Selling footage

[blackomega]

I was thinking of perhaps trying to make a little bit of money with my drone by selling some of my scenic footage. I Am wondering if any of you fine spark owners might have any suggestions on how I can get my work out there for interested parties to see

 

[Aerial FX]

Unless your flying with 107 certs, you may not be able to sell photos or videos legally.

 

[blackomega]

Unless your flying with 107 certs, you may not be able to sell photos or videos legally.

I’m up here in the frozen Canadian north. And I do have my transport Canada drone license

 

[Aerial FX]

Thats awesome. I would think the internet would be a good start. Maybe create a website for all to see.

 

[blackomega]

Thats awesome. I would think the internet would be a good start. Maybe create a website for all to see.

Ya I’m not smart enough to do that. I just figured there were companies out there already

 

[McCloudSpark]

Real-estate companies, roof inspection of industrial buildings, surveillance, weddings...
Come-on, fellow Sparkys, there must be 100 ideas out there!

 

[macoman]

Real-estate companies, roof inspection of industrial buildings, surveillance, weddings...
Come-on, fellow Sparkys, there must be 100 ideas out there!

Agree, however all these businesses that you mentioned require someone to have a website with their portfolio of videos / pictures work. They don't hire someone only with their drone certificate. It requires to show the experience.

 

[Andre Levite]

Back in the day when drones were prohibitively expensive and complex there was very little competition to sell footage. But back then they were a cheaper alternative to renting a helicopter. Nowadays for $500 anybody can get decent 4k aerial video and pics with a few hours practice. As a result lots of established drone videography companies are starting to fail.

Raw footage of scenery doesn't have much market value. The post production editing is where the value is added and the professionals make their money. It requires artistic talent and a great dedication of time.

Some local businesses aren't too concerned with production value but those gigs are one-offs that don't pay much. I hope you can make it work.

 

[Paul215]

I don't how much you want to earn but when I talk with people over my drone a lot of people want picture from their houses or something. Not an official way to earn money but great to get a 10er cash or a great BBQ ?

 

[FollyFly]

There are companies that sell stock photography. Getty Images and BigStock are two. You have to qualify to sell on there but you can look at those sites.

 

[McCloudSpark]

Ya I’m not smart enough to do that. I just figured there were companies out there already

You can have someone create and manage a website for you also.

 

[Northwood Mediaworks]

I’m up here in the frozen Canadian north. And I do have my transport Canada drone license

That will be considered a commercial use, so business rules would apply.

 

[Sarath samarajeewa]

good idea publish it in a web page or put it in you tube

 

[PortlandProDrones]

It's cool that you want to start selling your videos

I'm a Part 107 pilot and it's my understanding of the rules, is that you need a Part 107 License if you earn any money from the use of your drone. That can be through photos, video, mapping, etc. Also, the certification gave me a lot of knowledge about my drone, about flying near airports and other useful stuff.

As far as earning money, things that I've done are sell my photos and videos on Shutterstock and iStock, paid projects for both friends and other clients, created a website and promote my photos and videos there and created a YouTube channel and show videos there.

 

[MySpark53]

Royalty-Free Stock Video Footage and Music Library | Pond5

stock footage, footage, stock video, dv stock footage, hdv stock footage, hd stock footage, royalty free, royalty free stock footage, video, film, clips

www.pond5.com

 

[blackomega]

It's cool that you want to start selling your videos

I'm a Part 107 pilot and it's my understanding of the rules, is that you need a Part 107 License if you earn any money from the use of your drone. That can be through photos, video, mapping, etc. Also, the certification gave me a lot of knowledge about my drone, about flying near airports and other useful stuff.

As far as earning money, things that I've done are sell my photos and videos on Shutterstock and iStock, paid projects for both friends and other clients, created a website and promote my photos and videos there and created a YouTube channel and show videos there.

Ok so shutterstock I was looking in to them. Is there money to be made there or is it hit and miss?

 

[PortlandProDrones]

Ok so shutterstock I was looking in to them. Is there money to be made there or is it hit and miss?

Honestly, it will take time and lots of good footage and photos up to start earning anything significant. I think of it as a multi-year project with at least 20-30 uploads each month. If you really want to make progress shoot for 100 uploads or more per month. Here's the earning breakdown from ShutterStock. You can find this kind of information from each of the site. Other sites to consider:

1. iStock/Getty
2. Pond5
3. Getty Images (very hard to get accepted)
4. Videoblocks

 

[BrianP]

have a look at BlackBox... it takes 15% and submits to 5 big agencies.
If you fancy joining you could use my referral link... The BlackBox Digital Guild Inc

any further help I'm at [email protected]

 

[Mike Brown]

Why not try a display in the local library or shopping mall? Try also getting images on display in local picture framers?

 

[Pixies Channel]

You could try Shuttershock to sell your pictures, You might have some luck on there?