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Author Topic: Wow. Have you guys seen this.  (Read 28272 times)

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« Reply #75 on: September 25, 2012, 07:46 »
+2
Well, I have to say I've been inspired by this thread.  I'm off to do a group of angry villagers wielding pitchforks, torches and sundry agricultural implements isolated on white.


« Reply #76 on: September 25, 2012, 08:25 »
0
Im going to copy that idea  8)

« Reply #77 on: September 25, 2012, 08:41 »
0
Pardon me but havent all the agencies the ultimate responsibillity by not accepting deliberate plagiarism. Lets face it if people think they are going to make a fast buck and by copying good sellers, they will. Unless the agencies refuse the material.

« Reply #78 on: September 25, 2012, 08:42 »
0
I think I am going to draw angry villagers with pitch forks too.

« Reply #79 on: September 25, 2012, 09:10 »
0
The whole business is bound to produce a lot of similar pictures, as it is both in the interest of the agencies and the customers,  just  not in the contributors, so we are fighting an uphill game here.

That reminds me. I have a picture of a copy machine:

« Reply #80 on: September 25, 2012, 09:54 »
+1

lisafx

« Reply #81 on: September 25, 2012, 11:27 »
+1

We all browse through the libraries looking for things to copy, i mean inspire us.


Umm.  Actually, no, we don't all do that. 

« Reply #82 on: September 25, 2012, 11:38 »
+1

We all browse through the libraries looking for things to copy, i mean inspire us.


Umm.  Actually, no, we don't all do that.
+1

I actually try to not look at anything else and keep my head fresh.

lisafx

« Reply #83 on: September 25, 2012, 11:46 »
0
I actually try to not look at anything else and keep my head fresh.

Exactly.  The more time you spend trolling other people's portfolios, or the popular lists, the more likely you are to copy, sometimes without even consciously realizing it. 

« Reply #84 on: September 25, 2012, 11:51 »
+1
I actually try to not look at anything else and keep my head fresh.

Exactly.  The more time you spend trolling other people's portfolios, or the popular lists, the more likely you are to copy, sometimes without even consciously realizing it.

Generally the only time I take a look at other work is if I have what I think is a "bright idea" - I do a search on a couple of the big sites to see if it's already been done to death. I'm well aware that a new idea to me might not be an open niche or anything where I have a new take on a concept and it saves a lot of wasted time to check that out first.

But the order is important - idea first then search :)

« Reply #85 on: September 25, 2012, 12:00 »
0
I actually just spent time surfing ports and best of weeks and so on, to see if there was something.
But its not so much concepts or ideas I look for, but more techniques.

I must have been inspired, because I came up with this:

http://www.fotostart.dk/usergallery//fullsize/7901-20120925184756.jpg

fujiko

« Reply #86 on: September 25, 2012, 12:05 »
0
I actually try to not look at anything else and keep my head fresh.

Exactly.  The more time you spend trolling other people's portfolios, or the popular lists, the more likely you are to copy, sometimes without even consciously realizing it.

Generally the only time I take a look at other work is if I have what I think is a "bright idea" - I do a search on a couple of the big sites to see if it's already been done to death. I'm well aware that a new idea to me might not be an open niche or anything where I have a new take on a concept and it saves a lot of wasted time to check that out first.

But the order is important - idea first then search :)

I do the same when I have an idea and I always find others have done it before me.
It may be that I'm not original at all or that I am very good at searching   :-\

« Reply #87 on: September 25, 2012, 14:25 »
0

I must have been inspired, because I came up with this:

http://www.fotostart.dk/usergallery//fullsize/7901-20120925184756.jpg


Oh, Jens, come on, everyone's done half-a-dozen of those already.

« Reply #88 on: September 25, 2012, 16:03 »
+1
OK, so now out of a sudden it is kind of "frowned" upon to look at other contributors' portfolios?

People, let's be honest.

First of all we (or some of us) are running a business. We would be literally naive to "just do our thing" without having a clue what the competition is doing.

Knowing your competition is key to being successful. You need to be different AND better than the competition. How can you do that by not looking at other successful contributors' portfolios?

It's not primarily to copy concepts or actual photos that already exist, it's about finding out what doesn't exist and what can be done better.

If it was for having fun shooting something I sure wouldn't be running to the store buying a fishbowl with gold fish in it to make them jump from one bowl to the other.

I don't believe it if anyone claims to just be doing their own thing without peaking into other people's portfolios.

Many of us have idols that keep us on our toes that motivate us to improve our work etc. This all wouldn't be happening if we put on some blinders on and just walk straight ahead..

« Reply #89 on: September 25, 2012, 16:15 »
0
Well, I have to say I've been inspired by this thread.  I'm off to do a group of angry villagers wielding pitchforks, torches and sundry agricultural implements isolated on white.

make sure you put in the description "angry villagers preparing to punish microstock copycats."

rubyroo

« Reply #90 on: September 25, 2012, 16:37 »
0
OK, so now out of a sudden it is kind of "frowned" upon to look at other contributors' portfolios?

I don't recall anyone saying that.  I'm sure we all look at other people's portfolios.  The issue is about copying, not looking.

I tend to do what JSnover does.  I have an idea, jot it down and/or sketch it up, then search on the subject to see what's already out there.  If it's done to death and done the same way I intended to do it, I either scrap the idea or think of an original way to do it.

As she said though, the idea comes first.

« Reply #91 on: September 25, 2012, 16:39 »
0
Copycats or just working for the same boss?
*removed*
Among many others.

