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  • Talkmicro and Microstock

     This is the first post I have made at Tangler - Anyway Welcome to the Microstock photography group.:)

    I
    have yet to explore all the delights Tangler has to offer but It looks
    like a fantastic concept and Im looking forward to see what it brings.

     I though I would introduce the group with a brief description of the Microstock concept! ENjoy.

    MicroStock or “micropayment stock photography” is a slightly different approach to selling stock photography where the photographer earns by selling a higher volume of images at very cheap prices compared to conventional stock.
    images.

    MicroStock is a term that was introduced by a company in the 90s "microstock.com" offering low cost stock
    photography to customers on the internet. Microstock.com were shortly followed by a number of other sites, Istockphoto,shutterstock,Dreamstime,Fotolia and Featurepics to name but a few.

    Microstock sites work by providing a large image library to their users – usually on a
    subscription basis. One of the main reasons for their recent success is the
    image pricing model they use. Typically a royalty free image sold on a
    conventional stock photography site such as Alamy or Corbis would be sold for
    somewhere between $100 and $400, where an equivalent image being sold through a
    Microstock agency would be sold for anything between 25 cents and a few
    dollars. This may not sound like much but when your best images are selling 3
    times a day you can soon start to appreciate the money coming in.

    The sites obtain their images from photographers and graphic designers who submit their images
    for sale. These images can be anything from landscape photography to pictures
    of food - basically anything that could be used in a magazine or a website or
    an advert (or anywhere else for that matter).

    The bestsellers will generally have been specifically photographed for stock but you can just
    upload your collection of animal pictures if you like. You will soon get a good
    idea of what type of images sell well and which aren’t worth uploading. All
    images containing people must have model release forms submitted with the
    images.

    Graphics and digital art and illustrations often sell as well or even better than
    photography. You only have to look at the top 50 images at some of the sites
    below to see that large proportions are Photoshop creations!

    In my experience, realistic expectations for a competent amateur would be about one dollar per
    month per image. This can vary dramatically depending on the quality and the
    type of images offered for sale. Several of my best images sell on average once
    every day.

     This post - is the first experimental post i have made with "tangler" - A very interesting concept indeed.

    To find out more visit talkmicro   or ask in here!

     

    Posted 14 Feb 07

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