Sorry if this has already been discussed as I'm sure it has been in the past.

Do you think it is worth it to clean up (delete) old images?

I started a few years ago on one site just trying to get old dumpy photos off my hard drive and put them to work. At that point I had no intention of continuing on with microstock - uploading to other sites and actually attempting to make money by shooting specifically for stock. Because of that approach, I have a bunch of crappy images up on my oldest site as well as a crappy acceptance ratio. Lately it has been climbing month to month and the past three months were about 70%, 88%, and this month so far 100%.

Do you think its a good idea to take them down, especially if they don't make any money or keep them up just incase they might someday? What would be the cons of taking them down? The pros of keeping them up?

Uhm. Yes?

I don't think its a big deal if people dont know "who" I am. Looking at my online portfolios wouldn't even really tell you how much money I take in. It would just satisfy peoples nosy side and really get them no where in regards to helping me out. I am looking to see what other peoples experiences are in this instance regarding IS. I'm looking for generic advice and experience, not so much personalized services...in other words, I dont need someone to look at my photos and make assumptions as to whether they would sell or not. With that said - heres more information that might make this post more relevant for some people.

At DT, I have a folio of about 360 something images and make around $15-$30 a month. Not much at all.
SS I just started with and have made about $50 with 90 some odd images in a few months. I make just about the same amount at SS as DT.
StockXpert was third and I've got about 40 images and have only really made around $7. Haha. Ive only been uploading a month or two. I guess compared to some people thats pretty pitiful, but its better than nothing.

Ah the age old Canon vs Nikon debate continues here.

I started with a 35mm Nikon...got more lenses, upgraded my bodies, and bought and sold more lenses. As a beginner, I had no real reason to go with nikon instead of canon, I just got a camera I liked. I have stuck with it basically because of how much money I have put into lenses and such for Nikon products. I guess it sucked me in.

Honestly, personally, I like Nikon better than Canon. Some people complain if a camera is too heavy - and from my experience Nikon is usually heavier. But imho, I think that feels much more sturdy and better for me. I like where the controls are on Nikons as compared to Canon. I guess I like my cameras for stupid reasons.

But when you look at it, both brands are the top of the line. They both make great cameras that produce about the same quality results. I have heard that Nikon has more noise problems at high isos than Canon, but I dont really see a huge difference honestly. I'd suggest you read up on each camera from each brand to find what suits your needs. Someone above me said that lenses are more important than bodies and that is absolutely true. So make sure you get good glass and with either brand you will likely be happy. Also another tip is to go to the store and feel out the cameras. If you dont like the controls, you probably wont like the camera. Even if you intend to buy online or through a catalog, still go to the store and mess around with your camera candidates.

Lastly, try not to get caught up in the whole Canon vs. Nikon debate. There is no final answer to which is better. Good luck!

I don't mean to beat a dead horse and I apologize if this question has been asked a thousand times. I got accepted to IS a long time ago. At that point, I was only on DT but had decided to try to venture out to other sites. IS was my first choice but when I started to upload absolutely everything was getting rejected. On top of that, it is just so much work to get any image up there because it has the absolute worst system of upload imho. I got three images (I think) accepted (no sales yet, but thats expected) and just got fed up with it. I have since been uploading at SS and StockXpert fairly regularly and FT once in a while since I have less acceptance there as well. I guess my question is: should I bother to try again at IS? I know that of the people who are on there, it is up there as their top seller. But I hear its even getting more difficult there lately for non exclusives. I don't make much money at this...I try to shoot for getting a few images up a week on each site. I am by no means making tons of cash at this, but I'd like to try to make a bit more. Should I stick with what I'm doing or make another go at IS?

PS I realize this might be hard to answer if you cannot see my current sites and what I'm doing there as far as photography goes. But I choose to remain anonymous here for my own reasons. So please do your best if you have suggestions for me. Thanks a lot in advance everybody!

I dont sharpen every single image, but most of them. The big thing is if you are going to print a digital image...then it definitely needs to be sharpened.

Thanks everybody...since I wrote this post I've slowly been uploading and am up to around 45 images. I've had about 6 or 7 sales now, so I'm not too worried about it anymore. If I were more ambitious and got more of my portfolio up, I'm sure things would pick up. But thanks anyway.

Averil-

I never noticed that. I'll definitely give that a try.

Thanks everybody.

Has anyone had issues with RedBubble in the past where you had to contact them? I just want to know how long it usually takes them to get back to you.

I recently (yesterday) found out that someone is impersonating me on that site, using about 15 or so of my photos that they ripped from other art websites (which I have since put all into storage to discourage this from happening). I emailed support, but have yet to hear back from them.

I don't understand why everyone is in such a tizzy that this guy isn't uploading as much to SS as he was in the past. Why can't people just worry about themselves? In a way (and I hope I don't get flamed for this) this is good for other people who dont make that crazy amount of money...more of a chance for your images to sell...

I looked at the images he posted on the ss forums. Some of them I can understand the rejections. Some are dark and underexposed, some have blown out areas, some have white balance issues.

I think the reasons that SS and other sites are getting more difficult with quality is because the industry is growing so rapidly. If you go to any of the top sites and search the oldest images, you'll see that a lot of them are complete crap. Back when these sites started, they just needed a catalogue. Now, they have one...they need really good images, not just any old images. Obviously this is a drastic example, but come on, when something is exposed poorly, it will get rejected. Get over it. (Not directed at Forgiss...more at everyone else whos complaining about it)

Hi-

I've been uploading to stockxpert for a few weeks now (a little under a month I think) and have a gallery of only 33 images, but thats a lot for me to put on in a month. I have yet to have a sale. Now, I know that at some other sites, it takes a little while to get going (aka, get sales) for most people. So I'm wondering if its the same here or if it's me. Anything will help me understand since I'm not super familiar with the site yet. Thanks a lot.

Will do! Thanks for the heads up. (They super picky about it there?)

I had a feeling this would be unanimous among posters. Thanks everybody for the advice. I think I will just try to get into shutterstock and istock and see what happens for now.

Hi-

Im new to these forums. But I had a question. I have had advice from one or two people, but I want to see what the majority says.

I am an exclusive contributor at DT. I have been thinking about branching out to other sites. Up until now (and this kind of still applies) I haven't really had the time to spend shooting stock and uploading, keywording, etc. As of right now I have 283 uploads and 168 sales, so I was thinking about moving on to another site. SS was suggested as well as Istock. (Of course, the big two). Long ago I was rejected from one of them (I honestly cant remember which one it was)...it was a long time ago and I think I could get in this time around.

What I want to know is...is it worth it for me to drop the dt exclusivity and try selling other places? If I stick to dt and keep my exclusivity, is it possible to do just fine there?