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Author Topic: Are the good time gone forever?  (Read 19477 times)

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« on: March 29, 2016, 07:48 »
+6
Remember the times when you sold images through the iStock website with good and fair price. For one credit download you got something like 1 - 35$.

What you think guys... Are those good time gone forever?

What is your opinion, what iStock should do that we can get those old times back?

Now we get 0,75$ for xxxl-large photo if customers use subscription plan. That is ridiculous!!!  >:(
« Last Edit: March 29, 2016, 11:22 by Photostocker »


« Reply #1 on: March 29, 2016, 07:51 »
+21
Game, set and match.

« Reply #2 on: March 29, 2016, 09:23 »
+17
Yes, gone forever. Now that the agencies know that tens of thousands of people will submit high quality images for virtually nothing, there is no going back. Either they make millions, or we do. Which do you think is going to happen?

« Reply #3 on: March 29, 2016, 09:25 »
+10
Yes, gone forever, unfortunately.  When I first started in 2009 iStock was the leader and you could get great sales.  After a while I was thinking of going exclusive and just wanted to wait a couple more months to make sure the numbers held steady.  Then they put in the RC system and it went rapidly downhill from there.  Too bad.  Now the good times at iStock are only a distant memory.  We can always hope but I don't see them ever returning.

« Reply #4 on: March 29, 2016, 09:33 »
+14
I think the biggest problem is the agencies saying that all their customers now want photos that look like a kid took them with a phone.  But the agencies are exaggerating, and the 'phone look' won't seem so cool in another few years.

There will always be a market for clean, well composed photos that show some imagination and taste. And there's a growing awareness that today's agencies don't pay fair prices and that submitting photos to them isn't worth the effort.  Yes there's still a steady flow of clueless newbies but that won't last forever, either. 

Maybe in another couple of years, things will look different, with a couple of 'fair trade' agencies making significant sales, and the agencies that created this meltdown - like SS and IS - in decline and losing their way.  Fingers crossed anyway.


« Reply #5 on: March 29, 2016, 11:07 »
+10
There's no istock, its just a Getty collection and the only possibility of things improving is if Getty sell it to owners that would be more contributor friendly and that's not going to happen.

« Reply #6 on: March 29, 2016, 11:38 »
+3
Just my opinion but - I would not be pinning my hopes on Fotolia and I'm not going to spend the time uploading there.  I think Adobe was only interested in using their archive to push Photoshop, and they have no long-term interest in stock photography.   I could be wrong, though.     

Rose Tinted Glasses

« Reply #7 on: March 29, 2016, 11:52 »
+8
the beginning of the end was microstock (istock) and the end of the beginning was subscription sales (SS).

« Reply #8 on: March 29, 2016, 12:53 »
+8
yes good times will come back if we all pull our images, we hold all the power, but we are like deer looking in headlights

« Reply #9 on: March 29, 2016, 13:49 »
+1
We contributors should set up our own stocksite where the royalty rates are something like 90%. 10% is only for the runing company and the website. And we need webtool for the copy and paste all the photos and keywords from the iStock if contributor wants to leave from the iStock.

« Reply #10 on: March 29, 2016, 13:59 »
0
Lets make a site what is only the portfolio site at first and contributors can upload (copy and paste) their all the photos in there from every stock sites. Later when there is a lots of users and stuff we launch the site! Perfect plan! 😊👍🏼

« Reply #11 on: March 29, 2016, 14:01 »
+10
We contributors should set up our own stocksite where the royalty rates are something like 90%. 10% is only for the runing company and the website. And we need webtool for the copy and paste all the photos and keywords from the iStock if contributor wants to leave from the iStock.

Sure. Because customers are just waiting for that. And the site obviously is going to run flawless once set up because it is run by photographers who know what they're doing.  8)

« Reply #12 on: March 29, 2016, 14:28 »
+2
We could get together and buy a majority share in a site that does work.  I think buyers would be interested because it would make low cost images more sustainable for contributors.  Probably wont ever happen but you never know.

