Location is a very important factor when you work online. There are many Hivers here from countries like Venezuela, Cuba, Philippines or Nigeria and some of them easily live off Hive even at the current prices. In my country, I would need some 3k USD a month to live a decent life and we are not even among the most expensive European countries, quite the opposite actually...
Thanks for those kind words about my photos. Yes, I have been places and probably have a few dozens of thousands of pictures in my files but I have taken them all just with my phones and the quality is thus far from great. I do have a portfolio at ShutterStock with some 1500 photos but the sales are a joke. Literally a few dollars per month. So when I need to look for a job (and that will be very soon), I will probably search in the area of translation / copywriting, which is what I did before I stumbled on Hive (Steem).
I suppose location makes a difference for sure. Too bad about Shutterstock. Obviously sounds like you don't have to fall to the bottom of the traditional labor market, you already have some experience in something valuable.