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Messages - steheap
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1376
« on: June 28, 2011, 21:45 »
I love it as well, although I focus more on travel and landscape images and I love being outside in interesting places! Go with what you enjoy - that is my motto!
The development of the images is good as well, but I slow up a bit with the keywording....
Steve
1377
« on: June 28, 2011, 21:43 »
Open browser -> Go to Google -> in search field type in "How to get started in Microstock Photography" -> Hit return
Spend hours researching cameras, lenses, software, agencies, techniques, workflows, forums, etc. like the rest of us did when we first started out.
Hang on - can I suggest a different search term? How about "Getting started in stock ebook". That should do the trick!  Steve
1378
« on: June 28, 2011, 16:17 »
Thanks for this extra bit of detail. I must investigate the "Exclude pages" plugin and that sounds as if it will solve a different problem I have. I have a "thank you" page that appears when someone has bought my book, but I could not find anyway of stopping it appear in the menu structure of my blog. Exclude pages sounds like it is just the plugin I need for that!  Steve
1379
« on: June 28, 2011, 16:14 »
Thanks Duncan - that helps a lot. In my review of the various sites on my blog, I always praise CanStock for the easy uploading and very fair and fast reviewing - with no categories.
I'm glad that you have reinforced that opinion.
So the motto for any business is: Find out if there is a need to be met, then develop the solution...
Steve
1380
« on: June 28, 2011, 13:43 »
I didn't know that Canstock had categories!
I am sure the tool does what it says, but does the categorization make any difference to sales - ie do properly categorized images sell more often on Canstock? I like the site, and sometimes I get some pretty good sales from them, but am I missing out by not having categories?
Steve
1381
« on: June 28, 2011, 12:56 »
Your welcome to check out mine. It's in my signature. I see, thanks! Was the blog also created in Ktools, or is that a link to another site that is integrated together? In the meantime, I did find that the eCommerce software I have (eStore) has been integrated into the most popular photo gallery in Wordpress (NextGen) to make an online store to display and sell images. I found this link to it: http://www.tipsandtricks-hq.com/wordpress-estore-and-nextgen-gallery-integration-create-photo-shop-1200I'll have to investigate some more as I see that ktools is $249. Steve
1382
« on: June 28, 2011, 12:18 »
Sorry - you have changed it, I see. The link in the original post is now magically back to its original form. Thanks.
Steve
1383
« on: June 28, 2011, 12:17 »
Yes, nice feature to save typing, but I think all Amazon books are in the "d" then "P" folder! Could make it tricky to properly refer to it. How often do we talk about DP these days?
Steve
1384
« on: June 28, 2011, 12:15 »
You could certainly run the ktools script in a subdirectory and make a link in the main blog header that point to it. You'd need to tweak the ktools design to look similar to the blog design, and put a link in the ktools store header back to the blog. Seen this done a bit before. I'll check into that - thanks. Are there any really nice examples of a Ktools driven site? I will check the bigger thread, but just wondered what good sites came to mind. Steve
1386
« on: June 28, 2011, 10:07 »
Congrats on getting the book on Amazon. About that Wordpress shopping cart. Are you doing your own site development/programming or having it done? Thanks for the kind comments on the Amazon bit - a "published" author at last!! I tried to post the link here but the forum software is changing the link before it inserts it. I'll write to Leaf about that. I have done all the wordpress stuff myself. Wordpress is a great system that has worked flawlessly for me. To add the shopping cart, I looked at the available plugins (some free, some paid) and was impressed by the WP eStore plugin ($49) as it seems to have a combination of very easy installation coupled with a lot of flexibility to sell physical as well as digital products, have discount coupons, sales etc. I'm only scratching the surface with my installation. Installing was a breeze - you just click "install" and it all works automatically. The integration will Paypal was already configured, although I had to create a new account with Paypal. I tested it by creating my book as a product sold at $0.05 (I know, that is what it is worth ), and bought a copy myself from my old Paypal account. It provides you with an automated email that includes a unique and time limited download link for the actual book. All in all, a very easy process. I have only had one problem - someone in China couldn't download the book, but he emailed me and I sent one successfully as an attachment via email. I suspect it was a problem in China rather than a flaw with the process. Steve
1387
« on: June 28, 2011, 09:04 »
Duane I've got the perfect answer - a "how to get started in Microstock" eBook, available on Amazon and via my website. http://www.backyardsilver.com/stock_photography_ebook/ It will tell you everything you want to know for only $4.99. I do have a chapter on both cameras and workflow (Raw workflow using Lightroom). Steve
1388
« on: June 28, 2011, 08:47 »
I've been concentrating on building up links and traffic to my existing blog that runs on Wordpress software, and, although I do have a SmugMug Pro site, it is under a different URL and does not get the same amount of visibility. I was thinking of adding my own stock images to a section of my blog so that I can ride on the back of the existing SEO work I have done for that URL.
