Quote from: HalfFull on October 15, 2018, 11:11

Quote from: SuperPhoto on October 12, 2018, 23:58

So... thinking of uploading to shutterstock...

Then took a look at a few numbers, did some math, and then noticed a few posts talking about 'spammy' portfolios (i.e., 1000 pictures of a pair of shoes, from 0-360 degrees in 0.3 degree increments, etc)...

If my math is correct, it seems on 'average' right now you'd need to have a portfolio size of about 10,000 images to 'make' about $600/year? Does that sound right? (Of course, I realize there would be outliers on both sides), but that seems to the case?

Any agreements/disagreements?

No.

I have less than 10,000 and even if I took a below average daily stats I would be well over that....in a month. Today, for example, I currently have $211.68. A mix of large clip packs, Enhanced, ODDs and SODs plus Subs.

I'd put good money on my earnings being no where near the top and certainly not an outlier.

Sure its possible! a couple of years back every single month was between 2500-3000 a month, easily! no problems at all. Something happened about a year back and that was it! and for some of us that became a doomsday and today I just let my port hang in there, dont upload anymore and since new images dont even see the light of day its no point!
Adobe/Ft have come on strong and fill the loss pretty well and so has Pond-5!  so in the end of day the loss at SS is made up!

You need to upload more gears and bearings 922 mighty not be enough.

Just submitted a batch of videos of a crop duster over a cotton field. Nothing special. No logos on the plane. Pretty straight forward. Got the videos back for revision with a request for a property release. Now... Can't really understand if these clowns want a property release for the crop duster or the cotton field. Dear lord... Is there no limit to the incompetence of iStock reviewers???

Nice troll

The increase is welcome, thanks. BUT, I am Sapphire and I am getting the same royalty as Gold. Shouldn't higher rank mean a higher royalty?

Not if you look at the new as, two levels Silver and below 9999, or Gold and above 10,000 anybody who can get 1000 downloads is in the 1st level. Everybody above 10,000 is the same now.

Crap. Utter crap. Crappy site taking on millions of unscreened snaps of poor quality. Shambles. Controlled, capped sales. Rubbish.

That's why it took you a year to get 7 accepted on SS they had standards back then.

Quote from: EssexVIG on September 20, 2018, 16:09

There are 2,115 images, 22 pages shown as being for sale at this moment.
Now slightly off topic, I recently posted a shot of a wall in Verona that was covered in lovers messages and it was rejected as Non-Licensable Content (they do have many shots of the same subject for sale however). So how can you have shots of the items on this page, when it would be fair to say they are registered designs without any doubt. Any answers???

This has come up many times over the years. One theory is that people who do the reviewing are also photographers with portfolios and an image that is similar, so they reject it so theirs doesn�t have competition. Or, as you said, they already have many shots of the same thing. Maybe the images just don�t sell, so why keep accepting them? Who knows, their game, their rules.

https://www.shutterstock.com/contributorsupport/articles/en_US/kbat02/Why-was-my-content-rejected-for-Artwork-Property-Release?l=en_US&c=ContributorKB%3AContent_Rejection_Reasons

Graffiti & Murals are unacceptable.

Hi all,

This year has been a bit of a struggle with being let go from work when my office shut down and then more health stuff. So I took the time to finish a project I started more than a year ago. I started writing a (fiction) book and it is finally complete! It is now available for "pre-sale" on Kindle, B&N, Kobo, etc... I am a published author! The book goes "live" on August 18th.

https://books2read.com/TRDavis-Flashback

If you don't see your preferred vendor listed please be patient, some are still being approved or you can contact me directly. If anyone does try it, I hope that you enjoy it. And please leave a review where you bought it if you can, even just a rating and whether you liked it or not (this is not a kids or young adult book, fyi).

Sounds in tune with the times, hope it's a hit and you can get an advance to write another.

Quote from: SuperPhoto on August 07, 2018, 15:54

Never done wedding photography. Why would you say it is stressful?

