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How long will my Photos Continue to Sell?

The lifespan of your images on a microstock site, or more specifically the time for which they continue to
sell is of great interest to the microstock photographer. With a relatively large investment in creating and
uploading images, and with typical incomes in the first month being measured in dollars and perhaps tens
of dollars you would hope that your images will continue to sell for quite some time enabling you to claw
back your time investment and turn a profit.
This is not a new topic to the microstock world, it's already been well covered by Lee at microstockdiaries and his
post on feeding the microstock beast. So as not to reinvent the wheel this post outlines only my view of the subect,
some e!amples of my results, and is concluded by outlining how you can begin to measure your own results.
Images featuring IT equipment have a short shelf-life.
Sales tail off over time
When " started microstock in #$$% one of the most attractive things for me was that after all the 'hard work' was done
each image was online and would be there selling 'forever', or at least that's what " thought... While certain images do
age, there are plenty of 'timeless' stock images which if they age at all, do so a lot more slowly. &ere's a graph of
earnings from one of my early images, if you had asked me back in late #$$' " would have described as 'no longer
sells'.
This image sold an average of ( times per month between Sept #$$% and )arch #$$*, the sales probably grew in
line with the growth of istockphoto...
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The same image that sold steadily over those previous years then sold +ero times between )arch and ,ctober #$$'.
Since ,ctober last year it's started selling again. -oted these are the results of ust one image on one site, and the
graph is of earnings not downloads, hence it's been skewed as commission rates have increased. "f we average the
graph over .' months then the recent crop of sales #$ sales still results in an overall downward trend in downloads
compared with those made in #$$/0#$$*. We can draw one conclusion, an image is not dead even if it's not sold
in months.
&ere are the earnings from another image, and while overall downloads are down, and the image is not a big seller, it
has remained a consistent earner over the years, boosted by the increase of commission for each download. 1"n real
terms that a loss against the cost of living.2
The times where " can see the most noticeable boom then bust in downloads are with my more recent images
uploaded in the past year, and especially those accepted on shutterstock 1an agency known for a strong bias towards
recent images2.
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Looking at this graph reminds me of those stock market graphs which show a decline, but turn out to be ust a blip
when you look at the bigger picture, only by looking at this recent upload in a couple of years time will we be able to
see the full picture.
"f you were to only upload to a couple of sites and one of those was shutterstock then it's quite conceivable that if you
stopped uploading your income could drop by up to ($3. " took a break from uploading between late -ovember $'
and early )arch $4, 5!cluding shutterstock " didn't see anything like a ($3 drop on my overall income.
6s a rule of thumb microstock images have a half life of at least # years, but that statement is very much open to
debate and very much dependent on the style and content of the image. Some images are more timeless than
others.
Extended Licenses occur any time
7rom what " can see e!tended licenses are not affected by how generic or esoteric an image is, "f you have a poor
selling image that represents a popular search term and looks a lot like some other images that are available then it
seems ust as likely to generate and 5L as something that's quite esoteric or specialist and is not selling much at all.
Such 5!tended License sales can easily return your investment on a low earning image in a single sale.
&ere are a couple of images that were quite happily drifting through life accruing one of two downloads a month, and
then....
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The various posts " have read about the microstock 'long tail' seem validated 1larynandanel, feeding the microstock
beast2. Having a portfolio full of 'unusual one of a !ind stuff', even if it only has limited applications, sooner or
later will sell8 and perhaps for a tidy premium. When combined these images will earn more overall than your most
popular images. The 9*/,$$$ question is :which is more cost effective;:, each of the log tail images has such a
lowRPI that the production costs become critical to making them cost effective when compared to a high selling
single image.

Conclusions
)y point of view, gathered from years of selling. " appreciate that the forums are full of people suggesting it's a good
idea to cull old images from your portfolio, but for me that's not the way " see it<
=oncentrate on uploading new, good quality images.
>on't feel obliged to contribute regularly, contribute when you can, or when you have something worth
selling.
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"f you stop uploading, income may reduce from some agencies 1the initial boost that agencies give to new
images2 but most of your 'long tail' will continue to sell quite steadily.
>on't remove old images that 'no longer sell' in a bid to get a better ranking
?emember than an image with +ero downloads over a couple of years can quite easily be the perfect image
for someone who will fork out for an 5!tended License.
We can reinforce that microstock is 'active income' and not a passive income stream, but if you stop
uploading you can e!pect some level of income for several future years.
"opic how much can # earn from microstoc!?
istockphoto pay out around 9..*million 1@S>2 per week to
their contributors 17eb #$.$2, so clearly someone is
making money at microstock. &ow much you can earn has a
similar answer to :&ow long is a piece of string;:. &ow hard you
work, how good your photos and keywords are, subects and
style will all have a significant impact on how well your images
sell. 6rtists who spend long hours creating detailed illustrations
and vector drawings could earn a similar amount to a
photographer with a portfolio only a tenth the si+e.
Earnings Comfort $one
Ahotographers are notorious for having low incomes, but that is
often through their own choice. Birtually everyone says they
would like to earn more money, but when the crunch time comes
and you need to sit down and do some difficult work itCs very easy
to shy away and continue what you are currently doing. 5arning
enough money to live on is a comfortable situation for most
people, thatCs why photographers often earn ust enough money
to live on. "f their income drops they are forced to bite the bullet,
put some effort into analy+ing their business and perhaps make decisions to step out of the comfort +one to increase
their earnings. % lot of photographers wor! &very hard' at time consuming tas!s that (ring little financial
revenue but in which they take some enoyment doing, there is nothing wrong with this, itCs personal choice. 6 typical
e!ample might be a backlog of photos to upload, if you enoy taking photos and earn enough then there is reduced
incentive to upload the new ones. " know that this is an over simplified view on what is in fact the comple! tapestry of
Dmodern lifeC8 my point here is that your motivations, the goals you set and your personality will have a large impact on
what you can make selling stock photography.
Calculations
The things to remember with microstock are that<
.. Eou earn even when you are on holiday or take a
month off 1but do it too often and your income will start to
fall ever so gradually away2 this fle!ibility benefit is a
maor driver for people to work in microstock full time.
#. 5arning ($ dollars a month on one microstock
site might not sound a lot for all those hours, but upload
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those images to all the top .$ agencies and that figure can become #($F 1note that the value is not .$G, as the
smaller agencies sell a lot less2.
%. "ncome is directly proportional to your efforts, fle!ibility, and how well you see the market needs, keep
yourself informed and up to date with microstock news.
/. Eou enoy taking photos, if you don't, then go and do something else you find more fulfilling.
)evenue Per #mage Per *ear
" read recently that macrostock photographers might e!pect 9( per year income from each image 1o+images.com.au
a rights managed collection2 others suggest 9. per image per year is a good rule of thumb for the traditional agencies
and average income for the photographer being 9..'# 1ref on istock forums2. 7or microstock another photographer
quotes income as 9./ for ust istockphoto 1reference2, the value is about 94 for lee atmicrostockdiaries and much
more modest 9%.($ per image per year for myself. The #$$' survey at microstockgroup put the figure at 9'.H. per
image. Eou can see by the above that the average income figure swings wildly and is of course very dependant on
the quality of your images, the chosen subects and the keywords you apply to them. The difference between % and 4
dollars might not sound much but it's can mean a pay cut of 9*$$$ pa. on a portfolio of .$$$ images.
"t's near impossible for me to give you any accurate insight into how much you as an individual can earn, " can only
tell you my e!perience, and as a rough estimate you can e!pect to bring in +,-.,, /S0 per month per .,, images
you have had accepted on the top * microstock sites. )ore difficult for me to measure is how much time " have
spent uploading images to these sites to analyse my ?,". 6 dollar an image a month if you are lucky might not sound
a lot, but it's cumulative, they keep on earning, upload another .$$ and double it.
Loo! at an #ndependent 1iew
6s " often find myself writing, one of the nice things about the microstock photographer community is the willingness
to share sales figures 1that willingness often reduces as photographers move from serious amateur into :microstock
pro:2 there are lots of microstock bloggers out there willing to share their sales stats in monthy graphs.
"n early #$.$ lookstat 1now closed2 created a microstock guide for ?) and macro ?7 photographers writing<
"On average contributors see $!-" annual revenue per image #RPI$. %lso& select and approval rates are t'picall'
far higher than those of R( and R) agencies& so 'our cost per select is lo*er."
There are several other places to look at microstock stats microstocktime is a useful site but you can only use it to
guesstimate earnings made by others, it's also easy to misinterpret. 6bove all it shows you the massive range of
earnings, portfolio si+es and numbers of downloads per image across shutterstock community.
)icrostockgroup publish annual survey results, the #$.$ survey results relating to earnings are analysed here
/ploading 2icrostoc! #mages
There is more than one way to upload your images for sale, some methods are more time consuming
than others...
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3or the 2icrostoc! 4eginner
Ieginners normally opt to upload using their web browser 1so called http upload2 this is the simplest method and one
which almost all internet users are familiar. )ost of the decent microstock sites allow you to upload batches of ( or .$
images at one time making the process a little easier with a 'ava' or 'flash' uploader.
The ne!t step in streamlining the upload process is to embed IPT+ metadata 1keywords, description and title2 into
your images, that way if you upload to more than one site there is no need to re0enter a description on each site.
5mbedding can either be done with standalone software, an image editor like Ahotoshop, or one of the microstock
submission tools listed below. 7urther reading on this in our guide "AT= keyword setting software.
The disadvantage of uploading to sites individually is that it is quite time consuming, and each site takes a different
approach to batch upload. Submitting to more than a few sites this way becomes quite tedious.
4atch /ploads with FTP
To assist microstock photographers, the ne!t step up from using the browser upload is to upload in batches via 7TA.
To do this you will need an 7TA client 1many available for free2 more details in our round0up of the best 7TA clients
for microstock photographers. 6lso refer to our quick reference of microstock sites and their 7TA address.
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"t's also important to note that 7TA upload is normally used in combination with embedding "AT= keywords 1on some
sites this is a requirement2. 6ll the leading microstock sites support 7TA e!cept for istockphoto.
7or many microstock contributors 7TA is the best way to streamline their workflow, especially when they submit
slightly different batches of images to each site. Some 7TA clients will automate the uploading of the same batch of
images to multiple sites, and some will allow you to create a queue of preselected images to upload to a chosen site
or selection of sites.
2icrostoc! %ssistant Software
There are a few pieces of software available aimed specifically at microstock photographers. Some of these tools aid
in finding and setting of keywords 1embedding "AT= )etadata2 as well as uploading images to microstock sites in
batches. Some also monitor acceptance and sales of images.
We mention some of these microstock tools in our Juick start guide for beginners8 but there are several available<
Aic-iche Toolbar
7irefo! Irowser plugin supports * agencies, with tracking and keywording. 7ree

AroStock)aster
7ree download onld for editing keywords but requires a subscription to lightburner s'ndication to submit images.

StockAhoto5!press
" tested back in #$$', but found it somewhat awkward to use1;2 some users rate it highly. 7ree trial. 9%*.4(

Syndication 5 )edistri(ution
7or the serious microstocker there are currently a couple
of services allowing you to redistribute your images via
7TA transfer directly from one server to another. This
removes you need to upload images from your computer
to each and every site you want to sell those images on, a
single upload then distribution to every site you use in a
matter of seconds.
Aicworkflow 1review2 allows you to upload an image once
and distribute it to multiple sites, also providing additional
keywording and statistics tools.
Ahotoshelter provides image storage and website facilitates to photographers, they also bundle in a fle!ible ftp
delivery service which allows you to distribute single images, folders, lists or galleries of images to anyone supporting
7TA or secure 7TA uploads 1see above for details on that2. 6t time of writing photoshelter costs 9#4.44 monthly for
their 'standard service' which allows you to 7TA upload and redistribute images. =heaper accounts have no 7TA
upload, but there is a freeK9. account option with a ($ )IKmonth limit you might like to 'try out' with ust a few photos.
6utsourcing
6nother alternative is to outsource the process to someone 1often in another country2 who can work for less 1ethics
aside2 "'ve heard various stories about the low quality of the work that gets done, and difficulty finding someone
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suitable for the ob. ,f course you still have to organise a way to get your rawKoriginal files to them to process8 this
kind of outsourcing tends to work better for high volume producers rather than hobby contributors.
Eou could also consider employing an local individual or team to do the keywording and uploading etc, so you can
e!clusively shoot photos and manage other aspects of business. This option allows you to keep a closer eye on the
quality of the submissions. This is the way that some of the big names in microstock operate8 there is however a fine
balance between the increased wages and fees that you will have to pay and small profit margins in microstock.
"n recent years 1#$.$ onwards2 a few of the large image retouch companies have started to cater for microstock
photographers with a series of submission, keywording and image retouching services, read more in "ntroduction to
)icrostock ,utsourcing
2icrostoc! %gencies to %void
Stockphotospot.com is the only microstock site to avoid like the plague, but there
is a long and growing list of start0up sites trying to get onto the microstock
bandwagon, many of these will earn very little or no money in return for your time
uploading images.
"n general, sites lower down our list of all the agencies we have reviewed are the ones we
suggest you consider ignoring 1but please note that sites marked as $K.$ are at that position
because we are still reviewing income, so please read each site review fully2.
The following is a list of sites " no longer upload to. ?easons for this decision are listed with
each site, this in addition to that fact that these sites have earned very little over the space of # or more years<
)icrostockphoto.com
Tedious upload, lacking )TP, and where did all my photos go 1perhaps they were quietly reected2;. -o thanks )SA.
"mageBorte!
>ifficult upload 1no ftp2 and lack of anything much happening in % years, ust . sale. They reected pretty much
everything " uploaded over the space of several months suggesting they want out of the microstock market to present
themselves as 'mid priced'. "mage vorte! might be worth it if they supported 7TA, without, it's ust not cost
effective. =restock are ust as strict with their acceptance, but the difference is that images sell on =restock to they
still get the thumbs up
)icrofoto.com
-othing happening there, ust a trail of spammy drivel in the form of photographer guides recommending you sign0up
to the 'top ( agencies' which are :fotolia& !,rf& shutterstock& dreamstime and of course microfoto:. 6s you have
probably guessed, only the owners of microfoto think that it is one of the top ( agencies and are doing a good ob of
keeping it a secret from buyers.
Ai!mac
Too many financial regularities and errors affecting not ust me directly but others also. ,nce is perhaps a genuine
mistake 1still ine!cusable with something as important as account balances2, twice is perhaps ineptitude, but three
times is plain and simple delinquency in my opinion. Sadly one of these incidents happened some time after the
pond( merger. )istakes might be fine, but the attitude to support requests concerting them was the biggest concern<
responses ranged from a disinterested brush off down to simply being ignored.
Sites hanging on the edge of (eing added to this 7don't (other uploading list7
Shutterpoint
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"t's possible that some of the sites listed on this page could make a comeback. They have all built some sort of image
collection to get started, and with correct advertising and perhaps re0branding then sales could start to develop.
&owever, any site that has gained a bad press amongst microstock photographers will have an uphill struggle to gain
their support once more. Without the support of the photographer community and full time microstockers a microstock
site is doomed to suffer mediocre images from the few photographers who know no better, are happy ust to throw
their work at every site that comes along, or are ust testing the water.
Sites we have 6mitted
There are do+ens of microstock sites that we have chosen not to conduct a long term microstock earnings review.
The reasons we choose not to review a site are varied, but all stem from one basic fact< we feel what we can tell by
ust looking at the quality of the site and e!ternal traffic stats that it is not a place that will earn us any money. Since
the launch of some low cost +(- software the internet is littered with dead microstock sites that never earn anything
because they have no buyers, "t would be folly to upload images and review all of them.
&ere are a couple of sites and the reasons why they are have not been reviewed 0 remember that being listed here is
better than being one of the myriad of sites that don't even deserve a mention.
)ystock
?eview was in progress but upload problems, and now account removal1;2 leave it suspended.
pi!amba, gimmestock, scanstockphoto, they never quite seem to get going...
isignstock 0 "'ve little patience for sites where basic features like uploading files fail to work reliably.
8here can # find a 2odel for my Photography?
"t's all very nice starting off practicing lighting and portraiture with a self0timer or shooting family8 then
perhaps progressing to shooting friends and buying them a beer as payment8 but sooner or later you will
probably want to get serious and find a model to work with.
Starting Hurdle9 Lighting
We all start somewhere, and that's why there are a series of steps that most photographers go through as they learn
how to deal with models. 6s a part time microstocker it's perfectly reasonable if you never progress to shooting
people in your photos if that's what you are happy with in the limited time available.
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6s a beginner lighting is the main thing that you will reali+e you are short of when it comes to models, that's why it's
wise to start by trying things on family or friends 0 even if that is ust as a learning e!perience. Without decent lighting
creating good photos is harder work if not impossible especially if subects are moving or available light is not
favorable. @sing 'available light' is a skill you should learn, but for microstock with your I-O locked on a low setting
you are always struggling for light.
@nless you already have some basic lighting skills from working with table top subects, a reflector is a nice thing to
have from the very beginning 1improvised is fine too, but will eventually start to annoy you2, also beware that a
reflector needs to be held by someone 1that means you or the models hands2 and leads to limited creative options
unless a willing volunteer wants to reflect light to e!actly where you want it.
Strobes< Eou probably don't want to drive straight into buying studio equipment, the ne!t step in this progression is to
use portable camera mounted strobes 1speed lights or similar2 These need -,T be e!pensive, provided that you are
willing to do a little more work manually setting up e!posures when getting cheap wireless triggers. 6 pair of second
hand (0.$ year old flash units 1SI0#/K#*K#' or similar models with the same or lower guide number2 can give you
some very creative lighting options on a shoe string 1sub 9.$$ each2. -ewer flashes with fancy metering modes and
wireless control from camera are needed if you need to grab at shots like a photoournalist but for a model in a fi!ed
place then older speed lights give you a system similar to that of studio strobes where you need to set up the power
on each strobe at the start of shooting 1i.e. for the e!tra money all you gain are automatic modes andKor control from
the camera2.
There of course limitations to using speedlights, more than " will go into here, they have a limited recycle time and
limited battery life 1i.e. .$$0#$$ or so full power discharges before those 66 batteries either flatten or get too hotL2
Speedlights are also great for shooting outdoors and traveling due to to their portability while studio strobes require
battery packs or power outlets to use on location. Camera companies go to great lengths to show you the
versatility of their speedlights and similar lengths to hide their limitations 1like needing ' of them to get enough
light outdoors in full sun2, ust don't pay through the nose for the latest flash unit until you are happy with what the
older ones can and cannot achieve. " can only speak from -ikon e!perience and it's only personal opinion but the
:=reative Lighting System: is ust not worth the money no matter how much that -ikon advertising makes it look
great. The same applies to remote triggers, "'ve had e!cellent results with a cheap ebay set 1trigger and two receivers
for 9/$2, a far better starting point than 9.$$'s on pocket wi+ards you don't 'need' ust yet.
"ime for Print 5 "rade for C0 :"3P or "3C0;
&aving had some practice with lighting it's time to put it to work on a real model. ,ne commonly used stepping stone
involves you giving your time to the model for free in return for the model giving you their time. 5ach benefit from this
arrangement, the model gets high resolution ready to use images of themselves that they can use as self promotion
material and you get their time and images you can sell as microstock 1with their agreement, perhaps negotiate to
leave out the microstock if needed2. )odels open to this type of offer are of course those who are also learning their
trade and in need of portfolio images. "n some cases e!pect a lack of e!perience from both parties 0 which may in fact
put you both at ease as you and your model are in a similar 'new' situation.
,ne great feature about stock is that the models often look like 1and should look like2 ordinary people, they still need
to know how to act in0front of a camera, but unlike fashion or advertising for most subects do not need to pay high
rates for someone with stunning good looks. This means that almost anyone can work as a microstock model of
some kind, this is very noticeable with seniors and the middle aged who unless already possess a knowledge of the
modeling industry e!pect themselves to be 'too old' to model. =onversely it's younger people with more time and less
money who are more interested in having photos of themselves taken
%dvertise *our 6wn Casting Call
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Eou'll likely want a local model, so a local classified or noticeboard is a
good place to go looking 0 especially for very low cost K free models. Eou
won't attract a professional model that way 1although it may start some
kind of dialog2. 6nother option is to place a :models wanted' section on
your blog or social network account, and either target this at :ever wanted
to be a model;: or :"'m a professional looking for professional talent:. 6s
"'ve already written wor!ing with the 7# thin! # might li!e to try some
modeling7 (rigade is a hit and miss affair, but it's also a very cheap
option to learn skills with, and works well for someone who is willing to
e!change their time for your photography and some digital images or
prints.
"'ve seen photographers advertising themselves as doing myspace
1facebook, dating site etc.2 profile shots, this " assume was partly in
e!change for a mention on those profiles, and " assume also for some
other reason either learning or to meet potential models for paid work. "'m
not e!actly sure how successful this would be, and for certain it's
something you might consider as a networkingKmarketing sideline rather
than a viable way to find models on demand. 8ord of mouth is still a
very powerful mar!eting tool these days it <ust gets called social
media.
Part-time 2odel meet Part-time Photographer
Must as the microstock industry has changed photography the birth of the internet also changed the way models and
model agencies work. 6t one time it would have been cost prohibitive to employ a professional model for microstock.
-ow there are several solutions to getting models either at a direct rate 1without agency2 or :on the cheap:. Must like a
learner microstocker there are always learner models who have little or moderate e!perience and are willing to work
at a lower rate.
5ach of these sites offer photographer listings, for a good reason, models 1particularly those ust starting2 need some
good photos for their portfolio. There's an important difference between microstock and fashion however so you'll
need to understand that when sorting out an 'arrangement' i.e. you get some stock. =learly if you have little
e!perience in model photography then you will be looking to meet those on who are also amateur models. These
sites grow with your e!perience and allow you to find professional models, makeup artists and other support crew if
you progress to full time microstock.
modelmayhem.com
lots of models to choose from
newfaces.com
not quite so many models here, but plenty in maor cities
onemodelplace.com
limited results outside of the @S
starnow.com.au
6ustralian talent and auditions directory.
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purestorm.com
@N model directory K portfolio hosting site and forum
>oes anyone know any other good sites that would be of interest to photographers looking for models around the
world;
"ips for =etting Started
&ave model releases ready before the shoot and signed at the start, good talent will know all about this,
newbies will need some hand holding K e!planation of what this is all about so make sure you know yourself before
they arrive.

