Your problem is where you get the PD images from. If you take them off the internet that will fall foul of IS - you need to actually take a picture of the artwork in situ or scan in from a hard copy book and provide that as a "releasee". You have to show you have "created" it. I know - it sounds odd, but without citing a source you are opening your portfolio to deletion depending which agency it is. Public domain is just that - make as much of profit as you want with impunity, but if it's queried where you derived the image from (which it will be in time), you need to say, I scanned it in from such and such, or photographed it from such a place. Don't try a Google images search and expect to get away with it. These images sell very, very well, so proceed with caution.

They charge disgraceful fees in England too, The trick is to move to Scotland for a couple of years - they pay for your childs University fees, even back in England. Once they've finished the couse move back south over the border, and you have a debt free child with a degree.

Back to the thread - IS make sales, that's what keep us there. No loyalty, just cold cash.

Oldhand

Hi there

I was involved with the macro agency scene for nearly 20 years. Top earner was �4,000 per month. From that it ranged down to �0 - same model as SS - Crestock!

Times changed, however the short answer is yes, there is good money in macro. I have no idea with the mid stock, neither have the above figures included Getty who have been hard work to deal with since day 1. In between there are 100's of agencies, and the trick is finding a good set. The successes are not as well known, neither are their names.

It comes to what you shoot - they will only bother if they think it will sell. You're in Slovenia I believe. Go to cepic.org, and have a look at the agents in the top European countries. Choose one from each country which fits what you do. Contact them, and take it from there. You can then build up 15 agencies with each dealing with their own country. Same pics can also still go to Alamy who don't really care.

I supply all the top and most middle tier micro - also Alamy - plus another 10 agents dotted around the globe. My knowledge is a bit old, and I am probably a dinosaur and failure compared to someone like Jonathan Ross over here - but it helps with the bills. There are many more avenues I don't deal with.

To end on a depressing note - the �4k per month day disappeared a long while ago.

Oldhand

Mmmm - Probably better value than the  �60m Chelsea payed for Fernando Torres last week.

Seriously though, has the world gone totally mad or am I just out of sync with reality?

Oldhand the confused

Credit to both -  but it has unintentionally outed that Istock loophole.

My great Aunt Bertha hasn't even got a camera, but she's got ID and a paypal account. That's all you need for a second exclusive account at IS.

I thought of it years ago - never acted on it. Nor did I invest any more money in micro. Took a regular job and stayed above board.

Couldn't give a rats ass about the spirit of exclusivity - it's the only way the level the playing field and makes great business sense.

Again - interesting to see it outed here!

Enjoy the topic - Oldhand

Hi there

Would this be a system similar to DT with a smiliar price?

Oldhand

Many thanks Mr. Ross. Great info, and well done to you.

I hope your success continues - hard work pays off...

Rgds

Oldhand

Im Swedish,  so take this from me!

No Scandinavian agency EVER, have remotly understood anything about stock-photography,  its a total, complete waste of time!  many agencies here are back in the stoneage, still working out of shoe-boxes.
Scandinavia is a very rich part of the world but to expect to pay for pictures?  NEVER or to organize a stock-library: NEVER.

There not too bad in the Macro world, Scanpix were well respected for one.

Hi all

First month in micro and macro land where I haven't relied on their income. I gave up the stuggle and now work in an office. Previously I put 100 hours a month solely into micro - this month it was 15-20.

Early days, but is was a BME. I earned just over 1000$. SS accounts for 50%. DT, FT 123 and CAN all perfomed well. Biggest disaster area was IS which is on a downward spiral. No longer having to rely on their income I pulled the plug on a third of my portfolio in disgust at their new commission rates. Very satifying it was too. In the absence of a corprate change of heart I'll pull another portion next month. Stepping back from day to day involvment with micro I wondered why I ever left my portfolio on Crestock for two payouts in three years. I should have been more objective, and not bothered with them either.

On a final note - my new job gave me the opportunity to recommend a micro agency for a huge corporate body - OK, I say recommend, take this as give my humble opinion. Sensing a chance for retribution I didn't do IS any favours.

Oldhand the liberated wage slave

Quote from: Oldhand on October 02, 2010, 04:35

. After what seem's like a lifetime in this business, the numbers aren't adding up fast enought. It's 9-5 in a suit from next week with all my photo work confined to weekends and evenings.

Oh that's huge, Oldhand.  Just wanted to wish you well with this big change.

Good luck!

Many thanks. It's probably long overdue. My new salary will be the same as my Micro and Macro earnings, which alone are not reliable enough with a family. I'm hoping the the photography work will be a large bonus in the future as long I still put time into it.

Oldhand

Quit!

I'll keep taking the dollars off IS till they stop coming - hungry mouth's to feed and bills to pay. Micro has been delaying the inevitable for me. After 15 years, through increased competition with digitial cameras, agency deals with newspapers and slashed commissions across the board, it's time to go.

Many factors are part of it, basically banging a grey head against a brick wall for too long. My macro and micro income will be a bonus to  a regular pay check. Overheads are down to the bone, production is up, but children are getting older and prices rising to fast to keep my head above water. I had an induction at a factory today, where I may be the the only man with a degree lifting boxes for 72 hours a week. Actually, I probably won't be the only one.

All I ever wanted was a simple life, but I'm hurting at the moment. I'll keep dropping in here for some sagely comments or two, but my enthusian for the industry has waned. Get what you can from the Micro's while they are here, nothing lasts forever.

Rgds - a beaten and humbled Oldhand

Interesting announcement from DT - referrel bonus's for exclusives elsewhere! It's on their home page.

Quick thinking!

Its a waste!!  do you really think they care?   IS same as the others are Agents, our agents,  no contributor is fully employed with rights, etc,  they merely represent us in selling our pics and we recieve a percentage, etc.  They dont care! and if anybody wants to get out,  so what? its thanks for the coffee and bye bye.
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It's that fine line beween what a company can get away with and what the masses will accept. No, they don't care for us a individuals, and I respect they are a capitalist business designed to make a profit. They will cut magins where they can, they are not a charity. But. accepting that, we have a unique bargaining power in our ability to act collectivley.  Individual action in meaningless. If a majority of people are unhappy and are willing to ultimately disable or remove images, then that is a serious threat to IS. They won't backtrack 100%, but they may make important concessions.

In the words of the Great Irish man Jim Larkin. " Le grandes ne sans grandes que parce'que nous sommes a' genoux. Levons nous". Apologies to the French, but it's inscribed on his statue in Dublin.

The great only appear great because we are on our knees. Let us rise.

Oldhand