Christian, I know exactly what you mean.  Sick and tired of the BS in the micro world.  unlike some of the smart folks here, I haven't branched into the macro RM world as much as I should.  Now I'm regretting.it.

I did take 6 months or so off recently to remodel or house.  Not relaxing though.  Just a different kind of frustration.  I think that hiatus did have a negative affect on income.  Been working hard lately to compensate.

You are most welcome to visit here in Florida anytime   I suggest waiting until September or later though.  It's hellishly hot here in summer.  Even the dog won't go outide!!

Hi Lisa!  well I might just take you up on that. I have always liked Florida. Fantastic weather! healthy. Yep! all the negative changes within micro, all the pennypinching, hassle, etc. Makes you really wonder if its worth it,  or rather how long it will take before it detroys itself.

all the best.

Not sure why, but all the talk of alcohol made this pop into my head.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seN7AKSwMFU[/youtube]

Quote from: drugal on May 31, 2012, 10:30

I shoot a variety of pretty darn attractive gals, and it's getting really-really boring, monotonous (I'm male). Makes me wonder what ppl shooting cupcakes, flowers, ribbons.... or fluffy albino dogs in their backyard, feel like...

lmao! hey, send some of those gals my way will ya!
Adapt drugal, combine subjects, shoot attractive gals with flowers and ribbons in their hair eating cupcakes while getting legf.cked by fluffy albino dogs

Later guys

They'll be rejected for too many similars (on beastiality porn sites).

Don't be ridiculous, the dogs will do it for free!

After watching my royalties repeatedly decreased by one agency after another, my enthusiasm for microstock is gone.  I cannot and will not in good conscience continue supporting agencies that won't support me and all the work I've put in over the years towards helping them build successful businesses. 

The only agencies I'm still actively uploading to are SS, DT, BigStock, CanStockPhoto and Veer...and Veer is on thin ice until they tell us exactly how much we are earning from its PP.  I'm also slowly removing my portfolio from IS, FT and StockXpert, and will probably do the same at 123RF when they decrease royalties at the beginning of the year.

I've shifted my focus and enthusiasm from microstock to RM and products, and I'm happily starting to see my income rise for the first time since 2008.  I'm encouraged by a t-shirt company I found a few weeks ago...with only 149 designs, I've already had three sales with royalties between $3.75 - 7.50.  Two of those sales literally happened within an hour of uploading!  I have several Zazzle stores and enjoy spending time creating my own websites and products rather than adding to an agency's collection. 

I'm mostly spreading around my existing portfolio to new outlets, but when I create new work, it's with something in mind other than microstock, and I feel freer because I'm no longer restricted by microstock's rules. 

I'm finding more and more outlets where I can set my own royalties, which guarantees my royalties won't be stolen out from under me in order to pay some greedy private equity firm.  These outlets also don't have review processes, so I can upload whatever I want.  I'm in control at these outlets...it's not the other way around, like at the micros where they are in control of nearly everything from the moment we upload an image.  And I can use my own existing portfolio to design new pieces on a variety of "canvases," from t-shirts to cards to mugs to phone cases.  I truly enjoy seeing how my boring stock photos become something entirely different and cool and unique when placed on the "canvas" of a Guitar Hero guitar skin or throw pillow or stretched canvas print.  Work is becoming fun again!

Microstock will never receive the same level of commitment or enthusiasm that I once gave it.  Onward and upward to bigger and better things!     
       

After watching my royalties repeatedly decreased by one agency after another, my enthusiasm for microstock is gone.  I cannot and will not in good conscience continue supporting agencies that won't support me and all the work I've put in over the years towards helping them build successful businesses. 

The only agencies I'm still actively uploading to are SS, DT, BigStock, CanStockPhoto and Veer...and Veer is on thin ice until they tell us exactly how much we are earning from its PP.  I'm also slowly removing my portfolio from IS, FT and StockXpert, and will probably do the same at 123RF when they decrease royalties at the beginning of the year.

I've shifted my focus and enthusiasm from microstock to RM and products, and I'm happily starting to see my income rise for the first time since 2008.  I'm encouraged by a t-shirt company I found a few weeks ago...with only 149 designs, I've already had three sales with royalties between $3.75 - 7.50.  Two of those sales literally happened within an hour of uploading!  I have several Zazzle stores and enjoy spending time creating my own websites and products rather than adding to an agency's collection. 