Alan a shooting list with what photos you wantKmust get done, plus some 'options'.

&ave props ready and be ready to make alternative plans for issues like bad weather if shooting outside or a
model fails to arrive.

Aro0models may e!pect the hirer to arrange their makeup and provide wardrobe. 6mateur models ust need
to know what your plans are and see if they can bring something suitable from their own wardrobe 1watch those
logos2. 6gain microstock does not need cat0walk beauty unless that is the effect you are trying to achieve.

=lothing should be 'classic' or 'timeless' with nothing too trendy which will date quickly. Iright and bold
colours can work well in certain situations 1outdoors2 otherwise neutral colours are 'safe'. Wardrobe and model choice
are something you need to match to the concept you are shooting.

Shooting kids is fine ust make sure the parents are there, they will need to sign releases. 6s they say :never
work with children or animals: 1learn with the adults first2.
8hat are Property
"alent > 2odel
)eleases?
8hat are )eleases
?eleases are legal documents designed to protect
photographers, agencies, models 1people2 from legal
problems. They provide a written record that a model
agrees to have their image used as a stock photo.
?eleases can also apply to property and voice talents.
2odel )elease or 2) :2)3 - model
release form;
Signed by a model, or models legal guardian if they are
not of legal age. "t forms proof that the photographer had
permission from the model to take their picture and
upload it for sale.
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Property )elease :P);
Aroperty releases are signed by property owners 1this can include pets, cars as well as buildings and artworks2 to
allow images of their property to be taken. )ost people think of famous buildings or sculptures and product designs
for which property releases are rare 0 it's unlikely you will get a release for something like The 5mpire State building
or >isney's =inderellas =astle. "t is more likely that you need a property release for something much more mundane
like a private home. This does not mean that you need a property release for every article contained within a photo, it
'tends' to be for those where the property forms the main subect or the photo was taken on private property 0
beginners should take notice of places like +oos, stadiums, theme parks etc. which usually prohibit commercial work
as part of the contract of admission.
"alent )elease
Talent releases are required for stock audio, for the composition of the music and also for all artists either singing,
creating spoken sounds or playing an instrument.
=eneric 2odel )elease 3orm
There was a simple time back in the mid to late #$$$'s where all the agencies 1stock!pert etc <2 would accept a single
generic model release without a problem 0 the istockphoto release with the istock logoKaddress removed was usually
fine.
Then things started getting a little less convenient around #$$' and #$$4. The Oetty istock take over meant that
istock started using a standard Oetty model release. This is not a bad thing at all, in fact you hear a lot of
photographers referring to the :standard Oetty release: or :based on the Oetty release: etc. as some kind of de0facto
industry standard. The new releases needed descriptions, shoot dates and models' date of birth.
"'d love to ust make a generic release and offer it for download here, but for more than one reason " would be playing
with legal fire by cutting and pasting a release and providing it here as a legal document. So it's up to you to find a
suitable release. "f, hypothetically, you wanted to create a generic release then here's how you might do it...
#.nreassuring /isclaimer0 This information is provided for guidance onl'& it should not be considered legal advice.$
istockphoto uploads page 1you need to be logged in2 0 the istock uploads page links to model, property and talent
releases2. Eou might also look at the 6lamy model release 1pdf2.
The pertinent things to change on the above releases to make them generic include<
?emove the company logos and addresses 1kind of obvious " hope2

=hange :Ooverned by the laws of PPP: to match the country or legal urisdiction nearest your own, -ew Eork
0 @S6, 6lberta =anada, 5ngland, 6ustralia, -ew Qealand 5tc. 1it seems that the current istock release is written to
select this for you2.

=onfirm that your release contains all the fields included in the release forms provided by the agencies you
submit to. "f you provide all the info they require on your generic release then any e!tra info e.g. an identification
photo, description of the shoot, ethnicity etc. should not cause any problems. )iss a required field or legal phrase and
you will find your submissions reected 1inconvenient if you have to travel to meet up with the model againL2.
6ll 1most;2 model releases feature the words :7or good and valuable =onsideration:, where a space is provided it's
for you to specify the sum 0 can be a token amount of 9. e!changed to make the contract binding.
15
istock offer their )?s translated into .$ different languages.
8hen do # need to get a 2odel )elease signed?
Eou should get a model release for each shoot you take with a person in it 0 even if it's ust a figure in silhouette. 5ven
if you use the same model, same location but a different day, it will take seconds to create a second release 1the
initial e!planation etc. if any will not be needed if the model is already happy2. "t's better to get a release at the time
than go chasing for one at a later date. 6n e!cellent article in the istock training manual about when and where )?s
are needed is well worth reading. "t's clear you need a release for a photo of someone, and don't need a model
release for a photo that does not contain a person, but there is an awkward middle ground in between. ,ften photos
of someone facing away from the camera or below the neck are still identifiable but only by the conte!t they are in
e.g. with a group of other people they would recogni+e only if seen together, showing a birthmark or scar etc.
,nly at some agencies can you get away with a catch all release with which you can submit from multiple shoots of
the same model 0 to be future proof one shoot setup R one model release. 5ven if there is for e!ample a shoot at the
beach and a shoot in the studio during one day, then get two releases to be on the safe side each describing the two
shoot locations.
7urther ?eference<
=opyright and trademarked subects
The istock 'legal' section 1for photographers2 currently located at http<KKwww.istockphoto.comKhelpKsell0stockKtraining0
manualsKphotographyK...
#$$' article by Euri 6rcurs, The )? is now out of date but there is a useful thread of
commentshttp<KKwww.arcurs.comKwhat0is0a0model0release
)odel release requirements from veer http<KKideas.veer.comKgroupKmarketplaceKdiscussionsK4$ 1dead link;2
Contemplating starting out as a 2icrostoc!
Photographer
=onsidering )icrostock; &ere are a few
things " say to anyone thinking about
taking the microstock path to sell their
images.
7or a start you would not be reading this if you
did not have a love of photography. >on't lose
that love by becoming obsessed with sales
stats and taking high selling stock shots. '>o
microstock' while you continue enoying the
style of photos you currently take. "mages that
sell on microstock are commercial style
images8 artistic photos also sell but not
anything like as well as the commercial ones.
The good sellers are typically ones that you
have to set0up, but you can also find good
sellers amongst those images you take on a
16
'day out with your camera' especially if you go out shooting with microstock in mind. Eou could be a photo ournalist,
landscape or portrait photographer 1or a budding amateur2 you can combine any of these with e!tra income from
microstock.
7ew 1if any;2 people dive straight into microstock full0time, almost all full0time microstock photographers spent time,
sometimes a long time building up a portfolio of images which were selling before they made the 'leap' into full0time
microstock. "he vast ma<ority of microstoc!ers are ?uite happy wor!ing a couple of hours a wee! and earning
some extra money.
#nternet 0iatri(e
There is lots of clap0trap about microstock online, about it being good for students and various other groups of
people. )icrostock is no better for students than anyone else. 5veryone benefits from fle!ibility and non fi!ed working
hours or location. "t's often described as a passive income, like writing, you earn after you have done the :work:, but
there is plenty of work to do, so the idea of taking a few hundred photos and making a fortune should go :out the
window: right now.
The only way to really find out, sort the truth from the e!aggeration, and discover how much money you will make at
microstock is to sit0down and spend time doing it. "t will cost you nothing but your 1valuable2 time. There is no doubt
that people make money from microstock and that microstock agencies are a viable business model, there are a lot
of bitter photographers out there who have not moved with the times and still e!pect to to make unreasonable
amounts of royalty for photos which were easy to set0up. The stock photography landscape is changing and
microstock is a significant and growing sector.
Eou will read countless articles arguing if microstock is good or bad for the industry. Eour only concern is that it is
good for you. @ser contributed photography is viable 0 bad articles are ust cheap blogger tactics to get people
reading something salacious about what is essentially a somewhat dull subect to write about. )icrostock is not for
the impatient, fortunately many photographers are patient people.
>on't take my word for it< many well respected and e!perienced long0term stock photographers have positive things
to say about microstock, to name ust two< Mack &ollingsworth and Mohn Lund, both have thought provoking stock
photography related blogs.
Some ?uestions to answer Some things to thin! a(out...
%m # a good enough photographer?
Eou will learn. 2icrostoc! is a great way to get into the stoc! photography industry. The skill set for taking stock
photos is as wide and varied as the subects up for sale. =oncentrate on what you know and enoy. There is no need
to be a professional photographer or even remotely e!perienced. Arofessionals can be disadvantaged by their
e!pectations, and assumptions of what makes a good photo often differ from what sells well as microstock.
)icrostock sites provide learning materials and guides for new photographers, obviously you need some basic skills
to begin with. The sites also provide feedback, even if you ust look at your reected photos you can see what may
sell and what is unacceptable, as a bonus most agencies also let you know briefly why they reected each image.
17

