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Messages - cascoly

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3801
123RF / Re: pending time revisited
« on: August 15, 2011, 19:06 »
123 has a unique definition of pending -- if you send in 10 and 2 are accepted, 2 rejected, the other 6 will have notes about what needs to be fixed, but still will list as pending.

i didnt find this out for a long time, and many 'pending ' had simple things wrong like desc too short, etc

3802
New Sites - General / Re: Art Film Stock
« on: August 15, 2011, 19:03 »
what is your pricing for buyers? i coulldnt find it on the site

3803
Shutterstock.com / Re: Limited Commercial Value Rejection.
« on: August 15, 2011, 18:52 »
i agree with the uselessness of LCV, but unfortunately, lazy reviewers would just use "we have too many of this subject" or "not what we were looking for" or "snapshot"  rather than report an actual technical detail

 i agree compeltely agencies should review for quality ONLY

storage is cheap, and it would relatively easy to copy DT where they delete images that havent sold in 4 years

3804
General - Stock Video / Re: new to stock video
« on: August 11, 2011, 18:04 »
Sorry to hijack the thread,
is there any such thing as "Editorial Footage?"
maybe for even like soccer, F1, or culture celebration etc.. ?

definitely - most sites ask for model releases, and if they're not available treat the footage as editorial

3805
you might also want to check 3d studios [my link's below], especially if you're actually doing 3d stuff.

they take regular stock too - they're small but pay well - from $3 to $20 per sale with a 70% royalty rate

 steve

3806
Just watched this video and it was so nice to see that the people seem friendly and not in the least bit bothered about having their photos taken.  I'm interested in street photography but can't imagine it being this pleasant in the UK.  Looks like I need a trip to Istanbul.
 


all of turkey has that friendliness - same as i've experienced when photographing in iran, syria, egypt , moriocco india & other points in asia  -- my india videos are on pond5 - some examples:
http://www.pond5.com/video-sound-effects-music-after-effects-photos-illustrations/1/cascoly-india.html

my biggest problem has been locals who want their picture taken and who step into my image

3807
Off Topic / Re: Why are you anonymous?
« on: August 08, 2011, 20:57 »
2. Do you think less of the posts of people who are anonymous?

thanks

depends on the content - if it's general response to discussions, i dont see much of a problem

but when the anon is posting supposed advice based on their experience i treat it as near worthless  - eg posts that get specific about portfolio content, rejections, income, etc when there is no trace to examine

3808
I highly doubt that.

First off, in general more people who have a negative experience will raise their voice than people who had a pleasant experience.

Secondly, according to my referrals on SS only 1 in 50 applicants gets in. That's 50 people who will be pi$$ed off vs. one who might not even "like" SS.

I doubt it would work...

compare the amazon feedback system - only 10-20% of my buyers bother to leave feedback,; on ebay it's about 80% response but that's because there is an incentive for ebay buyers to leave feedback..    but ebay also has an anonymous rating system that's abused - eg, i offer free s/h with my items, but i would still get ratings indicating my shipping charge was too high!   [ebay finally changed the system so buyers could not rate any free s/h products in that category, but only after years of complaints from sellers who were being punished by ebay]

poorly planned feedback and rating systems are much worse than npo system at all

3809
Or for example only members of certain sites who has been with that site for at least 3 years can cast a vote.. Just an idea...

It would nearly be impossible to abuse.. Let's say X site has 200.000 members and 120.000 has been a member for more than 3 years.. Only those people should be able to vote.. This will prevent sites creating fake accounts since they will have to wait 3 years to manipulate anything..

Or even better: you must have a google account older than 2 years to be able to participate.. There are many ways to prevent abuse..

nothing is impossible to hack or abuse, and this suggestion cries out for misuse.  look at tripadvisor and other ratings sites that have obvious trolls and competitors spamming.  any anonymous system justs asks for abuse, with the victim having no way to address alleged problems



as far as poll tax requirements - how many sites get 200K 'members'?  why would google even want to address such a tiny proportion of the internet?

