Featured iSyndica Artist: Holger Mette
A Few Minutes with Holger Mette
Stock Photographer and World Traveler
Country of origin: Born in Germany, lived in Australia from age 2 onwards
Camera/lens setup: Olympus E30 + 12-60mm SWD + 50-200mm SWD pro-grade lenses
Where to find him online: http://www.veoelmundo.com
Photography and travel have always been connected for me. For me, photography is a way of recording and sharing part of what is unique about the world. I bought a (film) camera when I went on my first overseas trip in 1998 - and used up over 10 rolls of film in 2 months.
When I went traveling again at the beginning of 2006 I bought my first DSLR - in that case an Olympus E500 just before the trip. I started with microstock, at that time having just stumbled across it as a way of keeping myself busy. I remember laughing with friends about the first few $0.25 downloads (from Shutterstock) when I was still working a normal job. Over time, the downloads started adding up to something more worthwhile and with more travel my portfolio has grown to a size where it can support a more or less perpetual travel habit!
What subjects inspire you to shoot?I like being out in the hustle and bustle of a street market, or some far-flung part of the world that doesn't see many travelers. If I'm somewhere like Bolivia, where the light is just amazing, I can't help but take a lot of photos.
Share one your key takeaways selling stock in 2009
Well I spent time in 14 different countries, got my open water diving certificate, did a four-day trek to Machu Picchu, learned a little bit of Spanish, and finished the year with my finances in basically the same state as when I started the year. Overall it was a good year for selling stock!
How do you see the microstock industry change in 2010?
Many of the agencies seem quite buoyant going into 2010. We're seeing an increase in prices again, after what began as a fairly tough year, last year. I think there is a push on by some of the big sites to consolidate the market, which will probably mean a loss of some more of the smaller sites in this process.
The big change I see, though, is on the contributor side. Innovations and services that take away part of the tedious aspects of the business should thrive and gain in acceptance.
The other change I think we'll notice is more collaboration amongst contributors. This already happens a lot with I-stock exclusives, but its the independent contributors that can benefit most from sharing resources and energy. Some contributors are starting to think about how things will look beyond the short term and building plans for this time frame. Now is the time to establish networks, work more systematically, and also diversify from producing and selling stock images.
If you had all the time in the world, what would change?
I'm already fortunate enough to have the freedom to do most of what I want, so I guess the plan is not to change too much!
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Reader Comments (2)
Live the dream, Holgs, live the dream!
Yes - great story. Makes one dream of living outdoors instead of the cubicle world so brilliantly displayed in Scott Adams' Dilbert