Quote from: farbled on August 07, 2018, 10:13

Quote from: Pauws99 on August 07, 2018, 08:42

The fact is making money in what can loosely be called "the arts" is mostly very tough and competitive....for short time microstock allowed people to make reasonable money shooting more or less what they pleased when they felt like it. That was never going to last and even now you can still make a few $$$s without working very hard. Things like wedding photography are infinitely more stressful.

I hated wedding shooting. Loved shooting other events though. I worked for a company that assigned memory cards at the start and collected them at the end, it certainly made you a quick study if you wanted a second gig.

It involves people ;-). Get it wrong on their big day and you are in a whole heap of trouble and your business will be toast....

Same as here, get it right and people will still find something to complain about. Some people are always finding fault and complaining, they are whiners not winners. Weddings want the cheapest price for the photos and expect top professional services and quality. Just like micro?

Quote from: Pauws99 on July 16, 2018, 12:17

I believe you are overthinking it....all products in any industry have a similar life cycle. Nothing "special" about microstock pictures.

Or microstock the business, the agents, or our photos. Secret codes, where does this come from, sci-fi movies? "Klaatu barada nikto"

Yes it does and freedom of speech is not a license to be stupid. But forums are a place for anyone to put up any crazy idea and somebody will believe them and repeat it as a fact. Dumb is dumb all over. Doesn't matter how many people say the same dumb things, that isn't making it more truth.

Yada,yada,Yada...perfect name, like who cares..... must have been a bad critique.And I do have More experience than you will EVER have with that closed,Twisted,VILE Mind. Back to ignore. Do you ever have anything constructive to say or just follow me and others around... I helped more Folks with Talent in 24 Hours than you ever have or will....EVER. PERIOD. your post is reported.Your a real piece of work man. Or Miss Yada whatever BS......

Classic anonymous name.My Name is Laurin Rinder. Google My name, then google yours. IDIOT!!!!! I did more with my life By the time I was 18 than you ever will.Have I and do I promote Myself? hell yes and those who don't are gonna fail in the Long run. so, Stay negative man, Whatever you do. I'll take the High road. I won't read your answer or your Rant, I see a crack in a door, I don't wonder whats on the other side,,,,I just knock the * thing down.
I have a copy Of all 55.650 Posts I did On SS and Im working On a book.Theres no place on MSG for me anymore with people filled with anger  Like you and a few others and some that are long gone..

We used to discuss. long time ago I guess. Goodbye everyone. I'll go private. much better and cleaner. No Psycho zone.I get enough people telling me everyday what was said anyway.Note to anyone....pls...no more I don't care. Some great Ones here. are gone.newbs without a clue what this is supposed to be Just Like Stock forums . and some great Old timers also that say it like it is. Thanks .

Bye, Bye. Gee maybe I'll come back as anonymous and get away with hate.... Naw. I gotta make money. Hate don't pay well. Hope you guys figure out this controlled revenue thing.I have enough folks to talk about this privately.
Thanks Yada for killing a possible meaningful Discussion that required experience.

Homie don't Play this game.

This is not about you, or your reviews, not about you as a drummer when you were very young and I'm sure that was a brave move to go out and do that. The questions are about here and now and microstock. Not 50,000 messages on SS, but the business and microstock now.

You make up anything, like 30 important friends, to impress us, but they don't exist. Tell us why you left istock? You call it leaving and say we should follow, but the truth is you got kicked out and account closed. Why was that? Inquiring minds would like the truth.

Asking for the truth is not a personal attack, you take it that way and come back attacking. Then you block and will leave the forum, like you have so many times before. You've left the SS forums forever at least four times, maybe five. When you get caught, you make up a bigger new version and leave.

If you have proof of controlled revenue, which is the question, show us. I have friends too and some see a big drop, some see flat earnings, some are still uploading and working and making more money. Seems here that a couple of people who never made much, are complaining for eight years, now they say it's controlled income. Someone who only get 3-5 downloads a day, isn't going to see much variation are they.

Tell us what your 30 friends have found, some details, numbers, facts.

