Is anyone here on stockphoto.com? If so what are your thoughts about them and their payout structure?

I was looking on Google under the Search for "Stock Photos" and saw that after Shutterstock and iStock, StockPhoto.com was the third site listed that was not a free stock photo site.

Also what's the deal with stockphotosecrets.com as they were on the first page as well.

Same. I see the Depositphotos watermark and the Stockphoto watermark on the previews AND I see my own images there, even though I never submitted to them.

I serached their FAQ and google, but can't find any mentioning of any connection between Stockphoto and Depositphotos.

 

Yeah it just seams strange that they can have such a high ranking in the Google search results on the first page beating out Adobestock and others and they are doing it organically without paid placement.

Yeah it just seams strange that they can have such a high ranking in the Google search results on the first page beating out Adobestock and others and they are doing it organically without paid placement.

Seems to have been his intention from the beginning:
"It�s not terribly innovative, I must admit. But I was adamant we would have one thing in our favour � a great, converting domain name with natural type-in, as well as search engine traffic.
When someone types �stock photo� into Google and they see my domain name in the top few search listings, my bet is that they would trust my domain name enough to click on it."
and later:
"It�s not a �traditional� startup. It wouldn�t be sexy enough for Silicon Valley. The stock photo business isn�t broken enough for me to try being �disruptive�. It required code that could support, basically, an eCommerce store with lots of different vendors and products. It wasn�t solving any problem that hadn�t been solved before.
The only thing I was doing differently was using a marketing hack."
Meaning he assumed enough people would land on stockphoto by mistyping istockphoto? or just that searching "stock photo" would favour the domain stockphoto.com?

And actually although he was on my first page for "stock photo" on a 'clean' browser (from which I clear all history, cookies etc every time I leave), I tried 'horse stock photo' and they're not in the first five pages, but they are on the second page for 'family stock photo'.

Interesting that the site hasn't come up on msg, or at least has come up very seldom, in seven years.
(Also interesting that kall3bu discovered it's connected to Deposit, good detective work.)

Opt out from Deposit Partner sites?
I even didn�t know, we can do it.

What kind of partners are they? Mostly with very very cheap descriptions and with many free images to get for buyers?

I should opt out, too?

Because any agency, which offers my images for free without my permissions, I want to avoid, if possible.

Not easy these days, if we do not research good enough to find out, on which ways (partners) buyers can get our images for free.

Deposit and 123RF are even the last ones I upload my images - or the first ones for my very bad images LOL

Yay, I just quit, too, on SS still only my worst images are left.

I am still waiting for a reply from Getty/eyeEm and iStock in the case of free images on Promo.com. Depending on their answers, I will delete my accounts there. Well, not really! We need them to delete all the images first and keep our accounts open to be able to investigate, if they are still selling our images without permission - like Yay is doing years after closing accounts.

Free images?
How many times I read here, that all are against uploading images to free stock photos sites! Right! But if the agencies are offering our images for free, where is the difference?
Then I prefer to upload selected images on free stock photo sites on my own instead.

Opt out from Deposit Partner sites?
I even didn�t know, we can do it.

What kind of partners are they? Mostly with very very cheap descriptions and with many free images to get for buyers?

I should opt out, too?

Because any agency, which offers my images for free without my permissions, I want to avoid, if possible.

Not easy these days, if we do not research good enough to find out, on which ways (partners) buyers can get our images for free.

Deposit and 123RF are even the last ones I upload my images - or the first ones for my very bad images LOL

Yay, I just quit, too, on SS still only my worst images are left.

I am still waiting for a reply from Getty/eyeEm and iStock in the case of free images on Promo.com. Depending on their answers, I will delete my accounts there. Well, not really! We need them to delete all the images first and keep our accounts open to be able to investigate, if they are still selling our images without permission - like Yay is doing years after closing accounts.

Free images?
How many times I read here, that all are against uploading images to free stock photos sites! Right! But if the agencies are offering our images for free, where is the difference?
Then I prefer to upload selected images on free stock photo sites on my own instead.

