Quote from: jsnover on January 01, 2012, 19:15
I wasn't happy to start the new year off at DT with a 49 cent subscription sale for a level 3 image - what would once have been a 70 cent sale.

I've been keeping track of subs (which haven't been all that numerous, thankfully) and there have been seven (including the above) that were below 35 cents or 70 cents. The lowest until today was 28 cents for a 35 cent subs - i.e. getting 80% of what I expected. but 49 cents on a 70 cent sale is getting only 70% of the 70 cents I expected. That's a huge chunk for a referral bonus and why is it a bigger percentage than the others?

Has anyone else been keeping track of the discounted subs and how much we're losing?

I've got a few subs sales that are down 30% on what they should be too....

Quote from: Snufkin on December 01, 2011, 20:34

Also, they don't accept "non-newsworthy" editorial photos anymore. IMHO their editorial program is seriously flawed, they want only the type of images that have a very short life cycle which doesn't justify the low prices. You have very good editorial images, but you will have difficulties getting that accepted on SS.

Not true in my experience. All of my editorial images are illustrative rather than newsworthy. I do pay special attention to the caption though...

Back on topic... SS rocks and ELs and ODs are coming thick and fast

Quote from: madelaide on August 12, 2011, 23:32


I guess you would like such a drug if you had a child with cancer! I see your point however, we are weakening our genetic pool because people don't die from so many causes that would be devastating in the past, and these would be in theory people with the weakest genes. We don't live under the laws of natural selection anymore, at least many of us don't (street dwellers do, as only the strongest ones survive sleeping in the streets malnourished), but this can also be seen as part of our evolution.

We do all of us still live under the laws of natural selection, although our selection pressures differ somewhat from the past. Nature is probably busily working away right now on selecting out people who don't look both ways when crossing a street, or who gorge excessively on sugar and fat, or who are so obsessed with Linux that there's no chance of getting it on, ever.  And of course all those people who die or lose fertility due to allopathic medicine and industrial chemicals.

The rise of infertility in the industrialised nations is a huge indicator that the pressures are there. And it hits those who are well-educated and financially comfortable as much as anyone.

Natural selection never stops but you have to look at it from a longer timescale. 

On this 'weakening the gene pool' thing - apes having at least 16 medicinal herbs in their medical tool kit, and humans, for a long time now, have been dabbling with antibiotics, lenses for myopia, wound sterilisation, bone-setting....

I understand the wish to stay anonymous in order to avoid retribution for critical opinions... but for me it's more important to be able to stand by the things I say and have the courage to accept the consequences of them. 

Quote from: lthn on August 09, 2011, 12:48
"Just a simple magnetic field is able to keep antimatter in a container."

What if not? Are you ready for the bang? Can you elaborate a bit, how strong that field should be to contain stuff floating thru acceleration (remember it keeps its momentum...). What are the mechanics of something like that, huh?? I'm sorry I don't want to be rude but you seriously should start reading some science books, not tabloid news. Some more popular-istic stuff will do, try 'The emperor's new mind' by Roger Penrose for starters and talk to some engineers about how 'simple' things like that really are... like the ITER project f.e.

Well, CERN managed to trap anti-hydrogen for 1000 seconds. And they've started work on the world's largest anti-matter trap/containment unit - one which has enough  capacity to contain tens of billions of anti-particles. Anti-matter is already being made in abundance (and can also be found in thunderstorms) but they've only been able to trap it since 2002 - and anti-hydrogen more recently.  It really is only a matter of time....

And woah Roger Penrose is not easy for beginners and doesn't focus on engineering or anti-matter containment

I wonder if that'll bum out CERN with their new anti-proton factory, the antiproton decelerator.

Still, at speeds less than light we won't go very far very fast... and aren't they already creating anti-matter in abundance in various cylotrons around the world?

I remember being shocked that they are already using anti-matter in medicine in the PET scan

Quote from: stockastic on August 02, 2011, 23:17

Quote from: Cogent Marketing on August 02, 2011, 22:40
The only rejections I get are images that are dark, moody and a bit 'left field'. Even studio shots with reflected light get stuffed. I believe they only like really bright well lit sanitized shots

Agreed.  Any attempt at 'dramatic' lighting or shadows is shot down. 

Except for composites : ) With composites there's a get-out-of-jail-free card.  Often had leftfield photos rejected, but never a composite (except my first attempt).

Quote from: lthn on August 03, 2011, 09:58
that rule of thje thirds recited by photographers is hoax invention by unadeucated wannabe photog-educator-experts (the kind you find on SS forums) for even more uneducated amateur photogs. What confuses most ppl is that this rule is used (and supposed to be used) recursively, especially in classic art pieces.

Rather than a hoax, I think it's an approximation of the golden rule.

