Golf Greens, Key Words And Challenges

Key Word Suggestions And Getting It right
Key words make me crazy! They make me crazy and I don’t even have to do them. While the agencies that carry my work ask for suggestions (at least Getty Images and Blend Images do), you can only give them a total of 5 such suggestions and those are limited to concept key words. So it isn’t coming up with and entering the key words that is the problem, the problems, there are two of them for me, are that agencies can’t be trusted to get it right, and that, at least out in the non-agency world, very few people search for the concepts that my images illustrate.

An Impossible Golf Green And Key Word Omissions
Take the above image for example. I created an impossible golf green atop a rock outcropping alongside an ocean cliff. This image was created to illustrate the concepts of Challenge, Difficulties, Problems, Risk and so forth. Now it is bad enough that at thumbnail size you cannot see the flag in the hole (a violation of my own rule of thumbnail "readability"), but to make matters much worse, Getty’s key words do not mention golf or any of the above concept key words. In fact, the only concept key words that are mentioned are “tranquil scene” and “absence”! My “challenging golf green” might as well not even be in their collection.

Check Your Key Words
This not an isolated incident either. In one of my early photography blog postings I discussed how images, such as one I created of a Chakra, and named “Chakra”, didn’t have the word chakra in the key wording. Since, in my humble opinion the key wording is at least as important as the image, it is very important that, from time to time, you check the key words on your images and make whatever corrections and additions that are appropriate.

Searching For Concepts
The other problem I have is that people searching for images on the Internet aren’t searching for concepts. Since the main thrust of my photography is in creating concept stock photos, that makes me crazy too! All I can do is get my images up, get concept and descriptive key words up with them, and hope that with time, concept keyword image searching becomes more common.

Of Elephants, Associates And Ego

A Journey Towards Success
The image above, of a huge elephant lumbering down a long road on a journey requiring perseverance and determination, is a great example of a slightly unusual way of adding to your productivity, your income and your success in stock photography. How is that? To begin with, while I photographed the elephant in Thailand, and the road in Arizona, I did not create the composite picture. This elephant stock photo was created by my associate, Stephanie Roeser. She is not an employee, and she doesn’t work for me. She is one of several individuals whom I have opened up my files to as raw material for stock picture creations.

New Ideas And Royalty Splits
Opening up your files in this way works on several levels. First, it can bring in all the new and fresh ways of seeing things, and of new ideas, that another individual brings to the table. While I had the images for this new composite, Stephanie came up with the idea and sorted through my files to find the pieces to make it work. In short, she came up with the idea, she put the time in to sort through my files, and she did the Photoshop work. We then divide the royalties on a case-by-case basis. The split can by eighty percent to her or as much as eighty percent to me. It depends on the particulars of any given project. Stephanie consults with me on possible ideas. I give some guidance and suggestions, but what she does is her show; she works at her own pace and on her own schedule.

Credit Lines, Copyright Issues And Other Problems
While I have found this arrangement to work very well for me, it is not a step to take lightly. It is essential to work out all those difficult details such as royalty splits, credit lines, copyright issues and so forth. It is also important to make sure that problems do not arise around similars since the person you decide to work with may not be familiar with the images you have already submitted to various stock agencies.  There is also the ongoing royalty split to contend with. I have a File Maker program that I put all my sales into and that automatically breaks out the royalties that I owe the photographers who work with me.  Keep in mind; ideally the images that are made will bring in income indefinitely, which means you will have to pay royalties indefinitely. This is a lot of responsibility, so you have to be sure you really want to undertake it.

Assistants, Retouchers, And Fellow Photographers
A great candidate for someone who can enhance the value of your files might be an assistant who is good with Photoshop, or perhaps a retoucher you respect, maybe even a fellow photographer who likes digital manipulation as much as, or even more, than he or she likes shooting.  If you have files that can be used to create new images, or can be enhanced to create outstanding stock images, then your partnership can be extremely rewarding for both of you.


Images, Ego And Royalty Checks
I have a number of such relationships. For me the most difficult part actually surrounds my ego. I want credit for the images I do, and I prefer not to have my name on images I didn’t do. But sometimes it just isn’t possible to keep things so separate. In the case of this elephant image, submitted to Getty, it goes under my contract and needs to be my copyright. Sometimes, as with the image Stephanie has created here, it is particularly hard because I wish I had created it!  Oh well, the royalty checks will help.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

The light at the end of the tunnel: the Internet.

Photographers are under duress

Most photographers feel under duress these days. Assignment photographers are feeling the stress of losing work to stock photography. Macro stock photographers are feeling the stress of losing work to Micro stock. Micro stock shooters are feeling the stress of traditional shooters now competing with them in Micro stock. All of us are feeling the stress of the economic downturn. Photo schools are churning out competition at record rates. Designers are doing their own work with Photoshop. The Internet is driving the advertisers away from print advertising. Corbis is lowering their royalty rates; Getty is offering Flicker photographers entry into stock…but at lower rates than their other photographers.

In the face of all these dismal thoughts I have found an oasis of happiness! Studies show that having the feeling of control (even if it is an illusion) makes us happier. As a stock photographer I am used to making images and fighting with Getty and Corbis and others to get my images accepted. Then it has been up to the agencies to market my work and hopefully collect fees and pay me my royalty. There is a heck of a lot in my career as a stock photographer that I cannot control. The result is frustration and unhappiness.

Taking control

I have, however, found a light at the end of a tunnel. I am feeling like I do have a measure of control now. The web is empowering me. I can watch the traffic to my site increase week-after-week. That feels good! I can see when people go from my site to CaféPress, Imagekind, Blend, Getty and Corbis. This is all very new to me; I don’t yet know what my conversion rates are or will be. I do know this: My plan is working. My traffic is steadily going up, people are clicking on PPC ads, I am starting to sell prints, and visitors are going from my site to the agencies that represent my work.

Progress!

More specifically, four months ago when I started this project I was literally getting about 1 person a week to my site. Yesterday I had almost 800. Over fifty people went on to Blend, Getty, Corbis or Kimball (stock agencies that carry my work). A couple of people went to CafePress and at least one person went to Imagekind. I also got a request from a teacher for a free print for her class, a request from an owner of a dog salon for one of my images for her signage (uh, also for free), and one person telling me I had a broken link. Oh yeah, and I made $2.37 on Google ads! Hey, pays for coffee!

As an added bonus, I am enjoying this new expanded web experience! I find I like blogging, I like learning new information, gleaning various tidbits from Twitter and getting to know other photographers through Internet interaction. Sometimes I do feel a bit overwhelmed by it all, but for the most part it is an enjoyable experience.

Replace depression with energy

Even with all the time I am spending on the Internet, I am still being more productive in making images too. Because I feel like I have control over my destiny I am invigorated. I am excited and enthusiastic and want to make more images. Depression kills productivity and creativity, and feeling like I have control replaces depression with energy.

There are so many ways the Internet can help us in our photography businesses. We can sell our images, we can create and build our brand, we can drive traffic to sites that license our work, we can learn more about our art and our craft, we can market our assignment work and we can network with others that have similar interests. For me, the Internet really seems to be the light at the end of the tunnel!