Stock photography or freelance

[ghia]

Hi,
I am new to dPs forums. I am hoping I am posting this in the right place and that I am asking the right questions.
To give you a little background, I live in Snohomish, WA (about an hour from Seattle) and I am newly married (1 year) and today is my due date to have my baby. I am 41 and have been shooting for over 15 years. I have worked my entire adult life but now I will have a babe in arms and I WANT to contribute to the household.....I am just very unsure how to go about it because I will be a stay at home mom for at least the first year.

So my questions are these. I have heard about stock photography for years but have never pursued it. If anyone has been successful selling stock I would LOVE to pick your brain. What do you shoot, how did you choose your subject matter, what kind of equipment you need, how many MP on your camera, what kinds of lenses, what are they looking for, how did you choose the best stock house, do you use several, did you pay first to have them use your work or do they charge a collection fee at the time your work sells to a third party, how successful are you???? A LOT of questions!

I was also thinking of doing freelance work where I could take baby with me....shooting homes, outdoors, wherever a baby would not be a distraction for the client. I don't know where to begin here, either.

All information is greatly appreciated! Thank you for hearing me out!

ghia

[Jim Bryant]

1) The only way you'll make money in stock these days is to submit images that no one else hasn't. With the digital age, everyone with a digital camera sends images to stock agencies. So: They have to be an different angle, location of the everyday stuff you see of the Space Needle. Shoot the same subject in all sorts of lighting and weather. YOu're not going to get rich, but maybe the incoming $$$ when and if you are accepted will help purchase a bag of pampers or milk formula.

Find what stock agencies you are interested in send a email letter of introduction/interest with sample images and ask about photo submission guidelines.

2) - Taking children on assignment? It all depends on the freelance assignment as this could be unprofessional and ruin your chances of shooting again for that particular client. It's okay to take a child to the Woodland Park Zoo if you have a freelance assignment there, however,
not to shoot professional portraits in a corporate setting.

While living in Portugal, Japan, Panama freelancing for travel magazines I took one or two of my children with me, because they loved kids and it sort of broke the ice.

[andyw]

For stock - different agencies have different requirementss.
If you want some tips on stock shooting and what is required to actually make money at it then it is worth reading this guys site Yuri Arcurs - Home of the world's top selling microstock photographer
and then have a look at the images on these guys profiles at istock Contributor Charts iStockphoto.com
This is a list of the top sellers on istock and is certainly worth a look.

It is certainly possible to make money at stock photography but it has to be run as a full time business (as per the Arcurs model) or else it will be pin money (if anything).
Micro stock will make new contributors peanuts for at least a couple of years unless you have 1000 or so images to lodge with them immediately.
There are still spe******t RM (proper) libraries around where the return is a lot better but the requirements are a lot stricter.

As to the baby.
If a snapper turned up at my premises to do a shoot with a baby in tow then they would be turned away straight away.
for 99.999% of shoots (even shooting mothercare catalogues) it is probably the most unprofessional thing that I can think off. Unless that is you have a full time nanny in tow and will be able to totally ignore your baby when it is whingeing and crying and even then it should be cleared with the client first.