The Pros & Cons of Selling Microstock Photography

I came across a few articles this morning, in which the authors were advising photographers against selling their photos at online microstock agencies. And the most common reason they recommended against this was the claim that you couldn’t make much money selling your photos that way.

I am just exploring her website and blog. In addition to microstock Kathy is trying to sell stock pictures directly from her website. She is also offering smaller pictures like that one on right for free.

I have started to use my blogs to promote my FeaturePics portfolio. Interestingly, FeaturePics has an option for "blog licence" - free thumbnail pictures up to 133 pixels.

Make Money From Your Photography (Microstock)

Manage your expectations. It can often sound easier than it really is. A common sales pitch reads, "click here to start earning money from the photos sitting idle on your computer". That's not realistic and you'll quickly quit if you start with this expectation. Do your own research to figure out what sells, create those photos well, and be smart about how your contribute. Concentrate on workflow.

My monthly reports on earnings and payments from microstock can give an idea what to expect in your first months.

MicroStock Photography - My Workflow from A to Z

1. Choosing my subject - 2. Research - 3. Making a shot list - 4. Finding a location - 5. Props
6. Getting models - 7. The actual shoot - 8. Backup, backup, backup - 9. Model Release
10. Thank you - 11. Archiving - 12. Image selection - 13. Post Processing - 14. Keywording
15. Exporting - 16. Uploading - 17. Finalizing

Feeding the Microstock Beast

As microstock contributors we know we need to continue uploading new photos in order to maintain a stable earnings level. This is partially caused by some agency algorithms favoring new images over older ones. However, that’s not the only reason. With a little investigation it becomes clear that microstock isn’t just about the total quantity of images available. It’s also about the ongoing supply of fresh images.

9 months ago I was starting microstock photography with the idea that it was a sort of investment - develop a portfolio and it would provide a passive income …

Here is another article by Lee on this subject: Microstock - Passive Income or a Job?

I’m concluding that selling photos online in the microstock website is not passive. Instead, it is a form of earning money that is asynchronous (can be done at any time) with delayed compensation.

Get Your Props On

When you’re first starting out as a microstock photographer, chances are that you will want to experiment with different styles and genres of photography. Whether you end up shooting models or still life, props and costumes can be a fun addition and help kick your inspiration into gear. As you find your niche, you will start thinking about establishing an actual collection. My better half, the very talented food photographer Kelly Cline, will share a couple of her thoughts on props in a bit.

Number of my photo props is growing ...