Hi Noam and all,
Well even though I said I was done posting for a while I thought i would make one last entry on this subject to try and explain things more clearly. I am getting a lot of pm's asking why I am not going to be posting anymore and it is just easier to reply here to the entire group. I realize making this statement goes against my choice not to post but it is quicker to do this once than several times to individuals.
There is a member on this board that has taken it upon himself to try to expose scammers. Why I am not sure, for some reason he feels it's his job. He pretty much attacked my creadability just as he has done in the past with others. I think he feels that people are only here to take. I wonder what makes him feel this way HUMM, let's think. Even in his own pm to me he shared that he wouldn't ever offer any advice about how he operates his business with anyone on this or any other board ( now that sounds like a real giver )
Seeing how you've decided to try and blame me for your anger I feel obliged to reply.
I asked you to provide some evidence of the claims you've made, if you feel that's an attack on your credibility then so be it, you are a newbie to this forum and one that even up until now hides behind the name Chumley, I'm presuming your Johnathan Ross or are you the name you have under the iStock portfolio you linked to, or are you Amy Ross or one of the many photographers linked to Blend images for which you claim to own - you see without knowing who you are it's hard to credit you with any credibilty.
Now onto me sharing my business practices, I'm sorry you find that unusual but for someone so successful and experienced in the stock world I'd of though you'd be use to that or are you telling me all the big Getty photographers share their business practices with each other?
I was willing to try and work this out with him but he is so threatened by anyone that might have something to offer he has lost sight as to why we are all here. I am here to share info with people and hopefully learn something in the process. The sharing of information. I am not interested in people that will not share, I don't trust them. The world is full of givers and takers, I don't have time for the takers.
Work what out with me? I've asked if you could prove who you are so we can all see what you say has some truth behind it, so far you've posted a website with a few nice shots on it, the site links to Getty and Jupiter but only to the main page, why not your portfolio?? You claim stock is your sole business why then doesn't the site link to your portfolio??
The ironic part of the whole confrontation was he tried to say that he was heavily established in the Macro industry but he didn't like to brag so he never shared it with the group. When I asked him to please share his macro link he offered up a link that sent me to about 70 really poor images on Alamy. Here's the irony. He continued to say that he goes by many different names in the Macro business and that he is in the top 100 sellers at Alamy but he wasn't about to share those names with me. After accusing me of not being who I say I am this is an interesting response from such a self proclaimed big time Macro player. What are you hiding RT.
No the ironic thing is that you asked me to prove I was on macro sites, I gave you two names on two macro sites that prove I'm there, as I said above I don't share business practices I'm not showing you all my portfolios, and the reason - I'm not here boasting about it, I don't care whether you believe me or not because I'm not trying to tell everyone how great I am - YOU ARE and yet despite me having shown you mine you still haven't shown me anything to back your claims??
Now I'm not going to insult your work like you've done mine because that would bring me down to your level which I think is sad, but also because I don't know who you are and every link you've provided shows the work of more than one so It'd be rude to comment on them as I don't know who's are who's.
So who really is the scammer on this site. Is it RT who claims he is a big shooter but won't back it up. I was happy to show everyone my real work why is it the accuser is not willing to do the same. Come on RT step up and show us all this incredible work that makes you the leader at Alamy. I would love for you to back up what you proclaim. ( Isn't that what you are always asking everyone else ) I will happily eat not only a slice but the entire pie if you show us the work you do that makes you one of the top leading sellers in the Macro market.
Again I'll remind you I'm not trying to claim I'm anything, I told you I was in the top 100 at Alamy and I am, but that was done by PM to you, it isn't something I brag about and I couldn't care whether you believe me or not, however FYI to be in the top 100 at Alamy is not has hard as you may think, if you are the success you claim to be you'd have known that. Either way this is about your claims here on this site I'm interested in, care to back them up ??
The other part that kills me is he challenged me to offer up my web link to prove my credibility. I would have thought the quality of free information I was offering would have been proof from it's own obviously credible content, but not good enough for him. So I happily posted my web link.
No I asked you to prove you earned over a million at Getty last year and made them $4m profit, you've provided a website with a link to their main site!!
The quality of the free information you've provided - a list with the likes of 'Man sitting at a desk' 'Man with his heads in his hands' etc etc - well stop the press wait until every pro gets hold of that info it's invaluable who would have ever thought of writing a list of what they're going to shoot.
I offered him a challenge back, if I post my web site he will have to take back what he said. As his own words say, " I'm more than happy to eat a slice of humble pie if you care to serve it up ". Well your order is up, it is hot and sitting on the table but I don't see you * your napkin in. So I confronted him about his promise to eat crow. His response was " I'll review your website in due course and if I think it lives up to your claims I'll certainly make a post " he must be very busy, either that or his rationalization will be " your work doesn't impress me enough to have to reply " because he hasn't made a post yet.
