Shoot & Sell – May 2019

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You can turn your photos & videos into money through stock agencies – that’s no secret.

Will every upload get you some cash? Definitely no.

And that’s why I’m here, to guarantee you invest your time on topics that really sell as stock footage or stock photography.

 

You can watch the content in the video above or just keep reading this article.

 

8 topics to shoot now + 5 hot visual trends

This month, not only do we have 9 ideas of what to produce next, as also a list of visual trends – which is exactly where I want to start.

The cool thing about spotting visual trends is that it makes all the traditional and saturated topics new again.

Every quarter, StoryBlocks launches an article about what is trending in searches, what customers are asking for and what is popular in visual design.

 

1.1 Gradient

 

Gradients are the first one and I couldn’t agree more. You probably noticed this being applied in different ways.

Stock Photographer Zamurovic uses it a lot exploring the transition from pink to blue. I’ve illustrated it with more examples in the video.

You’ll see people referring to this style as “holographic colors”. This is very connected to the fashion trends and you will even see graphic designers using wrinkled foil as a background.

This won’t always be a good idea for stock footage, because some buyers prefer having room to do their own color grading, so use it with caution.

 

1.2 Muted Tones

In a similar way, you can also explore muted tones. So instead of making your colors pop, try to mute them. It’s not black and white, though. You will just make your colors a little less aggressive.

 

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

Once again, the best way to understand it is by studying the fashion trends connected to it.

Still, I don’t think this will work for every video file and I believe it’s better for images made to be used as backgrounds somehow. You can try to color grade your footage as much as you want but always keep in mind that some buyers like having room to work on their own color preferences.1

 

 

1.3 Extreme Close-ups

Then we go to extreme close-ups. Shots that frame a person or object tightly.

Although I wouldn’t state it as visual trend, it’s interesting to learn that stock footage buyers are searching for close-ups.

So that’s something to keep in mind in your next stock footage shootings. Try to explore close-up angles and diversify the number of shots you achieve with the same topic.

 

1.4 Retro Cinema Style

 

Vintage Aerobic Training People On A 80S 90S Retro Tv Screen on Pond5

If you read my article about the bestsellers of 2018, you’ll notice there’s a big number of files like this in the list.

Taking a look at your old Mini-DV tapes can be more profitable than you think.

 

1.5 POV

And finally, there is “POV”, which I believe are alternative Points Of View. Like people filming themselves, first-person view, low angle, flat lays, etc.

 

All these visual trends are cool ideas to apply to whatever you’re producing right now. Practice them in different subjects and you will probably get good results even in saturated categories.

 

 

Don’t forget to check out our online course. We got a special discount for readers of the blog. 

 

 

The Shot List for May 2019

Now let’s go to the shot lists.

These are subjects and topics with high demand and represent actual requests made by the stock agencies.

 

1. Back to School Activities

 

https://www.offset.com/photos/smiling-children-sitting-on-steps-and-eating-pizza-together-at-school-740015

Shutterstock is always planning ahead. They are requesting images depicting children around the world preparing for the new school year.

That can translate into parents purchasing schools supplies like backpacks and pencil cases, the first day at school, from starting kindergarten to walking into a dorm room.

The 4 Shutterstock requests can be read here.

 

2. Newborn Babies

 

Father and toddler son playing in living room on Offset

Newborn babies are in demand once again. Especially when it comes to fathers doing activities with their child as most files only show babies with their mothers.

Breastfeeding was among the requests months ago and came back again proving there’s still not enough quality content about it.

Graphic designers can work on illustrations and vectors for new baby cards, baby shower banners, and new baby celebrations. Photos & Footage depicting baby showers are welcome too.

The secret is including parents and children of diverse ethnicities, ages, abilities, etc. The more diverse, the more unique your files will be.

And that applies perfectly to the 3rd request:

 

3. Inclusive Beauty

 

https://www.offset.com/photos/profile-of-mixed-race-woman-with-eyes-closed-606927

Women and non-binary people indulging in everyday beauty routines. Explore the diversity of beauty, including different ethnicities, ages, shapes, and “imperfections” being celebrated. Work on beauty rituals and makeup application techniques in stunning environments. As well as broad representations of the beauty in women and non-binary individuals of diverse ethnicities, ages, abilities, and backgrounds. That will be images depicting the diversity of beauty including different ethnicities, ages, non-binary people, and diversity being celebrated in everyday beauty routines.

 

4. Criminal Justice

 

Storyblocks is reporting an increase of 150% on searches for “hacker” and “prison” as well as “jail,” “lawyer” and “security”.

Last month, Pond5 had a demand for airport security lines, so I believe it is an authentic request.

According to Storyblocks “content representing crime and criminal justice system are in demand”.

Searches for “hacker” and “prison” have increased by close to 150%, while “jail,” “lawyer” and “security” have also experienced significant search volume spikes. It’s clear that content representing the crime and criminal justice system are in demand.

Read more about Storyblocks’ requests here.

 

5. Farmer’s Market

Now we have 3 requests coming from Pond5.

 

Young Farmer Selling Fresh Vegetables by pressmaster

The first one is related to local farmers markets and their growing popularity around the world. Try to visually represent how these markets provide a place to meet and chat with neighbors, as well as getting needed groceries.

Pond5 suggests the following shots:

 

  • Shoppers and vendors weighing produce/fruits
  • Shoppers smelling/squeezing produce/fruits
  • Shoppers choosing fresh produce, bread, cheese, meats
  • Shoppers purchasing fresh produce, bread, cheese, meats
  • Shoppers meeting and chatting with friends/neighbors
  • Portraits of both consumers and vendors

And the following keywords: Organic Foods, Healthy Foods, Choice, Shopping, FreshnessPeople shopping, smelling, choosing products, chatting to neighbors and portraits of both consumers and vendors.

 

6. Record Shopping

 

Couple At Record Store Sidewalk Sale by TheStacks

The next request connects to the fact that Vinyl album sales in the United States have grown for the 13th consecutive year. Pond5 states that 16.8 million LPs were sold in the country in 2018, 14.6% more than the last year. So this a poorly explored theme full of concepts that reach far beyond the subject matter.

Some suggestions of shots are:

 

  • Shopper shuffling through records in a bin
  • Removing a record from sleeve to examine the record’s condition
  • Listening to record at the store’s listening station
  • Paying for the record
  • Portraits of both shopper and vendor

And suggested keywords are: Choice, Collector, Examining, Shopping, Retail

 

7. Home Studio Recording

 

Young Musician Composes and Records Music by barselona_dreams

Producing & recording music at home have become a new trend in the music scenario. And buyers need visual content to represent that.

Some suggestions of shots are:

 

  • Wide shot of a home studio with and without talent.
  • Plugging instrument or midi controller
  • Playing an instrument or midi controller
  • Navigating through music software
  • Singing into a microphone
  • Portrait of a musician in a home studio

And suggested keywords are: Creativity, Technology, Innovation, Uniqueness, Originality

 

8. Japanese Seniors

And finally, there’s this brief from GettyImages Custom Content. It is specific for their client (FIL) but represents a niche that is poorly represented in stock agencies – Japanese Seniors.

 

  • Groups and individuals taking part in outdoor activities
  • Aligned with the sentiment of people enjoying life in Japan.
  • Must feel authentic, natural and ad hoc, nothing staged looking.
  • Man walking alone in nature, leisurely with a fresh green background.
    Keywords: Nature, hiking, environment, healthy, well‑being, active seniors exercising
  • Couple happily in living room looking at iPad, Skype with their grandchildren. Keywords: Family, couple, lifestyle, enjoyment, togetherness, connection
  • Grandmother with her family and grandkids walking along a park/ beach.
    Keywords: Leisure, nature, outdoor, togetherness, family, enjoyment, healthy
  • Please see the client’s mood board for visual references, and remember while it depicts some non‑Asians, Japanese talent is mandatory for this brief. 

 

And that’s all for today.

Thanks for reading. Stay Creative.

