Quote from: loop on July 25, 2013, 18:27

Two good things Yuri has done: 1. Not supporting anymore the disastrous (in my humble opinion) cheap subscription model, true origin of many of our troubles. For me, subs it's not micro, but "nano-stock".

What do you mean Yuri is "not supporting anymore the disastrous (in my humble opinion) cheap subscription model"?

In case you're not aware, right now he has over 35K images available to subscribers at DT __ that's 10x more than I do!

Yuri has been doing microstock for about 8 years now and, in that time, literally nobody on the planet has sold more images at sub prices than he has. If you consider subs 'damaging' then nobody has been more damaging to the industry than he has. I've sold close to 400K licenses since I started but I'm sure it would probably take me well over 100+ more years to achieve the same level of damage that he has done.

It seems strange that you are giving him credit for supposedly not selling subs (when actually he is) and when he's also been selling subs for 100% of his time in the industry. Even if Yuri stopped selling subs tomorrow then that would be the first DAY in 8 years that he has not done so. Kind of like crediting an alcoholic for giving up the booze when he's still swigging away.

I mean he has deleted his portfolio at most subs site and he is in the process of doing the same with the remaining ones, as he has said. So simple.

I'm no thinking in the past. I look at the future, past can't be changed, and what we need are turning points and bridges to a better future.

Question regarding mobile phone photography: how about shallow DOF images (outdoor portraits, food photography, others), action/sport shots, wildlife (200 - 400mm focal length needed at least)? And all other aspects that make a DSLR a must for stock photography? Apart for some extreme macros, the mobile phones will get everything in DOF with that small sensor and poor lens. How will it sync with your ProPhoto strobes? etc-etc-etc...

Quote from: gostwyck on July 25, 2013, 18:59

Quote from: loop on July 25, 2013, 18:27

Two good things Yuri has done: 1. Not supporting anymore the disastrous (in my humble opinion) cheap subscription model, true origin of many of our troubles. For me, subs it's not micro, but "nano-stock".

What do you mean Yuri is "not supporting anymore the disastrous (in my humble opinion) cheap subscription model"?

In case you're not aware, right now he has over 35K images available to subscribers at DT __ that's 10x more than I do!

Yuri has been doing microstock for about 8 years now and, in that time, literally nobody on the planet has sold more images at sub prices than he has. If you consider subs 'damaging' then nobody has been more damaging to the industry than he has. I've sold close to 400K licenses since I started but I'm sure it would probably take me well over 100+ more years to achieve the same level of damage that he has done.

It seems strange that you are giving him credit for supposedly not selling subs (when actually he is) and when he's also been selling subs for 100% of his time in the industry. Even if Yuri stopped selling subs tomorrow then that would be the first DAY in 8 years that he has not done so. Kind of like crediting an alcoholic for giving up the booze when he's still swigging away.

I mean he has deleted his portfolio at most subs site and he is in the process of doing the same with the remaining ones, as he has said. So simple.

I'm no thinking in the past. I look at the future, past can't be changed, and what we need are turning points and bridges to a better future.

I'll give it 5 years maximum, probably a lot less, then he'll be back at SS like the rest of us. He'll come to realise that 'Professionals deal with professionals'. I wonder when Carlyle will tire of their 'investment' or try to wring the last ounce of cash out of it? Two years from now, maybe less?

I had to check out the phone- See url

http://mashable.com/2012/02/27/nokia-808-pureview-photos/

I see a thumbnail image that appears to contain no shadow detail at all. It looks roughly like the results one would expect from the meniscus lens on an old Brownie 127.

Maybe yuri will send me something more convincing.

...It isn't envy. It's realization that previous actions were only done for a certain reason. It's anger at misplaced trust and lack of concern for the community at large.  Of course, you know what happens when you try to effect change .

I don't think anyone here is under any obligation to the community at large. Yuri is free to move on to whatever pastures he likes, owing us nothing in return. We all have the same deal here. We contribute to this microstock thing while we're here, adding our own voice and skill to the mix, and we owe nothing to anyone if/when we leave.

I just think it's unfortunate the way in which he's chosen to make his exit. He's not so much leaving us behind as he is just doing something different while mocking what he was doing previously. It's like proudly driving around in an Audi for years and then getting a Lexus and swinging by the Audi dealership to mock Audis, Audi owners, dealers, salesmen, mechanics, etc.

Quote from: Sean Locke Photography on July 25, 2013, 20:05

...It isn't envy. It's realization that previous actions were only done for a certain reason. It's anger at misplaced trust and lack of concern for the community at large.  Of course, you know what happens when you try to effect change .

I don't think anyone here is under any obligation to the community at large. Yuri is free to move on to whatever pastures he likes, owing us nothing in return. We all have the same deal here. We contribute to this microstock thing while we're here, adding our own voice and skill to the mix, and we owe nothing to anyone if/when we leave.

I just think it's unfortunate the way in which he's chosen to make his exit. He's not so much leaving us behind as he is just doing something different while mocking what he was doing previously. It's like proudly driving around in an Audi for years and then getting a Lexus and swinging by the Audi dealership to mock Audis, Audi owners, dealers, salesmen, mechanics, etc.

Maybe the Audi turned out to be a lemon, it just took a few years to find out.

Hello Yuri,

Love your success and have followed you and Sean for years. I still chug along and am stay exclusive with iStock. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest. How much better do you think iStock is compared to shutterstock? 

Yuri, props for everything you've accomplished and congrats on your new deal. You're certainly overstating your impact on sstk stock price though. I think their earnings will continue to grow which will drive the stock higher in the long term.

I have to believe that mobile will have an impact on stock. If newspapers are firing photographers for iPhones it's just a matter of time. The question is how big the impact will be and how best to make money from it. You can bet that sstk and the other sites will try to offer their own mobile service soon. Or just buy scoopshot.