And it's not just seen or used recursively

A lot of them look like composites to me

Quote from: ShadySue on August 02, 2011, 10:25
H*ck, iStock's rules specifically forbid buyers to "use or display any Content that features a model or person in a manner (a) that would lead a reasonable person to think that such person uses or personally endorses any business, product, service, cause, association or other endeavour", but with many, many in-uses found which do just that, it's clear they have no interest in enforcing the rule. :-(

That's so odd. The model signs a release in order to allow their image to be used to promote products and services AND at the same can't look like they're endorsing the products or services

My theory why we like the  the rule of thirds/golden rule in photography is that the human eyes are placed at the intersections of the rule. We don't look at the nose, which would be the centre.  It doesn't make much sense for us to prefer diffferent positions in landscapes, only faces.  The only explanation would be that from unconsciously seeing these patterns everywhere in nature we find them harmonious and natural.

It's even more natural to break the rules tho : )

oh man... play with this!  I've always been crap at maths, but changing the numbers into shapes opens up a whole new universe.  It's freaky.

Make a grid - huge as you can.

Put 1 box (square) there, and then another one next to it

You'll get a a rectangle made of two squares.  

Make that rectangle into a square by making its short side as long as its long side. Your new box is made of 4 squares (2 by 2)

Put the new box on top of your rectangle.

Together they'll make a rectangle made of 6 boxes (your original 2 and the new box you made)

Make that rectangle into a square by making its short side as long as its long side. Your new box is made of 9 squares (3 by 3)

Put your new box next to your old rectangle (your original 2 and the new box you made)

Together they'll make a rectangle made of 15 boxes

Make that rectangle into a square by making its short side as long as its long side etc (5 by 5)

Put that on top

Repeat repeat

You'll notice that your first box has a length of 1, your second box a length of 1, your third a length of 2, your fourth a length of 3, your fifth a length of 5

1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34 etc etc etc (the fibonacci sequence where you take the two preceding numbers and add them together)

If you keep arranging the new boxes that you've made from the old rectangles in a spiral direction you'll get a giant grid in which, if you wanted, you could trace the perfect spiral.  (google it to get the plan)

From this grid you can also make a golden ruler. The human face is divided according to the golden ruler.

I think the rule of thirds is a corruption of the golden ruler - which would have the middle third narrower than the other two.


Anyway - stop when you start calculating rabbit populations because it went too far for me and it was a long struggle back. I get why mathematicians get so excited now....

This is good news : ) Our famous people look like video game characters. The next logical step would be for them to all have samurai swords and flame throwers.

Quote from: RacePhoto on July 26, 2011, 06:53

Quote from: fotografer on July 24, 2011, 09:42

Quote from: Oshoot on July 23, 2011, 23:30
There is a thread about this topic at SS, and it appears to have been going on since February. Non-payment, as well as a growing list of other unanswered concerns and complaints seem to be the norm there. Check it out:

http://submit.shutterstock.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=108082

Looks like financial trouble. 

A hand full of people reporting non payment against 1000s that have been paid does not look like financial trouble.
It will almost certainly be some sort of paperwork problem.

Odd that the same small group, six new members here as far as posts, should suddenly come post to complain in the same thread. Very odd?

Read the messages, most of them have changed email addresses, changed payment sites or changed something including asking for a second payment for one that was not received. One of them has quoted clearly that SS is holding the payment for them.

Yes, SS should reply.

Other people are getting paid at the same time. Makes you wonder if there isn't more to this whole thing that isn't being reported.

Some is very suspicious about this whole issue.

It would seem more logical than odd.  People have been asking on the ss forum for some time, and they haven't been getting any response.  It's only natural, when nobody is listening, to take it to a wider forum.

The problem does seem to be that payment methods have been changed, but they deserve an email response. What else can they do when no one is helping them? 

SS should at least reply to their emails.

I just went to the luminous landscape forum and saw the post (in response to Leaf) about us all being misguided; and then I read a few other threads - and one thing really jumps out and strikes you...

they have to do an awful lot of boring things that don't have anything to do with photography at all: getting clients, dealing with clients, running galleries, printing things, selling themselves, selling their images oh god snooooooooze

Sure, if you love admin and marketing and doing what other people want it's fine. If you don't there's stock.  There's RM where you get paid once, and then there's RF where you probably ultimately get the same but it comes in tiny drops over time.

If there's a choice between having to shoot a wedding and not having to shoot a wedding then I know where I want to be - far away shooting whatever I want.

Quote from: lthn on July 23, 2011, 23:09

Quote from: luceluceluce on July 22, 2011, 18:55

Quote from: Smithore on July 22, 2011, 18:43
The truth is very easy to catch:
Microstockers are people who work very hard to feed some gangsters who rule the liberal business and go to destroy all photography activities around the world in some years, just don't be blind please.

If blindness means loving what we do, doing what we want and living how we want ... then bring it on!!! : ) 

I suspect you fail to differentiate betwen loving phtotgpraphy, which is a craft or an art, as you wish preceive it, or loving microstock which is a business model / agency. Do you seriously say that you love fotolia / istock / ... whatever? You must be joking...

