Author Topic: What works in Alamy? (Read 27580 times)

madelaide · « **on:** October 15, 2008, 18:00 »

I have been accepted to Alamy months ago, but didn't upload anything after that because of the lack of watermarks.

Now that I plan to finally start making images ready for them, I would like to know what is people's experience with RF vs RM there. Most of what I will upload will be travel images, either urban or nature or wildlife. My tendency is to have all of those as RM, but I would like to know people's experiences.

For those of you who have been having sales in Alamy, what are your experiences with RM in Alamy?

Regards,
Adelaide

hali · « **Reply #1 on:** October 15, 2008, 18:54 »

congrats, Alamy is a good site. i like them. i am new too, so i can't say anything re sales, but i do distinguish RM and RF by setting aside anything that is unique is for RM. generic images which i give to everyone else too, i set it as RF.

also, lately, i had a few images without a MR, this i was told should only be RM.
eg. people in your travel images, which you do not have MR, should be RM.
with restrictions set for all except editorials.

one last thing, if you are not sure, write to Alamy. they are very responsive.
i had one of their support person email me to help me with the restrictions setting, and even went in to change it for me so i can see the right things to mark in the future.
as i said , Alamy is a good site to work with.

davey_rocket · « **Reply #2 on:** October 15, 2008, 19:37 »

So if I'm reading this right, you submit the same RF pictures to Alamy that you do to other sites... do you mean other micro sites or are they other macro sites. I know with PSC you couldn't sell a picture on their site if it was listed for less than $50 anywhere else. Is Alamy not the same?

charlesknox · « **Reply #3 on:** October 15, 2008, 21:04 »

I upload mostly my editorial images to them. Uploading is amazing easy and they hardly ever reject anything i submit to them.

Last month i looked to check my account balance and saw i sold one of my images back in may. Didnt make that much just 54 dollars but it was pretty cool when you could see where exactly the image went(rm).

Apparently alamy has a 3 month delay for payment so someone might have bought an image from you but you only find out when the payment goes through.

Here's a link to the pic i sold. Just a standard Event picture at the 2008 Saint patricks day parade in montreal.
http://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid={8698D7B2-F9E3-44AD-8490-3698F7576620}

Goodluck!

madelaide · « **Reply #4 on:** October 15, 2008, 22:04 »

Quote from: davey_rocket on October 15, 2008, 19:37

So if I'm reading this right, you submit the same RF pictures to Alamy that you do to other sites... do you mean other micro sites or are they other macro sites.

I have separate portfolios for macro and microstock. The images I will upload to Alamy are my macrostock ones, which I sell at TSS/MyLoupe, FP and Shutterpoint (a mix of RM and RF in the first two, the later only takes RF). If I sell RM in one place, I remove the image from where I have it as RF, and vice-versa.

Quote from: hali on October 15, 2008, 18:54

congrats, Alamy is a good site. i like them. i am new too, so i can't say anything re sales, but i do distinguish RM and RF by setting aside anything that is unique is for RM. generic images which i give to everyone else too, i set it as RF.

Yes, I also set some generic ones as RF, especially when it's plants or animals. Places and famous landscapes I prefer to set as RM. But I'm not sure this is the best strategy.

Regards,
Adelaide

charlesknox · « **Reply #5 on:** October 15, 2008, 22:06 »

How are all those sites like myloupe and shutterpoint doing? any sales?

madelaide · « **Reply #6 on:** October 15, 2008, 22:16 »

Never had a sale at MyLoupe.

Sales at Shutterpoint are erratic, but I've had some and got some payouts. But in case you don't SP, it's a site in which you have to pay for storage. I've won some free space in one of their contests, so I'm staying there for one year, at least. Months ago they introduced an optional license similar to the microstock sites', and since then I noticed a decay, only selling the images I set at the microstock model, which are the ones I have in microstock sites only. The ones I consider my macrostock portfolio I don't sell at their "standard" license. If you want to know more about them, click here.

