the funny thing about this topic, is that Yuri just stated a "thing" at Ellen's blog, it is true ok, but why all this fuss about his work?.. You are all saying this and that, just talking right?.. looks like a gossip magazine...

are you close friends of him? do you know him? ok some might know, but don't know that much to talk about himself, he isn't here to defend all the things said in this topic.. it is becoming ridiculous!.. if he spends too much or less his its own business, if his style is like a "factory" producing a product etc...! come on..

YEAH, I know I am nobody and I don't know crap about stock and so on, but please give a break to Yuri! (come on bully guys, show your claws and chat around )

What makes you think Yuri isn't here?  He knows this forum.

This forum is not  a gossip magazine.  If you don't like it, why do you keep coming?

Quote from: luissantos84 on March 01, 2010, 19:26

the funny thing about this topic, is that Yuri just stated a "thing" at Ellen's blog, it is true ok, but why all this fuss about his work?.. You are all saying this and that, just talking right?.. looks like a gossip magazine...

are you close friends of him? do you know him? ok some might know, but don't know that much to talk about himself, he isn't here to defend all the things said in this topic.. it is becoming ridiculous!.. if he spends too much or less his its own business, if his style is like a "factory" producing a product etc...! come on..

YEAH, I know I am nobody and I don't know crap about stock and so on, but please give a break to Yuri! (come on bully guys, show your claws and chat around )

What makes you think Yuri isn't here?  He knows this forum.

This forum is not  a gossip magazine.  If you don't like it, why do you keep coming?

the problem is yourself, I miss you dude!

Quote from: luissantos84 on March 01, 2010, 19:26

the funny thing about this topic, is that Yuri just stated a "thing" at Ellen's blog, it is true ok, but why all this fuss about his work?.. You are all saying this and that, just talking right?.. looks like a gossip magazine...

are you close friends of him? do you know him? ok some might know, but don't know that much to talk about himself, he isn't here to defend all the things said in this topic.. it is becoming ridiculous!.. if he spends too much or less his its own business, if his style is like a "factory" producing a product etc...! come on..

YEAH, I know I am nobody and I don't know crap about stock and so on, but please give a break to Yuri! (come on bully guys, show your claws and chat around )

What makes you think Yuri isn't here?  He knows this forum.

This forum is not  a gossip magazine.  If you don't like it, why do you keep coming?

Thank you Digital66. Yes I am here. I am here and have been reading most parts. (with a good laugh sometimes). My assistants have been screaming about this post for a three days now. Some post's are worth spending time on and some go out of hand and it is best that I just stay out. This post is one of them, but I will reply anyway.

Money, dropping RPI and profit.
Having profits in the range of 30-50% as some microstock photographers experience is only possible when you choose to stay small... (Shoot in your mothers garage kind of setting, Sean would know about this, he is an expert in staying small and making big profits). When you scale up, profits drop, but revenue increases. The two business models will give you about the same profit in the long run, but the one I have chosen also offers more opportunities, more potential profit when scaling down and more exposure.

Shooting style.
Yes. My style is getting extremely duplicated. I can count at least three or four photographers that have studied my video blog about my studio a little too much and their images simply look like they where taking in my studio. It is unfortunate, but this will always be the case. I shoot in many styles and some picture types you would never guess came from me. If you are a good photographer, you should be able to shoot everything. You may think my style is boring "Ikea looking", blank faces, too bright and you are probably right, but you are missing the point: "The images sell and that is what they where created for, not suiting your artistic fancy. I can shoot much more artistic and love doing so, but I can't make a living from it, not with the overhead and business model I have chosen. This is my choice and complaining about it says more about you, than me.

Spending, lot's of studios, lots of second shooters.
Guys. This is part of the scaling and needs to be in place if you want to produce as much as I do today. When you have bought a new studio, it is there and you can produce in it very cheaply. The lights, the backdrops, styling area, is an investment. The way I see it: I am stocking up for a storm, and perhaps you should too.

