Welcome to my March 2025 Brutally Honest Earnings Report. In March, four storms hit my sleepy coastal Portuguese town, including one that washed up boats, flattened trees, and flooded streets. Naturally, someone (ahem) thought it was a good idea to go out and shoot stock during it all. Subscription sales wouldn’t pay for my medical bills!
Read on to find out if it was another wash out month when it comes to earnings. Let’s get started!
Monthly Highlights
Some monthly highlights on the blog and elsewhere.
I’ve also written some blog posts over at the poker blog, TheRounderDotNet on my experiences as a cash poker player at Casino Estoril earnings considerably more per hour than I do at stock! In fact just under 20euros/hour.
Monthly Earnings Breakdown
Image Earnings (USD)
| Agency | Number of Images in port (new images Mar) | Net Revenue Mar | Avg Return Per Download |
| Alamy | 16,535 (10) | 76 | 6.33 |
| Arcangel (RM-exclusive) | 5,172 (92) | 750* | 250* |
| Adobe Stock | 4,825 (8) | 91 | 0.84 |
| DepositPhotos | 8,644 (23) | 14 | 0.38 |
| Dreamstime | 9,611 (27) | 9 | 0.41 |
| Etsy | 10 (0) | Nil | Nil |
| Freekpik | 1,215 (5) | 8 | 0.06 |
| iStock (Feb 2025) | 9,236 (12) | 55 | 0.43 |
| MotionArray | 410 (19) | 9 | 0.16 |
| Robert Harding (Q3 2024 monthly average) – RM/RF exclusive – not uploading until average sales are at least $4/image net | 635 (0) | 13 | 0.80 |
| Shutterstock | 12,621 (22) | 98 | 0.45 |
| Vecteezy | 785 (3) | 1 | 0.12 |
| Wirestock | 3,066 (0) | 8 | N/A |
| Total | 1,032 |
*Due to the sensitive nature of book cover publishing, I’ve been asked not to give exact sales figures. Instead I’m using the historical average of $250/net per sale.
Clip Earnings (USD)
| Agency | Number of clips in port (new clips Mar) | Net Revenue for Mar | Avg Return per Download |
| Adobe Stock | 1,411 (9) | 60 | 6 |
| Pond5 | 3,042 (42) | 115 | 23 |
| iStock (Feb 2025) | 1,084 (16) | 13 | 1.18 |
| Shutterstock | 2,409 (11) | 81 | 15 |
| Total | 269 |
Grand Total: $1,301
How do I feel about the month?
A positive month where I’m finally above the $1k mark. After a few months waiting, finally had some book cover sales – three of them in fact. Have only managed to spot one so far.
Looks like they used the smoke from this image to make the composite.
I’ll be on the lookout for the remaining titles. I know the name of the books but the covers aren’t publicly available just yet.
Also, to add to the good month, clip sales have starting to sell regularly at Pond5 which pulled in a respectful month with 5 decently-priced sales – see below. It’s all or nothing with them it seems as most months I’m getting zero sales.
I fully expect that in less than a years’ time I’ll be earning as much on clips as images.
6 best-selling micro assets this month
Plans for April
Following on from the Portuguese navigators’ footsteps (with a bit more luxury)
After a cold and wet March, along with better weather, April will be a travel month as I’ll be spending some time in Rio. Then taking a big boat back to Europe with notable stops along the way.
Looking forward to capturing lots of stock content but I also do hope to try to relax a bit and enjoy the sights without that constant fear of missing out.
Two years from my Spanish adventure, how did I do?
Time flies and it’s been nearly two years since my stock-gathering adventure in Spain, where I published a blog post outlining my earnings predictions (link below). Two years feels like a fair window to assess whether those images had real staying power. So, how close did I get to my goal of $800, enough to cover half the cost of the trip? You’ll find out soon.
Until next time!
About Alex
I’m an eccentric guy. I am based in Lisbon, Portugal. I am on a quest to visit all corners of the world. I want to capture stock images & footage. I’ve devoted ten 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.
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
Alexandre Rotenberg's Brutally Honest Guide to Stock Photography & Footage 
Congratulation Alex, good month for you I wish everyone is like this one.
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Thanks! Hope I can finally have some consistency above $1k for at least a few months
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