Greetings as I’m literally writing this in mid-Atlantic as I cruise from the Americas back to Europe. Thanks to a good internet connection and plenty of free time it’s a perfect time to publish my April 2025 Brutally Honest Earnings Report. Let’s dive in.
Two Years Later: Did Spain Pay Off? (Spoiler: Nope.)
As I’m spending most of April and first week of May traveling, it seemed like a great time to revisit my 2023 Spain trip. Remember that case study?
Here’s the original post from that trip.
Back then, I confidently predicted $870 in earnings from 342 assets over two years.
The results
The reality: only $136earned corresponding to just 16% of my goal. Almost everything tanked, except aerials.
Two-thirds of my earnings came from just ten clips – mostly aerial footage over Bilbao’s river. A risky flight that paid off.
This image, captured in Santander, has also done well.
Three Brutal Lessons from the Spanish case-study
- Don’t travel just for stock. The odds of earning back any significant portion of your expenses are slimmer than ever (especially as inflation is biting). The goal of traveling these days shouldn’t be monetary imo.
- Some book covers take longer than two years to finally sell, if ever. I’ve calculated on average how long my book covers images take, on average from acceptance to sale and it’s 15 months.
- Drones win. Quality aerial content stands out and sells because of its uniqueness. Traditional terrestrial media? It’s unfortunately a race to the bottom if it’s picked up at all.
Cruise Earnings Update: Same Story, Same Ocean
While I’m cruising yet again, let’s check on the last transatlantic trip (Dec 2023). Back then, I set a wildly optimistic goal of $1,700 from 490 assets (what was I thinking?!).
How did I do?
Terribly. So far I’ve only earned $45.
Only really two assets worth mentioning.
This time I’m working smarter not harder
Unfortunately I could not bring my drone as it’s prohibited. Nevertheless ,on this cruise, I skipped most editorial ship shots and focused on building my book cover portfolio and higher quality, more targeted content.
I’ve also started using my iPhone + DJI Osmo gimbal combo for video. Seven new clips accepted so far, all vertical.
Book Covers: Slow and Steady
No new cover sales this month (which partly explains the delay in publishing this report). That said, views and downloads are trending up as I can see on AC’s metrics. May might bring some action.
In any case, I’ll be back in 6 months or so with a full report, even if I don’t think results will change much. Let’s move now onto my detailed monthly breakdown.
Monthly Earnings Breakdown
Image Earnings (USD)
| Agency | Number of Images in port (new images April) | Net Revenue April | Avg Return Per Download |
| Alamy | 16,669 (134) | 113 | 8.10 |
| Arcangel (RM-exclusive) | 5,305 (135) | Nil | Nil |
| Adobe Stock | 4,787 (-38)* | 91 | 0.70 |
| DepositPhotos | 8,644 (23) | 12 | 0.26 |
| Dreamstime | 9,611 (27) | 8 | 0.36 |
| Etsy | 10 (0) | Nil | Nil |
| Freekpik | 1,221 (6) | 10 | 0.06 |
| iStock (Mar 2025) | 9,269 (63) | 55 | 0.43 |
| MotionArray | 426 (16) | 10 | 0.16 |
| Robert Harding (Q3 2024 monthly average) – RM/RF exclusive – not uploading until average sales are at least $4/image net | 636 (1) | 13 | 0.80 |
| Shutterstock | 12,621 (22) | 102 | 0.49 |
| Vecteezy | 786 (1) | 2 | 0.20 |
| Wirestock | 3,066 (0) | 7 | N/A |
| Total | 423 |
*Adobe Stock removed some of my assets this month
Clip Earnings (USD)
| Agency | Number of clips in port (new clips April) | Net Revenue for April | Avg Return per Download |
| Adobe Stock | 1,414 (3) | 50 | 6.25 |
| Pond5 | 3,079 (37) | 11 | 23 |
| iStock (Mar 2025) | 1,094 (10) | 13 | 1.18 |
| Shutterstock | 2,409 (11) | 4 | 4 |
| Total | 78 |
Grand Total: $501
How do I feel about the month?
Well below $1K. Disappointing, but not surprising.
The good: Alamy pulled in a respectable $138 net.
The bad: Shutterstock continues to decline coming in third behind Adobe Stock and Alamy. iStock were also very disappointing with low volumes and low returns per download.
What is selling? Political-related content
Bright spots: Political content drove several of my top sellers this month (example: power lines possibly used to illustrate Iberian blackout coverage).
Plans for May
Predictably, in May I’ll take a break from travel. There will be two live poker tournaments in Portugal which I’m planning participate in two poker tournaments (as well as side-cash games), at Casino Estoril and Casino Vilamoura.
As always, I’ll be shooting at Casino Estoril but this time will be trying something different as will be using my gimbal Osmo 6 to put together a fun reel of the tournament.
Until next time! Next stop, Cape Verde and then Tenerife (for some shopping)!
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 
Hi Alex, I agree it was slow month, not just for You,. for me also. Maybe next month will be betters 🙂 ?
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