A few tips on shooting chrome from Strobist:
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2008/01/reader-spotlight-paul-morton.html

Short version:
Don't light the chrome ... light what the chrome "sees".

I see the banners now! Looks good!

Linking the images is a pretty simple process. If a designer sees an image they like, they probably won't want to search through other sites just to find it again. Especially if the image is in one portfolio, say fotolia, but not in another, like istock, for whatever reason.

...pause as I check  your site again...

Ah, I just noticed that the images are not thumbnails, but rather a single large image!  Because they look like thumbnails, I, and presumably others, assumed that they were. If you are going for a single image composition, I would suggest making it look like a single image. Then people won't try clicking on the individual shots to get a closer look.

If you like the thumnail look, you could set up a simple table with an image in each cell, this should be pretty easy in most editors, but it would take a little time. Alternatively, you could create an image map of the large image to add links, but that can get more complicated.

Here's an example of the table on my site (the featured images section):
http://www.piccillophoto.com/stockphoto.html

And here's an image map (from an old site I designed):
http://www.piccillophoto.com/purelight/plindex.htm

Let me know if I can help with any of this.
-Nick

I like it!

It's nice and clean, a simple one-page design. The portfolio links open in a new window, that's good. The only problem I see right off is the referral banners at the bottom. The fotolia and stockxpert images won't load. I had the same problem on my site, so I just copied them to my server rather than linking to the images on their servers.
-Nick

The HV20 would be a good start for stock. In fact, with the current footage prices, it would be hard to suggest spending much more, although if you get serious, you will want a camera that gives you more control.

In another thread, I compared the HV series to a point and shoot camera (compact, meant for full auto use), while the XH/XL series are like an SLR in terms of features and manual control (and size). They also cost three times the HV20, or more.

I primarily shoot timelapse, but for my live footage I use an HV10. The image quality is comparable to the HV20 from what I've heard. In good light, the picture is fantastic, in low light there is quite a bit of grain, sound is generally poor. The HV20 allows audio input from an external mic, a great feature. The HV20, unlike the HV10, takes the same batteries as the Rebel XT and XTi, the BP-2L series, although you may want to get a higher capacity battery. For kayaking, you will definitely need a waterproof housing, which will add a bit to the cost.  Most consumer video cams can't even handle a light rain without burning out the firewire port, or something equally fatal.

Overall, the HV20 would be a great choice, but be prepared to work a bit harder to get the same kind of shots you're used to getting with an SLR.

I hate posting after myself, but I feel I should update this thread.

Shutterstock did finally produce a few sales this month, as did Pond 5. StockXpert has opened their footage site, as well. While sales are still going well at iStock, I am going to hold off on exclucivity for now.

I have to wonder if posting here made a difference. I complained about no sales at SS, and I downplayed the significance of my editorial footage collection. Within days, I had six footage sales at SS, two of them editorial, and I had another editorial sale at P5. Ah, well ... I guess it's a good thing I didn't make any rash decisions!

^Rated and commented!

Here's a thread on StockXpert forums that mentions removing ratings:
http://www.stockxpert.com/forum.phtml?f=showtopic&n=9362

Anyway, here's a choice!

Photo:
http://www.stockxpert.com/browse.phtml?f=view&id=8466942
or video:
http://www.stockxpert.com/browse_video.php?f=view&videoid=7472

HI I just saw your post. One of the things I do in my job is rebranding and websites. I think your site looks good but I wouldn revisit the fonts as I am not sure it works with the overall design of the site. Perhaps try a more contemporary one and I notice there are different fonts on different pages.

Rgds

Thanks! Good catch.

-Nick

I thought I had the same problem. I even emailed fotolia about it. Then I took a closer look. I was looking at the rightmost "Your Revenue (Credit)" column which has what appears to be editable text fields, when I should have been loking at the leftmost "Credit Price" column.  The page is a bit confusing, but once I realized that I was looking at the wrong column, I was relieved.

Are you exclusive at IStockphoto? If not, then post your photos on FeaturePics and link to them there. IStock commission is way, way beneath the 70% that Feature Pics pays.

If you are exclusive with Istock, then my condolences

lol, not exclusive. I had to choose something, so I decided to rotate sites as I update. I only just signed up with FeaturePics and haven't gotten around to requesting FTP access. Once I do that I'll start uploading there. Thanks!

Well, it's finally done ... mostly. I'd love to get some feedback on my new personal/business site. So, if anyone else is just sitting around tonight, alone, staring at the computer, and tired of checking stats... like me
Come on by and have a look. Harsh criticism and high praise equally appreciated.

Piccillo Photography

Thanks.
-Nick

Thank you very much for the information. I also want to try time lapses some time in the future. Regarding iStock, what sizes do you sell the most?

Sizes are all over the place. I'll sell a small web size, followed by a 1080!

I hope somebody can help me out with this decision.

I was a huge cheerleader for Shutterstock footage when it started up. I uploaded video there only, mainly, because of their higher prices and royalties. I began to develop a small, but specialized gallery of timelapse clips and editorial sports footage. Sales started coming in. Just a few at first, then, regularly. Soon, SS Footage was bringing in a steady $100 - $150 per month! Not a lot for some, but for me it was huge.

Then it happened:

"Dear Submitters,
We wanted to give you advanced notice that on Dec 26th, 2007 we will be lowering our footage prices. ..."

Merry Christmas!
$60 in Jan.
$0 so far in Feb.

The change inspired me to begin submitting to Pond5 and iStock.
P5 brings in the occasional sale, their 50% commission helps make those few sales more meaningful. $90 in Jan.
iStock took a while to begin approving clips. After waiting over a month in queue, they have approved all of my TL clips.
And they are selling! I think I'm averaging $15 to $20 per weekday!

Now comes the hard part. Do I go exclusive at iStock (for video only)?

Pros:
-Uploading 500MB clips is a real pain. It would be nice to deal with just one site.
-Once I reach Silver (closing in on bronze now) commissions will exceed those at SS.
-Improved "Best Match" placement and other marketing may improve sales making silver come sooner.
-I actually get sales at iStock!

Cons:
-Loss of P5 sales
-SS may improve???
-iStock does not accpet editorial footage. From my reading of their exclusivity agreement, I believe I would need to find a RM site to market those clips. This may not be worth the effort. They don't sell too often , though. At SS before the price change, if they sold one a month it would be significant ... not anymore.
-StockXpert foottage will be starting soon. (another unknown)

Over the next few months, I plan to produce a record (for me) number of TL clips. I'd like to make this decision soon. If i do go exclusive, I may be able to disable or "opt-out" my clips at SS, I will have to delete all clips at P5, and I can terminate exclusivity at iStock with 30 days notice if things aren't working out.

Can anybody help me get a handle on this? Any suggetions?

Here are links to my portfolios at: iStock Shutterstock and Pond5

Thanks to anyone who can offer some advice.
-Nick

Wow, I can't access Dreamstime, Bigstock, or StockXpert today! DT and BS were down last night for me as well.