I add my voice to this in the early days it was something to say you were approved at iStockPhoto, but lately and in particular with one image that was a mistake in my upload but got approved when even I rejected it.

So yes the quality requirements are very much down, I wonder if this is not part of Getty's plan to destroy them all together!

Err this may seem stupid but the ESP has buried most things so deep that you can't find them.

How do I go about opting out of exclusive? is it as simple as telling contributor services?

After 3 months I finally get a response from iStock/Getty Contributor Services

"Hi Davis,

Thank you for your message and I apologize for the delay in my response. We are currently experiencing higher than normal contact volumes and appreciate your patience.

I recommend you re-upload these files, unfortunately there has been been an error with these files during our unification process and they will not be able to be repaired. I apologize for the inconvenience."

Firstly my name is David not Davis! 

This is bloody disgraceful! the missing images, over 50, were in my portfolio for 3 years and making some sales, now gone worst it will take me an age to identify photos from my archive that match their number and then go through the whole process of upload and approval again..... don't think I will bother. 

Quote from: NewStocker on March 08, 2017, 17:28
If you are iStock exclusive and uploading stuff to Alamy as Rights Managed content then no problem. But I believe Adobe only sells royalty free. If that is the case, if you are exclusive with iStock, and uploading royalty free content to Adobe, then you would have a problem.

Prove it!

Quote from: WorriedIstocker on March 06, 2017, 01:21
I'd definitely take the high road there. If they catch you and decide to make an example out of you, I can't even imagine the grief an army of Getty's fire breathing lawyers could cause. Best just to close up shop with them and move on.

You mis-quote me! nowhere did I say I was uploading the same images to iStock and Alamy 

Quote from: sharpshot on March 05, 2017, 10:17
Are you exclusive?  If not, there's lots of other sites to sell your images.  Leaving was an easy decision for me.  I understand how it isn't as easy for exclusives but I would be concentrating on building up an RM portfolio with other sites or selling prints, as relying on istock doesn't look like much fun.

Yes Exclusive, but I also contribute to Alamy with images not given to Getty, giving more and more to Alamy and less and less to Getty, also throwing some towards Adobe.

My time with Getty is limited, the way they are loosing my images it won't be long before I have a portfolio with NO images. 

And given their attitude towards contributors I wonder if I should be concerned about the 'exclusive' agreement anyway, they don't seem to concerned about any agreement they have with their contributors. 

My problems started back in October last year well before the new ESP

I started loosing images! they were shown as in my portfolio but when called up they got a 404 message image not found, this started at about 20 images and grew to 52, emails to contributor services simply got we know and are working on it.

The new ESP gre more missing images, images got approved but never got to go on sale, more emails to Contributor Services are still open at the time of writing but no results.

I am not the only user with this problem, these images are my property, Getty/iStock is an agent meant to be marketing my work for a fee.

It would not be so bad if emails and posts were answered not just ignored, having worked extensively in the IT industry I can tell you this re-organisation is the worst implemented plan ever embarked upon, seem like there are 2 poorly qualified IT guy doing a very bad job and only working after school and on the weekends.

Quote from: MagtheHag on June 10, 2009, 14:15

Quote from: djmorgan on June 10, 2009, 10:15

Quote from: MagtheHag on June 09, 2009, 16:06
If I were running a stock web-site and had as many daily problems as Alamy does with everything from uploads, unreported sales, CTR, Zooms, QC, manage image tools, policy changes, and the list goes on and on... I wouldn't be so quick to revoke contributors upload privileges when they have a hard time dealing with the QC monster fiasco! It sends the wrong message that it's ok for Alamy to screw up big-time on a daily basis but No latitude for contributors QC errors. To me it's hostile, mean spirited, and arrogance at it's worst. They created the QC monster, now let them deal with it ALL on an equal basis.

