DT is beating out SS for me this month but both are way behind last November - I've barely added anything new, but out of the handful I have, some are selling and when I look at the RPI for new images, it's actually much better than I thought. Well ahead of last year's earning despite not adding a whole lot of new work, so I can't really complain.

Quote from: wordplanet on November 07, 2014, 15:55

Having your work come up in searches is an all or nothing thing by portfolio - but curation is by image. At least that's my understanding.

I thought "curated" meant that you'd appear in searches.  If not, what does it mean? That you're featured somehow?

But if their acceptance process hasn't changed - in other words, if they still have no comprehensible process - then it doesn't matter because I'm not wasting any more time with them.  I wasted quite a bit before I realized that the Search box on my page turned up only featured contributors, not me.

There are three levels, you can join crated and may not end up in searches, if your gallery is "promoted" when you get accepted, then all your images will show up in searches. If an image is "Curated" then it is featured on the homepage and moves from the top to the bottom as new images are "curated," but it will come up in searches and be featured if a potential buyer looks for curated images. So, a "promoted" gallery is what you need to show up in searches and "curated" images get an extra boost.

I have some friends who've sold through crated, no sales for me yet - but I only have 17 promoted images, one curated. Will have to give it some time.

Thanks for the info - I thought that Lattice was a sharing service where you opted IN the images you wanted to share but hadn't had a chance to investigate it yet. Will opt out til I figure out how it actually works.

@Wordplanet 
Your homepage is quite effective.

Thanks Ann

It looks like you use a Beam template. If yes, it would be great if you'd answer any of these:
--Do you have option of watermarking your homepage photos?

With the particular template I've chosen, I don't think so - they're really just large thumbnails and I think that watermarks would be very distracting so it hasn't been a concern for me. Once someone clicks on them, the watermark will show up and you can still watermark the full size photos and turn the watermark on and off in Beam like you can with the traditional templates. Just like with the classic templates, you can use the default watermark or a png you design yourself. You can also customize the watermark's location - much more consistently than with the traditional site. You can also set the maximum size of the large photos so they look good on today's larger screens. Full size on my 27" iMac they look really good. And sharing my work via a projector from the site they look amazing.

I like this particular template because it lets views page through my photos randomly to see the full breadth of my work of via gallery to look at just what they want. And like the classic templates, they can also search my hidden (i.e. "unlisted") galleries.

There are other template choices that don't have the same cover page layout and they may have different watermarking options.

--How do you populate homepage with photos - random? handpick all/some of them?

The Template I've chosen is called "Shuffle" so yes, it's random. But there are many others to choose from. Since I shoot a lot of different types of work I like the randomness. I can move around the galleries to change the order but can't control which photo shows up where (hence the name shuffle, although if you have any html skills this might be possible since the templates are customizable -My html skills are rudimentary at best but all the templates can be customized to some extent even without any of those skills. I love the way the site looks and I did it all myself straight from the template.

There are other templates that give you more control about which photos are featured within the design of the template itself - e.g. some give you a large photo across the page from each listed gallery you choose to feature (more along the lines of what you're used to before Beam but with a lot more options and a nicer look IMHO) - there are templates with page splits and other options too. They also just added 4 new templates, so there are many to choose from. The switch to Beam was easy.

If you only want to feature a handful of galleries and keep the rest on the back end searchable, that's possible too. The back end still works the way it always has, and there's a new LR plugin now - which I haven't tried yet - which lets you update on LR and replace the photo on PS automatically.

I find the Beam templates much easier to navigate than the templates I've tried out with my blog via Wordpress - I can never seem to get my blog layout to look anything like the template I'm using and am wishing I'd stuck with blogger. Just my personal experience, I know the OP has skills I don't. The Beam layouts look professional and you can do it yourself quickly and easily with no html skills whatsoever.

--Are you, clients happy with your site's navigation, especially when viewed in iPad and similar?
(I use one of their traditional templates.)

The Beam templates were designed to be smartphone and tablet friendly and in my experience with the template I've chosen, it seems easy to navigate. You can just click on one photo and then slide to the next on your phone or click on a gallery name and slide through the photos. Even older relatives who wanted to check out my work on their smartphones seemed to have no trouble. It resizes to fit the device.

