INTRODUCTION

Making Money from Microstock Photography

There is a revolution under way in how photographs are taken, sold, and used. It is a revolution that has opened up extraordinary new opportunities for photographers and users and buyers of photography. The Internet, digital imaging, and rise of new channels to market—including the subject of this book, the micro stock image libraries—make right now the most exciting time in many years to be involved in photography.

Understanding the revolution and how you can profit from it is what this book is about. It is not a history book or a philosophical work but, rather, a practical tool about photo graphy and money, how to make it and to save it, whether you are a photographer or a buyer of photography. Of course, your perspective will be different depending on who you are and what you do. That is why the next two parts of this introduction are addressed to two complementary audiences— photographers of all levels of ability and their actual or prospective clients.

INTRODUCTION FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

Do you own a camera or have some talent with vector graphics or video? Do you have access to a computer with an Internet connection? Would you like to make some money from the pictures you take with your camera or your artwork? Answer “yes” to those three simple questions, and you have given yourself a perfect reason to continue reading this book.

This book will tell you all you need to know to start making money in days from your camera or computer. It busts the jargon, reveals the secrets, and assesses the opportunities. Specifically, this book covers the following:

• What microstock libraries are and how they work
• A comparison of microstocks with traditional image libraries
• What images sell and what do not—and why
• How to meet strict technical requirements
• Easy tips to put you one step ahead
• Pitfalls and how to avoid them
• Information on leading microstock libraries and which are best for you
• Tips on gear and how to make the most of it
• Legal requirements, including specimen model releases and copyright information

There are plenty of good photographic books around, even some that cover stock photography, but none at the time of my writing this book (to my knowledge) that cover in detail the exciting new opportunities that have opened up to make money through the new wave of microstock image libraries. Let this book be your guide to help you make money and to assist you as a photographer, regardless of your level of experience, to successfully enter the world of microstock photography.

So, who are you, the mysterious “photographer”? You might be a keen amateur looking to make a little extra cash. Or perhaps you are a professional with images littering your hard drive. Maybe you know a little about stock photography but found the “traditional” image libraries a bit difficult to come to grips with. Whatever your background, all you need (apart from that camera, computer, and Internet connection) are a little enthusiasm and an open mind.

You are never too young, or too old, to join the fun and make some money! Left, © Dusan Zutinic/Fotolia.com; right, © Sergii Tsoma/Fotolia.com

Interested? Then read on….

INTRODUCTION FOR DESIGNERS AND PHOTO BUYERS

All the above points addressed to photographers are relevant to you (you do own a camera, don’t you?), but there is also a powerful additional rationale justifying your interest, as a user or buyer of photography, in this work. Microstocks can save you and your client money while delivering quality.

The microstock revolution sprang from designer-to-designer cooperation and image sharing. It has evolved to provide the imaging equivalent of cheap music downloads but with a key difference in that this is business to business and not business to consumer. The clients of the microstock image libraries are people just like you, looking to buy good images at a good price—and what an incredible choice there now is!

In preparing for this book, I have spoken with many designers, publishers, and other users of imagery, in other words, those who spend the budget on buying images. Just a short while ago, a surprising number of them knew nothing about the microstock image libraries. In fact, the esteemed publishers of this work were among those

to whom the microstocks were a new concept, not properly understood, creeping in below the radar. More recently, market awareness has increased, and now more designers can name at least one micro-stock library, without necessarily realizing just how huge and varied the market has become.

So enjoy the revolution and the opportunities it brings. Now let’s get started.