3810
General Stock Discussion / Re: What to do with Studio Downtime?
« on: August 02, 2011, 13:25 »
CGI but still clever:

Take a look at HEMA's product page - just wait a couple of seconds and watch what happens...
DON'T click on any of the items in the picture, just wait...

http://producten.hema.nl/

3811
General Stock Discussion / Re: What sites desire textures?
« on: July 30, 2011, 12:51 »


The3dStudio.com

http://t3ds.com/m/468058

from their home page


The3dStudio.com is the oldest and largest 2D & 3D resource site on the Internet. Our collection of 3D models, stock photos / images, and textures for programs such as Autodesk 3ds max, Photoshop, Cinema 4D, Lightwave, Maya, Vue, Blender, and many others is vast and it is growing larger each day. We are your one-stop shop for all things related to 3D Models, Stock Images, and all types of CGI and graphic design.

Sales are slow, but they pay high royalties - averaging from $3 - $10 per sale with a relatively painless submission process  - i've done better with them than with graphics leftovers, feature, yay, deposit and cutcaster combined

3812
iStockPhoto.com / Re: Editorial Propaganda...
« on: July 26, 2011, 15:19 »

Well, to start with you aren't allowed to put the year in the dateline so it should have been rejected for that. Then they want you to repeat all the dateline info PLUS THE YEAR in the caption. Try this and see if it works:

Bray, Republic of Ireland - 12th July: People on a Chairoplane decorated with traditional artwork in Bray, Republic of Ireland, 12th July, 2011.

Of course, this contains absolutely no additional info and uses up a lot more of the 212 characters, but as you can see the 4 Ws are now in the caption (apparently they aren't interested in "why").

I can't give any assurance that my version will be accepted but I reckon it's got a much better chance.

except SS will reject if you use 12th Jul or 12 JUL or Jul 12 - apparently, they think buyers are so dumb they can only understand if the date is written JUL 12, ignoring of course the fact that much of the world handles these variations just fine

3813
iStockPhoto.com / Re: Editorial Propaganda...
« on: July 25, 2011, 19:05 »
  If the images don't make the RM size requirements, then I'll submit them to DT where they will get accepted.  I haven't tried 123 RF yet.

i use the SS required caption [pthough they'll reject if there's a , or . out of place!  most of the ediotiral go thru fine at dreamstime and 123

ss reviewers just get sillier - the latest is rejecting images submitted as editorial because they dont have releases!

s

3814
any agency that allows other stock photographers to be reviewers needs to have at least 2 rules:

1. no reviewer can review subjects they also shoot themselves - have studi photogs review travel, and vice versa.

2. no photographetr/ reviewer should be able to reject for non-technical reasons

as far as the comment about supervisors knowing if bias occurs, there's no way, unless they are checking every batch of reviews

3815
Shutterstock.com / Re: Slow Sales Day + Missing Images
« on: July 14, 2011, 13:22 »
what is all this about SAFE SEARCH? The button is fairly hidden, it's true, but that's not my gripe. I guess that if you don't want your kids to see 'dodgy' pics, then this is reasonable...
My problem is that it is blocking ALL SORTS OF STUFF! From a basket of fruit to a (relatively harmless) scorpion.
Now, I guess some people may be phobic about the scorpion so the 'safe search' option may be protecting them (but I doubt it!) - but a bowl of fruit??? Come on....!
Sigh....

that goes along with SS ban of the word 'colored' as a keyword!

3816
i use both alamy MS for editorials - in MS, editorials sell about twice the rate of my RF.  most of my editorials are travel, people in public, skiing, etc

which RM sites have people had success in other than alamy?

3817
Shutterstock.com / Re: Are you experiencing MASS REJECTIONS?
« on: July 12, 2011, 13:41 »
Perhaps the company has been too lenient in the past on quality.It has a huge library now and if it continued accepting the majority of content submitted by its contributors the quality would be diluted.
If as the majority in this thread suspect,the inspection has got harder,i would except the new standard,learn it and match it .Simple.

that's precisely the problem - there IS no standard - rather it's random selection of reviewers ,many of whom do NOT follow the existing standards

one solution is a better search algorithm, rather than limiting the collection - netflix PAID for a contest to improve their recommendations algorothm.  no ms agency seems to be investing much effort in fine tuning the search based on buyer's needs.

for example, in the initial search limit the # of similars shown, BUT indicate there are similars so the buyer can choose how to continue
s

3818
General Photography Discussion / Re: shooting in india
« on: July 01, 2011, 14:59 »
I was told that McDonald's in India does not have meat burgers - maybe they use soya protein


they dont use beef - buffalo is not considered beef, however,  and there's always chicken , fish & pork

india has fantastic fast food -- besides the individual small shops featuring samosas, pakora, et al, there are pushcart vendors with peanuts, fried soy, lentls and other crispy treats, jalupa [like churros but stickier ],barfi

