I for one, am a little tired of being paranoid every time I’m traveling or out shooting in public areas.  That’s just the way things are now.  Sometimes even if you are minding your own business and committing no wrongs you can still catch heat for aiming that digital camera in certain directions.  Photographers professional and amateur alike are being effected by this.  Here is a funny story about how the Amtrak railroad line held a photography contest / competition, and then forgot about it – and they forgot to pass along the memo to security, evidently.  This hilarious video from The Colbert Report jeers at this funny happenstance in the wonderful world of photography.

Recently I spotted a nationally run TV commercial that was such terrible quality that you could see artifacts all over the screen, even on a 480p TV set.  Or maybe it was really bad photography representing marketing materials or advertising for a reputable business. I’m not talking about bad design or photography in general, but mostly just bad technical execution.  Amazingly, these basic things that we all were taught in school are sometimes forgotten.  We’ve all messed up at some point in our jobs, but for the most part we quickly learned and improved.  Tight deadlines are no excuse for technically bad artwork, because at some point we all have to learn to squeeze out at least decent quality work under the most stressful of situations.  There’s no excuse for sloppiness, but it does still happen.  All you have to do is check out blogs like PSDisasters.net to see for yourself.  You can also just google “bad graphic design” or “bad photography” examples (but you probably don’t even have to look that hard.)

Here are some examples of some bad graphic design using watermarked comp graphics pulled from istock on a finished product.  Maybe they weren’t trying to steal them; let’s give them the benefit of the doubt.  They could have just screwed up and forgot to replace the low res comps with the high res stock images prior to print or publishing.

Are They For Real?
I was flipping through the newspaper the other day and came across an ad for a national restaurant chain. Looking closely at the photo of the sandwich on the plate, I immediately noticed how off the focus was. The entire front of the sandwich was OUT of focus and the only part IN focus was about a quarter inch in the center, entirely too shallow. If becoming a stock photographer has done one thing, for me, it’s taught me how to shoot properly.  I have definitely made many mistakes in the past, but that’s how I learned.  Some people are learning while they’re working for large corporations.  I sort of pity them, because these people obviously don’t have anyone to teach them the proper ways, or to correct them, if their images are getting published nationally.  I really wish I had saved it, so I could scan it up and post it here.  The same company that had the really bad photo in their ad, at least has a really excellent selection of images on their website.  Lots of depth of field, nicely lit compositions, and all professional food photos with no other mistakes in their lineup.  I wonder how an image so bad slipped through?  Maybe someone got in big trouble over it later on.

There are many photographers out there that make a living shooting things wrong.  These ones might only be making it because they have good business skills.  There are a lot of really bad graphic designers in the corporate world, too – probably making double the salary that their skill set really should be allowing them.  I’m not trying to be mean, I just get a little bit disgusted when I know lots of really talented people that are struggling.  In the meantime, these people that are highly skilled, are the ones finding themselves stuck in a rut with their creative careers.  Or maybe they are just living in the wrong area of their country, where creative jobs are scarce.

The Moral of the Story
Sometimes it’s out of the creative’s hands, when printers goof up, fail to provide an accurate proof for color or what have you.  But we can’t pass the blame onto the printers, those guys have enough stress as it is.  Plus, we are all human – prone to goofing up once in a while.  But what about those creatives who really are bad?  I think what it really comes down to, is that there will always be some people that are much better at certain jobs than the actual “so-called” professionals working these positions.  So here’s to the hacks, the hung over art directors, the technically untrained photographers of the world.  Don’t quit your dayjobs Best wishes, and we hope you shape up before you get shipped out.  For the rest of the real professional creatives that know what they’re doing, keep at it.  Some day your time to shine will be here.

I hear this a lot from those looking into microstock to earn a full time living.  Questions like this come up frequently on microstock forums, twitter and facebook.  How many images will I need?  What can I make hourly?  Is building up a sizable microstock portfolio even worth the effort?