0o # have the time?
Eour valuable time is the main investment you will make in microstock. "f you are already 'time poor' then becoming a
microstock photographer is not for you. &owever the main advantage of selling microstock is that there are no fi!ed
hours, and your income is directly proportional to the amount of time you invest in taking pictures, keyword and
uploading them. Eou can work a few hours a month, #$ minutes each day, or 40(, H days a week if you like. =learly if
you only work for short hours you won't earn as much as someone working longer hours, working smarter and not
harder is also vital. "f you start submitting large numbers of images then one of your maor concerns will be how
tooptimise your microstock workflow.
# li!e photography so therefore # will li!e microstoc!
Aerhaps wrong. "t depends on the type of photography you enoy doing, " guess most people reading this enoy their
photography otherwise they would not do it 1;2 Aersonally " enoy landscape and travel photography, and while these
images do sell on microstock sites, you will also have to think about getting model releases signed if you photograph
people, or spending time shooting table top subects, directing for photo shoots of models and all the legwork that that
involves. Iefore starting microstock don't ust look at the popular photos at a microstock site and say 'well # could
have ta!en that' actually sit down and act out in your head all of the things that you would need to do to create a
photo ust like it e.g. the microstock stereotype of an apple on a white background 1an easy to photo subect and
hence lots of photographers have taken similar2. "magine you are buying props 1.! perfect looking apple2, setting up
lighting and a light tent or white background, setting up camera equipment and tripod or strobes, taking the photo,
downloading, editing and key wording, uploading to a microstock site to earn a few dollars each month if you have
done a good ob. 6re you prepared to do that; 6ll those popular photos... someone has already done that so you will
have to think of something new and original to stay ahead of the game, ready
for the challenge;
%re you emotionally attached to your photos?
"t sounds a little stupid, but after 'bringing the photo into the world' you then
find it and a whole load of other images are reected by a reviewer who might
ust be having a bad day.#t's a (itter pill to swallow (ut you will need to (e
a(le to get over the re<ection and not take it as some sort of personal insult.
-or will you be able to get upset if you see your image used in a lavish
advertising campaign, knowing that you only earned a couple of dollars from
that sale. The sun does not always smile on the microstock photographer, and
despite what you might have read elsewhere being a microstocker is certainly not 'easy'.
#s my camera good enough?
18
The forums are full of people with camera fetishes, who obsess about noise filters, photoshop plugins, prime lenses,
and while " tend to shoot with -ikon >H$$ and a selection of -ikon lenses, it's not impossible to use a cheaper
consumer camera. The cheaper the camera the more work you will have to do reducing the si+e of images to get rid
of noise and artefacts inherent to those cameras so in the long run a /-1R is recommended. " have and still do use
an ')A ,lympus consumer point and shoot camera where " need to. 6 'prosumer' compact style camera should be
more than usable if not as fle!ible as a >SL?. )ore mega pi!els is important, even if cheaper cameras produce
images with more noise 1noisy images are almost always reected by microstock agencies2 the e!tra megapi!els
allow you to downsi+e the images to reduce the noise. Smaller images are however less profitable than larger higher
resolution ones which can sell for a higher price. ?ead more about cameras for microstock
Consider the Long "ail
)any people lose patience with microstock. 1" did back in #$$%, " saw little results in the first few months and didn't
submit more for about 4 months2 The earnings you will make in the first few months might well be quite pathetic, but
those :dollars here and there: add up, you need to (e in microstoc! for the long term. Working in microstock is
often about long tail earnings, the images you take will be in your portfolio to sell in the future for at least several
years. The time you spend uploading to each agency should pay itself back sooner or later leaving you with a steady
stream in income for years to come. 6gencies wa! and wane, some will go out of business, so your income from
each agency will not carry on forever but it should carry on for many years to come so long as the style or content of
your images does not date too much. When udging how successful you are consider how much you enoy the task,
the fle!ibility and the long term income situation.
To some e!tent there is a 'microstoc! momentum'. =ommissions at some agencies grow in tiers with more sales.
The more images you have at each agency the more likely it is that someone will see not ust one of your images, but
from that image also click on another of your images or your profileKportfolio. Leading microstock photographers also
create a brand 1making a name for themselves2 which adds e!tra cache to their photography and hence higher sales.
6gencies use clever algorithms which display 'proven' images 1popular K high sales2 in search results, in some cases
it can take a while for images to gain sales, in others they tail away over time.
Where now; Oetting Started 0 6n overview of our guides for beginners
8hat !ind of #mages
sell (est?
The main thing to remember is that microstockis
stock photography, it's not a place for the 'art of
photography'. While artistic images might be
accepted and sell in limited quantity these are
probably not the best way to go if you want to
make some good earnings. Likewise the photos
that a lot of people praise either by word of mouth
or in comments on a site like flickr do not
necessarily make good microstock pictures8 these
often look pretty or have a wow factor, but usually
lack a meaning or concept, this is a common
mista!e for most (eginning
photographers dipping their toe into the stock
industry.
19
7rom my e!perience and that of a few other industry commentators " have read, microstock is a place for 'clean and
simple: 'middle of the road' photos. ,ne tip " would give is to make sure that your images look good as thumbnails,
that might sound like an odd thing to say, but there are some photos are quite striking when viewed full si+e but due
to their lighting, colour palette or composition lose their impact when viewed at small si+es. Thumbnail readability is
very important for getting high volume sales, your images need to stand out on the search page as 'the perfect
image'.
"hree !ey features of all stoc! photos
6 good stock photo can be broken down into three main components, all of which must be correct to make a high
selling image.
.; Choice of Su(<ect, be it an appropriate model or props, an obect sat in a conte!t that creates some kind of
concept, something quite abstract that only really gains a meaning when used in a matching conte!t.
@; Execution, how well you took the photo, or how you used your photographic skills to e!press a mood or concept.
6tmospheric lighting, high or low key, choice of focal point to add emphasis.
+; Aeywording and 0escription, your choice further emphasi+es the meaning of your photo and allows it to be
found by buyers. 1e.g. a street sign with diverging arrows, represents choice or decision, but only gains that meaning
when paired with a title2.
"Cm going to look at choice of subect below as that is what most people feel to be the most important part, in essence
the DideaC you have before you start work8 but without proper e!ecution and good keywording a photo of a well0chosen
subect wonCt sell.
Portrait Photography
"mages of people sell well, several of the celebrity microstock
photographers have made their portfolios predominantly from people
pictures. 1as " write this " must point out that my portfolio contains only one
portrait style image2. Aeople images need to convey an emotion, concept
or lifestyle. Someone talking on a phone with a big smile < someone getting
frustrated using a computer < children looking bored doing their homework.
7aces need not necessarily be shown, some concepts are better defined
without the distractions of a face e.g. a walk in the park holding hands
where the subects are walking away from the camera. 6 model release is
needed for all people photos, plus " would recommend getting a release
even if ust a hand or other body part can be seen. Some agencies treat
body parts as potentially recognisable even if they do not have something
recognisable like a tattoo on them, so err on the site of caution and try to
get a release if you have the opportunity.
>o people stock photos sell so more than anything else;
"a(letop Photography
This is the staple of the stock photographer. Eou can save such photo sessions for the
proverbial rainy day or during une!pected downtime. 7ood sells especially well, as do
computers and technology concepts. )any of these subects are however very well
20
covered. ,ne trick here is to 'accessorise' the photos to create something with more of a concept. "nstead of
'computer keyboard' think 'working from home' or 'overworked in a busy office' and instead of 'bowl of salad' think
'fresh salad eaten out on the terrace'. =onstant research 1be looking out for photos wherever you go2 will help, for
e!ample immerse yourself in food maga+ines and illustrated cookbooks that contain photos in a style you like. Aeople
make their entire career out of taking images of specialist subects so there is a very high standard of work currently
available. Table top is probably the easiest place for the beginner to start out taking photos specifically for their stock
collection, although it depends on your connections, you might also consider mastering portrait photography and
shooting models if you already have some willing volunteers to practice on.
Take care when choosing subects to photo, make sure that nothing contains any logos or branding, or is a well0
recognised design, more on this in copyrighted and trademarked photography subects
Tips and ideas for microstock macro photography,
Landscapes
"f they are to be accepted and sell at all then they really
need to say something, even if it's ust 'wilderness' or
'farm land'. Landscapes won't work if the subect is too
generalised like some fields with a mountain in the
distance, even worse a sunset. 6lmost always the
landscape will need some people in it to give it scale and
allow the viewer to imagine themselves there. There are
lots of photographers who specialise in fine art
landscapes, taking photos in ust the right light, some of
these sell, but it's better if the photo is taken in a :travel
photography: style. With ust a little e!tra planning when
setting up such landscape photo trips can be used to
create some stock images.
"ravel
This is a popular one with the beginning microstock
contributor, everyone takes holiday snaps. To sell well
the photo must not ust depict a location but capture
some essence of what it's like to be there. 'Lovers in
Aaris', 'Snorkelling on the Iarrier ?eef', 'Snowboarding in
the 6lps'. Simple travel photos are usually more than ust
landscapes, landmarks and cityscapes. There are good
sales to be had from simple shots of an iconic landmark
subect despite the amount that these have already been
captured, this is often e!actly the 'clichS' that some
buyers have in mind8 that said there are lots of buyers
looking for a different aspect on a well0known subect.
?emember that there are landmarks local to you, you don't have to travel to e!otic locations, document what you see
near where you live.
)ore tips for the hobbyistKopportunistic microstock traveller
21
3ine %rt Photography
"t depends very much on the subect, be thinking 'movement in blurred car headlights' than a 'stormy seascape that
looks like )ark ?othko painting'. There are surprising sellers in this area. 6s well as things like fractals and =O
backgrounds, you can sell te!tures like the ubiquitous 'brick wall' and 'rounded pebbles'8 these are easy to take and
can sell reasonably well if not already covered (y someone else. ,utdoor details like breaking waves on a beach
can also create useful 'backgrounds' for a designer to use. )icrostock is ideal for buyers in the market for a cheap
background pattern, te!ture or shapes to use as design elements.
Try to stay away from the photography night school clichSs of sunsets and abstract blurred fairy lights. While these
are fun to take and somewhat sickening to see on0line with a lot of earned downloads, someone invariably got there
first with a lot of these subects. They are however a great learning e!perience in technical photography, composition
and selecting the best images to sell for the beginning stock photographer. Such subects should be shot if you
'happen across them', keywords and descriptions can be used to differentiate your photos especially with abstract
topics like 'future'. =learly that's not a way to make a business but for the microstock hobbyist these subects are fine,
and perhaps more importantly, enoyableL
While you can imagine using your photo of some storm clouds for the masthead of some design, look at it from a
different perspective. There is nothing to stop a designer, for the same price, downloading a great looking location
shot that includes a stormy sky and cutting and pasting from that. 7rom the agencies point of view why clog up the
server with yet another photo of 'ust a stormy sky' when they have already accepted one that also depicts a stormy
landscape location people might want to use in its own right;
Try searching for 'storm clouds' at one of the big agencies, you will see you have some competition to deal withL
#llustration :1ectors;
"f you can draw then consider creating a few illustrations to sell as stock. This is not a subect " can impart a great
deal of knowledge on as " have little e!perience, apart from a few surprise sales from a non0vector illustration " put
together in Ahotoshop in five minutes. The only thing " can say is that there is the potential for illustrations to sell very
well due to being fresh, stylish and usable where photos are not suitable8 but also loo! very dated a few years
down the line. Stock sites are currently full of GA style icon sets and web elements, a couple of years back it was all
,SG style icons with reflections. True that ageing is the same for some types of photos where hair styles or
technology goes out of date, but every time " think of illustrations at the moment with those floral leaf patterns " then
imagine how that will look ten years down the line, will " have the same feeling about those as the now dated looking
airbrush or pastel business characters in triangular suits that were everywhere less than ten years ago;
22
2ver'*here " 'ears ago - 3o*here 3o*.
"cons and sets of web navigation buttons also seem to have high download rates, but their creation is obviously quite
time consuming compared to a photo, of course vector illustrations command a higher payout when downloaded as
the original vector file.
+0 )endered #mages
6re these a stock image fad that will go out of fashion; "f you have the skills with %> software then do it, no problems
with being reected for noise or compression artefacts. " have noticed that "'m seeing a few less silver or gold %> stick
figures with big heads gracing shareholder reports and corporate newsletters, so the boat might have already sailed;
There are plenty of microstock portfolios full of thousands of rendered images like this so it's clearly something worth
investigating if you are talented in %> modelling.
Help from the %gencies
&ere are a few links to pages where microstock agencies have listed images in demand or images that sell well,
almost all the agencies have some photographer guides like this listed somewhere on their site<
Shutterstock Top .$$ 1in the members area2
Take a look at the Shutterstock top images, you'll see that yes, flowers are there, despite being told 'no more flowers
please' they still sell the best, because of the popularity of them as a photography subect the quality of the photos
need to be nothing less than stunning.
6lso keep an eye on Shutterstocks top search's of the last month and week to keep up with current trends, at time of
writing " noticed a lot of Spanish keywords are cropping up in the top searches. " guess these are translated from the
5nglish ones and you can go to Shutterstock.es to see what they show up 0 it might be an anomaly but " think more
likely it's an indication that a serious number of downloads are being made from shutterstocks foreign language sites.
iStockphoto Training )anual< -eeded 7iles
=restock< Top .$ best Sellers, and their .$ worst submissions 1bi+arreL2
Iigstockphoto < photos we need most
23
)ake what you will of these stats from panthermedia 1and e!plain them to me if you know what they meanL2
Summary
Ieginners to microstock are the ones who take and upload the simple photos that make other photographers say
:wow, that sky with fluffy clouds has been downloaded %'$$ timesL:8 and while that is a way to make money at
microstock it is very hit and miss8 you can get lucky, very lucky, but for a more consistent income you need to
concentrate on at least some amount of review what is selling has sold or is re?uested and then fill the
demand.
There seems to be no penalty for being 'obvious' with subects and concepts in micro. "t looks to me that while the big
agencies seem to be also accepting more 'grungy and edgy' images 1perhaps a sign of saturation in some subects2 it
appears that the 'inoffensive' simple photos are the ones that sell in volume 0 given that microstock is about quick and
easy solutions to image needs this makes sense, 'non0professional buyers' will opt for a safe choice when buying.
7inally a link to our post about picniche, a keyword evaluation tool which compares search popularity with the number
of images online8 this helps to evaluate potential sales of a concept shoot you might be considering.
)elated Posts9
)icrostock style compared with traditional stock photography
Exotic Photo Locations9 *our 4ac!yard
,ne mistake that beginning photographers often make is they feel they have to travel to e!otic locations
to take good pictures. Wrong. )ost of the stock photos " take are done either at home, or within in a few
miles of where " live. )any of them are done in 'down time' when "'m waiting for e!ample a bus, an
appointment or meeting a friend.
Shoot 8here you Live
>on't lose sight of the fact that your local town is an interesting and remote location to someone at the other side of
the world. Iecause " live in 6ustralia " see small 6merican towns as fascinating places full of interesting signs and
shutter board buildings 0 full of photographic opportunities8 yet # find it easy to overloo! photo opportunities in my
own town (ecause # see them every day. Eou might think that you live in an ugly industrial town or a quiet village
with no interest whatsoever but you are probably losing sight of some great photo opportunities.
24
"f you thinking about photographing locally try to shoot in both a documentaryKeditorial way and also a stock photo
style. 6 documentary style would include something like the local fire station with a sign 1identifying it as your local
station2, where as a stock style photo would depict ust the fire engine coming out of the station with lights on 1such a
shot could be taken anywhere2 Ioth photos serve different purposes, but one is likely to be accepted and sell better
as microstock.
Some local features such as landmark monuments and street scenes or festivals with people can only be sold
editorial photos and not as standard microstock 1royalty free2. Several microstock agencies allow the sales of editorial
photos and there is a large market looking for such images. Must because people are present and you can't get them
all to sign a model release should not stop you taking a photo8 it will still have a market somewhere.
"t doesn't take long to think of a list of local photo subects<
Local Landmarks< monuments, parks, churches and towers
Signs< )ain street signs and entrance to town 'population signs'
"nfrastructure< hospital, police station, fire station, schools and colleges
Aublic services< town hall, community centre or community hall
?iver or lake scenes,
Local industry, factories, and shops
)arkets and annual fairs and festivals.
Speciality local food and produce
Local farming, forestry or wine making etc.
%im to shoot the most famous and recognisa(le locations in the local area first, these are likely to be the best
selling images 0 in some cases it's a sign at the entrance to town. ,ther more obscure locations have a limited more
specialist market.
Local history, memorials, birth places and graves8 even if the person was only a relatively small historical figure
someone somewhere will be looking for a photo to illustrate an article about them at some point in time.
Seasonal =hanges8 don't forget to shoot iconic local images in autumn, spring, summer and in the snow. 6lso think
about capturing mist, fog or storms. Someone will need to illustrate an article about 'a wet weekend in Springfield' but
many stock images tend to be 'pretty summer days'.
25
>on't become obsessed or burdened by taking perfect photos of ever'thing in your local town, this article is a
reminder not to overlook that they are there. Eou can shoot local pictures any time you have some spare time or a
few minutes on the way somewhere. ,ften such photos local come out of good luck when you are passing by
somewhere and see that the light is good.
*our Local #mage Collection
6 lot of the ideas that "'ve suggested here are similar to those you might shoot as a travel photographer. Iuilding a
good portfolio of local images is something that all photographers do. Local photos can provide a great source of
income through sales of prints to local people and publications. 7ramed local photos make great gifts for friends
especially if you know that a certain place has a special meaning to them8 and such photos may open up a
networking or sales opportunity with anyone who might see them. 1Oetting your work seen is important if you want to
do more than ust microstock2
"f you tell anyone in your community you are a photographer they will e!pect to see images of their hometown which
will make them say 'wow' 0 it's because their hometown is special to them.
"ripods are your 3riends
4eginners Purchase B.
@ntil you migrate to using e!pensive strobe lights, a tripod is, to be
honest, a must have for any stock photographer. 6n absolute must
have, perhaps only rivalled by a good camera bag if you do lots of
travelling work outdoors. #f you already have a tripod see (elow
for some (eginners tripod ideas and tips.
7or a beginner it's tempting to use 'night shot mode' or make
theI-O more sensitive, don't. The image produced will be noisy or
distorted with artefacts and not accepted on a microstock site. To
make things worse microstock agencies reect images with even
the slightest blur caused by movement of the camera on a long
e!posure.
7i! your "S, at its lowest setting 1typically */ or .$$2 and leave it
there whenever you are taking photos you want to sell as stock.
Without going into blinding detail 1you can read about e!posure
times on any photography tips website2 your e!posure speed
should be at least #Klens length. 1e.g. for a ($mm lens then that's
#K($ R $.$/ R a #(th of a second2 for a +oom lens at %$$mm,
that's #K%$$ R a .($th of a second2. "f not then you need the tripod
to keep the camera steady or the image will blur. >epending on
your camera it might have a built in shake warning when operated in 'program mode'8 more processional cameras do
not include such a warning by default.
"'m not going to spend ages talking about buying the best tripod and features that tripods have. "f you don't have one
already then go and (uy the cheapest one you can find that's what " did all those years back. @se it and learn all
the things you don't like about it. Eou will likely love the fact its light weight 1cheap flimsy tripods often are2 and hate
the way in which you have to un0clip and clip all the legs each time you use it, and after attaching the camera to the
26
top and adusting it you will see why people pay for e!pensive ball heads. Iuy an upgrade when you can afford one
and feel the need, perhaps make it the first thing you buy with your microstock earnings. Eou will still find that old
tripod useful, you can buy adaptors to allow you to fi! hotshoe flashgun to a camera mounting and convert it into a
useful light stand for an e!ternal flash.
"ripod )e?uired
Taking macro images it's a must, the slightest movement of the camera taking a close up and it will blur.
5ven the movement of the mirror on a /-1R can blur macro or long lens 1+oom2 images.

Taking images indoors with a reasonable depth of field. Table top photos are the bread and butter of stock
photography, even if you can hold that camera still you will soon have a sore back without a tripod.

"mages at night, and more importantly those oh0so0popular cityscapes after sunset where the sky is still an
attractive deep blue or maroon.

Long e!posures, tripods open up so many more creative possibilities of blurring moving subects like cars,
people in the street, waterfalls, waves, etc. while keeping the background nice and crisp.

Landscape and scenic images need a deep depth of field and hence a narrower aperture, adding filters
further reduces the light making a hand held photo impossible.

)ultiple e!posure images. Eou need to keep the camera still if you want to take double or multiple e!posure
effects. 5ven if you merge the images in photoshop afterwards, it's much easier if the original images are perfectly
aligned. 5!amples include group portraits where you can remove people who were blinking in different e!posures
and sporting subects with multiple images of an athlete moving across same picture.

Aanoramic photos from multiple images, photoshop can make a pretty good attempt at stitching photos shot
hand held, but for best results use a tripod with a spirit level to make sure you panorama has a level hori+on and can
be easily stitched into one photo.

"ips9
@se the self0timer on the camera so that you are not touching the tripod when the shutter opens, even better is to get
a remote release cable that plugs into your camera, or use a remote control if your camera has one. With a >SL? if
27
you can use a 'mirror lock0up' mode at the same time then do so, the movement of the mirror moving inside the
camera can vibrate the camera and give a very slight blur to the image.
Arop your tripod against a solid obect like a table or fence for even more stability 1it's like adding a /th leg to the
tripod2. 6 cheap or lightweight tripod can move around in strong wind. 6 sheltered location can help or hanging your
bag or some weights from the middle of the tripod 1some tripods have a hook on the bottom for this2
"f you are shooting very long e!posures then try not to move around the tripod during the e!posure unless it is on a
very solid surface. Tiny movements can be transmitted through the ground 1this often happens inside a house with
'springy floorboards', where moving in one part of the room moves the floor boards in another part2 the effects of tiny
movements are magnified when you use a longer 1+oom2 lens.
Editing 2icrostoc! Photos for /pload
Iack in #$$(0* during the reign of the :(icrostock )om: "
read words to the effect :" get everything right in camera so
that " ust shoot, keyword and upload, " don't need
Ahotoshop and " ust can't afford the time needed to edit the
images:.
Then more microstockers bought cameras which took ?6W
images, the competition got much stiffer and so today to get
any images accepted you can (e fairly sure that some
post processing is needed.
Eou don't need photoshop if you are ust starting out, there
are other cheaper image editing and raw processing tools
available, you might first look at the raw processor that came
with your camera. "f you shoot peg 1seriously consider
shooting in camera raw2 always keep a copy of the original
file if you do any editing. "f you are ust a microstock newbie then editing images will be a somewhat time consuming
and tedious task at first, there is a lot of learning to do, keyboard short0cuts etc, but "'ve written before that microstock
is a great way to learn and skills like image editing are something you can take away and use for personal photos or
any other photography related task outside of stock photography 0 even if you decide that this industry is not for you.
"'ve not covered the basics here of how " actually do the processing, ust what " do, there are plenty of 'learn
Ahotoshop sites' you can go away and read.
@nderstanding that everyone's workflow is different, as is their image style here's what " do with an image once "'ve
selected it as a candidate for upload. 7or me, some of this processing is done first in camera raw then fine0tuned as
needed in Ahotoshop<
Spotting and Cleaning
Stock "mages should be spotless, any little distracting flaws should be cloned out. To the beginner this seems like it's
taking things too far 1especially when you are using a blower brush to clean table top subects before you shoot
themL2. ,nce integrated into 'something you do' each time you open an image it typically take less than a few minutes
with the clone stamp or the spot healing brush tool to get rid of sensor dust 1time to clean your sensor2, specs on the
background or dust on the subect that was not removed before the photo was taken. "t should only take a little longer
to remove any things like logos or license plates that could not be covered up at time of shooting.
28
Straighten "hings /p
"n an ideal world you took it straight to begin with and your lenses make everything look perfectly square and true, if
not then remove lens distortions 1if they are noticeable2 make hori+ons straight 1unless they are intentionally well off
level2 and correct any perspective distortions if you feel the image would benefit 1we can't all afford tilt shift lensesL2.
4oost Colour and Contrast
Oetting the lighting right and perhaps using a polari+er if
shooting outside should mean that there is only fine turning
of e!posure and contrast needed. Olossy colourful images
seem to sell better so " have to put my personal tastes to
one side and turn up the colour :as much as " can get away
with:. Ie careful doing that as it can lead to the image
breaking up in bright saturated areas, this and any other
pro(lems should (e fairly o(vious when you chec! over
the image at .,,C Doom before saving it.
#solations and Clipping Paths
,ptional, and dependant on the subect, " can't find any evidence that a clipping path increases sales. " did add
clipping paths to most of my isolated on white or black subects for about a year, didn't see anything obvious when it
came to increased sales. "f you do include a clipping path you might also need to include 'isolated' or 'clipping path' in
the keywords. Some agencies strip out clipping paths from images as they are resi+ed before sale. =lipping path or
not you should make sure that any obects 'cut out' on white or black are cleanly isolated by using a levels adustment
1slide the black slider almost all the way to the right2.
Colour 3ringing and Specular Highlights
Subects with bright highlights or high contrast edges, especially at the edges of the frame 1and depending on your
lens2 can create ugly fringes of colour 1chromatic aberration2 that need attending with the sponge tool. >igital
cameras can also generate ugly artefacts on brightKburnt out spots these can be discretely smoothed away with the
blur tool reducing your chances of :compression K artefacts: reections.
"hings # 0on't 0o
Sharpening, other than what camera raw does 0 " very rarely do any
sharpening.

3oise ?eduction, " shoot at "S, .$$ ,nly, )ore on noise reduction
and artefacts from post processing.

=ropping, usually not, but it's sometimes a side effect of straightening
and image or getting those parallel lines all... parallelL 0 again this should be a
'get it right in camera' adustment

