Phrases like “it’s not all doom and gloom” pop up often, but those who offer such encouraging analysis are typically in the top tier of the profession. While their experience is certainly real and laudable if not amazing, is it representative enough to be touted as a roadmap to a successful career? Common sense, economics, mathematics and every available source of statistical information says no.

Photographs are used commercially as single illustrations or in telling stories. Given the way the photography business is changing there is a declining demand for single illustrations at price points that can justify their continued production, but there is a growing demand for multimedia and video stories. This story explores this change in demand and points to new opportunities for those who want to earn their living in the photography profession. 

On LinkedIn’s ASMP group James Cavanaugh outlined the following client request, “A client wants you to create photographs that they can use on social network sites so they can "go viral" to promote their company. It means potentially countless people may use your copyrighted work,” and he asked “How would you approach such a request?”
This story provides my answer.

I had already been a still photographer for over 20 years when I started exploring digital video and the motion medium ten years ago. I had built a successful career shooting editorially for magazines like National Geographic Traveler, Smithsonian, Travel & Leisure to name a few, as well as producing annual reports for major corporations.  When digital video hit the scene in the late ‘90’s, I was already starting to feel a slight frustration in trying to tell certain stories with a still camera. I was beginning to think and see in terms of movement and sound.  At the same time, technology was making it possible and affordable with digital video cameras and non-linear editing software for me to use this medium to tell my stories.  The new tools were a means to an end.

Recently, I started a discussion entitled.“What are the future career opportunities in photography?” on several of the groups on Linkedin. The topic has engendered a lively and interesting discussion, and well worth some time in reviewing. This article contains a few of the highlights of the discussion. More can be found at the following Linkedin Groups: ASMP: American Society of Media Professionals - National; Photography Industry Professionals and Stock Photography Buy and Sell Images.

The opportunity to interact with editors from publishing companies, picture researchers, stock agents and photographers at the American Society of Picture Professionals’ (ASPP) Reinvention weekend in Boston provided a clearer picture of where the business of producing images for publication is headed.  Here are a few of my take-aways from the three day conference.

The Obama administration, through the offices of  the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (USIPEC), Victoria Espinel, has recently requested input from interested parties as to how piracy and copyright infringement is affecting the U.S. economy. A key issue is the degree of unauthorized use. Getty Images says they identify approximately 42,000 unauthorized uses a year and Corbis says they identify about 70,000. PicScout, whose Image Tracker line of business searches the web for unauthorized photo use, says that in 2009 more than 80% of the images they located on the web on commercial sites were either used without a license, or beyond the terms authorized by the license. In addition, there were many unauthorized print uses, but for the most part there is no good way to track that volume at this time.

More and more still photographers are getting into video because of the appeal of the hybrid still cameras that also shoot video.  Photographers love the visual coming out of these big chip cameras – what’s not to love?  But they quickly find out that if they aren’t just going to be laying visuals down to a music track, they will need to start thinking about their audio – specifically a narrative track or one driven by sound bites from interviews.  I work in the corporate sector, as well as create documentaries, so I do a lot of interviews.  The interviews, along with a scripted voiceover comprise my audio track and drive the story.  

I was in Chicago a couple of weeks ago and stopped by Zacuto.  Zacuto is a business that has made outfitting DSLR cameras for video a specialty.  They have cleverly engineered an assortment of their party add-ons that take these cameras to a higher level.  They have also provided solutions to overcome some of these cameras shortcomings.  Depending on the genre you are working in, documentary work, corporate, indie films or photojournalism will ultimately determine which way you’ll need to “trick” these cameras out.

In response to “Stock Photo Lottery,” Bill Bachmann said: “I don’t know where you get the idea that 1% of images are sold are RM. I think you are pulling that figure out of a hat.” This story provides a step by step process as to how I arrived at that figure.

If you're a photographer shooting fashion, products or doing other commercial work for brochures or print ads you will often need access to good locations. Getting "access" to good locations generally requires considerable effort and often fee payments. This story provides some hints on how to solve the access problem.

How to create estimates that get the job and build your business.

Travel photographer Bill Bachmann is an ardent advocate for basing stock image pricing on usage (the rights-managed model), not on file size (the royalty-free and microstock models). In 2009, Bachmann is on track to earn almost $1 million from licensing his travel and lifestyle images. Over 80% of Bachmann’s income will come from more than 50 agencies that represent his work around the world; the rest is from direct sales. For most of the last 25 years, he has grossed over $1 million in stock sales per year.

Jim Erickson breaks all the stock photography rules and yet is one of the world’s most successful sellers of stock images. Pick any strategy that everyone agrees is the key to success in stock, and Jim Erickson is probably doing the opposite. He sells stock to clients rather than through agencies. Erickson never licenses rights to an image for less than $350, and the average license fee is about $1,800. He produces an annual print catalog and distributes it to only 20,000 top buyers. His gross revenue from stock sales in 2008 was over $2 million and he couples his stock business with an assignment business that grosses an additional $2 million. Read more about how he does it.

In early 2009 Selling-Stock surveyed photographers, designers and illustrators in an effort to determine how business in 2008 compared with 2007. based on the income generated in 2008. The 2008 survey asks the same questions as the previous year in hopes that the results would provide comparative numbers, enabling creators to make informed decisions about trends in the production and sale of stock images. In this rapidly changing and challenging business environment, many image creators are adjusting business strategies. Some freelance stock photographers are turning to assignments. For others a staff position, possibly even in a non-related field, is now a primary source of income, and the revenue earned from freelance work is only secondary. Conversely, amateurs with no expectations of ever earning a living from photography are finding that selling stock can be a lucrative and rewarding income supplement.

Fifty-five photographers with a gross 2005 income of $8,490,187 responded to our survey. This was up 9.7% from 2004 and 78% of this income was from stock. 30% of the revenue was from Getty and almost 15% from Corbis. The average gross income for the photographers responding was $154,367 and the median income was $126,000.  The average stock income was $119,755 or 78% of the gross.  Comparing these results to previous surveys the gross income and the stock income are maybe a little high, but about what might have been expected.  The results are up from 2003, but about the same as in 2001 and down from 2000.