Hackers, Web Sites And Stock Photography

 

  I've been hacked...and not for the first time either! Hey, maybe I should make cyber crime images!

 

I’ve Been Hacked!

Something weird happened on my website today.  All of the file names on my site, all 6,000 plus of them, suddenly are the same: Hacked By Wosera.  My webmaster (actually my twin brother) spent a good number of hours trying to figure out how we were being hacked. We have been hacked before several times and it has been a major pain in the butt. At any rate, my brother is currently working on the problem. In the meantime, thank god our hosting company backs our site up every day. Just an aside, cyber crime is going to be an increasingly important stock photo subject!

Hackers, Google “Tweaks” and Ground Zero

However, this latest little hiccup got me thinking. The amount of time and effort that has gone into my web site I still find a bit staggering. You put all of this work into something so important and in an instant a hacker, a change in Google’s algorithm, who knows what…and its back to ground zero!

Time, Resources And Good Returns

Don’t get me wrong, I still believe in getting one’s work up on the net and building traffic. My efforts in doing that have certainly earned me some good returns, but at this point the return on my Internet investment could not possibly have matched what I would have earned if I had put all of those time and resources into creating more images.

Selling Your Own Stock

That brings me to another point. I know that there are photographers who do well selling their own stock.  In my own case though, I can’t imagine trying to deal with the volume of sales I get through agencies. There is simply no way I could negotiate, track the rights, deliver the files and do all the other functions that the agencies do for me. I wouldn’t have time to create images…heck, I might not even have time to sleep!  As it is, if I didn’t have my twin brother working on my site almost for free I’d be tearing my hair out…oh wait, I’m already bald!

Time, Resources And A Web Presence

I guess what I am trying to say is that I believe it is important for stock photographers to have a web presence, but at the same time it is really important to understand how your web site is going to work for you, and how much of your time and resources are going to be needed to maintain it. In my experience my web site, blogging, and social media require far more time than I ever imagined. Heck, it even requires time and energy to try and maintain a reasonable balance between my online efforts and my production of stock photos.

Kicking Back On The Couch

Right now, however, I have to end this blog post and kick back on the couch, watch a little mindless TV, and not think about stock photography, facebook, twitter, tumblr or blogging.

Creating Stock Photos: Weakness Into Strength

 

To speed up my career I need to speed up my production by turning weaknesses into strengths.

Increase Earnings And Continuing Challenges

There was a time; a few years ago, when it was pretty easy for me to just cruise along at half speed in my stock photography career.  But those years have passed and my desire to continue having what I consider to be adequate financial success requires that I step things up a bit. Actually, in 2011 I earned more in stock income than in 2010, and that is a good sign, but in the face of all the continuing challenges to the stock photography industry, I feel a need to grow my business even more.

Turn Weaknesses Into Strengths

One way that seems to me to be a foolproof way to boost any career is to determine what your biggest weakness is and turn that weakness into a strength. When I look at my own situation it seems to me that my biggest weakness, at least as far as stock photography is concerned, is a lack of production. That is, I simply don’t produce enough images.

Unproductive Time And Scheduling Shoots

Early in my stock photo career I used to think of a single idea and execute it. When the recession hit, and teamed up with the digital effects of oversupply and dropping prices, I began to shoot the raw materials for multiple images and then get to work creating my concept stock photos. While an improvement, I still end up with too much unproductive time, time that is unproductive because I am working with the "dregs" of a given photo shoot with the least exciting ideas and a shortage of quality raw material (images) for my composites. What I finally realized is that I need to start scheduling my next shoot before I finish creating the images from the last shoot.

Troublesome Ideas And More Enjoyment

Tom Grill and his staff plan out his shoots up to a year in advance…and now I am starting to realize why he is so successful. In my own case, having a constant supply of raw materials for the creation of my images will allow me to skip over ideas that are turning out to be troublesome and time-wasting, and will allow me to not only increase my production, but actually enjoy my work more.

