Those who can do, do. Those who can't do, teach. Or blog. Or complain:)

I think, what he was trying to say, is that micro sites sell images far too cheaply. I have to agree with him. Regardless of the obvious gouging taking place by iStock, Fotolia and others on photographers, image prices on these sites are far too low. I do think images could be sold for twice what they are selling for now. Easily. But more accurately I should say could have, because it's hard to climb up now. Elena, 15 years ago, with your ability, you would likely have been pulling in $50k per month, maybe more and this would have continued up until a few years ago where you likely would have peaked in the $100k per month range. There used to be images that grossed $250,000 in a 5 year sales history. I don't know where you are at now and can only speculate about you and the past but I don't think I'm that far off. I know your doing just fine but it is a good idea to ask the simple question. Am I selling my images for their true value? Or, as Zack contends, maybe you are not. Looking at history and where things have come to. How consolidated and pushy the industry has become in such a short period of time. I guess it's complaining by definition but you have to understand how badly you are being ripped off, even if complacency and acceptance is your choice.

to be fixed free of charge

This happens a lot with PCs too

The word I would use is deceitful. Contributors are just taking advantage of all the commotion and confusion IS has introduced with their different pricing levels and different collections.

I am in no way siding with sjlocke, zeus OR istock. I think it's all a bunch of smoke and mirrors and if that's the game contributors want to play right along with IS, it's their decision. That being said, with all that the internet offers, I do have to agree that there are PLENTY of opportunities for shoppers nowadays to find bargains. By now, hopefully many buyers and contributors know what's happening over at IS and will use their feet to convey their opinion on whether it is or isn't immoral, deceitful or smoke and mirrors.

Cathy,  well put. I get "ruffled" with this buyer's attitude that they are getting burned somehow if they have to pay more the 20 cents for infinite usage.

I got this one just today. Do you think I should answer it?


Dear Friend,

Thank you for reading my mail. I am contacting you concerning a customer and an abandoned huge amount of money placed under our banks management years ago, I contacted you independently of my investigation and no one is informed of this communication and I would like to intimate you with certain facts that I believe would be of interest to you and me and the family in future.

My name is Mr Ahmed Kadiri, I am the Auditing and Accounting Manager with Bank of Africa Ouagadougou Burkina Faso.In my department i discovered an abandoned sum of (US$10M DOLLARS) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer (MR. RICHARD BURSON from Florida, U.S.A) who died along with his entire family on November 1999 in a plane crash.

There is no person that is coming for the money that i why i am contacting you to stand for the claim of the money into your bank account. By all means you will be acting like his business partner to make claim of the money to your bank account, i promise you that i will direct you on how this transfer will go sucessfully if only you can abide to my instruction.

And after then will shall share in ratio of 40% for you and 50% for me while 10% for expenses Should you please contact me urgently so we can commence all arrangements and I Will give you more information on how we would handle this project successfully and also you will abide to my instruction.

Please treat this business with almost confidentiality and send me the Following:

(1.)Your full name...
(2)Your address...
(3)Your country..
(4) Your age...
(5)Your occupation.......
(6)Your Private Phone number,

I will send you my details of this transaction as soon as i hear from you thanks, trusting to hear from you immediately with your contact information,

My regards.

Mr Ahmed Kadiri

What on earth is the point of joining the forums and starting a post to complain that we're all a bunch of whiners?

Here here. I understand that many blogs, forums, review sites are spiked by bogus individuals trying to sway opinion. Not like I sense that happening with this post. It's far too objectively written for that to have happened. Surely you have better things to do in that Ivory Tower of yours.

Quote from: sharpshot on November 05, 2010, 16:23

I doubled my portfolio to around 500 and my sales have fallen this year.  Sold 10 last year with around 250 images and only 3 so far this year.  I would love to drop microstock and go with alamy but I would need at least 20,000 images and that will take a while.

If Alamy could deliver at least comparable or better RPI than micro then it would be worth the time. But it doesn't look like that's happening.

It's just not the same animal and as such is difficult to draw a straight comparison to. What sells on Alamy wouldn't get past most Micro inspectors keen (place tongue in cheek here) eyes. And even if they did the sales volumes would be so low as to not be worth while.

Unequivocally yes. Better spending time creating than uploading.

. No more smell of fixer under my finger nails

Cheers,
Jonathan

But don't you miss it? I have all this darkroom gear, medium format, 4x5 enlargers, Color and condenser heads that I am realizing I have to get rid of and I can't bring myself to do it. Sigh.

Quote from: Zeus on October 15, 2010, 17:56

Sorry but even if all intellectual property laws were adhered to how many images of concentration camps would you sell? I'll tell you, exactly zilch.

Why wouldn't they sell if they are good?

Some examples:
>30 sales http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-6666326-no-escape.php
>80 sales http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-2104949-jewish-memorial-gates-at-dachau-germany.php
Always happy to stand corrected. Thanks.

Might not be much, but more than zilch.

I'll make it 7 ignorers.

Sometimes you may get lucky and there is a building wall near by that will work well as a reflector. Just shoot normally and let he flashes fill what they can. Remember sync speeds,

What's the range of hourly rates for retouching these days? One to two hours at a shot.

Sorry I should have said in Canada, this is what I would charge someone for professional work not what I hope to pay someone to work for me.

You could technically make it HDR 3D footage.