Cover photo by niu niu on Unsplash

 

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Best Websites to Sell Stock Photos & Footage

 

 

If you are starting or considering to sell Stock Photos or Stock Footage online to make some creative, passive income you are probably asking yourself things like:

 

  • What stock agencies profit the most?
  • Should I upload to multiple stock websites?
  • What websites should I start with?
  • Is there a difference between Stock Photography and Stock Footage?

Well, CreativeInco.me is here for you!

 

The content of this article was recorded into the video above.

New Stock Agencies are being launched all the time, and though it is a good idea to diversify your income sources, it can be very frustrating wasting time uploading to agencies that will never get you a sale. That’s why it so important focus on the right stock agencies

With this article, my goal is to expose:

 

 

The stock agencies where I profit the most

I hate taking conclusions too early and assuming things are the same for everybody. After all, there’s a big difference in selling stock footage and selling stock photography. And that connects to what agencies will be the most profitable.

 

My Stock Footage Earnings:

On the Footage (video) side of things, I usually see that the best websites are Shutterstock, AdobeStock, and Pond5.

The image below was captured from my video and shows how Shutterstock is by far the most profitable one. I took the years of 2017 and 2018 to make that calculus.

 

Screenshot captured from my video: Stock Agencies that PROFIT the most

Adobe Stock is not that strong for me because it doesn’t allow editorial content – the biggest part of my content.

iStock/Getty could be something, if only their commission rate wasn’t so messed up – 15% for non-exclusive contributors. Plus footage sales for less than $1. Enough to make me give up on them.

There’s an article where I showcase my best selling files and how much they made in each agency, you can check that if you want to learn a little more with my own earnings.

 

Stock Photo Earnings

As mentioned before, things are very different between stock footage and stock photography. So we will take stock photographer Alex Rotenberg’s earnings into consideration. (Alex is the author of the Brutally Honest Microstock Blog and you should definitely check it out)

In this article, Alex broke down his earnings of April 2019. By that time he had a portfolio of 10,500 images on a total of 19 agencies which made him $896 that month (considering images only).

This is the breakdown of his April earnings (I took footage out of the calculus:

 

  • Shutterstock: 40%
  • iStock/Getty: 20%
  • Robert Harding: 18%
  • Adobe Stock: 10%
  • Alamy: 4%
  • Rex Features: 2.4%
  • 123RF: 1.5%
  • Dreamstime: 1.3%
  • BigStock: 1.3%
  • Pond5, Canva, Colourbox, DepositPhotos, Sign Elements: ~1.5%
  • Arcangel, Creative Market, Picfair, Storyblocks, Wemark: ZERO sales

It’s important to say that some are not really microstock agencies and will work in a different way (sometimes exclusive, sometimes Royalty Managed. I suggest you read his articles if you want to learn more about it.

Alamy is also a good agency to sell photography. Sales are not as frequent as they are in Shutterstock, but they’re known for getting the highest pricing sales. Many contributors have experienced sales above $100 there.

 

Google Trends

If you are already a student of our online course or subscriber of the YouTube channel you noticed how I’m a big fan of Google Trends.

This powerful tool allows us to compare how specific search terms are made along a given period of time. So I obviously compared how the most known agencies are being searched.

That is clearly not directly connected to how much you will sell on these agencies, but is still interesting data.

 

Comparing searches for “Shutterstock”, “Getty Images”, “iStock”, and “Adobe Stock” on May 2nd 2019.

This proves how Shutterstock is still the biggest player of the market having 57 points compared to Adobe’s 20, Getty’s 19 and iStock’s 14. All other agencies didn’t get anything close to these 4:

 

  • Shutterstock: 57 points
  • Adobe Stock: 20 points
  • Getty: 19 points
  • iStock: 14 points
  • 123RF: 5 points
  • Alamy: 4 points
  • Creative Market: 4 points
  • Dreamstime: 2 points
  • Storyblocks: 1 point
  • Pond5: 1 point
  • Deposit: 1 point
  • Video Hive: 1 point
  • Robert Harding: >1
  •  

 

What is the future for stock agencies?

And it gets more interesting once you analyze how the graph is evolving since 2004.

 

Notice how GettyImages used to be the biggest agency reaching a peak in June 2006 – pretty close to when they have acquired iStock.

But then Shutterstock arrived and from then on it is clear that things haven’t been so good. Both Getty and iStock went down in searches and that is also reflected in contributors that More than a decade ago. Shutterstock is the top payer for almost every stock creator.

There’s no way to prove it, but I’m pretty sure that contributors had a strong part on the iStock decadence. The iStock/Getty group became the most hated among contributors because of their lack of transparency, bad commission rates (15% for non-exclusive), and low respect for the contributor. So you can see how both companies started to go down in Google Searches.

In the meanwhile, Shutterstock was growing constantly from 2006 to 2014, when the searches stabilized. And that’s probably because a new player joined the game –Adobe Stock.

Their growth since 2015 hasn’t stopped yet and that makes Adobe a very important agency for both Photo & Video. I really believe they’ll soon get closer to Shutterstock’s leadership.

 

Alexa Ranking

That gets clear when we use Alexa Ranking, another tool that can be used to analyze the most visited websites on the internet.

Here are their positions in the Global ranking:

 

  • Adobe.com: 64*
  • Shutterstock.com: 186
  • DepositPhotos.com: 940
  • 123RF.com: 998
  • iStock.com (or iStockphoto.com): 1.093
  • GettyImages.com: 1.790
  • Dreamstime.com: 1.562
  • VideoHive.net: 1.829
  • Alamy.com: 2.857
  • VideoBlocks.com: 3,984 (StoryBlocks.com is at 15,353)
  • Pond5.com: 6,151

It puts Adobe.com on the top because they use the “adobe.com” domain which is used for way more things than just Adobe Stock. That’s why they appear in the top 100 most visited websites. So you can’t really conclude that Adobe Stock gets more visitors than Shutterstock.

In this ranking, Adobe Stock and Shutterstock are clearly the best marketplaces. And they’re both good for Footage & Photography. Right now iStock and Getty get fewer visitors than DepositPhotos and 123RF, which I would say are better for selling photos over videos.

 

My personal advice

 

For photographers,

I would advise starting with Shutterstock and AdobeStock.

They have the best platforms, good reviewal times and will get you the biggest number of sales.

Shutterstock has a mobile app that lets you edit metadata and submit files from it. You can even upload pictures you took from the phone.

Then as soon as you get the taste of it, grow your portfolio to other agencies. Alamy would be the first one because of the high price sales I told you a little ago. Then I’d go to more agencies like DepositPhotos, 123RF, Dreamstime, and Pond5.

To then try all the other new or small agencies.

The best way to upload photo files to multiple agencies is by using Multi-uploaders like StockSubmitter or Xpiks. It’s not that hard to learn how to use and I do cover them in my online course.

 

For filmmakers,

I suggest this order: Shutterstock, AdobeStock, Pond5, and Storyblocks.

In general, that’s what I believe are the most profitable and also the easiest to deal with.

Video demands a whole different workflow and uploading through FTP. Not as hard as it sounds and I also cover the process in my online course.

I also got my eyes on other agencies like Vimeo Stock, Dissolve, and Film Supply, for high-end content. ArtGrid and Envato are also coming with quite interesting business models and might grow in the next years.

Just as in photography, I suggest you use a multi-uploader if you want to submit to multiple agencies. StockSubmitter works well too.

But for footage, we have BlackBox, a platform that submits your footage to 5 agencies at once. I wrote an entire article to help you learn more about it.

 

https://youtu.be/PZIiKTgJ6_Q

 

Thanks for reading

What about you? What are the most profitable agencies in your opinion? What do you think the future of microstock will be like?

Thanks for reading. Stay Creative.

 

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Shoot & Sell – Apr 2019

This post is part of a series I write monthly to help stock creators with ideas and insights on what to produce next as well as relevant news of the industry.

You can watch the content in the video above or just keep reading this article.

Don’t forget to check out our online course. We’re now raising the price to $30, but you can still get it for $20 using the coupon code: APR2019

 

The Shot List

1. Environmentalism & Plastic Awareness

https://www.offset.com/photos/front-view-of-toddler-boy-carrying-bag-full-of-plastic-waste-around-783390

Environmental issues & solutions, and Plastic Awareness are the first demand from Shutterstock. This is an interesting topic wherever you live. You can work on plastic pollution in water or land. Beach and forest clean-ups. And any creative way to showcase zero-waste and environmental solutions.

