Quote from: pkphotos on August 23, 2018, 04:17

When was the last time anyone anywhere uploaded something to Istock? Surely at least a year or two now given their greedy unethical commission % and sales prices

The same could be said of many other micros as well. Take the SS $1.50 streaming video commission for example. I'm certainly not defending IS, but at this point I will take any revenue stream available. That's how bad things have become.

I have closed quite a few accounts over the years "in protest" or just because the agencies just didn't deliver.  But at this point the microstock biz is done for contributors. While the industry may be fruitful for the agencies themselves, the losers are the suppliers.  So I am letting my stuff ride and will take every last cent I can.  However, and I've been honest about this before, I am not shooting for microstock any more.  Not doing any studio "stock" work for them and just not putting any time into building a broader portfolio. Basically, I am winding down. I make more money shooting dildo sanitizers for a client than I do in microstock. 

Nope. Still down 300 a month from a few months ago against my 800 a month average. 

Quote from: Mantis on August 18, 2018, 18:10

Quote from: nobody on August 18, 2018, 15:41

for $1.50 a video why buy high end equipment! Use a cell phone...

Agree.  I'm still shooting with a GH4, but among my highest selling clips are from a Go-Pro Black 3 and my iPhone.  It's about knowing how to get the best from each of these (lighting, stability, composition, subject).  While I have shot video with my D850, the GH4 is far superior in quality. I haven't looked at the GH5 yet but the sharpness alone with the GH4 is amazing.  Anywho, for the OP, don't let anyone tell you that you need a RED to shoot stock in microstock.  You don't.

Hi Mantis,
so, you got yourself a D850?
Would you mind sharing some impressions?

Sure.  First and foremost, I did not purchase it for Microstock.  I am thinking of putting it underwater but wanted to get the feel for the things I wanted in it.  It really was a choice between the Sony ARIII and the D850 as I was looking for less low light noise.  Underwater, there is generally a lot that evolves into shadow or low light with primary subject being strobe lit.  When you push shadows, of course you create noise.  Using PS or LR sliders can be very helpful with a well lit image but not so much for images with a lot of shadow or dark areas.  I try to expose slightly higher when shooting and essentially drag down the exposure to accommodate better control of the shadow areas.  Because at the time Sony had that anti-noise filter built into their software with no way to turn it off the images at high ISO were horrible. No detail. Then they introduced a lesser destructive version but still, they did not allow user ability to turn it on and off.  Prior to this software, the noise level at 3200 ISO on the ARII was incredibly low.  I mean, almost mind blowingly low.  So why they added that filer to the ARIII is beyond me.  So I went with the D850.

I am still getting used to the movement of the ISO button but can live with that. The noise levels, to me, is not that impressive when compared to my D810 when shot higher than ISO 800.  At 3200 ISO when shooting astro the images looks very much like the D810, only slightly better. So, to the underwater need, I think the ISO will be far superior than what I am shooting with now since I rarely shoot over 400 ISO underwater.  So with respect to ISO, the camera has good ISO performance where I need it to be and I can push shadows a bit more with the D850.  Just not a lot. 

The FN2 button on the back is useless. It only allows you to set star ratings of an image.  I love the tilt screen and touch zoom. Very helpful when you are in confining shooting situations.  Silent shooting when doing time lapse is nice, too.  The D850 gives nice, sharp images and the joystick seems useful to me to change focus points. Although it is basically not usable if you have the tilt screen pulled out. It simply interferes with the use of the joystick.  You can customize it, too, making it a one-touch feature. If you hand hold it, the Dial pad is a bit out of position for me and not as easy or ergonomic as previous designs, but still usable.  The joystick is much easier to change focus points without having to move your hand.

Quote from: Brasilnut on August 18, 2018, 12:53

I like working in my underwear. 
(at home)

Yeah, the total flexibility of it is the best part.

Truth above.  I have a little studio set up at my house and I shoot when I have time. I can shoot in my chonies if I want, but the reality is it's fun when I think it's fun.  When it isn't fun, I don't shoot because it isn't fun.  These days I shoot at my own pulse and if I come up with a good stock idea I might decide to give it a try, not because I will make 28 cents but because I like the challenge...the lighting, the composition, the staging....all that stuff is fun and sometimes frustrating at the same time.  I like the challenge.

