• Asked by
• Anonymous
• |
• May 20, 2012
• |
• Nobody else has this question

Overall cost management of producing stock photography

Hi - I just read a great article about producing stock imagery but it doesn't cover the biggest question that I have. I'm a commercial photographer and have the skills to produce what could potentially be saleable stock images BUT to shoot you need models, props, clothing, retoucher etc etc. How do you pay the other people you need to be involved? Even a low-level model is going to want at least a few hundred bucks for half a day shoot, and you would have to sell each image many times to be sure of a return... so to build a folio of 500+ images will theoretically cost thousands of $s with no guarantee of covering the cost in the return. I'd be very interested to understand how you can manage this when you're starting out, thanks so much, Fran

• Answered by
• Yuri
• |
• June 6, 2012
• |
• 1 person likes this

Well. Today, I would not have been successful.
It takes me about 2-3 years to break even on expenses of shoots (factoring in 6% interest that I would otherwise have achieved if I just had the money in the bank). And I'm the best in the world...
You will need hardcore training, somebody to actually cover your expenses while you experiment and learn and then if you are very skilled expect to break even in 2-3 years. Therefore: Take small steps and gradually get income. Then over time, perhaps, it can become something more. I really wish I could be more optimistic, but then I would not be honest.
Consider coming to our BootCamp.
http://arcurs.com/2012/02/the-yuri-arcurs-photography-boot-camp-2012-has-ended/

Bootcamp 2-3 graduates are today some of the highest earning photographers in the world. Can't name names. But if you become part of my team I will let you know how they are :) (and you will meet them)