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Messages - leaf
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776
« on: October 01, 2013, 08:25 »
How was your month. For me it was not bad but still a little disappointing. It was essentially the exact same as last month, but every year previous saw a big jump for Sept. It was higher than last year but not by as much as I had hoped. .. and don't forget to vote in the poll http://www.microstockgroup.com/index.php?page=microstockmonthlysurvey
777
« on: September 30, 2013, 23:28 »
I wonder if it started after the update where it asked how fast of internet I have...
more details.
On the canstock submit, it logged in fine, and found 50 images that needed to be submitted. It then went to 'Uploading Model Release' ... then waited on that for a bit then went to submitting ... then timed out shortly after.
778
« on: September 30, 2013, 19:11 »
No I haven't. 
779
« on: September 30, 2013, 16:45 »
I'm getting a 'timed out' error when trying to submit images on Fotolia, Canstock, and Shutterstock. Anyone else having problems (or able to make it work) ??
780
« on: September 26, 2013, 23:39 »
781
« on: September 26, 2013, 23:09 »
I removed a few posts that were getting terribly off subject and onto subjects that always end in a locked thread. We are having a good conversation here on an important subject - I'm hoping it can continue.
782
« on: September 26, 2013, 09:42 »
Because people like me who aren't interested (and don't have time) in visiting the forums on all the various stock sites enjoy having the news brought here where we can see everything in one place.
783
« on: September 26, 2013, 08:26 »
15.5 means that the average contributor here that contributes to Dreamstime is making less than $80 per month. It may be 'top tier' but $80 per month is nowhere near top tier in my book.
You really can't draw any money conclusions about the poll on the right. Yes people vote gauged by their earnings but the top level isn't high enough for the big earners and the accuracy isn't enough to make such specific conclusions. The poll is simply meant to arrange the stock sites in the correct order and give an idea of how far apart their earnings are. Putting a dollar amount on the numbers is reading too much into the results. Additionally, even if it was $80, a poll of everyone including people just starting out is nowhere near anybody's book.. it is an average, simple as that.
784
« on: September 25, 2013, 11:35 »
I hope something works out guys. I'm back to speedy internet in a couple weeks but I can imagine that most people who are using one of your solutions would be interested in the other. You'd make a good team.
785
« on: September 25, 2013, 08:49 »
On fluorescent, yes, I try to, depending on the setup, or I'll selectively mask in PS. But most regular environments seem to be using close to daylight balanced bulbs anyways, and my ABs tend to hang right around that temperature too.
Yeah, AB's seem pretty close to 5500 I agree. I keep kicking myself that I haven't bothered to balance the lights after a shoot and end up doing it in Photoshop with a mask. It would be so much easier to do it in camera!
786
« on: September 25, 2013, 08:26 »
Both. I try to shoot with natural light accented with strobes. Unless the location is just too dark for a reasonable ISO, like my new Stocksy market shots.
Are you putting gels on your strobes to match strobe vs fluorescent (or whatever the natural light is) Sean?
787
« on: September 24, 2013, 23:31 »
Hi All,
Gbalex, youre right about the customer TOS. Most of the changes to the customer ToS were in the category of cleaning up -- items that may have been ambiguous for customers or not perfectly aligned with the day-to-day reality of working with them. Therefore, were explaining those changes directly to customers, but didnt wrap that in a larger contributor communication.
The most obvious exception is limitations on Web use and digital sizes. The historical limitation was 800x600 pixels. Given dramatic advancements in display technology, we were overdue to modernize our standards. The new ToS does a better job of meeting customer needs while continuing to prohibit the redistribution of images. To properly license your images on a global scale in an era of Retina displays and a wider array of devices, we need to accommodate modern technology, but we also take copyright violations very seriously.
Earnings
Tyler to respond to your question about earnings:
As stated, it's not an issue to talk in general terms about your best month ever, worst month ever, isolated individual transactions, most popular image, or information of a very similar, generalized nature. For that reason, the following examples would not be a violation of our ToS.
