After seeing your stunning images Dan, I think I'll take my ball and go home.  What beautiful work.

Not at all.  Looks like you get to some interesting places yourself.  Keep it up.

After many years as an commercial and fashion photographer based in the NYC area, I decided approximately one year ago to investigate Microstock.  Don't know what took me so long.  I really wish I had started years ago.  I had dabbled in RM/traditional stock with the agency Retna who syndicates my celebrity portraits (not all that many) and a few hundred lifestyle images that never really amounted to much, so I wasn't that encouraged.

Honestly model releases were the biggest hurdle to get over.  Most of my assignment work is with models from agencies who are generally averse to signing any sort of model release that would allow for any stock usage.  That applies to the lion's share of my archive. I finally started collecting stock model release from some shoots and directing other shoots specifically for microstock. 

I hit two interesting (to me) milestones this week.  Just about one year to the date of first uploading, I had my 100th download from iStockphoto and my 1,000th download from Shutterstock.  Overall my impression of the two websites differ greatly. I have found iStockphoto to be frustrating with uploads and petty with rejections.  With effort I have maintained a 70% acceptance rate.  I could generally live with those two factors, but the biased search engine (towards exclusives) and the reduction of percentages to contributors leave me unenthusiastic to contribute to iStockphoto going forward.  On the plus side, the average value of each download has been about 4x that of Shutterstock.

On the other hand, I have found Shutterstock to be very easy to deal with.  The higher upload limits have allowed me to upload more than double the number of images in a slightly shorter amount of time.  Although I haven't specifically calculated it, I would guess my acceptance rate at SS is >90%. Of course the value of each download is significantly lower due to the subscription set up. 

I have seen both sites change their contributor's pages--generally for the better. However, trends in the overall photography marketplace do not leave me that optimistic for the future.  I don't imagine them to be any different in the microstock world.  Trends specifically at iStockphoto are not encouraging at all.

I can't say that the revenues from microstock for me have been disappointing, because I did not put any goals or expectations on them.  However comparing the results and revenue of my time and effort put into creating the images to that of my commercial work shows that microstock pays literally pennies on the dollar (maybe only a single penny??).  But that is, I know, not a fair comparison.  20 years in magazines and advertising vs. 1 year in microstock is never going to balance out, but my year in microstock has been rewarding from an information standpoint, if not a financial one.

I have learned an additional style of shooting and more about the lifestyle stock market.  I've also become more disciplined and efficient in retouching and image preparation.  I have valued the opportunities that having the goal of contributing to microstock has motivated me to do perhaps a dozen or more shoots that I would not have otherwise done as well as a use for numerous images I was creating anyway for other projects.

I had given myself a year to decide if microstock is worth the effort for my specific set-up.  At this point I would cautiously say that it is with the codicil that I would never take time away from my commercial assignments (or even my marketing efforts) to shoot or upload for microstock.  With the ebbs and flows of my schedule (somewhat determined by fashion seasons) I will find time that can be constructively applied to microstock and I believe that I will continue to find new ways of 'harvesting' images from assignment work that have value in microstock.

-Dan  (www.danhowellphotography.com if anyone is interested)

p.s. I have learned a lot from topics and messages on this board

For me it's too little, too late.  I have mid-collapse World Trade Center photos from the morning of 9/11 that appeared on the front page of newspapers across the country.  When I submitted one to iStock last year when I joined it took them 4 months to decide it wasn't right for iStock.  Ironically, I am also with Getty and they didn't want to start and editorial account with me because I am primarily a fashion/commercial photographer and unlikely to be covering more breaking news in the near future.  Some of my WTC photos are with Alamy now. 

What further seems odd is that they don't want celebrity photos because that is what Getty 'does'.  It makes you wonder why Alamy/Corbis doesn't have a problem with the overlap.  My celebrity portraits are currently with Retna, but I would consider consolidating to one company for lifestyle and portraiture if one company proved to have a better RM/RF program.  Getty/iStock seems to be going in the other direction.

I agree with you.  The site has some issue with lag time in updating download statistics.  I see the dollar amount change, then the last upload appears and finally the total download number changes--usually hours apart, if not the next day.  The 'downloads today' under misc. stats is never correct, it appears.

But you don't need to make your lightbox public at all. Just linking to a private lightbox in the description field of an image is sufficient. Private doesn't mean access is controlled, only that it isn't searchable, so without the link no one would know it was there.