 

http://www.pix-now.com/Food/Markets-around-the-world/

3819
General Photography Discussion / Re: shooting in india
« on: June 30, 2011, 14:42 »
I'm curious how you all deal with your camera equipment on these trips. I just can't see myself taking lots of gear, for fear its going to get swiped either during a shoot, or somewhere in between. This is especially the case given I don't see myself spending the money for high end hotels where I know a safe will likely exist. Sure insurance exists, but beyond recovering the cost of lost equipment, this won't salvage trip wasted due to lack of gear. Thoughts?

Even considered going totally minimalist, and investing in a high end point and shoot that can take decent shots when light is decent.

i do use a high end point & shoot - sony HX1,[ but mostly because it performs best for my sometimes shaky hands], but even with a dslr, try to find a bag that doesnt scream 'big camera'.   i found a black leather male purse that is light enough i take it skiing, and still easy to access.


oterwsie i dont worry a lot - crap happens, but not much you can do beyond taking the usual precautions others have mentioned.  i used to lead hiking trips to nepal, india, china and turkey, and have never had nyone lose their camera.

3820
Shutterstock.com / Re: Are you experiencing MASS REJECTIONS?
« on: June 28, 2011, 16:23 »
when i make a first pass thru a shoot i check all images at 100% - but that's just a screen's worth of image; i dont check the entire surface of every image as i'm just culling;  but i'm starting to suspect some reviewers DO it this way -- looking at only a portion of the image at 100%, which would explain the silly DOF and other selective focus issues

3821
General Photography Discussion / Re: shooting in india
« on: June 28, 2011, 16:13 »

Well i got the impression i apply online/download the application/sign and send two photos/my british passport/money and then need to be seen in person.Sent them an email for clarification.
I am going as a tourist  but a good titp not to mention photography.Thanks

Well i certainly want it to hand before booking hotel and flight....
Oh and i dont eat curry so whats tasty in india?
[/quote]

i didnt have to see anyone in person for my visa

--

to many people curry means curry powder - in fact, curry  covers a wide array of spice mixtures, and indian cuisine is one of the most diverse in the world. 
http://hubpages.com/hub/Best-Recipes-from-Around-the-World

gives some indian recipes i've discovered, and also some dishes we've enjoyed in india

3822
123RF / Re: New feature on 123rf? What's this?
« on: June 27, 2011, 18:57 »
On the other hand, the editorial caption rejections from other sites are frequently silly. They want to play at being news agencies without understanding what that means and then set rigid caption styles when any half-baked news agency would edit the captions for house style itself as long as the required information was there.

exactly - the rigid captioning is just plain silly - there's basic info like what, where, when, but i doubt many buyers would decline to buy because someone used Sep rather than SEP, or placed the date after the place.  combine that w reviewers who just dont know what they're doing and it's pathetic.

3823
General Photography Discussion / Re: shooting in india
« on: June 27, 2011, 18:54 »
Getting a Visa is going to be a PITTA imo....

getting a visa is  easy and straightforward - i had mine within a week -- all the info you need is online

3824
123RF / Re: New feature on 123rf? What's this?
« on: June 27, 2011, 10:00 »
does anyone know what the contributor earnings % is for editorial image? is it the same as RF except that it is for editorial use only? I can't find any info on 123rf FAQ :(
 

% paid is the same, but my editorial portfolios, while smaller, earn about 2x what my RF images do - makes sense since i tend to shoot travel and people  stock in the first place, rather than studio and isolated

3825
General Photography Discussion / Re: shooting in india
« on: June 27, 2011, 09:56 »
Thanks Cascoly.I am also hoping to travel down to Jaipur for the day.Train journey looks like 4 hours and read it might be best to hire a car/driver for the day ?


we almost always use a car & driver - first, it's faster than any other public transportation, but more importantly, you have flexibility and you see more.  you dont get any pictures from a train.  good drivers often seek out pictures FOR you - itinerant temple elephants, isoalted shrines, washing day, local festivals, etc

we've done 6 week trips in 2003 and 2009 after several shorter trips.  the major sites are in incredible, but it's the journey that makes india so fascinating

http://hubpages.com/hub/Tips-for-Travel-in-India
http://hubpages.com/hub/Darshan-at-Tirupati-in-South-India

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