I'm getting more serious about my photography this year, and I'm thinking about selling stock photography as a way to offset some of the expenses. This video was great for me, because it's an idea I hadn't really considered. Now I have four ways to categorize my photos and videos, and category four gives me a new goal to aim for. 1. Delete 2. Personal keeper 3. Good enough for stock 4. Too good for stock Liked and subbed. Thanks!

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

This is awesome! I wish I would have thought of the categories for the video 😅They are perfect! Thanks for sharing! best of luck!

Yes, I agree with You, I always try keep something little better than average for me,especially from travel or landscape.

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

Exactly! Stock is sold to people (the idea of selling stock) as any picture will sell and its easy, but theres a lot more to stock, If I do a session thats 100% for stock I tend to compose differently and put my self in the stock mindset, when im taking landscapes i think differently and compose accordingly. still my test shots go to stock and I keep the best ones for other projects 😅

Great subject Charles. I am on a similar journey. I recently took down some of my Landscapes for that very same reason. Love your channel.

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

Awesome! Best of luck! & Thank you very much!

Thats a wonderful tip again. Learning a lot about stock photography through you. Thanq

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful! thanks for the comment!!

Thanks for introducing the new opportunities & avenues to sell your best work in photography ...

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

of course! I never expected anything to change but things always do, Stock is a great way to start, but its not everything! Thanks for the comment!

I realised this as I used to upload to sites like unsplash following your videos I'm trying stock photography early days yet but I can't use stuff I've previously uploaded so from now on I'm saving my best stuff for future projects . Thanks for the honest informative videos Iain

@wollertz

5 ай бұрын

Thanks Iain, I appreciate the comment and wish you best of luck!

Great point! I had our local Hospital contact me to do a very big photo project because they saw my work on a stock site. But, like you said - now I have been wondering about putting some of my favorite photos in stock. I think this video was the nudge I needed to start holding back my best work for other, more personal projects. Thanks for all the great videos you've been producing.

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

🙏 awesome and congratulations! value your work, and be proud of it, test shots can go to stock 😅. Unless of course the whole idea of the shoot is for stock 🤷‍♂️

@cindyshebley

Жыл бұрын

​@@wollertz - LOL, so true - it would defeat the purpose to save a favorite photo that one shot specifically for stock. Thanks so much for sharing your insights and I look forward to hearing about your new sales|gallery endeavor. Your photos look awesome.

Glad i stumbled on your video. We think so much alike . I too got burned selling a best pic cheap. I like your concise, no-nonsense, frank explanations.

@wollertz

6 ай бұрын

Thanks so much! There’s too much off the other stuff on KZread 😅 I want to get to the point and make it simple 😁

That is very valuable advice. I discovered some of my brilliant shots selling for 10 cents and. it dawned on me that whoever bought those images might be making good money from them by printing as you said. Well, I deleted them from the stock library straightaway.

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

100% I love stock, but I also have images that I believe are worth way more than $0.10, now on the flip side stock has the potential of selling over and over, but even then my best selling photo has made me $1200 in 10 years...luckily it wasn't anything i can sell as a print 😅

Thanks to your video I've just deleted my best photos from the Shutterstock catalogue. I thought I could make some money from there, but you're right - someone will just buy my images and print them and flog them and I'll get a pittance in return. I'll look at getting some of mine printed up. I know a printer who'll do that for me. Thank you for being so honest.

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

Awesome! Thanks for sharing, by the way some of what I thought were my best, nacer sold, or sold one maybe two times… they were great photos but not great stock photos 🤷‍♂️

Great idea! thank you for your advice

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

I decided last week to get into photography images. The problem isn’t someone making money off you, it’s you not knowing copyright laws. You as a photographer you owns the photos. Even if someone buys the license to use it, they cannot replicate your image without your permission. You need a IP lawyer. That’s what you should have learned.

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

They have the permission when I sell it as stock, there’s many liscenses to choose from and like most stock photographers I selected all of them to maximize sales potential 🤷‍♂️

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

Most of the calendars for sale at any store like Walmart etc, are all stock photos, and most say “iStock” or “shutterstock” someone buys the photos and sells the product, that’s stock photography

@anthonycraig274

Жыл бұрын

@@wollertz NO WAY!!! Well, at least now you know your worth. There has to be another way of promoting your photo instead of losing your IP.

@anthonycraig274

Жыл бұрын

@@wollertz Thank you very much for the Info, non of my friends sells their photos to a generic stock.

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

@@anthonycraig274 you don't loose your IP when you sell it for stock and depending on the license you choose to sell as you still own the image, but you are giving other people permission to use it also, thats Stock 🤷‍♂

Thank you so much for this post! I am a contributor on Adobe Stock and I truly appreciate this advice. I'm guilty of doing that! But thanks to you...I won't be going forward.

