January Sales Updates:

Tenterden signal box -editorial sale at Adobe

The dull and cold days of January proved a good metaphor for stock sales this month with little to get excited about. Welcome to 2023! 

Back in their once traditional first place were Shutterstock. Only one On Demand sale and four modest single sales and, of course, that annual reset to 15% commission rate for credit sales.

Second place went to Istock with 22 downloads. The usual mix of music festival and travel images selling this month.

Alamy managed third place with 2 modest (very) downloads and a ASCRL (the US version of DACS) payment.

Fourth place went to Adobe with 10 downloads. This included three editorial images - the Tenterden

Boxing Day hunt meet in Tenterden

signal box on heritage steam line the Kent and East Sussex Railway and a couple of eighties b/w images of Thames Television and Capital Radio in London. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised when these two even got accepted yet alone sold. 

Redbubble came in fifth place with a single product sale. This was a mug featuring the historic old Mermaid Inn at Rye in East Sussex. Rather unusually the buyer went for a view of the rear of the building rather than the more traditional front view showing Mermaid Street itself.

Sixth place went to Dreamstime with 3 downloads. If 2023 is the year of their hoped for turn around January certainly didn't show any signs.

Bigstock took seventh place with a single download. Now they have removed the Bridge transfer of Shutterstock uploads I do wonder if they'll keep this going as a separate agency for much longer.

Mermaid Inn - mug sale on Redbubble

Finally, in eighth place was a very rare appearance from Mostphotos with a single download. Most is one of those agencies that you almost forget is there until the odd sale pops  up.

Recent uploading included a couple of images of the Boxing Day fox hunt meet here in Tenterden. It's the one time we see a big police presence here because the crowds divide firmly into those supporting the hunt and those opposed (each on a different side of the road).

Still, no foreign trips booked but I'm in the research phase. Also looking to some photo day trips out with a number of locations in mind.

Regards, David. 

December Sales Updates:

Lech Walesa - sold on FAA

Given the slow days of Christmas and New Year holidays it was a pleasant surprise to have a strong month in December. It was also good to see an unusual front runner this month.

FineArtAmerica took first place with a good value print sale of former Polish president Lech Walesa. A tote bag sale also helped them to top place. I never seem to get as many sales on FAA as I would like but it is certainly worth paying the modest $30 fee each year (which gives you unlimited upload numbers).

Second place went to Shutterstock including three On Demand and four Single downloads. What helped this month was an additional sum from the new Contributor Fund (basically a pool of money in return for AI programmes using SS images to train on. I'm hoping this could prove a useful extra revenue stream going forward).

Alamy made third place with 5 downloads. Four archive images and my recent WW2 food ration book again. It's good to see sales from the latter which my parents kept safe in drawer for all those years.

Fourth place went to my other POD site Redbubble with 6 product sales including mugs, stickers and greeting cards. Bit of a last minute Christmas flurry there I assume.

Istock made fifth place with 28 downloads. My Tentertainment music festival images continuing to

New upload - Ithaca bound ferry

come out on top as always. One curious detail was a sale of the abandoned village of Mikro Chorio on the Greek island of Tilos. For some reason it has been renamed Mikro Chorio, Forbidden island. I checked my Istock portfolio and it has that new title as well. Tilos isn't a forbidden island nor have I ever said that it was! No idea at all how that came about but there is no way of editing accepted images on Istock so that's how it will be staying. 

Sixth place went to Dreamstime with 5 downloads including one of those rare $2 subscription sales. Maybe 2023 is the year we will see a turn around for DT.

Seventh place was taken by Adobe with 5 downloads including two editorial store front images of Monsoon and Woolworths - both taken here in Tenterden (and both now gone as well).

London Daily News launch issue 1987

Finally in eighth place was Bigstock with just a single download. It's now been many months since I had any new images added there since the ending of the Bridge to Bigstock connector. As I have said before, the sales volume at Bigstock doesn't warrant uploading direct (at this time).

Recent uploading included starting to look at my Ithaca island images from my 2022 trip including one of Levante Ferries ferry boat Andreas Kalvos loading in Sami harbour on Kefalonia prior to departing for Ithaca. I have also continued with my collection of old newspapers including the launch issue of the London Daily News from February 1987. Sadly, though it was an excellent newspaper, it only survived for a few months before closing down.

Though it is early days yet my thoughts are turning to trip destinations in 2023. I can safely say there will be a Greek island in the mix and who knows where else. Barcelona has to be high on my list not having been there since 2018.

January has started off very slowly but we'll see where it ends up in due course. Regards, David. 

November Sales Updates:

Today launch issue from 1986 -new upload

A slow month in November with only one standout performer and nothing at all from my two POD sites -FineArtAmerica and Redbubble (so much for my hoped for Christmas surge).

Way out in first place were Shutterstock. A good Single sale of a Poll Tax Riots image pushed them up here.

Second place went to Alamy. Though I only had two modest downloads a worthwhile sum of DACS payments came in. I always count this in my totals as it is, in effect, secondary income on previous sales - and much appreciated at that.

Istock took third place with 22 downloads. The usual suspects of music festival and travel images did well here.

Fourth place went to Adobe with 10 downloads. My electric vehicle charging point sign continued to feature here. That is one good example of a saleable stock image taken just a few minutes walk from
home.

Dreamstime were in fifth place with 5 downloads. A rare credit sale from them this month.

Finally in sixth place were Bigstock with just a single download. I suspect the lack of new material

M & Co in the old Embassy Cinema building

going into my portfolio (thanks to the ending of the Bridge to Bigstock scheme) doesn't help matters here.