Nope not too busy, I don't think it lives up to your claims, a few nice shots and a couple of links, not what I'd expect from a Getty pro contract shooter that earns millions each year.
So come on out RT show us all your work as I have. Another way to say it is " Put up or Shut up" you are not helping this board by being rude and accusatory to people that are trying to share. You just make yourself look scared and threatened.
Put up what I'm not claiming anything it's you who's doing that, I've never come out and bragged about how much I make, or that I fly around the world to europe shooting top stock, you have - still waiting for the proof!
This is the reason I quit posting because I really didn't want to add to all this negative energy. But here I am being just as childish as he is, like two kids on the playground puffing their chests. I love to help people with info but I also struggle a great deal with accepting rude uneducated attacks . As this post shows I can have a short fuse when pushed and that is something I need to work on. It's the people with a little bit of knowledge that want to act like no one has anything that is of use to them. So threatened. These are the folks that take the fun out of these sites for me. They are also the people that I have to learn to just let go of.
Hmmm, in your PM to me you threatened to ruin my professional reputation and have me removed from this site if I revealed your identity or your website, I replied that I was wondering what you had to hide, do you want to reveal the rest of the PM you sent me because that isn't going to do your reputation any good is it.
Then you go and post 'your' website (I presume it's yours hard to tell until you say who you are) you're a strange person.
If I say something like " We made the Industry over $4 million last year and I have a very small voice there " it is not to brag about what I made ( Like RT thinks ). In the context of the post it was to help show you guys that no matter how big you are in this business as a photographer you don't make the rules. That is just one example of what I was accused of by RT.
Hmm what about the rest of the claims? Not bragging?
I am going to take a couple weeks off to get a big pile of work finished, get my kids back to school and call my doctor for some serious meds.
If I am going to be part of this group I have to try to find a way to blow off the mean people. Mean people suck.
You're the one getting angry, I just asked you to show us some of your success you keep talking about, either do it or don't.
The rest of you are a super bunch and just to set one thing straight that seemed to really bug RT. If I say I do this or that, or share my experience on a topic it is not too boast or try to look better than the rest of you. I don't have any desire but to help and empower. The sooner you realize that the better we will get along. I am trying to be one of the good guys but I suppose only time will reveal that.
But I still wonder why a Getty contract photographer that makes millions is coming onto a Microstock forum, I must say it has me puzzled, but then I'm also puzzled why someone that successful is starting to put photo's on microstock sites?
For now I am happy to answer all pm's (with the exception of RT's ), if there is a question you think I might be able to help with please don't hesitate to send one. Once I slow down a bit here I will be back with a new set of armour and ready to share any way I can.
Oh don't worry I won't send you any PM's, I was happy for you just to show everybody how skilled you are, of course if you care to do so.
However, when I do come back my new approach will be to only reply to questions that are in the spirit of learning and sharing. Any of you physically challenged men ( and it's always the men, woman are so much more together ) that want to put down my efforts to share go ahead, you will not receive a response.
Thanks to everyone for the great support. It is your posts and pm's that made me rethink my decision.
All my best,
Chumley
But before I finish, I notice you haven't mentioned the final part of my reply to your PM, the part where I said if you really wanted to help instead of just telling everybody what a success you have been and talking about your studio sessions why not actually offer some advice that may actually help the majority of people here.
For everyone else reading this, I suggested that his posts regarding his mammoth studio sessions would not help many because you don't have studios, so I suggested that he shared some of his experince with what sort of shots sell and how to market them.
Now that sort of information could help anybody no matter what their skill level of amount of equipment, and yet after that request he chooses to leave.
And finally to Chumley I have some questions based on what you have previously claimed publicly here,
Are you a Getty contract photographer (you are aware there's a difference between a contract photographer and a normal contributor?) or do you just have some images for sale on Getty, either way do you care to show us.
Did you make the alledged $4m profit for Getty or was it Blend images of which you're a part?
Could you share some of those stock shots you flew all round Europe to take?
And the final one, why is such a successful macro photographer who makes millions entering the microstock market? and seeking information from members on this forum?
By the way you keep mentioning that I've "taken it upon himself to expose scammers" or as in your PM I'm "the Police dog of the site" - could I just remind you Chumley all I've asked is that you share some of what you're claiming, it's a simple request and one that I'd expect anybody to make.
Maybe it's just me and my sceptical nature, I don't believe the emails telling me I've inherited millions in Nigeria either, of course should one day a UPS chap knocks on my door with a case of cash I'll happily pay the $250 clearence fee but I always like to see the proof first