- I had a BME on SS last month
- I just got a $100 SOD sale on Shutterstock
- I just got an extended license on this image
- I only got 50 sales today
- I just passed the $500 mark and am now in the next earning level
- I get about 100 downloads a month on Shutterstock
The following examples could be a violation of the ToS, depending on the context. Again, the spirit of the clause is to prevent the disclosure of specific information to competitors of Shutterstock.
- I earned $1000 on Shutterstock last month
- I earned $1000 on Shutterstock last month, $500 from subs $300 from OD and $200 from video
- Here's a screenshot of all my Shutterstock earnings...
Participating anonymously in an online poll or speaking with family and friends casually would not be an issue for practical purposes.
With respect to Cobalts post, Ill say that our confidentiality agreement has a very specific purpose that has been outlined above. We continue to strive to be transparent, fair, supportive and open with our contributors. We do want Shutterstock to be a place that contributors hold in high esteem and respect your concerns and feedback.
Best,
Scott
VP of Content
Thanks for the response Scott
788
« on: September 24, 2013, 11:18 »
Someone calling themselves 'Money Investor' on Seeking Alpha is left scratching their head on SS's recent price rise;
http://seekingalpha.com/article/1709772-shutterstock-latest-price-action-should-leave-investors-scratching-their-heads?source=email_rt_article_readmore
yep, read that in my inbox this morning, very interesting article!
I liked the last line of the article The problem is that any competitor with a web hosting service, cloud servers, and the ability to pay users more for their images and offer those images to customers at a cheaper price can tremendously disrupt the disrupter.
I'm glad to see at least someone realizes it is the photographers who hold at least some of the power to say who succeeds an fails as a stock agency and that it is important to keep the contributors happy if you aren't going to loose market share.
789
« on: September 23, 2013, 23:40 »
Thanks for the thorough response Scott, I appreciate it and it certainly helps curb the misinformation.
I think there is quite a bit of confusion about what Shutterstock is OK and not OK with in regards to earnings though (I know I'm still a bit unclear). You gave a few good examples and stated you were OK with general information sharing but you also said you were OK with isolated individual transactions which seems more specific. I also understand that you are wanting to keep specific sales info private from your competitors.
Can you weigh in on a few more examples though so we can get a feel about what is OK or not OK with sharing. I tried to pick some examples that were for sure OK and for sure not OK so hopefully we can get an idea where the line is.
Examples:
I had a BME on SS last month
I just got a $100 SOD sale on Shutterstock
I just got an extended license on this image
I get about 100 downloads a month on Shutterstock
I only got 50 sales today
I just passed the $500 mark and am now in the next earning level
I earned $1000 on Shutterstock last month
I earned $1000 on Shutterstock last month, $500 from subs $300 from OD and $200 from video
Here's a screenshot of all my Shutterstock earnings...
790
« on: September 20, 2013, 16:28 »
I have a folder on my harddisk called "Stocksy", I thought I would prepare an application, since I like the concept.
But. I have a problem.
The problem is that I dont know what pictures to put into it.
I really dont. I took a look on Stocksy 5 min ago, and it was still the same: I cannot see any style, or any trend that makes an image qualify.
What I do see is images that break rules. No respect for the golden section, no respect for white balance and no respect for exposure.
So I ask myself, do they want pictures that break rules? Like cut in halves people standing in awkward positions in the middle of the frame?
Then I check my area of expertise: pictures of butterflies. And the search of "butterflies" brings foreward the worst miscoloured amateurish snapshots I have seen in a long time.
It leaves me bewildered and worried.
Can that kind of pictures sell? Is it art on a level I do not comprehend?
JPSDK, you are a true master of butterfly photography, there is no doubt about it + you are an expert in that field. But I would say your style is rather encyclopedic, perfect for example for handbooks or encyclopedias. Stocksy's vision is probably different. They might not be able to compete with such pictures with microstock sites.
