microstock libraries is time consuming and not always successful. Does
it make sense to save $100 on a camera but spend hours of extra time
working on poor-quality fi les? I don’t think so!
It makes sense to give yourself the best possible tools that you can
afford for the job. If you can afford it, buy a dSLR from a well-known
manufacturer. Remember that you don’t have to buy new; there are
some great used bargains to be had. Aim for a camera that has an
output of at least 5–6 MP as fi le size is taken into account in some
libraries, like Fotolia and iStockphoto. Good used bargains include
the likes of the Kodak 760 Nikon-mount dSLR, with a 6-MP output,
which cost around $8,000 new a few years ago and has super image
quality with a free-to-download raw fi le converter; the Canon D60; the
Olympus E-1 professional 5-MP Four Thirds camera, and many others
too numerous to mention.
Make sure you budget to buy not just the camera body but lenses
to suit the shots you want to take. For example, if you plan on shoot-
ing product shots, food, or other studio work, it makes sense to buy
a decent macro lens and not simply make do with the standard kit
lens supplied with most dSLRs.
Tip 2: Decide if Artist Exclusivity Is for You
If you contribute to iStockphoto, you will face a choice, after 250
downloads, of whether to become an exclusive photographer with
iStockphoto. Should you take the plunge?
As I mentioned in Chapter 2, iStockphoto grants photographers
“canisters,” the color of which depends upon how many of the pho-
tographer’s images have been downloaded. At the Bronze canister
level, 250 downloads, the photographer becomes eligible to “go exclu-
sive” and earn a higher-percentage commission. This is full artist
exclusivity—the photographer who chooses exclusivity is not permit-
ted to sell any work royalty free through other libraries. iStockphoto
also offers exclusive photographers at the Gold canister level and
above the right to send work to Getty, which now owns iStockphoto,
for sale through one of its royalty-free programs. I have no data at the
time of this writing of how successful this offer is proving to be fi nan-
cially, but it might be a sign of things to come in the world of
microstock.
The tip here, if you like, is to get the decision on exclusivity
right. Clearly, it works for some contributors. The advantage
is increased commission payments, up to 40% in total, at the
Diamond level, compared with 20% for nonexclusive photographers.
The downside is that all your eggs are in one basket. You
TIP 2: DECIDE IF ARTIST EXCLUSIVITY IS FOR YOU 143