Has anyone sold images through stock sites?

[Kermit power]

Evening all!

I'm currently job hunting post redundancy, which is leaving me with plenty of time on my hands to either stress about if the fkers are even going to respond to me (whatever happened to common courtesy?) or do something a bit more productive to distract myself!

With this in mind, I've been toying with the idea of taking shots to try and sell through places like Alamy or Getty, and was wondering if anyone else had tried it, and if so, how you found it?

I wouldn't need to spend anything on kit, and even a few quid would be a welcome return for something I enjoy doing anyway, so what have I got to lose?

[covmutley]

I have a few images on alamy that have been on there about 7 years. 2 have sold 2 or 3 times each.

Images sell for decent prices (£70-£130 for me) depending on what is bought, but alamy take up to 80%!

If you are looking to replace income then absolutely not. But if you're looking to utilise your unexpected spare time with a hobby you enjoy and potentially make a few hundred pocket money each year from recurring income then go for it.

[Simpo Two]

Kermit power said:

I wouldn't need to spend anything on kit, and even a few quid would be a welcome return for something I enjoy doing anyway, so what have I got to lose?

In the same vein you could have a word with suitable shops and see if they would be interested in selling any of your work for a commission. You'd need to pay for prints and mounts/frames though.

I sold a couple of unwanted paintings via a local pub; they hung them on the wall and eventually they sold.

But as you say, expect little or no return, it's more to keep the brain active.

[Derek Smith]

Pexels provide free stock images. If you download one, the provider will ask you to contribute, which seems fair enough to me. I've used three images for two book covers. I paid £10 for the two main images, and £5 for a minor part of one image, but there was no compulsion to pay. The only criticism of Pexels is that their search algorithms need sorting. There is free video as well, but it is dreadfully amateurish.

With such a selection of free images, there seems little hope for steady income. And then there's AI to consider. There's no point in taking a photo of a sunset across a field of wheat and expecting it to sell.

But, if it is part of your hobby, why not go for it?

I've been considering uploading video using 3D software. Mine are unlikely to be as bad. I won't know if it's worth the effort until I've tried.

[StevieBee]

Yes; Shutterstock and Adobe. Not put up anything for a few years and only get beer money. You need to be putting a lot of stuff up regularly to see any meaningful amounts of returns. They are also exceptionally rigid on what can't be included. By way of example, this image got kicked back by Shutterstock because of the presence of corporate branding....



The branding in question is inside the building on the right on the lower floor!!

Not looked too much into it but I understand providing stock video is where it's at these days.

[Kermit power]

StevieBee said:

Yes; Shutterstock and Adobe. Not put up anything for a few years and only get beer money. You need to be putting a lot of stuff up regularly to see any meaningful amounts of returns. They are also exceptionally rigid on what can't be included. By way of example, this image got kicked back by Shutterstock because of the presence of corporate branding....



The branding in question is inside the building on the right on the lower floor!!

Not looked too much into it but I understand providing stock video is where it's at these days.

There must be something more to it than that, surely? I've just searched Shutterstock for images of my local High Street, and brings back loads, all with corporate branding on the shop fronts? I don't see how you could get any stock photos at all to illustrate a "death of the High Street" article without allowing corporate branding?

Overall, I think I'm going to only take pics of subjects I enjoy anyway, post them up after I've processed them, and if I cover the monthly cost of Lightroom and a few quid for petrol to get around to take the photos whilst I'm job hunting, I'll call it a result.

[GetCarter]

I get a bank transfer every month from Shutterstock. It's not huge, but it's from photos they wanted +/-10 years ago, so 10 years of not huge equates to a tidy sum.

[Kermit power]

GetCarter said:

I get a bank transfer every month from Shutterstock. It's not huge, but it's from photos they wanted +/-10 years ago, so 10 years of not huge equates to a tidy sum.

I've seen some of your excellent photos though!

I'm going to map out a walk around London to shoot anything that looks interesting without being the most photographed things in the city tomorrow, and will see if that gets me going.

[StevieBee]

Kermit power said:

StevieBee said:

Yes; Shutterstock and Adobe. Not put up anything for a few years and only get beer money. You need to be putting a lot of stuff up regularly to see any meaningful amounts of returns. They are also exceptionally rigid on what can't be included. By way of example, this image got kicked back by Shutterstock because of the presence of corporate branding....



The branding in question is inside the building on the right on the lower floor!!

Not looked too much into it but I understand providing stock video is where it's at these days.

There must be something more to it than that, surely? I've just searched Shutterstock for images of my local High Street, and brings back loads, all with corporate branding on the shop fronts? I don't see how you could get any stock photos at all to illustrate a "death of the High Street" article without allowing corporate branding?

I think the issue is that the visible brand is singular. A high street will contain many brands so no one single brand is highlighted.

[Kermit power]

StevieBee said:

I think the issue is that the visible brand is singular. A high street will contain many brands so no one single brand is highlighted.

Ah, that makes sense! I imagine image rights could get more complex with that.

[Kermit power]

By way of update, I'm two hours into a walk round the City of London, looking at things in a different way and thoroughly enjoying myself, so if anyone actually wants to buy any, that'll be a nice bonus!