Thank you.  However I am still not seeing any control to make it public. 

Possibly public is not what I am looking for (yet they are called lightbox when you click on them).  I see images that display lightbox links on the left side of page that are exclusive to the creator of the image.  The image is not even contained in the lightboxes displayed.  They seem to be grouping set up by the individual contributor (neither 20 image minimum or from multiple contributors).

This is for reference to what I am seeking (no insult or complaint intended to the contributor):

http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-6691673-senior-man-giving-woman-piggyback-ride.php

they are listed as: Clever Concepts, Health and Healing, Seniors, Teenagers, etc.

Within the U.S., does the map actually point to individual states/cities where images were downloaded? 

It's interesting to see where the images are going.  Not sure it will effect my shooting/uploading though.

Not what the thread is about. Re-read the OP. The question is where can they find YOUR port if you leave IS.

I did.  It seems to me that you are applying overly rigorous parameters that are not found in the OP.  He offered an answer to the question and additional information.  Perfectly acceptable on a public forum.

Just started at Alamy.  I am curious about what is popular at Alamy and also if contemporary personality/celebrity shots have a place on Alamy or if there is another on-line stock site micro- or macro- that would be good for that content.  I have also been approved for the reportage/archival path as well. I shoot many assignments each year for magazines or promotion with reality tv stars, musicians, business people and have freedom to release for editorial usage after publication.  Didn't see a category that seemed obvious or natural on Alamy site for this type of image.  I know that Corbis handles this type of stuff regularly, but I have regular stock agency already.  Not sure I'm ready to make wholesale switch. 

For those who are active in micros as well as Alamy, any thoughts about which type of imagery you submit to IS/SS/DT etc rather than on Alamy or vice versa?

Is there any way of limiting a particular image on Shutterstock to Enhanced License?  I have a newsworthy image that might prove to be in demand as the anniversary of the event approaches.  It sort of rankles to see the license royalties at $.25 for this particular image.

Quote from: danhowl on August 17, 2010, 10:22

Is there no longer any upload success percentage available to view?  The page where I found it before is gone and I've poked around for it on the new version and haven't found it.

If you mean the Acceptance rate percentage, it's still on the 'upload' page where it always was. You just gotta scroll down to see it.

Thanks.  I found it.

Just uploaded a photo and realized uploading is even more time consuming now with to many options in  disambiguation  for insatance if you included the word hat among youe KW'd then you'll see soo many different type of hats in the list to choose from .that hurt my eyes:((((((((

agreed, check under 'human skin'   I don't seen how many more buyers will take advantage of those options than just looking thru the more general term.

I'm a full-time fashion and commercial photographer in the New York City and national market. The bulk of my clients are dress companies who need photography for their ads, catalogs and/or web sites.  They tend to all get their sample dresses and gowns each season at the same time and need the images right away so I find myself tremendously busy Jan-Feb and June-July with clients shooting in New York and out of state.  During these times my micro stock activities take a backseat.

Outside those peak periods I shoot magazine assignments on a less regular basis.  Microstock is somewhat like my babysitter. It keeps me from getting in trouble or wasting my time in-between assignments. I wish there was better synergy between my assignments and micro stock, but my assignment work tends to be with agency models who are not allowed to sign stock releases. I'm hoping to integrate the two bodies of work more closely in the future.

Apart from that I speak at photography workshops that are organized by a friend. Away from photography I'm into road cycling and am currently building up a carbon road bike to replace a bike that was recently stolen. And My colorful circle of friends include actors, musicians and burlesque performers that always have shows to shows going on.

Samples of my fashion and commercial work:
www.danhowellphotography.com

no, I got the point of your post.  The point I am making in this thread which you side-step is that other products with trade mark protection seem to pass inspection with microstock more easily than Apple products do.


from the Palm web site:
"Palm owns rights in the distinctive �look and feel� of its product configurations and packaging. This �trade dress� includes the unique style of Palm's phones, handhelds and other products, their packaging, and the layout of their web properties. Palm considers its trade dress to be among its most valuable assets and prohibits others from using it except under express license."

from trademarks.org:
"Trade Dress: Describes a product�s distinctive design, packaging, color or other appearance which makes it unique from other products or goods. Trade dress of a particular product or good is protected under trademark law."