@wollertz

2 ай бұрын

You are welcome. Best of luck and Thanks so much for the comment!

Wisdom! Thank you for the heads up :)

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

Life changes and it’s good to be ready 🤷‍♂️ Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the great information!

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

You bet! Its just my experience, and I don't want anyone else making the same "mistakes"

While I do agree with you, I also disagree with you. As a stock photographer myself, I feel that photographers should not upload their best work and work that they are personally attached to. But when you don't sell your photo as stock, then I ask where will it live? Selling prints can be a challenging and costly. One must have a following or create a plan to seek out buyers who will be willing to pay enough money to make a profit. In my case, I know that I could never invest in the time and money to create a business that would sell enough prints to make a profit. People today don't put a high value in photography. But they do place a high value on the information on use to get great photographs. It's like fishing. Not many people don't actually catch a lot of fish, but the sellers of gears and how to fish are raking in the cash. So, I think that sometimes it's best to let great photographs live in a way that it can make the most money. For me that's placing it on stock sites. For others it might be teaching how to get great photos. Much like I think that you are already doing. I thank you for sharing and creating your video. I look forward to many more.

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

Thank you very much! and I will add other ways of selling prints once I sell them😅, I've had success with one method, but I want to have a comparison. It is defiantly a great investment and very difficult

@jbennett3578

Жыл бұрын

FS Photographic: "...but the sellers of gears and how to fish are raking in the cash." Wise words, IMO. It reminds me of something I read about the gold rush days in the American west. Most gold miners didn't make money, but the people selling picks and shovels did. These days, "pick and shovel play" is a recognized investment strategy.

Hi, great video, Thanks for the idea

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it!

AFAIK, to make and sell a wall print, calendar, book cover, etc, where your image is the main feature of the product, one has to buy an extended licence, which means you should get at least 8-10$, not just 10¢, but ofc, you could make many times that with even one print sell, so it is still true :)

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

With changing prices across all agencies Its almost impossible to keep track on who's selling what & for how much? I was just making the point 😅 but you are correct different licenses pay more than others, I just don't know who keeps track of how the images are used and who is buying each particular image and with which license? lots of trust involved while selling stock 🤷‍♂️

@JagdpanzerV

Жыл бұрын

@@wollertz Yes, of course, I'm just here hoping noone would make 100s of dollars on my 10 cents :D

@patrickkillian5925

Жыл бұрын

Most of the sites don't even allow it with an extended license unless it's legitimately transformative/part of some other product in some way (such as a book or calendar). Straight prints are almost certainly not allowed by the terms of the agreement they have and can/should be dealt with legally

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

@@patrickkillian5925 how about a framed print, as art work with a added border or something, maybe that’s why I can’t find the picture On Amazon anymore. But it would be easy to add a border and frame it, or make calendars etc

Great advice 🙏

@wollertz

6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much!

valid point. I have done the same thing and I'm already regretting it.

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

It’s tough, things start selling you get exited upload more and more, learn more get better and then $.010… I love stock and will continue to upload, just not my best work! 🤷‍♂️ Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for screwing up so much so we can learn. Great advice!!

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

Thats what I do... by the way I have another screw up for Sunday's video 🤣

@ChooseAdventureCaliforniaStyle

Жыл бұрын

@@wollertz 🤣🤣

Great tip Charles! Dropped a comment and like for the algo ✨

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

I appreciate it!

I would like to hear more about your image selling process, prints etc. I have sold some of my work through the local Galleries in this small Central Oregon Coastal town where I live. But the sale are very seasonal. I would love to learn how to expand.

@wollertz

4 ай бұрын

This takes time and lots of marketing and steady posting on different platforms to build a following.

strongly agree with you.. don't post your best work because in return you get 0.10 cents 😅 O man seriously it's a big big big scam with the stockers. But these sites earns a lot seriously they earns only and they treat to the photographer as baggers 🤣

@wollertz

4 ай бұрын

😂 I have had a great run in stock photography but yes I agree. We deserve a raise 😁 Thanks so much for the comment!

Man ! do your book !! come on !

@wollertz

5 ай бұрын

My book?

What is being overlooked is how many times that ten-cent photo sells on multiple stock sites. I was disappointed and pissed when one of my best photos sold for the first time for 25 cents. The last time I checked that photo was up to $64.00 on one stock site. I understand your point about not uploading your best photos but what if your best photo earns over $20,000 on stock over a period of 7 years, it has happened. It's a difficult decision. Maybe do both except add your signature to your prints.

@wollertz

6 ай бұрын

Great Idea, I suppose it also depends on where you are as a photographer and what direction you want your business to go towards 🤷‍♂️. Thanks for the comment!

