Plan to refocus and create better, high-sales potential images for Veer, DT, SS, 123, and BigStock. Will also explore other agencies mentioned here. will stay away from IStock for the time being. (Made my lightboxes there private.) Will add blogs, lightboxes, and other valuable side content on other sites. Will also recommend other sites to photographers and designers I meet. Will also recommend that nobody choose an exclusive contract, and offer this situation as a good example of why such deals are not good for artists.

Just shows that going exclusive anywhere sets you up to be used and abused. Sure, independents are going to get a pay cut, but we have multiple outlets. It will have an effect on my income, but not as bad as the great majority of exclusives on iS! I have actually recommended going exclusive on IS to some people just starting out because it offered a better return on a small portfolio. To anybody who followed my foolish advice, I apologize. Diversify.

Some sites will switch your old unsold photos over to their free section if you don't watch out. Change the default setting for auto-removal to "delete". I sell pictures on several sites. Why should I give away full-sized files that are still selling? Sure, some of my old ones have fewer mp and my older versions of PhotoShop weren't as good with WB, but I still don't want to give them away. Recently, a friend who is not a photographer told me she is having a harder time finding good free photos to use on her personal projects. I think that may be good news. In spite of all the talk about free content, I think we are seeing a shift to subscriptions or pay for use for writing and visuals online. The days of free samples are slowing drawing to a close. Creators have expenses just like everybody else.