Interview Series: Andrejs Pidjass

This week we welcome Andrejs Pidjass, a very successful non-exclusive photographer with a great eye. Check out his portfolio here.

Tell us, where do you live and where are you from? Is that where you produce your photography?

I live in Riga, Latvia and that’s where I mostly do my photography. I also travel a lot, so some of my images were made in different parts of the world.

When did you discover your interest in photography? How did you find microstock and why did you get involved? Has it changed your life?

I started discovering photography about 8 years ago, almost at the same time I heard about microstock from Lev Dolgachov (famous microstock photographer from Estonia). He wrote an excellent article about the whole microstock industry and I decided to give it a try. There was nothing to lose, I thought it was a good opportunity to learn how to shoot pictures and to earn something at the same time. So it was just a hobby at the beginning, but 3 years later I quit my job and decided to become a full time microstock photographer.

Thank you for image! What inspired you to take this picture? What does this image’s revenue chart tell you? Did you expect such a revenue chart? Are you happy with it?

This picture was just a test shot, so no inspiration at all! I never thought it would be such a good selling picture. It even still has quite strong sales and they are actually not dropping with time.

The microstock market is huge. How do you analyse the market? Is it an important part of your workflow?

It’s hard for me to analyse the whole market so I just try to find out what works for me and that’s where Stock Performer helps me a lot.

Do you believe in “quantity” or “quality”? What is most important for you and why?

Nowadays both quality and quantity are important, but I’m trying to lean towards the quality side. I believe this strategy pays back in the long term.

What does your typical production process look like?

I used to do all the work alone, now I have a great team that helps me alot. Finding locations, models, props, keywording and uploading. I don’t do any of that anymore. I just keep shooting and editing myself.

Would you recommend photographers to take risks and invest in employees or assistants, or outsource, to help them in their production process?

It depends. I think in the beginning it’s better to be a one-man-army to control all the aspects of production.

Where do you think the stock photography business is going? How do you see the next years?

I hope it will change soon. The biggest problem I see is that many of my colleagues, including myself, are willing to grow and produce high-end stock images, but the prices are too low to cover all the expenses and to make such shoots successful.

What is your advice to remain a successful stock photographer in upcoming years?

I believe that only hard work and constant quality growth will help you to remain successful in the industry.

Tell us, when you are not doing photography, how do you relax and enjoy your free time?

I travel a lot with my family, mostly to Spain the last years, but we visit many other countries as well. I also love to ride my bike, that helps me relax better than anything else.

Thank you for the interview, it was a pleasure for me to answer all your questions.

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