Welcome to my January 2026 Brutally Honest Earnings Report. It’s been a dark, cold and relentlessly rainy month across much of southern Europe but that didn’t stop me from hopping on a plane and visiting Malta for the first time.

The plan was to grind poker games and shoot as much as I could weather-permitting.

This year, I’m aiming to visit at least one new place every month. Stick around until the end, and I’ll share where I’m heading next in February. Let’s get into it.

Malta: Low Expectations

Booking travel almost anywhere in Europe in January is basically asking for disappointment. Cold. Grey. Rain. Wind. Closed cafés. Seasonal depression vibes. So I went in with rock-bottom expectations cheap RyanAir flights, cheap hotels and zero emotional investment. And yet…Malta didn’t disappoint.

I arrived in what felt like hurricane-force winds and biblical rain. The rest of the week stayed mostly gloomy with the occasional god rays. But somehow, despite the weather, I had a great time, explored extensively, shot solid content, and most importantly came out ahead in poker. It’s one place I will definitely return soon and perhaps even stay for a longer period.

Low expectations remain one of my best life strategies, including the stock photography industry.

Let’s move swiftly onto my monthly earnings report. Spoiler alert: very boring average month.

Monthly Earnings Breakdown

📸Image Earnings (USD)

Agency	Number of images (new images Jan)	Net Revenue Jan	Avg Return Per Download
Amazing Aerial (photos and videos)	150 (143)	TBD	TBD
Alamy	17,245 (72)	61	6.10
Arcangel (RM-exclusive)	6,099 (61)	0	0
Adobe Stock	4,920 (11)	124	0.86
DepositPhotos	8,842 (36)	19	0.50
Dreamstime	9,833 (3)	3	0.45
Freekpik	1,215 (1)	4	0.06
iStock (Dec 2025)	9,386 (7)	60	0.49
MotionArray	476 (0)	54	1.40
Robert Harding (Q3 2025 monthly average) – RM/RF exclusive	713 (18)	28	1.47
Shutterstock	12,824 (15)	52	0.33
Wirestock	3,066 (0)	41	N/A
Total		446

🎥Clip Earnings (USD)

Agency	Number of clips (new clips Jan)	Net Revenue for Jan	Avg Return per Download
Adobe Stock	1,576 (6)	47	9.40
Pond5	3,368 (5)	4	4
iStock (Dec 2025)	1,221 (1)	4	2
Shutterstock	2,711 (7)	25	2.5
Total		80

Grand Total: $526

📈Best-Seller this month

New Cover Reveal at Arcangel

Had this sale a few months back but just recently spotted the cover.

✈️Upcoming Travel Plans

Next month I’m off to Bratislava, Slovakia to play some poker and explore…followed by Bucharest in March with the same intention. Getting anxious as I haven’t many any plans for April! 😀

Month	Location
February	Bratislava
March	Bucharest
April	No plans yet
May	Brazil
June	Brazil (perhaps Peru as well)
July	No plans yet
August	No plans yet
September	No plans yet
October	Brazil
November	USA and Canada
December	USA and Canada

I like planning early to get some great deals on flights/hotels/cruises, etc. Plus it gives me something to look forward.

Until next time!

P.s: Thanks for the mention, Steve, on your January 2026 earnings report. I also don’t know why my Alamy sales are so poor!

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About Alex

I’m Alex, eccentric, based in Lisbon, and on a mission to explore every corner of the globe while capturing stock images and footage along the way.

For the past 12 years, I’ve been grinding as a travel photographer/videographer and freelance writer. Along the way I’ve also written The Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock Photography, a book packed with war stories and practical tips for anyone crazy enough to enter this business and more recently, The Brutally Honest Guide to Drone Laws in Europe.