"ime is 2oney
" evaluate on the fly how much time " will spend on each image, but it's rarely
more than .$ minutes, in fact .$ minutes is probably the amount of time "'d
e!pect to spend on editing and keywording. Some images ust don't turn out
29
how you planned, and if possible it's best to go back and re0shoot unless a paid model was involved etc. Sometimes
you can rescue an image by processing it, but it's getting ever harder to get those images past the image inspectors
and their pi!el peeping scrutiny. ,ccasionally if an image is worth trying to rescue then " will but do it too often and
you risk damaging your acceptance or approval rate.
The time you spend depends on what you shoot, if you do a lot of isolated subects you might spend longer, as you
will if you create conceptual images stripping together several different photos, changing background or replacing a
cloudless sky with a few clouds etc.
Photographer application process - =etting a good
start in microstoc!
The bar is continually rising, it's getter ever harder
to be accepted as a photographer by thetop
microstock agencies.
Signing up to sell microstock is free, but that does not
mean everyone can do it. )ost agencies vet their
photographers before they are allowed to upload in
earnest. )ost sites make you submit some sample
images andKor pass a multiple choice test on their site.
Completing your 2icrostoc!
Profile
,ne of the first steps to a successful application is completing your profile at each agency you apply for. "'m not
saying that all agencies take this into account when accepting a photographer, some might not even look at it. % laDy
incomplete profile with missing or incorrect contact details will not exactly scream 7# have high standards7.
Eou should be prepared to complete as much of the information as you can, your equipment, and include a creative
statement about your photography and whyKhow you do it. Eou can include a self portrait 1or avatar2 and in some
cases link to a gallery website with more of your work if you have one. This all helps enhance your online presence.
6lthough most people start in microstock as amateur photographers, all of this information makes you come across
as a little more professional in your outlook.
Passing the Photographer "est
The test should be fairly easy to complete if you have read up on each sites photographer guide. )ost of the
question's in these tests are common beginners pitfalls. Euestions can (e easily answered if you ta!e the time to
read the photographer hand (oo! or standards guide at each site. 6t some agencies if you answer incorrectly, the
site displays the correction and you move onto the ne!t step. The test is a learning process for you and a way for the
agency to weed out people who don't really understand what stock photography is about. There are usually some
questions on "ntellectual property issues 1trademarks and logos etc.2, )odel releases, and some obvious questions
like :>o you think it's okay to find someone else's photo on the "nternet and upload it for sale;: 1" hope you already
know the answer to that oneL2
Sample Stoc! Photos
30
6 new agency may also ask you to submit some sample images. These may be more critically vetted on technical
correctness, but should also be useful as stock photos. Stick with conventional, 'typical stock images' and don't
submit anything that's too outlandish. " have always submitted a selection of images that in some respects looks
almost like 'stock clichSs' but these seem to go down well for evaluation. "he times # thought that an agency was
loo!ing for 'edgy and trendy' and # su(mitted my grungy and artistic photos # had my fingers (urnt. Eou
should check every image thoroughly before you upload it, and in the case of your sample images make double even
triple sure that they are perfect. "f there is anything that you don't quite like about the photo, something that you would
change then that's not the photo you should be using as a sample.
=hoose between ( and .$ 1this varies by agency2 of your very best images. 5ach should be of a different subect, "f
you can show each different style of photography you have mastered 1night time, portraitKpeople, scenicKlandscape
and tabletopKstill0lifeKstudio2 then that is also a bonus. The samples must be perfectly focused and e!posed, and here
again be conventional 0 a wide depth0of0field with some highlights and shadows is better than high key and narrow
depth effect.
6void including images of<
7amily pets K cats and dogs
Sunsets, especially where the sunset is the only subect
)ore than . landscapeKscenic image
)otion blurred images no matter how interesting they look
6bstract light effects and blurs unless they also serve a concept
"f a site does not request sample images, then upload your selection of samples 1( to .$ images2 as the first batch of
photos you submit. ,nly one chance to make a first impression, and at some sites if you fail they make you wait for
several weeks or monthsL
)ore reading< What kind of images do microstock agencies sell the most
31
-tock -amples0 3ine of m' sample images I choose from to submit *ith m' applications.
Fote9 "t was difficult to decide if " should show the above samples, " don't want to let these images affect anyone's
choice of samples or use them to decide if their own work is good enough. They are presented here in the spirit of
openness that microstockinsider embodies. 5veryone's photography is different. " should also point out that these
photos were acceptable in #$$( and onwards by what are now the top microstock agencies, and more recently by
some of the newer sites. These images might not be acceptable now as standards are constantly rising at the top
agencies.
8hat if # fail?
&opefully the feedback will be good and you understand where you went wrong. "t's annoying if they say :not quite
what we're looking for at present time:. "f you are reected "'d suggest further reading in ( common reasons for
reection, that post is aimed at photographers already accepted but the process and reasons for failure are often
similar, we have written a few suggestions on how to deal with each scenario.
Eou could try a few of the smaller start up agencies and see if you can sharpen your teeth there. We have reviewed a
lot of sites for microstockinsider, there are limited earnings to be made on the sites lower down in our top ten, these
are by no means 'easy options'. Eour eventual goal should really be to have your images accepted at each of the top
( agencies.
32
#mage /sage Licenses Explained
"f you thought that all the different image license models 1R), rights managed etc.2 were confusing as a photographer,
spare a thought for the poor designer who has to find images suitable for their needs with a license fle!ible enough to
allow the images to be used in their application.
"t sounds simple at first, and as a photographer " rarely take much notice of e!tended licenses et al, but recently "
received a message from a designer who, and " think quite rightly, pointed out that license terms are often as
confusing as hellL &aving asked a fellow designer for advice he was asked 'did you read the license agreement
that came with Microsoft Windows'. "t makes an interesting point. Eou probably don't read software licenses, but if
you are using photos for a design and there is the possibility that someone might sue you if you get it wrong, then you
might sit up and pay some more attention.
Photographers complain (itterly a(out images (eing misused or
stolen (ut ?uite happily distri(ute them on a site that they
have not read the end-user usage terms or even used the
interface that end-user sees.
Complicated for 4eginners
"t's easy for me to sit here and say that stock
photos are to be used in designs, and not
resold or sub licensed8 and then contradict
myself by saying if you want to 'resell' them on
a printed product 1postcard etc.2 then you need
to buy an 'e!tended
license'. Microstock opened up a whole
market of image users who are 'casual' non-
professional designers, often not aware of
the details of different license types or
technicalities such as model releases.
" know it from my e!perience, " can say a
postcard is something that is designed and
resold though retail, and that if you find a stock
photo and use it in a design for a direct mailing
33
then despite that fact that you might have designed your advertising material as 'postcard' it does not need to be
licensed like something that would be resold in the shops.
Terms often stipulate that stock photos cannot be used in 'galleries' or 'upload to websites', but there are plenty of
stock photos on the web, and used in things like shopping sites to illustrate generic products. The image gallery in a
shopping cart a perfectly acceptable use for a stock photo, but uploading a full si+ed stock image to a photo gallery
somewhere online is definitely not. Where is the line drawn; neither of the images have been uploaded with the
intention or resale, or intentionally allowing downloads8 but one is legal and one is illegal.
There is no real substitute for reading and understanding the license on a site you are buyingKdownloading images
from, here " offer a little guidance on terms for newbies<
Editorial License
,ften used for images without a model or property release. Such images can be used in 'newspaper' like uses. 1news
websites, maga+ines, guide books, ournals, encyclopaedias etc.2 -ot suitable for any form of advertising. 5ditorial
images are often those of celebrities or images which feature company logos or identities. 1)icrostock agencies
which allow editorial images2
Standard License :Creative License;
The default for microstock. =an be used in advertisements including online websites and printed materials, often with
some caveats on certain subects. 1there are difficult areas using images around 'negative' medical and social issues
etc.2
Extended License :Sometimes called 'Commercial';
6llows photos to be used in things like gift products 1t0shirts2 posters, postcards etc. items which are resold. 6 limit is
often applied on how many products can be produced.
2ulti-Seat :Corporate;
This is a licensing option usually applied to image subscription services that allows either multiple users to login or
legally allows more than one individual at a company to use downloaded images.
7or the most part you don't need to worry about this as a photographer unless you want to restrict the ways in which
your images can be sold 1e!tended licenses often attract a higher royalty2. )icrostock sites often allow opt in for
e!tended licenses allowing sales for both standard and e!tended as needed by the user. 6 few allow to you offer
editorial images if you have no model release but sales are often less for such images. "t's wise to understand your
customer and know how to help them through what can 1fortunately rarely2 become a minefield.
2icrostoc! )oyalties and Commissions - 8here
does the 2oney go?
34
&ow does the money a buyer spends on an image get divided
between the photographer, the agency and any middle men; The
answer is reasonably straight forward8 it's ust sometimes not all
that transparent...
7irst, an e!planation of some terminology...
)oyalty 0 The payment a photographer 1illustrator etc.2 receives when an
image is sold.
Commission 0 The money that an agency takes from the sale for
conducting the transaction and to cover costs, commissions are also
paid to resellers 1s'ndication2 and affiliates who find buyers.
1Traditional 4 macrostock agencies often listed their commission rates
rather than ro'alt' rates i.e. the amount the' kept for acting as a broker2
Eou'll often read royalties referred to as commissions, "'m not e!actly
sure how this came to be, it's certainly caused confusion, and a quick
look around the maor microstock sites at the moment reveals phrases like 'earnings' 'and payout rates' being used to
clarify the situation 0 it doesn't help that we working in an industry that's founded on amateur photographers and in
one that is paying us 'royalties' for our 'royalty free stock' 1of course that's royalty0free for the buyer2.
The difference between commissions and royalties can also have important ta! implications, as a contributor taking
part in a referral program you might find yourself earning commissions for your referrals and royalties on your image
downloads.
How is the )oyalty Ca!e Sliced?
There are three main e!penses to consider when looking
at different services that offer digital downloads and how
revenue is split<
)oney needed to run the service and perform
financial transactions

)arketing and Aromotion =osts

?oyalty for the =ontent =reators

5ach of these e!penses has a matching overhead and
profit margin. 5.g. "t might cost you . dollar to create a
photo, but to stay in business you need to charge 9#
when you sell it to pay for your ne!t camera, put a roof
over your head etc. and turn a profit.
)eselling :Syndication; > )eferral Sales
35
These sales have different e!penses for the agencies, as a %rd party found the buyer then the direct marketing costs
are +ero 1branding e!cluded2 and for the case of a reseller there is no need to run a website or customer support.
These sales do however generate an additional cost of referral and reseller commissions.
7or reselling there's another can0of0worms to open... some agencies pay a higher rate for reseller sales 1you might
not actually earn more per sale2 as the agency itself earns less per sale 0 the reseller keeps their chunk of
commission. ?eseller sales are different to referral sales, for referred 1affiliate2 sales the agency still has to provide
customer support, payment processing, site access to download again etc., the reseller handles this for syndicated
sales.
So, broadly speaking there are three different types of microstock buyer that earn the agencies different revenues
and have different e!penses<0
Expenses \ Buyer Type Direct Purchase Referred Buyers Reseller
Search API Yes Yes Yes
Hosting and Bandwidth Yes Yes Yes
Contriutor !anage"ent Yes Yes Yes
#"age Re$iew Yes Yes Yes
Contriutor Royalty Yes Yes Yes
%esite &ront'end Yes Yes (o
Custo"er Support Yes Yes (o
Pay"ent Processing Yes Yes (o
!ar)eting and PR Yes (o (o
*rd Party Co""issions (o Yes Yes
,n top of this the agencies all have additional overheads as all companies do in finance, legal, human resources,
management etc.
So How 2uch is Spent on Each?
That's the 9*/,$$$ dollar question. With the e!ception of royalty rates and %rd party commissions the agencies keep
that information quite secret. &owever in going public Shutterstock recently disclosed lots of interesting information in
their "A, documentation. 7rom this we can get a good idea of what a top tier microstock agency spends their revenue
on<
36

=ost of revenue is :royalties paid to contributors, credit card processing fees, image and video review
costs, customer service e!penses, the infrastructure costs related to maintaining our websites and associated
employee compensation, facility costs and other supporting overhead costs: The Shutterstock "A,
documentationprovides full definitions of each segment of the above chart.
How 2icrostoc! Compares to 6ther Similar #ndustries
7or microstock the maority of the money is kept by the agency. There are
various reasons for this, principally the fact that when sales are small then
overheads from the sale start to become comparatively large. 6s you
already know you need to sell a lot of low cost photos to pay for the cost of
creating them.

8hat a(out other virtual goods li!e i"unes and apps?
)icrostock seems to compare favorably. ,n iTunes 'artists' earn as little as
4 cents on sales of 9..#4. That's the money the artist earns after the record
company has taken their 1si+able2 bite out of the H$c that apple gives them.
1These figures apply to the @.S. only2. "ndependent artists do get to keep
the whole H$c but are often charged for 'hosting' 'setup costs' annual fees
etc. Eou can see what a large chunk is taken by transaction costs 1apple2 marketing costs 1record label2. # have read
that an artist can earn up to G,C of the record company share 7once the record company has recouped
costs7. This level of revenue split is not something new, before digital downloads the recording artist would earn only
a small fraction of the sale price of a record.

7or the 6pps store 6pple take a %$3 commission, leaving H$3 to the
application publishers. Software publishers must pay for access to the
software development tools 194409#44 per year2. This pricing makes it
similar to the iTunes e!ample above e!cluding the marketing done by the
record company 1i.e. independent artist2. The >eveloper takes the H$3 but
must do all the marketing needed to make their application work and they
are the front line for customer support. 6s we saw in the Shutterstock
e!ample above marketing was almost %$3 of revenue. The android
marketplace has the same H$3 split for the developer.
37
4ut %lamy Can Pay H,C :I,C Commission; on Photos?
They do for their standard priced images, but it's a ($0($ split for their
'novel use' images which " think is a better comparison to microstock8 and
*$3 commission is taken for syndicated 1partner2 sales. So far, 6lamys
primary business has not been a 'microstock' style marketplace. 6lamy
also have a track record of changing their commission structure as their
business changes, as " think any business should 0 it's not ust the
microstock agencies that are forced to change commission structures. "
don't think it's all that fair to make a direct comparison to microstock with
6lamy.
" don't know the full internal workings of micro or macro stock agencies, but
" think it's reasonable to say that where 6lamy might be able to afford to
purchase an advertisement in a maga+ine after making a handful of sales,
a microstock would probably have to sell well over .$$$ images to be able
to afford the same advertising outlay, the cost of getting .$$$ customers is a lot higher than getting one
customer. #I5ve ignored the fact that because prices are lo*er then bu'ers ma' purchase multiple microstock images6
also ignored is the fact that the cost of acquiring a macrostock bu'er might be significantl' higher than that of a
microstock bu'er.$
Spend 9( via Aaypal or a credit card and about .$3 of the payment is swallowed in payment processing, spend
several hundred dollars and that payment fee shrinks to a few per cent. This is why agencies offer discounts for credit
purchases. ,n a microstock site a small overhead like five minutes spent replying to an email, a few minutes of time
for "T support staff on a server problem can easily write off any revenue from an image sale.
History's Evidence
=lustershot were a fine e!ample of a company that entered the market to perform transactions but not promote
photographer's work. Their commission was ust .#3, leaving ''3 for the photographer 1who also paid the Aaypal
processing fees2 0 let's call this .(3. 6t this level they 'broke even' and by breaking even " mean, they went out of
(usiness. :Ireaking even: means no moneyKtimeKincentive to invest in the service. "t would seem that .(3 is not
enough money to process download transactions and payments.
6lamy discontinued their 6lamy ?ed =ommission system that took #$3 commission, but also incurred a 9#
submission price and a monthly hosting fee.
($3 royalty may seem attractive but " feel the evidence is clear that microstock agencies who do offer a flat royalty of
($3 have broadly speaking stagnated. " suspect due to the agency not having resources to invest in growth. "n fact
looking at our royalty rate comparison all the top selling agencies 1and my top earning agencies2 are offering much
less than ($3. That table is ordered 0 somewhat roughly in order of earnings for each of those sites, and broadly
speaking it correlates well with increasing royalty rate 0 put in other words< a high royalty rate is no good
whatsoever to the contri(utor, you are better off selling at an agency with a low royalty rate who are capable of
selling more volume 1and indeed do ust thatL2.
"t is common for start0up agencies to offer a larger royalty to attract sellers, wise business model or not, "t's definitely
not a signal to be read as :they can do it so why can't everyone:. 6t a bare minimum agencies need to be
sustainable, but they also need to be much more than that, they need to be profitable to self0invest 1bootstrap if you
like2 to grow their business, or attract venture capital to the same end.
38
#t seems that a(out +,C is a fairly standard commission to ta!e for hosting processing download and
collecting the revenue from a virtual goods transaction. Eou could argue that there are some other e!penses of
hosting images, search might be slightly more comple!.
Su(sidising Higher )ates
Some agencies offer much higher rates for e!clusive
images 1sold for the same price2 andKor higher rates to
high volume sellers. While these sellers may have higher
quality images resulting in a reduced review overhead, it's
fairly obvious from a quick look at agency royalty rates
that those who offer tiering of royalties have much lower
rates for low volume sellers compared to those agencies
that offer a flat rate to all. While tiering offers an incentive
to upload good quality images and generate sales the
lower tiers are penalised by subsidising the increased
royalties of the volume sellers.
8easel 8ords9 "hings to loo! out for when
comparing royalty rates9
"t's easy to assume that if an agency pays #(3 royalty
then when a buyer purchases an image for 9( you will receive 9..#( in royalty payment. Eou might be wrong, read
the terms carefully and you might have left yourself open to receiving #(3 of :actual revenue: :sale income: etc.
Some agencies offer you a fi!ed 9 value for each download or image si+e sold, comparing that to an agency that
offers a 3 rate requires you to fully understand how their purchase system works. >o they offer discounts for bulk
credit purchases and does that 'saving' pass on to you as a seller in the form of a smaller royalty;
Conclusion
7ive years ago typical microstock royalties were %$0($3, since then they have been getting smaller and smaller as
the agencies keep more of the revenue to themselves.
Where has it all gone; )ore of it is being spent on marketing, but " suspect a large chunk of it has gone onto the
balance sheet to make agencies look more attractive to investors8 iStock all but openly announced :we aren't making
enough profit with our business: when they last changed their royalty structure.
While it might seem a good idea to 'vote with your feet' as a content creator and only upload to agencies that take
lower commissions< the 1perhaps sad2 truth is, the agencies that have been successful, like the record companies "'ve
mentioned in this post are the ones that invest the bulk of the revenue back into promotion and marketing.
($3 of a few or no sales is far less desirable than .H3 of do+ens or more sales.
"he "en Commandments of 2icrostoc!
Photography
7irst "'d like to go on record that " &6T5 blog posts about microstock which ust list a few banal and obvious facts of
microstock life :the more images you upload the more you will earn:. :Eou can get more sales if you take better
images: 1with of course no e!planation of what constitutes a better image2. " think "'ll scream if someone else writes
39
:you can earn a good living shooting photos of the crap found at the back of the closet:... think of the career
opportunities that must bringL
Ielow are what " think are the .$ most important rules in microstock today, and unlike the biblical
commandments that were written in stone these rules change as the industry changes 1which it
somewhat annoying keeps doingL2.
.. )esearch it (efore the shoot. Eou have a great idea; Eou think it will sell well; &ave a look
on istock or fotolia to see if it's there already. "f a whole page of people have already beaten you to it then cross it off
your shoot list and do something else. "f there are only a couple of similar images and you can improve on the quality
then have a quick look at the sales levels, did they sell $ times since #$$H; Tools like picniche are there to help so
use them.
#. Shoot it right first time. This means spotless subects and optimal camera settings every time. "t's easy to get
la+y and think :"'ll photoshop it later: that usually ends up taking much longer than getting it right in the first place.
"solating things on white; 0 get a light tent or cyclorama instead of cleaning up every photo you take using makeshift
old bedsheets as a background. -eed more light; then buy more lights and stop struggling with an anglepoise in the
spare bedroom studio 0 that's fine for cutting your teeth and learning technique but not for 'work'. 6 lot of what is
needed for microstock is a routine of doing the same over and over, but that does -,T mean making the same
compromises and work0arounds over and over.
%. 0espite all the other stuff you have to do it's still a(out the photos 0 without good photos you are screwed,
that might sound obvious but it's easy to think that microstock is all about analysis of stats, choosing subects and
good keywording etc. Iack in #$$( it really was possible to use research and technical skills to earn from microstock
with quite 'ordinary images' like cloudy skies because nobody else was doing it. While 'ordinary images' are still fine,
to really make it you need a strong portfolio. That might mean either superb generic stock images or a tight
specialism and some targeted marketing. The great thing is that microstock will 'grow' as you learn so long as you get
over those initial frustrations, you can earn at any level. What you can't earn from is ust uploading a few random
photos from your hard drive and waiting for some money to come in. "t's hard at first to see it, but with some
e!perience you will spot the difference between a great stock photo and one that will only make a pretty desktop
background.
/. 6rganiDe li!e you have 6C0 0 something that
comes easily to a lot of photographers 1"'d love to know
the stats of how many obsessive compulsives own vast
amounts of photography equipment all sealed away in
alphabetised pelicases... Ie ust as picky about your
work environment as the subtle details in your images
and their composition. Saving a minute here and there
over and over again soon ads up, and wasting that time
is so easy to do without noticing. This goes for investing
40
in computer equipment too, if it's older than two years then there is probably something a lot faster available. Sitting
and waiting more than a second or two for things to open and save is not necessary, and allows your mind to wander
onto distractions.
(. )espect thine agencies. "t's unwise and more importantly somewhat fruitless to spend time on message boards
writing negative comments about an agency you use. >on't bite the hand that feeds. )aking well thought criticisms is
another matter, as is trying to get answers from a support department if something is wrong. "n ' years of microstock
there is only one agency " have had to ask for help from support 0 and that agency is one that seems to have gone
down the pan 0 hence the payment problem " had. "t's probably more likely that you have not read all the instructions
or misunderstood a procedure. "f it's an image reection you disagree with then ust move on and compare it to the
feedback you got from other sites 0 the time taken to chase image reections from one agency usually does not ustify
the e!pected income, but make your own decisions on that.
*. "hou shalt not covert thy neigh(our's images 0 copying other peoples work is bad for so many reasons, it's
also really un0fulfilling to spend your life trying to be ust like someone else. Eou don't win a race by following
someone else. Worse, it leads to microstock becoming trapped in the same 'rut' that macro once was churning out
the same subects over and over. Iuyers always say they are looking for original and creative content, and while
when push comes to shove they often err on the side of caution buying something quite dull and mainstream, trying
to compete in the most saturated and already fully covered subects is business suicide.
H. 0iversify and even 'da((le' in interesting
creative things 0 but do so intelligently and research
before you start. There is plenty of scope in a
photography career for creativity, somewhere like flickr is
a great place to try something new, find inspiration and
network with other great photographers. @nderstand you
are doing it for either the pleasure, education or money,
or perhaps a bit of all three. Iut< plan to be able to
measure the results by goals, image views, happiness or
some other metric. Without creativity you are left with a
treadmill of creating one drab and un0inspiring stock
image after another, the end of your microstock career
1boredom2 will be ust around the corner.
'. 8rite it down. ?asmus rasmussen has his
moleskine notebooks, " have post0its0o0plenty, a nokia to0
do list, a google doc and folders of paper and electronic
clippings 1sounds messy doesn't it2 keep good notes of your ideas and you will -5B5? have a shortage of things to
shoot and do 0 in fact you might find yourself with a miserably endless list of things to shoot that hang over you like a
storm cloud.
4. "hou shalt use the force Lu!e, umm well, at least 5understand 'our feelings 'ou *ill'. "f you dread doing
something or it feels like a chore those feelings are pointing directly towards a problem that you need to fi!. &ate
keywording; Then there is something wrong with the way you are doing it 1can " hear Ta spoonful of sugar...;2 , or
you need to out0source it8 the same goes to everything else you do. "f you hate doing your accounts or want them
done properly then you would employ a professional accountant, the same is true for microstock. Must because you
can do it yourself does not mean that you must do it yourself.
41
.$. /nderstand "ime is money.
>oing microstock in spare time as
most contributors do it's easy to try
and do it on a shoestring, "'ve written
1ranted2 before on people balking at
the price of the various microstock
services available. "f you really think
that ten minutes of your time spent
mucking about with )TP or some
other process every day is better than
spending a one off 9($ on specialist
software then good luckL " agree time
saving is a fairly nebulous thing to
write and it's clear that nobody wastes
time by choice, but the issue comes
up again and again and spreads like a
virus into every part of running your business either full or part0time. Workflow ideas for saving time.
6nyone think " have missed something important off my list;
"he + 8orst 8ays to /ndersell your Photos
Eou could call this post the three 'best' ways to
undersell your work, either way here are three great
ideas that you >, -,T want to touch with a barge
pole...