« Reply #13 on: March 29, 2016, 16:47 »
+7
We contributors should set up our own stocksite where the royalty rates are something like 90%. 10% is only for the runing company and the website. And we need webtool for the copy and paste all the photos and keywords from the iStock if contributor wants to leave from the iStock.

Sure. Because customers are just waiting for that. And the site obviously is going to run flawless once set up because it is run by photographers who know what they're doing.  8)

Eh-Hem, I am a photographer, I have set up my own stock site selling purely my own content, it looks far more professional than iStock's site ever did/does. It has very simple pricing, it is easy to navigate, was built on a free and open source CSS platform, nothing is broken, the site can accept both credit card and PayPal payments, and it runs smoother and faster than the iStock site ever does/did.

Granted I don't have a sizable collection when compared to an agency that crowd sources from millions of potential contributors, or the traffic to be successful with it (yet), but it isn't hard to run circles around iStock's web programmers in order to build a stock site that works and people find easy to use, yet I still consider myself very much a coding hack at best. I set it up over only a few month period, on a part time basis, whilst tweaking and working the bugs out. Imagine what one could do if all they did all day was develop a stock site as a full time endeavor?

When I think of the iStock site programming team though I imagine a bunch of children with mental disabilities who can't control their bowels sitting in a bathtub together, whilst floating amongst their own turds, squeezing them like Play-doh, and giggling away as if they haven't a worry in the world.
« Last Edit: March 29, 2016, 17:34 by NewStocker »

« Reply #14 on: March 29, 2016, 21:09 »
+3

When I think of the iStock site programming team though I imagine a bunch of children with mental disabilities who can't control their bowels sitting in a bathtub together, whilst floating amongst their own turds, squeezing them like Play-doh, and giggling away as if they haven't a worry in the world.

ROFLMAO!!!  OMG, I am laughing so hard I am literally crying!!  I'm sure this will be deleted, but thanks for the most graphic and hilarious metaphor EVER!!

« Reply #15 on: March 29, 2016, 21:38 »
+3

When I think of the iStock site programming team though I imagine a bunch of wolves with mental disabilities who can't control their anger sitting in a bathtub together, whilst floating amongst their own turds, squeezing them like Play-doh, and giggling away as if they haven't a worry in the world.

ROFLMAO!!!  OMG, I am laughing so hard I am literally crying!!  I'm sure this will be deleted, but thanks for the most graphic and hilarious metaphor EVER!!

Not polite correct but if you change it to a pack of wolves, in a pond, like Lobo, and other IS floaters, then it's fine.

« Reply #16 on: March 30, 2016, 00:33 »
+4

When I think of the iStock site programming team though I imagine a bunch of wolves with mental disabilities who can't control their anger sitting in a bathtub together, whilst floating amongst their own turds, squeezing them like Play-doh, and giggling away as if they haven't a worry in the world.

ROFLMAO!!!  OMG, I am laughing so hard I am literally crying!!  I'm sure this will be deleted, but thanks for the most graphic and hilarious metaphor EVER!!

Not polite correct but if you change it to a pack of wolves, in a pond, like Lobo, and other IS floaters, then it's fine.

Totally agree, not politically correct, but still funny.  Political correctness is the reason most comics won't play colleges anymore.  Hard to be PC and funny.

« Reply #17 on: March 30, 2016, 00:35 »
0
We contributors should set up our own stocksite where the royalty rates are something like 90%. 10% is only for the runing company and the website. And we need webtool for the copy and paste all the photos and keywords from the iStock if contributor wants to leave from the iStock.

Sure. Because customers are just waiting for that. And the site obviously is going to run flawless once set up because it is run by photographers who know what they're doing.  8)

Eh-Hem, I am a photographer, I have set up my own stock site selling purely my own content, it looks far more professional than iStock's site ever did/does. It has very simple pricing, it is easy to navigate, was built on a free and open source CSS platform, nothing is broken, the site can accept both credit card and PayPal payments, and it runs smoother and faster than the iStock site ever does/did.