The only issue any of my clients (the handful purchasing portraits) have mentioned have been when they've tried to order prints (this goes back to pre-beam days but also since then). They seem to have difficulty using paypal via the system so I've ended up using Miller's - my favorite lab for portraits - and having the work drop shipped when I get a check from them or delivering to them in person. I don't do a lot of portrait work. The magazine, book and editorial website clients I've dealt as well as a few museums and galleries have all contacted me directly via the inquiry form on the site, then negotiated with me via phone or email. I send out terms -RM or RF - in my invoice. I think that the personal contacts I've made via the site have been great and I can keep these clients abreast of what I'm doing which has led to more work. Beam is just like the traditional site in that I can set up a lightbox to share with clients so they can download comps and send them links to private galleries that they can share in making choices about which photos they want. I don't think I've taken advantage of half of what they have to offer but have used it with all kinds of clients.

The editor of a local magazine I've shot for over the years just found one of my stock photos on my site and it's going to be next month's cover. The editor knew about my site since I use it to send her lightboxes and galleries, and the last time I did a shoot for her remarked on the new look (thanks to Beam) so she went on and did a search just in my gallery and found all sorts of RAW photos I had uploaded and ignored, hidden in my archives (but searchable), and now one is going to be a cover photo.

I did notice an uptick in visits after I was a featured photographer and am eager to explore Lattice their new photo-sharing endeavor (those photos aren't watermarked) - but with PS6 and CC's content aware fill I'm considering whether it's even worth keeping the watermark on my large photos.

Thanks! - Ann

Hope this was helpful.

I have my site on Photoshelter too. Great for storage and for sharing assignment work with clients and impressing potential clients when they take a look.

My first two sales to publications this year covered the cost of my website for the year (I have the full pro account) and have had many buyers approach me to license my work who were specifically searching on Photoshelter's site since their search engine lets you search through just one portfolio or through everyone's. They have a great client base - lots of amazing photographers and lots of top-notch publications who search there and license directly from the photographer. I shoot a lot of local news/features type work and travel, so it's a great fit for me.

They ran a stock site themselves for a short time around 2008, but then switched to this model. They have lots of templates to choose from, and a back end archive you can use to organize and backup your work. Someone searching the site can find stuff in your "unlisted" galleries as long as you make it searchable, as well as the work you have visible in your front page galleries.

The staff is really helpful, they run a lot of webinars, and they actually answer their phones!
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

[/quote]

Maybe they bought a license to use the same clip art or photograph as a source image commercially?

I feel like I've seen that same palm tree a lot but I'm not a designer so really don't have a clue. How did you even notice they were so alike? Good eye!

Having your work come up in searches is an all or nothing thing by portfolio - but curation is by image. At least that's my understanding.

Just uploaded a couple of new pieces and got an email within minutes that one was "Curated" It's currently the first one on the Discover Curated Art page here http://crated.com/search/curated?ref=fp_rb_secondary_copy

Also found out they only charge $14 for shipping within the US even on several framed prints. Just had a fine art gallery opening last night and wish I'd realized their wholesale prices and great shipping deal on framed prints!

Went from BMY to WMY on SS from Sept to Oct, so nice to be posting some good news! Seem to be selling more fine art these days so maybe that's where I should channel my energy for a while.

Perry - Your comment reminded me of seeing The Alamo - it's even more surrounded by urban sprawl than when I first saw it about 25 years ago - but my favorite was the Great Wall of China - thanks for sharing!

It's a complete train wreck. 

DT lets you make some of your files exclusive without being overall exclusive. You might want to try that first and see how that works for you before putting all your eggs in one basket.

I have some assignment files and some others that I made exclusive on DT and they get more views and often more sales than some of my other files there, but I make more on SS and also with RF files I license elsewhere, so I'd never go totally exclusive there.

Not exactly what you were asking but hope this gives you an idea something you can try before you make a final decision. Good luck whatever you decide. 

SS: +265% over Sept 2013 (2nd BME there, BMY)
DT: Same as Sept 2013 nearly to the dollar.
iS: -50% (using last month's PP, otherwise, even worse)
Alamy & my own site: OK sales on both with additional zooms and inquiries which I hope mean October has some promise. Trying to stay positive.

I tried uploading a single image today - tried 5 times with no luck - then switched from Firefox to Safari and had no problem.

BMY for me so far - got a third EL yesterday which certainly helped.
I had some page one photos that lost their spot for a while but they seem to be back and selling pretty well again. Thinking I may upload some new photos there again.