MicrostockGroup

Perhaps we are privy to his current inner dialogue or something?

Say Hi to Aunt Zenoby, she's wonderful. I find my props in resale shops, (on curbs and in trash bins) don't shoot models, use old computers from rummage sales or friends cast offs and edit with Irfanview and Paint.Net. Why shouldn't we work for nothing so the buyers get a good deal, the companies can make money and we can compete for the lowest payback in the Race To The Bottom.  

For everyone else who doesn't have a rich, generous Aunt and free everything like us...  

The real problem as we all know is as simple as supply and demand. (and individual greed) People are working for almost nothing, because that's all the agencies pay now. The reason they pay almost nothing is they have competition undercutting them for prices. (and because photographers are willing to work for nothing!) Every time we contribute to a new site that offers subs and low prices, or 10c per upload introductory offer (greed) we are competing with ourselves and driving prices down!

Real simple, we get low payback for our investment and work, because the competition (other photographers) are willing to sell out and take low pay or pump up any site that will send the $50 for uploading 500 photos.

New money  sites, will sell us out for 10c a download and who's giving them the photos? People who are willing to shoot their business and income in the foot, to get a stinking one time bonus for uploading.

Oh yes, the winners in this whole thing are the buyers who get better and better images, for lower and lower prices.

This also does not help when you guys attack each other. No argument can be won, and we cant debate when we are at each others throats! The point is that I am trying to get an answer! Like I said before, I am a photog myself! I know all about what goes into my own work. So don't for one moment assume that I am saying that a contributor has no expense them selves!

I am trying to get a workable solution to the problem! Question: Why is it that when someone tries to fix things, it is the very one who will benefit from it, who are the ones that does all the attacking?! People, instead of fighting with each other, why don't we put our heads together to solve this issue?

um, excuse me? i guess i'm not keeping up with alamy news. are they a quasi non-profit or is this just a side thing? or are they really a biotechnology company hiding behind the facade of stock. in any case, not only quite interesting but certainly worth supporting if the former.

Because "we"'ve all talked about this before.  "We" in quotes, because you just decided to stop by last week and start up something we've already repeatedly discussed, for whatever reason of your own, without any research into "our" past here.

Also, posting anonymously puts you in the "Eh, whatever" side of the group.

I never said there was a prize !

...batman, hali, puravida, tanjomast510,Albert Martin,  etc., etc.  

The list keeps growing, but it's always the same old nonsense  

there are things that can be done by a group of freelancers - in the 90's i was involved with several successful groups for independents such as the game developers conference,  assoc of shareware professionals and Edu Software Co-op -- they didn't set prices, but they helped newcomers while also being able to contract w vendors;  one big benefit was having a forum much like this one, which was more novel at that time.   we even helped design the industry rating system for video games, countering Lieberman's drastic proposals [which he made while getting funds from sony]

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