This month I’m thrilled to welcome Michael Moeller to the EyeEm Insider hot-seat. Michael is a dedicated Olympus photographer and has amassed more than 25,000 followers on EyeEm. He’s appeared on the EyeEm blog time and time again, such as here, here and here just to list a few.
I’ve been a fan of Michael’s photography on EyeEm for a long time now and I’ve always loved his bright, colour-popping images.
If you’re not had the pleasure of seeing his images before then be prepared to discover a photographer who experiments with a variety of subjects and editing styles. Muted still life, saturated street photos and abstract studies are all there on Michaels’s EyeEm Profile. To me his images are a great demonstration of EyeEm Market success for those of us who haven’t yet settled on one particular look.
I hope you enjoy reading Michael’s answers to our questions as much as I did.
* Please note: Michael is from Germany and English is not his first language. He did a wonderful job with this interview and I’ve only made some minor corrections where appropriate. Enjoy!
About You
Tell us a little about yourself.
Hi, I am 53 Years old and from Northern Germany. I am working with little children. Taking photos is only a hobby but since I am posting my pictures at EyeEm it is a very big hobby.
Where is home?
I was born in Hamburg but know I am living in a little town named Oldenburg near Bremen. Five minutes to the fields and the next lake.
Orange walls. 2017.
What got you started in photography?
My father and his Leica / Beaulieu camera and my teacher from my last school who was an artist.
Where do you find your inspiration?
Books, books, books. And other photographers. I think street photography and food photography was very important for me.
What got you started with EyeEm?
In September 2013 I was looking for a new photo-community. I was feeling bored with Flickr and Google+ and I thought I need new inspirations.
Colorful Hamburg. 2017.
EyeEm Market Success
Where can buyers find your photos?
Only on EyeEm. But you can buy them via WhiteWall, Alamy, Getty, Adobe Stock and Shutterstock.
How did you get started with the EyeEm Market?
They asked me. 🙂
What do you love about the EyeEm Market?
It is a very easy way to sell your photos. No tagging by me, uploading from a desktop or via Flickr works nice. As I said… It‘s easy peasy. I don‘t take mobile photos because my old Android Smartphone is not so good.
How many images do you currently have for sale on the EyeEm Market?
Today (End of April 2017) I have 3.2K at the market.
How many images do you have available in the EyeEm Premium Collection?
2.3K photos are premium photos.
As of right now, how much money have you made on the EyeEm Market?
$5866.68
What is the most amount of money one of your images has ever been licensed for?
I got the most money for an exclusive license with Audi. It‘s this one:
Quarktorte. 2016.
I think it is a good image and I love it. It is from an old recipe from our food blog which is not currently active (the cake was excellent).
What is your top selling/most licensed image to date?
I am sorry. I don‘t know which one is the best selling photo but I think it must be a food photo. These two here sells very well:
But I am not sure. Statistics is a feature that I am missing very much on EyeEm
How often do you analyse your top selling images? Do you ever create photos based on images that you have sold?
No, never! Taking photos is fun. I am working in a full time job so there is not enough time for a second job. I am not a professional photographer. But… I am a big fan of Kaizen [the Japanese word for “continuous improvement”]. So I want to get better and better.
Have you ever worked on an assignment for EyeEm? If so, what was that experience like?
Yes, I have worked on a lot of assignments. This is the part of EyeEm that I loved most. It is always a nice challenge for me and a very good feeling to be selected and featured in the EyeEm Blog.
Do you market your EyeEm Market images outside on other platforms?
No, I am to lazy at this time.
Your EyeEm Photography Workflow
What cameras and gear are you currently using?
Olympus cameras and lenses. A lot of prime lenses from 17mm to 75mm (34mm-150mm) and a few Pro Zoom lenses.
Harbor scene. 2017.
What cameras and gear did you start with when you joined EyeEm?
I started with my old Olympus E-520 camera.
Is there any gear you are thinking of buying in the future?
Sometimes I think about a full frame camera like Sony Alpha and a GoPro for taking Videos for EyeEm.
What editing software do you use and why?
Lightroom with some VSCO Presets and the famous Classi K 14 Preset. Sometimes Adobe Elements.
Color blocks. 2017.
Can you briefly describe your current photography workflow?
I am taking photos with my Olympus in RAW, importing them in Lightroom and converting to DNG format. Then editing in Lightroom (sharpness, contrast, some presets) and uploading to tumblr and Flickr (I don‘t know why I do that, Flickr sucks). Than I transfer them from Flickr to EyeEm.
The EyeEm Community
Pick 3 EyeEm users or photos that you are a fan of and share with us why you like them.
First: EyeEm is a community. I love the contact with other photographers, not only their pictures but I pick three for you that I really love.
It is their style, their creativity, their eye for details… (not in that order)
Sofie030
Fraumaier9
Urbanpoetry
Have you ever entered the EyeEm Awards? If so, which images did you submit? How far did they get?
Yes, I was in the Top 100 in 2015. It was this image:
How do you curate your EyeEm profile/presence?
I am not curating my profile. I post what I like. Someday, when I need to make a personal homepage, I will think about curating and I am afraid for that day. That will be hard.
What are your favourite things about EyeEm?
Community, sales, missions, the blog, magazine (in that order).
Wrapping Up
Do you have advice for EyeEm photographers?
Read books, read the EyeEm magazine, read the EyeEm Blog. Look at the other pictures and try to find a style. I think I will never find my style.
Any advice for growing your EyeEm followers?
Find five good followers, not five hundred likers.
Great interview !!