Regards,
Adelaide

charlesknox · « **Reply #7 on:** October 15, 2008, 22:24 »

Thanks!

tubed · « **Reply #8 on:** October 16, 2008, 01:21 »

Hi Adelaide,
Alamy sells 60 - 70 percent (L) licensed images.. RF will probably sell quicker and seem to show higher in the searches, but also can hinder as well.. If you are attached to the shot or it is unique I would sell as Licensed, although licensed can actually sometimes be less $$ depending on usage or could be a butt load of money if it is a cover on a huge print run.. RF is a flat fee, but you could get the mother of all sales with a Licensed.. So it is really up to you.. My first sale on Alamy was RF of a Irish landscape =) so you never know.. Editing tightly, keywording well and quality is your ticket to success..

I think Micro images on Alamy hurts the Photographers in the long run.. Yeah you might sell a couple of micro images there for some $$ but you also devalue Alamy and sooner or later you won't have Alamy, you just have another Micro when they decide they can't hold their price structure anymore.. I'm not saying do it or don't do it, because they don't have a rule against it, I'm just saying think about yours and everyone elses' future as Photographers and try to help keep our business and good sites like Alamy going.. Micros are great and Macros are great and they both have their place, but if you don't respect what they are and exploit the loop holes for a quick $$ you only are hurting yourself and your fellow photogs in the long run.. Just some food for thought..

Good luck Adelaide with your Alamy port, you have great work so I'm sure you'll do well..

Quote from: madelaide on October 15, 2008, 18:00

I have been accepted to Alamy months ago, but didn't upload anything after that because of the lack of watermarks.

Now that I plan to finally start making images ready for them, I would like to know what is people's experience with RF vs RM there. Most of what I will upload will be travel images, either urban or nature or wildlife. My tendency is to have all of those as RM, but I would like to know people's experiences.

For those of you who have been having sales in Alamy, what are your experiences with RM in Alamy?

Regards,
Adelaide

Fran · « **Reply #9 on:** October 16, 2008, 07:26 »

Quote from: tubed on October 16, 2008, 01:21

I think Micro images on Alamy hurts the Photographers in the long run.. Yeah you might sell a couple of micro images there for some $$ but you also devalue Alamy and sooner or later you won't have Alamy, you just have another Micro when they decide they can't hold their price structure anymore.. I'm not saying do it or don't do it, because they don't have a rule against it, I'm just saying think about yours and everyone elses' future as Photographers and try to help keep our business and good sites like Alamy going.. Micros are great and Macros are great and they both have their place, but if you don't respect what they are and exploit the loop holes for a quick $$ you only are hurting yourself and your fellow photogs in the long run.. Just some food for thought..

I read an argument for RF images on Alamy that states it doesnt devaluate Alamy since its RF license is broad enough to justify its cost. Also the image is guranteed to be of high technical quality at the highest resolution, given their "strict" technical editing: this adds value as well. How much truth is there in this argument in our opinion?

hali · « **Reply #10 on:** October 16, 2008, 08:07 »

i agree with tubed. i have selected images only with Alamy. in fact, sometimes , i even shoot specifically for Alamy, even though they do not expect exclusiveness from you.
Alamy is diplomatic, perharps being british, and places no harsh words like Photoshelter regarding microstock images, and we know how well that got Photoshelter.
as tubed said, it's really to your own interest , isn't it?
devalue your images with microstock, and soon you will have only microstock to sell your images for pittance. to many, selling a thousand dl for a dollar is as good as selling 20 dl at a 50 a shot.
do we really value our images to be worth a dollar? once a buyer knows he can get your images for a lot less, there is really no way you can expect a sale of anything more.

travelstock · « **Reply #11 on:** October 16, 2008, 10:55 »

Quote from: madelaide on October 15, 2008, 22:16

Never had a sale at MyLoupe.