.; Photo Competitions that ta!e your rights.
7irst off, it is good to enter competitions if you are starting
out, but take care, while they offer a lot of opportunity for
a beginning photographer to make a name or get
themselves known you should also be reading the
conditions of entry very carefully. 6re they ust taking your
photos and helping themselves to an unlimited license at
the same time; "t's popular to have statements like
:=ompetition winners license their work for promotional
use of the company following the competition: Look at
that statement one way and if you win 1wh0hoooooL
applause2 you will get your name and photo printed in the
company maga+ine or website, look at it a little more
cynically and, if there is no clarification about what the
'winners' are, then the competition organisers can take
free reign over selecting all the professional looking useful
images they like, using where and when they like for time
infinitum. Travel companies are very 'good' at this practice
when it comes to sourcing media for their brochures. To
read more in competition rights then we recommend pro0imaging.org, they have a 'rights on' list of competitions that
fill their 'Iill of ?ights'
42
@; /ploading an exclusive image to a news site <ust for the honnor of getting it in print.
Look at all the news media sites, especially the gutter press, lots of them have :upload your news story: etc. it is
tempting to catch an e!clusive event, celebrity with their pants down etc. and think 'cool " can make a mint selling this
to a newspaper'. "f you are not a professional news photographer you are likely to be in for a disappointment. 5ditors
will take what they can for free from an amateur who is ust looking for a moment of fame, the fame if having your
surname and first initial printed in the local cheap sheet will not gain you sales in your microstock career. if your
image is genuinely newsworthy it then it is worthy of being paid for, and you keeping control of the license is an
important step.
+; =iving images away as pu(lic domain
-ow if you are not going to charge at least make the license an attribution license. There are lot of temptations to give
images away or for a low cost, to help a charity, the church, the local community, and indeed there are cases when
you will end up giving images for free, perhaps in e!change for something like a valuable opportunity to shoot an
event or gain publicity. Whatever the scenario, never make images public domain 1A>2. Eou lose all rights over the
images if they become A> 1"ntroduction to stock image licensing terms2. The creative commons system has simplified
the process of giving an image away for no charge but maintaining your rights as a photographer. Eou could also
come up with you own license also, but the minimum you should be doing where you see fit to be charitable is<
maintain copyright for yourself 1there is rarely an e!ception here2
license only to the recipient or to specified licences 1no sub licensing by them to others2
control the media that the image will be used in if you can, i.e. only on their website or maga+ine
require an attributionKprinted credit in return for the free use license, perhaps this could accept a mention in
a newsletter or website links page etc. in lieu of a direct attribution.
6 quick look at the stats page on s!c.hu reveals that free photos are not ust an internet curiosity, with / million
downloads at time of writing from their top contributor, those high resolution stock images without requirement for an
attribution are clearly earning somebody some money.
#ndepth9 #P"C and EJ#3 data
Some 4ac!ground
IPT
Iack in the H$'s when ties and collars were wide and suits
were brown, images were wired across the world on a
machine that printed a single row of pi!els and a time and
could take %$ minutes to send a photo. To help
newspapers organise images which were being
telephoned in from around the world the "nternational
Aress Telecommunications =ouncil defined a series of
attributes that could be assigned to images.
Leap forward to .44/ and apple worked out a clever way
of embedding that information into peg and tiff files 1to be
specific peg files with embedded e7if data2... back in the
day tiff files were 'T&5' format for e!changing images on
different computers.
Iack to the present day, photoshop and pretty much any other image editing application worth its salt 1along with a
host of utilities designed for editing image attributes2 allows you to add and edit these details in your images.
43
These details are e!tensible 0 meaning that can be used to store pretty much information structure you like.
EJ#3 data
Mapan 5lectronic "ndustries >evelopment 6ssociation 1M5">62 created a :standard: 1it's not actually a standard but it
is one that almost all camera manufactures follow2 to store details about images. This data is more mechanical in
nature than "AT= data, typical data stored includes<
>ate and time information.
=amera settings. aperture, iso speed, focus and metering details etc.
6 thumbnail for previewing the picture without having to read the full image 1have you ever had a corrupted
file that you can preview in the browserKdesktop but can't fully open into photoshop; that's how you can see the
image when the rest of the file has been corrupted
>escriptions and copyright information 1added by the camera manufacturer2 or added later 0 as you see this
overlap with the data you can store as in the "AT= fields.
8hat's J2P
Without going into too much detail, G)A is fle!ible system for encoding "AT= data into various additional image
formats above MA5O and T"77, e.g, O"7, A-O etc. "n the world of microstock it's not really important with all the large
microstock sites using MA5O images, you will ust see that in photoshop you can add your keywords to all sorts of
formats and let photoshop worry about how they are embedded.
8hat does all this technology mean to me?
"his is the good (it9 5ven if you only upload to one stock site embed your keywords, title and description into each
or your images and you will save yourself hours in either pasting or typing keywords into each stock site you upload
onto or in finding images in the future. 6ttaching this metadata to your photos is not ust for microstock but allows you
to catalogue and find your images on your own computer. 1professional photographers already know how important
this is2, meta data stored in image is key to >6) 1digital asset management 0 the art of finding the photo of a needle
that you took amongst the haystack of #$,$$$ other photos on your hard drive2. "f it doesn't sound that important now,
believe me if you are in any way serious about photography get keywording.
G Common )easons for 2icrostoc! )e<ection
"f you compare your photo of :subect G: with
those already online, and the online ones are
significantly better, then even if your photo were
to be accepted it probably would not sell so
well. Iear this in mind when a photo is reected.
#mages are fre?uently re<ected
(y microstock sites1especially if istockphoto were
deleting all the non e!clusive images in the queue so
they could make one if their landmark images be
contributed by a precious e!clusive member2 but
having an image reected should not make you feel
reectedL
44
"he )easons
These are the most popular reection culprits, some of which you can fi! easily<
8hite (alance, "t's to be said " have never had this as a reection problem, " don't know why 1the recent purchase of
a factory calibrated display probably helps2, microstock images tend to be bright and bold anyway, and " ust use auto
white balance or film where " have no choice and that's it. La+y. " did have a series of photos which " had lit with
brightly coloured lights 1the sort of effect that now looks a little dated, " admit 0 photodisc from c..44( " think2 these
were reected as :perhaps use different lighting: lesson learned. =olourbalance K Whitebalance1if you are having a
problem2 should be set in camera with a white or grey card before you start to shoot.
3ocus, and inappropriate depth of field. This one is subective, but the main subect must, must be in the focus +one.
6s a rule use a narrower aperture to keep more of the image in focus, but not shut down all the way as you will lose
sharpness overall with many lenses if you do that. Eou should find out about your lenses or cameras 'sweet spot'
often 7' is a good starting point for an SL? lens. )ore about 7ocus related ?eections and >epth of 7ield
6ver5under exposure 1the bane of my life2, "t can kill off any creativity you might have when it comes to making
moody dark images or bright shiny ones. ,ften microstock reviewers ust won't like them, so " tend to submit a
conventionally e!posed somewhat flat looking image, and if it suits do something creative high key or low key with the
metering and submit a separate shot and let the agency decide the one they like. "ndeed, some will happily reect
both because they are :under or over e!posed: leaving you wondering which it was what.
I!" or #oise or 4lur 0 set your camera on the lowest "S, it has and use a tripod. Simple. Eou could also try
downsi+ing your images before upload, noise is reduced as you reduce the si+e of an image 1but of course you will
no longer be able to sell high resolution versions, which are more valuable2 read more in -oise and 6rtifact image
reection
Composition 0 This is such an abstracted reason for failure, but often the reason is not conventional rule of thirds
composition problems, often something like the fact that there is a distracting background or something cluttering the
photos that is not adding to the 'story'. 6s a typical e!ample, if you were to use your own home as a location, then you
would need to remove all the clutter and day to day obects there, leaving the space open and clean. )odel
microstock office workers are frequently pictured in strangely empty office surroundings, desks without pens,
telephones or desk lamps, walls without pictures etc, or people depicted floating in mid0air on a white backdrop.
8hat else might (e 8rong?
"f you submit work to several sites then it's likely that at least
one of them will provide you with good feedback. >on't worry
too much about reections from sites that describe :reection
might be due to< and then list every possible reason under
the sun: see what the other sites say. "f there is even the
vaguest amount of consistency about it then try to make
corrections based on that. )any of the reasons will be easily
corrected ne!t time, like wrong categories or keywords etc, if
you take due care when submitting you should never get any
reections for these reasons, especially once you have
e!perience and know how to 'play the game'.
45
"f you have a high number of reections for noise and artifcats then check to see if your camera has a dirty sensor.
8hat to 0o...
?eections tend to follow two patterns, consistent 1simple to fi!2 and reections for random or bi+arre reasons 1much
harder to understand2.
" guess " have been in the microstock game for too long, " rarely get images reected for consistent reasons, and
those that do " often suspected will be reected before " start, usually for grain or noise that " was hoping " could 'get
away with'. "f your images have been reected for consistent reasons on all or many sites, review then reasons and
act on them. )any sites suggest courses of action to take, "t should be clear where you are going wrong, the list
above will help with the main reasons beginners face.
)ost of my reections are for seemingly random unfathomable reasons and only from one or two sites, in many cases
it's ust best to accept it and move on.
" have come across my images being 'out of focus' on one site and 'over sharpened on another', go figure; #t usually
means that the image was not all that great in the first place, and the reviewer ust didn't really think it would sell
as microstock so they clicked reect. ,n reflection these images often don't compare so well to those already online
covering a similar subect.
5very photographer will tell you stories about bi+arre laughable reections, " once had a shot of a Benus fly trap,
accepted at 6lamy and every other microstock site but one, their reection reason was that the photo was 'out of
focus' now as it was a fairly narrow depth of field image the foreground out of focus and the background out of focus
with ust the centre where the plant was in focus, it stands to reason that some part of the image 1in this case the
subect2 )@ST be in focus, so, well, laugh at the reviewers stupidity and upload some more.
"'m not suggesting going blindly on here, if you spot a pattern over many images then you can act on it, ust don't lose
sleep over image reections, life it too short.
#ntroduction to Licensing #mages
To those new to photography the terms in the sphere
of licensing images can be a little confusing to say the
least. #t's a common (eginner's mista!e to thin!
that when you sell or upload a stoc! image you are
selling or transferring your copyright.
The first important terms to separate and understand is the
difference between licensing and copyright, which some
people confuse and use interchangeably.
When microstockphotographers talk about 'selling images'
they are actually referring to licensing them. 5ach time an
image is 'downloaded' from a microstock site the person paying for the image is in effect licensing it for use.
46
Copyright is what you automatically get and own forever 1or a long time at very least2 when you create a picture
1unless you sign that right away by working as an employee of a company or sign some other contracted agreement2.
6s a microstock photographer you always retain copyright to your images. Licensing is the way in which you allow
other people to use your work while still keeping control over the copyright yourself. 6s a microstock photographer
you allow the agencies to give out licenses for use of your images in return for them paying you your commissions.
Licensing 2odels
Ielow are the main licensing models you might come across while selling microstock images<
?) 1$ights Managed2 or sometimes called 'royalty paid'
This model is used by the traditional 1non microstock2 stock agencies. 6n image user is required to define how the
image will be used, and pay 'royalties' for each use. e.g. a payment to use the images in .$$$$ copies of a company
brochure. The pricing structure is defined to vary the pricing depending on the visibility of the image. e.g. a small
.K'th page commercial inside a popular maga+ine could still more e!pensive than a full front page of a maga+ine that
only distributes a few thousand copies.
R) 1)oyalty-3ree2
This is the standard microstock license model. "t is also used by the traditional stock photo agencies. 6 user pays a
flat rate to buy the image license and then can use that image in any design and media that they choose 1within some
predefined limits which vary from agency to agency2.
Extended License
-ot really a licensing model, but an e!tension to the standard license terms a microstock site provides 1perhaps you
could call it a rela!ing of the terms2. 6s a photographer you normally have to opt0in to selling e!tended license
images. "f you do it will allow buyers to use your images on things like photo gifts 1t0shirts, or perhaps postcards etc.2
These uses are often prohibited in standard royalty0free use as they are considered to be reselling the images.
Creative Commons 1=reative=ommons.org2
6 non profit organisation who have created a series of popular and simple to understand licensing system types for
any images 1or anything for that matterL2. "n general you would only apply these licenses to images that you want to
give away free of charge as samples etc. "'ve mentioned this here as it is the license system that sites like flickr use.
,ften seen described as 'some rights reserved'
Eou might also come across =PL and other open source licenses 1normally applied to software but can occasionally
be applied to images2 Similar to creative commons, an older system, less fle!ible, " only mention it here so that you
know what it is. "t might need to be applied to your images if you allow them to be used in open source software
1probably not a likely occurrence2.
Pu(lic 0omain. "mages which are in the environment for anyone to do anything with, without any strings attached at
all. The diagram above from the creative commons website is a great e!planation of P/ images, they are at the
47
opposite end of the spectrum from your full copyright 1all rights reserved2 so with A> you have no rights
reserved at all.
)ights 4uyout :Exclusive /se;
6 license where a buyer can purchase e!clusive use of an image for either a limited time of forever. "n either case the
image is immediately removed from sale so it cannot be purchased by other buyers. Some microstock sites provide
this type of facility, but personally " feel that such e!clusivity licenses belong in the world of ?) stock photography.
2ultiple Licenses
There is nothing to stop you distributing your images under
more than one license, but here is where things can start to
get complicated, it's also when you have to be careful if you
want to become an 'exclusive photographer', or provide an
'exclusive image' or sell a 'rights (uyout'. Eou cannot do
any of these on a microstock site if you already have the
same images on sale via one or more other agencies.
There is a simple choice to make, either sell images
e!clusively and provide the option to sell a 'rights buyout' at
ust one agency in return for a larger commission8 or sell images at a verity of different agencies without the option of
offering e!clusivity. The maority of microstock photographers sell the same images via multiple agencies, while still
retaining the option to sell some of their images e!clusively if there is a niche market for that image and buyers willing
to pay highly.
"ips for 2icrostoc! 2acros
-ow this could get confusing 0 with all the talk of micro and macrostock agencies in recent months. "'m talking macro
as in taking close up photos here, ones that are useful and hopefully make good microstock sales, so let's leave
those pretty flower heads well alone...
/se a "ripod 0 Eou already knew that one right; 5!posures are long as you need to stop down more 1not all the way2
to get images sharp when using macro lenses, otherwise the depth of field 1/O)2 will be unreasonably narrow. >o
some test shots with graticule or failing that some te!t on your computer screen to find which is the sharpest aperture
on your lens and camera. "f you stop all the way down to get everything in focus then you run the risk of having
images reected for 'being out of focus' due to overall softness caused by the narrow aperture.
48
"extures 0 animal skins, flooring, brushed metal, brick, natural details all make good subects. 7rom e!perience "
have found this type of image either sells well or not at all, but considering the simplicity of taking such images it's
worth taking them. =oming up with .$ different keywords for such an image can be a bit of a challengeL ,ften the
image is sold by how it looks in the thumbnail when viewed online 0 making sales this type of subect a little hit and
miss.
%void %(stractions, "t's fun and creative 1so it's a good thing if you are getting fed up while out shooting and need to
keep your energy going2, but avoid abstracting a subect so that it's hard to tell what it is. "t will probably not sell all
that well as microstock. "t is best to look for details but keep the whole image in conte!t.
Story "elling ust because it's a macro image doesn't mean that it can't contain a metaphor or tell some sort of story
such as the fuel gauge image below.
3ood 0 "t's very trendy these days to shoot food with a very narrow >,7, but "'d also advise taking an image with the
whole subect in focus at the same time. Some agencies, and some designers will want different things, look after
both tastes, you can shoot, keyword and upload at the same time.
3ocus 0 =an be most difficult on macro images, even with a quality lens and aperture shut tight, all of the image may
not be in sharp focus. 6t narrowest most macro lenses will create all sorts of unusual bokeh patterns and distortions,
not to mention creating an image that is soft overall. )erging two images taken at a sharper aperture with different
focus points might work well for landscapes, but when you focus a macro lens they often change in lens angle, while
tiny, can change the look of the two images a huge amount making merging them difficult or impossible. Sometimes
you ust have to recompose so that the subect is more square0on or the background is different.
4ac!ground 0 if you can't make it cut out of white then at least keep it simple and well lit, a graduated backdrop or
light fall off can often 'make an image' out of something that was dull when lit with a flat light. Eou can try to create a
story with a background, such as out of focus people, beach, trees etc., if you do, work carefully as this will make it a
lot harder to get attractive results out of the composition. 6s an e!ample if " were taking an image such as a mobile
phone or business diary with a city street and business people in the back "'d be looking at taking do+ens and do+ens
of shots. 5ven then perhaps not finding one " liked without some serious Ahotoshop work, such images can easily be
full of distracting elements such as car headlights, shadows, reflections and hotspots.
49
Lighting - )ost of the macro images " take as stock images are done inside, 'table top', where " have full control, if
you don't, and have to shoot outside, then choose either an overcast day 1and longer e!posures2 or a bright sunny
day and use a translucent sheet 1reflector without the cover if you have one2 to diffuse the light. Eou might then be
able to shoot something hand held or moving. 6n off camera flash 1wireless is fine, but your e!isting flashgun with a
hotshoe e!tension wire is all you need2, bouncing the flash or if you do a lot of this then buying a ring flash will also
help considerably.
"n many cases macro0photography is one type of image that 'oe the designer' cannot ust go out and take with his
point and shoot camera. The more comple! or difficult to set up an image is the higher the price you can charge and
perhaps the more microstock sales it is likely to make.
#n Sharp 3ocus 9 )eason for )e<ection
"mages are commonly reected for microstock because they are 'lacking in sharpness overall' or 'could be improved
with better focus'. The reasons can sometimes be baffling even to a relatively e!perienced microstock contributor
especially when the image looks on first inspection sharp. &ere is some help with the usual culprits. 6ssuming that
the subect of the image is sharp when viewed at .$$3 then have a look for the following which might have caused
the reection<
)e<ected9 Soft overall
7%# is nice when it comes to getting everything in 'focus' but it's also great for making things soft overall. "t depends
on the lens, but most lenses are not too crisp when closed or open all the way.
.2 @se a prime lens, fewer lens elements usually make for sharper images than +oom lenses.
50
#2 Stick with a sharper aperture and bring your subects closer to the same plane, having subects spaced far apart
will mean that you have to make your depth of field large using a narrow aperture. "his doesn't mean that you have
to write-off all creativity and !eep everything an e?ual distance from the camera you can create a feeling of
depth even if subects are not too distant from each other using light andKor colour 1or ust different si+ed obects as in
a forced perspective architecture2. Eou will notice that interiors are often shot with lights turned on in 'distant' rooms,
and darker foregrounds, this draws the eye thought the photo creating the feeling of depth even while the actual room
is only a few metres away.
)e<ected9 Su(<ect not in sharp 3ocus
Selective focus 0 keeping part of the photo in focus and throwing the rest of the photo 1a foreground or background2
out of focus. This technique can produce some attractive images, but it's somewhat subective, reviewers will
regularly reect such images, usually because<
.2 Landscapes< selective focus does not work too well with landscape photos especially for documentary style stock.
#2 5yes and nose are not in sharp focus< unless the person is in the background and completely out of focus then the
eyes are critical and must be sharp.
%2 >epth of field is not sufficiently small or is too small. Eou need to make sure that out0of0focus portions are
sufficiently out0of0focus but not too blurred, one e!treme will look like sloppy photography with incorrect choice of
aperture and the other will cause the out of focus elements to be distorted beyond recognition and possibly make the
whole of the image soft if the lens has been fully opened to create the effect.
2otion 4lur or 2irror Sha!e
&aving the camera on a tripod will not make the image sharp if while tripping the shutter you nudge the camera or
worse when the mirror flips up it shakes the camera and subtly blurs the image. >epending on your subect there are
one or more ways around it. #t's o(vious when sha!e has caused noticea(le strea!ing (ut it's not so clear
when vi(rations have <ust caused a su(tle softening of the image - " find that one easy way to tell is to have a
look at distant point sources of light 1night and twilight shots obviously2 to see if they have a... for want of a better
description, 'sperm' shape.
.2 @se a tripod, self timer or remote release cord, 6-> use mirror lock0up mode. ?eleasing the shutter two or so
seconds after the mirror has flipped will stop any mirror shake and the self timer or remote release will make sure that
you don't vibrate the camera yourself.
#2 Oet a faster lens, or use a prime lens, these are faster 1allow more light into the camera2 produce better images
when open to something like 7(.* or wider. This is the reason that sports photographers pay 9.$$$'s to get a #($mm
51
lens with no +oomL Sometimes it's ust not possible to take stock quality images of subects like wildlife without
investing specialist lenses.
"f you do attempt a motion blur effect, make sure the subect is sharp focused and unblurred, and that the background
is 'obviously blurred'. "f the background is ust a little burred then the effect will ust look like bad photography.
Sweet Spots
Eou could get obsessive compulsive about lens specifications, and indeed the sites listed below appear to be written
by such people 1or there is some sort of lens fetish that don't know about2 5ither way each of your lenses will have
apertures and angles 1for +oom lenses2 which produce nice crisp images. 6ften the extremes of Doom and
aperture produce less sharp results than the middle settings. There are a few sites that specialise in lens
reviews and ratings<
-ikon Lens Tests 1Sorry cannon users, ken does review cannon but not in such detail2 Nen ?ockwells 6rchive of
Lens ?eviews 1?ecommendedL2
dpreview.comKlensreviews great lens reviews, unfortunately not all that many lenses covered, worth a visit ust to look
at the :review sharpness applet: and see how changing aperture affects resolution.
motleypi!el.comKreviews lovely sample images to give you an idea of the style of image each lens can take but not
much in the way of meat when it comes to a detailed review of limitations and resolution comparison.
popphoto.com only recent lenses here 1well it is popular photo after all2 a collection of detailed reviews of currently
available lenses.
photodo.com despite a simplistic look to the site the reviews contain quite a lot of useful info, plus user reviews.
0#* 2easurements
6lternatively you can get a good idea of the best apertures and lens angles 1+oom lenses2 for your lens by taking test
photos of something like a brick wall and comparing images. Start with something like wide open and closed up tight
52
apertures to see if you can spot the difference 1you should be able toLLL28 then take a series at all different apertures
and compare. Arofessional tests would use a frequency grate or graticule to accurately measure the resolution of the
lens at different settings.
8hat is microstoc! photography?
micro (payment) {small, tiny i.e. low cost} K
stoc! {off the shelf, i.e. ready to use images and
graphics} (photography)
)icrostock is selling stock photos for a low price 1ust
a dollar 0 a few dollars2, the business plan that if the
images are cheaper then more people will buy, this is
in contrast to the traditional stock image market
which was a very e!pensive place to go shopping.
:The microstock concept allows amateurs,
professional photographers and designers to
upload their work and sell it to a large audience
of buyers. Areviously the stock photo market was limited to the professional photographer with a large
portfolio of images, "t wasver' difficult for the beginner, or part0time photographer to break into.:
(icro pa'ment stock photography has opened up a whole new buyers market of nonKsemi professional 'designers'
who are building websites, blogs, local newsletters and charity publications etc, who can now afford to purchase low
cost images to illustrate their work. 7ull priced stock images were and still are, out of their price range.
There is still a market for full priced stock, for those who want the e!clusivity of knowing that an image is only
licensed to them or has a higher price attached and hence is used less frequently. ,ne of the only downsides of
microstock is that the images can become 'common' with typical stories of companies having posters printed for a
trade convention only to arrive and find that three other companies have used e!actly the same image on their
posters and advertising materials... and it's too late to changeL
Some would say that microstock has undervalued professional photographers, but they all said that .$0.( years ago
when 'royalty free' images took off and 'ruined' photographers who were licensing their own portfolios and inflated
prices.
There is an argument that microstock sites 1photobanks K agencies if you like2 source these 'cheap images' from an
army of 'citi+en photographers', unprofessionalKnon photographers who do not know the value of their work. While
this in part might be true in that some sites are cashing in on photographers who currently have no other means of
selling their images, the whole industry has opened the door to a new career in microstock photography for many
people. "t has allowed countless professionals and amateurs to earn money from images that they would otherwise
earn nothing but enoyment from. The high standard of the pictures available on microstock sites speaks for itself.
/ps and 0owns of 2icrostoc!
8hat microstoc! has given9
5nables amateurs to sell their work. Iefore microstock entry into the stock industry was difficult.
6 great way for amateur photographers to learn more about stock photography and improve their skills
6 route for professional portrait, event or commercial photographers to enter the market part0time.
,pening of a new market to buyers who could not previously afford full priced stock photos.
53

