Bob Myers , Jul 28, 2003; 03:28 p.m.
I did a search here at photo.net looking for comments about stock
photography and locations to place one's (digital) photos. Almost all
of the information is a year or two old -- some pre-911. At that time,
reports were suggesting the stock photo business was in serious
transition. So, the question is: Have things changed? That is, are the
two large stock houses still in control of the market? Or are there
good but smaller ones?
It would appear as if many photo.net members are posting their
(considerable) work right here at photo.net. Is that a useful way to
sell (stock) photos or photo work?
Thanks!
Art Haykin 
, Jul 29, 2003; 01:25 p.m.
I've known of few unknowns who have ever made any significant money selling over the net or through stock houses, but that's no reason not to try. Some houses are specialized, while others are generalists, and they usually require 100s of images before they'll list you. Few will see any results for a year or more, unless you really have some unique or sensational images. I'm pretty sure most successful houses maintain websites, so I'd simply contact them for info.
Quang-Tuan Luong 
, Jul 29, 2003; 03:12 p.m.
I don't think the fundamentals have changed. That a few large
houses get a lot of the business doesn't prevent single
individuals from marketing their images with better returns
than they could get from those houses. Posting images on a well-designed
stock photography website
is considerably more useful than posting them here on photo.net,
and is easier than before thanks to the availability of low-cost,
high-bandwidth accounts.
Mikael Karlsson 
, Jul 29, 2003; 07:52 p.m.
Bob:
There is change taking place but that has been going on for a few years. The most visible change is that more and more individual photographers are specializing in one or a few topics. By doing this, the individual photographer can offer things the large agencies seldom can, things like great depth of coverage, expert knowledge of the topic(s) covered and so on.
I agree with previous posters in that posting your images here, or on sites similar, and hoping for sales is more or less pointless. These days professional stock photographers need to have their own websites to promote and sell their work.
If you are interested in the business of stock photography from the point of view of the independent photographer, I warmly recommend Rohn Engh's "Sell and Re-Sell Your Photos", recently published in it's fifth and updated edition. Good sites with solid info on stock photography are www.editorialphoto.com and www.photosource.com
Like any other business, stock photography can be hard and it sure takes a lot more than just the ability to produce great photography. The one single thing most stock photographers who fail lack is the knowledge of how to run a small business.
Elliot :) , Jul 30, 2003; 06:49 a.m.
Quang-Tuan - Your site is put together well and you have some good pictures on there. Since this thread is about stock photography, hopefully it is not too intrusive to ask, but what kind of results does your site generate for you?
Quang-Tuan Luong , Jul 30, 2003; 12:03 p.m.
This year, returns per image (including print sales) are
5 to 6 times better than what my stock agency gives, the
later being in the well-known ballpark of $1/image.
Andrew Dawson , Jul 30, 2003; 03:14 p.m.
I'm sure the consensus would be that random postings on a site
like photo.net probably won't generate any action. FWIW, I've had
some luck selling material through this website:
www.NaturePhotosOnline.com
We get stock requests about once a month or so: since I
specialize in underwater, they rarely apply to me, but in theory... It
isn't a exactly traditional stock agency, more like a place to
showcase work and occasionally sell some prints etc. I opted
for this route if only because I didn't have to deal with the
cost/hassle of setting up a site for myself. The obvious trade-off
is paying a commission to the site owner, but to each their own.
Scott Robertson , Jul 30, 2003; 11:15 p.m.
Question for Quang-Tuan: Do you have any tips for promoting your personal web site? I'm sure that having thousands of high-quality images online, with good titles/keywords, helps drive search-engine traffic to your site. Do you market directly to photo buyers as well? I've just begun to populate my own site and I get a trickle of traffic every day, have sold a few prints, but photo editors are, of course, not knocking down my door.
Katherine Lewis , Aug 01, 2003; 12:47 a.m.
I just signed up to this website and there is so much information I have been in search of; I am starting a stock photography business and I wanted to know who are photo buyers??
Marshall Goff , Aug 01, 2003; 02:22 p.m.
Katherine -
Photo buyers really are just that: anyone who buys photos. It could be editorial staff at magazines or book publishers, advertising agencies, corporate communications folks, or a wide range of others. Each will have their own idiosyncracies about what they're looking for and how they like to buy, but as you develop your business, you'll learn the most important ways to deal with them. Enjoy.