More And Better Stock Photos

Right now, despite all the industry problems, I am having more fun making images than I ever have, and I am now additionally fired-up to turn that weakness, an ill-organized and almost reticent approach to shooting, into a strength through improved planning and scheduling. Again, that will give me a more continuous stream of high-quality raw materials from which to make more and better stock photos. Now excuse me, I have a shoot to plan!

Tigers, Business And Key Words

 

This tiger, ready to be ridden in a business setting, has little chance of success without proper key wording.

Tigers And Business

Every once-in-a-while I go to the site of one of the agencies that represent me and search for things that I know I have. I do this for two reasons. First, to get a sense of how long it might take someone to find my images, and secondly (and more importantly) to make sure that the keywords that I need on my images are there.  What is prompting this post is that I just searched “business and tiger” on Getty and one of my tiger images, one that I created specifically for the business market, doesn’t show up.  Time to get on the horn to Getty!

Key Words And Taxes

Checking the keywords on my stock photos is not my favorite activity. Actually, it is right down there with doing my taxes. But it is also a vitally important activity even for us “traditional” shooters whose agencies do the key wording for us.  Here is the caption on the Getty site that goes with this image “The phrase 'Riding The Tiger' can be applied to my photo of a Tiger wearing a saddle in an office setting.”.  But it doesn’t show up under “Tiger and business”? Strange!

Corbis And Slow Motion

Two weeks ago I was searching Corbis Motion for some of my slow motion clips. Get this. The key words “Slow Motion” are not on any of my hundred plus slow motion clips!  In fact, if you insert the words slow motion into a search you specifically don’t get my clips in the results.  We are working on that little problem now. It will get resolved, but it is another important reminder that with out the right keywords you aren’t going to make any sales!

The Overriding Challenge To Stock Photographers

In my mind visibility is the overriding challenge to stock photographers. Key words are biggest influencer of visibility. But once we have dealt with that aspect, what else can we do to get our images seen? Some of my microstock friends tell me that it helps to create light boxes, and to participate in the forums to get favorable reviews on your images.  There are probably other strategies as well, but as I haven’t participated in microstock I am not familiar with them.

Aggregator Agencies

I do think it is important to have some work with an aggregator agency, such as Blend, Tetra or others (disclaimer…I am part owner of Blend Images). By having work with an aggregator it gets seen in far more places. With Blend RM, for example, your work is seen on Getty, Corbis, Superstock, Masterfile and countless agencies throughout the world. As I have mention before, you can also get work into the TAC (The Agency Collection) with aggregators…something you can’t do even if you have a Getty contract (go figure).

Blog, Share And Feature

Finally, you can put your work up on your on site with links to where they can be licensed. Then (ahem) blog about them, share them on social media sites, feature them on sites like 500 pixels and oneyeland.com/ and such. It is all a lot of work.  But then, back in college when I tried to earn money selling life insurance it was a lot of work as well…and I didn’t enjoy it as much (at all actually), or make nearly as much money!

A Classic Butler Stock Photo...With A Twist

 

A classic butler image with a "twist" illustrating service, success, creativity and ideas.

  

A Classic Butler Stock Photo...And No Model Fee!
Just had to share my latest stock photo. What I really like is the model…yes, the butler is me, or I am the butler…or something like that. I can’t take all the credit (or blame) though…the idea of having a burst of light beneath the serving dome belongs to the senior art director at BlendImages, Jim Doherty.

Success, Service, Creativity And Inspiration
I think it is a brilliant idea (okay, pun intended). While the butler is indicative of such concepts as success, service and all things upscale, the burst of light beneath the dome of the silver tray can be a metaphor for everything from creativity to energy to inspiration to possibility.

A "Snooty" Butler And A Dozen Stock Shots
Not sure if the butler is a little too snooty or not, but I do think it adds an element of humor which can’t be a bad thing.  My partner Stephanie did the shooting (with my brand spanking new Nikon D800) while I went through a range of poses and expressions. We shot enough variety to create at least a dozen different stock shots.

