Shots of the Italian Alps from today – which will go to Micro agencies and which will go to Midstock agencies!
Hey fellow holy-grail passive income seekers,
Today I went for a family lunch at a small city about 2 hours north of Milan, high up in the beautiful Italian Alps, which also happens to be a famous wine region. It rained last night so the air was super clean and the sun was out.
Anyway, here’s my shortlist of five wine-related images which I’ll be submitting to Micro sites:
Simple panorama of the hillside full of vineyards. As usual for most microstock shots, I made it brighter, bumped up the contrast + selective vibrance + copy space = probably will be downloaded regularly. I particularly like the house at the far right, giving it an element of scale. Wish I could have framed the house closer to the centre but was not possible from where I was shooting and time constraintsThis image has a stronger centre of interest and the Italian flag makes gives it a sense of place, thus increasing its commercial value. I cropped it in 1×1 ratio with enough copy space. A great shot and close contender for RM at Midstock but still relatively generic, but I may change my mind…Less impressive than the first two imo, will still submit and hope for the best, probably the weakest shot of the bunchA good and clean shot with a strong composition element. As usual bumped up the contrast and vibrance (greens). Should be a regularly downloaded earning me those magical 36 cents and perhaps more
A few images I will not be submitting to Micros, and instead will opt to submit as to Midstock agencies, including Robert Harding and Alamy. I did explain earlier what makes a ‘premium’ image so if you missed out here’s the link again: For a comprehensive list of Midstock Agencies, click on this link.
This is a rare shot I believe, not so much for the solar panels, which are everywhere, but for those panels plus the mountainous background with the clouds, making it rather ‘premium’. Micros can’t touch this nananana!This view of the town I was visiting (Sondrio) appears to be unique, so I’m holding out for RM at MidstockSame with this view, which appears to be unique, and I like the clean grass foreground (was somebody’s roof). The bottom of the image can easily be used for copy space if a designer so wishes.Appears to be a painting but this was in fact the view from the restaurant today! Still not sure what to make of it and whether it has commercial value, but it’s certainly not going into Micros…On my way back home, I walked past a corporate building which happens to be the headquarters of a major Italian oil company. It was a Sunday so there was nobody around, normally it’s full of security. For this reason and due to a good lighting situation I think this image should go into Midstock as RM
One I’m not sure about and I’ll sleep on:
I’m not sure about this one to be honest as it doesn’t really say much in terms of what it is except for a pretty mountain shot. I’ll still submit it but don’t except miracles. May also just re-work it into a fine art print and submit it to Fine Art America.
Do you agree with the above selection? Hope to hear from you…so comment below!
Yes, depending on the image they do quite well, but always ensuring that there’s enough copy space. The 1×1 ratio has gained popularity lately in large part thanks to Instagram.
I’ve gone ahead and updated the title as it was ‘incomplete’ since it’s not so much about RF vs RM but about submitting to Micros vs Midstocks, where commissions may vary considerably.
It’s my firm belief that ‘premium’ images should be licensed at Midstock agencies (ideally as RM since it may offer the buyer some extra protection). Sales may take longer to come by than at micros and those lowly subs but when they do come, your patience will be rewarded. As for the balance of which images go where and how, it depends on the portfolio and the individual contributors’ patience tolerance!
[…] However, should you go through the portfolio of a few successful Microstock contributors, such as Africa Studios, you’ll likely encounter quite boring-looking images. Here’s an example of a quite boring shoot I did which should bring me some nice royalties. […]
Alexandre Rotenberg's Brutally Honest Guide to Stock Photography & Footage 
Do you find much success with images cropped to 1×1?
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Yes, depending on the image they do quite well, but always ensuring that there’s enough copy space. The 1×1 ratio has gained popularity lately in large part thanks to Instagram.
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You have given me a lot to think about here, but rather than try and fit it into a comment, I have posted my own analysis of the question on my blog:
http://www.backyardsilver.com/2017/06/decide-whether-submit-macro-sites/
Steve
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Thanks for your comments, Steve.
I’ve gone ahead and updated the title as it was ‘incomplete’ since it’s not so much about RF vs RM but about submitting to Micros vs Midstocks, where commissions may vary considerably.
It’s my firm belief that ‘premium’ images should be licensed at Midstock agencies (ideally as RM since it may offer the buyer some extra protection). Sales may take longer to come by than at micros and those lowly subs but when they do come, your patience will be rewarded. As for the balance of which images go where and how, it depends on the portfolio and the individual contributors’ patience tolerance!
Alex
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[…] However, should you go through the portfolio of a few successful Microstock contributors, such as Africa Studios, you’ll likely encounter quite boring-looking images. Here’s an example of a quite boring shoot I did which should bring me some nice royalties. […]
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