Read more

 

2. Football (or Soccer)

https://www.offset.com/photos/boy-playing-football-in-the-ground-on-a-sunny-day-762689

The second demand is Football. And I’m sorry my fellow American friends. I’m talking about real football, not that thing you call football. That’s not a ball, and you don’t even use the foot enough. So… yeah… sorry. That’s not football.

Joking apart, we’re talking about people playing and watching soccer around the world. You can explore the local traditions and how people interact with the sport wherever you are. This topic has a strong demand for illustrations and vectors. Shutterstock suggests vectors with various sports balls, not only soccer.

Read more

3. Home Improvement & Spring Cleaning

https://www.offset.com/photos/bearded-man-painting-wicker-armchair-at-home-537877

Next, we have home improvement & spring cleaning. That includes people cleaning their houses, like floors, surfaces, TVs, laundry, etc. Before-and-afters are getting nice results in this subject. Read more

4. Pride & the LGBTQ+ Community

https://www.offset.com/photos/young-gay-couple-in-love-sitting-on-steel-girder-of-a-footbridge-769367

The last Shutterstock request is related to the Pride Month, and that means images celebrating Pride and diversity communities. Things live events, flags, as well as individuals, couples, or friends in everyday situations. Read more

5. Creative Brief: Teens and Social Video

We also have three creative briefs from Pond5. The first one is related to Teens and Social Media.

We know how much teenager’s lives were impacted since Instagram launched Stories. If it was for better or worse, well, that’s not the point. 

So Pond5 is looking for photos & videos that capture teenagers creating and spreading their stories. You can cover texting, selfies and everything in between.

Suggested Keywords: Social Media, Communication, Individuality, Entertainment, Connection, Obsession, Wireless Technology, Portability

Pro-Tip: More than likely, a teenager’s room might be covered with copyrighted posters, images, and products peppered with logos from popular brands. There are plenty of ways to keep your environment real without compromising your vision for fear of capturing copyrighted materials. Shoot with a shallower depth of field, which will blur out TV programs, appliances, computers, magazines, books, logos, and any other trademarked objects. Also, prepping a safe location takes a little more effort, including greeking logos and avoiding areas that pose a risk or are impossible to navigate around.

Pond5 was specific about ages between 13-18, but I would also explore different ages. From kids becoming early users to older people that got the same habits.

Read the full brief here.

6. Creative Brief: Airport Security

The second request from Pond5 is pretty specific and also pretty hard to do. And that’s Airport Security. It can be tough to obtain access to a security checkpoint but not impossible. It also doesn’t have to be an actual security checkpoint as you can simulate one like these contributors probably have.

Explore scenes like passengers putting laptops and shoes into plastic bins, metal detectors, x-rays, passports, and even dogs sniffing.

Suggested Keywords: Security, Safety, Examination, Surveillance, Travel, Occupation

Pro-Tip: Try to find a local airport with less traffic, or stage your shots in an alternative facility or studio that can be “cheated” as an airport security checkpoint with close-ups and props.

Read the full brief here.

7. Creative Brief: Automated Assembly Lines

And last we got “Automated Assembly Lines.” This is a strong one for anyone working with 3D or Motion Design. Robots are quickly displacing humans in manufacturing plants, and that’s what they want in pictures.

Some ideas are robotic arms creating a product and assembly lines. Not only in the automotive industry, but also medical, electronic, welding, food service, and even law enforcement.

Suggested Keywords: AUTOAPRIL2019, Automation, Technology, Industry, Manufacturing, Engineering, Assembly, Innovation, Intelligence, Efficiency

Pro-Tip: Industries that successfully utilize automation include automotive, medical, electronics manufacturing, welding, food service, and law enforcement. It’s often handy to volunteer your services as a filmmaker or photographer at places in these sectors in exchange for keeping the footage. A proposal such as this can be the solution for obtaining access to an otherwise tough location.

Read the full brief here.

8. Babies with fruits and Vegetables

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/strawberry-in-hand-royalty-free-image/122181227

Finally, I’ll borrow this request from Getty Images Custom Content.

They’re looking for images with babies discovering and interacting with different fruits and vegetables. Not only eating but playing and satisfying their curiosity.

Key Requirements: 

  • Babies playing with ingredients showing curiosity, the awakening of senses, discovering food, touching, etc.
  • Playful staging of the ingredients. Think color, form, and textures.
  • Photographed outdoors, in nature, and some indoor. Must be all unknown, unrecognizable locations.
  • Some images can work as triptychs (think of an Instagram feed).
  • Clothing: dressed modern and trendy, simple or very colorful (see mood board).
  • Dishes/plates: wood, bamboo, plastic.

Technical Requirements:

  • Natural light.
  • Selective focus can be used to make specific objects stand out.
  • Square and vertical formats.
  • Shot ideas: from the front, from behind, wide field of view, tight shots on the expression of the face, the child’s hands, etc.

Read the full brief here.

Shutterstock’s email on February 2019

As discussed on our March Shoot & Sell Episode, the following email was sent to Shutterstock contributors on February 19th with the subject “You Have Been Selected”.

It’s a big challenge to give my opinion on that. Cause I know I’m being watched by both the experienced contributors and the ones that just got started. So please, don’t get offended by my opinion.

I myself started in 2012 so I never saw what they call the golden years. But I can imagine what they feel after the price drops and the tsunami of new contributors.

What draws my attention

There are 2 things that call my attention in this letter. I’m optimistic with the first but not that happy with the second.

  1. What gladdens me is to see that the company is doing something about the undiscovered clips. If they really use that filter of “1. Never or rarely sold clips” and “2. Not new to the site”, and if they really limit the sales to smaller resolutions, then, personally, I do think it’s a good idea. This is something I talk about on the online course, that you can be sure the majority of your files will never get sales. It’s more likely that you’ll have a few bestsellers with frequent sales. The average I see is that 80% of files will never get sales. Shutterstock discloses the number of sales only, while Pond5 discloses the number of views too. You’ll notice that many clips never get a single view. So yes, finding a use for those files is a good idea. If only we got the choice to be part or not, but I’ll leave that to the second point. However, there’s no way to find out exactly what they are going to do. By the way the write it and by studying the market, I would have two guesses:
    – They will launch a subscription-based marketplace. This is what we see in Storyblocks and Envato Elements. Customers pay a fixed monthly fee and will be able to download as many videos as they wish. And here I pull your attention to Artlist, the music website. They are just about to launch a footage website too. The revenue we would get for this model is hard to estimate and would depend on how many downloads each user made. But let’s wait and see before we discuss that.
    – They will partner with creators. Platforms like YouTube, Facebook, or Vimeo would benefit a lot if their creators had access to a big footage library. I can’t see how the footage use would be paid, but I can imagine a business model where these creators pay close to nothing to use the footage or something based on distributing the generated revenue or something like that.I know this is very unlikely but there is something about this sentence in the letter: “… an audience of millions who have never bought traditional stock footage before.” and “… able to fulfill customer demand for both high-end and low-end productions.” So we’re clearly not talking about ad agencies or big companies. Anyway, you can be sure I’ll keep you guys updated as soon as I learn more about it.
  2. No opt-out. Now here’s the part that gets me frustrated. And that is just one more signal of how little their consideration is for the contributors. The letter says “… our site functionality does not support the ability to opt-out of this limited license program, …”And this really frustrating. We are the owners of the content and this very same content is the core of their business. They shouldn’t simply sell it for less without our agreement. And here I think they’re taking advantage of the fact that they are the biggest agency to simply make a move like this without even letting us opt out of it. This is something that deserves our attention.I know I got a different opinion than most of you guys, but I’d love to read your comments on that too.

Pond5 Updates

In the meanwhile, Pond5 is also making changes to the Contributor Agreement. They sent an email to contributors inviting us to a Live Streaming that will happen on March 21. They will be explaining the changes, how they impact us and answer questions live.

