Fri Jan 18, 2008 5:21 am
Sure you can make money selling microstock. I did an analysis of some of the top sellers on some sites and some people are doing very well.
But two things:
1 - I don't call it art. The idea of taking photos for the express purpose of advertising is just too repugnant to me. I experimented with it briefly to see how I really felt about it. Travel shots as editorial material is not so bad but I found it really doesn't sell even a fraction as well.
2 - You need to be very, very dedicated. The competition is fierce and you need to think entirely about what buyers need. If you are thinking you can just dump a bunch of your snapshots onto the micro sites and be on the gravy train then just forget it. Looking at any of the shooters who I said were doing well I realized that they spent huge amounts of time preparing and shooting subjects of absolutely no interest except as fodder for advertising.
I really think there are much easier ways to make similar money today. But not with a camera. I decided that the enjoyment of using my camera for things that I really want to shoot is more important. But I am aware that everybody has different ideas.