a test? gawd I hope so

allow me, those images aren't even up to vacation snapshot standards, let alone iStock standards. they are utter crap. total nonsense.

they are just plain bad. putting them next to our work and charging more for them is insulting. this is only one contributor so far, but you'd think they would have put the best foot forward. no way these are being inspected by the same standards. otherwise we might as well quit spending money on good equipment and start uploading pictures from our cellphones.

I'm embarrassed iStock. and disappointed. I hope you know what you are doing. sigh. I feel tested beyond the limit now.

Taking a stand based on what? Well done.

Joe - it was through my work in design years before I contributed that brought me to iStock in the first place. if you know my posts as well as you say you do, you would remember that. anyways, this is the kind of stuff that usually keeps me from posting in here. I feel strongly about buyers being pointed away from iStock, but I think I've made that point. I'm sorry for independents and what they will go through, for sure. and less productive exclusives who will also be hit hard. I'll be surprised if something isn't modified by HQ, so you can look forward to that.

lol...guess not. I'm fairly certain I won't be getting any from people in here. as for other contributors being worried or concerned, sure. I am too. but I'm almost always willing to give iStock the benefit of the doubt. not to mention, many of the people being attacked are friends or good people who sincerely don't deserve it. I have never subscribed to the us versus them mentality. Getty have continued to allow iStock's culture to flourish, with a sense of community. however, that community continues to grow, exponentially. it was clear five years ago that the model was going to change. I think there's going to be increased business and other positive things to come, as has always seemed to happen in the past. so far, in five years, I've never felt screwed over by iStock or Getty for that matter.

I have also said that I feel for independents. but at the same time, you're independent! you haven't committed to any one site, but you expect a certain level of commitment from them. I'm not sure I understand that. I have committed to a site, and taken all the good and bad that has come with it.

I have no doubt iStock is listening, as they always have, but hardly anyone will give them that credit next time. my guess is that we'll all see some form of concession. the worst part about that is you'll all believe it was because you protested. the concession might even leave us worse off, as concessions made regarding the partner program did. meanwhile many of you were high-fiving about that.

meh, why bother. good luck David, truly.

I hope it is worth it. by your admission, seems you've made a bad business decision if all the emotion is removed and you're cutting corners on things like internet access in your studio. anyways, good luck, you're a nice guy...

I have no doubt iStock would welcome you back at any point, that much I have seen with others who went non-exclusive to make a statement over past changes. still trying to find the heroism in cutting off your nose to spite your face...

I applaud your determination.

I bet you do...I wouldn't expect you to lose sleep over a competitor leaving.

Fwiw David, enjoy the pats on the back, because I think you've made a big error in judgment. Sorry to see you go.

Frankly sharpshot, I think it is best that independents continue to add diversity to istock. I don't think good riddance like many other very competitive contributors think. Istock is better with the mix of contributor types IMO. But taking that many steps further and trying to erode the business there has the potential to make that decision rather permanent.

All of your questions presume that your point of view on the situation provides an accurate prediction of the future available to us at istock. I don't have the same point of view, but I'm not an independent. And taking business from me to suit your career choices (remaining independent) is pretty crappy. Anyways, just offering my ten cents, because there's s pretty big bias here most of the time. But I suspect no one is interested is discussing the value of another perspective. I do hope that istock reconsiders the floor for independents to 20%. Believe it or not, exclusives do care what happens with independents. But you're eroding that sense of support, at least speaking for myself.    

Lisa - I'm sorry you feel I was personally attacking you, which I would never do, to you, or to anyone. but I feel very strongly that it is very bad business to be pushing buyers away from any site and that it could backfire for all of us, short-term and in the long run. leaving iStock out of it entirely....it would be a bad decision, IMO, with any site. biting the hand that feeds you in many ways. having said that, I certainly have acknowledged that I am not in the position of independents. but I am privy to a number of conversations happening at agencies, and it also bothers me to see fellow contributors I know and care about going off the rails and making themselves look less than professional.

you can't really expect support when you are intentionally trying to take business away from all of us. and as I said earlier, which I think is still valid, that this strategy, if you can even call it that, will only work once. if I put myself in the shoes of an independent, you are setting yourselves up to be fairly beholden and vulnerable to the agencies where you put your work after you burn the iStock bridge.

but I do apologize if my tone was rude. the negativity and attempts to pull business from us all have put all of us in very bad moods. no one is enjoying the diatribes.