A Palace In India, An Office In Marin, And An Inverted Salad Bowl
The background is a lobby in an office building, though the marble floor is actually from a palace floor I photographed in Jodhpur, India. You never know when you’re going to need a marble floor! The silver (okay…chrome) dome is an inverted salad bowl that I hot-glued a cabinet knob onto. We bought the tray from Create & Barrel for $19.00. The Tux rental cost me $146.00.  Oh yeah, $9.95 for the white gloves too. The office-building lobby I actually got to shoot for free, with a property release, as a favor by another photographer who offered me the chance to join her in a gang shoot.

Flexible Cropping And Room For Copy
As usual I tried to create an image that can be cropped as either a vertical or horizontal. The background is simple so the image is a quick read at thumbnail sizes, and there is plenty of room for headlines and copy.

Production Costs And Profit
I often hear stock photographers talk about keeping their production costs down to under $50.00 per image, or even considerably less. I probably will have managed to keep the costs very low when I amortize them over the ten or twelve images I can get from this shoot. But I firmly believe that even if the image cost me $200.00 I will make many times that over the next few years…as either an RF or RM image (a determination I have not yet made). The total Photoshop time I have in the image is about three hours.

One Benefit Of Age And A Pretty Good Butler

Hey, I make a pretty good butler, don’t I? At least there is one thing good about getting older!

Getting Your Stock Images Distributed

 Trying to figure out effective stock photo distribution can make you feel like a deer in the headlights!

Distributing Stock Photography

There is no single “right” way to distribute ones’ stock photography. There are a number of photographers who distribute their own stock quite successfully. There are also photographers who run small agencies that distribute their own work and that of a few other photographers. Despite the successes of such photographers I have always preferred to let an agency handle the tasks of negotiating, collecting fees, keeping track of rights and all the other myriad of minutiae that selling stock requires.  Then there is that herculean task of getting eyeballs on one’s work…but that is a whole story in itself. 

I Just Want To Make Images

From the get-go I wanted to just make images. I recognized that, while I am pretty good at creating stock imagery, I am not particularly good at the rest of it, nor did I even want to be. But even in the early 1990’s I recognized the need for multiple agencies. Getty was taking most of my work, but rejecting images that I thought deserved representation. Back then it was standard to be agency exclusive. I approached Getty about sending my “rejects” to The Stock Market, one of the top agencies at the time. They eventually said to go ahead, but not to use my name.  Within a few years things had changed to the point where agencies became “Image exclusive” and I got to use my name again.

Getty And The 900-Pound Gorilla           

Now days Getty owns something like 65% of the traditional stock market…and as such I think it is important that anyone going the agency route tries to get at least some of their imagery with Getty.  It just makes sense. I am also a big believer in diversifying. Image Bank was once the 900-pound gorilla, but Tony Stone leap frogged it, was bought by Getty which then bought Image Bank. Now you have iStockphoto, though owned by Getty, as the premier place to begin a stock photo search. The point is, you never know what is going to happen. Corbis bought The Stock Market and within months my revenue had dropped by fifty percent…along with every other Stock Market Photographer I knew. Diversifying one’s distribution may mean slightly lower revenues over the near term, but it might also mean a lot more success in the long term.

Blend Images

I have images with Getty Images, SuperStock, Corbis and Blend Images.  Corbis is second to Getty in terms of size and distribution and is working hard to get it right. SuperStock is under new management, management that I trust. They are succeeding in growing their business in these difficult times and can also be a good choice to include in your mix. Blend Images is currently where I send most of my stock photos. This is for two reasons. First, I am a part owner there. Secondly, they are succeeding in getting my images into a vast network of distribution. Not only do the images appear on Getty, but also on Corbis, Masterfile, and hundreds of other outlets, and they are making progress in getting my images onto micro sites as well…while keeping the prices at standard RF rates.  In a strange twist, I can get images onto iStockphoto.com, as well as on Getty and it’s sub-distribution network, through “The Agency Collection” with Blend Images, when as a Getty photographer there is no way to do that!  As an aside, I remember for years Getty told me I could not participate in RF because I was art directed out of the Los Angeles office…while photographers with editors in the Seattle office could. Geez…what an industry!

