Making Money from selling digital photos: Is Microstock right for you?

Microstock: Making Money from selling digital photos

The secret is out, and everybody wants in on the action. The last few years have seen a kind of boomtown vibe erupt in the world of Microstock photography. We’ve written elsewhere about the details; if you are interested in learning more about the mechanics and the specifics, then we’d encourage you to digest that material when you are able.

But if you have gotten to the point to where you think that you are ready to take the plunge, as it were, and dive into this new endeavor, then go for it. But read this first.

We think that there are several key indicators that can be used to predict the performance or success of an individual in the field of Microstock photography. It’s important, though, to remember that this isn’t based on empirical data. In fact, it’s based on observation, experience and anecdotal data. In short: your mileage may vary.

For the sake of simplicity, let’s reduce this to three (3) key indicators; we’ll call them “KIs”. Assuming that we are not completely nuts, then one could, in theory, gauge in advance the “success” of an individual entering this field. So, without further delay, here they are:

1.    The Tech Factor. We call it the “tech factor” because is descriptive, and because it sounds kind of cool and official (we are shallow, so bear with us). It goes like this: any person aspiring to enter the field of Microstock photography should have an advanced skill set specific to digital photography, including computer hardware and software, Internet knowledge, advanced photo-retouching & manipulation, etc. There are several reasons for this, but the primary one being that a novice, or any individual that lacks a comfort level with the stuff mentioned above, is likely to become frustrated, angry and decide that the payoff is just too small, relative to the amount of hassle and fuss. Mostly, that’s because there is a learning-curve to this business, and those that succeed with generally be among the group that has already demonstrated some degree of mastery of the technical hurdles along the way. Will there be those to rise to the top despite their lack of technical skills? Of course. There will always be a number of those who prove this theory wrong. On the other hand, we are all about the percentages. And we think that the vast majority of successful Microstockers will be proficient in a technical context.

2.    The Story Factor: we think that this one is a big deal; here is how it works: The most successful photographers in Microstock appear to have a pretty good understanding one something that can’t be acquired through reading a bunch of Photoshop guides and manuals. It’s all about being able to communicate an idea or concept visually. Some people call that, “telling a story”. Call it what you like, but we feel pretty strongly that this one issue is what separates those who are able to turn Microstock into a full-time gig from those who give up after a few months of meager return-on-investment, and/or disappointing income from sales of photos. There are a lot of photographers that can take a photograph of a common household object (let’s say, a spoon, for example), and upload that to any or all of the Microstock agencies. But there are fewer photographers who can take that photo in a way that conveys meaning and context. In fact, at any given time, there are going to be about a trillion photos of spoons available for download on any or all of the agency sites. So, why take another one? How do any of us differentiate our product? What makes our work special? Why would anyone pay money for our stuff? There is no simple answer to any of those questions, of course. But it’s important to wrap one’s head around the notion of communicating something more than the object itself (again, using the spoon as an example). Yes, there will always be a market for photos of spoons with a simple, white background. But the size of that market for that photo is tiny, relative to the number of photos that have been posted or exactly that same shot. See what we mean? Bottom line: we like the odds for the photographers who figure out clever ways in which to tell stories, even when the story is a simple one, about a simple object.

3.    The Make-money-scheme-Factor: This one is really simple. If you want to enter into the Microstock thing because you think that it’s going to be a good way to pay the bills, you are going to be really disappointed. In general, we think that there are a large number of people who are really successful at this stuff, and are able to carve a decent living doing what they love. But the key is that, in general, they LOVE doing this stuff. They think about photography a lot. They see things that they want to photograph on the way to school, work, the subway, etc. They subscribe to photography magazines; they attend Photoshop classes; they carefully absorb as much as they can about improving their art. Again, this one is simple. Anyone looking for a way to make a few bucks by learning about photography should stop now. Microstock isn’t for that person. It’s a lousy match.

And that’s it. Three simple things that we think matter. We could go on about this and that, and write extensively about the details, but we won’t. The information above is simple and clear. Ping us with questions.