How I made $170K selling stock photos.
TLDRThe speaker shares their journey of earning $170K from stock photography over a decade. They emphasize the importance of learning photography techniques, experimenting with gear, and understanding subjects for better tagging. They also discuss the value of uploading a variety of photos to increase visibility and sales, the distinction between editorial and commercial images, and the significance of capturing current trends and unique personal experiences to capitalize on stock photography opportunities.
Takeaways
- 💰 The speaker has earned $170K over 10 years from stock photography, which is not their full-time job.
- 📈 They emphasize that this income is from commission, suggesting they've generated over $500K in sales.
- 🔧 The importance of learning and investing time in understanding how to use your photography gear effectively.
- 📸 The speaker started with a Canon 7D and a 50mm 1.4 lens, which was a significant upgrade from their initial camera.
- 🚫 A cautionary tale about the speaker's early work being rejected for lack of focus, highlighting the learning process.
- 💡 The technique of blending two photos at different apertures to create a more appealing final image.
- 🌍 The advice to photograph everything, everywhere to build a diverse portfolio and improve skills.
- 📈 The more photos you upload, the higher the chances of being found and making sales.
- 🏷️ Learning about what you're photographing helps with better tagging, descriptions, and finding the right angles.
- 📝 The distinction between editorial and commercial images and the different requirements for each.
- 🔮 The importance of预见趋势 and capturing images that reflect current events and interests.
- 🌟 Leveraging personal unique situations or 'unfair advantages' to capture photos that others may not have access to.
Q & A
How much money has the speaker made from stock photography over the years?
-The speaker has made $170,000 from stock photography over a period of 10 years.
What is the average annual income the speaker has earned from stock photography?
-The speaker has earned an average of $16,000 per year from stock photography.
What percentage of the sales does the speaker receive, and what happens to the rest?
-The speaker receives 30% of the sales, and the rest goes to the agencies that run the platforms and handle the marketing and sales.
What was the speaker's first stock photography camera?
-The speaker's first stock photography camera was a Canon 7D with a 50-millimeter 1.4 lens.
How did the speaker improve their photography skills?
-The speaker improved their photography skills by investing time in learning how to use their gear, experimenting with different techniques, and learning from their mistakes.
What was the result of the speaker's first attempt at taking stock photos with a new lens?
-The speaker's first attempt resulted in 500 photos that were all rejected due to lack of focus, except for one or two sharp elements in each photo.
How did the speaker overcome the rejection of their initial stock photos?
-The speaker overcame the rejection by learning from their mistakes, blending photos in Photoshop to improve the results, and continuing to practice and upload new images.
What is the importance of taking photos of a variety of subjects in stock photography?
-Taking photos of a variety of subjects helps to grow the portfolio, increases the chances of being found by buyers, and provides practice for the photographer.
Why is it beneficial to understand the subject matter when taking stock photos?
-Understanding the subject matter helps with finding the right angles, uses, and tags for the photos, making them more discoverable and sellable.
What is the difference between editorial and commercial images in stock photography?
-Editorial images show real-life events and can represent a specific time and space, while commercial images can be used for advertising or promoting a product or service.
How can photographers take advantage of current trends in stock photography?
-Photographers can take advantage of current trends by staying informed about news and events, and uploading photos that represent these trends to their portfolio.
What does the speaker mean by 'unfair advantage' in the context of stock photography?
-The speaker refers to 'unfair advantage' as unique situations or access to subjects that most people do not have, which can be leveraged to create unique and sellable stock photos.
Outlines
📸 Stock Photography Journey and Techniques
The speaker reflects on their stock photography career, highlighting that they have made over $170,000 over a decade, which averages to $16,000 a year. They clarify that this is a side job and emphasize the importance of learning and experimenting with photography techniques. The speaker shares their initial struggles with a Canon 7D camera and a 50mm 1.4 lens, and how they improved their skills by taking thousands of photos and learning from rejections. They also discuss blending photos in post-processing to achieve desired effects and the importance of understanding one's gear and its capabilities.
🌐 Expanding Portfolio and Understanding Subjects
The speaker advises on the importance of uploading a large number of photos to increase the chances of being found by buyers. They share their experience of removing unsold photos from their portfolio, which led to a drop in sales, indicating that quantity is crucial in stock photography. The speaker also stresses the value of knowing the subject matter of the photos, using their expertise in cocktails as an example, to help with tagging, captioning, and selling images. They touch on the difference between editorial and commercial images, explaining the need for model and property releases for commercial use, and the potential for editorial images to be used in various contexts.
🔍 Capturing Current Trends and Leveraging Unique Advantages
The speaker discusses the importance of staying updated with current trends and world events to capture relevant images for stock photography. They mention the rapid change in trends and the need to be quick in capturing and uploading images to capitalize on these trends. The speaker also encourages photographers to focus on their unique advantages or situations that others may not have, using personal examples such as photographing a broken-down Jeep and an injury they sustained. They conclude by motivating viewers to use their unique perspectives and situations to create and sell stock photos.
Mindmap
Keywords
Stock Photography
Commission
Canon 7D
Bokeh
Blending
Portfolio
Algorithm
Editorial Images
Press Credentials
Trends
Unfair Advantage
Highlights
The author has made $170K from stock photography over a decade.
The author's earnings are from commission, with agencies taking a significant portion.
The author emphasizes that stock photography is a side job, not a full-time occupation.
Investing time in learning photography techniques is crucial.
The importance of understanding the capabilities of your camera gear.
The author started with a Canon 7D and a 50mm 1.4 lens for stock photography.
Learning from failures, such as 500 rejected photos, is part of the journey.
Blending multiple photos can create unique stock images.
The author's first stock photography camera was not suitable for the purpose.
The advantage of learning from online resources, which were not available when the author started.
The author's personal story of a photo rejection due to improper technique.
The significance of understanding your subject matter for better tags and descriptions.
The author's success in selling photos of cocktails due to their knowledge of the subject.
The importance of taking a variety of photos to grow your portfolio.
The author's experiment of removing unsold photos led to a decrease in sales.
The concept of editorial images and their difference from commercial images.
The author's experience with needing press credentials for editorial photography.
The value of staying updated with current trends to capture relevant images.
The author's strategy of capitalizing on unique personal situations for stock photography.
The author encourages using one's 'unfair advantage' for unique stock photo opportunities.