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Author Topic: My Dumbest Moments I've done in this MS Business  (Read 13817 times)

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Bad Company

« on: August 27, 2017, 12:14 »
+4
If you're like me I am sure you've had a few moments of not being so bright in this business.  A few of my dumbest moments are:

1. Not charging a fee to shoot people thinking I would recoup my costs via sells. I sent numerous hours shooting and processing people images (not to mention folks bitching they don't look pretty enough and wanted me to photoshop them more) only to make a few dollars from my MS sales. I've made more money on just a single still life object that I shot in my home studio than all those people shots combine  :-\

2. Carrying all my equipment (Several lens and lighting equipment) on trips only to use just one lens and no extra lighting equipment. Now my back is killing me! 

3. Thinking about quitting my day job- so glad I didn't. I must have been on drugs to even consider that as an option.

 


angelawaye

  • Eat, Sleep, Keyword. Repeat

« Reply #1 on: August 27, 2017, 12:48 »
+3
One time my camera setting switched to the "small" size setting instead of "large" so I couldn't use anything I shot that session (an abandoned house). I always check that setting now ... Not sure how it happened  to begin with.

« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2017, 13:59 »
+2
One time my camera setting switched to the "small" size setting instead of "large" so I couldn't use anything I shot that session (an abandoned house). I always check that setting now ... Not sure how it happened  to begin with.

Happened to me also, luckily I alway shoot jpeg + raw so I still had raw file.

Bad Company

« Reply #3 on: August 27, 2017, 13:59 »
+1
One time my camera setting switched to the "small" size setting instead of "large" so I couldn't use anything I shot that session (an abandoned house). I always check that setting now ... Not sure how it happened  to begin with.

I had a similar mishap. Had my iso at 1600 during and outdoor hike! Forgot to change to 100 after shooting at night the day before  :(

RAW

« Reply #4 on: August 27, 2017, 16:08 »
+8
Uploading to iStock

steheap

  • Author of best selling "Get Started in Stock"

« Reply #5 on: August 27, 2017, 16:55 »
+5
Joining this forum...

Bad Company

« Reply #6 on: August 27, 2017, 17:09 »
+3
Joining this forum...

You would've never met us great folks if you hadn't joined  :)


« Reply #7 on: August 27, 2017, 18:50 »
+6
I don't know about my dumbest moment, but my smartest was when I decided to close all my accounts and stop letting these parasites make money from my photos.

« Reply #8 on: August 28, 2017, 02:27 »
+1
My dumbest moment was when I decided not to bother converting some of my earnings into Bitcoin.  I'm sure the millions would of ruined me :)

Brasilnut

  • Author Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock & Blog

« Reply #9 on: August 28, 2017, 02:58 »
+1
1. Quitting too early in 2009 when there were a lot less images, only to have another go in 2012 and sticking with it since.

2. Licensing images which have won or been shortlisted in major photography competitions in micros, thus reducing their value significantly.

3. Taking too long to upgrade away from the (door stop) kit lens to a more decent lens, which was a 50mm f1.8 prime, an excellent lens.

4. Istockphoto

« Reply #10 on: August 28, 2017, 03:39 »
+1
1. Quitting too early in 2009 when there were a lot less images, only to have another go in 2012 and sticking with it since.

I regret not getting into stock back then. Really sounds like the golden days of microstock.

2. Licensing images which have won or been shortlisted in major photography competitions in micros, thus reducing their value significantly.

I'm guilty of this. Ive had photos that have won competitions (and one of these images won a prize in an exhibition) and I put them in micro afterwards. I'm thinking of removing them and putting them up in Alamy though I'm not sure how hard it's going to be to try and convince iStockphoto to delete them.

3. Taking too long to upgrade away from the (door stop) kit lens to a more decent lens, which was a 50mm f1.8 prime, an excellent lens.

My first lens was a 50mm f1.8. Though I started with a manual 35mm SLR so they were usually coupled with 50mm lenses as a standard package.

4. Istockphoto

Same.

« Reply #11 on: August 28, 2017, 04:28 »
+5
Wasting time uploading to small agencies who talk a good game but deliver next to no sales......Panthermedia being the worst tortuous uploading/inspection process talk big deliver almost nothing.

« Reply #12 on: August 28, 2017, 05:57 »
+4
- Not really a mistake, but I regret not having heard earlier of microstock. I would have loved to join iStock in 2005-2006 instead of late 2009.
- Joining Shutterstock and other agencies even later (late 2010)
- I should have started doing video a lot sooner as well
- Spending too much time uploading and submitting to low-tier agencies without sales to make up for it

derek

    This user is banned.
« Reply #13 on: August 28, 2017, 08:16 »
+4
Many many years ago a friend of a fiend asked me too shoot some covers for him. He had no money and it would have taken over a week actually. This was back in the film days.
However he said that I could have like a 25% partneship in some stupid computer game he was sort of going to sell for BIG money. Yeah right I thought sur!  I didnt actually have time and I was going broad.

