Stock photos on the cheap?

[fabianc]

I am searching for ways to make money online and in doing so I am sticking to my strengths. I love video/film/photography. I have a decent video and DSLR. I was breainstorming when it hit me that stock photos can become pretty pricey and I have the ability to shoot high quality stock images and get them to internet marketers to use. I am thinking about making it a monthly membership web-site. I know its sustainable because I love to shoot and can provide a ton of images for people. My question is how much would be a good price range and will it catch on? I'm thinking about about 24-30 bucks a month. Please all and any feedback would be great. Thanks.

[Marty S]

I think you might have to look at such a business model rather closely before proceeding.

Firstly, one of the best photo sites iStock has an uncountable selection of pictures, which you would actually need in order to sell just a few - because you would never know what IMers would be looking for. The massive selection of the mega sites allows for searchers being able to find something, no matter how unique.

Therefore if it is just you taking pictures, in terms of sheer volume you couldn't compete - unless you had a USP and a much, much smaller niche.

Also, I don't know about price, but last year I put $200 in iStock account and I am not anywhere near spent that amount. They sell in small files which are great for ebooks that cost like, a buck.

Tough to compete with that on a monthly basis because because picture buying habits would only be pertinent to a concurrent project - in spurts, that wont really come around at least once a month. At least for me.

If I were you, I would pick a very competitve market, like dieting, auto insurance, internet income etc and package 25-40 pictures in a zip file, for each niche with a 1 time price of like $17 or so. Put a few smaller versions (of random pics) up for free to be found in google search for "diet pictures" for example.

This way, you will be targeting IMers who are looking to go into a particluar market and need some cheap stock. Then just start building more and more packs on any over crowded, competitive online market. You will be selling them forever, and not having to update on someone elses schedule.

Anyway, wouldnt hurt to try a few of them.

[jlandells]

Most photographers who submit images to stock agencies work on the rule of thumb that for every 100 photos they submit, they'll earn $1 per year.

Also, be aware that more and more high-quality photography is becoming available for free.....

-John.

[Jesus Perez]

You already have hefty competition from iStockPhoto, Fotolia, BigStockPhoto, 123RF, Shutterstock and more.

Shutterstock, Photos.com and iStockPhoto in particular, also offer the monthly plan.

So I'm not sure how well you can make off.

[Didier Faucher]

Originally Posted by jlandells

be aware that more and more high-quality photography is becoming available for free.....

I'm not aware of that ("high quality photos").

Free for personal and non-commercial use, maybe.
Free for commercial use, I don't think so.

Would you mind giving us a link or two?

Didier

[Joseph Then]

Perhaps you could create a product on videoing and photography, rather than making a living via stock images.

[Didier Faucher]

Originally Posted by Joseph Then

Perhaps you could create a product on videoing and photography, rather than making a living via stock images.

I agree. Better revenue model (*) but maybe the goal of Fabian is to establish
himself as a stock photographer (and perhaps become famous in this domain,
like Jack Hollingsworth for example)?

The market is HUGE, and you can sell various infoproducts and web
applications both to professionals and amateurs.

The possibilities are endless.

AdWords for photographers, SEO for photographers, how to market your
photography website and business, how to sell your photos on the web,
photography for travellers, photography for eBay auctions, etc.


Didier


(*): That's what I did several years ago in the photography market, and will
do again soon; ebooks and web applications will be available in french only.


.

[Steven Carl Kelly]

Free (even for commercial use) stock photos:

www.morguefile.com

[Didier Faucher]

Originally Posted by Steven Carl Kelly

Free (even for commercial use) stock photos:

www.morguefile.com

Thank you for the link Steven. Although useful (I use it since many years),
that's not exactly "high-quality" photos that are available there.

Didier

[fabianc]

Thanks guys for all the replies. I know that I have no chance in hell of competing with the bigger names and don't have the resources to take on big companies and it was never my intent. At this point I am doing nothing more than brainstroming and trying to get some feedback. The idea of providing quality stock images to a certain niche has crossed my mind but the only thing that I fear is that once someone buys my packaged images they won't need to buy anymore. I am looking for something that is sustainable and consistent.