Sales at Shutterpoint are erratic, but I've had some and got some payouts. But in case you don't SP, it's a site in which you have to pay for storage. I've won some free space in one of their contests, so I'm staying there for one year, at least. Months ago they introduced an optional license similar to the microstock sites', and since then I noticed a decay, only selling the images I set at the microstock model, which are the ones I have in microstock sites only. The ones I consider my macrostock portfolio I don't sell at their "standard" license. If you want to know more about them, click here.

Regards,
Adelaide

Shutterpoint was one of the first sites that I sold photos on - I pulled out after they changed to a microstock type license - the main reason for doing so though was that I had another look at their licenses. The breadth of their licensing goes further than most extended licenses on the microstock sites: Full commercial use on there (ie. anything that isn't their microstock type sales) allows purchasers:

Print Usage (Resale and Unlimited Run)

* Book jacket or interior page
* Greeting card design
* Poster for resale
* Calendar for resale
* Mug or T-shirt design
* Software packaging, CD/DVD/video or audio tape label
* Trade show display, billboard, exhibit
* Any print project covered under Standard Commercial License
* Any print project covered under Editorial Full License
* Any item/product for resale

Electronic Usage (Resale and Unlimited Run)

* Electronic greeting card
* Web application template
* Presentation software template
* Screensaver
* E-mail template
* Any electronic project covered under Commercial Standard License
* Any electronic project covered under Editorial Full License

I don't know about how others feel, but for me I'm not happy with receiving $17 (85% of $20 which is what prices start at there) for full commercial use on a one off basis and then having the purchaser be entitled to sell prints of my work forever after.

hali · « **Reply #12 on:** October 16, 2008, 10:59 »

Quote from: holgs on October 16, 2008, 10:55

I don't know about how others feel, but for me I'm not happy with receiving $17 (85% of $20 which is what prices start at there) for full commercial use on a one off basis and then having the purchaser be entitled to sell prints of my work forever after.

wow, holgs. to be honest, i never even check the whole script on licenses.
could it be that many of us don't really know what we are giving away,
or just don't care?

good point , holgs. thanks for pointing it all out to me, i am having a lot of second thought about micro now.

travelstock · « **Reply #13 on:** October 16, 2008, 11:53 »

Quote from: hali on October 16, 2008, 10:59

Quote from: holgs on October 16, 2008, 10:55

I don't know about how others feel, but for me I'm not happy with receiving $17 (85% of $20 which is what prices start at there) for full commercial use on a one off basis and then having the purchaser be entitled to sell prints of my work forever after.

wow, holgs. to be honest, i never even check the whole script on licenses.
could it be that many of us don't really know what we are giving away,
or just don't care?

good point , holgs. thanks for pointing it all out to me, i am having a lot of second thought about micro now.

Most micro sites don't allow resale of images - Bigstock has extended license options that you can opt in to, as does Fotolia - the problem is really just with Shutterpoint which calls it a "full commercial license" that you can set the price of yourself. It was only after re-reading the terms that I noticed what it allows purchasers to do.

tubed · « **Reply #14 on:** October 16, 2008, 11:59 »

Quote from: Fran on October 16, 2008, 07:26

I read an argument for RF images on Alamy that states it doesnt devaluate Alamy since its RF license is broad enough to justify its cost. Also the image is guranteed to be of high technical quality at the highest resolution, given their "strict" technical editing: this adds value as well. How much truth is there in this argument in our opinion?

