Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Monetize Your Images :: With Microstock

I've recently gotten back into the idea of monetizing my images and there are a number of options one can pursue to make money from your photos.  Microstock is one of those options...

Microstock

A contentious avenue for sales to some and one I haven't put a lot of time into.  I've been getting back into it, but slowly.  Keeping the motivation going through rejection, a large amount of time editing and keywording images, with little payoff in the beginning has been a struggle.  But I'm determined to give it a go and see where I end up - I'll be updating my progress here in future posts.

Microstock is mainly Royalty Free images requiring a model/property release (if applicable) and counts on multiple sales of the same image to recoup the cost of production due to the low cost per image in microstock.  Sales typically range from $1.00 - $20.00 per image, with only a percentage of that going to the photographer.  It is open to anyone with a decent camera (usually 4-6 mega pixels and above), but most sites have quality standards that you must meet in order to submit images for sale on their site.

A few of the major microstock sites to check out if you're interested in this:

iStockphoto
Shutterstock
Dreamstime
CanStockPhoto
Fotolia

Friday, February 19, 2010

A Long Hiatus

A long hiatus from this blog...over a year!!  But I'm back and have resolved to get some regular posting in.

I've recently revisted my ambitions of becoming a pro photographer.  While, at this rate the going has been very slow, I'm excited at the possibility of growing my knowledge and skills as a photographer.  And if it takes a while, if ever, to reach that label "PRO" then so be it.

I haven't been shooting nearly as much as I should be, but I think that's the case with most photographers.  Makes me think of the book title from Chase Jarvis I cam across the other day "The Best Camera Is The One That's With You: iPhone Photography".  I haven't read the book, but inspiring none the less.

A few Photos from 2009:

Vancouver Skyline, Float Plane Overhead

Prince Rupert, British Columbia

Peyto Lake, Jasper National Park, Alberta