3 Keys to Success in Microstock
February 26th, 2010
Published in
Photography
12 Comments
Tags: Business, microstock, success, top 3
This is for those of you who are highly ambitious about your microstock photography. Those who want to turn it into not only their livelihood, but a real business. This post is based on talks with friends who are full-time microstock photographers and my own observations through the years. For the purposes of this article, I’m assuming you already know how to take pictures, use lights, post process and so on.
This is for those who are ready to shoot never ending variations of a theme, concept or idea. And by variation I mean making the most of every shoot, not uploading long series of photos with minor differences, or the same shots zoomed in a bit. You have to rely on research and concept development, brainstorming and planning. You can’t improvise and succeed.
The following are in my opinion the three most important keys to growing and maintaining a top selling portfolio. You need all of them, if you want to play with the big boys and girls in the market.
1. High Quality
I’m listing it first because it’s the most important. When microstock was young, you could get away with mediocre quality and still make good money. Those days are numbered if not gone already. There are so many pro photographers entering the microstock market, that every single photo you upload must be as good as or better than theirs. You can get a small advantage if you rock at keywording and optimizing your photos for search engines, but in the long run, it will come down to the quality of your work.
2. High Quantity
Unless you have a large archive ready to go, it takes time to get enough photos up for sale, that you can live comfortably off of microstock alone. Not only do you need a big portfolio to make a lot of money, but you also need to consistently pump out new, contemporary material. It varies how many weekly photo shoots photographers need for a decent flow of images. If you’re not sure, I would go for 3 a week which still leaves time for post processing, uploading and researching/planning the next series.
3. Niche Specialty
You can do alright without a niche as long as the two criteria above are met, however if you want to take it to the next level, you need a specialty. My best advice for picking a niche is to choose something you truly love photographing (trust me, it will show in your work), and to stick with it once you’ve picked it.
No matter what your calling is – be it birds, business people, textures or fashion, you can sell it and make good money if you stick to the three points above. It looks a lot simpler here than it is. It’s hard work, like any other business, and not a get rich quick scheme. So get crackin’!
Photo by me.
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February 26th, 2010at 4:27 pm(#)
You can spot photographers not following the first key as they take issue with the value of RPI as a metric. ;)
There are some examples of people achieving success without the second key, but they’re very much the exception rather than the rule. And why make success that much harder to achieve?
February 26th, 2010at 5:22 pm(#)
Those exceptions that don’t follow the 2nd key are always very good examples of the 1st and 3rd keys? very high quality and very tight niche
We also can’t tell if those with small tightly managed portfolios are constantly trailing and removing images that didn’t sell well, in that case the quantity is there but it’s hidden from us.
February 26th, 2010at 6:56 pm(#)
Two smart points Steve. I hadn’t considered the test-and-prune strategy might be at work in those examples.
February 26th, 2010at 7:26 pm(#)
IMO, trying to do 3 good shoots a week yourself, processing et al, will probably result in a portfolio that will not be successful enough to justify the effort.
February 26th, 2010at 8:09 pm(#)
Sean: That may be so, but I’m only suggesting it as a starting point. From there, any sensible photographer should be able to scale back and forth as necessary.
February 26th, 2010at 8:13 pm(#)
So… What shall we do to be successful?? More shoots?? sorry for entering this discussion, but I don’t get what you are saying, are you saying “give up”?
February 26th, 2010at 10:39 pm(#)
Luis: On the contrary. I’m telling you to work your ass off. :)
February 27th, 2010at 11:05 am(#)
To me, the path to success lies in reversing the order of your keys: Start by choosing a niche/passion, then explore it to find what works/sells and what doesn’t, then exploit/expand on what you’ve learnt to grow your portfolio.
February 27th, 2010at 11:25 am(#)
That sounds like an excellent path. It’s really the end goal that matters, so if the reverse approach works better for you, that’s cool too. The important thing is that you take all three into consideration and have what sounds like a plan, as opposed to many who simply try to shoot what they think might sell, regardless of niche or even technical know-how.
March 25th, 2010at 1:57 pm(#)
I found that my sales didn’t really increase the way I wanted them to until I started pushing myself to shoot more images. Now not only do I get more out of every shoot, and upload more each week, but I also find it easier to get creative ideas. I set my bar high, but by forcing myself to reach my weekly goals I have really grown my stock collection.
April 10th, 2010at 11:52 am(#)
Thanks for posting this! I have been wanting to boost my istock, and take it to the next level. Now i know how!
August 3rd, 2010at 8:37 pm(#)
I agree with that “3 keys”, definitely true.