“Eyeballs Are Going To Microstock First”

I don’t pretend to know which agencies are the best. There are so many factors that go into such decisions. Do the agencies have specialties that fit with your work?  Do they reach the audience best suited for your work? SuperStock, for example, has a sales staff with strong relationships in the publishing world. The world of microstock is still pretty foreign to me…though I am aware that the “eyeballs” are increasingly going to microstock first, something that makes Blend’s ability to get my traditional images on those sites important (I am sure Getty will get there eventually…but they aren’t there yet). 

Support And Attention

I know one photographer, who makes his living entirely from stock, who has all but quit submitting to Getty because he has such a good working relationship with his editor at one of the aggregator agencies (like Blend Images, OJO, Tetra etc.). That is another factor to consider. In my own case, hopefully not just because I am an owner, I love working with the staff at Blend. I get a lot more support and attention there than I do at Getty or Corbis. That too, can be worth a lot.

Supplementing The Agencies

Another part of my own strategy for distribution is to get my stock images up on my own website (johnlund.com)…with links to the agency where they can be licensed. This makes my images more visible and supplements the agencies marketing efforts, and paves the way for selling my own stock if that ever becomes necessary. I also have a limited number of images I do license myself which reinforces in me the fact that I don’t like dealing with clients. Oh, I almost forgot. I have a very small collection of images at Photoshelter, an experiment to see the possibilities for some personal use licensing…which I don’t put enough effort in to really see if it works. Oh well….

Diversification, Microstock Sites, And Strong Relationships

So there you have it…my approach to stock photo distribution.  I still believe in agencies, I believe in diversification, and I believe in getting additional exposure through my own site.  I believe in getting my images seen on microsites at traditional rates, and I believe, when and where possible, in building a strong relationship with your stock agencies. 

The Secret Of Successful Stock Photographers

The key to earning the big bucks in stock photography lies in consistent and prolific image production...though "prolific" can mean different things to different shooters.

The Secret To Successful Stock Photography

What is the secret to successful stock photography? Create a lot of photos. Okay, maybe I should add that the stock photos need to be appropriate for the market place (meaning pictures that are needed and of a sufficiently high quality). But still, when I recently took a look at the half-dozen most successful stock photographers I personally know, the one thing they all have in common is that they are prolific. They consistently produce a lot of stock imagery.

What Kind Of Photos

Well, come to think of it, they also understand what kind of photos to make. They all vary a bit in the kind of images they produce. One of them does a lot of compositing work creating sophisticated concept photos. He actually shoots the photos himself and has a full-time in house Photoshop jockey who handles the post. Another of these successful stock photographers shoots primarily in the studio using sets, and yet another makes extensive use of her surrounding area for location lifestyle shoots. But they all study and understand what kinds of images the market wants.

Everyone Has Their Own Twist

It is interesting that everyone has their own twist on things and yet can still be very successful. Interesting and encouraging! But again, the one constant is that they all produce consistently…and produce a lot of work. When I asked one of them about how he dealt with the problem of cannibalizing his own work he responded that he’d rather cannibalize it than have someone else do it. He then went on to say that in this new stock photo paradigm where one’s work is so quickly “buried” by the unceasing flow of new imagery, it is necessary to continuously re-do ones own work.  While that seems somehow wrong to me…this guy earns a lot more than I do in stock photography.

