Flashless P&S cameras for the consumer.  Sporting events won't be the same.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the May StockXpert monthly contest! Congratulations to these winners:

1st - Students Graduation Day by solarseven

2nd - Golden Grad Jumping For Joy by LuMaxArt2D

3rd - Graduate Holding Diploma by keeweeboy

All entries: http://www.stockxpert.com/browse.phtml?f=search&txt=graduationcomp

I'll be interested to see how many images they launch with, the quality of those images, and who supplied those images. There's no way that site goes live with zero or even a couple hundred images. To be competitive off the bat, I'd have to assume Corbis has tapped their existing contributors to supply seed images. Plus, this might be a way to keep the peace with their existing photogs -- to give them first dibs in this "new" and "non-competing" market.

I cannot respond to your specific images, but generally, we are increasing our efforts to crack down on keyword spamming.

We've created keywording guidelines for all contributors:

http://www.stockxpert.com/info.phtml?f=help&s=8_12

The reviewers are evaluating keywords based on this document.

As others have said, the reviewers are human and review literally thousands of images a day, so if you feel they have erred with your images, you should contact them (as you have done).

I still think this new policy will have an overall positive effect for everyone.

Thanks!
-Steve

Heh. When I saw the title, I immediately thought of the Panasonic Lumix. One of our content directors own one of these. What an awesome camera.

Let us know what you go with.

A hearty congratulations to the following winners of the first StockXpert monthly contest:


1st Place - Family having fun by Andres Rodriguez

2nd Place - Soon to be father by Christophe Testi

3rd Place - Mother, floral background by Olga Telnova


All the entries can be found at:

http://www.stockxpert.com/browse.phtml?f=search&txt=parentingcomp

Thanks to everyone who participated. The May contest will be announced tomorrow.

-Steve

Thanks, guys!

I'll try to provide some insight here. Remember, I'm not a reviewer, so, perhaps my insight will be more opinion than anythng else.

Let me address the rejection comment "thanks, but we are not looking for such images now".

I think the majority of these rejections are based on the more subjective aspects of a picture. I think StockXpert is a bit more strict than others when it comes to the compositional or aesthetic aspects of a photo, and reviewers may see these as different images.

I guess what I'm saying is that our reviewers look beyond subject to define the image.

For example, a waterfall shot with a slow shutterspeed could been seen as a different type of image than a waterfall shot with a fast shutterspeed. Yes, they are both shots of a waterfall, but they are still different shots.

I guess now the question is should they just accept both images?

It depends. If we are in need of waterfall shots, then we probably should accept both. My point is I think the reviewers are a bit less strict about images we are in need of.

Landscapes, sunsets, flowers are going to be judged much more critically at an aesthetic level than perhaps, medical, business, health, isolated objects, etc.

As for rejecting images that have proven to sell on other sites, all I can say is each site is different and customers expect different things from each site.

I know some of you hold StockXpert to the same or similar standard as some of the other sites that perform better for you, but in order to separate ourselves from the competition, we can't always follow in their footsteps.

Hope this helps.

Thanks!

Guys,

Sorry I didn't post a warning about the migration. I posted one in the StockXpert forums but not here.

I know Peter and team are working their butts off as we speak tightening up any loose ends.

Thanks for your patience, and this move will certainly help site performance.

-Steve

I was in my local camera shop the other day, and the sales guy said Canon is thinking about ditching the 5D. He said sales of it have been pretty bad for the company. He said a 35mm frame hasn't proved to be too appealing at that price point to enough photographers.

Now, this is just what the sales guy said (nothing more), but it's something to investigate before comitting to.

Good luck and have a great trip!

-Steve

Guys,

Just wanted to let you know that the Japanese version of StockXpert has launched at http://www.stockxpert.jp/

This is a potentially huge market for your images, and we are proud to be one of the first micro sites to offer a Japanese-language version.

-Steve

I really do recommend signing up for the newsetter. We are coordinating the contests around the newsletter schedule. Plus the newsletter sometimes has new developments and site news that even I don't know about.

If you are not already signed up, go to My Account --> Profile --> and click on the newsletter box under "5. E-mail and message settings."

Thanks!
-Steve

maunger,

Are you an StockXpert newsletter subscriber? I plan on announcing it in the newsletter, which goes out this week.

I also thought about other ways to get the word out. We could definitely blast the contributors with an e-mail. I will talk to Peter about it.

Thanks!
-Steve