MicrostockGroup

1

Newbie Discussion / Interchangable Lens Camera vs DSLR

« on: January 25, 2013, 05:35 »

I like the idea of an interchangable lens camera in terms of portability, but I was wondering how there quality and freedom match up against a DSLR. What features are you able to change manually on an ILC?

Cheers

2

Selling Stock Direct / Canvas Printing Online Service

« on: December 24, 2012, 07:15 »

Hey All,

I haven't posted in a while, nor am I really interested in microstock anymore. I remember stumbling across a site which did canvas printings for you. You incorporate their code into your site and they do the printing and shipping, in exchange for taking a % of the sale. Does anyone know which site/service this is?

Merry Christmas All

3

Canon / Is the Canon EOS 1000D up to scratch?

« on: July 30, 2011, 20:17 »

Hi All,

I recently read an article from Microstock Insider which mentioned that agencies will turn your photos down technical quality of the camera is not up to scratch.

I currently only have a tiny budget and I was wondering if the Canon EOS 1000D is up to the technical quality that microstock agencies are looking for? I will also be purchasing an 18 - 55mm Lens and a Tripod.

Thanks in advance
Will Dutt

4

Selling Stock Direct / Selling Direct Shop Services

« on: July 25, 2011, 02:47 »

Hi All,

I would like to start of by mentioning that I have no images up for sale directly or in any microstock agency at the moment. I have been doing some browsing of selling directly through external companies and have created a resource I hope many will find useful.

Here is a list of companies that provide services (Websites, Printing, Advertising ect) for selling photos directly:

My personal favourite from reading and browsing through their site would have to be Fotomoto. Fotomoto provides you and your clients with a friendly and very well polished store, not to mention they print and ship your images for only %15 of sale price (after printing cost). Fotomoto also have a variety of sizes and materials to print on. You can see a working example of Fotomoto at http://jmfox.viewbook.com/images_by_jonathan_fox. Fotomoto isn't exactly designed for microstock but can be very handy if your interested in selling images such as Landscape, Wildlife, Cultures ect.

From roaming around the forum, Ktools seems to be very popular. However unlike Fotomoto Ktools charges a once off and upfront fee of $249US for their photo store and a further $95US each for Photo Show and Photo Host.

I hope this resource comes in handy. Any feedback on adventures into selling directly or other ways of selling directly would be pleasant, as I am willing to update this post if requested.

Kind Regards
Will Dutt

5

Cameras / Lenses / Help Me Choose My First DSLR

« on: July 16, 2011, 04:32 »

Hi All,

I am about to invest around $600 - $700 (AU) into my first DSLR

I currently have several cameras in mind:

Olympus PEN E-PL3:
http://www.teds.com.au/olympus-pen-e-pl3

Olympus PEN E-PM1:
http://www.teds.com.au/olympus-pen-e-pm1

Samsung NX100 + 20-50mm and Flash:
http://www.teds.com.au/samsung-nx100-hybrid-20-50mm-sef15-flash-kit

Sony NEX3:
http://www.teds.com.au/sony-nex3

Personally I believe the Olympus PEN E-PL3 is the best, but I am no expert in cameras or photography

If you were in my position which of the above cameras would you purchase and why? Also which of the above has the best lens?

To help you all out a bit more I will be using the camera for Landscape, Objects, Sports and People. The primary use is mainly landscape and objects though.

Look forward to reading your replies.

Kind Regards
-Will Dutt

6

Photo Critique / My Style

« on: July 15, 2011, 00:00 »

Hi MSG,

I am pretty new and am hoping to be editing and releasing photos within the next 6 months. Currently I have just under 30 "decent" photos which I am considering to upload once I have captured another 20 or more.

I am also going to be buying Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom soon to help aid my photos. My current photo gallery has no computer editing and was taken with a Sony Cybershot Camera and my old Sony Ericsson Mobile.

Here are currently 12 photos from my current portfolio. All effects were done via the camera or phone.

http://imageshack.us/g/39/beachsepiawtmk.jpg/

All forms of critism is welcome, please keep in mind that I haven't had the chance to edit the photos. If you have any tips to help improve my photography skills, then please share. I am very interested in which agency(s) you think will best suite me?

Kind Regards
-Will Dutt

P.S.
Sorry for the disgusting watermarks, this free program I downloaded is rubbish!

7

Alamy.com / Alamy Royalty Free

« on: July 14, 2011, 20:43 »

Hi Macrostockers,

I have recently been browsing through Alamy and noticed their steep prices and high paying royalties. Alamy sounds great...but does it really sell?

Why would anyone purchase a photo from Alamy when they can purchase the same photo (RF Non-Exclusive) from microstock agencies such as Shutterstock and Istock?

Kind Regards
-Mr. Confused

8

General Stock Discussion / Do Effects Sell Well

« on: July 14, 2011, 18:57 »

After browsing through varies microstock sites I found that there are only a few amount of photos with effects such as Black and White, Sepia, Negative ect.

This leads me to two questions of curiosity, Why is this? and Do effects not sell as well as colour?

If anyone has an answer, please feel free to share

9

New Sites - General / Is selling photos in the low earners worth it?

« on: July 14, 2011, 18:34 »

Hi All,

I am planing to start selling some of my photos soon. I was wondering if selling photos in the lower earning tier is worth it? and which lower earning microstock sites are best to upload and sell on?

Kind Regards
-WD

10

iStockPhoto.com / Are Your Exclusive To Istock?

« on: July 14, 2011, 18:28 »

Hi All,

First off I would like to say sorry, I could not find the "post a topic" button, I could only find the poll one. I want to hear from exclusive photographers and images to Istock.

Exclusive Istock Photographer Questions:
Do you believe you earn as much/more than non-exclusive photographers?
What advantages are there of being an exclusive photographer apart from higher sales and easy to upload and organise photos?
How long are you in contract with Istock as a exclusive photographer?
What are your average rates per download?

Exclusive Istock Image:
Do you believe you earn as much/more with having an exclusive photo rather than submitting on multiple sites?
How many images do you/can you submit as exclusive to Istock?
Can you back out of selling exclusive images?

Kind Regards
-WD

P.S.
What other agencies do Exclusive Photos/Photographers?