26 October 2009

I often get asked by friends about getting started in microstock. It seems that the idea of making money from your hobby sounds fantastic! The good news is that there is nothing stopping anyone from selling photos online. The fine print is that there are a lot of technical barriers to getting started and initially a lot of work for very little reward. Many very talented and established photographers don't seem to be able to get started - partly because they get frustrated early on by the sometimes tedious nature of microstock, or by lack of initial success. For hobbyists the competition is getting tougher.

A very different question is whether its worth trying to break in now - realistically you'll probably only know the answer whether it was worth it in a few years time if you're photos are still selling! My view is that the "honeymoon is over" ie. the days where hobbyists could earn a lot in a short space of time are behind us. You can still make money with microstock, but it requires discipline, a good strategy and the awareness that you're competing with established and often professional photographers.

This guide aims to provide a step by step guide to getting started - and is mainly aimed at photographers. Many of these things also apply to vector and illustration artists, and those who want to sell video, but there's other requirements in terms of the product. It is based on my opinion formed from over 4 years of selling photos successfully on microstock - and actively observing many (often more successful) other industry participants. Note that this article focuses on the mechanics of submitting - not what is probably the most critical elements - what to shoot or how to shoot it.

1. Sign up to the right microstock agencies

   The big choice that will need to be made down the track is whether to be exclusive on one of the sites (ie. Istock), or to submit to a larger number of smaller sites. Although some other sites also offer exclusivity - for 99% of photographers none of these sites are a viable alternative to collective income from the remaining sites. Starting out going exclusive on Istock isn't an option (you need a minimum of 250 downloads) and going exclusive on the other sites will cut you off from 75% of your revenue. If you want to go exclusive with Istock later, don't upload files to Dreamstime of Bigstockphoto - these lock in files for a 6-month period (dreamstime) and 3 month period (Bigstock) which will stop or delay you going exclusive down the track.

   My personal opinion is that at this point in time non-exclusivity will earn the most revenue for a new photographer. In any case, I'd suggest signing up and submit to all off the following sites (you can choose whether to submit photos to DT and BS later):

    

   1. Shutterstock
   2. Istockphoto (owned by Getty Images)
   3. Dreamstime
   4. Fotolia
   5. Stockxpert (now closed after purchase from Getty Images)
   6. Bigstock (owned by Shutterstock)
   7. CanStock
   8. 123 Royalty Free
   9. Veer (owned by Corbis)

    

   As you can see its a pretty long list. There are plenty of other sites that you could sell through, but at the moment the chances of earning a worthwhile income from them are limited.

   Even if you don't plan on selling photos through a particular agency, I'd still recommend signing up and setting up your account while you are getting started to reserve your chosen username. Its probably also easier and faster to sort the sign-up and submission requirements (including identification) in one hit. It doesn't cost anything to have a photographers account or submit to at any of these sites. They make their income from taking a percentage of everything you earn. An additional factor is that having an account qualifies you for their referral programs (but more about that later!)

   The sites are listed in order of earnings for most photographers (although it gets very hazy after BS), so if you want to prioritise uploading to the sites that make the most money, a logical cut-off is at the "big 4".

2. Sign up at Alamy for Rights Managed images

   Alamy There are competing views on whether it worthwhile joining Alamy, and what to submit there. The site offers a very different service to the microstocks and is far more geared to selling editorial photos. In my experience, sales tend to come from good images which would only get a handful of downloads at best on microstock due to the smaller market. Creatively selling through Alamy will mean that you won't be thinking quite so much about avoiding people in your shots and what advertising is there - personally I find this very liberating, and generally I tend to prefer the type of photography that sells on Alamy.

3. Get together sample images and first submissions

   Some of the microstock agencies require the submission of sample images and for you to fill out a photographer's "test" before you'll be accepted. Importantly this includes IStock (3 samples) and Shutterstock (10 samples). These are also the sites that will earn the most money over time, so make acceptance to these sites a priority.

   Your initial submissions need to stand out and be varied. Do not submit any photos of pets, flowers or sunsets at the beach no matter how beautiful they are. Don't submit editorial shots, or anything with a visible logo, trademark or item that could be associated with a brand. Ideally include some shots of people that are model released.

   Samples should be processed from raw files taken at a cameras base ISO and properly exposed. Avoid images with difficult lighting that take a lot of post processing to "fix", and anything other than an ISO100 or 200 shot. Make sure images are properly sharp (ie. pin-sharp) when inspected at full size - 100% and be sure that the focus is exactly where it should be. Images should not require sharpening to look sharp. While its ok to use some noise reduction, less is more. Apply it selectively in areas that need it - ie. in the shadows and areas with no detail such as skies... but never overdo it! For a reference on how I post process my files from an Olympus Camera, have a look at my RAW processing workflow

   Before submitting samples to Istock and Shutterstock, spend time familiarising yourself with submission requirements by reading the site forums and asking questions if you need to. If possible get the opinion of experienced contributors - but make sure you've read a lot first - we get a lot of emails along the lines of "can you have a look at my photos and tell me if I'd make it as a stock photographer" from people who haven't bothered to do basic research and don't even include basic information about themselves or their background.

