I did not bother so far, because my microstock earning are less than 5k per year. But if you are talking larger numbers and want to get money from the US to EU, check out these guys.

http://fxglobaltransfer.oanda.com/fxglobaltransfer/why-fxglobaltransfer.shtml

at this page you can see a cost comparison for 10k and 1m: http://fxglobaltransfer.oanda.com/fxglobaltransfer/cost-comparison.shtml

I am not affiliated to this company in any way. I just know a few people who use them for currency transactions and have been happy so far. Pls do any due diligence yourself!

yes I did receivethe same letter.

I am currently silver at Fotolia. I looked at the royalty structure (for non-exclusives) and this offer makes no sense for me (from an increased rank perspective, not sure about increased traffic).

If I would be gold and could make it to emerald, now that would be a completely different matter ...

At least SS got their act together and realized that the TIN no is not required. After many contributors told them so ... 

It's a bit of a worry that the initial requirement came from their Legal Counsel and supposedly from their inquiries with the tax authorities. No wonder there was an outcry.  Anyway, it's done now ...

Could SS (or someone) pls explain why this ITIN is required?

I did quite a bit of business via US banks (investment/ brokerage) and they all wanted a W8 form. But never was I required do get an ITIN/ W7.

From what I read so far, it is very difficult to meet the certification requirements to get the iTIN (unless you are a citizen of an English speaking country and living there - certification must be in English language I guess). I am a German Citizen (issuing authority of passport in Germany) living in Australia and the below is seems pretty much impossible to me. Any tips are welcome.

You can submit copies of original documents if you do any of the
following.

Have the copies certified by the issuing agency or official
custodian of the original record.

Have the copies notarized by a U.S. notary public legally
authorized within his or her local jurisdiction to certify that the
document is a true copy of the original. To do this, the notary must
see the valid, unaltered original document and verify that the copy
conforms to the original. Consular offices at U.S. Embassies and
Consulates overseas may not certify true copies of foreign public
documents and will refer applicants to the foreign authority that
issued the document.

Have the copies notarized by a foreign notary. However, foreign
notaries are only acceptable as outlined by the Hague Convention.
The Hague Convention provides for the simplified certification of
public (including notarized) documents to be used in countries that
have joined the Convention. A certification will be issued in the form
of an "apostille," which will be attached to the copy of the
document. If the document originates in a country that is not party to
the Convention, applicants should have the document certified by
the foreign authority that issued it.

Note. The apostille must stay attached to the copy of the document
when it is sent to the IRS.

What a mess!

I filled out plenty of W-8BEN, but never needed a ITIN?!

I am a German Citizen and a Permanent Resident of Australia. Can I choose? Germany gets 0%, Oz 5% ....


Hi Leaf,
what documents did you provide to get the ITIN? Who can do the certification? Does it need to be an US embassy / US institution ... can't imagine the IRS accepts a certification from Joe the police man or Mike the town hall clerk ...

Quote from: tobkatrina on April 30, 2009, 19:26
Hey guys, if you know me from other microstock forums, I am Katrina Brown (tobkatrina). I am so excited to have tried a new microstock service and they even did an interview with me WooHooo!

Anyway, let me know what you think!?

iSyndica Interview With a Stock Photographer

Interesting Earning Distribution. Did you miss iStock?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this one!

Do you downsize images for certain agencies? Which ones?

Currently I submit all images full-res to all stock agencies.

However, I read that some people here downsize to 4MP for SS?
Does this make sense?
Does it reduce OD sale potential on SS?
Does it lead to improved sales on other agencies?

Thanks.

Quote from: madelaide on April 28, 2009, 03:32

Quote from: davey_rocket on April 28, 2009, 02:57
If you know anybody attending a University, or are yourself, you can often get an educational license for insanely cheap.  I attend Oregon State University and I bought Photoshop CS3 last year for $120 and just got Illustrator CS4 for $140.  I could have bought the whole Creative Suite for $300 if I'd been smart.  You just usually need a University ID.

Is an educational license allowed for commercial use?

i don't think so:
http://www.adobe.com/uk/education/students/studentedition/eligibility.html

Restrictions on use
You may purchase only one license of any Adobe Student Edition product. This license may be used only on your privately owned computer. Student Edition products may not be used for commercial gain.

Again, thx for the tips. Just a quick feedback.

I got the 5D II. Charged the battery over night and fired off a few shots. Did not use video yet. Most impressive – coming from the 20D – are the viewfinder and the display. Very nice. Camera handles very nice too, bit more heavy than 20D. Did not check the files on the computer yet. Will do that tonight.

Just for anyone in Sydney. I bought at http://www.d-d-photographics.com.au/
It's a imported  cam, but DD makes that very clear in their FAQ and they provide their own warranty. But I guess you never know it's worth, until you need it ... It's mainly a internet business, but they have outlets in North Sydney and Brisbane.  Staff was friendly, got a tax invoice with my address and all details and payed by credit card without surcharge. I bought the body only, but got it in the "kit box" ... obviously they took the 24-105L out.

So far so good. Will get busy on the weekend enjoying the new toy , aeh tool ;-)))

Quote from: sjlocke on April 13, 2009, 13:43
Note to OP.  See here:
http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=82340&page=1

Thanks for sharing this and all the other tips.
Will try DeepMeta soon.

Thx. I give it a go.

I just started uploading at IS again. Has something changed in their "keyword recognition". I keyword all my images in Photoshop CS3. The reason was because that was the only program I had and IS would read the keywords automatically.

Somehow this does not seem to work anymore? Anyone else experience this? Any suggestions?

