Helpful hints for stock photographers

Here are some helpful hints for artists selling their images online and some ideas of what you could do if you get bored or the day is too rainy to go out…

Backup!

Don’t take risks and regularly make a backup copy of your work. It might be a good idea to have a separate external hard drive for backups. It will keep your images safe if your computer crashes, and it is easy to take with you in case you need to use another computer.

How about statistics?

Some photographers never calculate how much they earn from microstock. But if you want to know how much your earn exactly, and how many photos you sell, keep a record of your earnings and sales: I use an Excel document for daily statistics where I have all the agencies listed. I can write a number of photos sold and a daily amount earned with each agency. The program makes all the necessary calculations automatically, so I can see the totals for each day, each month, and a whole year. I can also see which sites perform better, and what’s the average commission for each photo sold.

It’s a nice thing to do with a morning cup of tea and it gets more and more interesting as your earnings grow :)

Search for inspiration

Check the portfolios of successful photographers, read stock photography blogs (for example, the one on Dreamstime), see which pictures sell best and try to train your eye and your mind to get the concept of stock photography and to see the difference between a good stock photo and an ordinary snapshot.

Learn and communicate

Public forums are a great resource for tips and tricks related to photography, and if you have questions, don’t be shy to ask. Usually people are very friendly and responses are quick. Personally, I don’t find time to write on forums and just don’t enjoy it much, but if it’s right for you, it can be a good place to learn, communicate, and grow your personal creative network.