Anyone know of ways to add a "store" for digital downloads of your own images to an existing Wordpress blog? I have bought the Wordpress eStore plugin and that will let me sell digital downloads in a secure fashion, but I still need to create a searchable store and get all my images installed, priced and made available for license. If there is some plugin that already handles that function, that would save a lot of time.
I see a lot of people are getting involved with Ktools - can that be integrated into an existing web site structure?
Steve
1389
« on: June 28, 2011, 08:38 »
Quote from: steheap on Yesterday at 20:16
At this rate, the book will become my third best selling site behind Shutterstock and iStock!
eheh are you kidding no? you sold 14 books for 5$ each? not saying it bad or good but they arent like pictures, I dont believe you will sell 14 every month Grin About one copy a day so far, and I have just managed to get it on Amazon as a Kindle book. I get a reasonable number of hits to the site from Google searches (rather than the restricted set of folks on a forum) and so it may continue - who knows! At least I have paid for the shopping cart functionality that I added to my Wordpress site and could start selling other things now for no incremental cost. Anyone want a Canon AE1 camera? Steve
1390
« on: June 27, 2011, 20:16 »
I've always taken the view that the techniques of stock may be relatively simple, but the effort and dedication required to actually make something from the images makes the difference between someone playing at it and someone who is going to be successful. I've always been pretty open on my blog about what I do and why I do it, and part of that is because I like writing and hopefully passing on my enthusiasm to others (even though they may theoretically take some sale from me in the future.) I finally decided to try to monetize that advice a little through writing a "how to get started in Stock" eBook and so far 14 happy people have been tempted to part with their cash!! At this rate, the book will become my third best selling site behind Shutterstock and iStock! Steve
1391
« on: June 20, 2011, 13:59 »
Very helpful and I really do appreciate the thoughts. The siituation is that my career (that I'm currently in) is kind of winding down, probably won't be able to continure in this field much longer. I'm approaching retirement age and amy looking to hopefully suppliment income with photography. Not looking for get rich quick or anything close to that, I don't mind putting in the work if I know what work needs to be put in. My problems stem from being basically clueless when it comes to the agencies and some of the phrases and terms that the "pros" throw around because they all understand them. Could I take some classes, yeah probably but again, that's cost which will be taking from the little I have for retirement so I'm trying to learn by reading, and using tools like lynda.com and the like, plus what you folks are willing to share. Hi - I'm in a similar position - finished full time employment last June and have been doing some consulting on a part time basis on the side. I got into microstock after the "golden age" that Lisa mentioned (about 3.5 years for me), and I started with the Canon 40D and built up from there as I got more income. I learned a lot about photography (get a lot of magazines, and they are tax deductible), I learned a lot from this forum, and I made a lot of mistakes. However, with perseverance and time, you can build a reasonable side income. Nothing that you can use to replace full time employment (at least not in the US), but easily enough to cover all your equipment and a reasonable amount besides. It is hard work though, although if you take images of things you like, and enjoy the process, then it is very worthwhile. I find I am always on the look out now for that stock shot as I travel my own area, and, from time to time, travel further afield. I know the group will expect this of me now, but you could always invest in a good eBook. Getting Started in Stock comes to mind, available from my web site!! Good luck! Steve
1392
« on: June 16, 2011, 10:21 »
Now this is crying! I think I had just seen the latest payment schedule from iStock...  Steve
1393
« on: June 08, 2011, 09:57 »
I think if Lightburner didn't exist, then it would be interesting, but given a choice between a free system that does 90% of what I want and a 100% system that costs $10 or $20 a month, I would vote for the free system. I've been trying to sell a great eBook to help beginners get started in stock for only $4.99 and that is a struggle!!
I'm still not convinced of the benefit of doing keywording on your system - what if I want to upload directly to Alamy, say, I would have to get the keyworded files back from your system onto my hard drive to use the Alamy upload process. I much prefer to have keyworded images on my own computer that I can later upload to a brand new site.
What is the real benefit over the competition that people would be willing to pay for?
Steve
1394
« on: June 08, 2011, 09:26 »
I agree with Leaf - I use Lightburner exactly like this (well, not exactly as I prefer to keyword on my PC so I can search for images locally).
Lightburner is free (I think because they will hope to get referral income from sites that you now add because it is so easy to upload to). The only difference is that they don't store the images as high resolution for more than a few days and then only keep the thumbnail, but I can use MostPhotos to keep a hi-res copy!
