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.