My name is Daniele Carrer, and I was born in 1977 in Italy, where I still live today.
In the mid-90s, I started producing short films. In the following 10 years, I won several festivals in my country and abroad with my self-produced works.
When I discoverd microstock
In 2006, I discovered microstock. After that I started:
- taking low-cost flights to European capitals
- creating some time-lapse of the most iconic places of those cities
- uploading the stock footage to microstocks
- earning thousands of euros
I got up in the morning, visited Istockphoto website and looked at how much the royalty counter had gone up during the night.
In other words:
It was the best job I’ve ever dreamed of!
Successes and failures
The mistake I made in that period was not giving up my permanent job: selling cameras and computers in a department store.
My work for TV
In August 2009, after work at 7.30 pm, I saw a message on my mobile. The owner of an agency that produced television programs and with which I had collaborated from time to time wrote me. In the following 4 years, I edited a show for MTV Italy.
By the end of the contract, I had already realized that the golden days of television were over, but I tried to produce my own program on low cost travel in the European capitals (does this remind you of anything?).
I worked day and night. I spent a lot of money and then I... failed to sell it.
The future of work is the web
Sad and penniless, I decided to dedicate myself to the media that I was sure would gradually wipe out all the others: the internet.
And… What about the microstock?
While I was working for television, I didn't have much time to produce, but I continued to collect decent earnings, thanks to the contents I had created in previous years (this is called passive income).
The problems of photographers and video makers who start selling in microstocks today
Selling photos and videos online at some point in my life was the only way I had to make money. So I had to study and commit myself. Increase my earnings to a level that would provide me with a good living-
When I realized this, I started spending 10-12 hours a day deepening the aspects that other producers do not consider important:
- what the market wants
- how to plan a shooting
- how to create an effective keywording
In less than a year, I raised my earnings from 600 to 3000 euros per month. Below are my best sellers on Shutterstock:
Why I started teaching others how to sell stock images and stock footage
Little by little, word got around that you could shoot Paris for a couple of days and repay the trip with the royalties you earned on microstocks. Today the market leaves no room for those who start selling if they don’t first understand how the business works.
At some point, I realized that I learned what could allow me to say:
I can teach photographers and video makers how to make more money with their content!
So, I:
- founded this site
- launched a podcast
- created a video-course
Making money today is almost impossible for a photographer who doesn’t first understand how microstock works, even if he is technically gifted.
The solution to problems is never to cry and hope. The solution is to learn things and commit yourself to making them happen.
To date, with my course, I have helped dozens of:
- photographers
- video makers
They are both amateurs and professionals, and I help them sell their images and videos online. Sometimes they even change their lives, thanks to my help.
That’s who I am today. And I’m proud this.
Daniele Carrer