Mirco Vacca was born in Germany, is ethnically Italian, and is currently living in Poznan, Poland. He discovered his passion for photography after he bought a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) for his girlfriend and began experimenting with it. Now, Mirco has 10 years of stock photography experience and over 40,000 images in his portfolio. Balancing life with a family, a full time job, and a photography portfolio is not easy, especially when submitting the photos is time consuming and inconvenient. In November 2019, Mirco discovered Wirestock and has been one of our most active and successful users. His experience and knowledge has been valuable for the evolution of Wirestock and now we talk with him more about why engaging in stock photography through Wirestock makes the most sense now.
Photo courtesy of Mirco Vacca
What are your favorite subjects to shoot?
I like to shoot the world as it is around me. Kids playing with toys, people shopping, buildings under construction, busy shopping streets. When I have extra time and need to relax, I take my macro lens and capture the small world around me.
Photo courtesy of Mirco Vacca
What equipment do you use to take your photos, and what program do you use to edit them?
I have been a loyal Sony Alpha photographer for 10 years. For editing, I am using Lightroom CC. I like minimalism, to be more mobile, and to challenge my creativity.
Which single photo has been most successful for you in stock photography? Why do you think some images are more successful than others?
My most successful photo brought me more than 5,000 USD. It is a photo of a person stacking coins. Very simple concept. I think that in today's time the most successful photos will be the ones that are authentic and catch onto popular topics. There are many ways to succeed in stock. I don’t believe there is 1 recipe. You can create a niche if you notice that a certain subject or style works well for you. Or you can create a portfolio with a variation of subjects. Also, we should not forget to shoot what we love.
Photo courtesy of Mirco Vacca
How has Wirestock helped you in the process of stock photography?
Before Wirestock, I used to come home and spend hours in the evenings to keyword and submit to different agencies. To login into the sites of 10 agencies and then choose the categories and fill in other fields is not really a straightforward task. Not to mention managing all the different accounts including changing passwords from time to time to keep things safe. Then, I discovered Wirestock and directly fell in love with it. With Wirestock I basically only need to log in one time, upload and push the submit button. That's it. Instead of spending 3 hours per evening, now I spend only 10 minutes. Photographers who shoot models should know Wirestock delivers a revolutionary way to handle model releases; all by email and it is fully digital. Wirestock leaves me plenty of time to spend with my family. Wirestock also improved my private life. I am happy, the kids are happy, my wife is happy.
For people who are unfamiliar with stock photography, how much money can they expect to make working uploading images part time?
This is not an easy question to answer. It all depends on the quality and quantity of your portfolio. I know some people who earn 3,000 USD with a portfolio of 1,000 images. I know others who earn 300 USD with 10,000 images. It is best to not fixate on the earnings at the beginning but rather try and concentrate on building your portfolio and see what sells. It is a marathon and not a sprint. You can even combine this with your hobby and find joy in it. For sure there is enough potential to earn enough money to buy yourself new lenses or other equipment.
You don't have formal training so, how did you learn to improve the quality of your images?
My learning came partly from books and videos but mostly I learned from the rejections of stock photography agencies. I always look critically at the reasons for rejection and try to avoid it next time. Practicing this for 10 years made me far more confident. My advice is to learn from your rejections before submitting many images. The more you become confident, the more you can upload. This will help you avoid a negative acceptance rate at Wirestock.
Are your children and your wife interested in photography? Do they take photos too?
I am, at the moment, the only one participating in photography in my family. However, I notice that my older son is getting more and more curious. Outside my main family, my brother and sister are also into photography and also using the Wirestock distribution service.
Photo courtesy of Mirco Vacca
What do you think is the future of stock photography? What services do you think Wirestock should offer to make the process more convenient?
I think since more and more is becoming digital, the need for stock images will also grow. The competition between photographers will grow as well. That’s why we need to be smart and spend less time during the submission process and instead use it creating more stock content. This is where Wirestock is ideally filling in the gap. Wirestock is already great by itself. For the future, I would like a mobile app that would make it possible to work on-the-go; keywording editorial images while on the train. A great addition would also be to include video since this market is growing very fast.
Are you taking photos while in quarantine? Any creative ideas for other stock photographers on what to shoot while indoors?
I am shooting indeed during these hard isolated times. The toys of my sons (Lego, Hot Wheels cars etc.) are becoming my prominent new uploads to Wirestock. I advise you to get a macro lens. New details in your home will come to life. Just look around.
Photo courtesy of Mirco Vacca
Why do you like photography? Exactly what makes photography exciting for you?
Photography lets me be alone with myself. It allows me to rest and forget about regular daily tasks. Photography gives you the ability to share your view with the world. It reminds you of parts of your life and world by simply capturing the moment. It will be saved forever. I like it so much that it is really my only hobby.
Anything else you want to share to inspire beginner stock photographers?
Don't be afraid to start in stock photography. Don't be afraid of rejections. It will be a learning curve for you. Treat rejections as your teacher. As soon as you do that, you will notice that the rejections will slowly disappear. Try to enjoy the process of stock photography. Don't see it as a sprint but as a marathon. If you love photography, stock will be an extra reason to keep your passion and hobby alive. Don’t forget of course to register to Wirestock if you haven’t done it yet. It will make your life as a stock photographer much easier. You can concentrate on your photos rather than all the administration of them.
Photo courtesy of Mirco Vacca