On a completely different idea I thought of creating high quality Hollywood style promos for peoples products. The only major drawback is that it isn't automated. It's something that will have me strapped to deadlines and my computer and while I don't mind that right now since I am off for summer vacation when I get back to college I will find it more difficult and therefore won't be able to keep the income at what it could be right now.

Originally Posted by Joseph Then

Perhaps you could create a product on videoing and photography, rather than making a living via stock images.

Ive thought about creating a 10 minute crash course on how to get your video for web-sites looking and sounding better. I have plenty of experience through projects that I have worked on back in high school, college, and some freelance stuff that I think I can offer great value. For photography I think I would need to do some research as to what people are looking for. I want to solve peoples problems so trying to sell a product to the average hobbyist may not be the best idea. I think the photography route might be a little tougher.

At the end of the day I am a creative person and love all things video/photography/graphics so I will just keep doing some market research and see what I think would be the possible avenue to go in order for me to make consistent and sustainable income. Anymore ideas comments feedback is very much appreciated.

[InternetMarketingIQ]

You should make another post asking how many people have ever paid for photos for their sites? Your target market is probably not the average webmasters.... but who knows. That's what market research is all about. And your statement is paradoxical ... you say stock photos are pretty pricey then you suggest a service that would cost $24-30 a month.

Stock Photo Agencies rely on multiple sources for their portfolios. Its not like one person in one location can shoot everything.

Do you have any idea of what it costs to host huge portfolios or images? And the amount of work required to create professional images is uprising. I shoot a fair amount of content myself... it's a chore. And "decent" doesn't cut it when it comes to professional clients.

I have friends with degrees in Photography that can't work in their desired trade because it's just too difficult to make a living as a Photographer. And it's not uncommon to invest $2,000 and more in a single lens. And you are not going to shoot stock photography that sells with anything less than a Full Frame Sensor. There is just a whole lot to think about.

The best thing you can do is hang out with a Pro for awhile and learn what they do and how they do it.

[Didier Faucher]

Originally Posted by fabianc

Thanks guys for all the replies. I know that I have no chance in hell of competing with the bigger names

No reason to say that Fabian. All the big names started being small names.

Originally Posted by fabianc

and don't have the resources to take on big companies and it was never my intent.

You don't need to be a large company to be successful. Insufflate your
personality and particular vision of the world in your photos and business.

Be different and creative. But don't forget to research your market first.
You wouldn't want to sell art that doesn't sell. But being both different
and successful is possible for sure.


Didier

[jakesellers]

There's a glut of stock photography and I think most folks go to an online stock photo site (I use bigstockphoto) or just get pictures "free" by whatever means. I have several go-to CD's and DVD's of RF stock as well as I believe most designers do.

Where there's huge potential is chromakey-ready b-reel/stock video for web designers, perhaps with an "online only" license. I want video on my landers and in my designs but the stock tends to be incredibly expensive ($50 for a ten second handshake?!?) and the selection sparse, and technically some of the video stock I like seems to be editorial-only licensed.

[Didier Faucher]

Originally Posted by InternetMarketingIQ

You should make another post asking how many people have ever paid for photos for their sites?

Why for websites only?

Selling for offline use (magazines, brochures, ads, etc.) is far more lucrative,
and many companies still rely on non-microstock sites to get their photos.

A lot of them like photographers that make "on-demand photos and photo
sessions at stock photo price" ($50-200 or more per photo, depending the
subject, number of photos, etc.) Many need that. So that's something you
might want to consider.

The best thing you can do is hang out with a Pro for awhile and learn what they do and how they do it.

Very good advice!

Originally Posted by fabianc

shoot high quality stock images and get them to internet marketers to use.

* Why business photos and the like only?

Why selling to IMers only?


* A very good source of information:
2009 Photographer's Market
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1582975469/

"With 1,500 market listings, 2009 Photographer's Market is the essential
resource for freelance photographers looking to market their work. No other
book contains as many market listings for magazines, book publishers and
stock agencies all over the world. Easy to use with clearly marked sections
and four indexes, this accessible guide also helps photographers narrow down
the markets that interest them. Plus, articles about successful photographers
and how they built their businesses shows readers how to succeed in an
ever-evolving industry. Up-to-date information on technology and market
trends arms readers with the facts they need to establish themselves as
working photographers."


Didier