I don't know the minds of Stocksy curators, I suck at explaining styles and I am not qualified to critique your pictures, so I will tell you a story instead:
There was an accomplished classical musician who wanted to play in a Canadian jazz band. He said: "Your band seems like a cool place to be, I really would like to play with you guys. I just have a small problem with that... hmmm... jazz music. I really don't feel it, and for the life of me I cannot understand why you guys play like this. I am very good technically, I play the flute for the Copenhagen Philharmonic. I listened to your music and I found that a few of your tracks kind of suck... there's no harmony in that. But I really would love to join you, please tell me how I should play, give me a hint..."
What I wanted to say with this allegory is that if you take jazz or blues etc. musicians, most of them probably didn't become jazz/blues musicians because they had thoroughly read book definitions of jazz / blues
but because they just heard a few such pieces and thought: "Wow, this style is kind of cool, I can also play like this".
Back to Stocksy, I would say that as everywhere else, there is the Mainstream and the Fringes. It is the job of the applicant to recognize what the mainstream is and how wide the fringes are. If an applicant hasn't figured it out he would probably take too much of curators' time. It's basically the same as at many microstock sites, just the level of difficulty is a bit higher.
Greetings
Very good explanation .. another example .. not saying anyone is anything.. just giving an example from an experience in my life. I was once in a Lindy Hop dancing club. We were all beginners but had a basic grasp of how to do things and were starting to feel like we had some control. There was an extremely experienced classical dancer who had won many prizes for ballroom dancing (waltz, foxtrot etc). When he came and did Lindy Hop with us one day he looked extremely awkward and strange. He was doing the correct steps but looked like he had a broomstick tied to his back. As far as dancing in general was concerned he was far better than anyone in the room, but when it came to Lindy Hop... I think he maybe had the most to learn of anyone .. and he was so good and what he did already I'm not sure he would be able to make the switch.
791
« on: September 20, 2013, 08:52 »
1/16000 sec shutter speed.... that's impressing.... compared with EOS M 1/4000 s
Full HD movie at 60 fps and VGA at 400 fps
Impressive.....
1/16 000 sec Is it really useful underwater?
Shooting extreme sports (rafting) in a river.... yes...
Right, I did not think about that.
Thank you.
That's probably the thing that this camera would work best at. Or other water sports like kayaking, surfing etc. where you want to take some pics and could probably get some fun ones but don't want to lug around an SLR and water proof housing. A P&S is always a P&S though.. people lug around DLSR's for a reason (below or above the water) as Mantis thoroughly pointed out.
792
« on: September 19, 2013, 23:10 »
congrats on making it to the final round. Nice vid
793
« on: September 19, 2013, 22:55 »
Thanks, that would be super. Please keep us posted with updates!
794
« on: September 19, 2013, 10:39 »
There was a bottom part of the email that looks like it was missed in the copy paste
YAY! A New Site!
Were happy to announce that were launching a new site this fall! Weve been working on creating a new site, with a brand new and beautiful design, and an amazing search technology. The site is still under construction, but youll find it later at yayimages.com.
The music, film and image industry faced a new reality when the world became digital. Content became digital, and people got used to digital content being free. While the music and film industry have taken steps to stop illegal use and increase their revenue by offering a better alternative, we still havent seen any effective steps being made in the image industry.
Its estimated that 85% of all images used online are being used without a license. So what to do? Getty has chosen to stay out of it, as long as the users dont make money on the content. At YAY we want to try a different approach. We want to create an online solution for online image users. Weve looked at other industries that have managed to turn non-paying customers into paying customers, and we hope to achieve the same.
Therefore we are releasing our new product for online users: YAY Streaming.