On top of that.

• If you enter a keyword twice (by accident) and press submit, all keywords disappear and need to entered again. what???
• If you forget to enter Title or Description and press submit, all keywords disappear and need to entered again. what???

Could someone with "IS influence" pls suggest to improve this. No, I will not do it ... probably get banned for that.

Sorry for the bad language, but it's frustrating the crap out of me. The interface is 10yrs behind. Rant over.

Thx!

Hi LisaFX,

thanks for tips. Seems you really tried all the models ;-) ok, 5D1 or 5D2. I am very tempted by the 5D2.

Although I am not sure if microstock alone would justify the higher cost for me. Sure, I would get the larger MP and better image quality ... however a 5D1 might comes "close enough"?!

.... on the other hand, it's nice to have the latest technology and "not run behind" ... decisions, decisions ... I already see my self spending the largest amount on a photography related item I ever did ...

Thx guys.

Thx for the tips.

So far I did nor really consider the 5D. Basically because it is relatively old and has "only" 12 MP.

Also 40D has a lower MP count, but the 50D reviews have not been as good ... Had a look at the 5D2 in a cam shop today. It is sweet. Almost similar size to 50D. I am tempted ...

Hi All,

I took a 4-5 month break from microstock and photography in general.  Would love to get back into it .... Preferably with a new cam. So far I am using my good old 20D. I am going on a trip back to Berlin and Bali soon. That would be a good opportunity to get a new cam .. and get some tax back here at the Sydney airport.

Guess it comes down to 50D (or 40D) vs. 5D Mk2.  I hear various things about the 50D being noisy compared with the 40D. True? How is the noise of the 50D compared to the 20D? I would like to get a high MP cam, so I do not really consider the 40D.

My stock income could finance the 5D2 in a few months. However, I am not sure if this cam would be overkill for me?! Also I am used to the 1.6 crop factor.  Usage would be about 70-80% stock, the rest travel and personal stuff.

Any opinions / experiences with a similar choice or these cameras?

Does someone have experience with: http://www.camerastore.com.au
They list the 5D2 for 3,849 A$ (inc GST) and say it has Australian warranty (no grey import) (see their FAQ)


Btw, I have 24-105 F4, 70-300 IS, 90mm Tamron macro  and a couple of accessories (tripod, flash, studio heads).

Just for everyone interested. After I stopped to upload my SS income basically halfed within 1-2 months and then stayed at this level.  All other agencies basically stayed the same or only dropped marginally (<10%).  One of the reasons I stopped uploading was that I questioned the effort/ returns. However, it's nice to take a break and still see the money rolling in. However, I think it's time to get back into it  ;-)

I really wanted the 5DII. Normally I wait 3-6 months to see if there are any issues ... and maybe a better price. But it's hard this ime. I still use my 20D, time to upgrade.


However, the "black dot issue" discussed at dpreview is a bit of a worry. Most users there claim it is no issue, because it is only visible at 100% and would not be visible in prints.

well, I guess that argument will not go past any microstock reviewer.

Might be "ok" (?!) if these only show up in night shots, but I am not convinced ...

Any opinions/ experiences?
Thanks

Seems Getty buys Jupiter: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/081023/ny41091.html?.v=1


Does that mean all my StockXpert sales will go to IS exclusives now 

If you don't want to be copied, you are in the wrong business ...

Interesting. I normally ordered from B&H into Oz. However, I bought most of my stuff when the exchange rate was pretty much 1:1.

Normally D-D in North Sydney has good prices. Also imported. You can pick-up and test stuff if you are in Sydney.

However, these guys seem to be even a bit cheaper. Pls let us know your buying experience. have you used them before?

What worries me a bit is: "Q. Does your listed price include GST and import duty? A. No. We do not charge tax on any of our products."

Is that my poor English or does that sound strange? "No" means to me the prices do NOT include GST. "We do not charge tax on any of our products." .... well I guess that means you get charged additional 10% GST via customs once your shipment arrives in Oz from overseas. Otherwise selling without GST in Australia would be illegal?!

Seems a bit misleading as well, because they advertise AU$ prices, which would indicate to me that 10% GST is included in the price (unless otherwise mentioned)?!

However, AFAIK everything under 1000 A$ is can be imported without GST.

Good luck ...

Quote from: litifeta on September 24, 2008, 21:45
I have bought stuff from them too Lisa.
I am in Australia, and the reason I chose them was they accept PayPal.
The stuff arrived fast, well packed, and all  enquiries were dealt with professionally.

Interesting. I am in Australia too. I spend +10k with B&H. However, they only accept Paypal for US/UK/Canada citizens, so I paid via CC

How much is Adorama shipping to Australia? A 5D from B&H to Australia is about 65US$

I have the 24-105 F4L and use it a lot ... on a 20D

It depends really what you want to shoot.

Its a great (convenient) walk around lens due to the focal length and weight.

For "standard stock" (f = 35 -100mm + studio strobes + F8 and higher) it probably is overkill. get a good copy of the 28-135 IS if money matters.

CA at the wide-angle is quite strong. Especially in bright sunlight on high contrast lines in corners.

for weddings 2.8 is nicer, but it works ... or use primes.

yes, early next year after it has been tested / reviewed in detail.

still use my 20D (since 20005). it's time to update.
for stock the +20 Mpix are nice
for weddings the high ISO should be great.

not sure if I upgrade my old computer (3 GHz dual core, 2GB RAM) as well  ...

thx. see what you mean.

Quote from: sjlocke on September 15, 2008, 04:12
Download numbers aren't all that matters...

sjlocke: What does matter?