Well said yingyang.

Now back to the Ellison    

I found this part of a different interview even more compelling

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI2XuMoQOCU&amp;feature=related" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI2XuMoQOCU&amp;feature=related</a>

  then the one that started this topic.

Love it when he says he wouldn't take a piss without getting paid
It's true for any profession there is always someone that wants something for nothing.

I couldn't disagree more.  There is a serious shortage of professional microstock photographers - you only have to look at the top lists at any of the agencies and all the action is confined to just two or three hundred contributors.  The exception is iStock who now have 2,300 'gold' photographers (but 2,700,000 members).

Yes, free sites will be popular.  But can you really see the average Joe with his $400 P&S causing Andres, Yuri, Lise, Ron, Dolgachov, Hidesey, Irana, Photoshow, Sjlocke or anyone else of that calibre to lose sleep at night?

I don't think so.

I think 'free' sites will expose the huge difference in quality between 'free' and 'professional' and I think prices will rise.  In five years time the average price for a 'professional' microstock will be 100% higher than today.

As in every other "not-protected" market prices move with demand and supply. First people coming into MS got nice earnings because it was a "fresh" market. Now most of their worse shots would probably be rejected or very scarcely downloaded considering the supply of more and more professional-looking shots.
When people will see how hard is just to gain a bunch of bucks with their snapshots they'll turn their time to something else more profitable while the ones really interested in a professional approach will continue to study and improve to reach the best seller ones.

So I expect to:

a) in the short term:
1) a lot more contributors will apply
2) most of them would get tired before reaching the first payout because high rejection rate and scarce downloads
3) the hard workers ones will accept to stay instead working hard to increase their quality

b) in the medium term:
1) The hard workers who will succesfully reach a good quality probably would also have the skills to get assignments outside MS, so they can also decide to dedicate less time to MS shooting.
2) There will be less new applicants because the "easy money" myth surrounding MS now will shatter.
3) less supply, with higher quality, means higher prices IF (underlined) also the demand will stay at the same level

c) in the long term:
1) who cares. As Keynes (the economist) said, in the long term we'll be all dead

The ones who talked about the automotive market could notice that after the oriental brands entered the market the american and european brands raised their quality, lowered their prices but right now here in Europe a car, even if it's japanese or korean, is proportionally more expensive than 15-20 years ago.

I've been shooting 35mm film for 36 years...   never thought about selling it until a year and a half ago.  Point... I just didn't bust into photography when I bought my first digital...been doing it a loooong time. ..and I still shoot film too.

That being said,   my take on the digital revolution is this.  Digital has enabled so many more folks who    HAD THE TALENT,  BUT COULDN'T AFFORD TO EXPLORE IT (or exploit it)   to now do so.   Ten minutes on any RM  site will show that too much of the work there is mediocre crap that would never fly on the new micros.  On the other hand,  ten minutes on any reputable micro will find you NEW talent that produces images putting the mediocre crap on the RM's to shame.

If you could buy a baby grand piano for 300 bucks (instead of 15 grand) you'd find a lot more people had musical talents as well,  perhaps even find dozens, even hundreds of new (amatuer) concert pianists  here and there. 

You could quite possibly have walked by an individual today who has the talent to be the next  Frank Lloyd Wright or da Vinci,  the next  Alexander Bell or Newton, or the next Mozart or Bach... or the next Ansel Adams...     but will never realize their potential because they can't afford to pursue the education or purchase the 'tools'...

The digital camera revolution.... allowed that for those who love to take pictures... to realize they had an ability they never knew they had.  Now we have a lot more  talented people producing images.  And yeah,   some are selling them cheap... that is,  cheaper than what oldtimers were accustomed to selling them for..  oh well. 

I find great humor in that argument as well.  Why do you think the Ford dealer in this block is selling T-birds for  2 grand less than the Ford dealer on the other side of town?  Why's a pound of provolone cheese sell for half as much at the deli 2 blocks away?  Why's the gas station across the street sell gas 4 cents a gallon cheaper???   You sell your picture to a magazine for 2 grand... I'm happy with 15 hundred. ....  oh well.  Now the guy that sold for 2 grand, didn't sell any... and I just got a second sale for 15 hundred more...  ....... do the math.  If that's whoring my pictures.... I'm crying all the way to the whorehouse (bank).  I guess your pix weren't worth the 500 more.....  welcome to the 21st century.

Times have changed... there's no turning back the digital clock.  There's a lot more competition now for the better or worse.   Instead of sitting around crying the blues....  maybe some of those whinning should get the camera out of the bag and get to work.

Hey... the really talented pros have nothing to worry about.  If they are that good,  they will still and always command top dollar for their work and the use of their images.  Those that need to worry are the old RM shooters (pros) whos work wasn't all that good in the first place.  They were only there because there was no competition, they were the only game in town,  there weren't thousands shooters with pocket cams breathing down their necks with work that is pretty good, even great!

Until the time machine is built and they can go back and kill the guy who invented the digital camera,  the whinners better think about getting off their complacent butts and...   go shoot some more and better pictures.  If they don't, some 'mom with a point and shoot'  will.  And more power to her, go explore and exploit that talent, momma, good for you,  I say!!
    I talk to people like that every day and you know what?  I encourage them all the more. Go for it!! You keep burning up that digital memory.   I think the competition is great!  It forces me to be better than yesterday.   And when I can't stand it any more,  I'll retire to the den, turn off the lights, suck down some beers and watch the slides I took in 1969.

 I understand Ellison's point.  I understand his feelings and fine... stand up for yourself.   But man....  this ain't your daddy's day and age.  There's only so far you can go telling people to  F-off before you find yourself with no pot to pee in.  Does he think the DVD won't be produced because he said.... no?

Do the RM's pros think mom will put the camera back in the box because... they said.. she was an amatuer?      Guess who the last laugh will be on.....................             

Well said!!

yeah, well said akatom.  I hadn't read that post before.

I always awe at the postings where people grumble at microstock saying people don't earn money.  I read one post on microstockdiaries by a reader that said that Yuri can't be making much money and saying that Yuri stated he only made MOST of his money in microstock not ALL.. if it was THAT good he would make ALL his money there...    oh brother.

I guess each is free to his own thoughts, and i can just be glad that is another old timer that is staying out of our playing field - it is probably to our benefit that most people think we are earning $100/month on thousands of images.