The time coming will be rough and just as we saw a lot of macro shooters not being able to "survive" when micro arrived, so we will see a lot of amateur micro shooters not being able to survive with the entry of professional micro shooters. (The yuri clones as they are sometimes called)

Another thing to consider is that the non-exclusive agencies have not really raised prices much, such as seen on IS. They are not really doing that across the boarder and that gives us the biggest contributor to the problems we are facing now.

Good luck to you all. Have a great week! Y

If I make video.... Yes.

Check it out: http://www.facebook.com/yuriarcurs?ref=nf

Or take one contributor at FT, Ioannis Kounadeas, sapphire with 246 images of plasticine man. Amazing.

I shoot in many styles and some picture types you would never guess came from me. If you are a good photographer, you should be able to shoot everything. You may think my style is boring "Ikea looking", blank faces, too bright and you are probably right, but you are missing the point: "The images sell and that is what they where created for, not suiting your artistic fancy. I can shoot much more artistic and love doing so, but I can't make a living from it, not with the overhead and business model I have chosen. This is my choice and complaining about it says more about you, than me.

I have to agree on this one.  I am very tired of the "artistic fancy" that I see continually.  Are you "great".  Are you "pushing the envelope".  Listening to your "inner vision".  Every image does not have to be a masterpiece, but it does have to be saleable.  I'm here to pay my mortgage, not gain historical significance.

BTW, John Lund elucidated on the post this morning:
http://www.johnlund.com/2010/03/revolution-in-professional-photography.html

The majority of microstock submitters still produce low-cost images, something that I think will be profitable for a long time.

Yes, but the point is that profitability will probably reduce markedly and personally I don't think that that point is necessarily so very far away. Growth in earnings, for those with sizeable portfolios, has been largely fuelled by increases in prices and when those slow down, as inevitably they must do, then earnings are likely to fall.

I've been uploading at a fairly steady rate for over 5 years. In 2008 my earnings were 57% up on 2007, in 2009 I was 22% up on 2008 and so far this year I'm about 11% up on the same period in 2009. On those figures it is not exactly  inconceivable that this could be my last year of growth before decline sets in.

Obviously as my portfolio has grown then the proportion of new images has a smaller effect but the real problem is that the % of the total libraries is always reducing. Unless you are able to substantially increase output and/or saleability then growth will eventually stop and then reverse.

I'm sure I'll remain profitable, in so far as the images will sell for more than they cost me to produce, but the question is for how long that profit will remain high enough to live off.

I still shot, but it is not a good market situation we are in. RPI for microstock non-exclusive has dropped from 9.8USD per image per month two years back to 4.5USD per image per month today. I am expecting it to drop to less than 3 USD per image per month this year, at which point it does not make much sense to be producing.

I read on your facebook page you're building a new 6,000 sq. foot studio.  How does that jive with the statement about "it does not make much sense to be producing".  Is the studio for more assignment work?

Some of the successful stock sites were founded by photographers, seems to me that a logical progression would be for him would be launch one. It likely would be run very well and have lots of buyers flocking to it.  I�d certainly join. 

Yuri and Lisa and all others who already have reached the point of stasis are blaming the microstock industry (it is over saturated, it is not good business model anymore etc.). But, the fact is your monthly production is not enough to enlarge your portfolio for even few % anymore, your portfolios are too big. So we get this picture that microstock is going down, because we appreciate their opinion. But, that is just maths, it is logical.

I can't speak for Yuri, but in my case I am not "blaming" anyone or anything.  I am simply describing a phenomenon that is happening to me and speculating on the reasons for that.

I find this forum very useful in that we can compare all compare notes about what is happening with our portfolios and with the various sites.  Unfortunately there seems to be an increasing number of posters who want to accuse people of "blaming" "hating" and "whining".  These sorts of accusations are not productive to the conversation and should be kept out of it.

No, no, Lisa. It is my bad English. I really like your work and you being here all the time. Please do not get me wrong. It was more like a question.

Sorry I misunderstood you Dook.  To me "blaming" has a negative meaning. 

The tone around here has turned nasty lately and I guess I was being defensive...

Thanks for clarifying

It is my mistake I should stop posting, since I do not speak English well. But I will be here, reading. Sorry.

You speak English fine.  Misunderstandings happen.   Please continue to post!