Quote from: werkmann on June 23, 2009, 02:07...still waiting for someone who tells that veer accept only special type of pictures with higher quality or more "arty" look. Until now i read only the same old discussions i've heard already about any other agency. Where is the veer-hype? :-)

I had my initial 10 accepted last week but I'm still pondering what to upload and what they really want. Reading the forum here, I took a sample with not too many (4) isolated people shots, as I've got the impression they prefer people in situation, avava-style. Half were nature/varia, half were people.

@CClapper: these are the 10 accepted, to give you an idea, subject-wise.

Quote from: gostwyck on June 18, 2009, 11:32They are projected to drop below 2% this month despite having recently uploaded several hundred new images.

I just had a look at my rejects. After years of almost 100% acceptance, to my surprise, they rejected an image as non-stockworthy that was accepted everywhere and that sold several times there. No sweat, but if they (or their new reviewers) keep doing that, I'm out of there too, at least as to uploading. I get plenty of sales of images 3-4 years old, none recent. It must be a major glitch in their search engine. Not uploading any more won't make any difference.

Quote from: Whitechild on June 22, 2009, 12:48When I wrote to Alamy support, they told me I need model release for all of them, otherwise, the image must be licensed.

What is "licensed"? Turned into editorial?

Quote from: louoates on May 11, 2009, 20:22I really don't intend to complain about high rejection rates at FT.

Neither do I. I stopped uploading long ago. Whatever they make on my old shots is an extra. I can't really tell about rejections since I never found out what they rejected and why. I just cash in now and then. Their esoteric upload system (FTP never worked, HTML crashes with more than 3 images in a row) takes too much time. The moment they go under 5% of my total income, I'll kiss them buhbye with a French kiss. Paris ne vaut pas une mess. 

Quote from: puravida on June 21, 2009, 21:32THis special treatment you get only if your image wins the assignment. It doesn't mean every one who submits to the assignment get this better position,  instant level 5,etc

No, the level 5 is acquired, whether you win it or not. That's the trick. Plus the extended exposure on the front page of course. Buyers can be trapped in "more of this port" or "more of this model" by visual search. I got a bunch of sales (sadly, most of them subs) the past 4 days [after I entered 2 images in the assignment] of shots that never sold at DT. "Sacrificing" (exclusivity) one or two pictures from a series is a good investment for these halo sales.

My point was basically that you have to play on the visual search mechanism too on DT, apart from proper keywording of course.

Quote from: rene on June 21, 2009, 03:58

Quote from: FlemishDreams on June 20, 2009, 14:34

Quote from: Achilles on June 19, 2009, 19:51visual search

One way of working your way to the front page is participating in the assignments. Even if the assignment image doesn't sell, you'll get exposure and a chance of trapping a buyer in your port.

But don't forget that your image will be trapped for 12 months.

And exclusive. In return you get a better positioning in the search engine and instant level 5. You also get the halo effect which I was mentioning. I don't care if it's "trapped" since I have no intention to leave DT. As far as I can see, there are only 2 reasons to remove an image(s) from microstock: (a) exclusive buyout, but only DT has it, so it's not applicable, or (b) going exclusive somewhere.

Quote from: lisafx on June 20, 2009, 17:51

Quote from: FlemishDreams on June 20, 2009, 05:23
Only 7% sales tax? Lucky *insult removed*. In Belgium it's 21% VAT and in the Philippines 12%.

That's only State taxes Flemish.  We also pay 25% federal income tax and 15% social security tax.

No I was mentioning VAT alone = sales tax in the US = 21%. The income taxes are a separate story. What about 50% income tax plus 20% social security tax paid largely by the employer?

Quote from: click_click on June 18, 2009, 15:42Get my point?

No. If you don't like to read complaints or remarks about sites, then just don't read them. If you don't like sometimes controversial forum exhanges, then just leave and go read some forum about the art of balloonery. 

Quote from: Lcjtripod on June 20, 2009, 12:52As an ex buyer of images, I always used key words to find an image.

I like to wander off in portfolios too.

Quote from: Achilles on June 19, 2009, 19:51visual search

Visual search is a very neglected concept in our thinking about how buyers buy our images. Keywords can describe an image only marginally. It's the visual "click" that makes a buyer buy.

DT facilitates visual search a lot by the side-image series "similar images" from other's portfolio, and "more images from your portfolio" or "more images with this model". Neither SS nor IS have that.
What's more, by the "buyer searched after" (keywords), one can get very valuable strategic info about keywording and what's found by visual search (n/a).

The most important factor that contributors are in control of is portfolio diversity. This will lure more buyers (with varying needs) into visually search of your portfolio. Nature, urban, people, industrial, business, transport, isolated, editorial... anything that drags a buyer into your port enhances the chance on a sale, sometimes of a totally different image the buyer searched for initially. One way of working your way to the front page is participating in the assignments. Even if the assignment image doesn't sell, you'll get exposure and a chance of trapping a buyer in your port.

In short, there are many ways to beat the blind search engine.

Quote from: mattb on June 20, 2009, 02:52Has anyone had to supply releases for images at Veer when non of the other agencies needed one?

Yes, this one was accepted but needed a model release. I don't understand why since the facial screen of the firefighter is one-way vision to reflect the heath and the light, and all skin parts included hands are covered with thick protective clothes. No way they could recognize themselves here. It's two girls.  