And maybe leave off the rant, personal attacks and bragging. Lets talk about microstock and the controlled revenue claims.

Quote from: Uncle Pete on July 17, 2018, 10:33

Quote from: Herg on July 17, 2018, 10:16

SS is dead, Completely flatlined since Friday. It's over folks.

At least your view of Micro hasn't changed in 7-8 years?

Quote from: Herg on April 23, 2011, 03:59

Still absolutely dire. Really really awful sales. I am on target to earn the lowest amount in nearly 2 years. I have pretty much written Istock off as they have basically destroyed most of what was good about them.

If I didn't know any better I would think you were a stalker. Have you got a file on me ?

He doesn't have to, http://www.microstockgroup.com/profile/?area=showposts;u=4579 plus you wrote something, what's wrong with someone quoting you?

Terrible month. Photo sales have dropped every month this year so far. Dec up to now is even worse. Absolutely awful.

final comment(s) from me---

Many 'Artists' don't understand the buyers needs - heck, they don't even understand why they are taking the photos in the first place. Before you shoot answer why first...

Yes, why would someone buy this, what's the message, if there's no concept or use, why take the photo? Numbers don't make sales, if they ever did. I could delete all but my top 50 on SS and still be making over $100 a month.

I know people here have said this many times before but the message falls on deaf ears. It's not how many photos and not the agencies fault, what are the photos?

Quote from: jonbull on July 05, 2018, 14:26

Quote from: Uncle Pete on July 05, 2018, 11:13

Quote from: Zero Talent on July 05, 2018, 10:51

Quote from: rinderart on July 04, 2018, 16:25

I just Like to see the work. call me crazy. people can write till there blue. oh, on a good Note and Bad note June was my Best month On SS in 27 Months. good but sad.Vast majority was 6/7 year old stuff.

Pretty much the same for me: June was my best month on SS in 20 months, except that my new stuff has a decent selling rate.

And no, you are definitely not crazy. I also "like to see the work".
What I don't like is to share mine. 

There's another place I can agree. I sure enjoy that most popular on SS is totally absurd and wrong. At least someone can't go look at my best sellers and start making copies or better versions. That's why I don't post my latest great seller or best earning shots. I'm not inviting 100 thousand people, scuffling for quarters, to come copy my ideas. 

New images will struggle up hill against the flood of new images coming down. I've pointed this out before but for some reason people don't see the serious effects.

2010 10 million images, sales were still reasonably good.

2012 (when the big earnings drop started) 20 million images

Now 200 million images and 1 million or more, new a week. How many buyers are there, what's the demand or need? That would have also needed to grow 100 times and even then, ratios don't explain that the market is just not big enough to sell like it did, with less competition. I'd have to upload 100 times my total, every year, just to keep up. Or we'd need 100 times more buyers every year?

Slice of the pie is going to be smaller. No way around that. The growth of earnings in Microstock has stagnated, for many regressed.

Every other "general" agency is the same or worse. Maybe, a select few agencies are still growing because they are selective, concentrate on video, or have a specific market.

this is a finished business for contributor. still there is some spare mont to be done, but how many contributor earns to make a real living n a modern country? micro can be a good side line earning. primary income is and will be soon impossible. 1millon  images added per week, and it' only the beginning. we soon see 2 3 4 5 10 million per week. there are thousand of potential contributor living in poor country where e en 50 dollar can make a difference at month. personally i'm earning more this year but the work put to earn a 5 % more is abysmal, and not rewarding. i still have a long backlog to upload but i am more interested in rm and small boutique agency.

I live in Venezuela, that true, $100 it's good money. You can live for a month with that $100.

Good to hear that there are still some who benefit from this work. Keep growing. I hope micro makes your life better.

New images make sales, the search changes all the time, maybe by day, I have old that sell and sell, I have some new that caught on and get many sales. I don't think of new vs old I think of what is the image. Age shouldn't matter. I mean to say, people see trends and old vs new, next week they will see new vs old and say old don't sell. They can see whatever they want to see, because there's always change.