These things are so frustrating. Why do they think that we will not notice??

Do they really believe they will get the deactivated 7 million files back with a "trick"?

Or that because now a year has passed, we no longer care about our content?

I am so tired of these things. Looks like SS is the only agency that pays attention to their reputation in the stock community.

I don�t want to give up working with Fotolia. But I have ZERO interest in DPC. Absolutely none.

So, to my question; if I want to earn say $5000 per year, how many images will I need to have online?  Can I, realistically expect a steady dribble year in, year out if I stop uploading regularly?

It's a long post (sorry about that) but hopefully answers to this post will help other newbies in managing their expectations

Cheers
Ralph

You will need several thousand images, how many will depend on subject matter, less if you have high quality lifestyle and much, much more if you do travel/landscape/small studio snaps.

No, if you stop uploading, your income will drop, on some agencies it will drop extremely fast.

The only chance might be if you are an expexrt at a certain subject, say you are a medical doctor in a specialised field and can produce high quality content in a certain niche that other people don�t have access too, like a whole porftolio filled with thousands of surgery images, brain tumor removal etc...

But if you want to build another portfolio of travel images, chances are somebody else has already been there before you and the quality is much higher.

What stock can give you, however, is enough money to pay for all your gear. And it is also a good learning experience to improve your work.

So I would continue to upload, learn from what the customers download and then see if you can make a stable 200 dollars a month. Once you reach that, you will have enough experience to understand where you can take your stock journey.

Ok, I just found a way to log into my old portal where I can access my statements and can see the announcement.

It actually looks like a sensible move. Simplification is usually good for customers and it brings prices closer to what Offset is doing and is still much more expensive than 500 pix. But Offset and 500 pix have very, very simple pricing structures. I am sure that appeals to many clients.

What we don�t see is how they are structuring their extended licenses. They can be quite a major amount of money.

I just read the title, I didn�t get the email. I also see no changes here in Germany. I just understood it to be they would have the same system as istock.

So please can someone explain what exactly is changing.

I think there is a place for everything, microstock is just as interesting and fascinating as macrostock or niche content for me. And it is not a clear division, macro agencies also sell your files for less than a dollar, while micro agencies suddenly drop a 120 dollar license into your bag.

istock is still one of the big three agencies, so I would at least join, upload 100 files and see what your results are. And if Getty gets a new CEO with ideas, maybe they will get some traction again.

I wouldn�t expect miracles, but if you are starting out, I�d include them for the first year and see what returns you get.

Well, what the large studios with 50 people make, just gives you an upper level.

I need to compare my ambitions with those of other single artists.  I don�t mind working slowly over many years, I just need a realistic goal.

If I believe that I need 10 000 files to make 2000 dollars a month just on SS with photos, then I have no problem with that. I also don�t care if someone else can achieve that with 500. I just need a realistic perspective for myself.

So for me, I will try to become better in video and plod along slowly with normal photos. For faster returns with photos, I can send other content elsewhere.

It�s ok, it�s not a problem.

Reliable income streams, SS and many others, it all adds up.

There is no reason to be angry, you have done really well and should be very proud. I hope you continue to be successful.

It would be great if we could maybe get a general idea of how many downloads top portfolios have, if yuri had 3000 a day, instead of 600, that would bring a different perspective. Or maybe his fathers post was a very old one and is getting quoted again and again over the years.

I really like the fotolia system where they give you a total rank and a weekly rank based on your downloads. Makes it easy to see where you stand and how far you can still  go. And the number is private, so just by looking at your port people don know where you stand.

The question how we can best make money is complicated, some will go for the trendy stuff and do well, others will plod along with boring things and also achieve whatever goal they have.

For me the biggest challenge was to figure out what type of contents sells best at a specific agency. I hope I now have a system that will work for me.

I Understand as well, if you have hit a goldmine niche and fear copycats. On the other hand, my portfolio is visible and can be copied, but it can also be discussed.

The number of possible daily downloads is important so that people can get an idea of how much to invest in a shoot.

Since yuris dad disclosed somewhere that yuri was getting around 600 downloads a day, it has served as an upper level that probably no single artist will break.


How much i make of course depend  on the mix of license types. Obviously downloads over 100 dollars are preferred to 36 cent downloads. So downloads alone don't give you the real picture.

And every experience is different.

So if things are working well for you, good luck.

I am not unhappy with my SS experience, there is a lot to like about the place and the great people they have.

But after 2 years of being Indie I am now putting  my experiences at different places together and for SS the major focus will be video. Fotolia will get more exclusive files etc...

Of course I will still send photos, I'll just adjust the mix of files to the returns i expect.

ETA: That picture of father and son was uploaded last October and had 13 downloads. It earned 6 dollars. I am not impressed.

Obviously I could upload more from the series and wait and wait and hope to get lucky, or take it out and put it into a better environment for the file.

It �s the same for many other files, also on Fotolia. I am taking stuff down, making other files exclusive. And then I will send them content on what they sell best.

i agree with many Thinges you say cesar, but i am not as new to stock as my portfolio looks. The image with father and son will be deactivated, i made around 10 dollars so far, and it is only available at SS at the moment. some of the static images around it made over 200. These are files created in 2005-2008 uploaded in 2013/14 to SS.

But the video of father and son makes very good money.

So for me the active people shots will go upstream where I earn more money.

And that i have to upload every day to push my portfolio is a big negative, at other agencies good files keep moving up, even if you don't upload daily.

I want a reliable income stream, not a two month spike and then neverland. Good files can earn money for many, many years .

i am glad it is working so well for you, unfortunetely  i don't have that experience. i have started to deactivate some files and am moving them upstream for better returns. Generic content, especially stuff on white is doing well there, so I'll upload more. everybodies journey is different. But for video I am �berimpressed what they are getting out of my files.

ask in their help Forum and Write to Support.

Otherwise you'll have to contact the Model and get them to sign a new release.

I keep hearing more about sales on 500pix. It would be great if they take off, because everyone can join their marketplace. I think there is a lot of interest in a community driven high end place.