Well in theory, yes I think this does have some validity to it.. But this poses the argument that designers and others actually strictly follow the guidelines with RF licenses.. Really I being a designer and knowing lots of others, whether they buy from micro or other places, RF is pretty much free reign of usage.. I really doubt that many designers even read the licenses.. So like I said it's kinda a valid argument if you believe that everyone follows the rules.. I'm not really saying that anybody putting up micro on Alamy should be shot

or anything like that.. Really I'm just saying think about how your actions will affect yours and others future.. I personally like being able to choose to send some images to Macro and others to Micro.. I'd like to think there is a future for both, but we as a photography community need to watch out and care for our outlets for distributing.. If we all load up Alamy with Micro images what do you think it will become? Micro?

hali · « **Reply #15 on:** October 16, 2008, 13:23 »

tubed,
would it not make sense if say, you give the same images to both,
but only Alamy gets the XXL, which they have to anyway .
and the micro gets only XS 600 by 900 to say M (3 MP) at the largest;
both being RF of course.
this way if a buyer wants 4MP and up, they have to go to Alamy.

tubed · « **Reply #16 on:** October 16, 2008, 15:37 »

Quote from: hali on October 16, 2008, 13:23

tubed,
would it not make sense if say, you give the same images to both,
but only Alamy gets the XXL, which they have to anyway .
and the micro gets only XS 600 by 900 to say M (3 MP) at the largest;
both being RF of course.
this way if a buyer wants 4MP and up, they have to go to Alamy.

Well, yes I guess in theory that could be one way to do it.. But just like you upsize your images to get onto alamy, what's to stop the designer from buying your micro image and upsizing it? Or if they only need a websize from Alamy? or 1/8 pg? It's ultimately up to you.. I was just throwing some what if in the future scenarios out there.. It's a free world (for the most part)..

madelaide · « **Reply #17 on:** October 16, 2008, 22:40 »

tubed, fran and hali,

As I said, I won't have in Alamy the same portfolio I have on micros. This has been discussed over and over here, with people defending both sides.

holgs,

Who were you at SP?

SP's license is indeed very loose, and equivalent to microstock's ELs. That's why so many people didn't bother the change in hope of sales taking off with the new license. And that's why most of my "macrostock" images there may look overpriced compared to other people's - I set a high price because the license is very lenient.

Although there are honest people out there (and a proof of this is that many people, myself included, still report FL even after the SL was introduced), I don't want to risk selling an image for US$5 in the belief that the buyer is honest and will not use it outside the terms. And that's the reason why I don't sell some images in microstock.

I believe hali means downsizing to 3MPix for micros. But I disagree that the buyer will look for a larger size in Alamy. Unless it is something very unique, I don't think he will look for a larger version elsewhere.

Regards,
Adelaide

Fran · « **Reply #18 on:** October 17, 2008, 05:35 »

Quote from: tubed on October 16, 2008, 11:59

Well in theory, yes I think this does have some validity to it.. But this poses the argument that designers and others actually strictly follow the guidelines with RF licenses.. Really I being a designer and knowing lots of others, whether they buy from micro or other places, RF is pretty much free reign of usage.. I really doubt that many designers even read the licenses.. So like I said it's kinda a valid argument if you believe that everyone follows the rules.. I'm not really saying that anybody putting up micro on Alamy should be shot or anything like that.. Really I'm just saying think about how your actions will affect yours and others future.. I personally like being able to choose to send some images to Macro and others to Micro.. I'd like to think there is a future for both, but we as a photography community need to watch out and care for our outlets for distributing.. If we all load up Alamy with Micro images what do you think it will become? Micro?

I totally see your point and I agree with it. Overloading Alamy with micro is a Bad Thing (tm).
Another argument: only uploading a version of some micro best sellers to offer them to a wider public with a wider licence, hence a "better" product in terms of what you can do it with it?

