Welcome to my July 2025 earnings and news report. It has been a busy month so let’s just get started!
Monthly Highlights
Here I obviously sped up the workflow. At no point did I click on anything, it was all AI!
Also a highly-relevant report published at the Xpiks blog.
🔥 Forest Fire Season Begins… With a Front-Row Seat
July started off with a bang as I hopped on a tiny propeller plane from Lisbon to Bragança, a scenic (and slightly nerve-wrackingly bumpy at times) journey in itself.
It was super cool to be so close to the pilots, where I didn’t hesitate to capture some of the action to upload as book covers (with many accepted).
The small airliner providing these services is called Sevenair and they do stops along much of Portugal.
Lake adventures
Upon arrival in the interior, the weather was scorching, dry and blisteringly hot. On the following day (after doign some sightseeing in Braganca itself), a few friends and I took refuge by one of the beautiful man-made lake beaches in the region.
But by mid-afternoon, our day took an unexpected turn as a few plumes of smoke appeared nearby. At first, I assumed it was just someone barbecuing. But within minutes, the smoke darkened, and two helicopters were buzzing overhead dropping off water.
Firefighters quickly contained the blaze and no property damage and no injuries – we at the beach were fortunate because the wind was blowing in the opposite direction.
Still, it was an intense reminder of how vulnerable Portugal (and many parts of the world at this latitude) is to wildfires during these hot, dry, and windy summer months.
♠️ A Week in Troia for Poker and Paradise
The following week, I traveled to Tróia for a poker tournament brought by the Vamos Poker Tour. Located just an hour south of Lisbon, across the river Sado from Setúbal. Tróia turned out to be a jaw-dropping surprise. Think: the Caribbean meets the Portuguese coast.
I captured some incredible aerial shots with the drone, white sand banks, turquoise water, and an almost surreal calmness to it all.
Here’s one of the reels I created:
As for the poker action, I came 28th out of 554 players for a small profit which paid for my trip, so I’m happy with the result of how I played, especially how surprisingly calm and disciplined throughout. I still feel that it’s only a matter of time before I have a big score on a tournament, with a little bit of luck!
Full photo archive here brought to you by Damiano Nigro from TheRounderdotnet.
Next tournament will probably be in Badajoz, Extremadura in mid-August…a region I’m keen to explore.
Monthly Earnings Breakdown
Image Earnings (USD)
| Agency | Number of Images in port (new images July) | Net Revenue July | Avg Return Per Download |
| Alamy | 16,873 (had some images removed) | 37 | 2.64 |
| Arcangel (RM-exclusive) | 5,480 (64) | Nil | Nil |
| Adobe Stock | 4,825 (20) | 75 | 0.71 |
| DepositPhotos | 8,737 (11) | 17 | 0.14 |
| Dreamstime | 9,709 (24) | 5 | 0.36 |
| Etsy – so far a waste of time | 10 (0) | Nil | Nil |
| Freekpik | 1,210 (8) | 5 | 0.06 |
| iStock (June 2025) | 9,326 (29) | 74 | 0.52 |
| MotionArray | 456 (8) | 25 | 0.16 |
| Robert Harding (Q3 2024 monthly average) – RM/RF exclusive | 660 (18) | 13 | 0.80 |
| Shutterstock | 12,710 (22) | 67 | 0.32 |
| Vecteezy | 797 (7) | 0 | 0 |
| Wirestock | 3,066 (0) | 18 | N/A |
| Total | 336 |
Clip Earnings (USD)
| Agency | Number of clips in port (new clips July) | Net Revenue for July | Avg Return per Download |
| Adobe Stock | 1,475 (26) | 62 | 10 |
| Pond5 | 3,166 (38) | 0 | 30 |
| iStock (June 2025) | 1,144 (42) | 16 | 2 |
| Shutterstock | 2,506 (48) | 18 | 6 |
| Total | 96 |
Grand Total: $432
Thoughts on the month
Giant waste of time, let the microstock industry burn!
Plans for August
I won’t do too much traveling in August as it’s an expensive month other than a few days in Badajoz for a poker tournament. Will chill out at home in my air conditioning and grind away at my Brutally Honest Drone Law guide as I’m planning to publish it in full at the end of the year.
Thanks for reading and 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 with a new practical rules guide for flying your drone safely in Europe coming out in late-2025.
Alexandre Rotenberg's Brutally Honest Guide to Stock Photography & Footage 
Keep up the good work. DaLiu
LikeLike
You misunderstand Etsy – it’s a place for stolen stock photos. So to be successful there, you first need to steal your photos and then sell them in packs there.
LikeLike
Yeah, and scammers trying to message me with fake links. I might just give up there.
LikeLike
I’ve officially given up on Etsy
LikeLike