Mag

You have to stop using your P&S camera it won't get through QC 

FYI I shoot with a Nikon D-300 and top quality Nikon lenses. Problem is, I don't shoot one dimensional brick walls at F/32 like you.

Mag

Well if that was a shot at me, like your Alamy slagging you are way off mark again, I've only shot one red brick wall and that was at f4, oh! and it does make sales so somebody must like 1 dimensional images
David

Quote from: MagtheHag on June 09, 2009, 16:06
If I were running a stock web-site and had as many daily problems as Alamy does with everything from uploads, unreported sales, CTR, Zooms, QC, manage image tools, policy changes, and the list goes on and on... I wouldn't be so quick to revoke contributors upload privileges when they have a hard time dealing with the QC monster fiasco! It sends the wrong message that it's ok for Alamy to screw up big-time on a daily basis but No latitude for contributors QC errors. To me it's hostile, mean spirited, and arrogance at it's worst. They created the QC monster, now let them deal with it ALL on an equal basis.

Mag

You have to stop using your P&S camera it won't get through QC 

Quote from: Talanis on June 05, 2009, 00:27

Quote from: stockastic on June 05, 2009, 00:05
I doubt the reviewing of an image costs more than 50 cents.  They make it back on the first subscription sale.  Sure there are other expenses, like advertising, but I don't think we're talking about a river of fleeing contributors.  Yet.   

Because you think they only have the reviewer to pay? What about the administrators, the developpers, the marketing people, the marketing cost, the server cost, the bandwidth, etc.

Their argument is logic. And why . would they help you leave to be exclusive with a competitor? We're not in kindergarden where everyone is friend, it's business and I don't see why DT would be happy to see a contributor go sell his photos exclusively with another agency.

If you read the contract before you sign it, you know that they will keep the pictures online for 6 months. You then have a choice: contribute or not. If you change your mind after that, you have only yourself to blame.

There is a good side for contributors to locking the images: preventing someone to erase everything on a "coup de tête", to react only on temper. When something pisses you off (like the IRS thing at SS), you can take the time to calm down and think about your options before making a hasty decision that you could regret after that. I'm considering going exclusive with iStock at the moment but will have to wait until november. It gives me 6 months to make a decision and thought about it on all sides. I will stop uploading to DT now but will keep all my portfolios open and continue to make a couple of hundred dollars a month while thinking carefully about my decision. In the fall, I'll decide if I go exclusive or if I continue with all the agencies I'm on atm. If I continue as is, it won't be a problem uploading all the stock photos I'll make in the next 6 months (I can upload 300 pictures a day on DT anyway).

Unfortunately for you, you made a hasty decision in removing all your portfolios on all sites and it will be a costly one. Too bad.

Not too bad I still have my top 3 earners active 4 if you include DT

David

Quote from: jsnover on June 05, 2009, 06:49

Quote from: Read_My_Rights on June 04, 2009, 17:28
I forgot if you can edit the keywords after acceptance in DT. In case you can, just delete all keywords,descriptions and titles or change them to something nonsensical and just become exclusive with IS. If the pictures can not be found on DT they are effectively not for sale anymore.

This won't work (unless they've changed something recently) as they disable your ability to edit the images when you delete a certain percentage of your portfolio in a short space of time.

Hi Jo Anne yes found that I disabled about 210 images and then got locked out from doing anymore... I guess I have to wait a month to do more

Daid

QuoteGood. Actually BigStock, if you had been with them, would also have insisted on their 90-day-following-acceptance rule too.

I was! guess what they let me go

Quote from: gostwyck on June 04, 2009, 09:37

Quote from: djmorgan on June 04, 2009, 08:58
... any thoughts as to what I can do 

David

Yes __ you could try being man enough to honour the terms of your contract without complaining.

Would you expect them to write for advice on forums asking how they could wriggle out of paying you for example?

I have no problem honouring terms of an Agreement, other agencies had no problems letting me go.


