Dennis Frates, Alex Segre and Bettina Strenske all have one thing in common – they are members of Alamy’s $100,000+ club. Over the years this prestigious collective has uploaded tens of thousands of images to the stock site, covering topics ranging from plumbing and ice cream to butterflies and the effects of climate change – and their efforts have clearly paid off.
It’s no secret that selling stock was once a great way to earn a living, but with the price of individual images plummeting in recent years, is it still possible to earn serious money this way? To find out AP quizzed Matthew Horwood, a professional photographer, and stock library contributor, about what he shoots, how he maximizes sales, and what he believes are the current and future trends in stock.Why did you decide to supply a stock agency?
I turned my attention to a stock when I left the Western Mail and South Wales Echo in 2014. One of the downsides of being a staff photographer is that very often the company owns all of your images – you sign it all away on day one. I think, in hindsight, I would have preferred to have been a contracted freelancer who fully owned all the images I produced. As soon as I left the paper I started building a library and contributing editorial stock images to agencies.
Which agencies do you supply, and why did you choose these specifically?
I supply Alamy and Getty. I chose Alamy when I first went freelance because it was the most accessible. I now concentrate most of my efforts on Getty – it’s a great company to work with, and has good reach. [Before choosing a library take a look at the British Association of Picture Libraries & Agencies website, www.bapla. org.uk, which lists more than 100 agencies.] I have a small collection compared to many of my colleagues: about 11,000 with Alamy and 8,000 with Getty.
Denne historien er fra November 02, 2019-utgaven av Amateur Photographer.
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Denne historien er fra November 02, 2019-utgaven av Amateur Photographer.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
140 years of change
AP has become the world’s oldest surviving consumer photo magazine because we have moved with the times, says Nigel Atherton
Preserving history in platinum
A deep dive into the meticulous art of platinum printing, and the collaboration between the Royal Geographical Society and Salto Ulbeek. Mike Crawford explores how they brought historical photographs to life with enduring beauty and precision
Life in the past lane
What was life like for an amateur photographer in 1884? John Wade takes a trip back in time
Choice cuts
How many trillions of photographs must have been taken in the past 140 years? Amy Davies asked some of our regular contributors for their favourites....a difficult task, to say the least
How good a camera can you buy for just £140?
Three members of the AP team see what they can find for the money
Round Five: The Best of the Rest
The APOY judges choose their favourite images that didn’t make the top ten of our Landscapes category
Amateur Photographer of the Year
Here are the top ten images uploaded to Photocrowd from Round Five, Landscapes, with comments by the AP team and our guest judge
FILM STARS A lifetime of landmarks
Cameras that hit the headlines between then and now. John Wade is your guide
140 years of Amateur Photographer
As AP celebrates its 140th birthday next month, Nigel Atherton looks back at its glorious past
John Wade considers...World War II: Home Front 1940, by A.J O'Brien
Say the word 'Wall's' to those of a certain age and two things spring to mind: sausages and ice cream.