We have no ideas about what is going to change. But the fact that we will be allowed to make questions that will be answered by the CEO himself already gives it a totally different feeling when comparing to Shutterstock.

So stay connected, be sure you’re subscribed and the bell sign is on, and I’ll give you a summary of what has been said.

Shoot & Sell – Mar 2019

For some reason, it took half of March until Shutterstock posted their requests. But, better later than never, here we are with the Shoot & Sell episode of this month!

This is a monthly episode I post with ideas on what you can work next to maximize your earnings selling stock footage & stock photography as well as the relevant news in this microstock world.

You can watch the content in the video above or just keep reading this article.

Don’t forget to check out our online course.

Before we head to the Shot List, let me pull your attention on a few important things happening on Shutterstock and Pond5 during these days.

The Shot List

And without further ado, let’s head to the shot list. These are actual requests made by the stock agencies. It is a good idea to work on them as fast as possible, but that doesn’t mean this is the only time they’re usable. They represent the real demand of stock customers, so if you’re looking for inspiration, be sure to watch the past episodes too.

As usual, this month they are coming from Shutterstock and Pond5, but you can upload and sell them on all stock agencies you work with.

Let’s go!

1. The Middle East

Falafel Bowl on Offset

Let’s start with this big opportunity to anyone living or traveling to the Middle East. And to be honest, you don’t even have to be there to explore this.

Shutterstock is searching for Cultural and religious elements of the Middle Eastern culture. That means any inspired cuisine including falafel, shawarma, and samosas as well as people enjoying shisha and hookahs. I’m sorry if I’m pronouncing it wrong. You can also explore cultural and religious observances pertaining to Ramadan.

As I said, you don’t have to travel to explore this as there is always a demand for how this culture is practiced in different places of the world.

An extra tip is Including people of diverse ethnicities and ages. And always be respectful when working with this or any other culture.

One more personal tip, if you have the opportunity to travel to Qatar before the Worldcup, that would be an awesome place to explore.

2. Tech of the Future

Woman touching air in VR glasses on Offset

Shutterstock is also requesting content related to the Tech of the Future. By that, they mean the latest technological advancements in multiple industries.

Some examples are facial recognition, video conferencing in inspirational environments, augmented reality and machine learning.

I can’t stress enough how impactful it will be to include people of diverse ethnicities, ages, abilities, and backgrounds.

3. Hiring

We are hiring sign on Shutterstock

Then we have a request for Hiring and New Jobs. That covers the recruitment process, welcoming new team members and any kind of sign like “We’re hiring,” “We want you,” or “Join our team”.

Shutterstock was very specific in these sentences so I would use them as keywords if I were you.

4. Elderly Citizens of the World

Senior stretching on Offset

The last Shutterstock request focus on senior citizens and the challenges they face during this stage of life.

Some ideas are seniors, as couples or friends, in everyday lifestyle scenarios.

Also, images depicting hearing aids, dentures, and memory loss conditions such as Alzheimer.

Caregivers are also a cool aspect to focus on.

5. Camping

Slow-Motion Portrait of Young Hiker in Norway by AilaImages

Pond5 has also 3 requests and there are keyword suggestions and extra tips for all of them. Find it in the text article in the link below.

And the first of them is Camping, especially couples.

That would be a couple putting up a tent, sitting by a fire talking or eating. You can also explore scenes like hiking, relaxing and activities like canoeing, surfing, etc.

Portraits will also work well.

Suggested Keywords: Recreation, Idyllic, Freedom, Healthy Lifestyles, Relaxation, Togetherness

Pro-Tip: Embrace the light. Subjects that primarily take place outdoors are prime for using natural light. Add a dog for extra credit. In addition, it’s important to remember that all ages are important when considering your casting choices.

6. Bullying

Teen Bullying by benjikat

Next, we have bullying. This subject has high demand but is still badly explored. Especially when it’s used to raise awareness of this issue. Most of the current content exaggerates too much and it might be a good idea to be careful with that.

Some ideas are a group of youths verbally bullying another youth, leaving someone out, hitting or pinching, breaking another’s possessions, rude gestures and even spitting.

It is a hard subject to work with and I would love to see what solutions you guys have found!

Suggested Keywords: Social Issues, Harassment, Intimidation, Threats, Domination, Exclusion, Anxiety, Despair

Pro-Tip: A variety of locations can provide the right location for your scenes. While most reported bullying happens in a school building, a significant percentage also happens in places like on the playground or on the bus. It can also happen traveling to or from school and in the youth’s neighborhood.

Casting Considerations: Ages 5 to 17 years, gender, and race diversity. Authenticity and diversity will play an important role in the success of your shoot.

7. Cafe Culture

Man Using Touchscreen Tablet in Cafe by AilaImages

And finally, Cafe Culture! The freelancer’s paradise.

Some ideas are someone making coffee, handing it to a customer, customer handing the credit card, someone sipping coffee while working on a laptop, tablet or phone, or reading a book or magazine. Portraits will also be a good idea in this case.

Suggested Keywords: Wireless Technology, Communication, Concentration, Tranquility, Independence, Connection

Pro-Tip: Utilizing areas of the cafe or changing up your setting can provide innumerable angles and concepts, such as placing your talent in big comfortable chairs and couches for a more relaxed vibe or at a communal table for those who want to strike up spontaneous dialogue or collaborate on work projects. (Beware of logos.)

Thanks!

Before we go, I want to invite you to enter in our facebook group “Stock Creators”. I think it is the best way to learn with all the community and be up-to-date with all that is going on.

Also, don’t forget to check out the online course and get a discounted price while there’s time.

I see you in the next days with good updates, I hope, on what Shutterstock and Pond5 are doing![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

the bestsellers of 2018

It is almost the end of January, but I think we can learn a lot taking a look at what files sold the most in the year of 2018 on stock agencies like Pond5, Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, etc. This includes stock footage & stock photography.

I want to show you a bunch of the best selling video & image files in 2018 and some conclusions I learned analyzing them. This should give you cool insights into how successful contributors approach topics and visual references as well.

For a better experience, I strongly suggest you watch the video above. It’s made after the exact same content.

You might also enjoy reading about my own personal bestsellers.

Trendy vs. Evergreen

The main message I’m trying to communicate is: there are two significant types of content you could work on – the bestsellers of 2018 will make that clear. There is the trendy content and the evergreen content.

  • The trendy content includes photos, footage, illustrations of topics that have a growing interest. For example, the latest iPhone, Amazon’s Alexa, Self-driving cars, etc. Topics that are strong now and might get you good sales fast but may get old in the fast.
  • The evergreen content is made of perpetual subjects, that may not get you sales instantly but should take longer to become useless.

I’m not saying one is better than the other. I’m also not telling you to pick one. I’m just showing you two alternatives to work on.

My Brazilian flag video, for example, was a big success in 2014 during the WorldCup and in 2016 during the Olympic games (trendy content), when both happened in Brazil. However, it is still useful these days to anyone searching for the topic “Brazil” (evergreen content).

I hope this trendy and evergreen stuff makes sense to you…

2018 Bestsellers on Stock Agencies

Now let’s talk about the 2018 bestsellers on Stock Agencies. Unfortunately, no stock agency discloses decent data on which files sold the most during a year.

The best resource comes from Pond5. A list of at least 20 videos and 20 images that they post every month. I won’t show you this 500 files here, but you can check each month’s best selling files here:

There’s also no way to find out the order of which stock photos/videos sold the more. So I’m organizing them in categories.

1.Aerial

2018 was the year of aerial shots. At least 45 of the best selling video clips were made with drones. The category is growing so much that DJI and Pond5 partnered to curate and promote the best aerial shots made by drone operators.

The competition is enormous too. If you search for “aerial” on Shutterstock, you will get way more than a million results.

Having aerial shots doesn’t mean you’ll have sales. So try to explore what subjects or what locations still lack good aerial options.

And if you think drones are the only way to produce aerial shots, then you’re wrong. Take a look at this bestseller zooming into the Pentagon. Do you really believe one would be able to fly over the Pentagon?