8hat it's ta!en away9

The cache of being a stock photographer, it seems everyone these days is holding a /-1R.
?eduction in income of those photographers whose work turns out to be only as good as microstock.
The perception that 6LL stock photography has a high value, premium work now must be very impressive to
stand up to competition from microstock.
)icrostock has not killed or ravaged the stock photography industry, it is simply the manifestation of what happens
when internet technology enables a different business structure to collide with one establish over many years.
=omparisons can be drawn between bloggers and paid news ournalists, indeed maga+ine and newspaper sales are
dropping, but ournalists and newspapers still have an important role to play in forming a trusted source. Stock photos
houses can still create a brand and provide premium R) and ?) images but they now face strong competition from
microstock 0 their products need to ustify their prices. >id ebay put an end to the Oarage Sale;
6 company spending a few hundred dollars 1in total2 on an advertising campaign is likely to source images from
microstock, they would not be able to budget an image from a premium source. 6 company spending several
thousand on an advertising campaign could choose a microstock image, but (uyers and designers are not so
naive as to always ta!e the cheapest option, microstock images lack e!clusivity and often the 'stand0alone' quality
needed in a high end application. Such premium business will inevitably end up on the doorstep of an e!perienced
professional or traditional 'macrostock' stock agency.
How has microstoc! affected the stoc! industry?
The change in the technology landscape has thrown
the stock industry into a state of flu!. Iut it's not ust
stock photography that has been affected, you can
easily draw a parallel with the music industry where
independent and signed artists are offering free
downloads as samples, earning their money through
merchandise, concerts etc. and taking reduced
royalties from selling records.
8ith all this change comes great opportunity (ut
those unwilling or una(le to change will
inevita(ly sufferL some are obviously quite vocal
about it. Must as the music industry has changed after
some delaying 1sites like itunes offer dollar
downloads of music while ardent fans and the technophobic can still purchase =>s2 the stock photography industry
has changed and will continue to change over the coming years.
54
6 few years back microstock was greeted with first denial, then anger, depression etc. but it's now generally accepted
by all as an important part of the stock photography arena. While the industry has still not realigned itself with the
current changes taking place both of the industry leaders 1Oetty and =orbis2 have their own microstock interests and
are watching closely the results. Oetty have owned istockphoto from a safe distance for several years and corbis
have recently taken a bold step in introducing a 'marketplace' which is essentially microstock into one of their premier
brands at veer.com.
#mage Style9 2icrostoc! v "raditional Stoc!
)icrostock images often have a 'microstock look'8 it's a style dictated by the users of microstock images,
users are buying these images so contributors are creating more like them. Traditionally stock photos were
not supplied ready to be dropped into a design, they were e!pected to be edited to the style dictated by a photo editor
1a person2. )icrostock images are more likely to be downloaded and dropped straight into a design with little editing
needed.
"n this post " e!plore the differences between images for micro and macrostock 1traditional full priced stock2. ,f
course you will find images of all types in both market segments, a key thing to remember is that the 'microstock style'
images are the big sellers on the microstock sites.
The style of images that sell is where some professional photographers come unstuc! when trying to sell on
microstoc! sites, while their images are technically flawless, well composed and indeed most fle!ible for the use in
designs of any type, they are often not what microstock buyers are looking for, the market demands something 'fast,
easy and cheap'
)icrostock sites rank your photos on the number of times that people click on them or hover0over for a preview, if
your image does not stand out in amongst %$ or so other images on the screen then < it will receive fewer views < it
will appear less frequently in the search results < it won't be a good seller.
Su(<ects
55
Neeping things simple is the rule, microstock images often ust have one subect and no 'layers' of subects i.e.
subects in the background and foreground. "tems cut out of white sell well. >esigners using microstock sites more
likely to be looking for an image to drop straight onto a page layout or web design than something that will make a
good maga+ine cover or sell a product on its own.
=ase Study< Ahotographer Oordon Iall's "stock Aortfolio. &is top * photos were taken inside his own home 1a
radiator valve, bathroom interior etc, he wrote about this on his blog2. The pretty winter landscapes and conceptual
wedding photos which you might e!pect to be bigger sellers, and which look like conventional stock photography, sell
much less often.
Cropping
# personally li!e lots of space around images (ut
unfortunately on microstoc! sites people
really do (rowse with their eyes and not their
heads. "he (enefit of an image that is not too
tightly cropped and that has lots of copy
space around it seems to fly out of the
window when it comes
to microstock. The fact that there is no space around a
subect for a bleed when printing is probably a problem
for many designers, but from what " have seen the
sellers have a 'large central0ish subects' that loo! good as thum(nails. Traditional concepts like rule0of0thirds and
images which look great when printed on a large canvas may little effect when it comes to people clicking on the
download button. There might be an argument that images with lots of copy space 1that risk looking lost on the
search results page2 sell at higher prices and with e!tended licenses as they are more useful to print designers8 tight
cropped 'obvious' images that ump out of the search results may sell in larger volume but only at smaller, less
valuable si+es as they are used by bloggers and other digital media designers. Oiven the option e!periment with
both, certain subects lend themselves to close cropping better than others. "'ve seen e!amples of isolated0on0white
obects with variations of copy space on the left and right of the same subect, seemingly for la+y microstock buyers
who want cut0and0pasteL
Popping
"mage colours and contrast should stand out. This is an
area " sometimes find difficult, before microstock came
along " would strictly leave all images un colour0saturated
and un 'photoshopped' other than spotting and cleaning.
6ll of my images had very minimal pure black and pure
white so that the end user could choose how contrasty
they wanted the end image. &owever, take a look at the
results from a microstock search you you will see lots of
bright colours and strong contrast 1remember that the
images that appear first in the default search results are
the biggest sellers2. "mages often featuring somewhat
cheesy effects simulating fluorescent lighting, warm
lighting K sunsets etc. There are probably designers out
there who curse this, but the stats speak for themselves,
the big microstock sellers are bright and colourful andloo!
56
good on screen. "t seems to not matter if such images don't print as well as they might if they were sold un 'tweaked'
and edited for the output format required.
Sharpening
Low levels of sharpening while processing in camera raw or sharpening which is already included into peg files by
default is acceptable 1and advisable2, %dditional sharpening to ma!e images loo! good on screen is not a good
idea. "mages are to be left unsharpened so that the end user can sharpen the image for their final output. )icrostock
or macrostock your agency not like you for sharpening images.
Conclusion
The amount of image editing you perform will very much depend on the subect. "mages which feature real life such
as office scenes, travel etc, require little in the way of Ahotoshop work. "mages which are more composite such as
montages or items cut out of a white background will likely sell better if their colours are vivid and pop out of the
screen. The most important thing to remember is that to some e!tent your image has to stand it for itself when viewed
as a tiny little thumbnail amongst lots of other images.
0irty Sensor9 )eason for )e<ection
Sadly, many microstock sites reect images with only a vague e!planation of what's wrong, sometimes you will get a
clear message that the problem is dust K specks on a sensor, but more often the image is reected for something less
obvious like :3oise K 6rtefacts K Orain on the image: or :clean up the background K poor isolation:
6 close look at .$$3 will make it relatively obvious if the problem is dust on your sensor, but only if you know what
you are looking for. Sensor dust can be more or less visible with different lenses 1focal lengths2 and apertures. "n
some cases the dust, dirt or pollen is easily obscured or blurred out, in other images it becomes very apparent.
=ontamination of sensors is something that all /-1R owners will come across sooner or later. "f you never change
your lens then it's possible that you will never have a problem for many years, but if like most photographers you
have more than one lens then sooner or later you will end up with specks of dirt on the ==>. Strictly speaking it's not
actually the sensor 1=>> or =),S chip2 it's the cover over the top of the sensor, depending on the manufacturer it
might be called a hi0pass filter or anti alias screen.
Chec!ing for 0ust on your Sensor
Looking at your sensor with the naked eye 1all >SL?'S have a mirror lock up K maintenance mode which allows you
to look at the sensor2 will likely reveal nothing unless a relatively large piece of debris has stuck on there. )ost of the
dirt that causes problems on sensors is way too small to see with the naked eye.
57
Eou can easily check if you have dirt on your sensor by taking a raw image of a clean white sheet of paper 1make the
image as out of focus as you can and stopped all the way down to smallest aperture2. ,pen the image in your raw
processor software at .$$3, if grey or black specks are apparent then you have dirt that needs cleaning. 7or further
analysis you can also increase the contrast of the image in a raw processor by increasing the 'blacks' slider, then
after opening in photoshop 1or similar2 do an auto levels to make the specks of dirt stand out even more. The same is
possible with MA5O, but with raw you get more control over increasing the contrast of the image. The method is
similar to that you can use quantify the vignetting a lens creates2.
" find that the noise is easier to see with my longer lenses 1although " can still see dirt with a #$mm lens2. &ere is a
comparison between the same focal length but different e!tremes of aperture setting<
T'pical /ust -pots at )8" ,99mm #appro7 8"9equiv$

58
-ame spot taken at )".: ,99mm #appro7 8"9equiv$ all *e see is the e7aggerated vignette at this aperture& the
sensor dust is virtuall' invisible.
,ne thing to remember is that you will find it hard to get every speck of contamination cleaned off. 5specially if you
increase contrast to make detection easier. There are reasonable lengths you can go to clean a sensor, your aim is to
make what dust there is undetectable on typical photo. ,f course specks of dust will start to build up after you clean
again anyway. "'ve heard some professional photographers saying then get their sensor cleaned monthly at the same
place for a discount. 7or most amateur photographers "'d e!pect to manage at least a year without cleaning. >ifferent
cameras attract dust at different rates and some have various systems to shake off or stop dust being attracted, all
however will eventually need a clean.
This is the )8" image from above before auto levels in photoshop& note that this is almost the *orst case as it stands
#contrast increased in camera ra* and *orst case lens scenario$. ;ou can see that some of the noise *ill be almost
impossible to spot in a photo taken *ith this sensor& 'our aim is to get rid of those 5bad bits5 'ou can see *ithout
increasing the contrast.
0ecisions
Eou can go and get someone to clean it for you, the price will be around 9($ @S, sometimes more 1and " personally
think that for the relatively simple service taking place camera shops are ust milking money out of this by charging
what they can, 9.$$ in some cases2.
There is a choice here, you have an e!pensive camera, but one that " personally think is not as delicate as some
manufacturers of cleaning products would like have us believe. ,f course there are stories of people destroying their
camera, and of course different cameras have different sensors which may be affected in different ways by different
cleaning processes. "f you are not confident about cleaning then pay for the service. The rest of this post is a run0
down of what " have learned though cleaning my own sensor.
There are do+ens of newfangled sensor cleaning products in the market place. "'ve not tried all of them, but many
seem over priced for what they are.
"'ve found that blower brushes 1used ust to blow2 are pretty much ineffective when it comes to getting rid of dirt and
tiny hairs that have stuck themselves to my sensor. Eou can get rid of large particles that you can see with the naked
eye, but quite often you end up ust moving dust around or adding more dust from the local environment.
59
8ipe with a (lower (rush
6lmost everything you touch in day0to0day life is covered in dust and dirt. "f you have done any macro photography
you will have seen this already as all the obects you shoot will need a good clean 1especially black items2. " have a
have a -ikon >#$$ that has a low pass filter over the =>>. "f " were to take a new, clean blower brush 1check for dust
on it before " used it2 and wipe it across your camera sensor, in doing so " would completely cover the sensor with
hundreds of specks of dust that were attached to the blower brush, even though it loo!ed clean (efore # used it
those hairs on the (lower (rush were filthy 1ever seen those microscope images of your skin flakes;2
How to Clean it *ourself
"'ve cleaned my sensor many times. " use lint free lens tissues 1like 'safetiss'2, a plastic swab and some cheap lens
cleaning fluid. "t works for my >#$$ but don't take that as my guarantee it won't do damage your camera. 6ll " can say
is that if 9( lens solution is good enough for multi coated lenses and filters then "'m fairly sure that there is no need to
pay 9($ for something that won't damage the filter on your sensor. >o read up on your individual camera, some have
special anti0static coatings 1tin o!ide2 on the sensor, and most manufacturers recommend the use of special cleaning
fluids or processes.
#ngredients
Eou will need< 1again, this is how " clean my camera, don't hold me responsible if you damage your camera following
this process2.
.2 6 can of 6ir >uster 1=ompressed 6ir2
"o (e used with caution read the method (elow, don't tilt the can while spraying. Typically the can will say
something like :used for cleaning camera lenses, electronics and art applications:. Eou can buy this from a camera
shop or electronics supplier but be careful with the 'gas' cans that you can get for artists air brushes unless they also
60
say suitable for the above. )ake sure that you read the label on the can of air duster, some need shaking, some
don't, but more importantly place it on a flat surface and hold the camera up to the can or you risk squirting ice0cold
liquid propellant into the camera K sensor 1"'ve done that once and it was easy to clean off without damage but
perhaps " was ust lucky2.
#2 7ully charged and reliable batteries 1don't risk the battery running flat and dropping the shutter while you have a
swab in there2 some camera manufacturers require a power cable before allowing the camera into 'cleaning mode'.
%2 Some lint free lens cleaning wipes 1photography store or someone who deals in equipment for cleaning fibre optic
terminations2 and a # swabs on which to wrap these wipes 1one for dry application and one for wet2. The end profile
of the swabs should be as wide as the width of your sensor and a thin as possible. They will be used to sweep from
one edge of the sensor to the other, covering the full width in one pass.
/2 Lens cleaning fluid or :>ust 6id: or a more e!pensive specialist ==>KSensor cleaner if you are worried about using
lens cleaner, especially if your camera sensor has a special coating.
(2 "nstead of % and / " have also used Oreen =lean 1they are e!pensive but good2 they are packs of disposable
wipes, one dry and one wet, sealed in clean room conditions. ,nce used they must be disposed 1unless you plan to
recycle them with by covering the pads with fresh of lint free tissue2.
-I< Nitchen tissue or cotton buds will not substitute as cleaning swab material, these products will be covered in
particles of paper or cotton dust, and make your sensor dirtier not cleaner.
Some complain bitterly on forums about using air in a can to clean their sensor saying it may fire particles into the ccd
and damage it. "'ve had no problems 1yet2, and from what " understand these 'accidents' come down to one of #
things, tilting the can while spraying or stupidity, the latter probably being the most common.
2ethod
.2 ?ead the cameras manual about mirror lock up K maintenance mode and make yourself happy with the process of
getting in and out of that mode so that you can access the sensor. Eou might not damage your sensor, but if the
shutter curtain closes while you have a cleaning swab inside the camera then the delicate shutter leaves are likely to
be damaged.
#2 7ind a good work surface, wipe it and everything you are going to use with a damp cloth trying to get rid of any
dust, also wash your hands 0 )ost people don't have a 'clean room conditions' at home so try your best to keep
everything spotless 1including the camera2
%2 Wet clean, either using freshly opened green clean wet swab or a home0made equivalent 1a plastic swab covered
with a lens tissue held on with an elastic band2. " once used a plastic lolly pop stick cut to shape but that was not
ideal. There is a balance on how much cleaning solution you drip the swab before you brush the sensor. Oo with one
61
drip at first and see, if it's too little then the sensor will be dry before you do your dry sweep, too much and you risk
wetting more than ust the cameras' low pass filter.
Sweep across the sensor from one end to the other in one gentle stro!e. don't sweep (ac! and forth that will
<ust deposit the collected dust (ac! onto the sensor as you go (ac!.
/2 Juickly 1so you might need two swabs K mini spatulas one for wet and then one for dry2 do a S"-OL5 sweep
across the sensor with a dry swab to collect all the cleaning solution before it dries.
(2 There should now be no moisture or 'streaks' on the sensor, if there are then repeat step % and / with a clean
swabs K swabs wrapped in flesh lint free tissue.
*2 ,ptional 1but " have found necessary if you want to remove the ma!imum amount of dust2. -ow there is no
moisture on the sensor or in the camera, clean with the air duster. )aking sure that the can has not moved and is
placed on a firm surface press the no++le 1with the straw firmly inserted and taped on in case it fires off the
noDDle2 and then keeping the no++le pressed move the camera into position so that you are blowing about .$ or
#$mm from the sensor and then move the camera away from the end of the straw and release the no++le. The
reason for not pressing the button on the can once the camera is in position is to make sure that no liquid propellant
is squirted into the sensor as sometimes happens as you first press or release the button. Liquid propellant can also
be eected if you tilt the can downwards while spraying so leave it upright on a firm surface and spray from there.
H2 Take a test picture and evaluate if you need to repeat the process. 7or a badly contaminated sensor it may take
several attempts, but you should see a marked improvement on each pass.
Euic! Cleaning's
"t might be possible to quickly clean your sensor using ust a large blower brush to blow 1with the brushes removed2,
or using the air in a can. The wet cleaning method above is required for contaminants which have stuck onto the
sensor 1unfortunately this is often the case2.
Cautions
,nly use wet cleaning on cameras with high pass filters over the ==>
"f your camera has 'self cleaning' or 'in camera stabilisation' then read up what people way about cleaning
your sensor 1you might need to be very delicate with the swabs2
"f you are not fully confident in what you are doing then pay to have the sensor cleaned.
Eou clean your sensor at your own risk, "'m ust offering info on what " do to clean my sensor, damage to
your camera is your responsibility. "'d recommend Ooogling sensor cleaning for your own camera make before
starting the process.
"f there is anything you are not quite sure about then drop me a message and "'ll try to help.
Foise and %rtifacts9 )eason for )e<ection
62
" wrote this article after reading a forum post from a photographer
who was having images reected for 'noise or artifacts' after
looking at his image and reading how he used all sorts of noise
software. " could see the problem, there was not a bit of noise on
his images but all the edges in the image were distorted by
artifacts created by his noise reduction software in his quest to
reduce noise that was not there.
"less is definitely more when it comes to noise
reduction"
>epending on your equipment there is a point where you will need
to correct noise so much that the 'artifacts' left behind by the
software will cause the image to be reected anyway. 1no matter
how good the software2
-oise is not a bad thing, ust a little bit of noise is
acceptable,much (etter having a little noise than having all flat
areas in your image loo! li!e an oil painting. "mage inspectors
don't like to see images that look 'processed'
0efinitions
7irst a couple of definitions to help separate any confusion in images reected for 'noise or other artifacts'
Foise :=rain;
1.$$3, >#$$ at "S, '$$2

