I have been a contributing photographer with Stocksy United for four years now, so I thought I would reflect a little about my time with Stocksy. Back when I was accepted to Stocksy in 2013 (there is a robust application process) my goal for stock photography was to earn a little extra cash to go towards gear and travel by selling photos that I would take anyway – mostly leftover images from commercial gigs and family photos.
My approach to stock photography has evolved since then to the point where as a family we travel specifically for stock photography and I arrange full stock photography sessions that are not client based.
Today I am generating more money from stock photography than I ever thought possible – and with just over 1000 images in my portfolio, Stocksy has become my top photography income source. On one hand, this is fantastic – for me personally (obviously) but also for the photography industry in general, because it proves that there are buyers out there who are willing to pay a substantial amount of money for high-quality, unique photography – even in a world where photographs are a dime a dozen (or probably more accurately a dime a million). In other words, Stocky is selling quality images at a fair price in an industry where almost everyone else is only interested in quantity for pennies. On the other hand, I am still a little apprehensive about just how sustainable earning a decent income from stock photography really is – it’s never good to have too many eggs in one basket.
What I Love About Stocksy
What I Love About Stocksy
The things I love about Stocksy now are the same things that I have loved from the beginning: 1.Ruthless Editors Stocksy publishes a highly curated collection – every image is individually reviewed by a team of editors and either accepted or rejected. The curation process can be harsh at times – having your work curated is a humbling experience…and occasionally infuriating. Sometimes images that I think are great get rejected, other times images that I think are mediocre are accepted (although I usually don’t bother submitting these). Once in a while, an entire set of images is rejected – which is frustrating, to say the least. However, as a photographer I understand that Stocksy has a premium aesthetic that they have maintained since day one – and after I calm down following a rejection, I can usually see why the editors chose not to accept images that didn’t make the cut. In the end, contributing to Stocksy pushes me to be a better and much more deliberate photographer than I would be otherwise – so I can accept a little stress in that evolution.
What Could Improve
What Could Improve
As much as I love contributing to Stocksy, from a contributor’s perspective, there are some areas that could use improvement.
Stocksy Drives Me To Do More & Be Better
Stocksy Drives Me To Do More & Be Better
Stocksy’s tagline is “authentic stock” and if you think about it, that is something that is actually extremely difficult to do. If I meticulously plan a photo session, book models, wardrobe, location and everything else there is a pretty good chance that I’ll come away with at least a few images that fit that “authentic stock” aesthetic. But what I have found is that I actually get much better results with much less effort if I simply invest in lifestyle experiences with my wife and kids – and photograph those. (Click here for my article on why I think it’s OK to use your kids for profit). It is a lot easier to photograph an amazingly authentic experience it you are actually out enjoying an amazingly authentic experience (go figure)! We plan cottage weekends, camping trips even full family vacations (this summer we’re doing a six week Europe road trip) – all with the premise that the more interesting things we do together, the more opportunities there are to capture images for Stocksy, the more interesting things we can afford to do together. That’s not to say that everything we do is totally serendipitous – we have to work very hard to be at the right places at the right times, wearing the right clothes doing the right things – but it’s usually a pretty rewarding experience and totally worth the experience. As a photographer, I also really enjoy the challenge of pushing myself to capture better images. It’s easy to take a bunch of vacation snapshots and hope a few might be good enough to sell as stock. It’s a whole other challenge to plan ahead, slow down, see the potential of any particular scene and then figure out how to capture it in a way that is interesting and marketable. Of course, the side benefit is that we end up with a lot of really amazing family photos that I would never have captured in the same way without contributing to Stocksy. (I’m planning a series of coffee table photobooks this year for Christmas presents – “A Year in the Life of the Danko Family in Stock Photos”).
What Do You Think About Stocksy United?
What Do You Think About Stocksy United?
Are you a stock photography buyer? What stock photography agencies do you prefer? Have you tried Stocksy? What did you think? Are you a stock photography contributor? What do you think about the current state of the stock photography industry? What stock agencies are worth contributing to? What stock agencies do you avoid? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts!
