A woman looks down a long road, under storm clouds and at clearing skies over a sunrise, towards better times and success in a stock photo that could well represent the stock photography industry.
Is Stock Photography Dead?
The death knell for stock photography is ringing loudly
everywhere one turns, but is stock photography really dead… or dying? I don’t
think so. Sure, the stock photography business is in transition with a lot of
challenges for those attempting to make a living at it, but there are some good
developments as well. With the advent of microstock, and the proliferation of
imagery, prices have plummeted, but recently there has been some evidence of
increasing prices for curated collections. Too, there are still plenty of
examples of high prices being paid for stock photos. Agencies are springing up
that are paying the content creators a larger percentage of the licensing fees
as well. Finally, there are some more photography-friendly agencies coming
along that are offering more guidance and support for photographers.
Sales That Pay The Bills
In my own experience I continue to see substantial sales
from such venerable agencies as Getty and Corbis and some excellent sales from
Blend Images as well. Just last month I had a $17,000.00 (gross) sale from
Getty, a $6,000.00 sale and several sales in the $1,000.00 range, not to
mention a plethora of lower priced sales. Last night I had a direct sale
through Blend Images for $1308.00, and the week before I had a Blend Images
sale for $3500.00 and another one for $1223.00. Two weeks ago a friend of mine
had a $40,000.00 Blend sale! Those really big sales are kind of like hitting
the lottery and while they certainly are fun, it is the hundreds of smaller repeat
sales that pay the bills. There are still plenty of clients willing to pay a
decent amount for the right image.
Photographer Friendly Agencies
Also good news for photographers is the trend of new
photographer-friendly agencies. Blend (disclaimer…I am a part owner of Blend),
for example, offers a ton of help for photographers from intimate art direction
to market research to royalty rates to 50%. A big plus for Blend is the wide
distribution they offer ranging from Getty & Corbis to Masterfile, SuperStock,
Gallery Stock and many others. Gallery stock has caught my eye because of the
consistently high sales they make for me (through Blend Images). Stocksy is
another interesting agency that has a co-op approach, a high royalty rate,
higher prices than microstock, and is off to a fast start.
Making A Living With Stock Photography
Don’t get me wrong, making a living with stock photography
isn’t easy, but making a living, making a very good living, and having a
wonderful lifestyle as part of the bargain is still possible. Success requires
knowing what will sell, consistent and high-level production, and choosing the
right distribution. Oh yeah, and a boat load of perseverance!
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