%rtifacts
6riginal #mage 1#$$32 taken at "S, '$$, suffering from the effects of noise
1note that the stepped effect is caused by scaling to #$$3 nearest neighbour2
63
Mpeg %rtifacts 1#$$32 the '!' macro cells are quite noticeable, at lower compression levels artifacts are seen
characteristically 'around the edges' and not on the edges themselves2

Processing %rtifacts, artifacts generated from over use of noise reduction software, note the subtle fringes on the
edges which look 'digital', also notice the loss of detail in the fine wire mesh, this noise reduction has been 'over
cooked' to set an e!ample
Aost process scaling, or sharpening generates '<aggies' and 'halos'
64

G 8ays to control Foise and %rtifacts
.; Shoot in the lowest "S, you can, and get the e!posure right in camera 0 your noise problems should be minimal.
@; ,vere!pose slightly, especially in ?6W 1start with #K% of a stop and see how things go2, the darker areas captured
by the Sensor are more noisy than the light areas, especially if you increase the brightness and e!posure later when
processing the raw file 1better to darken the file in Ahotoshop than to lighten it2.
+; ?educe the amount of contrast correction you do by getting the light correct in the first place. "f you 'contrast
stretch the histogram' to add some 'pop' to an image then you will also add contrast to the noise and any artifacts will
become more noticeable
1consumer level camera, peg artifacts and sensor noise used for illustration here2
5!ample< Iefore '=ontrast =orrection', ,riginal "mage<

6fter '=ontrast =orrection', noise and artefacts are more noticeable<
65

I; Shoot in ?6W 1or T"772 if you can, unnecessary use of MA5O before saving the image for submission can lead to
reection, especially if the image is scaled or resi+ed. 6 side effect of the way that MA5O works is that it splits the
image into '!' macro cells, and if you crop rotate resiDe or scale a MPE= image then additional MPE= artifacts
will (e generated. Some software offers lossless peg rotation and cropping etc, this allows you to transform the
image without loss, pi!els are cropped at multiples of ' and rotation is only at multiples of 4$ degrees.
G; Sharpening, >on't. )ost agencies are allergic to any signs that an image has been sharpened.
Su(mitting High #S6
Trying to get an acceptable submission image from a grainy image shot at "S, .*$$ is possible but it's an uphill
struggle all the way, you will likely have to scale down the image and try all sorts of correction techniques.
,n the occasions that " do want to get the best " can out of a noisy image then for me it's a combination of one of
more of the following photoshop filters<
dust and scratches, yes, the venerable old photoshop features can often be the best, try skipping the noise
reduction and seeing what dust and scratches can manage. Low settings, and make sure that you don't remove too
much detail.
smart (lur, again leave some noise intact and tweak the settings so that your edges are unaffected and the
image does not start to take on a synthetic or :wrapped in plastic: look
reduce noise, as a last resort, and then 'fade' some of the original image back in to restore a small amount of the
noise and reduce any digital artifacts generated by the processing, this also make the image look less like it has been
processed in photoshop.
"t takes a little practice and some past e!perience of what gets reected, 7or noise "'d say about ($3 of my images "
leave as is, the rest get some very light processing. @pdate< Since " got my >H$$ " have never needed to do any
noise processing. "f the images came from a point0and0shot and are peg then depending on the quality all of them
will benefit from a little use of the 'remove MA5O artifact'
function inside the Ahotoshop reduce noise filter under
'noise' on the 'filter' menu.
*our Photo Portfolio 5 4io
8e(site
Eour portfolio website is a space online where you sell
yourself, gain credibility and allow others to view a
sample of your very best work 1not the latest photos
that you think are good right now, but creme0de0la0
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cremeU of your current image collection2 "t can be ust one siteKprofile where you focus all your work, or a
mini network of different sites and galleries aimed at different market segments. "t can consist of one or
more of the following<
1Ucliche ustified to emphasise this important point2
.N Must use your profile page on a microstock site
-ot really the most fle!ible option, but it's a baseline for photographers to use, and if you get the opportunity to post a
link somewhere online then a link to your profile on a microstock site 1via one of your affiliate referral links of course2
is one of the options would should consider first. e.g. alongside an image that you post somewhere include a link :buy
this image now at 7otolia: to grab a potential buyer. T"A< remember the potential buyer 'wants it simple' they are at
least .$ timesU more likely to respond to a link that allows them to buy instantly than a piece of te!t that says :email
me for a quote on this image:
Uin the microstock photography market 1it's hard to measure e!actly what the real value would be, personally " think
may be .$$'s of times more likely, if you are interested in web usability then " recommend reading Makob -ielsens'
6lertbo! at useit.com
@N Social Fetwor!
OoogleF, 7acebook etc, these are a very trendy place to be,
there are quite a few photographers who appear to be doing
quite well out of promoting themselves here 1and that is one
of the tricks 0 the illusion of appearing to be doing wellL2. @se
your social network profile to show off a few of your best
images, perhaps create a photo book at blurb.com and do
some self0promotion with that too. Setup a page 1fan page
on 7acebook etc.2 where you can gather a following of
potential buyers. Oetting people to 'like' your work is not
always easy, the vast cyberspace graveyard of pages and
groups that only have one follower or member are testament
to that. Arobably the best way to learn is through watching others. "f you see someone who has a large following then
start to analy+e why that is; do they have a website; did they give someone away for free; do they provide a useful
service;, provide endless updates or ust a fee succinct news posts; etc. ,nce you have a following on your social
network you can 1subtly2 update it with news of your newest images at a microstock agency, or perhaps seasonal
posting and 'ideas' at an appropriate time of year. Segmentation is a decision to be made from the very start, some
go for a 'catch all approach' while others choose niche areas with tightly focused demographics.
+N 3ree Photo Sharing
flickr, webshots, picasa, photobucket, panoramio, etc you can share your images for 'viewing only' on do+ens of
photo share sites around the net, flickr " would recommend ust for the sheer si+e of the audience, disadvantage of
many of the sites is that they are not really aimed at the photo buyer. They are an easy place to start getting your
work shown and receive feedback from the public 1they might not be professional photography critics, but these are
the people who will view your images if they are used in a design2. The comments are often trite, and this is certainly
the place for those photos of kittens and flowers if you have them8 understand the audience and these 'galleries' can
certainly attract mouse clicks for you.
IN Paid Photo sharing 5 Professional portfolio
Eou have to pay for webspace, but the advantage here is that you are uploading to a site specially designed to allow
you to promote your work, some sites even blur this concept with one of selling images and allow you to sell your
portfolio directly. " feel that selling images directly from your portfolio is perhaps not the way to go, you will have to do
67
a lot of work to convince a buyer that you are a genuine professional operator 1but slick looking websites
likesmugmug can help with that2. @nless you have lots of time to spare, then best to leave this marketing to the
microstock site themselves, and remove your need to deal with customer problems and get involved in marketing and
advertising.
GN *our own we(site
Setup your own custom website or blog and make it look goodL "f you can't make it look good 0 and when " say good, "
mean impeccable in every aspect, then see one of the above options and don't waste your time. Setting up a website
involves more work than anyone who first has the idea of doing it can imagine. 6gain if you do already have a blog
perhaps on an unrelated topic, then it might still be worth linking with one of your affiliate referral links. )any people
with personal blogs write small articles about their microstock ups and downs in an effort catch a few photo buyers
along the way. Eour website can be as little as a page with your contact info and a few sample photos all the way up
to a full0fledged gallery, perhaps with your own photography e0commerce solution
Self Aromotion "deas<
Arint the address of your portfolio website on business cards 1even if
like me you only ever give them out when you are out shooting it's
always worth having a business card, look professional. "nclude one
link 1e!actly one, not an e!plosion of all the links you can think ofL2 in
your email signature, or on any printed promotional items that you
might make.
"f you have more than one portfolio siteKspaceKgallery 1which "
recommend if you cater for more than one market2 then theme each
one to a specific side of your talents, keyed to the style of the location
of that gallery. 5!ample< have a relatively generic portfolio gallery site
which you include in your email signature, but link from there to some
of your more specialist portfolios :see more of my food photography
on flickr.com: or :see more about my festival and event photography
at myspace.com: or :see more of my travel stock images at
panoramio.com:.
7or more photography marketing tips read promoting your portfolio
Setting up a photographers blog
8hen # first started microstoc!...
6 little background about myself<
Life (efore 2icrostoc!
"t's the dawn of the new millennium. )y first 'megapi!el' digital camera also had mega0noise, and ate / 66
rechargeables taking less than %$ shots, that was fine as " could only fit .. of the ..% megapi!el images on my /)I
=7 card. "t was a time when anyone who had a need for images had a row of photodisk and eye0wire resource books
on their shelves with lots of colourful and for the time very dynamic looking shots with effects like slap +oom and
blurring done mostly in camera. The rest of 'us' made do with clipart disks.
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What landed me in stock photography 1" use that term B5?E loosely to describe what " did2 was the feeling that stock
was way over0priced, or at least it was way over priced for web resolution images 0 there was no middle ground
between clipart and what is now called traditional ?7. There was nowhere to go to get a reasonable looking image on
the cheap, not necessary something of such high quality as the stock agencies supplied but something that was
better than those awful clipart collections... there was a gap in the market, myself and plenty of other people could
see that. " set about creating a collection of home grown =>0?,)S of stock images. The % =>s " eventually created
in my spare time sold several hundred copies between #$$$ and #$$/. 6bout .$$$ images on each disk sold for #4
OIA plus shipping. This was the bottom end of the market.
6ll of this set me up to never have a problem with microstock and it's pricing like many photographers did. Aerhaps
because " could see what digital cameras were going to do 0 if " could make money doing this then there was nothing
stopping anyone else doing the same 0 it was ust a matter of time. Iack in #$$$ " was convinced that only a film
camera would be able to take viable 'professional stock' images for at least .$ years, " shot film and digital, the digital
was the start of that would become my microstock. " was a little out with my .$ year estimation, it was half that time,
"'d say it was #$$( before the professionals started to switch in earnest, before that digital was the realm of the press
photographer, and microstock.
0ownloads and 2icropayments
6 lot of the digital images " created " gave away. They were the 'snaps' and the quality of that first camera was not
good. 1infact utterly awful by today's standards, web cams and phones take better images2. The "mages " gave away
for free were mostly te!tures, and abstract light effects, " could see that while they did have some commercial value it
was a real struggle, no impossible, for the small player to set0up in business selling those images. There was no easy
to take 'micropayments' for the small time internet business.
Iy around #$$. 1perhaps earlier2 " was 'dabbling' at a website called +den, the images had grown to .*$$!.#$$
pi!els and were much better quality. Qden was a business model that turned out not to work. Little record remains of
+den.com but a few scattered referral links and an ibm white paper. 6t Qden you earned '+ees' each time an image
was bought or downloaded 1in my case " selected 'free' so instead of charging .$$$ +ees 1. dollar2 " earned . +ee per
download so .$$$ downloads got me a dollar. "t was an ama+ing website for the time, and to be honest the early
istock was nowhere close. 7or me this was the start of my microstock ourney 0 # was primed for high volume low
cost image sales.
istock came ne!t for me, "'d been to the website several times before " applied to contribute 1in #$$% so istock tell
me2. 6fter +den failed without a payout " was a little sceptical, " thought istock might go the same route. =omparing
the two sites even by the standards of the day, :istockphoto: was a really cheap sounding domain name, and the
istock site looked awful. " didn't invest too much time in the :new: site. 6 few months later " had a quick look what
69
those #$ or so :uploads on a Saturday afternoon: had earned me, it was enough to really get me thinking that a few
hundred such images would be a very nice income.
Late #$$( " felt it was time to diversify into more 'new' websites. " oined about /$$$ other contributors at 7otolia.
Shutterstock came a little later in #$$*, " wasn't too sure about this 'subscription' thing 82
The rest as they say is history. ,ne day in early #$$' when " went to check up on some stats at a few agencies " had
been using. To my horror a couple of them had been a complete waste of time for the past year. " went looking for a
site that had reviews or at least a list of these agencies. "t was not a problem for the big * or H people had published
results for them but what about the rest; " could see on the forums there were lots of sites, which, if any of them were
any good, more importantly which were known to be useless. >o some digging and it was there but the information
did not flow freely. There was no way to compare all the agencies. )icrostock "nsider was born.
So the 2icrostoc! (oat has already sailed?
-ot by any means. 6lthough " started in #$$%, "t was at a very casual rate, not until $*K$H did " start uploading more
images and even then it was at a rate of at most .$$ per year, "n this respect what " do and the amount of images "
contribute still puts me in the ranks of other part time microstock contributors. 6t the rate "'m going direct microstock
sales might never be more than .$3 of my income 1another H(3 is in some way microstock and photography
related2. =onsidering the time " spend shooting and uploading that .$3 is not such a bad thingL
4ut (ut loo! at all those images?O
Look to top ranking photographers for inspiration, don't try to emulate them and certainly don't compare the number
of images you have with their, often massive, image portfolios. Those 'people' at the top of the lists are often
production companies, doing a comparison invariably ends in the fatalistic statement :how can " compete with that;L:,
for most microstock photographers they are not the competition, they operate in a different league. 6s a beginner or
small time photographer your competitors are your peers, people like you working the same hours and submitting at
the same rate< take better photos than them and pick the right subects and you will be a success.
=etting Started - Selling *our Photos as
2icrostoc!
,verview of what you need to know to get started selling your images on microstock sites. Eou might also
be interested in our
)icrostock success in .( hours quick start.
70
4efore *ou Start
What is )icrostock photography;
&ow much can you earn from )icrostock;
"ntroduction to Licensing "mages V "mage @sage Licenses 5!plained
=ontemplating starting out as a )icrostock Ahotographer
.* Things a Ieginning )icrostocker should know
Prior Planning Prevents...
What kind of "mages sell best;
What type of =amera do " need for microstock;
Ahotographer 6pplication Arocess 0 Oetting a Oood Start
5diting and Areparing Ahotos for @pload
=opyright and Trademarked Subects
Titles and >escriptions that Sell
0ay to 0ay /ploads and Selling
Ahoto Neywording Tips
Neyword 5diting Software
@ploading )icrostock "mages
( =ommon ?easons for )icrostock ?eection
-oise and 6rtifacts< ?eason for ?eection
"n Sharp 7ocus < ?eason for ?eection
%nalysis =rowing Successful
7or how long will my Ahotos =ontinue to Sell;
6nalysing what Sells in )icrostock
Eour Ahoto Aortfolio K Iio Website
5!otic Ahoto Locations< Eour Iackyard
71
)ost Aopular )icrostock Neywords

4uilding *our #ncome
"mage Style< )icrostock v Traditional Stock
)icrostock Traveller 0 Working while on &oliday;
)aking 6ffiliateK?eferral Arograms Work
Aromoting your Stock "mage Aortfolio
)icrostock Submission =alendar
=etting Serious
Why not ust sell the images yourself ;
Should " set up my own photo blog;
)icrostock Workflow "ntroduction by 5!ample
Iackups for Ahotographers 0 Arotect your Aortfolio
5!clusive or -on05!clusive< 6 )icrostock >ilemma
Some Thoughts about Ooing Arofessional
2icrostoc! )eference Li(rary
Olossary of Stock Ahoto Terms
6sk the )icrostock ,nline =ommunity
Ilogs and Links
?eference Tables<
)icrostock 6gencies by Traffic V "mages

6ll Sites ?eviewed and ?anked

?eferral ?ates 1affiliate program comparison2

Iuyers =omparison of "mage prices

Ahotographer =ommission ?ates at each
agency

72
6gencies Iy "mage Type 1editorial images, video footage, vector illustrations etc.2

7TA Juick ?eference 1server addresses and logins2
6gencies with 5!clusivity ,ptions 1by photographer or by image2
.H "hings a 4eginning 2icrostoc!er should
!now
.; Think '>esigner', how will the end user make use of
this image; &ow can " emote some feeling or an idea; "s
there space on this photo for me to place some te!t
1known as good 'copyspace'2. 6 list of the top searches
on a maor microstock site makes some interesting
reading. ,ne thing " can't teach on this site is 'gaining an
eye for a photo', something that comes through
e!perience, through browsing maga+ines, looking at
other photographers work and sales stats.

@; Eour fellow microstockers are your friends, even
mentors -,T your enemies or 'the competition'. Some
healthy competition is a good thing, but microstock for most people involves community, e!changing ideas, getting
help from others and sharing information. 7orging a relationship with another microstocker can benefit both parties as
everyone's skill set is different, don't go pestering one of the 'microstock celebrities' for help. "t's better to get in touch
with someone local with whom you can bounce ideas and e!change knowledge, even as a complete beginner to
microstock you still bring some skills and knowledge that others don't have 1that's often outside the microstock world
but comes in very useful for e!ploring niche photography subects2.

+; Tripods, Tripods, Tripods
1three times, get it;... ahem, sorry2 " know they feel like they obstruct creativity, you don't want to carry it around with
you, you feel like people are looking... get over it and use the tripod unless you have sufficient light to work hand held,
and until you progress on to mastering studio and portable strobes 1off camera flashes2. )ore beginners tips on
tripods.

I; Oet in close on the subect, and don't be afraid to crop
some of it out. >esigners traditionally love lots of cop'
space but microstock best sellers seem to be images
that have a simple uncluttered subect often central to
the frame.

G; Eou can't ust photograph everything you see. There
are lots of things like well known products K designs,
people in t0shirts with logos, protected architecture and
artworks which are virtually off limits to stock
photography because a property release is not available
or very difficultKe!pensive to obtain 0 more about
trademarked subects.
73

H; "f you are photographing landmarksKlocations or frequently photographed subects then try going for a non
conventional image, photograph when it's raining or foggy, use a wider angle and make things distorted. )ore on
travel photography and microstock holidays.