Granted I don't have a sizable collection when compared to an agency that crowd sources from millions of potential contributors, or the traffic to be successful with it (yet), but it isn't hard to run circles around iStock's web programmers in order to build a stock site that works and people find easy to use, yet I still consider myself very much a coding hack at best. I set it up over only a few month period, on a part time basis, whilst tweaking and working the bugs out. Imagine what one could do if all they did all day was develop a stock site as a full time endeavor?

When I think of the iStock site programming team though I imagine a bunch of children with mental disabilities who can't control their bowels sitting in a bathtub together, whilst floating amongst their own turds, squeezing them like Play-doh, and giggling away as if they haven't a worry in the world.

What is your stockwebsite? We can make same kind of program what Qhero is to help people upload photos more easily and also make the webtool that contributors can upload all their stuff in other stocksites in the new site. Because of exclusive contributing the web site must be the first only for the showing photographers portfolio...but also there should be a button add this photo for sale...as 500px have! Whe should gather together few powerfull contributors and make this happen!

« Reply #18 on: March 30, 2016, 01:42 »
0
We contributors should set up our own stocksite where the royalty rates are something like 90%. 10% is only for the runing company and the website. And we need webtool for the copy and paste all the photos and keywords from the iStock if contributor wants to leave from the iStock.

Sure. Because customers are just waiting for that. And the site obviously is going to run flawless once set up because it is run by photographers who know what they're doing.  8)

Eh-Hem, I am a photographer, I have set up my own stock site selling purely my own content, it looks far more professional than iStock's site ever did/does. It has very simple pricing, it is easy to navigate, was built on a free and open source CSS platform, nothing is broken, the site can accept both credit card and PayPal payments, and it runs smoother and faster than the iStock site ever does/did.

Granted I don't have a sizable collection when compared to an agency that crowd sources from millions of potential contributors, or the traffic to be successful with it (yet), but it isn't hard to run circles around iStock's web programmers in order to build a stock site that works and people find easy to use, yet I still consider myself very much a coding hack at best. I set it up over only a few month period, on a part time basis, whilst tweaking and working the bugs out. Imagine what one could do if all they did all day was develop a stock site as a full time endeavor?

When I think of the iStock site programming team though I imagine a bunch of children with mental disabilities who can't control their bowels sitting in a bathtub together, whilst floating amongst their own turds, squeezing them like Play-doh, and giggling away as if they haven't a worry in the world.

What is your stockwebsite? We can make same kind of program what Qhero is to help people upload photos more easily and also make the webtool that contributors can upload all their stuff in other stocksites in the new site. Because of exclusive contributing the web site must be the first only for the showing photographers portfolio...but also there should be a button add this photo for sale...as 500px have! Whe should gather together few powerfull contributors and make this happen!

I built my site using WordPress and I purchased a very inexpensive theme that I added on to it which is designed for selling online products. Then I customized it from there.

There are numerous options like this available that one will find when researching the subject online. All kinds of different increased functionality can be added to a site as well. For example, files can be stored on a cloud server and secure download links can be automatically generated by the site when a purchase is made and which will expire after a certain number of downloads, or a short period of time, or both. All these things can be customized and different kinds of functionality added to a site like light boxes, etc.

« Reply #19 on: March 30, 2016, 06:14 »
+5
Eh-Hem, I am a photographer, I have set up my own stock site selling purely my own content

Well, yes, that's your own images. Put on someone else's images who uses different keywording than you do, find out a fair way whose images to show first for any given search terms, make accounting for those, pay out the earned royalties in an easy and cheap way. And then do that for 10,000 contributors and 100 Terrabyte of image data. Good luck trying that with WordPress.

At least you won't need marketing because customers will just jump on board once the word goes around that the photographers get 80 cents per download instead of 35.

« Reply #20 on: March 30, 2016, 06:33 »
+1
Eh-Hem, I am a photographer, I have set up my own stock site selling purely my own content

Well, yes, that's your own images. Put on someone else's images who uses different key wording than you do, find out a fair way whose images to show first for any given search terms, make accounting for those, pay out the earned royalties in an easy and cheap way. And then do that for 10,000 contributors and 100 Terrabyte of image data. Good luck trying that with WordPress.