I have many Landscape photos, Those are my best shorts, How can I sell those photos on prints, Make a video on that topic...😊

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

As soon as I sell some of mine I'll explain the different processes process, If I don't sell them then I shouldn't make a video saying how to sell 😅

You can still use stock just watermark your original photo to prove u are the original owner kinda like a copyright ©️

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

Stock agencies will not accept images with a watermark

regarding printing...what color space do you shoot since you are having both soft and hard copies ... just interested to know if you don't mind

@wollertz

14 күн бұрын

Since I’m outsourcing printing at the moment, I’m not too concerned with the profile, I export everything in Adobe sRGB (I believe 😅) I have to check my computer, but I’m out of the office until Wednesday

Listening to you, I think you may have a case for the purchaser breaching the terms of the licensing agreement.

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

I cant find the image anymore, so I'm assuming the buyer either got caught or changed how he is selling them 🤷🏼

@philliphickox4023

Жыл бұрын

@@wollertz But you do make a good point about not selling your best images on Stock, others also have made that point as well. Sometimes, I don't realise how good a image is until much later.

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

@@philliphickox4023 Its tough, but when you see how hard you worked for a photo, finding the right composition, setting up, hiking in and out of the location, experience with the camera, etc... that all has to count for something 🤷‍♂ Thats why I use the practice shots for stock, seems to be working 😅

it is not permited in stock photography to sell images with our contents (prints, t-shirts, etc.). if they want to do that they have to pay an extended expensive licence... maybe you saw in different places your picture to sell, but only if they purchase they pay the extended version

@wollertz

9 ай бұрын

I don’t think it was done legally. But when I looked for it again I couldn’t find it, so maybe one of the agencies took care of it 🤷‍♂️

Just a random question: Do ai generated image threatens your stock photography sales or it's just the same as usual?

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

to be honest I haven't noticed a difference since AI came out

👍

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

🙏

🚀❤️🙏👌

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Surely the license under which a photo provided should take into account the use to which it is put?

@wollertz

10 ай бұрын

yes, but not everyone is honest, and it is almost impossible to find out when something is sold as a print, online usage is easier to find, prints not so much 🤷‍♂️

Ciao. Sono molto interessanti i tuoi video. Anch'io carico i miei contenuti nelle piattaforme di microstock e sono abbastanza contento dei guadagni. Scusa se ti scrivo in italiano ma l'inglese lo conosco molto poco e guardo sempre i tuoi video con i sottotitoli nella mia lingua

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

CIAO! Grazie, sono contento che stia funzionando per te, è un'industria divertente 😅. Grazie per il commento e il supporto! perdona gli errori questo è google translate 😅

Just fyi, based on the license on most stock sites, a person just selling prints of your photos is almost certainly doing so 100% illegally regardless of the level of license they bought. I glanced at all the sites I've used and even in the enhanced licenses, it explicitly says you can only make prints if they are for use in your own space or you did something to change it in some way. Just straight up reselling the image as a print though is almost certainly a breach of contract on any of the stock sites

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this! Another thing I’ve seen I most stores are calendars, all with stock images. Most mayor grocery stores have them and all day which agency the images come from. 🤷‍♂️

@patrickkillian5925

Жыл бұрын

@@wollertz no problem! And yeah I do think calendars unfortunately fall within the license as an acceptable use since they are adding the calendar part as well as compiling the different images together to make one consistent/well themed calendar so it's more than them simply selling your image and luckily they aren't just able to make crazy amounts of money on that. There's also usually limits on stuff like that where after they sell a certain amount they at least need an enhanced license where you make significantly more from it

@splufford

Жыл бұрын

Exactly. That's the first thing I thought when I watched the video. Whoever bought that image is selling it on with the wrong licence. They need the enhanced licence to be allowed to sell it as prints. You could flag it up with the stock agency and Amazon and get it removed.

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

@@splufford thanks, It's not on amazon anymore, I don't know if the agency flag it or they changed the name 🤷‍♂

Is there any way to stop people from buying your stock photo's and reselling them as high dollar prints?

@wollertz

13 күн бұрын

The agencies do what they can, but some people abuse the license, you can report it if you see it, but that’s about it

Hi, I have a question regarding my PayPal account. Should I open a business account or a personal account? as new stock photography.

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

It totally depends on how you are running your stock business, and also where in the world you are located 😅. I run it under my personal name so a personal account is fine (been doing it for 12 years with no issues) If you have an llc (usa) for your stock photo business then you’ll need a business PayPal Im not an expert and this is just my experience, ask an account for proper advise 🤷‍♂️

@photography_lens_eye

Жыл бұрын

@@wollertz thanks 🙏

Can someone really buy a stock image and then turn and sell it legally?! I realize it is hard to police that but I didn't think that was legal.