   Checklist:
   • Strong, varied subject matter - no pets or flowers
   • No trademarks, private property, iconic products
   • Ideally a model released shot
   • Processed from raw, shot at ISO100 or 200
   • Sharp images
   • No Artifacts or Noise

   Before submitting samples, I'd recommend getting together a set of at least 20 potential images that you think would make the cut and culling that down to 10 to submit.

4. Get the camera equipment you need!

   Any modern DSL-R is capable of producing images that will get accepted by microstock agencies. If you're get rejections using a DSLR, chances are the problem lies with your technique, subject matter or post processing workflow, not your camera. If you're trying to use a compact or "point-and-shoot" camera you're chances of getting accepted to sites like Shutterstock and Istock are slim to none.

   If you're using a point and shoot type camera, or don't have one I'd recommend getting a Digital SLR with at least 12 megapixels for stock. The reason for this is that the price difference between this and a cheaper model is now minimal, but the difference in file prices for bigger images over several years won't be. Having said that, if you have suitable equipment now, you'd be well advised to test the waters with it before upgrading.

   Rewards from your work will come over a number of years, not weeks.

5. Sort out your software

   This depends partly on what camera you use - each model has its own raw conversion software, and some 3rd party products work better for that camera than other. I wouldn't recommend spending a lot amount of money on software initially. Things that you need be able to do are:

   • Process RAW files
   • Add metadata (ie. titles, descriptions and keywords) to files
   • Edit images for Chromatic aberration and distortion
   • Basic manipulation such as rotating, cloning out trademarks, removing blemishes from models etc.

    

   Even though there are several steps in my workflow, I keep my editing to a minimum - the focus of my workflow is to deliver clean files free of Chromatic aberration, distortion, compression artifacts, and in the case of royalty free stock - trademarks. The software I currently use to achieve this is:

   • Olympus Studio
   • PTLens
   • Adobe Bridge
   • Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0
   • Hugin (to create panorama images)

6. Manage your upload and submission workfow

   You need to set up your file structure and workflow in a systematic way. Over time you'll be managing a lot of images, so need to know what you've done with each and back them up properly. If you're uploading to Alamy and selling rights managed as well, you'll need to know what to send to Alamy, and what goes to microstock. As a reference I've got a page detailing my RAW processing workflow for microstock which includes how I manage uploads.

   One important thing to do is to make sure you enter metadata (ie. a title, description and keywords) for each file before you upload. This will save you a lot of work!

   The other critical thing is a system to manage your uploads. While each site has a web interface to upload photos and add categories and metadata, this is the slowest and most time intensive way of uploading. If you have a fast internet connection, a better (and free) way is to set up an FTP system and upload that way.

   If you're like me, and want to be independent of geography, currently the most time and cost efficient way that I'm aware of is with Isyndica. I recommend this service to anyone who is serious about microstock. Although there is a free trial version, which will probably suit people just starting out, for serious users the site will cost you a monthly fee to use (min. $4.99 per month - $9.99 for heavy users). I find that the amount of time and work this site saves far outweighs the expense.

Disclosure

A lot of microstock websites offer referral programs, as does Isyndica and Smugmug. If you sign up to these sites from the links listed on this page I'll benefit from these programs. Doing so doesn't result in any detriment or increased cost to you. The benefit to you of these referral codes is good karma (a higher share of the profit ends up going to another photographer!) and through advice when you seek it.

I endeavor to provide additional assistance to photographers and artists who sign up to microstock sites using my referral codes - just let me know that you've signed up through my codes and I an add you to my creative networks and receive a more considered response to any questions through email (which isn't to say I won't respond to you if you don't sign up through me of course!). If you've previously visited these sites and want to sign up through me, delete the your cookies in your browser (under the privacy tab of the internet preferences in firefox) and click the links again. Of course if you don't want me to get any benefit, or want to sign up through someone else's links, delete the cookies after you visit the site (and don't forget to click on their links.... grrr! haha).

More importantly I don't tailor my advice based on who does and doesn't have referral programs or who advertises on this site. The number one site you should contribute to (Istock) for example doesn't have a referral program for photographers, nor does Fotolia (though it pays large commissions for referring buyers). If someone pays a commission, I try to make this pretty clear and you can base your judgments accordingly. For more information, see my Disclosure and advertising page.

On the subject of commissions, it pays to be aware that some sites give advice purely based on the agency (or agencies) that pay the highest commission.