They used to have an opt out button.  Seems to be gone now..  Perhaps contributor support can explain. 

Quote from: Firn on January 03, 2021, 01:26

Quote from: kall3bu on January 02, 2021, 14:54

So fast signed as not available? I guess Deposit is driving that Stockphot.com not someone else.

I am not so sure about that, acording to the legal information Stockphoto.com is loated in Australia, but Depositphotos doesn't even have an office in Australia. I rather think it's a partner site, just a bit strange that you can't find any information about that on Stockphoto.

Not really hard to find. https://blog.stockphoto.com/how-to-ask-your-wife-for-permission-to-spend-250-000-on-a-domain-name-c27a3c2852e1
https://blog.stockphoto.com/
Worried that he had pissed away the best years of his professional life and never getting around to doing that web startup thing he pencilled in his Bucket List, Jon Yau spent $250,000 on a domain name, quit his job and now runs Stockphoto.com full time.

I am sorry, I still can't find the information. Where does it say that Stockphoto is associated with Depositphotos?

I am sorry, I still can't find the information. Where does it say that Stockphoto is associated with Depositphotos?

As was said above, if you click on a thumbnail on stockphoto.com to get to a 'buying page', the image has a faint Depositphotos watermark and a larger, heavier stockphoto one.
Like this: https://www.dropbox.com/s/kvcd5djili1bwdz/Stockphoto.jpg?dl=0

So either they have some sort of legitimate arrangement with Depositphotos or (less likely IMO) they have stolen the pics and if you buy one, it'll have the DP watermark on it.
But if you have a third theory about the DP watemark on SP images, please explain.

That said, I googled +"Stockphoto.com" +DepositPhotos and got nothing relevant. Spooky or what?

Quote from: Uncle Pete on January 03, 2021, 13:11

What information did you want? He says he bought the domain name and he owns the site? Does any site actually say "we're a partner site for agency 1, agency 2, agency 3, Etc."?

I want information about why this site is selling my images with a depositphotos logo.
I don't know whether any site says "we're a partner site for agency 1, agency 2", but then again I don't know any stock site that sells images from other agencies. Partner sites from stock agencies, at least the ones I know, usually sell some kind of product where you can use images from stock sites - blog layouts, wall prints, puzzles, etc.

iStock has so many that despite requests, they say they "can't" keep an updated list, for which read 'we don't want to pay an intern a ha'penny to update a list once a week'.
You, too, can be an iStock affiliate: https://affiliates.gettyimages.com/

Maybe stockphoto.com is linking to photos on other stock sites and then makes affiliate commissions if someone comes to his site and buys the photo?

Quote from: pixel8 on January 05, 2021, 20:44

Maybe stockphoto.com is linking to photos on other stock sites and then makes affiliate commissions if someone comes to his site and buys the photo?

No, they are not linking to other sites. That's the strange thing, you purchase the images - that have watermarks from Depositephots - on theirs site.

Right, still working on that part. No good answers yet, why DP watermarks on the majority of the images. If I find something, I will promise to share.

But at least we know they aren't owned by DP like some other people pulled out of the air, (or someplace else) as an answer. An I think your conclusion makes sense, they might be a partner, but the images aren't just linked from DP. I'd say, otherwise, why would SP have the section on be a contributor?

I still don't see, digging for obscure sites, as the answer to stabilizing income. There are essentially five sites that matter and then "the irrelevant rest". Exception for that of course is, if people work exclusive agencies, specialty sites, or unusual niche markets.

And of those five agencies I'm not convinced the number isn't only three for photos. Adobe, SS stock in general, plus Alamy for things that apply there. Then one for video Pond5. Simple and easy, hit the highest return sites.

The alternative plan should be, upload everything, everywhere EVERYWHERE using submitting software and work on volume. Why bother picking or discrimination from one pit of penny stock over another. The game changes into just make the most from the minimal return. I'm not interested, but anyone else can see how volume alone can be a solution.