Now this article is not an article just to try and discourage people from giving it a shot, or attempting to discourage breeding my own new competition.  There are bazillion other blogs, books, and ebooks online where you can learn “How to make a living selling stock photography” and obviously there are already hundreds of thousands of contributors worldwide.  No one stock photographer or illustrator is alike, considering that everyone has their own style, their own work ethic, their own methods – to each his own.  Who am I to give my opinion?  I’m nobody special, just your average creatively minded computer geek.  I have been making a full time living for 2 solid years now.   My 2 years full time was built upon 2.5 prior years selling stock part time (approx 5-10 hrs a week) while working full time at a graphic design dayjob; the field I actually have my BA in.  So I’ve been in this stock business a solid 4.5 years… that’s not a very long time, but then again this biz is still very young.  4.5 years isn’t much less time than some of the top selling microstockers, either (ie: Yuri Arcurs and Andres Rodriguez to name a few of the top dogs).  In this short period of time, I’ve learned and experienced more first hand in this business than I can even put into words in a Tuesday morning blog post.  With just a little over 5000 stock images, I still just consider myself a small fish in a big pond.

Here is my take on getting started in the business – straight up, no chaser.

If you’re just starting out right now… in 2010-11, I honestly think you’re going to need a prayer to initiate your momentum and to start earning enough images to make a living. I started back in late 05, early 06 – I was paying my mortgage by mid 07 and then went all out full time with the loss of my full time day job in mid 2008. If I waited until now, and transitioned from part time in stock to full time, I don’t think that I would make it. Things were much different back then, too.  It was much less difficult to get images approved (if you can’t get past that hurdle, you aren’t going to be able to sell them obviously) and it was much easier to get lots of downloads on simple subjects. It seems like every few years in stock it’s more of an uphill battle. In 06 you could submit a pile of crap, and still sell it like hotcakes. Technically imperfect photos, even. Now you’d better have your skills sharp and be able to hang with the rest of your competition just to get sales.

If you consider yourself an amateur and just want to make $100 a month just uploading a couple of new images each week, sure that’s definitely possible. If you’re looking to make $1000+ a month on a newer portfolio, you’re going to need to have a long road ahead of you, unless your work fills some sort of crazy un-touched niche with high commercial demand. Can you live off $1000 a month? Maybe if you live in India or Asia.  I wish I could.  In the area of the United States I live in, that won’t even pay the average mortgage or rent for the month.

Saying you want to sell stock is one thing – doing it and actually continually maintaining momentum in it is another. Putting up with the submission process; the keywording, uploading, and pushing the images through on the agency back-ends (all the tedious parts) is another thing that stops 99% of people in their tracks. They realize all of the work in it, and are either too lazy or just get discouraged from lack of sales.  When it comes to stock – you either “get it”, or you just don’t. Some grasp at straws taking pics of churches, shooting fruit over white or zoo animals all day, while others create useful, commercial imagery. This is going to be the largest hurdle for most contributors, used to producing nice prints for their living room walls.

So here is what you need to make it:

- Self motivation (Are you a motivated self-starter? Can you stay on task without getting distracted while working alone from home? If not you might as well not even bother with microstock)
- Creativity… enough to choke a cow
- Business sense!  At least as much if not more than creativity
- Quality gear to accomplish whatever it is you’re shooting the most, I’d say an initial investment of $2000-4000 at minimum to cover most of your bases – computers/cameras/lenses/studio gear (don’t even waste your time with consumer point and shoots, unless you like getting over 50% of your images rejected for technical quality)
- Technical skills both in camera and off (Adobe Photoshop knowledge can make or break you in this business. If you’re lacking, you’d better hit the books or don’t bother uploading at all)
- Tons of regular uploads.  Take whatever you think is a lot to produce each week, and add 50 to that number.
- Good keywording skills (something that takes a lot of time to develop, for most)
- Ability to set and reach hourly / daily / monthly / yearly goals
- Lots of quality and variety
- Quantity quantity quantity in addition to high quality (a portfolio of 3000 images is the “new” 1000 – but 3000 crap images has the sales potential as a portfolio of 300 excellent ones)
- Patience, persistence, and a backup income before you get the stock ball rolling

