I wrote a long, thought out post here and got called away from my desk.  I thought about it, came back up and deleted the entire thing.

Why?  Because it just isn't worth it.  

Leaf, I applaud you for asking the question at all.  I would encourage you to go through all the threads for as far back as you have the patience for and write down how many people are anonymous making confrontational (pointless) posts and how many are legitimate photographers looking to engage in serious discussions about the Microstock Industry.  I would guess it's 10 to 1 or more on anonymous cyber-bullies compared with legitimate, serious people.

It seems any time someone from the outside that isn't part of the "cool crowd" gets ripped up down left and right.  It's a very hostile environment and frankly it is more unpleasant and unwelcoming than anything as is.  

I love the idea posted around page 2 or 3 about a group of established, serious photographers forming a sub-group to discuss and vote on serious issues then bring them to the table as one.  That many images behind a group joined in solidarity could have a real voice where right now there isn't one.  Any time a commission is cut or a benefit is reduced there is the same sound of white noise rushing empty through the forum.  "Union" this, "pull your port" that..blah blah blah.  A group of legitimate photographers with established portfolios and reputations as professionals debating and discussing could open up a lot of doors in my opinion.

Leaf, I think many people would back you creating a private forum within the forum.  Invite the top contributing photographers in this forum and begin a discussion on who else could be a valuable asset.  Heck, charge $40 a year to be a member.  Once the momentum gets going we might just be able to get something accomplished around here.  

Big business for Canon will be 5D mark III, ONLY!

Believe it or not there is a whole other world of photographers out there besides Microstock shooters.

This camera would appeal to a wider range of shooters than the 5D series in my humble opinion.  Sports shooters, concert/event shooters, wedding photographers, nature/wildlife photographers.  Basically anyone that needs to capture moments that come and go in an instant.  The 5D cameras produce unbelievably beautiful images in my opinion but they are slow and they are fragile when compared to the 1D series. 

My entire portfolio at Alamy consists of editorial footage.  I had all but forgotten about the site until recently I logged in to find a $95 balance based on one sale of an image of Ichiro.  I like the high return on one sale but am not crazy about the low volume.

When did this become a serious conversation? 

I think this is a serious and important topic for photographers.  Especially for those just starting out.  I worked for free for a high end wedding photographer in the area for a good chunk of time.  Heck, not just free.  I paid tons of money for top of the line gear to provide him and his clients with usable images from high profile weddings.  It turned out not to be free at all but rather a very inexpensive education from an established pro that had invested time and money in his education.  I got more out of that relationship than he did by far.

The first wedding I did on my own I charged just $500.  I was terrified but because they were getting such a great deal it took a lot of the pressure off.  Later when I was charging up to $6,000 for weddings I would still find myself terrified but there was no relief from the pressure.  Quite the opposite. 

As a result of that time spent working for free I learned more about photography than I could imagine anyone could learn in school.  It made me the shooter I am today and opened the door to the Microstock world and the world of concert photography for me. 

In addition to the weddings I have shot charity events for free.  I have shot high profile rock concerts for free, I have shot many events for my work and I think it's fair to say that each thing I did for free helped establish my reputation in Seattle as a photographer and landed me some incredibly high paying opportunities that wouldn't have happened if I was digging my heels in the dirt and holding to the principle that I won't take one picture for anyone for less than X amount of money.  There are some events that need to be photographed but the coordinators simply don't have the budget.  In my opinion there is no shame in helping where help is needed.

I would rather shoot free than hang out at home waiting for the phone to ring with a camera layered in dust and an unused shutter.

Mat

Looks like the watermark is changing on Fotolia.  As of this post it appears about half of my images have the new and in my opinion much improved watermark. 

I am very happy to see this change.

Mat

I finally reached silver today and I hope they won't throw me back into white level.

Chad's post says specifically that "this rule only applies to Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, and Diamond ranked images that are non-exclusive, and selling at prices above the standard XS price."


You should be good to go ibogdan.  Congrats on your rank increase by the way.

Mat

I uploaded and submitted quite a few images yesterday and did not have any issues.

Mat

Speaking of addictive, these  forums are ruining me.

They should be banned by the government!

gambling, while fun and addicting, ruins lives. nuff said

"nuff said"

That is an ignorant statement.  Gambling  certainly can ruin lives.  Watch the (awesome) movie Owning Mahoney.  There is an example for sure.  That being said, many things can ruin lives.  Lets ban alcohol!  Heck, lets ban cars..when used improperly they too can ruin lives.  I don't need the government telling me what I should or shouldn't be doing.  Gambling isn't going away.  Why not tax it and put the (billions) money towards help programs for those that are unable to control their impulsive behavior.

I am sick about this to be honest.  I've played on Full Tilt Poker since it's early beginning.  I've played with most of those big time guys online and some of them in cash tournaments.  I read somewhere that Howard Lederer cashed out with $42,000,000.00 and Chris Ferguson with $87,500,000.00 before bailing! 

Sadly for me I live in the state of Washington where thanks to our insightful Governor <sarcasm> playing internet poker is a felony with consequences equivalent to felons exchanging child pornography.  As a result, access to Full Tilt has been blocked by the Government here for some time now.  They have been holding a chunk of my money for well over a year now. 

Online poker is a multi-billion dollar industry.  Why states are not tapping into it is beyond me.  We've got small, hole-in-the-wall dive casinos on practically every corner and the Indian Casinos are thriving because of the restrictions the state has.  I truly believe we could solve many of our debt problems by simply giving people what they want. 

I use the Photovision Calibration Target (http://www.photovisionvideo.com/) every time I set up my studio strobes (Elinchrome D Lights) and create a custom white balance.  Every 30 minutes or so (or more frequently if I'm changing things up) I re-calibrate.  Usually I find some slight deviations in the color temperature that I attribute to ambient light. 

Changing the WB in camera saves me a major headache in post because I find it real tricky to get it just right in Lightroom when I use auto mode. 

I was talking to a light tech for a stage about this just yesterday and he told me that with his Tungsten lights they are almost never the same.  The older they get the more they deviate.  Obviously we are talking about strobes and not hot lights but all the same it was a fact I thought was worth noting.

Mat

From what I understand the Tsunami in Japan destroyed a lot of Canon's manufacturing capabilities and has set them behind on production.  They apparently had suffered injuries at the Utsunomiya plant. 

Nikon had also been affected (Sendai Plant) and both were shut down indefinitely. 

When I was asking about 5D Mark III rumors at my camera store I was told not to hold my breath and that they were working to get caught up on production of existing gear. 

I just hope that everyone has had a full recovery from their injuries.  The devastation of that earthquake overwhelms me still.

Mat