Q: What is “microstock”?
A: Microstock is a model of licensing royalty-free content via the internet at low prices compared to traditional stock photography. Many of the images are sourced via crowd-sourcing and started off as having amateur photographers providing much of the content. Over the last few years however it has grown into so much more … many photographers involved with microstock are full-time professionals whose entire work week is dedicated to producing stock content.
Q: What is “Royalty-Free” (RF) stock?
A: “Royalty-Free” is a term that defines a type of stock image license. It means that the customer who licenses the images can use the file for as many projects as they like for an unlimited time period without having to pay any additional royalties. It’s important to understand that “RF” and “microstock” are NOT the same thing. Most microstock is licensed under an RF agreement but traditional stock companies use this license with their content as well.
Q: Which microstock sites do you contribute to?
A: While I’ve been an exclusive with iStockphoto for yours in mid-October 2010 this relationship will end, cancelled by me in response to some of their most recent royalty changes. After that I will be marketing my images through a wide variety of stock houses (listed to the left of the page) including several that specialize in the european markets.
Q: Do you still own the copyright to your images?
A: Yes, I own the copyright to all of my content on licensed for stock. I’m only using their services as a way to license my images … they are basically the agency I use to do all of the work involved with sales and marketing.
Q: Do you have a second job?
A: No, at this time I’m a full time photographer. While my wedding business accounts for 100% of my efforts during the wedding season I use the off season to work on my stock photography.
Q: How much money do you make with stock photography?
A:If varies from month to month but right now it pretty much pays for all my studio expenses plus a few dollars extra. But remember this is on a library of stock images numbering over 3000. The amount I make per image or from each session is fairly small – it’s only as you start bundling hundreds of these sessions together that it makes enough to be a significant source of income.
Q: Well then, can photographers really make money with microstock?
A: Yes, I do and I know many other photographers who make as much or more than I do. I think that it’s difficult to get into this business and start making lots of money right away, but not impossible.
Q: What is your best-selling photo?
A: This image right here is currently my best-selling (in downloads).
Q: Do you know who licenses your images and how they are used?
A: No, not unless they either tell me or I find my image in use somewhere. I do know what images of mine are licensed, but I don’t always see how they are used. It’s possible that not all of them even get used in a final product, or are used in-house in a company so I’ll never even know about it. The more images I sell the more I see used though … it’s mostly just a numbers game. If you have photos of people then you are more likely to find out about your images being used either through them or through people they know. So while models occasionally can get some wonderful tear sheets from stock photography – it’s never guaranteed even if the image is licensed many times.
Q: Do you pay your models? How much do you pay them?
A: I currently do a mix. For new models I insist on 1 or 2 TFP/CD sessions. It’s important to remember that commercial work involves much more than just a model who looks pretty/sexy/edgy/whatever. They have to be able to connect with the viewer. Some models who are amazing at fashion and art work simply don’t do well as commercial models. If a model proves to me they can make the transistion, and they have a look that is marketable, then I move them to my paid list of models. When I pay models it’s usually around $10-$50 (USD) per “shooting” hour, and it also depends on their age, level of experience, how much they add to the shoot, and my relationship with the model (if we’ve done work together in the past and previous shoots have been financially successful).
Q: How do you consider a model shoot a financial success?
A: Unless an image becomes a huge success it’s has a declining value as it ages, usually declining significantly after it’s first year. For a shoot to be successful I’m looking to break even on costs (props, modeling fees, etc) within the first six months, and to make the same amount back by the end of 1 year. How quickly I hit the break even point on a shoot is often a factor in how much I’m willing to pay that model on future shoots.
Q: When you set up and photograph a particular concept (a full photo-shoot) how many images do you usually end up using?
A: Well, when I photograph people maybe around 10-30 images per model, per theme. For many models I’ll try and work on at least 2 themes per shoot.