I mean, this guy deserves it. He probably took a screenshot from Google Earth. Applied some zooming. Blurred out the edges and added some cars in After Effects. This probably took him less than an hour and there he is. One of the bestsellers in 2018.

2. 2D & 3D Animations

At least 33 bestsellers are made with 2D or 3D animations. Some of them are extremely realistic and probably done by a team of 3D professionals. A few others are quite simple to reproduce and still communicate the concept very well.

I personally like this one of the Mona Lisa painting. A very creative way to animate a famous static image. This is editorial, of course.

3. Portraits

Portraits are a perfect example of evergreen content. They have been among the bestsellers for a while and should stay for a good time. One common thing among these files is how well they communicate cultural diversity. It might be age, the activity, the profession, the clothing, the background, etc. This kind of shot can be used in innumerable ways.

I like this one with the girl putting a VR headset. The background has a guy walking with a paper and a team sitting by a desk which makes it clear that they are game designers. The colors, her clothes, and her style are all very well selected. This is surely produced by a team.

4. Objects

The objects category is another example of long duration content and quite easy to be reproduced. The bestsellers in this category are all flawlessly focused on specific subjects and concepts. Creative angles and isolated background seem to be the key to make your files stand out in the crowd.

I’ve seen this video with the showerhead in many other agencies too. The way the camera is positioned is pretty creative and makes the shot unique. Also, notice how the subject is isolated with nothing in the background.

5. News

We can not ignore how much the news affect sales on stock agencies. Poverty, wars, politics and even sports events have a strong influence on what is selling. The multiple storms during the year, the wildfires, and other natural disasters were responsible for some bestsellers too.

This kind of content is usually submitted as editorial. So it might be a good idea to work on creative ways to explore this content under commercial usage.

This one is among the bestsellers and was submitted as commercial. It’s not visually appealing like the others. But the fact that you can’t recognize the place makes it possible to be used for other storms too. I don’t doubt the author of this clip changes the title every time there is a new hurricane, no matter where.

6. Vintage

In the same line, the vintage category is growing stronger every year. I believe most of them are made after public domain content adding some effects on top. Pond5 seems to bring better results than the others in this category because they allow multiple takes in the same clip. This is a dangerous area because the rules are not clear about what is public domain and what you can really make with it.

Some contributors are also making good sales by reproducing these old shots. This astronaut, for example, is clearly not Neil Armstrong.

7. Self-driving Cars

Self-driving cars was a strong subject last year and will keep getting stronger in the future. You can’t easily get one of this cars, but you can definitely reproduce the concept.

This example among the bestsellers is my favorite. If you look closely, you can even see a glimpse of what should be the arm of a person turning the wheel. This proves how you don’t need a self-driving car to work on this subject.

8. Other Categories

And here are some more categories that were always in the bestsellers and will only get you sales with high-quality files or very specific shots. They are Sports, Family, Technology, Business, Nature, and Education.

A good part of the best selling files is made of these categories. There are already thousands of excellent options for the buyer, so you have to be smart if you plan to explore them. One way to do it is getting very specific like this one explores Paralympic race and this one shows a man using technology in agriculture, a unique background.

There are actually way more bestselling files and categories than the ones I showed you. Just to mention some of them:

What about you?

And now I want to know about you. What were your bestsellers in 2018? If there’s a good number of people participating, I guess we can do a video with our own bestsellers and the lessons learned.

After all, this is how Creative Income works. We’re a community learning to achieve financial freedom together.

What to Shoot – Jan 2019

what is selling as stock footage and stock photography in january 2019

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Wondering what to shoot in December and January to increase your income with Stock Footage & Stock Photography? You can read the text content below or watch the video made after the same script.

Oh, I finally launched my Online Course on Stock Footage & Photography. The original price is $35 but I’ll keep the Udemy promotion price for a little longer. So you can actually buy it for less than $20 if you do it soon! I’ll constantly update it with advanced stock techniques and raise its price as well. So here’s your Christmas gift!

The Shot List

Ok, let’s go to the shot list!

As I always say, these suggestions come from Shutterstock, Pond5 and Getty Images. But they represent a true demand of the whole market.

The requests were made in the month of December of 2018 but that doesn’t mean this is the only month they’ll sell. They’re normally evergreen content and a true demand from stock customers. So if this is the first video you’re watching, I do suggest you also watch the other episodes I did in previous months for more insights.

Fashion & Design

So let’s get started with Pond5. They’re doing a request on Fashion & Design related content. If you decide to work on any of these 3 following sub-topics, you can find suggested keywords in this link.

1. Design Teams

“Design Teams” is one example. All kind of shots that represent a group of people working on ideas and creativity will be fantastic for this. Designers with a team leader around workstation while passing materials to each other. Environmental designers studying architectural models & plans. Designers reviewing mood boards or posting notes on glass or wall.

You can also focus on individuals like a designer on his computer, sketching with pencils or even texting and making calls. There’s a lot of texting and calling material on the market right now, but if somehow you manage to represent a designer talking to his client, I think you should make good results.

Suggested Keywords: Creativity, Innovation, Planning, Occupation, Cooperation, Strategy, Skill, Expertise

Pro-Tip: Avoid high key lighting and minimal set dressing, which usually happens on shoots with themes such as these. Make it feel real.

2. Fashion Designer

If you can, narrow the focus a little bit more to fashion designers. This subject seems to have a big demand but low supply. So it is definitely a good opportunity. Even now, I couldn’t find enough examples to reproduce:

A Designer flipping through clothes, studying drawings, inspiration boards on a wall, using a sewing machine to stitch fabric, draping, pinning and measuring fabric on model or mannequin and even taking a photo of a dress and sending it via text.

Suggested Keywords: Measurement, Precision, Innovation, Concentration, Preparation, Individuality, Ambition, Occupation

Pro-Tip: It’s highly recommended that you hire a real fashion designer. Get coverage with a variety of angles on your subject. In addition, adding a cell phone conversation and texting scenario to a few setups is worth the effort.

Casting Considerations: 23 years and up, gender and race diversity.

3. Fashion Shoot

Along the fashion line, there’s also a big demand for fashion shoots. As funny as it sounds. The point is: there’s already a ton of fashion photos & footage on stock agencies. But not enough shots of the professionals behind it. For example:

A fashion model in front of a mirror with a stylist and a makeup artist. A photographer conversing with a stylist. Photographer and model interactions such as talking and even getting the shots. Assistants capturing RAW images, a series of poses, and the reviewal of the work on a laptop.

Suggested Keywords: Creativity, Focus, Connection, Glamour, Concentration, Fashion Industry, Occupation

Pro-Tip: It’s more about the process and the attitude, rather than the focus being on the clothes. With that said, the clothes should be as contemporary as possible. Avoid fashion trends that can be fleeting. Get coverage with a variety of angles on your subject. Other than a model, a band, athlete, or “celebrity” type would work well.

Business

Pond5 is also requesting stock images & stock video clips of specific business events. The business category already has strong competition. So I would avoid making the classic stock style.

4. Press Conference

“Press conferences” is one of them. You can try an actor behind a desk with a variety of microphones on his front. An actor behind microphones, recorders, and phones. A reporter raising a hand to ask a question. Actor pointing to the reporter with a raised hand, etc.

Suggested Keywords: Technology, Media, Journalism, Press Conference, Communication, Information, Interview, Persuasion, Announcement

Pro-Tip: Casting and revolving talent that represents a politician, a celebrity, an athlete, and so on can stretch your shoot to hit a variety of important targets, including those related to entertainment.

5. Business Seminar

In a very similar scenario, “business seminar” is also a request. Try to capture a variety of angles and perspectives from both the speaker and the audience.

Suggested Keywords: Education, Communication, Strategy, Inspiration, Development, Entrepreneur

Pro-Tip: Capturing a variety of angles and perspectives from both the speaker and audience positions are key to a successful shoot. A candid or editorial-style camera approach could work as an added perspective to that of a participant.

6. Windows and Glass

The combination of glass or other transparent elements in business shots is something really trendy these days. The glass reflection on cityscape, businessperson, conference meeting, etc should result in something pretty original. Writing on the glass is also a very cool idea and simple to reproduce.