A New Goal: Four Images A Week

We all know that guys like Yuri Arcurs produces massive amounts of imagery for microstock, but the shooters I am referring to are producing for the traditional RM and RF markets and not for micro. I might add that after giving this all a lot of thought my own reaction is to increase the number of images I produce.  Just to give you an idea, I think my new goal will be to average four images a week. Keeping in mind that I frequently spend more than one day on a given image even this seemingly modest goal could be a stretch for me.  One of the above stock shooters plans on adding a thousand images this year…what “consistent” production means to different shooters depends on the kind of images they make…and what their career goals are.

The Right Distribution Is Fine Tuning

The secret to a successful stock photo career? Do your research to understand what the market wants, then consistently produce those images. Getting those images into the right distribution channels is obviously important, but I see that more as fine-tuning. Knowing that there are many shooters who are actually doing very well in stock means that you can do it too.

Blend Images Annual Spring Creative Meeting

John Lund raises his trophy in celebration of winning "Smallest Sale of 2011" at the Blend Images Annual Spring Creative meeting. BTW, I am taking a risk here...I pulled this image from facebook without permission and not knowing who shot it!

“Back in the day” the big agencies such as Getty and Corbis used to put on various events for their contributing photographers.  It was always fun and informative and such events were always very well attended. It was great to get to know one’s fellow photographers, catch up on industry gossip, learn a few things and get a better handle on what was going on in the business of stock photography. Those big agencies don’t really do that anymore, but I just returned from the BlendImages annual creative meeting held in Palm Springs just prior to the Palm Springs Photo Festival.  Now, keeping in mind that I am a Blend owner, I thought the event was fabulous!

It was great to have speakers such as Matt Harrison, a motion director and UCLA Film Instructor who talked on directing talent, story boarding, and various other things motion, Don Picard (of TCP Insurance) who provided some eye-opening information on insurance (Don will be doing a series of blog guests posts on that very important topic soon), and Wilson Standish, a market researcher with Trendera  (during Wilson’s presentation I was kept very busy scribbling down ideas).

We also had both Canon and Nikon reps providing info on the latest cameras.  Karen McHugh of  Samy’s Camera in LA was there and ready and willing to answer all kinds of equipment questions.  For most of us at Blend Images Karen is our go-to-person whether we have a mundane purchase to make or an emergency replacement need. She gets it done.

Rick Becker-Leckrone, Blend CEO brought us up to date on the “State of Blend” and the industry in general, and Scott Redinger-Libolt (Blend editor), Jim Doherty (Senior Art Director), and Sarah Fix (VP Creative) helped lay out strategies for growth including the ins and outs of shooting RM, RF, and for TAC (The Agency Collection carried by both Getty and iStockphoto). Jasmine Hartsook (VP of Operations) and Stewart Cohen (Blend Photographer, and Co-Founder and film director) brought us up to speed on the Blend Motion Collection. Sarah Fix also provided a special little presentation on what content ISN’T selling and why…and I noticed that I had a few representative samples in that collection. Oh well….

Jon Feingersh (Blend photographer and co-founder) moderated a panel on “Investing In Stock During A Recession” that included Hill Street Studios (Blend photographer and co-founders Lawrence and Betty Manning), Mike Kemp (Blend contributing photographer), Jose Pelaez (Blend photographer and co-founder), Tom Grill (Blend photographer, co-founder and owner of Tetra Images) and John Fedele (Blend contributing photographer). We also had a panel (myself included) of shooters who have begun to shoot motion along with stills. Chris Gramly, Rick Gomez, Walter Hodges, Lawrence Manning and Eric Raptosh participated in that one.

We had a silent auction of prints donated by Blend Photographers the proceeds of which went to the International Rescue Organization.  There was ample time for mingling among shooters and staff as well as a sponsored cocktail party and such. My head was swimming by the end so I may have forgotten a thing or two, but suffice it to say it was a wonderful time full of information, fun and a huge sense of community. We even had two photographers come from as far away as Columbia!  Oh yeah, among other things trophies were awarded for highest selling RM image (which made a $28,000.00 and an $11,000.00 sale), highest selling RF image, and the one I actually won…the lowest sale of 2011. Hey, it still felt good hoisting that trophy!