Us full time microstockers are in the minority – I’d estimate there are probably under 500 in the world. Who knows?  I wish I knew the actual figures, but that would be a tricky statistic to pin down.  I’m not talking RM/ traditional stock sellers, but those that are strictly making their income with microstock, exclusively, whether they are working for one agency and an exclusive artist or they are using multiple agencies to sell their work.  We are a rare breed, and a lot of us are probably crazy for even attempting this feat   One thing you can’t expect from this business is to get rich off of it.  Gone are the days of making money from the snapshots laying around on your hard drive (heck, I myself even claimed that back in 2006 – because that was truly the case back then – but not anymore).   If you’re the type of individual that wants to earn a higher than average income, then you’re definitely barking up the wrong tree here.  It’s taken the seasoned pros years just to develop a portfolio strong enough, large enough, and good enough to consistently earn them a steady monthly income.  Don’t expect for this to be a quickly profitable start-up business without any sacrifice or years of “paying your dues”.

If you’re going to attempt this, you need to treat it like a start-up business.  40-60 hrs a week will be necessary, working diligently and taking a stab at it.  After a few months you should then evaluate your time & cost vs earnings ration.  Time is money, so if you are seeing a decent return for all of your hard work right off the bat, then there is your answer whether or not you might be able to make it as a full time microstock contributor.  Otherwise, you might conclude that stock is a rainy day side hobby to dabble in whenever you’re bored or needing some extra cash for new gear or to take your wife out to dinner.  If you haven’t noticed, I don’t blog super regularly.  My blogging is highly intermittent.  I’m sorry, that’s just pretty much due to the fact that I’m too busy working, as a one-man operation.  I limit myself to a 40 hour work week, because money isn’t everything to me.  I work to live; I don’t live to work.  When you work for yourself you have to limit yourself; unless of course you want to be a burnt out workaholic that doesn’t have a happy family, spiritual, or any type of other life. I digress.

Do you already consider yourself a pro photographer, because you’re making a living in the wedding or portrait business?  Sorry to burst your bubble, but micro is an entirely different animal.  Please try not to go into it thinking you’re going to be all set and that it’s going to be a piece of cake for you, just because you’ve been a seasoned pro photog for years and years.  I’ve heard many stories of this happening.  You’re still going to have just as much learning curve as the amateurs will, just as any of us did back when we started.  The harsh reality of the nazi-ish microstock quality standards are enough to turn even the best of photographers away from this business.

Timing is everything, so I can understand why there are so many blog posts online explaining how the ship as sailed to be able to have a full time microstock living.  I respectfully disagree with that for those microstock contributors who already have their foot in the door with a large collection of images, established and already selling.  Given the continual move of buyers away from RM and more to budget RF images, as well as the continual movement towards digital media of all types in our daily lives.  If you are currently sell microstock part or full time, and are making a decent living, consider yourself a rare breed.  I wish everyone success in whatever creative field you’re involved in, and hope that my honest evaluation of the business in this article has helped those considering microstock as a career choice.  I’m tired of all of the nay-sayers and doom and gloom discussed about this business.  Remember too that there are a thousand ways to make a living in any creative field; it just depends what you want to set your mind to, and focus on in your own business.  If the microstock market tanks and us full time contributors can’t continue getting by, forcing us to explore other avenues of income, then it is what it is.  Only time will tell.  Life will go on, and many of us well know there are countless other niches areas of this creative field that we can pursue.  In the meantime, best wishes and happy selling!

For a list of agencies you can sell your photos, graphics, and vector illustrations, that I think are actually worthwhile (in other words, where there are actual sales); read this post.

If you are serious about microstock photography, the best way you can hit the ground running is to learn from the pros.  Rasmus Rasmussen has been working in the microstock business as a contributing photographer and also an editor for over 10 years.  In his updated ebook, he takes you in-depth into what it really takes to make it in this business, not as just a side hobby, but as a career.  Check out The Expanded Microstock Photographer’s Guide ebook today.  After reading it myself, I really think it has all of the necessary tidbits of insider info that I wish I had known, back 7 years ago when starting out in microstock.