 

 

Disabilities

GettyImages came up with a very specific request that I really believe should make good sales in the future.

7. Blindness & Deafness

They’re searching for authentic representations of individuals living with visual and hearing impairments doing daily activities.

Capture the models having a conversation with sign language, reading braille, going shopping, traveling, getting ready for the day and more. We want to see people of the deaf and blind community enjoying themselves with friends and family.

  • Real people: Always use actual persons with disabilities to represent people with disabilities.
  • Dignity: Make sure the images represent the subject respectfully. Keeping camera angles on the same eye level or below are recommended vs. “looking down.
  • Humanize: Show a whole person in an image rather than only an assistive device prosthetic limb, assistive technology, or other accommodation. Bring their whole self to the photo.

8. Inclusive Sports

Inclusive sports is another strong subject. People with and without disabilities playing together. The disability shouldn’t be the focus of the image. Focus on the engagement instead. You can also consider showcasing the diversity of sporting equipment.

Capture the joy of people with and without disabilities playing sports together. We want to see inclusivity with active players engaged in the game, where the disability is not the main focus of the image. – whether it is training, competition, victory, loss, and everything in between.

  • Some suggested sports include, but are not limited to: tennis, soccer, basketball, baseball, hockey, golf, cycling, kayaking or running; as well as fitness activities such as yoga, pilates or dancing.
  • Consider showcasing the diversity of sporting equipment such as gripping gloves, adaptive cross trainers, railings, or pool lifts.
  • Remember to illustrate people from different ethnicities, including African-American, Asian, Hispanic, not only Caucasian; and a wide age range from children to seniors.

9. Tech

And to close, we have the Shutterstock requests. The first one is related to the latest phones, tablets, laptops and smart technology. It might be a good idea to avoid recognizable logos and trademarks.

You can focus on smart technology in action, like smart homes, voice assistants, facial recognition, cybersecurity, etc.

10. Plant-based Food

Plant-based food is another request. That means colorful, healthy foods in flatlays and stylized settings. Poke bowls in lifestyle environments, avocado toast, and groups of people having fun around this kind of food.

Extra requests for January

The following requests were made by Shutterstock in January, so they’re not in the video above.

11. International Women’s Day

  • Inspirational photographs celebrating women’s equality and achievements.
  • Groups of diverse women in the workplace and beyond.
  • Women shattering traditional stereotypes and working in a variety of careers.
  • Friendships among women.
  • Working parents balancing home life and work life.
  • People of all genders celebrating and fighting for women’s rights and gender equality.

12. Spring Sports

  • Baseball, basketball, softball, and other outdoor sports activities.
  • Sports specific to your area of the world.
  • People of diverse ages, genders, and ethnicities having fun playing sports outdoors.
  • Unique sports such as motocross, mountain biking, kayaking, and horse racing.
  • People wearing proper safety gear for the sport they’re playing.

13. Global Awareness

  • Content showcasing the diversity of global cultures and experiences.
  • Images depicting equality, diversity, and the interconnectedness of the human experience.
  • Diverse people around the world campaigning for human rights.
  • People displaying a wide range of emotions in real-world environments.
  • People speaking to large audiences about global issues, including climate change.
  • People of diverse backgrounds and abilities in real-world situations.

14. Skin care

  • People applying skincare remedies to acne-prone skin.
  • Product hero images of natural skin care remedies.
  • Flat lays of skincare remedies styled with natural materials.
  • People at a dermatologist’s office.
  • Images showing the effect that junk foods such as candy, chocolate, and sweets can have on the complexion.
  • Models of various ages, genders, abilities, and ethnicities.

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Shoot & Sell – October 2018

Drone (and not) subject ideas that sould get good sales on stock agencies.

Here are a few suggestions coming from Shutterstock, Pond5 and Getty Images. They represent a true demand of the whole market. Most of them will be useful for all kind of arts. So no matter if you do video, photo, motion graphics, illustrations, etc. These insights can be used in every art, in every agency.

1. Aerial Filmmaking

Drones are getting more popular each day and though there’s a big competition already, there are still categories with supply smaller than demand.

There are 3 categories with high demand on Pond5, for both Photography and Footage. Each category has a code that, if included in your file’s keywords, will let Pond5 know what you’re focusing on. I believe they use it to prioritize for approval and maybe include your file on featured packs.

1.1 Agricultural: this category is known for being always in demand and having no expiration date. Wheat fields, Cornfields, Vineyards, Patchwork, Fruit orchards, Tractors, Farms, and Grain Silos… These categories will always work well and can be even better with aerial shots. Some tips are trying to shoot low-flying shots at sunrise and sunset.

Suggested Keywords: Harvest, Organic, Arable Land, Cultivation, Vegetation
Keyword Code: AERIALOCT2018

 

1.2 Industries: Industrial subjects have always been a hot topic and are still underexplored when it comes to aerial shots. Here are some ideas: containers on a dock, on the ship, being loaded and unloaded; new cars on a dealership or shipping center, solar farm, wind turbines, construction sites, oil rigs on land or sea, factories, trains, oil refinery, etc. Tips are shooting wide enough to avoid release issues. Avoid logos or any other copyrighted features that are recognizable.

Suggested Keywords: Distribution, Commerce, Industry, Transportation, Production, Trade
Keyword Code: INDUSOCT2018

 

1.3 Villages and Suburban: Different global clients look for images representing how people live around the world. There’s a big demand for Suburban track homes and neighborhoods, but also apartment buildings, condominiums, parks, commercial streets, small to big stadiums and courts, etc.

Suggested Keywords: Community, Development, Subdivision, Suburbia, Construction, Architecture, Neighborhood
Keyword Code: SUBOCT2018

 

2. Global Holidays

You might think Christmas is a saturated topic – and you’re right. Cause it is.

But it’s still a big market and a golden pot if you explore it the right way. One good example is exploring its celebration in different countries.

There’s a high demand for images and videos of Christmas and other holidays being celebrated in Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Malaysia, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, and Thailand.

You can explore celebrations such as (forgive my pronunciation) Hanukkah, Purim, Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Chinese New Year and its year’s animal.

I know, it’s not Christmas time yet, but there are a few strategies you can use: Search for old materials stored in your HD, reproduce a small Christmas celebration or at least be prepared for when Christmas comes so your content is online to be sold next year.

If you live in any of these countries, try to achieve authentic feelings with real people on real scenarios. Forget the classical stock agency look and what tourists would often focus on.

Illustrators can also explore the birth of Jesus, including Jerusalem, the three wise men, nativity scenes, baby Jesus on a manger, etc.

 

3. Vacation Mode

Also connected to Holidays there’s a request from Shutterstock they call Vacation Mode.

It is all about winter vacations, and people heading to celebrations in the winter time.
Winter activities including traveling down a winter road, snowshoeing, enjoying a fire in the snow, and ski trips.

Trips to warm destinations will also sell. Beach activities, pool activities, etc.

 

4. Self-Improvement

And last comes another Shutterstock request on Self-Improvement. Especially for lifestyle changes influenced by the New Year.

That means representing people starting or researching diets; mind-body improvements, such as meditation and yoga; Goal setting and writing down resolutions; Healthy eating habits, etc. Try to mix the common healthy lifestyle content with New Year’s resolutions.

 

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Stock Footage vs. Stock Photography

Chances are you already got yourself thinking how much you can make with stock photography vs. stock footage. This article covers earnings, revenue per file, average per sale, the frequency of sales and all the differences in each side.

My goal here is to show photographers & filmmakers how the other side of the coin works and the way to follow if you plan to increase your income doing it (i.e., agencies, workflow, and best tools). I also want to help beginners with useful data so you can take your own decision on which path to follow.

The same content of this article is available in video format on my last YouTube video. You can watch it above.

Although you can do both using the same agencies and even the same equipment, there are significant differences you’d like to be aware. You’ll find different characteristics in the workflow, earnings, speed & number of sales, and various tools for both sides.

To ensure this analysis is as real as possible; I invited stock photographer & blogger Alex Rotenberg. Alex is famous for writing “The Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock Photography” ebook. His eight years of experience made this a must read for every stock photographer. You can get it for less than $8 here.