YAY Streaming will give users a link, instead of a file, to use on their online sites. They will also get the option to edit the image and add filters directly in their browsers. The image will be app. 600 pixels on the largest side. On the new site users will experience the latest in search technology with a cutting edge similar image search from Pixolution. The search will help users to not only to find the right image, but also help the creative process and it will give a better exposure of the entire image base. Our target audience for streaming is professional bloggers, small businesses, and small websites.
With a streaming model were able to cut the prices, host the images ourselves and maintain control over how and where the images are used. The web subscription will not include downloads - only online streaming. Users can upgrade their subscription to larger sizes, and they can also choose to include downloads.
Weve looked into other streaming products, such as Netflix and Spotify, and weve set the price point accordingly, at $9.90. This is low compared to other image products on the market today, but its not meant to compete with other high-res subscriptions its to open up a new market. Ideally we wouldve chosen a higher price, but taking into consideration the result from our initial customer survey, and looking at the prices of other consumer services, such as free blogs and Netflix for only $7.99, we found it difficult to set the price any higher than $9.90. Were trying to convert non-paying customers into paying customers, and the key to earnings is volume. If we together can change the attitude of online image use to a paying model, there is a potential for a new dawn for microstock images.
This is what the site looks like now. It's still under construction.
The commission is 50%, and the revenue is shared between the photographers used within each streaming product.
For businesses and designers weve added subscriptions that allows for download of images. The prices for these will be from $49.90 to $199, and the commission is 50%. The industry average shows that users on average download up to 100 images from a sub. If we get the same numbers, the average commission will be $0.49. Well update these numbers as soon as we have our own records. There is no daily usage limit, but a monthly limit of 750 images. To prevent abuse and mass-downloading weve added a captcha when usage exceeds 20 images per day.
We know that some of you prefer to not sell your images on subscriptions, and some will object to the pricing. For you weve added the option to opt out. Just log in, and uncheck YAY Subs on the API list. Well continue to sell single images on yaymicro.com, and subs will be sold on yayimages.com. This is your chance to be a part of the next generation of online images. Why not try it for a couple of months? You are free to opt out whenever you want.
Well send you more information when were closer to a launch, 1-2 months from now.
Feedback? Questions? Send them directly to Linda, at [email protected] and she'll get back to you.
795
« on: September 19, 2013, 10:20 »
Dreamstime requires that you use the same release for multiple shoots. A real pain when for every other site I submit seperate releases for every shoot.
Is it a possibility to have a feature in stocksubmitter to upload the same model release to dreamstime every time but a different release to the other agencies? I love using stocksubmitter to submit my images but have had to put off uploading to dreamstime for a long time because of the model release issue.
Would anyone else find this helpful?
796
« on: September 19, 2013, 10:17 »
It should start FTP processing if you leave submit enabled.
Release attachment is not working at the moment, waiting for the 123rf to finish their new release system.
Ok. thanks.
797
« on: September 19, 2013, 09:15 »
Does anyone have upload and submit (with attached releases) working with 123RF? It uploads for me but doesn't push them through the ftp processor and doesn't attach releases  Is there a fix on the way or what is the status of this?
798
« on: September 18, 2013, 16:59 »
I haven't had a chance to read through it all but I did save it for later in case it gets removed. It looks like an interesting read.
Interesting that the PDF is titled "Case CONFIDENTIAL" ... not sure if it was meant to be public or not. It seems like large companies, agencies, institutions often have problems with keeping confidential info private. Who knows if that is the case here or not.
799
« on: September 18, 2013, 08:24 »
stocksy has beautiful, exclusive work, and pays very fairly.
Agreed, check out stocksy. Fair prices (for both the photographer and buyer), interesting images, fair royalties (50%, 100% to the photographer on extended licenses) and it's a Co-op so the photographers own a bit of the agency as well.
800
« on: September 18, 2013, 08:12 »
If there is something very particular to yourself you need the software to do, you could also consider getting a plug-in created for you. There is tons of really good programmers for wordpress on a site like freelancer.com or similar work for hire site.
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