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Author Topic: Is anyone getting any work done?  (Read 21390 times)

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« Reply #50 on: March 17, 2011, 07:26 »
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Nice to know there is life after microstock for any of us who want to get off this particular roller coaster ride. 

I'd like to think that there is life WITH microstock, it's not really all that depressing is it? :)

I agree. For the most part, the depressing part for me is the demise of istock. Fortunately, I still have others I can submit to and still get a payout from.


rubyroo

« Reply #51 on: March 17, 2011, 07:27 »
0
"One bad apple don't spoil a whole bunch girrrrrl"  :D

I think that's right... I'm putting a much bigger effort into other agencies.  They all seem as stable as ever.
« Last Edit: March 17, 2011, 07:40 by rubyroo »

« Reply #52 on: March 17, 2011, 07:39 »
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It's very positive to see how many have used their skills from microstock to branch into other areas of photography - serving clients and/or selling prints, etc.  Nice to know there is life after microstock for any of us who want to get off this particular roller coaster ride. 


Lisa it sounds like you need a bit of a break. Stop shooting for microstock, don't upload anything, ban yourself from the forums (sorry Tyler!) and just plan out what you want to do for a while. Re-evaluate your position in 3-6 mths time.

The nice thing about it is that unlike a regular job you can just stop working and the income won't stop when you do. You might see a drop in income of about 10-20% when you're not "feeding the beast", but that initial drop will level out pretty quickly, and the change to your levels of well being will more than compensate.

I had a very slack time in terms of uploads between July 2009 to Aug 2010 - less than 100 uploads in 12 months - but the income didn't really drop correspondingly. This wasn't a conscious decision but I think becomes inevitable if you're feeling the way many are feeling at the moment. I know others who have taken similar breaks to start businesses where the set-up costs are subsidised by their ongoing microstock income.

LSD72

  • My Bologna has a first name...
« Reply #53 on: March 17, 2011, 08:15 »
0
I have basically taken 4 months off from stock shooting. Learning new skills like Machine Sewing. Going back to old skills of Soap Making and just being a Daddy. Now I am getting ready for spring to come into bloom and get shooting again. Even started sewing up a Custom Photographers Vest so I wont have to lug the Camera Bag around. Slowly getting a Etsy shop going as an outlet to try to make some money too. So, my time off was not wasted.  ;D

« Reply #54 on: March 17, 2011, 09:28 »
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@Pixart I actually did that two weeks ago.  Drank my wine listened to some metal and worked on my large crocheted blanket :)

@Rubyroo you crack me up!  That would be something if I could actually do that wouldn't it ;)

@LSD72 I'd like to get my Etsy shop and my Zibbet shop going but where we live the closest post office is in the next towns either west or east.  We don't have one for some reason.

Can't wait for spring either when we can actually go out walking and I'll drag the camera with me.  All of the interesting stuff seems to be in everyone else's yard ;)

LSD72

  • My Bologna has a first name...
« Reply #55 on: March 17, 2011, 09:56 »
0
@LSD72 I'd like to get my Etsy shop and my Zibbet shop going but where we live the closest post office is in the next towns either west or east.  We don't have one for some reason.


If you get mail delivered to your home, you can print off first class postage within paypal. I just found that out. Used to be just Priority Mail. Print it, tape it to the package and hand it over to your mail man or you can schedule a pick up too. Only restriction is the weight. Over a certain weight has to go across the counter at the post office.

They even told us we could get shipping boxes and stuff mailed to us all for free. Have not checked it out yet but apparently you can go to usps.com and create an account and order the stuff. Will look into that in a day or two.

« Reply #56 on: March 17, 2011, 10:38 »
0
It's very positive to see how many have used their skills from microstock to branch into other areas of photography - serving clients and/or selling prints, etc.  Nice to know there is life after microstock for any of us who want to get off this particular roller coaster ride. 


Lisa it sounds like you need a bit of a break. Stop shooting for microstock, don't upload anything, ban yourself from the forums (sorry Tyler!) and just plan out what you want to do for a while. Re-evaluate your position in 3-6 mths time.


I think taking a break is a great suggestion.  Sometimes it's just necessary.  I took a break about 2 years ago for reasons not worth going into here.  I stopped uploading and rarely visited the forums.  I'm back in the game now though.  Like most others I too have been horribly discouraged by all the bad news lately, however, I also have an urge to take pictures.  My poor camera misses me.  My break is over and I'm ready to get back to work.  Sure, it's bad timing given the current state of things but it's just time for me. 

« Reply #57 on: March 17, 2011, 10:57 »
0
If you get mail delivered to your home, you can print off first class postage within paypal. I just found that out. Used to be just Priority Mail. Print it, tape it to the package and hand it over to your mail man or you can schedule a pick up too. Only restriction is the weight. Over a certain weight has to go across the counter at the post office.

They even told us we could get shipping boxes and stuff mailed to us all for free. Have not checked it out yet but apparently you can go to usps.com and create an account and order the stuff. Will look into that in a day or two.

OOOO!  If that's the case then it might be worth getting back into that.  After I posted I realized that my account is like 3 years old and haven't done anything with it so I'm not sure if it's even there anymore.  I'll have to check that later on this afternoon.

RacePhoto

« Reply #58 on: March 17, 2011, 11:06 »
0
Demise of iStock?

My sales are up compared to the last two years. They may have cut the percentage but I'm making more money. I know, small time contributor but for some strange reason my sales are up. Maybe it's people pulling out and removing their images? I keep wondering if the whole negative vibe and attitude thing here is making things seem worse than they are? I mean, numbers are numbers, the rest of the sites, the forums, (I never was a fan of their forum) I don't care about the politics.