1. Average revenue per sale in stock video vs. stock photo

To help you understand how much you can get with a single sale, transaction, we calculated our average earnings per sale considering Shutterstock only.

As a stock photographer, Alex gets an average of $0,74 for each image sale he does.

While as a stock filmmaker, I make an average of $24,74 for each video I sell. The maximum I did on a single sale was $125, while the minimum was $4,74.

However, you should always take in consideration that the frequency of sales is entirely different on each side.

Ok, a footage sale will bring you much more, but you have to know they happen with way less frequency.

While my best selling video has sold over 40 times, Alex’s best seller sold over 500 times.

 

2. Time for the first footage & picture sale to happen

Photos will always get more sales than footage. 

Alex’s first image sale happened 2-3 weeks after he was approved.

My first video took 5 months to sell. Alex’s first video sale happened after 6 months of his first video upload.

The indicator you should actually consider is Revenue per File per Year.

 

3. RFY (Revenue per File per Year) for each side

This indicator will take us deeper into the analysis of how much one can earn with each kind of file.

This indicator is used for different things. It helps you to compare and benchmark yourself against the market. I also use it to estimate how much I will make with each new approved file or quantity of photos/videos I need to make a desired amount of money.

If you’re wondering how to calculate your RFY, do this: Divide your total revenue on a year by the number of files you had on that period.

Before I disclose our numbers, let me remind you this isn’t a global average and depends 100% on the quality & variety of each portfolio.

Use the numbers below as a starting point to estimate how much you can make with each new file you get approved.

 

A photographers Revenue per File per Year:

Alex’s RFY usually is $1/img/year.

So, for example, if he wanted to make extra 1,000 per year, he would need 1,000 new photos to do it.

 

The footage Revenue per File per Year:

As a footage contributor, my Return per File per Year is $5,22. My portfolio is far from being decent. I’m curious to hear from other contributors.

 

Let’s find a global RFY?

I have this idea of building a collaborative & anonymous database of earnings so we can get a global return per file per year.  Let me know what you think about that.

 

How to increase your Return per File per Year:

1. Shoot better images

Well, that’s simple. Submit rare and exclusive files, and you’ll get better revenues.

 2. Submit to other agencies

We’re only considering Shutterstock in this calculus, so there’s still space to increase this number by submitting it to other agencies.

One easy way of doing it is using multi-uploaders.

 

4. Multi-uploaders: The quickest way to submit to many agencies at once

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Multi-uploader for Stock Photography

Alex highly recommends StockSubmitter to simultaneously submit to those agencies which are compatible with the program – which happens to be most of them. The software is available for trial for 30 images/per agency/per month. Even if you don’t want to pay for a subscription, you can use a built-in program for keywording.

Multi-uploader for Stock Footage

In the video world, there’s a similar tool called BlackBox that is crushing the market. You only have to upload and keyword your files once, and it will submit them to 4 of the major stock agencies: Shutterstock, Pond5, AdobeStock, and Storyblocks.

The platform is in its early days, but with big plans are for the future.

 

5. Most profitable stock agencies

Best stock agencies for photography

Alex submits to about 20 different agencies, but many of them aren’t within Microstock.

Within microstock, he currently submits to 14 agencies. Shutterstock, iStock, Adobe Stock are his best and most consistent earners.

Shutterstock participates with 40% of his income. Adobe Stock gets him 15%, Alamy 15% too, 10% from iStock, and 20% from others.

Within Midstock, he submits to Alamy (highly recommend for editorial images), as well as Rex Features and exclusively to travel agency, Robert Harding.

He also enjoys capturing Fine Art Images and submits them to Arcangel for book covers, as well as Print on Demand: Fine Art America and Photo4me.

In his opinion, “… spreading images around (when possible) is the best way to receive the maximum income”.

 

Best stock agencies for footage

You can find more in-depth data in my 2017 Earnings Report.

In my personal experience in the footage industry, I mostly submit my footage files to Shutterstock, Pond5, AdobeStock, and Storyblocks.

I also submit to Getty/iStock, DepositPhotos, and seen some contributors having success on VideoHive.

There’s also space for exclusive high-end agencies like Dissolve and Filmsupply, though I have no experience with them.

Considering my 2018 numbers, I get 53% of my income from Shutterstock, 20% from Pond5 and 15% from StoryBlocks.

Pond5 and StoryBlocks are not a big deal for photographers but are huge for filmmakers.

 

6. Don’t take your conclusion yet. Let’s discuss the workflow first.

Although we made it clear that video files bring more income than images, there’s still a lot of things we should take into consideration before we take any conclusion. You can’t merely conclude Stock Footage is better than Stock Photography.

In photography, Alex spends from 30 to 90 seconds per image (except on individual cases).

For footage that is just impossible.

Adobe Premiere won’t even open in 30 seconds.

Videos will always take more time to capture, to transfer, edit, export, and upload.

Here are some points that make the workflow way easier for the stock photography side.

1. Files size.

No matter the quality you use, images will always take less space than video files. That also means video files will require a faster connection.

2. Editing time.

Needless to say, images will need less time to be edited and exported. That also means you don’t need a NASA computer.

3. Gear price.

There are expensive and professional gear on both sides, of course. But the equipment to get started on Stock Photography is way cheaper. In some cases, even mobile photography is accepted these days.

For photography, Alex suggests
– Sony A7R
– Nikon D3400
– Canon T6i

For footage, I recommend and use:
– Sony A7sII
– Panasonic GH5
– To start: Lumix GH4 or Canon 70D

4. Upload on Browser.

If you’re doing stock photography, most agencies will let you upload your files with their web uploader. For video, you can only do it through FTP. Is not such a big deal, but may scare some beginners.

5. Mobile App.

Stock photographers also have the advantage of writing keywords and metadata right from Shutterstock’s mobile app. It is useful when you have some spare time waiting for a train or something like that. This feature is not available for video files yet.

 

Final thoughts

My purpose with this article & video isn’t to tell you the way you should follow. Instead, I hope this gives you data and insights to take your own decision on which path to follow.

Alex brought a very cool concept at the end of the video:

“Being a stock creator is more like a marathon, than a sprint.”

Work with that in mind. You’re planning to grow in the long run. We’re talking about passive income. You’re building an income that will bear fruit for years to come.

Blackbox Footage vs. Shutterstock

Which method is the best to submit your stock footage?

As we wrote previously, Blackbox is taking over the Stock Footage market – and well deserved. In June of 2018, the number of users grew amazing 700%.

BlackBox is not only attracting the old experienced stock filmmakers but is opening the doors for thousands of new contributors.

And though there’s a big hype around it right now, it’s prudent to carefully take a decision if you’ll go exclusively with them or stick in the traditional way (uploading straight to Shutterstock, Pond5, Adobe Stock, etc).

This isn’t a company comparison overview. After all, Shutterstock is one of BlackBox’s partners. This is actually a comparison review with pros and cons of selling footage in the traditional way or the BlackBox way.

I hope this comparison helps you take your own decision.

What is Blackbox?

Stock Footage is just the starting point of BlackBox. The platform is revolutionizing the process of making content and getting paid the long tail money creators really deserve. If you listen to Pat McGowan’s interview, you’ll agree this is just the beginning.

This article covers the stock footage process, but you can check our BlackBox focused article here.

Blackbox is a digital guild that connects video creators and curators. With their platform, film creators can focus on shooting/filming new footage and leave the “boring work” on them (metadata, descriptions, keywords). The video content will be submitted to 4 major stock agencies at once:

  • Shutterstock
  • Pond5
  • Adobe Stock
  • Storyblocks
  • more to come

For stock filmmakers, it means you can now be free to work on what you really like, while you let other users take care of writing metadata and keywords for you.

It is also an opportunity for editors and copywriters to work on files of other users so they can get a share of the income.

If you haven’t subscribed to BlackBox yet, you can do it clicking here. By using our referral code, you help us keep the work on this blog and YouTube channel.