Only the computer game was called "Packman" !!  I'm sure some of the older ones here remember it!...Today this guy is worth over 500 million bucks. Sigh!

Bad Company

« Reply #14 on: August 28, 2017, 08:40 »
+2
Many many years ago a friend of a fiend asked me too shoot some covers for him. He had no money and it would have taken over a week actually. This was back in the film days.
However he said that I could have like a 25% partneship in some stupid computer game he was sort of going to sell for BIG money. Yeah right I thought sur!  I didnt actually have time and I was going broad.

Only the computer game was called "Packman" !!  I'm sure some of the older ones here remember it!...Today this guy is worth over 500 million bucks. Sigh!

With that kind of money you could have own Shutter!  8)

« Reply #15 on: August 28, 2017, 09:23 »
+3
Wasting time, years ago, by posting my photos on Flickr, hopping to have them hand picked and sold exclusively by Getty.

It took me a while to realise that my exclusivity was producing significantly less than what I could get by spreading the port on multiple agencies.

It also took me a while to realise that my photos were stolen and illegally used by all kind of websites for commercial purposes (especially Russian, including their FB equivalent VK whose admins bluntly refused to take them down, claiming that "posted on the internet means public property")

Bad Company

« Reply #16 on: August 28, 2017, 11:48 »
0
What about Symbiostock?

I passed up on the adventure myself. Maybe some folks made money on the new concept...


« Reply #17 on: August 28, 2017, 14:06 »
+2
One time my camera setting switched to the "small" size setting instead of "large" so I couldn't use anything I shot that session (an abandoned house). I always check that setting now ... Not sure how it happened  to begin with.

I had a similar mishap. Had my iso at 1600 during and outdoor hike! Forgot to change to 100 after shooting at night the day before  :(

Done that multiple times. Pulled the camera out, started taking photos wondering why the camera thinks it's way brighter than my brain does. Sometimes I realize it in time to actually get the photos I'm after, other times ... nope :/

« Reply #18 on: August 28, 2017, 15:09 »
+3
What about Symbiostock?

I passed up on the adventure myself. Maybe some folks made money on the new concept...
I lost money on that one.  It did make me realise that I don't want the hassle of running my own site, so it was still worth doing.

dpimborough

« Reply #19 on: August 29, 2017, 03:10 »
+6
Dumbest mistake ~ Thinking that microstock was run by honest, clever and decent people :D

« Reply #20 on: August 29, 2017, 03:58 »
+1
Dumbest mistake ~ Thinking that microstock was run by honest, clever and decent people :D
As businesses go I think maybe it WAS.......seeing too many stupid decisions recently making me think collectively they've lost the plot.........maybe time for something genuinely innovative. If only I knew what it was!!!

Brasilnut

  • Author Brutally Honest Guide to Microstock & Blog

« Reply #21 on: August 29, 2017, 04:34 »
+1
Not necessarily in Microstock, although some of the images have been used on here, when doing an interior shoot for an apartment, I only took one fully charged set of battery thinking it would be more than enough. The shoot took longer than expected with the client requesting extra shots, and since these shots were long exposures it quickly consumed almost all the battery.

In the end, I only had one bar left and managed to get all the shots but was really stressed towards the end. Lesson learned, always take extra batteries and SD cards. 

Bad Company

« Reply #22 on: August 29, 2017, 08:48 »
+1
Not necessarily in Microstock, although some of the images have been used on here, when doing an interior shoot for an apartment, I only took one fully charged set of battery thinking it would be more than enough. The shoot took longer than expected with the client requesting extra shots, and since these shots were long exposures it quickly consumed almost all the battery.

In the end, I only had one bar left and managed to get all the shots but was really stressed towards the end. Lesson learned, always take extra batteries and SD cards.

Forgot about that one. Happen to me while on a boat taking images of Seattle- ran out of battery and of course I didn't have a spare at the time. Now I carry two spares batteries.  8)

« Reply #23 on: August 29, 2017, 10:33 »
+1
One time my camera setting switched to the "small" size setting instead of "large" so I couldn't use anything I shot that session (an abandoned house). I always check that setting now ... Not sure how it happened  to begin with.

On the other hand, those downsized photos must have had very little noise  :D

So you can even combine two mistakes: forgetting ISO on 1600 and forgetting RAW size to small, to obtain clean 5.5Mpix photos accepted by most agencies.  ;)
This might even be an acceptable solution for natural low light, handheld shots in an abandoned house.  :P

namussi

« Reply #24 on: August 30, 2017, 01:36 »
+5
I don't know about my dumbest moment, but my smartest was when I decided to close all my accounts and stop letting these parasites make money from my photos.
Which raises the question: why are you still posting on this forum unless you are some kind troll?


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