Author Topic: Joining fotolia ? (Read 4584 times)

dgaurh · « **on:** May 23, 2014, 05:32 »

Hello
In keeping with the sentiments on this group I haven't joined fotolia. I just started microstock 2 months back. 50 images online at SS & DT, 8 at IS (44 in pipeline). Do you think I should join fotolia or are they just low balling us ? Don't want to do something bad or promote bad people

. So far 6 sales at SS, 1 at IS (credit though). I have bird, insect and couple of flower shots. I guess fotolia doesn't even like such images if what I've heard is true. So there's no point anyway.
Probably I should just stick to SS IS DT. I wanted to send some of my poorer shots in low res to them but people say their standards are higher than DT. Not funny for someone who owns DPC ! Perhaps I can send such shots to other low tier sites e.g. sell them for a buck EL at Pond5 (123rf ?).
Thanks for your advice
dgaurh

BaldricksTrousers · « **Reply #1 on:** May 23, 2014, 05:43 »

I doubt if you will get any dispassionate answers to that, given the heat under Fotolia at the moment.
I guess you would make more money if you did join them but you would constantly be in danger of running into one of their "clever" arrangments.
If you do decide to join, try to do it from their European site (or even the Japanese one) to get the most favourable return.

Mantis · « **Reply #2 on:** May 23, 2014, 06:08 »

I would echo Baldricks sentiment and add that if you are (or become serious) and contribute hard to create images or unique images it's even more frustrating....the love hate relationship that is. You risk things like having your work put on a POD site where if it sells for $230 you get a regular credit sale of something around $2. Fotolia and their partner keep $228 of that $230 sale. You MUST BE WILLING to endure this kind of consequence if you want to upload to FT or even Deposit Photos.

dgaurh · « **Reply #3 on:** May 23, 2014, 06:16 »

I'm not sure I can stomach $2 out of $230. That sounds horrible. BTW, will they accept sub-par pics for DPC (unlike SS, IS & DT)

Mantis · « **Reply #4 on:** May 23, 2014, 06:23 »

Quote from: dgaurh on May 23, 2014, 06:16

I'm not sure I can stomach $2 out of $230. That sounds horrible. BTW, will they accept sub-par pics for DPC (unlike SS, IS & DT)

Your image still go through the regular inspection process at Fotolia. So no easier.

dgaurh · « **Reply #5 on:** May 23, 2014, 06:25 »

Quote from: Mantis on May 23, 2014, 06:23

Quote from: dgaurh on May 23, 2014, 06:16
I'm not sure I can stomach $2 out of $230. That sounds horrible. BTW, will they accept sub-par pics for DPC (unlike SS, IS & DT)

Your image still go through the regular inspection process at Fotolia. So no easier.

Too bad then. I thought I'd make USD 25K overnight from 50K photos in my trash bin

BaldricksTrousers · « **Reply #6 on:** May 23, 2014, 06:26 »

You can't choose to be on DPC but not be on Fotolia.

Just for information, since I quit Fotolia my wallet has felt a few score dollars lighter each month, but that's nothing compared with the weight off my shoulders from not feeling frustrated and angry about the way they treated me.

Mantis · « **Reply #7 on:** May 23, 2014, 06:32 »

Quote from: BaldricksTrousers on May 23, 2014, 06:26

You can't choose to be on DPC but not be on Fotolia.

Just for information, since I quit Fotolia my wallet has felt a few score dollars lighter each month, but that's nothing compared with the weight off my shoulders from not feeling frustrated and angry about the way they treated me.

So here's one of the big names in stock telling the OP exactly what I was trying to say in a previous post. I have a few things I am working on and when they start paying off FT is gone for me too, not just DPC. Same with Deposit Photos.

dgaurh · « **Reply #8 on:** May 23, 2014, 06:40 »

Quote from: BaldricksTrousers on May 23, 2014, 06:26

You can't choose to be on DPC but not be on Fotolia.

Just for information, since I quit Fotolia my wallet has felt a few score dollars lighter each month, but that's nothing compared with the weight off my shoulders from not feeling frustrated and angry about the way they treated me.

Thanks Baldricks. I will keep this in mind. I wonder how you folks put up with such people. Heard here that there used to be good times long back when stock sold for $500. Now all of them sell it for a buck

. I've been doing photos since 1997 with film and was so attached to my photos (even crappy iso 1600 D50 photos) that I never uploaded them anywhere for a long, long, long time. And now I'm here when there is a race to the bottom. You folks should do something about it. Like a worldwide trade union or something. We can't sell our photos for a buck, sorry. Well, I sold my best Eurasian wryneck photo twice ,at SS, for a dollar anyway... Just hoping that someday within 5-10 years I will be making a grand a month. Problem is, if you buy food from that money you can't buy glass

Hard choice ! I'm a programmer and they have pretty early retirement ages !!

ACS · « **Reply #9 on:** May 23, 2014, 07:50 »

Quote from: dgaurh on May 23, 2014, 05:32

people say their standards are higher than DT.

Actually in case of FT, it is not the standards I believe. There are some topics they want, like isolated on whites, illustrations etc. With a portfolio of birds, insects and flowers your acceptance rate will be much lower than the other agencies you mentioned, no matter how good your images are.

heywoody · « **Reply #10 on:** May 23, 2014, 16:52 »

Some agencies are "fair", some show complete disrespect (IS, FT) BUT look to the right and decide if it's max $ for your work or a warm fuzzy feeling you want

r2d2 · « **Reply #11 on:** May 23, 2014, 17:45 »

Unethical agency. They will take your prices down. FT is now the leader of the bottom race in the market. You should read about DPC.

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Author Topic: Joining fotolia ? (Read 4584 times)

dgaurh

BaldricksTrousers

Mantis

dgaurh

Mantis

dgaurh

BaldricksTrousers

Mantis

dgaurh

ACS

heywoody

r2d2

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