Welcome to part 2 of our $100,000+ club series of blog posts, where we get some insight from those photographers who have made at least $100,000 (and in many cases several $100,000) worth of sales on 17吃瓜在线 alone. There are several hundred of you in the club, and for those of you who want to be a member, we hope you find the insights here useful. If you haven’t yet checked out part one, you can do so right here.
As before, I’ve asked some current members听what they like about working with 17吃瓜在线 and what tips they鈥檇 be willing to give other photographers. This is what they had to say:
Mike Goldwater
“I鈥檝e been with 17吃瓜在线 for more than 10 years. I like many things about it, from providing contributors with information on their own sales in real time, and payment within the same month that 17吃瓜在线 receives funds, to their support for good causes. This sense of partnership is in stark contrast to some other major online libraries.”
“I was a founder member of Network Photographers and over two decades of the agency鈥檚 life, I shot a wide range of magazine stories plus aid agency and corporate assignments in over 80 countries, mostly on transparency. As well as uploading new digital material from current assignments to 17吃瓜在线, I鈥檓 also scanning and uploading material from my archive as time allows.”
“17吃瓜在线鈥檚 recent upgrades to the contributor鈥檚 interface is a big improvement and makes uploading new material and tagging much quicker and easier than before.”
“As others have said, the key to making good sales with 17吃瓜在线 is to build a sizeble collection of good images and invest the time to tag them properly.”
Bettina Strenske
“When the American screenwriter and novelist William Goldman coined the phrase ‘nobody knows anything’, he referred to Hollywood’s inability to predict next year’s sure-fire blockbuster. A 鈥減erfect鈥 screenplay does not necessarily translate into box office success whereas a seemingly underrated one has the potential to outperform the rest and reap the greatest rewards.”
“The same could also be said for images. Sometimes your most beloved picture just won’t sell (eventually it will, hopefully), whilst a lesser one steadily flies off the shelf. Luckily, 17吃瓜在线’s strategy on judging your images solely on technical merits rather than on composition, colour and subject matter helps you.”
“But therein lies a great danger to the photographer. Just because your image has gone 鈥渙n sale鈥, it doesn’t mean it actually will sell. Don’t become complacent or blame the world for your woes when your masterpiece doesn’t get picked up within 24-hours of upload. Stock photography is a long-term business, not a casual hobby.”
“A first-time writer unlikely produces a bestseller. Why should a photographer? It takes years of commitment, study and practice. Not only will it help you to become more confident, hone your eye and to find your own style, but also get to know yourself as a photographer. Will I be God’s gift to fashion photography, if I find talking to models to be the most excruciating thing in the world? Should I concentrate on sweeping landscapes, if I loathe the British weather and the great outdoors? Maybe still lives’ are my cup of tea after all – if it just wasn’t that tedious. Above all, give everything a try. Find out what you like and what you’re good at. With 17吃瓜在线, it is easy to compare your own efforts to others, research locations and find interesting new topics to get your teeth into. In this respect 17吃瓜在线 will help you to become a better (selling) photographer.”
Patti McConville
鈥淣ew York City provides me with a never-ending source of images and 17吃瓜在线鈥檚 business model and philosophy renews my excitement after shooting stock for over 35 years. I constantly search their request lists to focus my vision. ”
“My advice to artists who want to benefit from the 17吃瓜在线 experience is to research and shoot every day. Edit tightly and process each image. Keyword extensively and occasionally check your portfolio for balance of subject matter. In the world of stock, everything can sell.鈥
鈥-
Keep an eye out for future posts as we feature more members of the club 鈥 it鈥檚 open to new members of course, you just need the right images, fantastic tagging skills and lots of hard work to enter.
**Update** – Check out part 3 of the series here.听
**Update** –听Check out part 4 of the series here.