Other sites similar to istockphoto.com for sellers?
June 9, 2008 11:36 AM Subscribe
I'm looking to sell some of my photography online. I've looked at istockphoto.com, but they don't seem to offer very much percentage of the sale of your image. Are there any larger, better, or otherwise more profitable web sites for amatures similar to istockphoto.com?
Thanks
If you're looking to sell prints instead of just stock photography, I like imagekind, where you can set the markup yourself on prints/products you sell.
posted by logic vs love at 12:26 PM on June 9, 2008
posted by logic vs love at 12:26 PM on June 9, 2008
you might want to talk about photoshelter.com for the record I think selling stock is a really difficult process, particularly now that the market is saturated by istockphoto.com and others.
You should google the difference between rights managed and royalty free images.
posted by sully75 at 12:33 PM on June 9, 2008
You should google the difference between rights managed and royalty free images.
posted by sully75 at 12:33 PM on June 9, 2008
Dunno about bigger or better, but a new one is Photrade. http://photrade.com I've not used it yet.
posted by foxydot at 2:51 PM on June 9, 2008
posted by foxydot at 2:51 PM on June 9, 2008
Just as a heads up, the screening process at many of these sites is very rigorous, and the rejection ratio is usually very high until you get to grips with a particular site's criteria and indeed with the whole "what sells in stock" thing.
Sometimes when getting started in stock, you're best off starting with some of the smaller, and smaller commission websites if the screeners give better feedback than that which you will typically get at iStock.
If you're interested in comparing rates, try googling "microstock blog" -- there are loads of blogs out there addressing this issue, and several active forums exclusively devoted to selling stock photography.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:48 PM on June 9, 2008
Sometimes when getting started in stock, you're best off starting with some of the smaller, and smaller commission websites if the screeners give better feedback than that which you will typically get at iStock.
If you're interested in comparing rates, try googling "microstock blog" -- there are loads of blogs out there addressing this issue, and several active forums exclusively devoted to selling stock photography.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:48 PM on June 9, 2008
Microstock sucks in every way imaginable - for you, your work, the industry in general, photo buyers, etc. I'm not going to elaborate because there is plenty of information out there about the subject (I recommend looking up PDN's annual stock agency review).
There are a lot of agencies that aren't out to devalue you and your work at every turn and pay real-world fees instead of pennies. You should research them and find which is a best fit for you. Here is a list of good agencies put together by A Photo Editor. The current issue of PDN also has a pretty comprehensive list.
When I was looking for an agency I submitted a portfolio to several different companies which I thought was helpful because I got to see how they treated their photographers before making a decision (some were slow, some were very personally involved, some barely gave me the time of day even though they wanted me, etc.). I ended up with Photoshelter, whom I highly recommend.
posted by bradbane at 5:57 PM on June 9, 2008 [1 favorite]
There are a lot of agencies that aren't out to devalue you and your work at every turn and pay real-world fees instead of pennies. You should research them and find which is a best fit for you. Here is a list of good agencies put together by A Photo Editor. The current issue of PDN also has a pretty comprehensive list.
When I was looking for an agency I submitted a portfolio to several different companies which I thought was helpful because I got to see how they treated their photographers before making a decision (some were slow, some were very personally involved, some barely gave me the time of day even though they wanted me, etc.). I ended up with Photoshelter, whom I highly recommend.
posted by bradbane at 5:57 PM on June 9, 2008 [1 favorite]
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posted by ThomThomThomThom at 12:00 PM on June 9, 2008