It's difficult to fail to differentiate between photography in general and microstock. The shots that interest me, and probably most of us, are not the shots microstock would accept (although perhaps should accept). But I can't deny the results and what microstock has allowed - which is huge amounts of freedom. I feel massively lucky to be doing this....

Quote from: luissantos84 on July 23, 2011, 00:15

Quote from: luceluceluce on July 22, 2011, 19:29

Quote from: luissantos84 on July 22, 2011, 18:38
I have a bridge picture that sell "very well" and has like 2 years.. 3 or 4 months ago a very similar one got in, only the sky ain´t bright and blue, that picture is taking me sales but I cannot say the person copied me but might be..

http://us.fotolia.com/id/12830930
http://us.fotolia.com/id/26800123

They're definitely different. His has more of the bridge  - check the edges

the weather is a little different too, my point is that FT should have rejected his picture.. he his taking some sales from mine for sure

If it's a landmark, why should they reject his?  His is a wider panaroma and the lighting and amount of detail is different.  They're very similar but to be honest I have a hard time differentiating between two blonde smiling office workers - and in microstock there are tons of those

Quote from: luissantos84 on July 22, 2011, 18:38
I have a bridge picture that sell "very well" and has like 2 years.. 3 or 4 months ago a very similar one got in, only the sky ain´t bright and blue, that picture is taking me sales but I cannot say the person copied me but might be..

http://us.fotolia.com/id/12830930
http://us.fotolia.com/id/26800123

They're definitely different. His has more of the bridge  - check the edges

Quote from: Smithore on July 22, 2011, 18:43
The truth is very easy to catch:
Microstockers are people who work very hard to feed some gangsters who rule the liberal business and go to destroy all photography activities around the world in some years, just don't be blind please.

If blindness means loving what we do, doing what we want and living how we want ... then bring it on!!! : ) 

Yes, but my living costs are low because i spend a lot of time on the beach.

Quote from: Microstock Posts on July 21, 2011, 21:19

Quote from: luceluceluce on July 21, 2011, 21:08
How's the monsoon for you? 

There are no monsoons here. I live in a country with the most idyllic weather (for me anyway). The temperature is around 28 - 32 c, all year round. In the past there were definite rainy seasons, but now noone can figure out what months they are in and it doesn't really rain like the monsoons in India.

I always fanced living in kathmandu valley for that reason... some places are just spooky like that. I do my fair share of complaining about the monsoon but for skyscapes and landscapes it's wild and insane.  And so often you get those black skies with sunlight breaking through - the kind of light that makes post-processing a crime. The only problem is the rain danger : S We had an elephant working next door a couple of days ago - in the drizzle - and I don't think i scored any coolness points the way I had a tea towel draped over the top of my camera.

Quote from: BaldricksTrousers on July 21, 2011, 23:36

Quote from: luceluceluce on July 21, 2011, 20:49
So what's this thing about 123rf images still not being deleted?

If you have a portfolio over at 123, then do a search on pixmac for a 123 image of yours that is at least six months old. Once you find one there, click on your name under the picture and you get however much of your portfolio they have there.

Or just click this http://www.pixmac.com/author/luceluceluce%40rf

I think i'm opted in on bigstock resellers option. Is there any way of injecting our images with radiactive ink so we can track them? Or some kind of design with a really hot poker... urgh no, bad, we'd have to deal with a whole new set of image rights issues

Quote from: Microstock Posts on July 21, 2011, 17:55

Quote from: luissantos84 on July 21, 2011, 16:58
like we are here asking for this and that.. how about a profile feature showing how many people we are ignoring?

Now that is something that I want.

yes : D

Quote from: Microstock Posts on July 21, 2011, 20:52
As you and I both probably know there are 2 types of India (the same like there are 2 types of Indonesia, which is where I live) which makes this conversation a little confusing. There's the Indian who will never own a dslr or even pick up a dslr in his/her life and there is the Indian who can afford to upgrade his/her equipment on a regular basis and wants and can afford the latest in thing, the tech-savy middle class that you referred to. The first kind which is the majority, won't be doing microstock. The second kind could do it but wouldn't see the point. They wouldn't be too impressed seeing 25 cents or $1 attached to their downloads. I was mainly referring to the second kind. Yes I know that in microstock you can make decent money and all the small amounts add up, but it takes time and I just don't see too many of them being able to see that far. I may well be proved wrong though.

It will be interesting to see how it turns out : )  Although I don't think there's only two kinds of indians anymore. When all your neighbours kids suddenly start getting laptops, and they're not urban westernised kids either, it means the world's definitely changed for a lot of people.  Also I do think there are a lot of call centre workers and marketing executives who would love to throw it over for something creative - and still get the same salary. But there definitely isn't that demarkation between the poor and the super-wealthy middleclass anymore - there are tons of shades between.  And to me it seems like a country ready to explode with power.

India is home in my heart and the changes I've seen in such a short time are overwhelming. I really believe many, many young and talented people will jump at the chances microstock offers. With hard work they can easily achieve $500-$1000 a month - and that's not bad at all here.

How's the monsoon for you?