Choose your side: the BlackBox way or the old-fashioned way

While many new users are going exclusively with BlackBox, it might be a good idea to analyze the traditional way before going full speed on the decided direction. The whole idea explains the hype around BlackBox but your decision should be based on real information, not just hype.

Since you can’t upload repeated footage files to the agencies Blackbox submits to (Shutterstock, Pond, Adobe Stock and Storyblocks), you have to decide which way you’re going to submit your footage files.

There are pros and cons on both sides. It will really depend on what kind of user you are. The following comparison might help you take your own decision.

Pros & Cons of submitting files exclusively to BlackBox

Still not a BlackBoxer? You can become a stock contributor right now registering here.

I’m personally in love with BlackBox and its community. Still, I’ll put my emotions aside and will write you neutral pros & cons.

1. Pro. Submit to multiple websites at once.

I’ve been working on my own multi-agency spreadsheet for years and no matter how good it gets, the whole process still takes several hours.

Each agency has its own way of doing things. The categories names, the maximum of keywords and file formats are just a few given examples.

That struggle alone makes BlackBox worthy of attention. As for today, BlackBox submits your files to 4 major agencies: Shutterstock, Pond5, Adobe Stock and Storyblocks.

Check out my 2017 earnings report and notice how those were my most profitable agencies.

2. Pro: More time doing the work you love

I’d say this is the biggest advantage of BlackBox: being free to focus on producing more footage.

Writing metadata, uploading your files to multiple agencies… All this while trying to fit the stock agencies requirements is a hard and tedious work. Upload your files to BlackBox and they’ll take care of the dirty work.

It gets harder if English is not your native language, which is the case for me and 60% of Creative Income YouTube Channel.

If needed, BlackBox gives you the chance of letting other users curate your files (from editing to keywording) in exchange for a small share of those files’ income.

I’d say this is the biggest advantage of BlackBox: being free to focus on producing more footage and earning more with that.

3. Pro: Better rates

The power of being part of a big community is that together we preferential commission rates from the stock agencies. So even though BlackBox takes 15% on net sales (that would be ~5% on the gross value) you will still get more money than you would alone.

You just have to be aware that if you’re taking help of other users you will also share your earnings with them. We call it the curator’s share.

In fact, it is totally negotiable. You’ll choose your curator among many users and will let BlackBox know the share that specific user is going to have. BlackBox’s platform will take care of paying each user through PayPal.

For Metadata only curation, BlackBox recommends a share of 20% rate. That means 20% of that file’s net income will be paid to the curator.

For Full Curation, which means someone is also writing metadata for you, BlackBox recommends a share of 40%.

4. Pro: Sell more than you would be working alone

At this point, some of you might be thinking you will make more money if you just do it by yourself. You may be right, but let me ask you a few questions first:

  • Do you still have files laying on your computer and external HDs waiting to be edited?
  • Do you think you would get better metadata if someone else writes it?
  • Do you believe you would get better-looking footage if someone else edits it?

If you have answered yes to any of the questions above then you’re probably losing money right now. You should never have files laying on a hard disk when they could be making you money instead.

Although you’re getting a smaller share, there’s a big chance you will be selling way more than you would alone. Especially if you’re a bad keyword writer.

It’s a better idea to get a smaller percentage of something than 100% of nothing.

Having experienced BlackBox users to write and submit your work to the 4 big agencies will probably make more sales than your own keywords would. So there is a big chance you’ll sell better with their help.

The platform offers collaborative work and takes care of the revenue sharing process.

COLLABORATION will always beat COMPETITION.

5. Pro: Rank better on search results

Given that we’re all contributing to the same BlackBox seller profile, you should probably get better search rankings for your files.

That means your footage will probably appear on the first line of results and, consequently, sell better.

It’s the size of our BlackBox portfolio that makes every member’s content more searchable to buyers.

6. Pro: Stock Footage is just the tip of the BB iceberg

I had the opportunity to talk with Pat McGowan and got amazed with all the plans the company has for the future. They are totally centered on creators and their financial freedom.

Stock Footage is really just the starting point for them. Being part of this community means giving power to the creator’s community.

7. Con: You’re contributing to BlackBox profile

As I just said, we’re all contributing under the same BlackBox profile. So I believe you got it that your name is not going to publicly appear on the stock websites.

Though you still got all the rights for your files, they will all appear under the BlackBox profile.

Some people might see it as a downside. But let me be honest, is Shutterstock really the “social network” you want to get famous on?

From my point of view, this is even better. Some of my files do embarrass me, but they still sell. So I’d rather keep them there.

Pat’s argument is that “in our experience, the concept of personal branding is not a factor in buying decisions on agency platforms.” I would say the same.

You still own the rights over your footage. Use it on your YouTube channel or something like that. Youtuber Jeven Dowey that in a pretty amazing way.

8. Con: Blackbox process

The team behind BlackBox is really working hard to make it better every day. It’s a promising future.  If you’re already a member you’re probably getting weekly news of their improvements.

BlackBox 2.0 should be launched soon, but for now (June 2018), BlackBox portal is still a little hard to comprehend and might be difficult for beginners.

You may also be experiencing a delay on some files. But hey, this is totally explainable. They just grew 700% on a month!

If you want a better understanding of the microstock market, I suggest you register at Shutterstock as a contributor and go through the process to submit a bunch of pictures. Shutterstock’s process and user interface are really user-friendly.

I see this as a temporary downside. I’m still sure BlackBox will get there soon. I receive constant emails of weekly improvements they’re doing.

9. Footage only

As of today, Blackbox is only allowing stock footage contributors and shows signs for Stock Music. So photographers will have to wait.

If you’re a photographer, I still suggest you give it a try to shooting footage. You’ll probably raise your earnings by doing that and it probably can be done with the same camera.

Pros & Cons of going the old-fashioned way (straight to Shutterstock, Pond5, Adobe Stock, etc.

If you didn’t start submitting your stock photos/footage yet, I’d suggest you start with Shutterstock. It is normally the most profitable stock agency and has the best contributor interface so far.

1. Con: Fewer sales (in case of poorly written metadata)

You’ll definitely get more money per sale – but that doesn’t mean higher overall earnings. BlackBox curators are good at their work, so there’s a big change you won’t write as good metadata (title, description, keywords, etc) as they would. So you might get a smaller amount of sales in the end.

2. Con: Requires discipline to edit, curate and write metadata

Why did so many filmmakers and photographers give up on Stock Photography/Footage?

Simple. We all hate writing metadata. We’re creative people, after all.

In my case, I found the discipline to work on a batch of files every 6 months. It’s a very boring week but pays out in the end.

3. Pro: Process is easy and quick to understand

Shutterstock is on the market for many years. So, of course, their contributor interface is still better and simpler than BlackBox. But I’m sure it is just a matter of time before BlackBox comes up with new improved tools.

4. Pro: Better understanding of the whole process

The experience of contributing to Shutterstock (and Pond5, Adobe Stock, Storyblocks, etc) at least once will make you better understand the process. I see a lot of new users uploading files to BlackBox and asking people on the facebook group why is it taking so long.

The experience of submitting your own file will give you a complete overview of the process and market.

5. Pro: Your own portfolio

Submitting your footage and photos straight to the stock agencies will also allow you to create your own portfolio and track specific data (each agency gives you a couple of different insights).

6. BONUS: Choose your thumbnail

Shutterstock, Pond5, and StoryBlocks let you choose a specific snapshot of your video to be used as a thumbnail. Strong thumbnails are strong when it comes to footage files.

This is small, but a considerable obstacle for BlackBox.

My personal advice

As a 6-year-experienced contributor, my advice is that you subscribe to both platforms: Shutterstock and BlackBox. Try to upload a dozen different footage files on each of them and check how comfortable you feel.

On the other hand, if you hating writing your own keywords and description, then stick with BlackBox and focus on producing more footage.

If you can’t wait a few days for approval, prefer to choose your thumbnails and believe you can do a good job writing your own metadata, then go forward and try to sell your files by yourself.

 

What is your opinion?

What are your thoughts on this? Are you moving your footage to BlackBox, staying on Shutterstock (and other agencies) or mixing both? I believe this is a strong subject for our community to discuss!

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