Crop at 100%:


It was accepted without MRF at DT and SS, but I put a remark for the reviewer there. Perhaps Veer should have a field like that too.
Incidentally, BigStock rejected it for "not interesting for stock". Go figure  

I keep uploading to StockXpert as usual. The game is only over when the fat lady sings. Uploading makes StockXpert stronger. Getty will never close it down since the StockXpert collection is different from the one on iStock by the different acceptance policies. Closing it down would mean losing income and feed the competition like SS, DT and FT that mostly carry the same images as StockXpert.

What may happen is that iStock will ask contributors on both IS and StockXpert to remove the images on StockXpert that are already on IS. Which sounds reasonable.
What also may happen is that IS exclusives may submit their IS rejected images to StockXpert, which would be great for them, since now, they don't have any income at all from rejected images.

IS and StockXpert could coexist and complement each other like Veer and Veer Marketplace: an A and a B site: different quality, different images, different prices, different customers.
If Getty doesn't have a clear business mind to implement this scheme, the investors group that owns Getty will insist on it.

Quote from: whatalife on June 02, 2009, 12:18Is it possible that all those extra steps might actually improve the experience for the customer? And that that might have something to do with the "simplest" ones, for the most part, also being the lowest selling?

The customer is at the front end of the site, the contributor at the back end. There is no relation between both.
123RF undoubtedly has the fastest upload system. Assuming you got your IPTC right (who hasn't?) import from FTP = 1 click and they are submitted. No categories. The only extra step needed then is attach MRFs. The bulk attach system of 123RF is by far the best and the fastest. YAY is cool too, but you still need to submit and attach MRF image by image. Cutcaster has bulk attach but the tiny windows you have to scroll in destroy the workflow.

The new CanStockPhoto is great too, an ex aequo with 123RF.

Only 7% sales tax? Lucky *insult removed*. In Belgium it's 21% VAT and in the Philippines 12%.

Quote from: Phil on June 20, 2009, 03:29and three where they want the new image uploaded so they can buy at normal price.

Hahaha.

Quote from: Karimala on June 19, 2009, 16:51

Quote from: FlemishDreams on June 19, 2009, 16:46
The customer never had the original of Karin.

Only I have the original of Karin. 

But I have the sizzling peaches. 
I didn't know you were still lurking around here. 

Quote from: sjlocke on June 19, 2009, 13:19I normally ask $100 or so.  Get the money first.  These type of requests always flake and you never hear from them again.

Correct.

Quote from: Milinz on June 19, 2009, 09:13

Quote from: puravida on June 18, 2009, 20:00

Quote from: Milinz on June 18, 2009, 14:43
.................- I review on some place too.

YES we know too, it's not Fotolia but F----------.   Reading your posts, it's not that difficult to guess which site.

Well... I didn't stated anything. And that where is really not important at all!
BTW, most reviewers are changing agencies - so one day they may be at IS and other day they may be at SS... At the end I happen to know some people here who was reviewers or still are, but that where is really not relevant ;-)

At least we know who Atilla is now. 

Quote from: madelaide on June 18, 2009, 22:19In many of the instances of the unwatermarked photos, they have the same name as the watermarked one, thus my suspicion.  And as Miklav and Flemish showed, the purchased ones have a different format name.

I remember buying one of the peaches shots of Karin (Karimala) at LO in large size and I guess it had the same format. Not sure since my backups are now 9,000km away. At Pixart: I would never put a large size bought image online at full size. I used that one to crop out banners and graphic elements to keep the same mood and colors. The customer never had the original of Karin. A buyer has no interest in divulging the image he bought: it would only feed his competition.

Quote from: whatalife on June 18, 2009, 11:34I'm sorry; I think he was referring to inspection times after the application process.

Ah ok, well I'm quite relaxed about it all. They will have an overload of images the first weeks.

Update: just checked. "You can submit". All accepted. I like the programming of the site and the aesthetics of the graphics and the behavior. Top professional work. Let's see what the future brings. Que sera, sera.

Quote from: whatalife on June 17, 2009, 20:30Brian said that some files had been waiting 5 days and they were working towards not going longer than that if possible.

My 10-image application was uploaded June 12, and it's still in the queue now on June 18. That's 6 days already.

Update: accepted June 18.

Quote from: madelaide on June 17, 2009, 22:31Men, humpf...!

- Yeah, we're made like that. We can't help it. Nevertheless and notwithstanding, I wish the OP could upload some samples (preferably large size and very detailed) so we could form ourselves a well-informed opinion about the... lingerie. 

Quote from: Komar on June 18, 2009, 06:18I just tried setting one of my pics. to $250 for exclusive buyout. A text came up saying the minimum value allowed is $350. 

Achilles is reading these forums too. 

Quote from: PaulieWalnuts on June 18, 2009, 03:00Try Windows 7 and I think you'll have a new appreciation for Windows.

I have the beta but it will expire in August. Moreover, I don't like to run a beta on a production machine. That means I will have to reformat my disk (Windows never allows to "downgrade") and lose all my programs, settings, users, etc... Two-three days lost reinstalling and getting the actual versions from the Net. No thanks, XP works fine and blazing fast, compared to Vista. At the end of the day, I'm running Photoshop and not an operating system.

Quote from: madelaide on June 17, 2009, 23:23Has anyone purchased images from LO?If anyone purchased images in LO, maybe you can help me know if all their files had that name format.

Yes I did, several. The format was for instance : LuckyOliver-915823-blog-paper_gift_tag.jpg

All the EXIF info is there, and in the IPTC, I can see Caption, Keywords, Credits, Origin (with Title = object name).