Proposal of "free" can threaten many businesses. People care less about quality if they can get something for free. They don't care about your expenses. For supplier of a free service this is usually a side, additional business, supported by main activity. Motivations are different, from attempts to enter new fields to "i will damage because i can do it". Free photos, graphics, cleaning, hairdressing, office supplies, even pizzas and transport. Something should be created to differentiate charity from this kind of damping.

Same here

Quote from: angelawaye on April 12, 2017, 18:13
Remember when Shutterstock cut our share of EL's and they said we would get more ... the opposite happened.

It is from "exciting news", expected result, and the same for all agencies.

Quote from: Artist on April 11, 2017, 10:11
Stats are not updating now, anyone else?

Just checked - not yet

Quote from: BaldricksTrousers on April 11, 2017, 08:06

Quote from: skyfish on April 11, 2017, 07:28
There are problems. Not normal when you receive multiple e-mails about old files, i have 5 or 7 copies last days.

If you uploaded a bunch on a certain day and several of them haven't sold three (?) years later you will get an e-mail for each of the unsold files asking what you want to do with them.
It IS normal.

Thank you for explanation! I even don't remember when i stopped to upload there :-)

There are problems. Not normal when you receive multiple e-mails about old files, i have 5 or 7 copies last days.

For yesterday i have only subscriptions in totals, but on details i can see that 2 on demand were sold too.

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on April 06, 2017, 10:36
They sent me a contract and it definitely wasn't exclusive.

I found this on their page http://www.sciencephoto.com/static/media/contact/SPL_DigitalGuidelines.pdf  "The images you give us are not given to another agency (image exclusivity)."

Yes, too hard and not necessary for now. But you can try, i have no problem with this. To that time i hope they will upgrade their system to modern level and at least not demand generate previews for them.

They demand image exclusivity and uncompressed size for photo 36 mb and for illustrations 60mb. Format - tiff. No filters as they wrote "no cleaning and sharpening". Which noise level they accept it is not clear, no samples. Wild life photos are often enough noisy, especially from dark forests. Condition to have sales - regular work with them. This will leave less time for already existing relations, doubt if it is worth to try if you don't have ready portfolio to send. Otherwise when you have no other things to do. Uploading looks like time consuming process, they demand to send a preview jpeg with high res image

Thanks! it is not my field

Received a link to bentbox,  .co. Is somebody already there? Please share your opinion.

Received a letter from Artistrising. They are going to close their site on April 27. They will pay final payments and ask to verify your payment data.

Discount? When they speak about their low budget, they start discussion from prices which already will not cover any expense of a photographer. Example: call to shoot a portrait of a baby in client's house. They proposed 12 euro (!!!) telling that it is good for you because photo from machine on railway station is 6-8 euro. Polite "bon journée madame, we cannot accept your order".

Last time people, which state that they don't have a budget, but want a photographer to come to them for a session and then do heavy retouching, started to reference to companies which provide photography services for free. All these companies don't have photography as a main business, but ready to invest small for them money, hiring students or rotate trials. It is already in many heads here that imagery should be free, but none of these people will provide their time for free. I had several calls in enough aggressive tone, that i have no right to refuse a service, like other service providers in electricity, water etc. I have the right. Note, they don't even think to have for free a location, models, stylists, and of course, products, transport, printing etc. Only photographer or graphic designer. There are some more professions which are under the same pressure, but much less, no comparison.

Looks like automated "production"

If it was clearly shot for a brand, then recovery of expenses by selling photos depends from their good will. If they don't state that clearly, then you are in a situation.

IMHO mostly it is not about skillset, but about all types of expenses behind the work which you, photographer, can throw in hope that something will be "approved". Only photographer is a loser in such chain, not paid models, stylists, equipment suppliers, location, middleman etc etc etc. Only a photographer.

Quote from: LDV81 on March 12, 2017, 10:50

Quote from: sharpshot on March 12, 2017, 09:49
Microstock prices have gone up a lot over the years I have been doing this.  People seem to forget that istock started as a free images site.  I'm making a lot more per sale with SS than when I first started.  There's a lot more competition and that's led to lower sales for a lot of us but it isn't because prices have gone down.  I still think microstock is worth it but only if you don't supply what's already been done to death.

The prices might have gone up, but from the point of view of contributors, it doesn't matter much because the ocean of images has grown exponentially. Nowadays, it is much more difficult to earn $1000 with a new image than it was in 2012 or 2011. The expected revenue from a new image has decreased dramatically, therefore the value of imagery is lower than in the past. And the trend is clear. Oversaturation, much worse than in the oil market.

I think I'll buy a few hundred images and use them in content types that might be more lucrative and sustainable.

Oversaturation is not only in stock imagery, in services field too. And recently started to see a heavy pressure from all sort of middlemen. Growing amount of false service calls published by them, war for traffic, and intentionally disrespectful communication with service providers in "very polite tone". Their purpose is only to take money from photographers in exchange for customer contacts, which are false in 99%. They demand from a photographer to pay to respond for a call like "i want to know your price for a wedding". I have regularly - about once per week calls from "startups" which propose to "manage your clients, accept orders for you and that they are into photography and want to take 25-30%". Another trend: official publications for service calls moved to category "interim". Imagine: they publish a "job" description as following: high photography education, bring own camera, backgrounds, and payment 10 eur.hour, service time 4 hours. Remember, you have to pay your expenses from that and a tax! It is less than payment for a cleaner which will not have any expenses except probably transport.

Focus, following an eye direction in a viewfinder of DSLR. As per discussions i already had, it is technically possible, but with brands enough open for cooperation with third parties. The function can take as parameters even individual features of different people and correctly choose nearest focus points.

Quote from: derek on March 08, 2017, 12:31

Quote from: Herg on March 08, 2017, 12:02

Quote from: derek on March 08, 2017, 11:40
haha!  the shutterstock forum! havent been there for years but popped in a few hours back OMG!!! its like reading the bible of death. There is a thread there highlighting daily earnings and reading that one gets the impression the site is going bust!  I mean really haha! its so bad it comical.

I don't find it funny.

No of copurse not. Its pathetic but it was more like tounge in cheek if you know what I mean.

However and this is strange its never occurred to me. Notice how many people complain about their portfolio "vanishing" for hours on end?  well thats exactly what I am experiencing.
I am seeing a complete dead-time European time between 13.00 to 21.00 hours and this is right on the dot! for over two weeks exactly the same pattern.

I really haven't got a clue so what going on?

Nothing will happen if it was not written in the code

IS gives an example and shows the trend in this industry. Popcorn will cost a lot of money for contributors. Any volunteering for commercial businesses is a wrong way. Difficult to quit, but necessary.

Quote from: ShadySue on February 21, 2017, 12:26

Quote from: skyfish on February 21, 2017, 12:03
I was waiting, but my balance was reset already about 1 month

If you read that people have been paid on the 25th, and it's still IF, get ready to contact them immediately if you don't.
Hope it works out for you.

ok, thank you!

I was waiting, but my balance was reset already about 1 month

I started to worry. With all these changes i didn't receive my payout, but DM(old) shows my emptied balance.