We are not quite half way through June, but I wanted to post my EPD for this month and a few past months:

June 2019 (Full Month) - $.36
May 2020 (Full Month) -  $.66
June 2020 (MTD)         -  $.51

I think after 3 months checking net earnings and EPD we will know what effect the price change is having.

Quote from: astockphotographer088 on June 01, 2020, 20:44
Wasn't subscriptions supposed to change? I am still getting a lot of $0.38 or maybe they kept the annual prepaid plans the same and they changed only the dl's from new customers?

Did they clarify this anywhere? I still have a large part of "normal" sub downloads.

The only way to test what really SS did is by monitoring it as Lifetime downloads vs lifetime downloads before new system came into effect.

So for example my lifetime average in SS was 0,65 / dl, if it drops it means that the new system isn't all that good for contributors.

Couldn't agree more. It's a waiting game. I think I will give it 30-60 days before making any decision. It does little good right now to shake your fist and shout at a corporation that has already determined they don't need the people that will pull their ports.

Just sold my first 10 cent image. I will most likely delete my videos in a month. I will wait several months on images, but I suspect this will be my last year with SS. Not angry, don't expect them to change their business model. Now that it doesn't work for me, I will simply move on to something different and more lucrative. Not the first time I had to pivot because a company changed direction, wont be the last.

Perhaps they just put software in place to auto adjudicate certain images. I would think that it would be easy to quantify the digital characteristics of a good image. I noticed some go in minutes, others take longer.

Quote from: ShadySue on June 23, 2016, 21:45

Quote from: stockastic on June 23, 2016, 18:05
So I'm seeing more and more posts beginning with "so".  Rather than just poke fun at this practice, I'd like to know what it really adds. Is it emphasis or informality? Or does it imply that a question will follow?  I'm not getting it.  If I take that word away, nothing about the post seems different.

It's just a current 'thing'. I hear it on TV all the time, usually prefacing an answer.
Q: How does your invention work?
A: So, ...

Q: Why did you decide to move to Outer Mongolia?
A: So, ...

Q: When will you try to beat the world crochet record again?
A: So, ...

etc

Perhaps this might help:

http://www.npr.org/2015/09/03/432732859/so-whats-the-big-deal-with-starting-a-sentence-with-so

So I am seeing more and more processed (lightly) washed out social website inspired content make it onto SS. I was wondering if anyone had a preset that makes it through SS inspection for a well exposed "normal" image. If not, I will start playing around with one and share if there is interest.

Thanks!

Quote from: Benozaur on December 09, 2015, 11:59
I try to keep my portfolio fresh and diversify as much as I can. Seems to work.

Smart - That's the only lever we have to pull.

I took a quick look at your SS port. Nice work, but I don't think you have enough images for your sales to pick up. For me, I started getting regular sales after I had about 500 images, I don't contribute too much anymore because there are other much more lucrative ways to earn money in photography where I live. I would say that if you are committed to microstock you want to submit 20-30 images a week for at least a year. You will need holiday and seasonal images that you submit at least 3 months before the beginning of each.

Best of Luck to You!

The criticism  you got here is beyond harsh and there is no excuse for it. It is never OK to be rude in the name of offering advise.  It is so easy to forget that new photographers have a passion, but not perspective. You feel the calling, but are stuck getting started. I understand how it is. Spend some time on YouTube. The sum total of all photographic knowledge is available there. Adorama has some great shorter clips, B&H has longer form talks that dive deep with various photographers. Yes, your work needs to mature and improve, but don't get discouraged. I recommend working on the skills before trying to submit any pictures to stock agencies. 

I think you should focus on learning good composition and honing your storytelling skills with the point and shoot and wait until you have a good DSLR or mirrorless before trying stock. You will have trouble getting high quality images with a point and shoot. Other than the technical problems with this image, it could work as part of a series. Try giving yourself an assignment. Imagine you have been hired to photograph a day in the life of a bug, dog or any other item. Then spend the time and energy to capture as many images as you can of that subject doing all the things a bug, dog... does. Then look at the shots and see which work and which contribute to a story. I try to upload a series of images that tell as story. I get single downloads, but also get sales of the entire series.

I do it because I am addicted to making money while I am asleep, sitting on the beach or working my day job. It's the same reason I invest.

Rob Sylvan wrote "Taking Stock" five years ago and was pretty clear about how hard this business was and what the realistic potential was. I actually think he was too optimistic. 

The trajectory of this business is not unlike other nascent online business models.  Constant change  and accelerating commoditization.  Doesn't mean I dont look forward each morning to checking my overnight sales.

It is a good effort. I would take time to explore the subject and play with the light. Don't be afraid to have shots with soft light and with harsh shadows at dramatic angles. There is nothing wrong with shadows if you have control of them. You have an advantage in working with still life and not a moving model or animal. You are only limited by the time you want to spend. I think you can get 4-5 different looks with a tripod, a sheet of white paper a few strong continuous lights and some wax paper or a shower curtain. A Macro lens would help you get close and fill the frame. An alternative to a macro would be an inexpensive set of extension tubes. Your on the right track.

