So my link was posted on the PPA website, of which I’m not a member.? Makes it hard to reply to those posts.? Through the power of technology, however, I’ve managed to see a few of the posts and wanted to reply to them.

After all his work, his biggest month is less than $200.? Less than $400 for months of work.

I’m not sure where Jack got his data but I have a fairly accurate log of my work time and my earnings.? Between January 1 2008 and December 31 2008 I put in around 250 hours of stock (not including our trip which the images are mainly NOT online from? yet).? For that 250 hours, I made $4115 or roughly $16.50 per hour so far.? However, those images continue to sell.?? By my math, those same images will have sold for about $7000 at the end of this year and $12000 in their lifetimes so $50 per hour of stock work.? I’ll also be the first to admit that of our 1500 images, a good half suck for stock.? I’m still learning this.

My biggest month is not $200.? It’s $575, nearly triple that.? Just clearing that up.

For the money spent on photo equipment, he can make much more delivering papers

My photo equipment is already bought and paid for by my wedding and portrait photography business.? I’m a full time wedding and portrait photographer who will REPORT pay taxes on a low six-figures to the IRS this year.? We took in a good deal more than that.? I’m not hurting and I’m not anyone’s delivery boy.? My current gear allows me to shoot photos and make money – that’s all it’s about.

Stock is not “send in whatever you shoot”….it takes photos of people that have signed stock releases.

I wonder if Jack has bothered to look at my gallery.? I have 1500+ photos up, and have releases for over 100 different models already.? I think he’s using me to rail against microstock, honestly.? I don’t think he knows ME from Adam.

So here’s the reality of making $1,000,000 in stock.? It’s been done.? It’s BEING done.? There are microstock photographers *today* making $1 mil and at least one who will make $1 mil THIS YEAR alone.? Is it possible?? Heck yes!

Doubters don’t bother me much – it means the goal is that much more interesting to me.? My thought is that if I dedicated 2000 hours (full time, 40 hr week) to stock, I would have made between $45,000 and $70,000 last year.? How many first year businesses are that profitable?? How many can earn $50k one year and without working earn another $35,000 from the same work the following year?? At the *rate* I worked, 10x the workload would have earned me around $120,000 in 3 years with my image decline rate.? $120,000 for a full time job is fair.? I want to be BETTER than fair – but it’s in no way an impossible goal.

As far as writing this blog goes, that’s a different income level.? We have sponsors – I’ve received ThinkTank bags (3) and lens rentals of over $10,000 in value already.? We also have ongoing sponsors like Lookstat.? So keep in mind that the blog writing has added a ton of value to our business.

So just to clear up the record, I’m not a hobbyist.? I’m a full time photographer but not a full time microstock photographer.? For a stock business with little to no overhead (gear isn’t in my stock budget) I want to make $1,000,000 in stock whether that takes 3 years, 5 or 10.? I have a plan to get there and this isn’t a pipe-dream as others are already there and doing it.? I can’t reply on the PPA threads so if you want to continue this discussion, consider this blog open for business.? (BTW: Blown highlights look awful.? Just sayin’)