I finally crossed the threshold and reached my first payout on Dreamstime. I've had to cut back on the submissions because I got hired for a day job but I visit DT everyday, watching my portfolio of 85 photos drop coins into my DT piggybank a little at a time.

Today, two weeks before the first anniversary of my "first accepted image", my earnings reached $100 and how interesting that the image that got me through was my "nest egg" concept photo!








Story behind the "nest of coins and origami dollars" photo:

When we moved into our new home, my husband discovered an abandoned Mockingbird nest in the hedge next to the garage wall. I kept the nest in a safe place, not knowing that about three years later, I would decide to use it in stock photography (at that time I didn't even know what stock photography was!).

I set up the nest in my lightbox and filled it with assorted coins. Then I had the idea of adding origami birds made from dollar bills! Of course, I wouldn't be able to use real dollar bills because the crane origami requires a square piece of paper, so I photocopied a dollar bill to print an enlarged version, cut out a couple of squares, performed some folding magic, and click-tag-submit!

The photo got accepted, and 70 views later, a sale! And a payout! I'm so happy! Dance of joy!