When you are a freelance self-employed photographer, getting to the
level of earning enough to support yourself and your family is
difficult. But you know you can do it, because you are willing to work
hard and you produce great, unique images that are better than anything
offered by the competition. Here are a few basic principles of the
photography business to remember.
When I was recently
interviewed by Photonetcast, it became clear that my position on the best strategy for licensing
rights to images is misunderstood, so it is time for another
explanation. Granted, my position is radical, so bear with me.
In the last few years there has been dramatic growth in the use of
images on the Internet, a market for images that virtually did not exist 10
years ago. Some believe that the potential for growth of the Internet is
infinite, and that there will always be an ever-increasing demand for imagery.
In the last few years there has been dramatic growth in the use of
images on the Internet, a market for images that virtually did not exist 10
years ago. Some believe that the potential for growth of the Internet is
infinite, and that there will always be an ever-increasing demand for imagery.
Photographers should be aware of the number of images already in online
databases and recognize that any images they produce will be competing
against those that already exist.
So far in this series we’ve learned there is declining demand for images
that will be used in print, and growing demand for images that will be
used online and in electronic formats. Photographers just starting out
should be aware of the number of images already in online databases and
recognize that any images they produce will be competing against those
that already exist.
As recently as five years ago, almost all (an estimated 98%) of all stock-photo revenue came from print uses. In the last five years, demand for images to be used electronically has
grown dramatically. Today, such uses account for roughly 20% of the
total industry revenue.
Though
unit sales are declining for many iStockphoto sellers, many of the same people are also seeing significant revenue increases. Here’s how.
Traditionally, the primary uses of still pictures were in printed
products such as magazines, newspapers, books, brochures, direct mail
promotions, catalogs and—to a much smaller degree—posters and product
packages. An estimated two thirds to three quarters of all revenue
generated from stock pictures (in the range $1 billion worldwide) comes
from print image uses, but this demand has steadily declined for a number of years.
More and more people are producing pictures of a quality sufficient to
satisfy the needs of many who want to use pictures. Thanks to the
Internet—and to a great extent microstock—it is now much easier than in
the past for people to earn a little money from the images they have
produced and to make contact with customers who might want to use them.
The “Going Pro” series of articles targets not the successful
professional but the person just starting out, or the microstock
photographer who has had some success producing images that sell and
believes it is time to quit his or her day job and go into photography
full time. What are the things they need to be aware of before taking
the big plunge of trying to turn something that is a fun hobby into a
career?