Since I'm new, I'm just trying to understand all the possible combinations, don't shoot me yet

hali · « **Reply #19 on:** October 17, 2008, 12:49 »

Quote from: madelaide on October 16, 2008, 22:40

tubed, fran and hali,
I believe hali means downsizing to 3MPix for micros. But I disagree that the buyer will look for a larger size in Alamy. Unless it is something very unique, I don't think he will look for a larger version elsewhere.

yes Adelaide, i meant downsizing.
i have certain shots i only gave to Alamy. but i also had a handful that are with micro,
downsized,that i sure like to be in Alamy.
the problem is, i have to wait to delete them from micro, esp BigStock, i have to wait 3 months.

i am seeing the reason why we should separate Alamy and micro.
it's just for something like that with BigStock. if you submit it to BigStock first, you're stuck with 3 months
and cannot go both RF and Licensed. which is wrong to do.

tubed,etc...what do you all think?

i like Alamy a lot, because it gives us value for our hard work. i don't think i want to need to shoot
(quote from some regular micro earners) "1000 images weekly to earn 100 dollars each month with SS,etc..."

tubed · « **Reply #20 on:** October 17, 2008, 14:46 »

Quote from: Fran on October 17, 2008, 05:35

Another argument: only uploading a version of some micro best sellers to offer them to a wider public with a wider licence, hence a "better" product in terms of what you can do it with it?

Again just the way I think and everyone has their own twist to life, but I think that would be better than just uploading all micro images in your port.. I guess just use your best judgement..

Quote from: hali on October 17, 2008, 05:35

tubed,etc...what do you all think?

Me personally I think that that would be the conciencious thing to do.. I would say that if you put the stuff up on Alamy, and then decide to delete it from the micros, if it is on both for a couple of months it won't kill anybody.. I guess the point I have been trying to make all along is just to be conciencous, not necessarily like Mr. rule follower.. Really it's just like this to me - if we all watch out for our industry and do things to help it grow and prosper and don't undercut for a quick $ then we will all have more to enjoy for longer, no more no less.. I want to be able to have something still worth doing in 5 years, but that depends on us the photographers and how we treat our industry.. I don't think a few of the better micro images on Alamy is going to kill anybody either, I'd just hate to see the search results pulling up all the same images in all the same searches..

hali · « **Reply #21 on:** October 17, 2008, 15:25 »

Quote from: tubed on October 17, 2008, 14:46

if we all watch out for our industry and do things to help it grow and prosper and don't undercut for a quick $ then we will all have more to enjoy for longer, no more no less.. I want to be able to have something still worth doing in 5 years, but that depends on us the photographers and how we treat our industry.. I don't think a few of the better micro images on Alamy is going to kill anybody either, I'd just hate to see the search results pulling up all the same images in all the same searches..

you got my vote there, tubed.
if ever you want to form a union to protect the industry from exploit us, let me know. i'll be your first member.

travelstock · « **Reply #22 on:** October 17, 2008, 17:53 »

Adelaide: my user name on SP would have been the same as on the other sites. I deleted my account some time ago after my subscription expired so there wouldn't be any images on there now.

Basically my problem there wasn't the lack of sales - I got enough to justify the subscription to the site, but it was that I couldn't justify uploading my whole portfolio there given the cost of doing so time-wise, and for the $$$ on subscription that would have been required.

Their full commercial license goes well beyond most extended licenses on microstock sites in that it allows for unlimited number of copies to be printed and sold - that is they can download and pay for an image once, and sell it forever after. Most other EL sales have a limit to unit numbers. The SS enhanced license doesn't allow for resale of images. In any case, I've opted out of those licenses on those sites that allow for resale of my images.

lagereek · « **Reply #23 on:** November 10, 2008, 02:50 »

Alamy is a brillant agency, its a proper agency with the absoloute BEST search engine in the business, I wish some others were just half as good.
good luck to your membership.

PaulieWalnuts · « **Reply #24 on:** November 10, 2008, 05:49 »

Interesting thread but I don't think this answered the original question. What subjects work there?

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Author Topic: What works in Alamy? (Read 27580 times)

madelaide

hali

davey_rocket

charlesknox

madelaide

charlesknox

madelaide

charlesknox

tubed

Fran

hali

travelstock

hali

travelstock

tubed

hali

tubed

madelaide

Fran

hali

tubed

hali

travelstock

lagereek

PaulieWalnuts

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