Checking In

I have yet to make a single sale on 123RF, but rather than make this blog a long train of complaint posts, I think I'll make some goals.  Due to a busy school schedule, I haven't been able to take many photos in the last few months.  My schedule has lessened a bit now, so my first goal is to take more photographs!  It seems silly to whine and moan about not selling any photos when my portfolio is only 10 out of the millions of stock photos available for sale online.  To make my goal more specific, I think I'll say I'd like to make time at least once a week for either taking pictures or editing.  I know that's starting out small, but I would rather make a goal I can reach than set my sights too high and feel bad when I can't reach them right away.  My second goal will be to spend some time each week looking at what kinds of photos are popular at this time of year, and what will be popular soon.  Increasing my portfolio with relevant pictures seems like the best way to start getting results!  My third goal is to report my progress to this blog more often - it would be nice to eventually have readers here!

I've Been Meaning to Mention...

Several months ago I did try to submit pictures to Shutterstock, when I was first learning about selling stock.  I submitted my first ten there rather naively, and only one was marked as 'acceptable.'  You have to have seven out of your first ten images approved before any will go up on the site.  Now that I have done more research into what makes a good stock photo, I am not at all surprised that the first batch I submitted (most of which were older photos from my small point-and-shoot digital camera, taken on camping trips, etc.) was not up to par! Shutterstock imposes a 30-day wait period before you may try to submit another batch for initial review, and though it has been much more than that since my first submission, I haven't had the courage to submit another batch.  I'd really like to take the time to put together a clean batch that I think will have a good shot at being accepted, rather than submitting casually.  But who knows? Maybe submitting the best I have every 30 days would be a better strategy.

Nothing Yet...

So far not a single photo has sold on 123RF. I'm a bit disappointed, naturally, but after all, I only have 10 photos uploaded.  I hope to have time to take some photos specifically for stock soon.  I have read on the various forums that it is important to upload often, and of course, to build up a large portfolio!

My First Acceptance

My first ten photos are up on 123RF! The turnaround time was really great, although it seemed like a long time because I was so anxious.  After uploading the images it took about a day for them to be approved, and then about two days after that they were up on the site! I keep refreshing the page to see if any of them have been sold yet, but none so far...I need to work on my patience! But I'm so excited, I can't help it :) I'll put a link up in the sidebar so anyone who wants to can check out the site.

The Start of a Journey...

I'm on an adventure to improve my photography skills!  I have just finished taking a digital photography class at my university, and I'm trying to get started in stock photography - with luck maybe it will help me pay for school! I certainly don't expect to earn a lot at first, but I hope with patience and practice it will be worth the effort.  I am going to try to record my progress here - new photo editing tricks I learn, camera techniques, or milestones I reach with my stock photo portfolios.  There's a lot of learning for me to do, and anyone who wants to learn with me is welcome here!