I'm mostly spreading around my existing portfolio to new outlets, but when I create new work, it's with something in mind other than microstock, and I feel freer because I'm no longer restricted by microstock's rules. 

I'm finding more and more outlets where I can set my own royalties, which guarantees my royalties won't be stolen out from under me in order to pay some greedy private equity firm.  These outlets also don't have review processes, so I can upload whatever I want.  I'm in control at these outlets...it's not the other way around, like at the micros where they are in control of nearly everything from the moment we upload an image.  And I can use my own existing portfolio to design new pieces on a variety of "canvases," from t-shirts to cards to mugs to phone cases.  I truly enjoy seeing how my boring stock photos become something entirely different and cool and unique when placed on the "canvas" of a Guitar Hero guitar skin or throw pillow or stretched canvas print.  Work is becoming fun again!

Microstock will never receive the same level of commitment or enthusiasm that I once gave it.  Onward and upward to bigger and better things!     
       

Exactly!  and thats been my policy from the start of this year. Will not support sites that cant get it together,  its a pointless exercise. Not only that but I even remove my port if it gets too bad.
Time is money and the futile time you spend on sites, just messing around, is precious time, much better spent on the sites doing proper business and can deliver.

As I said before, its not the money, Im collecting exeedingly well from micro,  its the messing around, the hassle, that becomes too much.

Same here, bored and frustrated. Saw my pictures on boards with big campains all around meanwhile, but I need 800 Images a year to keep the same income. Inbetween I do more thougths about the agencys strategie and whichever will me fool next, than about good new pictures.
I think Shutterstock will rule the market in the next 2-3 years. If they continue growth since the last 3 years I go there exclusive. They gained to be my second best earner with 1/3 of the pictures and half of them rejected material.
FT and IST stiffle on their greed, DT has a strange rejection policy, 123 had a chance but pulled the trigger to their head with one year announcement.Deposit was to cheap, Veer had the mouth to full and can't deliver. Bigstockfoto sails without any direction.

If any of them would "RAISE" commissions it would be like an earthquake, they all knew someone has to ... but they are all tailless arseholes.
I bet SS will be the first!

I would love to see sites that pay a decent commissions, like GLStockImages and Stockfresh, making more progress.  I'm demotivated by the greed of some of the big sites.  Every buyer that switches to sites that have a long record of paying a decent commission will encourage me to stick with microstock.

If they remain low earners, I'll end up taking a never ending break.

Stockxpert were big once but still paid 50% commission.  Alamy have been around longer than the micros and they pay 60% commission.  Don't Google and Apple pay 70% commission to their app developers?  There are businesses that become successful and don't screw their suppliers.  They realise that there's more money to be made selling quality content made by motivated contributors. There's no guarantee that will happen with some of the smaller sites but I'd like to find out.

Quote from: ShadySue on May 31, 2012, 08:48

Quote from: Lagereek on May 31, 2012, 08:30

Quote from: wut on May 31, 2012, 05:48

When I was getting back from Morocco last week, a bottle of Glenfiddich in the duty free shop reminded me of you. I was kinda disappointed when I saw the 30� price tag . Knowing you, I expected it to be at least a 100, something special and really sophisticated

Thanks a bunch!  Im proud of being associated with Whiskey! , well, Glenfiddich is good but there are far better. Try MacAllens, good stuff, puts hairs on your chest.

Glenfiddich and The Macallans are Whiskys. Just sayin'.
Whiskey is either Irish product or the paint strippers that they put out over the pond. (OK, that's maybe unfair. Jack is like paint stripper. I haven't tasted Jim Beam or any of the others.) Or various others from Japan etc.

Well to be honest, Jack and Jim are ok, but its nothing like the real thing. Irish like Bushmills, etc, are superb. BUT!  if you really want to taste fire and hell and one of the best. Lagavulin!
all I can say is Lagavulin.

Tried Lagavulin once..........quite sufficient and too medicinal for my taste. Rather have Glenmorangie any day........bit too much of a 'girlies' malt for you Lagavulinphiles I suppose.