Mac for work (Photoshop and Cinema4D, etc) and PC for gaming.

Mac's maybe overpriced but they're worth it as far as I'm concerned. Way more reliable.

As an artist I'm wondering why photo's are so expensive? Just buy a digi camera for a couple hundred bucks, point, shoot and wallah! Next, sort through the dross, do some auto levels with some pirated software, upload the images and keep your fingers crossed. Spray and pray. Who cares if the review list is weeks long. Fill that baby up, with dozens of similar looking images, hey they might accept them all! Woohoo!
Easy peasy. Like takin' candy from a baby. Don't know what the fuss is all about. what? Or am I wrong???

Now for a digital artist, you've probably been drawing since you were 4 years old, you develop some talent (hopefully), plus years learning design at college, then spend a blummin' fortune to buy the software and upgrades, many hundreds of hours learning multiple pieces of software, have a very high spec machine and OS that has to be upgraded frequently to keep up with that software.
Oh and the time. It normally takes me at least a couple of days to produce ONE image. ONE IMAGE! Then you gotta hope that an inspector doesn't turn down the image because they think its not suitable stock ('cos to be honest some inspectors DON'T like anything but photo's for stock, its true).
Grrrrrrr!

And for your information, I don't do Illustrator images by the way. All my stuff tends to be 3D, and are classed as photo's, so I get the same mullah as you photographer guys. Ain't microstock great?

Please take the above rant with a smile, and know I was being a bit sarcy, I've had a bad week (and its only Tuesday). Personally I think we should all be getting way more for an image. Have a good download day.

Cinema4D 8.5 (Wish I could afford to upgrade)

Photoshop 7 (Again, wish I could afford an upgrade)

Poser 6 (I HATE this with a passion, THE most unfreindly and clunky software I've EVER used, but sadly no alternative, and can't bring myself to upgrade)

Vue 6 Infinite (bought it about 3 months ago, and haven't had time to use it yet, so not really a 4th)

Well I went exclusive with iStock about a year ago, but due to the fact I wasn't allowed to sell 3D models on Turbosquid (why?), and rejections for IMO no good reasons, I went the other way again.
I did appeal the rejections to Scout but half of those I never heard of again, due to the amount of images in the que I think.

I couldn't work on an image for 3 or 4 days to have my sole stock company say its not suitable for stock. A no brainer really, had to go back to being non exclusive, and glad I did. Especially after all the server problems at iStock.

But if pushed to go exclusive again, for the money it would be iStock, but I do like Dreamstime, just love the level increase on popular images.

Thanks Gizeh for posting the link. What a superb clip. Never heard of the guy, but it struck a chord with me. Misleading subject title though.

I'm an illustrator by profession, and I'd have loved to have shown this to my ex agent (who is now out of the business). The amount of free promotional stuff I did for that guy, and none of it worked.
I just got ripped off. In the end the artist's were expected to give stuff away because we loved doing our work and it would give us exposure. Well that don't pay the mortgage...

Thank god for the web. I'm a realist in the end, and I've had to change with the times. Getting peanuts per image from microstock is better than nothing. When all the peanuts add up, it can come to something worthwhile, and its great for promoting my work.
I've had more jobs since being on the micro's (and one macro) than ever before. One client even gave me a whopping great bonus last week... bless him.
If it weren't for stock I'd probably be the oldest trainee plumber around, and there would be water everywhere.....

I still value my work (if I don't who will?), I just get the chance to sell it repeatedly.
Doesn't mean its worth any less. Each image is a long term investment (hopefully).
So next time the phone rings and its an old publisher from my past asking for freebies, I hope I can remember some of Harlan's words...

Always seems to be Tuesdays for some reason.

Pulled my test images after the time period allowed. Think I had one sale in that time.

Not worth bothering with I'm afraid.

Just had a look, what a shockingly rough site. 'Beta' is wishful thinking I'm afraid.

Also tried to sign up (in case it gets better later on) and couldn't even do that.
Character errors when filling in fields. Gawd.

'More effort needed' as my old teacher used to say.

Might try again in a few months, if it hasn't been pulled.

Maybe.....

Not a jot, sadly.

They are very polite and freindly though.


Edit: As of the end of May, 2 sales, one of which was an extended license. Not bad.

Edited Again: They took back about $13 because of some royalty bug. Wasn't an extended license then. So just two ordinary sales so far.

I normally try and keep my keywords to a minimum really. Mostly for my work, loads of keywords are not that necessary. Something like....

engine, cutaway, petrol, piston, section, 3D, render, isolated, illustration, technical, cad, machine, mechanical, metal, sparkplug.....

I think stock sites should have a limit to the number, it would definately focus the mind on better, more precise keywording and better search results for the punters.

But then I've never had to describe a portrait or something like that....

I think having the ability to set your own prices could be a two edged sword. And that in the end is what this thread is about? Two examples to follow so please bear with me.

First, one of my images at Dreamstime got bumped a level a while ago, and since then downloads has dropped dramatically. Was my best performing image, now its pants....

Secondly, I've uploaded to Featurepic's, set my pricing, reset my pricing again and again, slowly inching downwards, with bigger leaps each time. Very disappointing, not a single sale... (just like SPM by the way, wish I hadn't bothered with them either)

It occurs to me that the market is full of images, and people will not part with anymore than bare minimum credits, when there are other cheaper images.

So having the option of hiking up your prices, in the end may be a bad thing...hope I made sense here, I have a tendency to ramble 'cos I'm a hermit......

If you're buying a couple of lens's at that price then perhaps a trip would be better. There are some good cheap flights to NY around, and once you're there, and have bought the kit, ditch the boxes and say they're used. You shouldn't have to pay tax on them when bringing them back into the country.

No sales this month so far...

Very disappointing. What happened?

Argghh! The green, the green! Make it stop.......


Apart from that good luck with the site Rich.