I do have a right to ask questions if you see it as complaing then that is your problem. a complaint would be me saying why in the past 2 weeks has DT taken back sales due to credit card fraud?
Another thing unique to DT....see! that's what's called complaing

5 months + 2 weeks 

I decided to go exclusive with IS all the other agencies I submitted to understood my plight and closed my account and deleted images, EXCEPT DreamsTime, they hold the line of their Agreement and won't let me delete images until they are 6 months old.

This will stop me going exclusive, and effect income, any thoughts as to what I can do, they are not hurting IS just me.

David

I decided to go exclusive with IS all the other agencies I submitted to understood my plight and closed my account and deleted images, EXCEPT DT they hold the line of their Agreement and won't let me delete images until they are 6 months old.

This will stop me going exclusive, and effect income, any thoughts as to what I can do 

David

There is really no point in ranting and raving about it! SS will implement their plan and a contributor can fall into line or leave SS, personally I choose the later because I can no longer live with selling images for such a low amount of money even if the volume is there.

What SS has done is made a decision for me that I have been pondering and that is to go exclusive with IS, this I will now do and drop all other agencies over the next 90 days which seems to be the required time set by some of them.

I'll submit to IS and Alamy, will save me a lot of time with work flow and make me feel a lot better about getting a better rate of return for effort.

So if your not happy move on talk will not change the tax laws.

David

Maybe there will be another opt out button! sell/don't sell US residents.... then we'll get hit with discrimination 

Quote from: shutterdrop on May 29, 2009, 13:39
Business will comply to continue operations or go out of business. This applies to agencies and contributors alike. Professionals will simply fill out the forms and attach their certified copy, because it is their livehood. The amateurs and snap shooters will move on or move out.
I doubt it will greatly effect SS business model. I bet you will not see SS image base sudden drop from 7 million to 6 millions images!

You don't get it! even after filling and filing the required documents contributors OS will have to pay withholding tax, that is less return on investment from an agency who already pays the less commissions - as a business model this for me means no longer placing my images with this agency, that is not a dummy spit, just a practical business decision on my part, I don't care if SS loose images or not BUT I do think they will loose many OS submitters because of this and not gain to much new blood from OS

David

For me the real issue is that as an Australian that has a treaty even if I fill in the forms another 5% of what I earn is not going to be given to me, already SS has one of the lowest payment figures and there is an issue where you may have the same image with a number of agencies the buyer will get the cheapest.

So my plan is to wait until the next payment is due then drop SS, probably most of the agencies, take up the exclusive offer with IS and just contribute to IS and Alamy.

David

A biggy racephoto missed that causes many rejections is SIZE! your image must not be less than 5200 px on the long side and no less than 48 mb in size. So if you use a crop sensor camera you are going to be faced with upsizing and a dreaded soft focus rejection as a good chance.

David

Cushy stock shows great potential but the developer needs to keep at it and fix the numerous bugs such as, if you move an image from one folder to another using Cushy then the majority of times that image loses its status info.

The DB is not the best as on many occasions you will see and image in an agency folder with its status info but if you look at the same image in its folder location it may have NO status info.

Recently due to agencies changing their process cushy can no longer get financial data from DT and istock, and cushies multiple thread uploading is a nightmare.

I'm told the developer is working flat out on version 2.0 I hope it comes sooner than later or I'm back to the multiple folder option. 

Got an email today advising it will be up and running in a few weeks, issued new passwords for those already with uploads

David

I also have heaps of problems, my version is 1.9.2, things like losing the status of images and cushy losing actual locations of images.

I have emailed the developer and he tells me he is working full time on version 2.0 which will solve all the problems  here is hoping it does as it is a program that can save a lot of time if it works

David

I left PM for awhile, well stopped uploading due to their system and long review times, then I got a very small sale so gave it another try... now some 2 weeks later, 15 days actually still have a bunch waiting review!  I just can't see how this site can work! unless I upload a couple of hundred in one hit spend two days doing keywords and categories and then check back in a years time