"sounds like he has graduated to me, and realized it. it's called growth and development, so really there is no need for all this envy i see posted."

I think you're mistaking envy for something else.  Like Gostwyck said, here is the one company which has contributed thousands of images to dozens or hundreds of sites over the past years, contributing to the success of the low price model.  Suddenly, the game has changed, and you are all amateurs, happy to keep lining the pockets of the evil microstock villians, while he has left you in the dust for greener pastures, as someone who has 'started something', completely ignoring all the efforts of those here, no help or assistance to you, just ha ha, and maybe get $5 from your phone.

It isn't envy. It's realization that previous actions were only done for a certain reason. It's anger at misplaced trust and lack of concern for the community at large.  Of course, you know what happens when you try to effect change .

sean i agree with you, but i also see the other side too. i don't think it fair to place the blame solely on the game changer called microstock rather the contributors, internet, and technology too,  but yes it did change the game. the only reasoning for this is that photographers allowed it to happen. people like you and a host of others came into the game of "professional" stock photography from an entry level if you will, and yes that changed the whole industry for better or worse. the amount of crap on all of these microstock sites is pathetic. i think guys like you are much much better than selling your quality work for peanuts, yet only a few years ago you guys would also sh!t on me for saying so, and tell me i was jealous and a trad. i still think you are way better than microstock quality wise. i don't think you or yuri brought anything new to the table at all, but you both supported dramatic price slashing in the industry, which brought on this whole new concept of sell lots of them for peanuts approach to stock photography.

yes, i see yuri as biting the hand that fed him and reversing what he thought he knew, but he too for years has been saying it is bullsh!t and suggested numerous times long ago that contributing to some of these models was a mistake, as was submitting to every site, but he also acknowledges his mistake, and it now trying to grow out of microstock, which makes sense, but i also fear it is too late. the lid is already off of pandora's box in regards to stock photography, and microstock changed that. i shoot microstock, but only opted in when i saw the writing on the wall, and "sold out". did i sell out? yes and no, yes in the sense i too started contributing my work to sell for pennies on the dollar, and no because i could see this new slaughter in pricing of imagery would soon become the norm, and it did. am i happy that i chose to do what i did, yes and no, yes because i made a fair chunk of change from all the previous getty rejects, and no because getty and the trads have all lowered the valuation of photography to keep up with the microstock wave. it's a catch 22, you are damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

i think yuri is smart to pull out of micros, but i am afraid it is too late for all of us in this regard, sort of like bruces holier than though bullsh!t and getting moral about paying 50% royalties, in a sense both bruce and yuri are the same, they both helped ruin a once healthy industry and are now both back peddling (and rich), they both used/manipulated the "community" to their benefit, and they are both very smart business men who could care less about any of us. it's business.

I shouldn't comment but this is niggling me.  How can 70% of your 20 photographers be in the top 10 in the world?

More relevant to the topic - There are a lot of interesting trends to watch in this industry.  Mobile photography will definitely have a place, a good eye can do a lot with a small camera and the technology will only improve, but you are limited to editorial when selling any with people.  And one trend I've seen in forums is buyers saying they want "real people", but they can't find any "good" ones, and it turns out that often "real people" doesn't really mean real at all.  Although consumers are starting to turn against overly air-brushed and plastic looking models, I'm not sure they're ready to face the other extreme of actual real people, warts and all (sadly and wrongly in my opinion, but that's the world we live in).

Quote from: Sean Locke Photography on July 25, 2013, 20:05

...It isn't envy. It's realization that previous actions were only done for a certain reason. It's anger at misplaced trust and lack of concern for the community at large.  Of course, you know what happens when you try to effect change .

I don't think anyone here is under any obligation to the community at large. Yuri is free to move on to whatever pastures he likes, owing us nothing in return. We all have the same deal here. We contribute to this microstock thing while we're here, adding our own voice and skill to the mix, and we owe nothing to anyone if/when we leave.

I just think it's unfortunate the way in which he's chosen to make his exit. He's not so much leaving us behind as he is just doing something different while mocking what he was doing previously. It's like proudly driving around in an Audi for years and then getting a Lexus and swinging by the Audi dealership to mock Audis, Audi owners, dealers, salesmen, mechanics, etc.

I see it more as leaving because of unfair and or deceptive business practices. The sites view doing business with us as a one way street, they expect us to produce at higher and higher standards without fair compensation for an increasingly superior product.

What is wrong with saying that the Audi's service package was not up to snuff, he tried to negotiate better terms and service with the auto dealer and they ignored his needs. Therefor he decided to part ways and is simply sharing why he felt the need to do this. There are sites all over the net offering customer feedback on cars, what is so wrong with discussing dissatisfaction with a business partner which fell short in fulfilling their side of the business arrangement.

That said I fear he may be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire in regards to IS/Getty

"I have to believe that mobile will have an impact on stock."

Why?  and what?  Nobody has yet said what they think this impact is.  Just because you make another camera that is about the same size as my Canon Powershot, does not mean a revolution is coming.

I think mobile (i.e. relatively low technical quality, mostly poor lighting)  will impact stock, but it's hard to say to what degree. I think there will always be a place for professional released imagery. At one level, we are all swimming in these low technical quality images (e.g. on local news shows where they show viewers' cell phone images, on advertising where you see pseudo low technical quality imagery, on tv shows with intentionally "shaky" video and jerky zooms to mimic home video etc.) However, there will always be a place for professional quality imagery because in fact it is simply more pleasing to look at and it looks more immediate and real. Who walks through their daily life seeing things that are shaky, noisy, and just plain lousy looking? There will always be a place for strong composition, lighting and technical quality.