P; Oood keywords are probably more important than you think... and also probably the most un0enoyable aspect of
stock photography read more here also make sure you embed your keywords in the "AT= fields.

Q; While you are learning you should take more images than you think you could ever possibly need, one from each
angle, some landscape some portrait format, some close0up, some with the 'whole picture', some with different
e!posure settings 1bracketing2 some with different aperture settings, some with a different point of focus. but don't
upload them all and....

R;....>on't go 'madly snapping' everything you see in the world, take some time over choosing the subect of each
photo or you will end up spending way too much time sorting through rubbish images afterwards8 only 'snap' if you
have only a limited time at a location or with a model etc. or while the light is fading and there is no choice but to work
fast or you will miss it. Aractice will allow you to work faster with your camera and mean that you can get great shots
even when pressured by time.

.,; >on't try to upload to every site, focus your efforts on the best performing sites that you are accepted by. "f your
photography and subects are good, then there should be no problem being accepted by any microstock agency. "f
you are still learning the art then part of your microstock ourney and personal goals might be getting accepted by
each of the top ( agencies.
..; ?emove the clutter from all your photos, preferably
before you shoot, but if you can't then do it afterwards in
photoshop. )icrostock is a place for bright, clean, almost
'too perfect' looking subects. @se your cameras
lowestI-O setting 1or .$$ "S,2 to guarantee
low noise images.?ead more about noise and "S,.

.@; Ahoto what's around youL Stop musing at all those
e!otic locations and e!pensive model set0ups. Since "
moved to 6ustralia, Aaris has become and e!otic
location, when " lived in )anchester it was a weekend
5uro breakL The things you own and locations on your
doorstep can be ust as evocative to someone from overseas as those overseas images are to you. Shoot local
landmarks in new ways and capture local community life in your home town.

.+; "f your images are getting reected because they are not 'in sharp focus' then read everything you can about
photography technique. "f you shoot in program mode then the camera will help you by selecting an 7 stop in the
lens's sweet spot for best sharpness unless it's too dark, then it will try to use 7(.* or lower. This will not produce the
best results. Try taking a few photos at 7' or 7.. and compare them to those taken at other apertures. 7ull article on
f0stops for sharp images.
.I; >on't get upset if a photo is reected, and don't hours trying to prove '"'m right, you are wrong'. )any years
ago " had what " thought was a nice image of some fo!gloves 1flowers2 and " noticed that one of the maor
agencies had no portrait format images of fo!gloves so " submitted mine, it was reected on grounds of 'we have
enough of this type of image already' 1" assume they ust reect all images of flowers for that reasonL2 so " sent emails
74
and resubmitted and it was all basically a waste of time. Take good photos, keyword them and submit. ?ead and act
upon any technical reections and don't get into a 'if they accepted this image then why not mine'. )ore on common
reection reasons and how to deal with them
.G; =oncentrate on what you enoy photographing, "t's fine if you don't have any food, people or landscape photos in
your collection, if you are not interested in those subects then leave them to other people who enoy that. 6 great way
to motivate yourself is to take images related to your hobby or create a niche style for yourself. 6nother motivator is
creating a series or 'a proect' and setting yourself the goal of taking say ($ photos related to a specific subect. "deas
might be ($ images that represent summer, autumn and winter etc, and in each collection have ( te!tures, ( images
which represent oy or fun, ( that represent something unpleasant about the season etc.

.H; >on't get obsessive about microstock. "t's too easy to turn what was an enoyable hobby into, :-o " can't shoot
any more flowers they don't sell well:. ?emember what you enoyed doing when you started out in microstock, and
continue doing if you still enoy it. 5very photo you take does not have to be one that has potential for earning money.
Taking a photo not intended to sell can spawn new ideas that do sell, allows you to practice your skills so that your
stock photos are better, or might ust bring you personal enoyment while taking it or looking at a print you made.
%n Education in 2icrostoc!
(icrostock is a great way to learn photography skills, business, personal and technical skills 0 all with the
fle!ibility of investing as much or as little time as you have available. )icrostock is not an easy way to make
money, depending on your current skill0set it can be hard work with a lot of learning to do. Eou may earn a good
income with hard work, or you might earn very little and give up, but it's guaranteed you will take away new skills,
knowledge and e!perience from whatever you do.
8hat 2icrostoc! "eaches
>epending on whether you start as an e!perienced photographer or a photography hopeful there are a series of core
skills that are needed to be a microstock photographer, get any of these skills wrong and you'll know right away 0 the
feedback is loud and clear, your images will be reectedL
Technically good photography, good focus, where to focus, lens selection, choice of aperture etc.

"mage processing, camera settings for low noise and highest quality.

Iasic lighting for acceptable contrast and correct subect highlightingKillumination.

>igital image technology, memory cards, computer skills, internet, research and analysis skills.

75
)ountains of industry argon.... do we all know our R('s from our )?'s ;

Eou'll end up knowing cameras, photography and certain aspects of "=T :inside out:.
8hat 2icrostoc! =uides you with9
These are the things that you will learn because you are doing
microstock. "t's possible to 'soldier on' oblivious to good lighting, or
managing your own time properly, but eventually most
microstockers pick these skills up. @nlike the skills above they
don't come for 'free' 0 it's not quite so obvious when you are
getting these things wrong<
4usiness s!ills 0 teaches you a lot about business, but you really
have to be careful and 'look in the mirror' every now and again, it
won't teach you how to work efficiently, those bad habits, time
wastes won't affect your approval rate, they ust affect you and
your lifestyle 1i.e. how much you enoy microstock2.
Lighting Composition and Styling, you can get by with average lighting, have your images accepted and be none
the wiser. What is it that makes some image thumbnails pop out of the page at you; )icrostock will certainly teach
you proper e!posure but that's not lighting, it will get your images reected if the lighting is too harsh and sometimes if
it's too soft or leaves unattractive reflections, the difference between good and average is the difference between
sales and obscurity. " remember when " first started out, looking back " think " was completely 'blind to lighting' so long
as there was enough for the image not to blur when shot hand held " was happyL what was all the fuss about; lol
>epending on what you do, microstock will also develop lots of soft s!ills, working with models, logistics, planning,
and organi+ational tasks.
)icrostock provides targets and motivation to reach them. To a large e!tent, like life, microstock is what you make
it. )oney can be a motivation, the previous e!periences and knowledge gained are also a great source of motivation
to learn more, some ust like the recognition of their images being used. ?ecognition like that is often cited as one of
microstocks negative aspects 0 that people are willing to invest hours of time for ust a couple of dollars in return and
the satisfaction of seeing their image in use8 " think there is a motivational and rewarding silver lining to that 'cloud',
it's also a passing milestone in stock photographer growth rather than something that people strive to achieve.
8hat 2icrostoc! 3ails to "each...
These are a few things that if you don't pay attention is quite easy to get wrong with microstock, or even come
completely off the rails. Some of this is subective and depends on your perspective. *ou could argue that if you
actually ma!e a success of microstoc! then you will have mastered all of the s!ills # mention (elow9
=reativity 0 1contentiousL2 but a lot of photographers dabble in some interesting sidelines for very good
reasonL 0 to stay sane.

5go management and self0control.

?ealism 0 after the initial oy of making a handful of sales in a month, it's time to take a reality check.

76
Ieing a professional 0 microstock is great for being able to work in as casual a fashion as you like, but in the
end it's up to you to 'work smarter' and push your own limits.

@nderstanding time is money 0 despite it being fairly obvious " never fail to be ama+ed at how little value
microstockers attribute to their time, or how little they are willing to pay for a service that will save them time when
there is a time consuming or more tedious free option also to be found.

=ommon senseL 0 some people have it, some seem to be rather deprived.
Self-taught Pitfalls
4urnout 0 if you choose to work purely online and in isolation it
becomes very easy to get a one track mind on getting more image
sales. "t's wise to mi! things up a little and vital to pursue other
hobbies and passions.
Lac! of 'real' support networ!. Support is there but you have to
go look for it and the agencies 1rightly so2 can only help you so far
0 they are not there to hold your hand for you. 7orums are great
but there is nothing better than a real life mentor or similar to
bounce ideas off.
Living in a (u((le K aka do it all myself< don'tL "f you 5don5t like the idea5 of outsourcing or getting someone to help
you with a certain part of your work then perhaps it's time to push your comfort +one and do e!actly that. )any
people have a strong disdain 1sometimes disbelief and horror2 for me choosing )argaret Thatcher as somewhat of a
role model 1for the iron lady's stance, not the blue suits and 7erragamo handbag " hasten to addL2 "1ook at a da'
*hen 'ou are supremel' satisfied at the end. It5s not a da' *hen 'ou lounge around doing nothing6 it5s *hen 'ou5ve
had ever'thing to do& and 'ou5ve done it." 0 and you can get those things done by employing someone or something
to help you.
Smart Learning, 6nyone who went to @niversity 1or =ollege if you like2 learned 'how to learn' and graduated with an
education in learning as well as some specialist knowledge in their chosen field. With nobody actually teaching you
directly then you need to take care of the learning for yourself. Look out for reliable published literature and training
courses to reduce the amount of trial0and0error practice and trawling low quality articles online that may only partly
apply to microstock.
Creativity !iller some would say, 1" don't think things are that bad2 but " can definitely see how it's possible 1and " did
this myself2 to obsess over whether an image was good for stock. "f you are out and about and see something
interesting -5B5? let stock stop you from enoying what was probably once your favorite hobby. Take photos of
things that interest you, go wild and shoot things at high "S, with the knowledge they are not for stock agencies8 now
re0read that last sentence and see how ridiculous it sounds if you were ever under the opinion that shooting at high
"S, was 'living on the edge'. "That *on5t sell" is an important thought process for a stock photographer, ust take care
that it does not paraly+e you into a state of never actually shooting anything or kill any passion you have for
photography.
2icrostoc! "raveller - 8or!ing while on Holiday?
77
Some people go on holiday to get away from it all 1and if that's you then perhaps the thought of getting up at the
crack of dawn to get some great travel photos is not your idea of funL2. 5ven so there are still a few types of photo you
can take while you are out and about travelling the world without spending too much of your rela!ation time.
7or me travel is more about adventure and adrenaline than sun beds and swimming pools so it's pretty easy to
combine some photography 1work2 with my holidays, and if you are a microstock photographer then chances are that
you actually enoy spending time taking photos.
I5ve *ritten this to suit the opportunistic microstocker *hose primar' goal for travel is vacation perhaps *ith famil' 4
partner.
"he 3ood
7ood is such an underrated stock subect 0 particularly
local delicacies and specialties. 7ood is dear to a lot of
peoples hearts 1mouths and stomachs tooL2. Eou
probably won't be traveling with much in the way or
equipment so improvisation is key here. @se available
light, shade harsh light with a sun umbrella and let the
camera worry about the colour cast. Try using built in
flash and defuse the light with a paper cup or anything
similar that is to hand. Shoot and eat local dishes, the
only reason to visit mcdonalds while traveling is to use
the mctoilets.

Landscapes 1istas and S!ylines
>uhL, Well this is the obvious one, a little care is needed
not to make it look like a holiday snap, but even if you
only have a few seconds it is quite easy to get some nice
foreground detail into your shot and make something
saleable. 7or increased microstock sales try getting
shots at sunrise or sunset 1golden hour2 and at night8
also photograph when the weather is bad8 mist, rain and
snow etc often add to the atmosphere of a photo so don't
let that put you off. ?egardless of how saturated you
might think a subect is always take on the most iconic
subects in the location you are visiting, especially if you
can show them in a new light or from an unusual but still
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highly recognisable angle. "t's the iconic subects that get the higher volumes in sales 0 balanced with the stiff
competition they face in the microstock marketplace.
Signs
Eou don't have to go out of your way for this one. Take
pictures of famous street names you are in. -o need to
go back when the light is right etc, ust be opportunistic,
grab and move on. Things to look out for are signs at the
entrance to a town, direction signs to a famous
landmark. 5ven things like foreign signs for toilets,
ferries, or the police could all make usable stock images,
but some might have to be sold under an editorial
license.
*our Hotel )oom
@nless you are stopping in a chain hotel with generic
decor then your room should make another interesting subect, don't forget the view from your window, even if it's ust
the street below or the rooftops opposite. "f there is a restaurant or roof garden then take some photos from there too.
"he Locals
-ow this is where it gets tricky, if you have model release
forms with you then to be honest you are crossing into a
'working holiday' or a 'trip on assignment', if you want to
keep your holiday e!actly that then think about
silhouettes of people, people walking down the street
away from you, details of hands and arms, or feet etc,
and local dress. Tourist destinations often have shows
and dances where locals dress up in national costumes
making such photos a lot easier to obtain, festivals and
markets are another great photo opportunity while
traveling.
"he 0etails
>etails of landmarks while still allowing the landmark to
be somewhat recognisable if used in conte!t make great
images. =lose ups of local produce at a market, local
crafts and te!tures of buildings. Think about a study of
colour and shoot brightly coloured doors, buildings, cars,
bicycles etc.
)esearch 4efore you =o
>o a little bit of research before you go to your location.
Look on google images for something that catches your
eye, and look on a site like flickr for images of the area
you are visiting. The aim is not to copy but to inspire you into being more creative and give you ideas you might not
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have otherwise thought of. "f you run out of 'creative steam' while on holiday a quick look at the postcards and books
in the gift shop to give you a kick start, even if it's only with amusingly cliche postcard images.
"wo things F6" to do...
.2 -ever be put off by the fact that 'everyone' has already photographed it, that might be true, but if a landmark or
location is so famous then you should also photograph it. "f you have time, try a few unusual angles as well as the
'e!pected' cliche shots.
#2 -ever ever hold back from taking a photo because you don't have enough time, a tripod, macro lens, enough
+oom, etc etc. )ake do with what you have and learn to recompose your shot with the resources you have
available,you will often (e more creative when less (urdened with e?uipment.
2icrostoc! Su(mission Calendar
"s it ust me that finds that =hristmas doesn't start in the
shops quite so early as it once did; 1like September or
,ctoberL2, did the public backlash at being told =hristmas is
only two months away finally kick in; or does the speed at
which things can be done online these days make it
pointless to prepare for a special event like =hristmas more
than a month in advance;
Traditionally designers often started their =hristmas obs in
Muly0Sept, hence traditional stock sales of =hristmas images
started early, and by >ecember design offices were quiet
places with few new obs appearing till the -ew Eear.
=reation of seasonal stock images was a year round event,
and submissions might be at least * months in advance. The
same was true for a lot of other special events during the year which require images, St. Balentines >ay or &alloween
etc.
2icrostoc! sales (ehave in a ?uite different way.
" run a couple of seasonal 1=hristmas and &alloween2 image sites, and notice that on both of these sites activity
increases right up to the event 1even including the day of the eventL2 then sharply drops off afterwards. Why;
Iecause microstock images can be used by a different type of designer working in a different time0frame. >esigns
these days can be launched online or via email in hours rather than needing weeks for printing and proofing. "t's quite
possible these days to make =hristmas image sales a few days before =hristmas to someone needing images for a
last0minute campaign.
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"t seems that many microstock buyers have a more 'consumer orientated' buying approach, e.g. only thinking about
5aster a few weeks before it occurs, and certainly not before valentines is out of the way 1even while valentines might
ust be a month before2. )any buyers, especially those e0marketeers work with very short deadlines only days before
the event may the need for e!tra material become clear. 6 lot of online publishers only think about grabbing an image
ust before new content is created, while that might not be the best or most organised approach, as a microstock
photographer we only need to cater for their need for 'something to throw in there'. 1Where did the pride in my work
ust go to;L;2
"'m not suggesting that designers don't plan or buy microstock images well in advance of an event, but with the way
that a lot of agencies s!ew their search results for more recent su(missions then su(mitting seasonal
images six months in advance might not (e the (est option for microstoc!. ,f course if you submitted seasonal
images last year they will be available for those early birds, but with the bulk of sales appearing closer to the event
then submitting about '0./ weeks before a big event should ensure ma!imum visibility.
"he 4ig Events Calendar
1in rough order of sales volumes 0 open to comment on thisL2
Christmas is the second most searched for microstock keyword 1ref2, =ompetition is very high for =hristmas images,
and the high quality of the images already available might make =hristmas not the best choice to start out with. Oet
those festive images in well before the end of ,ctober.
Easter 1Western2
"t moves around between late )arch and 6pril, and lots of people skip the religion and go for the chocolate eggs.
There is a lot of contention about keywording this one as so much of the non0religious 5aster image subects are
generalised 1giving the keyword '5aster' to lambs, spring chicks or crocuses2. Submit images in Manuary or 7ebruary.
1alentines The marketers money making invention. This one creeps up on you8 get those images submitted first
thing in Manuary if not the >ecember before.
Ith Muly 5 Fational Patriotic #magery these can often be submitted all year round 1fireworks, flags and national
monuments2 Submit in 6pril or )ay, depending on public holiday in your country.
Halloween, )ostly an event in the @nited States but known all over the world 1despite not being traditional2 mostly as
good e!cuse for a dress up party and some e!tra microstock sales for all that marketing material. Submit in
September.
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"han!sgiving While many countries celebrate some kind of harvest celebration or festival, it seems only the @S
and =anada turn the event into a serious public holiday, though there are other national variations 0 sans the pilgrim
fathers. Submit images in 6ugust.
2others and 3athers 0ays These cause a bit of a problem as they fall at different times in different countries that
celebrate them. They are also typically satisfied by more generic family images alongside the cheesy silk hearts with
'mum' written on them. 7ebruary 1perhaps ;2.
Few *ears Eve, call me cynical, but apart from the ne!t year lit in lights, then most picture requirements for new year
are catered for with images depicting 'celebration' 'renewal' 'birth' and 'party' or yet more fireworks photos... @pload
,ctoberK-ov.
Hanu!!ah 0iwali Eid.... and all the others. There is a whole world of celebrations to create images for, it's often
easier to create images for national days in your country or belief system than to try to take a photo suitable for
something you understand little about. 5!ample< collecting props for an 6merican style Thanksgiving image if you live
and work in Ira+il. Eou also have a better understanding of the meanings of each event if you are involved in them.
Sales volume for these local events is smaller, but there is also less competition on them so sales revenue can be
similar.
"he Long-"ail Sales
-ot long ago " used to feel that you could submit microstock images designed for seasonal events year round, and
while for quite a few of the agencies that true8 for others especially shutterstock, submitting before the event will
generate increased sales on searches of those keywords. ,f course if your images are good then they should
continue to earn sales at the same time each year for several years to come. 6dding images before an event simply
means that they will receive more views, and depending on the site also be the images that buyers see first when
they view your profile.
Help from =oogle "rends
Ooogle trends is a free Ooogle service that plots changes in the number of people who enter search terms into
Ooogle. "t won't tell you how many people search for a term but you can compare terms to each other. "t's also
difficult to think of a search terms that have enough data and are also tightly scoped enough so they only include
stock photography related searches, remem(er these are results from =oogle as a whole not <ust from people
loo!ing for stoc! photos. The Ooogle trends plots do make some interesting viewing provided you understand the
limitations in their accuracy.
=lick on one of the e!amples below to visit Ooogle trends and try your own terms 1Oraphs captured )ay #$$42
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5ven while the =hristmas search peak is in early 0 mid >ecember, the bulk of the search volume 1area under the
graph2 is back in -ovember and ,ctober.
7or me these graphs pose more questions than they answer8 are the few people who search well before an event the
professional 'buyers with money' and the masses who search right up to the event date ust consumers looking for
something free at the last minute;

"ips
&aving a good =hristmas selection in your portfolio can offset poorer sales of other images during >ecember.
Eou might think about taking photos one year 1or consider buying post event discount items for photo props2 and then
submitting them the ne!t. "t's much easier and cheaper to get =hristmas decorations in the Manuary Sales than find
them in 6ugust. Taking images at the event while people are in the 'spirit' can prove easier than getting amateur
models to act out at a different time of year.
>espite what you might e!pect all is not lost if you only get your image in a few weeks before the event, 1but "
recommend longer2. With some sites taking ./ days to review images then you have pretty much missed the
=hristmas boat after the first week of >ecember.
>on't Submit seasonal event specific images a couple of months after the event, it looks amateurish to have 'new
images' in your portfolio that are months out0of0date K ten months too early.