Quote from: Video-StockOrg on August 17, 2018, 00:24

I think in August we are already at the point where we sold more $1.50 than regular video sales. GG SS.

Same here, August so far on Shutterstock is looking dismal. Have gone from very consistent sales to 50% below the worst month in the last 3 years. The last time sales were this low my portfolio there was only 1/20 its current size.

I am going to have my 4th month in a row $200-$300 less than my norm.  Something happened to the search. This was over night.  On the bright side my tax obligation is going to be much less this year:)

I uploaded some video about 10 weeks ago and emailed them five weeks later asking when they would be reviewed.  They responded in a day and approved them.  Here it is weeks later and the videos still do not show up in my port. But that's about it for me with 123.  My videos used to sell there (2-3 a month) now they never sell.  I've posted before that my sales went from roughly $200 a month to about $30 a month within a short period of time (perhaps 6 months). Now, it is a turtle race between Dreamstime and 123 to see who hits $30 first:)
 

Well there's 20m RF images on Pond5 and 13m of them are available for $10 or less. So 2.65 out of 3 would make it close enough!

That's the choice of the artist, not Pond 5. But I will agree that since most are uploading micro images they are pricing them similarly, thus creating a framework for micro-aligned assets on a "price it yourself" site. 

Quote from: Mantis on July 28, 2018, 15:38

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on July 28, 2018, 12:52

He means it's a microstock site... not that it's a tiny site.

So you are suggesting that Pond 5 is a microstock site?
[/quote
Yes I am.

Okay then if you say so.

He means it's a microstock site... not that it's a tiny site.

So you are suggesting that Pond 5 is a microstock site?

Same here. I am usually in the $800+ per month camp with SS but May was $600, June was $600 and July is $500. This was an overnight kind of thing, so perhaps another search tweak.  I do both video and stills and both are down, which is why I think it might be a search thing. 

I sent them an email (directed to their CEO) and at least their support desk responded - with the following email:

Quote

We completely understand where you are coming from and I want to help clarify.

The reality is this: we have been proud to offer 100% commission since the launch of the Marketplace, and we made major investments in its success, but we need a more sustainable way to manage the operating costs going forward. After weighing every option available, we have determined the only way to maintain long-term health and success of the Marketplace is an even share in commission.

We get that this isn�t ideal, and it�s not what we�d hoped for either. That�s why we want to show our continued commitment to our contributor community by making impactful changes. Our plan is to increase the promotion of Marketplace content to those customers who are purchasers. This will lead to more sales for you.

We will also continue to educate all new and existing customers about the benefits of the Marketplace as part of their subscription. We definitely want to support you moving forward. Please let us know if you have any questions. Thanks!
If there is anything I can do to assist, please let me know.

Heres what they said about my email:

Thanks for reaching out! We completely understand where you are coming from.

Although we really hoped we could continue to offer 100%, we�re looking to partner in a model for long-term success. We�re constantly researching ways to grow contributor earnings. So although we don�t have an immediate plan to change prices, we don�t want to rule out pricing tests. We do acknowledge pricing as a concern from contributors.

We need to move forward by building a Marketplace that is sustainable, growing, and aligned with both our contributor�s needs and the realities of running a business. Our goal is to meet and exceed your historical earnings as quickly as possible through several new initiatives aimed at driving sales and improving our contributor experience. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thanks!

If there is anything I can do to assist, please let me know.

Sadly, I don't think their sales will increase.  Honestly, their curation sucks.  It's a bad algorithm or whatever, when you search for keywords, great clips don't come up that often.  A lot of garbage clips show up on the first page for some reason.  By cutting our commission by half, it's likely that it'll result in us getting half the money we used to get, that's all.  Also, maybe they are not good with big buyers.  Without big productions and TV stations buying from them, their sales may not increase.  I am likely to pull out all my clips by August 1st at this point if they don't increase our share to 70% or higher.

Is the "THE" date? I am thinking of closing my account, too.

Another FPOS.