This weekend I was hired to shoot a surf lesson and after delivering the work I uploaded some of the content as editorial stock as well as some that went as book covers, including this cool wipe-out.

Uploading client shoots as stock got me thinking that:

1) I need to get more client work as I’ll explain later; and

2) It would be interesting to calculate how much I earned from work captured during commissioned work or formal employment.

With the above in mind, in this blog post I’ll disclose my top-10 earners that I earned while I was earning, so let’s get started!

The goal of stock should never be for it to be your main income (unless you’re in the top 2%)

This post goes to the heart of my main point that, we creatives, should be focused on finding commissioned/client work within our respective niches.

Stock is far too speculative and unpredictable, especially since stock agencies can and do provide us with the surprise “exciting news”, which essentially mean bad news for our royalties. Combined with a high-inflationary environment, it’s just too damn difficult these days to make stock a full-time gig.

Now, I won’t bite the hand that fed up as stock has been overall pretty good for me but commissioned work is far more profitable and a more stable source of income…plus it’s scalable and you can charge more as you gain more experience.

Another benefit of doing regular commissioned work is that as the copyright belongs to you and assuming the client is OK, you may use the content to place on stock agencies. I have done this many times when shooting for real estate, events and sports, such as this Standup Yoga on the beach which I shot with my drone that sold in August.

My Top-10 “Earners While Earning”

The Standup Yoga didn’t make the list (not by much as it earned me $12) as didn’t earn enough, but you’ll be surprised at just how much some of these have earned me. Note, that I’ve included the best-selling from the batch and added up all the similars from the same shoot.

So here they are starting with the 10th…

10 – Luxury condos at a real-estate shoot ($13)

This was next to a villa I was shooting Cascais, Portugal that I thought would make for a great stock photo.

9 – Pool at Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ($42)

Here, I was shooting an poker tournament at this iconic palace and managed to sneak out on the break to shoot the pool at night with the bar/restaurant in the back. Having a press pass made all the difference.

8 – Spies Bar, Hotel Palacio in Estoril, Portugal ($43)

Was shooting an event at this prestigious hotel that hosted spies during WWII and got a cool shot of the iconic bar.

7 – Brèves de comptoir, Tournée générale by Jean-Marie Gourio ($51)

This was a book cover licensed via Arcangel. I shot this at a bar during a meet-up event in Portugal

Here’s the book cover:

6 – Young guy laughing in Milan ($74)

Also a client shoot and he signed a model release.

5- Empty classroom ($85)

I shot this on a break of a client shoot at a school in Lisbon.

4- Mevrouw Hayat by Ahmed Altan ($107)

This was shot during a client shoot at a new school the architects were inaugurating in the following month. I used one of the architects looking up the staircase to appear as a frame within a frame. Nash loved it!

Here’s the book cover:

3 – Taormina by Yeves Ravey ($147)

On the same day as the above shot with the client shoot, I decided to fly my drone at night for the very first time. Pretty scary! I saw the architects walking down the street and shot them with the high ISO that was possible at night and uploaded by chance to Arcangel as I thought that they would reject for technical reasons. Lo and behold it sold!

Here is the final book cover, they really didn’t do much to the original…

2 – Simple student dormitory ($300)

This was a paid shoot for a real-estate client who was launching some simple, student-style dormitories in Milan, Italy. I recall that I got paid 300 euros for the shoot, so it’s cool to almost double it with the stock earnings. Note: Pretty poor job at the time with the lens corrections.

1 – Rotterdam, Netherlands skyscrapers ($320)

This was the cool view from the office I worked at while living in the Netherlands (2011-2014), which I took advantage to shoot as much as I possibly could.

So, how much have I earned while earning from the above 10?

$1,182, not bad!

Something to think about if you’re doing both client work and stock. Just make sure to ask the client first to avoid any issues and obtain model/property releases if possible.

Until next time!

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About Alex

I’m an eccentric guy, currently based in Lisbon, Portugal, on a quest to visit all corners of the world and capture stock images & footage. I’ve devoted eight years to making it as a travel photographer / videographer and freelance writer. I hope to inspire others by showing an unique insight into a fascinating business model.

Most recently I’ve gone all in on submitting book cover images to Arcangel Images. Oh and also recently purchased a DJI Mavic 2s drone and taking full advantage and perhaps a Mavic 3 soon.

I’m proud to have written a book about my adventures which includes tips on making it as a stock travel photographer – Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock Photography