Thanks, Newsfocus.

Are you seeing counts of views of your photos anymore?  In the past, I would be able to see which photos people looked at (even if they didn't buy), which helped me to get an idea of the content people are actually looking for/at.

Within the last several months (despite uploading new content), my views are at a standstill.  I don't know if Dreamstime isn't capturing it anymore or if no one is looking at my photos anymore. 

Thoughts?

As another person who was born and bred behind the cheddar curtain, this study is good news!

Wow, that's so cool!  Who would have thought that it was that easy!

Quote from: whosvegas on May 15, 2019, 10:55
That's why i stop uploading new stuff to them

Ditto.

Is this a joke?  Its a joke, right?

Maybe I'm being overly picky, but when I receive an email from a business I expect proper grammar and spelling to be used.  "Ann"'s email is painful to read.  And that in of itself makes me ignore the message. 

Perhaps English isn't her first language.

Wow, this thread has gotten long quickly. 

In the world of microstock, I'm still a newbie.  But I have already learned in 6 months these things:
1. I'm not going to bother with an agency who has no problem paying me $.03 for a sale of my photo.  (iStock - I'm not uploading to them anymore)
2. With the advent of better cameras on smart phones, people all over the world can make a decent photo.  BUT, if the content of your photo isn't valuable to someone else, then it won't ever sell.
3.  I feel like the mass uploading of junk from people referenced in point #2 will eventually burn itself out.  If you're making crap and no one buys it, how long will you continue to do it?  My guess is that maybe a year at best.
4. People have short memories these days and even less patience.  I think people making quality photos who put care and concern about the content and quality will continue to do well.  I always ask myself... if I were in marketing, would I use this?  Is the quality good enough?  Does this photo tell a story or convey an emotion?  If I answer no to any of those questions, then I don't invest the time in uploading and keywording it.
5. Buyers of microstock will look for other agencies if they can't find the content they need on the "regular" sites.  So if an agency like SS becomes too filled with garbage those buyers might go elsewhere.  Loyalty to a brand is fleeting, especially when you can't deliver a quality product anymore.

I do think there is still money to be made in microstock.  And there probably always will...  for those who provide quality content. 

I love this thread.  Funny, but extremely interesting. 

Considering I'm still in my first year and my portfolio is still quite small, I was excited to see numerous actual sales. 

I was disappointed to see the actual amount per sale.  $.19, $.18 and even one for $.03.  Sheesh, it costs me more than $.03 to fart. 

TBH, I'm making more money on Dreamstime than on iStock. 

Quote from: Sammy the Cat on March 01, 2019, 07:58

Quote from: GrayMouse on February 28, 2019, 21:58
Hello to all,

I am wondering what is your POSITION in Adobe Stock?
If you will log in to dashboard, you should see it in top.

I'm 6,640th 

Thanks

I am also 6,640th how odd

I guess that's Adobe Stock's way of saying "you're my best friend"  "and... you're my best friend, too"   "and this guy over here, he's my best friend"  "and the lady down the street, she's my best friend".  Doesn't mean a hill of beans. 

As long as people are buying my photos, you can call me whatever you want.

When I'm out taking photos, I often remind myself that the people looking for content are doing so for ALL KINDS of reasons.  I am always curious about why people download my photos and how they want to use them. 

I do know that we can rarely guess exactly what people are looking for or what they need.  Sometimes I upload a photo that I think "meh, you never know..." and that's what ends up selling. 

Quote from: BaldricksTrousers on February 25, 2019, 06:20

Quote from: PrincessFerf on February 22, 2019, 16:27
Somehow I don't get my updates until several DAYS after you all do.  As of right now (the 22nd) I still don't have my January sales info. 

Grrrrrrr.

Is your computer reading from a cached file rather than the update?

BTW - my Jan sales figures are absolutely atrocious.

No, it was reading current.  I finally got my figures on Friday. 

Somehow I don't get my updates until several DAYS after you all do.  As of right now (the 22nd) I still don't have my January sales info. 

Grrrrrrr.

Quote from: JAFO on February 17, 2019, 12:45

Quote from: cathyslife on February 14, 2019, 00:36

Quote from: luckyj on December 30, 2015, 10:09
I only heard about Foap this week. My only doubt is about the personal information thay ask you to become "verified". They ask you to grant acces to your paypal account and have all kind of personal data taken from there, such as address, birthday and others...it never occured to me that any other agency ever asked me more than my paypal mail for paying me. What do you think about this? I'd like to give them a chance but this is really bugging me


Inviato dal mio iPad utilizzando Tapatalk

Asking for access to your paypal account should be sending major red flags up! Are people really that desperate to sell images? OMG

I don't think my English is very good. Does throwing up red flags mean I shouldn't join Foap?

The phrase "throwing up red flags" means that a situation or statement looks wrong or potentially dangerous.  Or lying, not trustworthy.

Thank you.  I must have glossed over it before.  Although it is a little bit hidden on their site. 

What sort of payout do contributors see on Canva?  I was on their website and can't seem to find this information.

I was also curious about the "what should I shoot?" list.  There are a few in the list that I can actually get, but wondered if there's much use in putting the effort into it.

Like many of you, my "uploaded but not yet submitted" photos also disappeared.  I'm hoping Shutterstock gets this straightened out soon.

The majority of my sales seem to be outside of the US.  (not limited to the EU)

Great tips.  Thanks again!

Thank you.  Since I'm still fairly new and the delay they have in notifying you of purchases makes it a little challenging. 

For example, I just started uploading in November, 2018.  In that month I had 1 view.  Just last week the November sales numbers came out and that 1 view = 1 sale.  Since December, 2018 numbers aren't out yet, I'm not sure how many of my views are sales. 

Again, just trying to get an idea of what's selling.

Do you use the Getty Contributor App?  If so, I have a question for you.

When you go to the "My Photos" section, under "Stats", there is a count of "Views".  Underneath they show the actual photos "viewed".  However, it kind of seems like those "views" are actually purchases.

Is the count of "Views" truly just views or are they purchases...  or a combination of views and purchases?

Quote from: MatHayward on December 21, 2018, 16:09

Quote from: PrincessFerf on December 21, 2018, 15:38
I have had a couple of my photos rejected (SS, Adobe, iStock) requiring a property release.  I have had plenty of my photos accepted that are similar in nature.

Here's the situation.  The buildings I have shot aren't well known or "famous", I am not trespassing on the property itself (taken from the road) and these aren't people's private homes.  There are no names on these buildings or trademarks.

The agencies are super inconsistent in their review.  What's the deal?  What are your thoughts/suggestions?

A building doesn't need to be famous to require a property release. If it is recognizable private property it will likely require a property release at Adobe Stock. You can review our property release requirements here: https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/user-guide.html?topic=/stock/contributor/morehelp/legal-guidelines.ug.js

-Mat

That is helpful.  Thank you, Mat.

In my case, the buildings I have had rejected were either a church or a barn. 

Many of my photos are rural, Midwestern USA.