I would first ask them what rights do they need. Then decide on the price tag appropriate for these rights.

I guess it's a numbers game for VideoFort and Shutterstock.
http://footage.shutterstock.com/clip-5909888-stock-footage-alaska-forrest-sunset-wide-angle-of-sunset-over-tree-covered-mountains.html
Even the resolution is strange. 1920x1088 

One release per model is all they need really. That is the key Shutterstock uses to show "Same Model | See All" underneath a picture. If you upload multiple releases per model customers wouldn't be able to get to all photos of the same model with one click.

It is not unusual to wait a few weeks for a review. If you sell stock you have to practice some patience.

Great images. I think they would fit better in macro agencies. Try Flickr - Getty, as someone have already suggested.

It's interesting how istock, fotolia and dreamstime were all busy at cutting our commissions to "stay competitive" but did nothing to rethink themselves. At the same time Shutterstock was working hard at reinventing their brand with the help of the worlds best creative agencies without the need pick in our pockets, all while being the best earner for most of us!

I love their new identity and how it could be unfolded in a variety of creative ways. Finally a great logo after all these years of just mediocre stuff

May be we can just email them once every six months and ask to set the price to all the files in portfolio automatically.

7 day rank
56
Overall rank
133

How much you have earned in 2010 and how much they paid you in 2010 are two different figures. They report the former one.

4 years in microstock. BME, +20% to February.

Nope. I've actually got two emails from different employees. One wrote model release and another - talent release.

Quote from: WarrenPrice on March 28, 2011, 20:50
http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/525295/525295,1260915756,9/stock-photo-senior-man-paddling-a-canoe-with-second-canoe-calm-waters-and-autumn-colors-in-background-42908275.jpg

Just had a call at home from a Chicago Ad Agency wanting to know if I had a "Talent Release" for the two people in the distant canoe.  I don't even know those people and who would know who they are?

The image is with ShutterStock and NO release was required by them.  I guess Ad Agencies really do put strict requirements on microstock "model release?"   

Guess I'll stick to birds.   

Funny, I too was recently asked by a Chicago Ad agency for release for this picture http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=2554374
Seems like the same agency!

Quote from: lagereek on January 20, 2011, 19:33
Im erasing over 1300 images over the weekend, so is another 5 to 8 Golds in Scandinavia, England and Germany. We will join up with IS.  Why??  well for starters, why set the bar at Emeralds? cheaper then Gold on the stock-market, also, you cant trust the game any more. FT, made that an infamnia, which means an impossibillity to remain.

We had time over for IS, given the fact they were the first ones, this however? no! no way, its upstart mentality.

It's a perfect domino effect for IS. IS cuts commissions, then others do the same and in the end more exclusive content falls into IS hands like ripe apples from a tree.

Quote from: leaf on January 20, 2011, 11:24
The worst cast scenario is this

Buyer buys credits in Euro with the smallest package size .. which is now 1.20 Euro /credit for 25 credits ($1.61860 USD/credit)

The buyer then buys an image from a white ranked photographer with a USA account and the photographer gets (with 2011 commissions) 20% of a credit, which is US$1.00, so $0.20

So the buyer spent $1.62 and the photographer gets $0.20 = 12.3%

Here is the blog post explaining it in a bit more detail with more calculations (albeit older numbers)

It's about time someone with a bit of web-programming skills come up with online calculator to calculate our real Fotolia comission %. We can check the US sales % in stats, put it in online calculator alone with Fotolia rank and have our real cut calculated.

Quote from: leaf on January 01, 2011, 14:58

They pay less commissions but they are also grossing less money on the sale.  Since the price change last year, non-exclusive images sell for less than exclusive images do. iStock makes more money from exclusive sales even though they are taking less commission.  I'm guessing they would prefer everyone to be exclusive.

But they still need independents to produce "value" images to attract customers to the site. Then they upsell them to vetta etc.

The most stupid question... What focal lengths do I use    what .?

I've looked it up, it's PDT

What is the cut-off time? Local time or EST?

Read www.strobist.com
Get some older speedlight flashes and radio-triggers, learn and practice your lighting. Get 5DII.
That's what I did

While I have a large collection of nice L glass I would most probably pick a Canon EF 50mm 1.4 if I must only shoot with one lens.

Dаmn stereotypes. I remember the society were "white" was just another color and "rainbow" was just a beautiful sky phenomenon pictured in almost all illustrated kids books.

Quote from: sjlocke on May 30, 2010, 21:27
Sorry - way back when, when I posted the link, it was good.  Of course, they just sourced it from John's site, which is full of good stuff, so go there first.

Sean, could you edit the first post to update the link?

I believe these conferences are just a fancy way of socializing with tax write-off benefits

My stats aren't bad, I think, considering I don't upload much.