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

I see calendars all over and they give credit to the stock agencies, individual prints maybe a different liscense 🤷‍♂️ but as you said policing a print would be almost impossible

@Todd_Kuhns

Жыл бұрын

@@wollertz Seems that if they can buy a stock photo and resell it in a calendar or wall art then they should be buying a much higher license which should mean your cut is far higher than 50 cents. Again, we're back to policing the problem.

I was trying to "study" about Shutterstock or just other similar agencies and I was pretty shocked. I was thinking the money you will get there for one picture are normal money, at least near to normal, like at least 10 dollars / one picture.. but 0.10 cents ??? wtf ? I was really sad to realize who earn the money - for sure not authors of pictures and people are completely ok with this ? omg, I don't know what happened with the world and where is world going now. Soon maybe photographers would to pay to put picture on the internet or I don't know. It's terrible. So big effort , upload the picture, write there all details , incredible annoying and bothering "model release", you cannot even put little child from the middle of the bush, one million obligatories and rules and all that for 0.10 cents :) in the case someone will download your picture. How people can be ok with this ? How they can sell so beautiful pictures which took them time, energy, phantasy, for just 0.10 cents. Oh God, I don't understand and I am really disappointed from all these agencies and especialy I am sad because of people (photographers)... How they can sell their work so cheap? Almost for free..If people would not support these pages with content , they would be pressed to change the prices they are paying for one picture. How much it will be in the future ? Where is this going ? 0.000001 cent for one image ? :( terrible. Adobe Stock - next expert between agencies - they rejected almost all my images. StutterStock at least accepted almost all. I was trying but it looks for me like nonsense. I am really suprised how many people are playing this absurd game. And all those videos (1000 Dollars a month with Stock Photography), it's just only joke. If someone can earn there 10 dollars / month - it's big succes. So absurd. Or I didn't understand how it's working.

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

You are not wrong! 😅. I’ve said this in other videos, stock photography is not for everyone, some people are retired and want to see where their pictures end up, others rather take the chance and leave the photos online because what else are they going to do with them, and a lot of people have given up 🤷‍♂️ . I use stock photography to practice and learn new techniques, lighting, editing, exposure blending, and the good photos y sell as prints. I do however make decent money from stock, it’s a numbers game kzread.info/dash/bejne/hJWNx8mlhK_HddY.html

Is it appropriate for you (as the copyright holder) to mark your stock (favorite) images with some sort of "logo" or "trademark"? Very tiny?

@wollertz

10 ай бұрын

Hi! Thanks for the question but no, any watermark or logo will get the image rejected, when you submit the photos to an agency you are giving them the rights to sell and promote I retain the rights as the author, but I’m giving them permission to use it as they see fit. I also have the option to limit the licenses offered for my photos, but that also limits sales. And with dodays software anyone can remove a logo or watermark with ease 🤷‍♂️

@NMoltchanoph

10 ай бұрын

@@wollertz Don't they have to print your name, like 'Photo by Bob Smith.'? Even images for 'editorial use'? Is it in the US agencies, or in Europeans too?

@wollertz

9 ай бұрын

not always, some say Source: Shuttertock or getty or whatever agency, and sometimes they will say @wollertz or whatever your account name is, but not always @@NMoltchanoph

@NMoltchanoph

9 ай бұрын

@@wollertz Thank you, sir.

🙄🤔

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

Stock is a great way to learn and get paid to learn, but theres also a lot more to photography!

@farida1548

Жыл бұрын

@@wollertz thanks for the experience you shared, but I have to keep learning good photography for stock😁 this week I learned to make simple animations and neon text, finally got approved and made me excited again to keep learning 🤭

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

Learning is always a good thing, and stock is a great way to learn and get paid while you get good at it!congratulations and keep it up!!

@farida1548

Жыл бұрын

@@wollertz thanks, did you know that in Indonesia there are many contributors with good sales from footage, animation and graphic design, but they also experience theft or plagiarism

David Dislikes When Samuel Sees young Boys are Sleeping on Alamy

@wollertz

8 ай бұрын

I don’t know what this means 😅

Good advice, but a few items. - Just because you sell an image as stock does not mean you can't sell same image as prints. - If a stock buyer sells prints, they should have paid for at least an extended license, not the bargain bin price. - Selling prints requires name recognition, which most folks don't have, and of course you are gaining. Congrats. 😃 - Landscapes in particular often don't sell high volume as stock....which is why you advise here is good. I'll be curious as to future videos and your success in this new endeavor.

@wollertz

Жыл бұрын

Great Points! Thank you! I personally would feel strange if someone bought a print at a higher price and then found the same one available for a few dollars 😅. Or even knowing that it is available in stock, good point with the landscape shots, I'll clear that up in a future video. I'm curious also... I will do an update and hopefully share some tips! Thanks again for the comment