Images used elsewhere

 I upload photos to shutterstock mainly these days, but in the past  lot were put on geograph and can be freely downloaded but they are supposed to add a credit to site and me.
So once in a while it's interesting to search for photo by Colin Grice

Here's a good recent one but I only got $0.20 for that one.
https://www.commercialriskonline.com/storm-babet-aline-to-cost-insurers-e509m-estimates-perils/

Whereas this one netted just short of $150 which is a bit more inspiring.
https://www.facilitatemagazine.com/content/news/2021/02/01/engie-allies-premier-inn-national-ev-charging-network

A lot seem to have been lifted from Geograph by bots and used in travelogue type guides.
In a way that is what that site was for - accurately located photos of places in the UK.
Since many were uploaded 20 years ago with less capable cameras and uploaded only at 640 pixels the quality is often rather disappointing though still adequate for small web page images.

Shutterstock is a bit of a joke really but if you have photos already and/or enjoy taking them no harm in trying a few. I average between $5 and $10 most months from there but sometimes you don't make even $1 then a few weeks later have 2 or 3 really good sales as what they pay depends on if they buy as one off or have a plan like 50 images monthly, also they can buy increased rights for more commercial uses e.g. the charger photo I suppose.

I make more from short video clips uploaded on BlackBox but that too is feast or famine with some clips now under $10 while others can make $100s but mine are typically £25 or so.
No way is there a sensible income to be made unless you invest a great deal of time and not insignificant money in cameras and computer gear to process the files.

Vero and instagram

 This seems to be taking off again after dying a death when first launched a few years ago now.
https://vero.co/moorsphotos

I'm also adding stuff to instagram intermittently - I don't know why really - it seems like hard work for a very low res image or video clip. Well they both do really ...
I do find it is a way to gauge what is popular to some extent.
https://www.instagram.com/moorsphotos/

Fryup Explore

 A couple of weeks ago I met with James Hines for a couple of hours at one of the more rocky and remote parts of Fryup.
It was nice to meet someone so overflowing with enthusiasm and he is having some commercial success with his photos and video recently being featured on TV

It was interesting how we took noticeably different photos despite being more or less together.

Pushing @MoorsPhotos

 The past few weeks I started a more serious youtube and instagram channel called MoorsPhotos which to some extent will take over from previous themed (youtube) channels for drone video, biking video, farm videos and #4 for general bits and pieces.
The others won't be shut down but will perhaps be even more focused.
Youtube is on www.moorsphotos.westerdale.info for now and you can access the Instagram from there.
I really don't like Instagram however it seems curiously popular....

Sandsend Seaside

 Late in the summer I had a brief photo expedition to Sandsend, despite it being quite busy I got  a few striking shots, this my favourite.

 

Gentians last summer

 A significant colony of Gentians was 'discovered' on the North York Moors last summer.
They had been thought extinct locally since the last ones were recorded on moorland near Hartoft which has been densely planted with conifers in the 1950s

This second colony was hiding in plain sight in a not particularly remote location.
They only flower briefly and only open during the day when it is fine.
Plus they nestle among heather so easily missed unless you almost stand on them.

Noctilucent clouds

 These are a somewhat infrequent feature seen around longest day as sun is never far below horizon, and is still illuminating ice clouds in the high atmosphere.
It's possible some charged particle effect is involved too, they are not well understood.

Bluebells

 Quick edit of clips from ZV-1 Sony, using a fake cinetone profile
They are late this year - still not at best on 28th May when they might normally be about done.

2021!

 The year has got off to  wintery start with up to two feet of snow higher up.
Deep snow only one day really lower down but often very icy - and above all very wet everywhere.

Looking over Westerdale side from (closed) minor road to Ralphs Cross.

Hunting for heather

 The North York Moors usually have a splendid display of heather from early August until late September but this year it's patchy at best.

It was extremely dry from Mid-March until early June  - which it didn't like - and that also favoured an exceptionally large attack of heather beetle.
There were so many beetles that after laying their eggs in the heather they ended up in the Sea in such large numbers that there was a tide line of them inches deep on the beach back in May.

Anyway the best areas are generally higher up and younger stuff which has been burned in the past decade or so.
Old leggy heather in many areas looks practically dead with only a few purple sprigs.
But curiously here and there small patches look OK.
It's just the effect of great purple expanses is missing.
The past week has been largely foggy and drizzly but that can add a certain something to photos on occasion.

Harland Beck cascade

This is just before where Farndale becomes Douthwaitedale.
With hindsight a polariser would have reduced the glare on water

Rosedale Ironstone Ruins.

Stock photography

Through the winter and spring I've been taking stock photography and to some extent video more seriously, Shutterstock has been the go to for photos but I mainly use BlackBox for videos.
I've been getting one or two sales per week which slowly adds up.

