Huch:

Considering the anniversary as well as price increase, we've decided to offer all our imagery free of charge for the day. Designers or simple members will be able to download any images for free, promoting the site to their business partners, associates or friends. This is available only for a 24 hour window on April 1st 2011 and should allow everyone to adjust to the new price structure.

April Fools. Try it

Coffee with sugar

I received your card yesterday, too, Maria - Thanks!

I noticed the same thing. Mac and FF here. Sean's greasemonkey script was awesome, a sad ending to his hard work. The new CSS look horrible as is, but I figure its still work in progress. I guess I eventually grow accustomed to anything, even IS' methods.

Quote from: RT on February 24, 2011, 07:13

That might apply in the family portrait business but certainly not in the commercial world, quality of work aside, easy access, free parking, wifi and a good coffee machine will beat "rich, elegant and valuable" every single day of the week. As for stock images apart from the obvious fact of being able to use the settings in your image what your studio looks like won't make a single difference.

It's a lovely studio with lots of lovely kit which would be a joy to work in, but the one and only thing that matters about a studio is what comes out of it.

Doesn't apply to the commercial world??? It applies to all worlds. It doesn't matter if you're selling photography services or toasters for peoples kitchens. I can go to Wal-Mart and buy a plain white cotton tshirt off the clearance rack for $3 or I can go to a store in the country club plaza and buy the same shirt for $50. Either way it's a plain white cotton shirt. So, what makes the difference? Wal-Mart has a 90 yr old woman wearing a blue smock with a yellow happy face on it greeting me when I walk in the door. The store at the plaza has atmospheric lighting, designer dressed 20 yr old girls behind the counter, hardwood floors, trendy music, pleasant fragrances in the air, art on the walls, modern decor that isn't for sale and serves no purpose only to take up space and make the place look good and when I leave they don't throw my items in a thin plastic bag that rips before I get to my car. They neatly fold my shirt and place it in a designer bag with their branding graphics on it and a little thank you note stuck inside. Appearance of the business directly effects the value of the services and products for more industries than I can count .. photography included.

In terms of microstock photography, if Yuri would have invested in that studio and not shown it then no it wouldn't have any effect on his business. That's not the case though. He did show it and now that concept of luxury is associated with his name. Even if people dont realize it consciously it's still in the back of their minds. That is far more powerful than having 4 beauty dishes and however many lights there was in that video.

As you run a portrait studio, I can see your point. Very valid for direct business to consumer sales, which you show perfectly well in your wall-mart example. IMHO, your line of thinking is less valid for numerous other business models. In marketing for manufacturing - for example - , appearance and a fine studio don't mean that much. It's performance (in terms of output, working safely, and within time provided), as well as references, that count. In my experience, most business to business shoots are also predominantly organized on location.

In that respect, I tend to perceive stock photography as "business to business". Selling images online through agents, I have very little  - if any - interaction with clients, so what would they care what my setup looks like, nor do they care about the fanciness of my studio. All that matters is they can use the images I provide, at a price-license point they're willing to commit to.

The speculative thing that triggers me in Yuri's investment is not so much the  capacities of his gear, nor the stunning styling of his studio, but the business plan behind it. Of course, Yuri won't share that much. To me, the sole thing of the awesome set-up and facilities he had (has?) in his green house are two worlds apart from his - equally awe-inspiring  - current setup. Speculative, it could imply he's diverting his business setup to target his market share more directly - such rumors have been around for a while, and are also frequently addressed in the ktools thread. I can only presume it's stock related, but even that could be a stretch - and good for him! . 100k in gear or 10k in marketing? all fine, as long as you stay ahead of your competition. And Yuri seems to have a plan, and the cash flow to put it together. Good for him.

Time for us to stop telling how business is to be run, and start thinking how it should be run in the future.

Others,
(�)My forecast is that half the replies here will be negative, human nature being what it is.

That's a self fulfilling statement. It has nothing to do with being less successful, unless you want to challenge Mr. Arcurs' throne as dominating player in stock photography. It all depends on the business model you adopt for yourself.

@Yuri_Arcurs: Awesome setup, and from what I managed to read behind the lines, I appreciate providing the insight in the key motivators behind your choices. What happened to your old studio?

The main thing I wonder about the is the styling of the studio rooms and the props, How do you determine their life-span before they're getting out-dated? With the ever-changing trends and fashion styles, it seems to me, that any wardrobe has a rather short shelf-life, before it needs to be replaced with something newer, and basically, the same applies to the interior design.  (The boarding on the studio walls sure looks stylish now, but I remember yanking them out when I moved houses, a few years ago)

Corepics, have you received any?  Should we send a second card with the correct code, or do they eventually make their way?

Sorry for the late reply - been a bit busy.

I've received a lot of postcards too In random order:
Ann's card - cool processing, and I admire the touch of the protective sleeve and your handiwork!
Race - Vintage stamps still still unstamped, great touch, very cool idea; would love to see the whole pano.
Leaf - the correct postal code, indeed Low POV makes it a very strong image!
Opla - The one with the wrong postal code did arrive, so it makes a great comparison between the glossy and the matte version, thanks! (Not sure which I like best; considering the fine print (choice of lens), I'd go for the matte version)
cclapper: happy accident shots are usually the finest; lovely mood!
Mellimage: definitely a good choice; I dig the drop on the petals.
Elvinstar: Shaken, not stirred, I Presume?

Thanks, I really enjoy digging out those gems from between the invoices and junkmail in our mailbox, these days!





 so my slip-up with the postal code wasn't that serious after all:

Hmmm. Opla has a very valid point. I'm afraid my postal code is incorrect. it should be 2281GK (And not 2032KA). Don't know what got into me when I passed Race that info, nor why I didnt' notice that earlier...

I'm very sorry about that. Hope I'm still on time.

My Correct postal code is 2281GK

Cheers,

Hugo

I just finished writing and putting stamps on the cards - They'll be in the mail shortly! Looking forward to receiving yours

OK, Got the new list, too - thanks!

I bought a OD package there and you can't download in full sizes. It's small and medium jpeg only, and the amount of images you can purchase is very limited. It's not thefts in my opinion

You can buy the full sizes via On Demand, if you buy the right package. See http://www.shutterstock.com/subscribe.mhtml, and op in for either 5 or 25 Downloads of the "All JPG and Vector sizes" OD subscription. Is it possible you bought the "Small & Med JPEG size only" package?

Happy Holidays everyone!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIkqKjuxq6c[/youtube]