November also saw the ending of my Picfair store subscription (as mentioned in my last post) so I will decide what to do about them going forward. It does mean that I am no longer able to upload any further images as Unlimited Uploads was a feature of the paid store. 

Recent uploading included an image of my local branch of fashion chain Mackays (trading as M & Co) which has just gone into administration. With 170 UK stores this is quite a big business story here and a worrying time for their near two thousand staff. I took a longer shot of the building (rather than just a close up of the store sign) to show the historic Embassy sign as this was once the home of any Embassy Cinema until its closure in the sixties. 

Poll Tax Riots - good sale on Shutterstock

I have also been uploading more historic newspaper mastheads including the launch issue of National daily Today which was first published in 1986. I really liked this newspaper and was sorry to see it close in 1995. Sadly, as a former Fleet Street person, newspapers are becoming a thing of the past with constant news updates available on television news channels and our friend the internet. That said, I cannot remember the last time I actually purchased a newspaper so I am as much a part of the decline as anyone else.

As we near the end of the year I'll take this chance to wish readers  a happy Christmas (should you celebrate it) and every best wish for 2023. Regards, David.

October Sales Updates:

Planet On Sunday- first and last issue

A strong month in October mainly thanks to one agency.

Way out in first place were Alamy with 9 downloads. Most of these were from my archives including three good $$ (net) uses. Seventies rock band Tom Robinson Band sold for an editorial website. Former Chancellor of The Exchequer Denis Healey sold for use as a museum display and my WW2 ration book was used for a book/ebook. 

Second place went to Redbubble with a good value sale of a framed print of my 1980s B/W image of New Scotland Yard. Maybe a Christmas present for somebody that used to work there? That said, I have yet to see a rush of Christmas type sales as in previous years. It's getting a bit late now.

Shutterstock took third place but no large sales this month. Three On Demand and four modest Single sales helped things here.

Fourth place went to Istock with a disappointing 16 downloads and the lowest month I have had from them in a while.

Adobe made fifth place with 6 downloads. My EV charging point sign featuring again.

Denis Healey - museum sale on Alamy

Sixth place went to Dreamstime with 7 downloads. No credit sales again this month.

Bigstock came in seventh place with 3 downloads - all of the vintage cable car in Barcelona. 

Finally in eighth place were Mostphotos with a rare sale. Another Barcelona image of the beach there. I'm not sure what, if any, marketing they do but they seem never to have expanded out of their home country of Sweden. They have also increased the minimum payout to 35 euros so whether I ever see another payout from them is doubtful. 

Shooting highlight in October consisted of covering the annual Tenterden Folk Festival. This is a bigger deal than it might sound as it attracts folk dance groups and musicians from around the World. I covered the main parade down the High Street as well as individual dance performances that were going on all down the street.

WW2 ration book - good sale on Alamy

New uploading saw me continuing with my "historic" newspapers including an image of National Sunday newspaper Planet On Sunday. Launched in June 1996 with an environmental and conservation mission, it ceased publication just days after launching making my image both a first and last edition. I suspect that is some kind of record for a new newspaper.

I haven't mentioned Picfair for a long time - mainly because there was nothing to report. After two years of paying a fee to have a Store there (and allowing continued unlimited uploads) I finally took the decision to cancel my payment. My store finishes in November so I have stopped any further uploads. Not quite sure what happens after this or what to do with the already uploaded images. I'll see in a few weeks time and report back.

So far, a slow start to November so let's see how it goes. Regards, David.

September Sales Updates:

 

John Major - good sale at Shutterstock

A steady month in September with an especially strong showing from Shutterstock.

First place (as suggested above) went to Shutterstock. Two $$ downloads really helped here with a Single download of anti pornography campaigner Mary Whitehouse - a 1989 archive shot and an Enhanced Download (remember those?) of former Prime Minister John Major.

Second place was taken by Istock with 31 downloads and a reasonable RPD overall. The Greek island of Tilos featured well this month with a variety of images sold.

Alamy took third place with 3 modest priced downloads. These were all from my B/W archival images. Though not showing as sales yet the month started well with my 1989 images of Charles Wilson (former newspaper editor) being used in the Telegraph, Guardian, Racing Post and Independent. Should see those coming up in the next few weeks when they do their reporting of usages.

Fourth place went to Redbubble with 2 product sales (a sticker and a greeting card). I am hoping for the

Margaret Thatcher - as seen on Channel 4

usual upturn in sales here as Christmas (sorry to mention it!) gets nearer. Meanwhile, they have a number of new products in their range especially in the pet category such as dog/cat feeding mats, bowls and bandanas. All ideal for the pet lover in your life.

Adobe took fifth place with 7 downloads. Again my electric vehicle charging point sign featured.

Sixth place was taken by Pond 5 with a single download of Margaret Thatcher. My archive images seem to have gone down well here though certainly not with the frequency as elsewhere.

Dreamstime managed seventh place with 7 downloads (virtually all editorial images).

Finally, in eighth place were Bigstock with just 2 downloads. 

Sunday Sport launch issue - new upload

The month saw me scanning and uploading some more archive images including the old Ministry of Agriculture building in London and the masthead of the very first issue of tabloid newspaper Sunday Sport (which launched in 1986). I've actually got a few first/last issues of various newspapers so I will give some more a try.

There was a nice surprise when watching the new Channel 4 (UK) series Make Me Prime Minister where members of the public compete to come out on top and be the next (fictional) PM. The set for this is a mock up of 10 Downing Street complete with portraits in the corridor of (real) previous PMs. There's my images of Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. These were all sold on a custom license on Pond 5 back in June. They also bought an image of Ted Heath but that hasn't appeared yet!

October can be a good month for sales but has started off slowly so far so it remains to be seen how it goes overall. Regards, David.