Which super stars enjoy photography as a hobby?  Which prefer getting behind the camera it and not just being in front of it all the time?  Here are a list of all the celebrities (who are also photographers) that I could track down.

#1 Tyra Banks

Tyra Banks is not only one of the world’s greatest supermodels and talk show hosts, but she can also handle her own with a Hasselblad!  You can see her on her show America’s Next Top Model (ANTM) frequently shooting some of the contestants.  Now does she know how to set everything up in the camera settings and lighting?  Who knows, and who cares – she probably just has to worry about pointing and shooting.  Being around the modeling  business for so many years, she has probably absorbed so much photographic knowledge that it just comes naturally to her.  Think about it, don’t most actors usually move towards directing later in their careers?  It seems to be a common trend in models and actors.

#2 Vanessa Hudgens

Vanessa Hudgens told MovieFone in an interview that photography is her favorite hobby. “I think it’s a lot of fun … savoring the moment.  I get to go to all these beautiful places, so it’s nice being able to take pictures of it.”

#3 Drew Carey

Yes sir, Mr. Price is Right himself also shoots sports!  This surprized me a lot.  I’ve always liked Drew Carey as an actor/comedian, now I like him even more.  Drew shoots for the U.S. National soccer team on occasion, and he sells his images under the pseudonym “Brooks Parkenridge”.

#4 Jerry Bruckheimer

We all know Jerry as the fantastic film and tv producer, but he actually started out as a photographer.  His interest in film got him to where he is today, but that’s not to say that the art of photography didn’t help him along on his career path.

#5 Brad Pitt

You might be sick of hearing about Brangelina gossip on shows like TMZ and Extra, but here is an interesting tidbit.  This dude is so much of a photo geek that it has been said that he drives his wife Angelina Jolie insane with it.  Angelina said her hubby Brad Pitt  “has become obsessed with photography and ruminates for hours on how to improve his art”.  Supposedly Brad really geeks out and studies everything about the art and science of photography and imaging.  Hey, I have to give him some credit.  He isn’t pulling the “rich doctor” syndrome.  You know, when highly wealth people buy a Canon 1ds MkIII even though they have no clue what they’re doing with it.  In that case, it’s like they’re walking around with $8000 necklaces.  Brad seems like the type that really geeks out, and for that I have to give him props.  You can read more about his obsession here.

I highly that Ashton was into photography before Nikon decided to use him as their post child.  Hey, I’m not knocking him – I think he’s great as an actor.  Heck, one of my dogs is named after his character on That 70s Show.  I could be wrong, but I can’t find any evidence that he’s a real life photographer aside from his Nikon commercials.

Did I miss anyone?  If you know of any other famous musicians, actors, actresses, athletes, or other celebrities that also love photography, please post them in the comments below! To learn more about top celebs and their other hobbies, check out this great post at NotSoBoringLife

I recently received a wall post on facebook from a fellow photographer:

“Your giving out free photo shoots in exchange for signed release forms is undermining the industry… it is a disgusting strike against the photographic community. Terrible business practice.  Do you really feel you have to give your work away in order to get a model release signed?  I seriously couldn’t believe my eyes when I read this… you really should reconsider.”
-Anonymous

Is this guy serious?  I couldn’t help but laugh after reading this.  The point of TFCD shoots (time for cd) is a trade off.  I get models for free, and they get the images for free.  In turn, I sell the images and make money off of them.  How is this undermining the industry?  Not everyone is a stock photographer, it’s not like this guy is going to lose portrait business.  Not everyone is going to want to sign a model release and have their photos sold all over the internet.  I am very clear with the models I work with prior to shoots.  As long as everything is understood, we move forward.

Sometimes there are cases where you may shoot and not got enough return back, for your efforts.  If you want to play it safe, there are also arrangements where photography rates are discounted when a model release is signed, but the client is still charged a fair rate.  This gives the model or people receiving the service incentive to sign a model release.  Depending on the difference in price you charge, some may be very willing to do this in order to save money.  You can’t under-sell or under-value your services, your time, your gear, and your efforts, but there are times where an even trade can still be of value for both parties.

You can learn more about TFCD shoots here.