I have an actuarial background so I am heavily influenced by my past. I don't think it is possible for anyone to draw any conclusions based on their ports on any agency because each or our ports is such a tiny percent of the whole collection. It makes our experience with our ports statistically insignificant. I think it makes sense to spend time looking at the characteristics of successful images on each site and shape our uploads based on those trends.

I have been shooting 5ds for years. I have to say the performance on the MIII has me thinking about a switch to another brand. Studio performance is fine, but I am not happy with outside focus, contrast and low light grain. I just can understand what is going on. In some cases my 60D does better than the MIII. Just wondering if anyone else is seeing the same or if the nut behind the camera needs adjustment?

I am thinking about a mirrorless full frame, any ideas?

Thanks!

Quote from: thor_odt on October 28, 2015, 22:48
I use the same reflex 5d mkIII, lens, hand and postproduction process, but some themes are always accepted, some others very few

I have noticed more rejections now that I am using a 5DMIII. Starting a new thread on the subject.

I can tell you from experience to ask immediately for a contract and get all the terms up front and in writing. I let my guard down once and started working on a custom request only to find out that the "buyer" was just jumping from contributor to contributor pulling our chains. Having said that, one of the advantages of a good microstock port is that it gets you noticed by folks who regularly buy images. Rob Sylvan talks about getting custom work and assignments from stock in his book: "Taking Stock" It's inspiring.

Same here. Plus Video uploads waiting 6 weeks now, images almost 3 for reviews. From the outside looking in is feels like internal turmoil/challenges. 

Quote from: sharpshot on October 22, 2015, 14:34
If you don't mind seeing your images being sold on DVD's on ebay or being uploaded to sites by theives as if they created them or any of the other ways image thieves make money then fine but I think it should be possible to have a large preview that still has a visible watermark on all images.

I don't disagree with you at all, and SS clearly has an obligation to do a better job. I am just saying that theft has very little impact on sales on any major site. No legitimate user of stock content wants be associated with anything illegal so we are not loosing business. What is to stop the bad guys from pulling images off of site that have bought and use my content? I know there is a resolution issue, but my point is you will never stop this stuff. SS is on the right track in making an easier and better experience for the people that put money in our pockets, it just needs some tweaking.

I dont like image theft any more than anyone else. But I need to ask how this is going to hurt me? Legitimate SS customers are high volume consumers.  They are not going to cancel their accounts and start pirating images. The criminals who do this are not our customers.  No I dont want them stealing my work, but I see it as a risk of doing business. I would rather a buyer see my work in full size and look for more of my content risking some theft.  Just another opinion.

Any web based industry is volatile, unless you are a huge like Amazon and make your own weather system. As such leaders today can quickly fall from grace. I don't think it makes sense to close any accounts, it just takes money out of your own pocket. Because players like CS are so small, they are inherently volatile. If you have the time, I think the big 4, the middle and the top low earners are part of a decent photography business.

I never understood the "similar" policy. Unless they are trying to cut cost by reducing server space requirements? It had felt like that policy was relaxing until my last submission where it came back with a vengeance. I have been bitten by them choosing the weakest of a set. From now on I will try to wait until I have 3-4 shoots,  sub a few from each shoot, best first.

Same boat here. I remember a while back it was taking them 3-4 weeks to review JPGs. I try not to read anything into it. With no insight into their internals, who knows how many reviewers they have for video and if they were reassigned other tasks or if it is a sign of loss of interest. I do have to say of the three sites I upload video , they are the lowest in sales for me.

 Ellen Boughn wrote about branding yourself in her book "Microstock Money Shots" I don't think it is important as it might have been in the past. Every once in a while, I get 25-30 downloads all of the same model at the same time, but again, that is interest in my subject, not me. It does pay to put up a series. Even better, a series where each shot can stand alone or be put together to tell a story The big trick is to find subjects that are timely and under shot, not so easy anymore. Good Luck!

Any one contributor's individual performance is such a statistically insignificant part of the microstock industry that it would be difficult to tell anything from it. I expect this industry to be just like most others that are maturing. In 3 years the topology of the market will be unrecognizable from what it is today. Leaders in 2015, may not even be in business in 2018.   Remember the 100mb zip disk? What about 8 track tapes? Unless you make steel beams or clay pots for a living, expect change, evolution and Darwinian like natural selection. It's normal. 

Quote from: madman on August 01, 2015, 17:33
I am very angry with istock because I feel like to be fired my job....

It is always hard for me to remember that I don't have a job in Microstock. I have a job outside of Micostock. They set goals for me, tell me how to do my work, require me to put in 40 hours a week... For me, Microstock is a way to make a little extra money until I retire from my real job and pursue photography full time.  In a way I feel fortunate that I never got a taste of the golden years of Microstock as I entered the market way too late, but I do feel for all of you who had the ability to support yourselves in this industry and saw that deteriorate. I had the same thing happen to me in the 90's with IT consulting. All I am saying is that I feel your pain.