Sniff, sniff...  It smells fishy

admin edit: we shouldn't link to other's portfolio pointing fingers.
« Last Edit: September 26, 2012, 03:51 by leaf »


« Reply #92 on: September 25, 2012, 17:25 »
0
Well, I have to say I've been inspired by this thread.  I'm off to do a group of angry villagers wielding pitchforks, torches and sundry agricultural implements isolated on white.

make sure you put in the description "angry villagers preparing to punish microstock copycats."

The first guy is done (the fat bald guy with the pitchfork and the clenched fist).  A few more and I'll combine them in PSP to make a group (just like Yuri does)

Poncke

« Reply #93 on: September 25, 2012, 17:39 »
0
Its hard to come up with something that hasnt been done with over 100 million photos online for sale. I just shoot and submit, I dont check if it hasnt been done. And if it has been, I dont care. I recently submitted walls, accepted everywhere. Do they sell, dont know. You just never know if there is a buyer that will purchase the 120 dollar SOD for my wall. And my wall comes up higher on the new search than a 7 year old wall.

As said before, if I look through the top guys portfolios, all I see is the handshake, the  family picnic, the businesswoman with a bunch of documents in her hands, etc etc etc, the only difference is, the models are different.

I dont believe anyone here can find a subject that has HCV and hasnt been done on any one of the agencies out there. Of course no one is going to share that info, because by next week that subject will then have been done to death  8)

lisafx

« Reply #94 on: September 25, 2012, 19:19 »
0
Knowing your competition is key to being successful. You need to be different AND better than the competition. How can you do that by not looking at other successful contributors' portfolios?

(snip)

I don't believe it if anyone claims to just be doing their own thing without peaking into other people's portfolios.


Sorry, but this just isn't how I work, and I've done okay.  Believe me or don't, it's up to you. 

I'm not saying I NEVER have looked at anyone's portfolio.  There are some people who are just so good I enjoy browsing occasionally.  But I DON'T go looking to copy concept ideas.  In fact, there are a number of concepts I haven't done because someone I respect has done it first and better than I could hope to. 

« Reply #95 on: September 25, 2012, 21:04 »
0
Sorry, but this just isn't how I work, and I've done okay.  Believe me or don't, it's up to you. 

I'm not saying I NEVER have looked at anyone's portfolio.  There are some people who are just so good I enjoy browsing occasionally.  But I DON'T go looking to copy concept ideas.  In fact, there are a number of concepts I haven't done because someone I respect has done it first and better than I could hope to.
Looking at someone's portfolio inevitably leaves some sort of inspirational seeds in anyone's brain. Whether you make those seeds grow or not is up to you.

I can't tell anyone how to conduct their business.

Speaking for myself, I check many other contributors portfolios to find holes and niches that aren't covered yet.

I can promise you that once I tap into a niche, I have my "run" for a couple of months until someone else notices the great downloads I get from an under-supplied category. Then others follow uploading that kind of stuff.

I do not copy other peoples concepts. I explore the gaps in between what's already there.

I produce very few images on a monthly basis. I need to make sure whatever I upload will sell. I can't waste my time on stuff that's already been done to death so it's very important to me to know what my competition is doing so I won't shoot myself in the foot.

Everybody approaches this business differently and there is no right or wrong way. This just works for me.

« Reply #96 on: September 26, 2012, 01:27 »
0
Well, I have to say I've been inspired by this thread.  I'm off to do a group of angry villagers wielding pitchforks, torches and sundry agricultural implements isolated on white.

make sure you put in the description "angry villagers preparing to punish microstock copycats."

The first guy is done (the fat bald guy with the pitchfork and the clenched fist). 


But I haven't signed a model release .....

« Reply #97 on: September 26, 2012, 01:45 »
0
Copycats or just working for the same boss?
http://www.istockphoto.com/kupicoo
http://www.istockphoto.com/Squaredpixels
http://www.istockphoto.com/steex
http://www.istockphoto.com/annebaek
And of course we can't forget http://www.istockphoto.com/laflor
Among many others.

Sniff, sniff...  It smells fishy


Wow ... some of them have the same people in the very same clothes in their ports! Definitely looks like something taken in the same shoot. That's interesting.

As for the "looking at other's ports" I don't think anyone said it's bad in itself. Some of us just stated that it's counter productive and we choose not to do so ... that's all. Look all you want, as long as you don't copy.

« Reply #98 on: September 26, 2012, 02:24 »
+1
Knowing your competition is key to being successful. You need to be different AND better than the competition. How can you do that by not looking at other successful contributors' portfolios?

(snip)

I don't believe it if anyone claims to just be doing their own thing without peaking into other people's portfolios.


Sorry, but this just isn't how I work, and I've done okay.  Believe me or don't, it's up to you. 

I'm the same, Lisa. I'm really not interested in what other people may have done that is similar to something I decide to do. I don't want to find myself aping someone else's style and I don't want to feel I shouldn't do something just because someone else has done it.

What I do look at from time to time is the overall quality of images in the niches I work in, since my aim is to be among the best at what I do.

If you go and hunt for the stuff that hasn't been done, the chances are that it is in low demand, so you may make just as much or as little from high-demand done-to-death stuff or low-demand not-been-done-before stuff. The proof of that is from Yuri's home-grown copycats... sorry, I mean apprentices, who seem to be  doing very nicely indeed churning out thousands of sincere pieces of flattery.

For 99% of microstockers, trying to copy the leaders is a waste of time. What they should be doing is learning about light. Without that, their efforts to mimic the masters are doomed.

« Reply #99 on: September 26, 2012, 05:58 »
0

We all browse through the libraries looking for things to copy, i mean inspire us.


Umm.  Actually, no, we don't all do that.

I usually take a look at the existing images AFTER I have come up with an idea, just to see how many similar images are already on sale, and I also want to find out how to make my images better than the existing ones.


 

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