They change the plan at IS PP and give us more money. People found something wrong with that.

Some people are driving buyers elsewhere. People are pulling images. Exclusives are dropping that status. There's a general protest that's often self defeating, constantly fault finding and criticizing. Some advocate removing all links to harm IS. And there's more, no matter what Getty does, it's wrong. Then the same people turn around and say sales and income are down? Oh and yes, blame the Partner Program for all of the problems?

What demise? IS doesn't seem to be gone or suffering. Could be what others have said, an attempt to keep the high selling producers and drive away the hobby shooters and people with sub-standard images. Collateral damage is losing some of the fine people who counted on the best selling, best producing agency to keep supporting them. But in some ways IS is still the best around if it brings in more income than any of the others except SS?

Yeah the theft of images sucks, so they have a small panel to explain what's going on and there's an eight page thread of people nit picking everything from the NDA to who gets picked to participate, and missing the point, that IS could have said nothing as a private security issue. Doesn't matter what they do or how they try to communicate, it's going to get called a failure and picked apart for every tiny flaw including some that don't exist except in a critics negative and gloomy outlook.

No it's not perfect and there are flaws and people are unhappy that the income and sales that they had previously and expected to continue forever haven't. (seems some of us called that last year as stabilizing and leveling off.) There was easy money and like a gold rush, the early people in, profited, but now the market is flooded, many professional "image factories" have taken over.

The times and the market have changed!


Nice to know there is life after microstock for any of us who want to get off this particular roller coaster ride. 

I'd like to think that there is life WITH microstock, it's not really all that depressing is it? :)

I agree. For the most part, the depressing part for me is the demise of istock. Fortunately, I still have others I can submit to and still get a payout from.

« Reply #59 on: March 17, 2011, 11:31 »
0
Demise of iStock?

I wouldn't say demise either, but my numbers have definitely been slipping. Whether that is because of not uploading or something internal at IS, I don't know. I haven't really been uploading anywhere, so that really shouldn't be a factor at IS. Anyway, iStock moved from my dominating number 1 to my barely number 2 in the last several months. Regardless, I'm not rooting for IS to go away because I don't think DT, FT or SS are better options, and that's where buyers are likely to go. If they were flocking to GL, clipartof or my own site, then I might be feeling different.

helix7

« Reply #60 on: March 17, 2011, 12:28 »
0
"One bad apple don't spoil a whole bunch girrrrrl"  :D

I think that's right... I'm putting a much bigger effort into other agencies.  They all seem as stable as ever.

True, and my decision to take a break from microstock isn't based solely on istock. It has been a decision based more on the state of the business overall. No doubt working with istock leaves a bit of a sickening feeling in my stomach these days, but istock is a separate issue. Right now I have very little motivation to do any new work for microstock at all, not just specifically for istock.

« Reply #61 on: March 17, 2011, 12:29 »
0
Demise of iStock?

My sales are up compared to the last two years. They may have cut the percentage but I'm making more money. I know, small time contributor but for some strange reason my sales are up. Maybe it's people pulling out and removing their images? I keep wondering if the whole negative vibe and attitude thing here is making things seem worse than they are? I mean, numbers are numbers, the rest of the sites, the forums, (I never was a fan of their forum) I don't care about the politics.

They change the plan at IS PP and give us more money. People found something wrong with that.

Some people are driving buyers elsewhere. People are pulling images. Exclusives are dropping that status. There's a general protest that's often self defeating, constantly fault finding and criticizing. Some advocate removing all links to harm IS. And there's more, no matter what Getty does, it's wrong. Then the same people turn around and say sales and income are down? Oh and yes, blame the Partner Program for all of the problems?

What demise? IS doesn't seem to be gone or suffering. Could be what others have said, an attempt to keep the high selling producers and drive away the hobby shooters and people with sub-standard images. Collateral damage is losing some of the fine people who counted on the best selling, best producing agency to keep supporting them. But in some ways IS is still the best around if it brings in more income than any of the others except Shutterstock?

Yeah the theft of images sucks, so they have a small panel to explain what's going on and there's an eight page thread of people nit picking everything from the NDA to who gets picked to participate, and missing the point, that IS could have said nothing as a private security issue. Doesn't matter what they do or how they try to communicate, it's going to get called a failure and picked apart for every tiny flaw including some that don't exist except in a critics negative and gloomy outlook.

No it's not perfect and there are flaws and people are unhappy that the income and sales that they had previously and expected to continue forever haven't. (seems some of us called that last year as stabilizing and leveling off.) There was easy money and like a gold rush, the early people in, profited, but now the market is flooded, many professional "image factories" have taken over.

The times and the market have changed!


Couldnt agree more. Im making more now than last year. and many times more than what i made 2 years ago. I am what you would say a newcomer shrinking that big piece of the pie. Theres more joining everyday and that brings me to a thought i had when i first started contributing 3 years ago. Is the open door policy of microstock really sustainable? Theres only so many buyers in the world.

Unfortunately, its human nature to be bitter and upset when the income you come to depend on slowly starts shrinking. At least this forum is around for people to vent their frustrations. But I do honestly get annoyed with some posters who constantly whine and complain about the same stuff over and over again in what seems like every post.

As far as Demise of istock... i think its all relative to who you ask. Im sure the newly ingested Agency photographers dont think its a demise at all. For all their recent f ups, it sure feels like it from where im standing too.


 

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