At least you won't need marketing because customers will just jump on board once the word goes around that the photographers get 80 cents per download instead of 35.

I don't see any reason to make it a site that is combined with other people's images. My intent was not to set up a stock agency, but my own outlet for selling my own niche content and by providing a much better user experience.

I had been scratching my head for a long time thinking how could a multi-million dollar company like iScraps put up such a poorly designed site, which functions so horribly and crashes all the time.

So in part, this was a test to see how difficult it would be to create something better than iScrooge and to prove to myself it could be done. The conclusions was it was neither hard or something that involved a tremendous amount of web design. And everyone can do the same. You would need some reasonable web design skills to achieve what I created, but you could also hire someone to build a nearly identical site to mine if you don't have the coding or design skills to customize a CSS package yourself. And the great thing is once you build the store it is done and always will be there. You can then develop it at your own pace with your own content however and whenever you wish.

There are also relatively simple and low cost solutions for all the points you raised if you did want to make it into a larger stock agency site. And yes, it is all completely possible with WordPress. I already studied it all when I had once considered taking on additional content from a small core group of friends. And video can be added as well.

Also, WordPress creates no limitations and is no different than any other CSS platform, which is what iStump is as well. WordPress simply adds a layer of easier user administration on the back end that other sites don't have and it also prevents you from having to write your own code for a core site.

It would be very easy as I said to get a few pieces of custom code written and added to the site to take it to the next level. Again, not an interest of mine. I am just happy to have proven to myself how easily it can be done, how inept iSpasm truly is, and to now have a fully functioning and fully automated eCommerce site with credit card gateway and secure download server to sell my own photos however and whenever I wish to.

By the way, I keep 97% of whatever I sell and I can price images for whatever I want. When it runs like that you don't have to sell nearly as much as you would when earning under $1 per sale on stock sites. And the best thing about it is my own site doesn't even force me to be exclusive with them either to get 97% royalties. ;)
« Last Edit: March 30, 2016, 06:43 by NewStocker »

« Reply #21 on: March 30, 2016, 06:42 »
+8
You make it sound like no one here has ever tried that before. Lots have. First of all, unless you have big bucks to pay the search engines, your images are going to get buried behind all the agencies. Second, yes, building the site is the relatively easy part. It's what comes next thats not. Driving customers on a minute, hour, and daily basis is not so easy. I was not happy with a couple sales every month...even if i did make 100%.


Impossible? No. Just not as easy as you make it sound.

« Reply #22 on: March 30, 2016, 06:49 »
0
You make it sound like no one here has ever tried that before. Lots have. First of all, unless you have big bucks to pay the search engines, your images are going to get buried behind all the agencies. Second, yes, building the site is the relatively easy part. It's what comes next thats not. Driving customers on a minute, hour, and daily basis is not so easy. I was not happy with a couple sales every month...even if i did make 100%.


Impossible? No. Just not as easy as you make it sound.

For sure, that is the part you will need to develop. And that is no easy task. Not saying it is. But once you have enough content on the site you can start driving it. And it is a great feeling to have your own store. A total feeling of freedom and empowerment. Sure, you can never compete with the big boys, but one wouldn't need to.

What is different now though is also how the technology and the platforms are there now to receive low cost credit card payments and to host your content on a very fast cloud server for secure delivery. These things were not so readily available to the individual operator just a few years ago. If you think about it, the cost of starting your own business now has greatly gone down and the cost of keeping it running is so minimal now as well. All things we didn't have available in 2009 when iStock was still the biggest game in town.

« Reply #23 on: March 30, 2016, 08:06 »
+6
"Build it and they will come" was always the crappiest line imho.........Seems to me that marketing costs are hugely underestimated if you really want to sell.

« Reply #24 on: March 30, 2016, 12:16 »
0
newstocker, been done before and failed, check out the story of picturengine


 

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