Shutterstock dropped a bombshell at the end of June, with massive reduction in minimum payout from £0.33 to $0.10 - however the way it's calculated now depends on the contract the buyer has gone for, and in many case you might get more than the minimum, as it's a percentage of what they actually paid for it. In practice you can get a rather random fee usually between $0.10 and $1.60
If they have package allowing (say) 1000 downloads per year you get less than a one off purchase.

Video is similarly affected but I only sold two of those so not sure I will see much difference!

Initially I wasn't going to bother uploading anymore but have relented and slow sales continue but with wildly unpredictable return. I only do it for fun really but as you gradually upload more the amount earned does clock up.

There are various other agencies and I have a few on those too with limited success 'Dreamstime' was doing OK but has gone quiet.
They do pay a little more but I still only made about $5 there.
It is tedious uploading to multiple sites when they don't even sell many files.

 Top seller so far by some margin has been an uninspiring but clear photo of the Honda CRF250L just parked up, it was taken with the Canon S100. By reverse image search I see it has been used to illustrate hired bikes available on websites in Thailand and the US

As a general rule they don't buy a pretty or famous view so much as pictures of random objects they want to illustrate in a blog post or media. Another good seller has been a run of shots of electric car charging points I think someone is using them in an online directory.

Another surprise seller has been good close ups of wild flowers fully identified with latin names (and must be super clear plus well composed of course)

Spring returns

It has been a troubling time through late winter and spring, not a lot of photos and video has been done. Spring weather has been very favourable for 2 or 3 drone flights though and hardly anyone about until teh end of May at least.

Saltburn Hill Climb 2019

An interesting aspect of the River Dove

Towards the bottom of Farndale, the Dove flows into Douthwaitedale and on to Keldholme and Ryedale. There's an obstacle in the way though in the form of the considerable limestone escarpment which is  feature of the south side of the moors from Sutton Bank to Scarborough.

Limestone is often rather porous and naturally fissured, if water can get in these fissures it tends to make them wider by erosion and chemical process such as dissolving the calcium way.
This has happened between Ravenswick and HalfWay House and the Dove often runs completely underground when it is not in spate.

Just to the east Hutton Beck also goes below the surface and is thought to join with the Dove underground before they emerge rather spectacularly alongside Bog Hall.
It's relatively easy to access this area as described by York caving club here.
https://yorkcavingclub.org.uk/projects/bogghallcave/index.php

Apparently there is a narrow opening above the obvious outflow through which (with ropes) you can descend into an airspace and if brave enough exit with the water.
It's not possible to go much further upstream but at Hutton Beck they have made a way into the underground passage and were able to follow it some way downstream.
https://yorkcavingclub.org.uk/projects/excalibur/index.php

At the bottom of their web page see the link to youtube where there is video from inside these interesting locations.

I found the dark water surging out felt rather sinister and had no desire to go inside!

First 2019 dronage

It was so lovely with no wind at sunrise yesterday, just went up to 399 feet 11 inches and turned slowly.

Moors Vlog

So many others are doing this kind of thing better than me, however I have the tools and thought I'd try a Vlog style video using several cameras.

Doing a quick edit was not as difficult as anticipated - making it more polished is another matter.

Hunters Sty long exposure

It's mid-December and light level is dire practically all day as a rule, but this actually suits long exposure.
This was with the Sony RX100 and inbuilt ND turned on.
The camera was literally at water level on a flat stone, which made adjacent stones look like dramatic boulders.
Quite pleased to get a different take on this much photographed bridge.

Bransdale and another new camera

The move to Sony is complete with GoPro updated to Sony FDR-X3000
I think the Ghost 4K is better on the helmet at this stage but will likely try it on there at some point.
The GoPro adds insult to injury with unexplained and hard to detect crashes, and abysmal battery life. After persevering for a couple of years I simply don't like it, but might use it as dashcam for a while yet.

The Sony has a rock solid combined remote and monitor, it also has pretty good optical stabilisation which almost matches the new Hero7. Sound is very good too with inbuilt mic and there's a standard mic input with none of the idiotic £50 adapter you need for GoPro.

This is mostly from Drift 4K which I'm trying with (digital) stabiliser on again, the camera angle was a little too low with that on, as the FOV is reduced.
However light was nice and enjoyed the ride out.

I changed the name of my bike camera channel and am already seeing some positive effect from the branding idea.
Not that I'm bothered, I mainly like to watch these videos myself especially on smart TV.
But it's nice if others are watching and enjoying them too.

When youtube used to pay small channels however modestly there was more incentive to build your channel following, realistically the great majority can't now monetise.
If I had kept all my channels in a rather confusing single account it would have easily been monetisable - but there are at least four different ones with varying popularity.