Steve
1395
« on: June 08, 2011, 09:23 »
If you're selling an image as RM on one site, and RF on another, you're likely to encounter legal problems. RM goes with the image, not the site. A possible and hypothetical scenario: I'm a buyer, and I want a particular image, but I don't have the budget to hire a photographer, model, MUA, stylist, etc. I don't want an exclusive, but neither do I want to use an image that has been used or that could be used by one of my competitors, so I look through a RM collection, find just the right image that fits that criteria, and I purchase the rights to that image in a way that precludes that image from being used in a similar fashion (i.e., that image can't be used in association with a competitor's product). Later, I discover that the same image was purchased and used on a RF basis by a competitor. I'm furious because the image was presented to me under false pretenses, so I sue everyone involved - the RM site, the RF site, the photographer, and anyone else who even remotely could be held responsible or accountable. I have a strong case to present in court, and I'm seeking punitive damages plus compensation for lost income, lost market share, attorneys' fees, etc. As a photographer, if I were to offer an image as RM, I certainly wouldn't offer it as RF on another site because of just such a likely scenario, and I would limit the RM image(s) to one site. How could the rights be tracked and managed otherwise? Is that correct? If I sold an image as RM on Alamy, and the same image as RM on Panthermedia, then there is no linkage in terms of managing usage between those two sites. I don't believe that the basic RM license on Alamy allows anyone to purchase in a way that the image could not be used by a competitor say. If it was exclusive RM on Alamy, then OK, but not in any other circumstances. Steve
1396
« on: June 07, 2011, 09:29 »
Although... I'm running into some problems here. The Google results appear to simply include books, not works of art, and I'm beginning to think that some of the other lists are mainly, if not wholly, focused on books. Am I reading this incorrectly?
Steve
1397
« on: June 07, 2011, 09:18 »
So much talk about micro and macro images. But what's the difference, really? I've struggled with that difference. It is clear that there are licensing choices that companies (and the photographer can make), but I don't think that is the same as "micro" and "macro." Wikipedia defines microstock as: What defines a company as a microstock photography company is that they (1) source their images almost exclusively via the Internet, (2) do so from a wider range of photographers than the traditional stock agencies (including a willingness to accept images from "amateurs" and hobbyists), and (3) sell their images at a very low rate (anywhere from $.20 - $10) for a royalty-free (RF) image However, the point I wanted to make was slightly different and it goes back to the discussion a few posts back about the apparently new line in the Alamy terms and conditions where they state that the license should be the same as the license offered for similar images on other stock sites. I was posing a question on a different thread about copyright of a statue - we all agreed it was complicated, although there are some documents that I am going to plough through to get to the answer. But, assuming I hadn't done that and just uploaded to Shutterstock et al, some of the sites would have accepted it and others would have rejected because of no property release (as has happened). I then go to Alamy and complete their upload form where I am specifically asked if the image needs a property release and if I have one. As I am not 100% sure, I say that I think it needs one and I don't have one. That defaults the image to RM. Bottom line - even though I may think I have done some research and am "sort of" sure that it doesn't still have copyright, the subject is so complex that no photographer can be really sure, so I err on the side of caution with Alamy. I then end up, with no ulterior motive, with the file as RF on some sites and RM on Alamy. Steve
1398
« on: June 07, 2011, 09:09 »
A couple more links to copyright renewal catalogs:
At the University of Pennsylvania (they have some of the missing years): http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/cce/
At Google, the entire catalog for 1950-77 (if you can open the .xml file): http://booksearch.blogspot.com/2008/06/us-copyright-renewal-records-available.html Wow - you guys are amazing! I checked the Gutenburg listing and didn't find my sculptor, and am in the middle of trying to use the Google XML list. I downloaded the Microsoft XML notepad but it is enormously slow with a file this big. How did you manage to use the XML to search for a particular piece of artwork? I think I could load the xml into Microsoft access perhaps and use a query to search it, but is there a better way. On a separate note, this raises an interesting question about what to set as the license on Alamy, but I will post that thought on the Alamy thread. Steve
1399
« on: June 05, 2011, 16:27 »
Well, the sculptor died in 1954, which means that I'm not yet at the 60 years point! I will put it on Alamy as well, and fill in the pieces about not having a property release, but this year is the 150th anniversary of the battle that took place at this site and so I was hoping for some more general interest in it. I know that would be editorial in almost all cases, but I have had some downloads recently from Shutterstock of other views of this battlefield, so who knows.
I'll see how it gets on at the various sites - I know Graphic Leftovers will reject it (and April over there was very helpful with the explanation!)
Thanks for all your comments - the 70 year rule applies in the US as well, I believe, so I will make that the basis for my decisions in future.
Steve
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, and have tried to do a lot of research to find out about it. It is in the Smithsonian Museum catalog 
