I remember those posts by Yuri Arcurs etc. about shutting down their relations with conventional mcstock agencies and the wake it caused at that time... It seems that all is quiet again?

http://www.microstockgroup.com/istockphoto-com/can-istock-turn-midstock-sales-around [nofollow]
The other people who got the faux-exclusive deal with iS didn't make a song and dance about it.

Thanks for the link, very instructive. In particular, I've read out that "In the past year Yuri has added a huge number of new images to his collections, many of them produced by photographers who were trained at his 2012 boot camp in Cape Town. Yuri wholly owns all of these images." If it's true then how is it even possible? AFAIR, most agencies legally require photos to be made by the submitter, no?   

Quote from: ShadySue on April 20, 2015, 04:18

http://www.microstockgroup.com/istockphoto-com/can-istock-turn-midstock-sales-around
The other people who got the faux-exclusive deal with iS didn't make a song and dance about it.

Thanks for the link, very instructive. In particular, I've read out that "In the past year Yuri has added a huge number of new images to his collections, many of them produced by photographers who were trained at his 2012 boot camp in Cape Town. Yuri wholly owns all of these images." If it's true then how is it even possible? AFAIR, most agencies legally require photos to be made by the submitter, no?

no. You need/have to own copyright

Quote from: Photosky on April 20, 2015, 04:45

Quote from: ShadySue on April 20, 2015, 04:18

http://www.microstockgroup.com/istockphoto-com/can-istock-turn-midstock-sales-around [nofollow]
The other people who got the faux-exclusive deal with iS didn't make a song and dance about it.

Thanks for the link, very instructive. In particular, I've read out that "In the past year Yuri has added a huge number of new images to his collections, many of them produced by photographers who were trained at his 2012 boot camp in Cape Town. Yuri wholly owns all of these images." If it's true then how is it even possible? AFAIR, most agencies legally require photos to be made by the submitter, no?

no. You need/have to own copyright

Da*n, he turned into a manager, it seems? I used to adore his early works when mcstocking just started.

... So, if nowadays we see someone who is regarded as a great photographer with ingenious photos, there is a chance that s/he is merely an owner of a sweatshop where all the ingenious stuff is made by unnamed employees? Then how can we distinguish a great artist from a slavedriver manager?

if you sort by  new yuri istock portfolio , first 10 pages are very average photos and extremly similar. boring, not a work by a pro.

Maybe I am mistaken, but I don't think many ever considered Yuri a great artist.  His brilliance was/is in self promotion.  Otherwise he's just a competent stock photographer, good at copying the ideas and styles that sold well.

if you sort by  new yuri istock portfolio , first 10 pages are very average photos and extremly similar. boring, not a work by a pro.

Well, I am not informed sufficiently well to agree or disagree with you guys in this regard. What I remember is that 10 years ago I didn't notice him doing any unusually large amounts of self-promotion, if compared to other mcstockers. But what I remember is his photos (he started with gold fish, afair) which were made in his unique light style, and also the way how his models were glowing in his photos. I don't know if he copied somebody but hundreds tried to copy him and/or learn from him, that's for sure.

Besides, regarding (self)promotion in general. You see, many artists, which are regarded as great nowadays, were just ones of many during their times but became famous only after they found certain unique ways to promote themselves. Somebody managed to get into a prestigious magazine, somebody  managed to pull the fat contract from a corporation, somebody was making portraits of influential people
and invested earnings into a little army of PR noise-makers. Their contemporaries, which were less street-smart or wealthy, remained in shadow forever - often despite being more talented. Hence, there comes the question: what's the ultimate objective criterion of greatness? If it is fame and money then YA has made it, afaik. If it's about seeing someone's products hanging on every second billboard then I see his models a way more often than Mona Lisa, hehe. If it's about being remembered forever then who will be remembered forever with the absolute certainty?

Inspiration wasn't also limited to artists works on microstock. People made a lot of sales producing works inspired by RM work aswell.

Quote from: PixelBytes on April 20, 2015, 15:35

Your right, 10 years ago Yuri wasn't doing so much self promotion.  He was a newbie busily learning how to copy the styles and concepts of Lise Gagne, Andres Rodriguez, Hidesy, and Photoeuphoria who were the top sellers of the time.  His unique style is not unique and never was.  He  was the guy who turned it into a brand is all.

None of the above invented the stock wheel. All of them in one form or the other were doing similar work to many before them. The only difference I see in any of their work is that they brought high production shoots to the  insanely priced microstock world as opposed to what was a very well established style in the macrostock world at the time.

No argument from me.  I agree with you.