The End of Stock Photography?
Check out this interview with Jim Pickerell at John Lund’s excellent blog on Stock Photography. Bookmark John’s Blog or subscribe, it is an amazing source of information for those of us involved in stock photography. Hmmm… the end of Stock as a photographic career?? Damn! I am headed the the Golden Arches to see if they need french fry salter.
Thanks to Keith Douglas for the heads up on John Lund’s blog.
©Darwin Wiggett
Darwin Wiggett 
March 7, 2010 at 7:01 AM
The old days of stock are gone just like the days of newspapers being the kings of media are history.
Stock is far from dead. I am making more money it seems every month or couple of months but it’s nothing I could live on.
I blogged about this a couple of months ago.
With Getty, the giant of stock making it easy for everyone to get into it through Flickr the supply exceeds the demand.
However, shoot stock, be it landscapes, people, etc. in a non-traditional way and there is money to be made. What an agency rep told me is the last thing they wanted to see were pretty landscapes or blazing sunsets UNLESS they were so different that they stood out from the rest.
Full time stock? Not unless you do things like studio illustrative photo shoots that few can or will do or are out of the ordinary. Otherwise, stock photography has become supplemental to another income.
March 7, 2010 at 1:57 PM
There are certainly plenty of stock sales today, but the fees are just too low to make any kind of profit. In fact fees have dropped to a level of nearly 20 years ago, but living costs have not remained the same…
I think it takes several years for most photographers to discover if their efforts are viable. As they say in America, “don’t give up your day job”.
July 27, 2010 at 9:44 PM
very very informative !
lets see, I made $1000 this year on photo sales, gee better not quit that day job eh Darwin.
The cost of the tools is pricey for the average return on investment.
But,
If you have a flare for marketing then you will probably rise above the rest.
thanks for sharing this Darwin !
November 20, 2010 at 12:01 PM
Death of Stock Photography
http://quazen.com/arts/photography/death-of-stock-photography/