Alamy to pay for some expenses?

[Gloor]

I came across this huge photo gallery and started to wonder if someone who just started doing photography for a hobby can one day expect some money in return through a page like that. As it is a really huge library, can one make some money back as photography is expensive hobby or is it just a strike of luck whether or not your picture gets chosen?
Have you tried it and what is your experience? I'm only asking for curiosity as I do intend to do this as a hobby but I tend to strive for perfection so I know that one day my pics will be way better than they are now and perhaps good enough for the "art" stamp ))) so am curious whether or not I should even look into something like that or whether its just not for people like me.

What are your thoughts?

Thank you

 

[compuwar]

Whilst people used to be able to make a living selling stock photos, these days that's increasingly difficult. With the advent of "microstock" earnings have plummeted even while the market for images has gone up. I'd expect the trend to continue as camera image quality keeps going up and the number of people with cameras continues to increase.

 

[Gloor]

Whilst people used to be able to make a living selling stock photos, these days that's increasingly difficult. With the advent of "microstock" earnings have plummeted even while the market for images has gone up. I'd expect the trend to continue as camera image quality keeps going up and the number of people with cameras continues to increase.

So would you then say not to even bother as the chance is really really slim?

 

[Doylem]

I sell pix through Alamy (currently have nearly 3,500 online). It's becoming a valuable - though secondary - income for me ($700 dollars for last month, which will be paid into my bank account this week).

I don't worry too much about the competition. Yes, there are 17,000,000 other pix on the Alamy site eek, but I just focus on my stuff. The secret? Take good pix, edit ruthlessly and keyword realistically.

Alamy don't edit for content... only for technical criteria (critical sharpness, in particular, being a difficult hurdle for some some photographers to get over).

Give Alamy a whirl... but think of stock photography as a long-term committment... not a 'get rich quick' scheme. For example, it's unlikely you will make more than a handful of sales in the first year, due to the time lags in the system (being published, Alamy getting paid... only then, after your account has reached $250, do YOU get paid). With, say, 1,000 good pix online, you can expect regular sales.

What are the best subjects to shoot... ah, that's another story...

 

[Gloor]

Sounds like a test. Perhaps I could try to upload some pics soon and see if they are getting better as if they reject then I know that my sharpness etc. is still not good

Lets see how it goes.
I don't need to be a job as my passion is animation. Photography for me is just to improve general staging etc. which will help me in animation too.

So, lets have some fun here

 

[Gloor]

P.s.: Does D90 with kit lens 18-105 even stand a chance?

 

[Doylem]

Just follow Alamy's instructions for contributors. Be careful: you have to create a realistic workflow for yourself, to give them what they want (in terms of file type & size, etc).

The D90 plus kit lens will be fine (though some Alamy photographers get rather sniffy about kit lenses). Most of my pix are with the D200 and kit lens (18-70), and I mostly shoot with a tripod...

 

[Kebabselector]

For me it's a slow burner, that said I've only got 900 images online. You get more out the more you put it.

The criteria is straight forward for getting images submitted. A bit of advice, inspect images at 100% and remove dust!

The D90 and lens should be fine, so long as the image is well defined (and not Sharpened - Shoot Raw, convert to JPEG level 10-12 at the very end).

 

[Gloor]

cool, thanks.

Btw, remove dust you mean from the lens or on the pic?

 

[Doylem]

Btw, remove dust you mean from the lens or on the pic?

Both...

 

[Gloor]

ok, here is a tricky question. I've looked through my photos and out of 1000 I've found only 3-4 that could be close to pass but am not sure anyway. They are 11MB in RAW (NEF) but they only accept minimum 48MB uncompressed. Does that mean that I won't be able to upload that image? What am I missing here?

 

[Doylem]

ok, here is a tricky question. I've looked through my photos and out of 1000 I've found only 3-4 that could be close to pass but am not sure anyway. They are 11MB in RAW (NEF) but they only accept minimum 48MB uncompressed. Does that mean that I won't be able to upload that image? What am I missing here?

Have you read Alamy's step-by-step guide for contribuors?

http://www.alamy.com/contributor/help/prepare-images.asp

 

[Gloor]

Have you read Alamy's step-by-step guide for contribuors?

http://www.alamy.com/contributor/help/prepare-images.asp

I open the image in Photoshop, save as, level of quality 12, Adobe RGB colour profile and I get image that is around 8MB. I'm definitely missing something here

 

[Doylem]

I open the image in Photoshop, save as, level of quality 12, Adobe RGB colour profile and I get image that is around 8MB. I'm definitely missing something here

My workflow (other people have different ones for Alamy... to get a similar result). From RAW file, open in PS as a 16-bit TIFF, upsize longest side of image to 5120 (which gives an uncompressed image of more than 48MB, Alamy's minimum size). I convert to 8-bit Tiff, and 'save as' a jPeg into an 'Alamy' folder. Depending on the image , this jPeg will be 5-10MB... and this is what I upload to Alamy...

 

[Gloor]

My workflow (other people have different ones for Alamy... to get a similar result). From RAW file, open in PS as a 16-bit TIFF, upsize longest side of image to 5120 (which gives an uncompressed image of more than 48MB, Alamy's minimum size). I convert to 8-bit Tiff, and 'save as' a jPeg into an 'Alamy' folder. Depending on the image , this jPeg will be 5-10MB... and this is what I upload to Alamy...

hmm, when i select the .NEF file and try to open I get a window with choosing width and height but when i add that 5120 to the longer size of the image and then click ok it says: specific file is larger than the image and won't let me go further. I'm gonna have to try it tomorrow
gn everybody

 

[Gloor]

OK, found a way in Aperture as Photoshop doesn't want to open the file at all and when I open it as tiff it gives me tiny picture.
Anyway, I created a preset for export in Aperture and that seems to be working fine. Uploading now one image to see what they will reject so I can then learn

Anyway, thanks for help.

 

[Doylem]

Good luck... Of course, if you've checked your images at 100%, you won't need luck...

 

[Gloor]

Good luck... Of course, if you've checked your images at 100%, you won't need luck...

Well, I did but I am a total noob with this so I don't really know what to look for and if I find something weird then how to fix it )))

Its all learning curve to me so patience I must have ))