2.5 Million Pixels) - multiply the width by the length to see if yours will qualify.
I started off with a Panasonic FZ5, but a number of images were being rejected due to fringing at edges, or image noise. I've gone on to a Nikon D200 and that problem has now gone away.
3. Subjects need to be bold, simple, well-composed...on the thirds, with no distractions at the edges of the frame.
..If you are interested I'd be more than happy to share my experiences in more depth. I can even post you links so you can have a go at making some money too!!
Hello - I came across your post when I was searching for data on stock photography. If you can help me I would be happy to click on one of your links, the only drawback is that I have already clicked links from a couple of other places. But I don't think I've clicked all of them!
I would like to start in stock photography but I'm not sure which agency to start with. Can you advise? I will tell you a bit about what I have and what I am looking for:
1. Most of my images are 8 megapixel, some are 5 megapixel. My current camera is Canon Digital Rebel XT.
2. I have: Oregon Coast (and sunsets), wild animals at the zoo (doesn't always look like a zoo), Copenhagen city photos (tons, night, day, snow, summer), flowers, Oslo, castles, boats and sea, small towns in Denmark. I also have some old photos of Mongolia, China, Pakistan, South America, which I would have to scan and retouch.
3. I don't want to pay a monthly or yearly fee for membership in a stock company.
4. If possible, I want to avoid long complicated upload procedures. I probably only have a few hours per week to work on this project and I don't want it to take a year.
5. If possible, I would want a company that pays even when a small amount of money is accumulated. The one I saw doesn't pay till you have earned $100. Maybe they are all like that, but I don't know.
6. But most important is I want to earn as much as I can with this, so I would want one which has enough traffic and interest. I have some good photos but I'm not a "superpro oh my god professional 20 year vet contest-winner." So I don't want to submit to a company that has too much competition from better photographers.
I don't really care about how much my photos sell, but I care about how much I earn vrs how much time I spend uploading photos. Ie, I would rather that the same photos sold for 20 cents over and over and I earn $200, than one photo selling once for $50!
7. I want to start with one company. Maybe after I have uploaded all my photos there, I could start with another. But I don't know which one to start with!
If you can advice I will definitely click on one of your links!