Author Topic: Monthly Contest Buy-Out (Read 2316 times)

Seren · « **on:** March 11, 2008, 02:17 »

Ok, so I've been looking at the monthly contest thing.

And of course the offer the chance to do the $25 buyout thing. What's the terms governing this? Is there anything to stop you entering ten fairly average images every month and making yourself $250? Because I could sure do with that guaranteed money every month!

How similar do they have to be to be the same concept? For instance, if I photograph my mum hoovering one room, could I submit photos of my stepdad hoovering another room to a different site?

leaf · « **Reply #1 on:** March 11, 2008, 02:22 »

I have generally figured that an average image will earn $50 during it's entire life... it is hard to say since microstock is so young, but that is my conservative guess.

So if you are willing to wait a little longer, you could get at least $50 for each image you produced - you would just have to wait for it. I think that would be a lot better than $25 now.

once you get your portfolio large enough, the income from stock WILL be reliable every month - and it will continue even if you don't produce any images that month.

Seren · « **Reply #2 on:** March 11, 2008, 02:43 »

Quote from: leaf on March 11, 2008, 02:22

I have generally figured that an average image will earn $50 during it's entire life... it is hard to say since microstock is so young, but that is my conservative guess.

So if you are willing to wait a little longer, you could get at least $50 for each image you produced - you would just have to wait for it. I think that would be a lot better than $25 now.

once you get your portfolio large enough, the income from stock WILL be reliable every month - and it will continue even if you don't produce any images that month.

Yeah, but I'm talking about producing very average looking images that are unlikely to sell. Sure an average image will earn $50, but most images will just sit an languish on the sites never to be looked at. And £125 is around 15% of what I earn in my day job, so it's a serious way to top up the earnings.

In fact, it's two new tires for my car (which both have punctures at the moment!) so I might have to at least do it this month to get the extra instant money!

sharpshot · « **Reply #3 on:** March 11, 2008, 02:55 »

They don't just pay us $25 per upload do they? It looks like you put the image up for sale for $25, so it still has to be reasonably good for someone to buy it.

leaf · « **Reply #4 on:** March 11, 2008, 02:56 »

yeah, but you never know which images will take off and sell. The reason the average if $50 is because one or two will take off and sell great while the others languish.

check out this image
http://www.dreamstime.com/wood-texture-image13352

sure it would be easy to take 25 images like that a month, but then i would have lost out on this 'lucky' image which has earned well over $200 and still going strong.

leaf · « **Reply #5 on:** March 11, 2008, 02:57 »

Quote from: sharpshot on March 11, 2008, 02:55

They don't just pay us $25 per upload do they? It looks like you put the image up for sale for $25, so it still has to be reasonably good for someone to buy it.

you can choose to have the image start at level 2 earnings, or have dreamstime buy the rights to the image for $25. When dreamstime buys the rights for $25 that is all you get - just the one time fee and then they are allowed to sell it and keep the revenue.

Seren · « **Reply #6 on:** March 11, 2008, 03:05 »

Quote from: leaf on March 11, 2008, 02:57

you can choose to have the image start at level 2 earnings, or have dreamstime buy the rights to the image for $25. When dreamstime buys the rights for $25 that is all you get - just the one time fee and then they are allowed to sell it and keep the revenue.

So do you know what the criteria is for them paying out (and it's level four btw!). I.E. if you ask them to buy it out, will they always accept it so long as it passes the technical inspection?

Freezingpictures · « **Reply #7 on:** March 11, 2008, 03:13 »

No, I do not think they will take every image, I tried once as far as I remember and they rejected it to buy it, but accepted it for the assignement and increased the level to level 4 or 5. I think those they accept for buyout you would not want to get only 25$ for them.

Seren · « **Reply #8 on:** March 11, 2008, 03:15 »

Just read the terms on the FAQ, and realized that in fact it's a complete copyright buy out. Thought it was just a rights buy out. I'm not giving up my copyright for such a paltry sum - it would have to be four figures in UK money!

Can anyone point me to the royalty structure break down on DT? So I can figure out what level four means? They didn't have levels when I was with them before!

fotografer · « **Reply #9 on:** March 11, 2008, 03:21 »

This is the page that you are looking for and I think that it is now escalated to a level 5 image(100 sales)
http://www.dreamstime.com/sellimages

DanP68 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 11, 2008, 04:21 »

Quote from: Seren on March 11, 2008, 02:43

Yeah, but I'm talking about producing very average looking images that are unlikely to sell.

Why would you want to do that?

Seren · « **Reply #11 on:** March 11, 2008, 04:26 »

To get the instant payout of $25 without shooting myself in the foot...

JerryL5 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 11, 2008, 08:41 »

Just my opinion, its much better to get a level 5 image than the $25.
Being accepted for the contest is a boost to your port, and those level
5s can become your best sellers.

CofkoCof · « **Reply #13 on:** March 11, 2008, 09:21 »

Sounds like a nice deal. Just one thing bothering me:

Quote

Every month our agency has an assignment contest. Any photographer can submit his/her work; this then gives the option to either escalate the file to level 4 pricing, or sell the rights of the image for an instant bonus. Each concept submitted must be sold EXCLUSIVELY with Dreamstime.

graficallyminded · « **Reply #14 on:** March 11, 2008, 09:33 »

Don't sell an exclusive image for less than $250, unless its crap or something. Or, if you have multiple angles of the same thing. Some images will make you thousand over the years. You never know which ones until you wait.

Pixart · « **Reply #15 on:** March 11, 2008, 09:35 »

And, don't you notice how many images there are on DT with exactly 100 sales? I used to be impressed, but then I figured out that they were contest photos and that contest exposure and bumping up your level doesn't guarantee that you will ever make much on that exclusive contest photo. How much would that same photo earn on a site like Istock? You can't even sell the same photo on your own website.

But on the other hand, sometimes they have some pretty fabulous prizes.