Come July, I decided to delete all my images from Shutterstock. I only had around 100 uploads there, but after having considered for a while, I just couldn’t live with being paid $0.25 per download. In just over three months, I made $98 on 390 downloads. This is the comparable to what I would have made on one download of a medium-sized royalty-free image at the PhotoShelter Collection, to where I am slowly moving my portfolio.
There’s a lot of discussion on the web about the extremely low royalties being paid from microstock sites. My current earnings at iStockphoto amount to just $122, not a whole lot more than what I made at Shutterstock. I will probably upload my best images to PhotoShelter and delete them from iStock and Dreamstime if they get accepted. This is a strategy that seems to be gaining in popularity.
My experience with PhotoShelter so far is mixed. The review times seem to be roughly two weeks, a bit on the long end of the spectrum. Also, the number of views does not impress me so far compared to many other sites. At Shutterpoint I had 4,000 views for about 30 images in six months before I deleted them (but no sales). Some of my images at iStock have been viewed around 500 times. Still, my best-selling image there has only made me $15 in 17 downloads.
My conclusion is that what I was told before I entered the microstock arena is true: Quantity is what matters. You have to create a large portfolio and maintain it by uploading new stuff all the time. In the end, the economics of it settled it for me. I can spend half a day writing a newspaper article and make more money than I make in half a year of shooting, post-processing, uploading, keywording etc. It just isn’t worth it unless you start taking pictures of uninteresting things like smiling businessmen in suits against bright blue skies.
From now on then, I’ll be trying out PhotoShelter. Their review process should guarantee that I learn something, although my acceptance rate is dangerously high. Are they sloppy to build their numbers? We’ll see, and after a while maybe a sale or two will trickle in to keep me alert…
Hi, Erik:
Thankyou very much for your rewiews, they are honest and detailed. I’m interested in start selling my pic online, i have a nice portafolio about 1000 photographs that I want to sell, but before doing it so I want to make sure that is going to be worth it. Thou looking a your logistics about how many hours one has to put on shooting, post-processing, and keywording to make only $ 0.25 or $ 0.30 cents and hope to get thousands on downloads and feel stress out because you have to keep it up posting new images honestly, this kind of aproach might not work, I definetly appreciate my work, the time I spend shooting and editing, for this reason I might consider PhotoSehlter collection thanks to your reviews. The fact of the matter is that I desperatly need money to support my family.
So long,
Jeidy
Hi Jeidy and thanks for your interesting note. In your situation I would upload images to all the big microstock agencies, including Shutterstock. Once you’ve prepared the keywords, it doesn’t take much of an effort to upload to more than one agency. I’m in a different position; I don’t need the money, I just do this for fun. And it’s not much fun getting $0.25 per download, but many photgraphers rank Shutterstock as their number one earner. This is due to the number of downloads, of course. Good luck either way! Erik
I should also say that the PhotoShelter Collection doesn’t exist anymore. Apparently they didn’t make any money in their first year. They still offer the option of paying for displaying your portfolio on PhotoShelter, but from what I hear this is a waste of money unless you generate your own customers. They’re not going to find you without any effort on your part.
Interesting article Erik. Any new news or interesting fact from your side..? Where are you settled finally ? I am new in photography world. I am a doctor by profession and love photography as my hobby and passing my leisure. Trying shutterstock. I am already in other major stock sites (micro and alamy) but want hear more from an experience guy like you who is also doing photography for his hobby.
hope to hear soon from you.