Toronto Photography Meetup Group

Hello everyone, I was wondering if anyone was on istock? I am and I wanted to tell you that it's pretty much the best microstock site going out there. The forums are excellent and a bevy of information. I've been on for two years, and my portfolio is finally growing to over 100 images. Sales are slowly taking momentum, but my goal is to have a regular income when I'm ready to retire! Gotta plan for the future!

Anyways, if anyone decides to check it out or is already on the site, you can find me. I'm there under Lasally. Please message me, and I will definitely help you find your way around.

I've popped in a few times at iStock but never gave it much thought. What's the rate for istock per image?

Edit: Ahhh, figured it out. .95c per credit and depends on size of image. Do you get the option as to how many credits per image?

I on the other hand think the most cumbersome of all microstock, uploads are pain in a butt, and the reviewers are beyond picky.

I hope your looking beyond microstock to provide for your retirement income.

why would you say that?

Because micro stock doesn't pay anything. Sales aren't guaranteed and you could go months without selling. If even if you do sell it's not always going to be the highest paying rate.

At the end of the day, I wouldn't want to be leaving my retirement income in the hands of micro stock.

That's on case by case basis, for some it doesn't pay anything, for others pays average or little, very well for someone who has sellable images. For majority it won't be a retirement fund but I can't see why anyone wouldn't be able to supplement their pensions and other source of income with microstock, or stock in general? Few hundred bucks a month is quite feasable to achieve.

http://tpmg.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12014

you might want to try talking to Sorin.

I met someone while traveling in 2006 who (claimed he) did nothing but sell microstock on a few different websites and he made approximately $700US a month and that was enough for him to travel the world on so that was all he did - travel and sell microstock. I looked at his stuff... it really wasn't even that great or exciting.


Any tips as to what sells? I'm going to go pilfer through my hard drives next week and find photos to sell as microstock.. I've been meaning to do that for forever.

I am on iStock, I really don't upload regularly and I have a small port so far - like 17 images only/ 60 downloads - but I am sure that will grew shoon as I am shooting more often commercial released imagery. this gets multiplied as I sell as well on shutterstock, fotolia, 123rf and dreamstime.

Checking hard drives would be a waste of time for the most part as most images should be shot for stock meanining perfect focus, no noise at all, technically they have to be high quality. As to what sells, pretty much anything, just go to istock and ponder through various categries and search words to see what gets downloads.

True, there are very stringent guidelines for being accepted at IS, that's why I love it. It is teaching me how to take and understand what a technically sound photograph is. Also, regarding the remuneration... as with anything, you get out what you put in. Certainly your not going to make a fortune if you don't grow your portfolio!

But, I'm a buyer too, and there are lots and lots of pictures that have made over one hundred thousand dollars. There's a girl on there from Montreal, been totally devoted to the site for two years, she is approaching 1 millions downloads, at an average of 2-4 dollars per download, (according to her canister level), well, that's a lot of retirement money, I'd say.

Your photos size from small to XXXL, the larger selling for 20 credits. Depending on the canister level, and if you are exclusive, the contributor could make up to 40% of that 20 bucks. For one download. Some in the vetta collection, sell for 100 credits. Extended licenses also bring about larger revenue for the artist too.

Your photos size from small to XXXL, the larger selling for 20 credits. Depending on the canister level, and if you are exclusive, the contributor could make up to 40% of that 20 bucks. For one download. Some in the vetta collection, sell for 100 credits. Extended licenses also bring about larger revenue for the artist too.

True, Lisa Gagne is very successfull and most likely her revenues go way beyond what she makes on IS, however she has what most of us don't, that is special talent, she also is not a very good representation of average stock contributor, she is actually an exception and not the rule, if it were so easy we would all be making millions of dollars, penny at a time.

Are you sure there are many photos that made 100K + for the contributor? What is many (given millions available), again if there are any they are definetely one of a kind deal.

When it comes to microstock there doesn't seem to be any common middle ground, there is either the camp that bashes the penny industry stealing work from real photographers, and the other opposite the once who bring up Yuri and Lisa, as if it were the norm. The truth is something in between, average person (that is propably 95% of contributors) can't make a living out of this, unless they live in a country where cost of leaving are very inexpensive, and in most cases this is just on of few revenue streams for full time photographers, or extra income for everyone else (in many cases extra money to justify spending more on equipment).

Well, it's not for everyone, but I like it, and I've met some nice people on the site too. As I'm sure I will befriend here too!

But we challenge ourselves with small contests and such, all in the betterment of our skills! That's what it's really all about right? Taking good pictures? Also in a couple of mini-contests for celebration, and umbrellas. Nothing really tangible to win, but keeps the momentum going and the creative juices flowing. Please feel free to view my portfolio at www.istockphoto.com/lasally.

Thank you for the chit chat everyone and have a nice evening! Perhaps I will have the pleasure of meeting some on a future outing!

Woo hoo! Just see you guys have weekly contests too!

I'm glad that its teaching you something. However as someone who believes that quality is dictated by how a photograph looks in print, i think microstock levels of adequate are very inflated.

What i mean by that is files out of my camera up to say iso 800 look noiseless in print (granted the camera might be considered above par, for the technical type i have 5Dii & on a print 11x17 my normal size) however there has not been an image above 200 that has ever been accepted for me by microstock.

My point in all of this is that their standards might be limiting if one is trying to improve their visual language. One is restricted with ISO amongst others to meet there standards. Not there is anything bad with shooting images you intend to sell a certain way & creating other images another way, it just might help not to have microstock be the educating backing to expand horizons.

Too bad you missed the Echuchalypse in July this year. That was the name of the meet. Two days of shooting with models in business and school settings. We were about 16 "istockers". Had a blast and learned a lot. Check out the meetup thread link on iSP.

I will def look out for that!