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Messages - Asthebelltolls
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301
« on: August 05, 2014, 18:59 »
This is excellent footage! You're in a typhoon for God's sake! What do they expect? Studio lighting and dolly shots? DO NOT eliminate the sound. Leave that up to the buyer! IStock. Pond5. If SS reviewers are too narrow minded forget them. This will sell well elsewhere.
302
« on: August 04, 2014, 06:35 »
Well, at least I have people to commiserate with. Terrible weekend. But hey, August is a long month and we all know how quickly things can change.
303
« on: July 28, 2014, 14:04 »
I've stopped uploading as well. I've never been a believer in deactivation. Far too much time and effort has gone into building up the portfolio. This will send a softer message perhaps but a clear message nevertheless.
DP has been exceedingly disappointing. They really appeared to be an agency on its way to top tier status when I began 3 years ago. An agency that was finding buyers for some of my images that no other agency could find.....like I say, exceedingly disappointing.
304
« on: July 25, 2014, 04:29 »
A friend once told me to make consistent, everyday sales with an agency, you need approximately 1000 in your portfolio. This held true for DP and DT, the only two agencies where I have 1000+ images.
305
« on: July 21, 2014, 20:06 »
I think a clear statement is simply how much are you up or down from last July with Dreamstime? If you're up than it's a normal trend. You have more in your portfolio so consequently you're making more money. If you're down, no matter what your portfolio is comprised of, there's a serious problem. In my case I'm way down.
306
« on: July 16, 2014, 14:27 »
I'd love to see someone grow to challenge the existing agencies, but video isn't my thing. Does anyone see much in the way of photo sales at Pond5?
Just clips. Its been my experience that photos just don't sell. Pond5 is known for, and concentrates on, video. I've got about 300 clips, Jo Ann. A real range from historic/archival to my own present day material. I set my own clips at $39 a pop but the archival material, everything from a young Margaret Thatcher to Nazi era material, much more. It sells, but very slowly. About one clip a month. I love the ability to set your own pricing. The best I've done so far was $120 for a 1940's shot of a rotary phone...... I think if you're willing to play with the pricing (ie. too cheap and buyers might regard your clips poor quality without looking and too high a price and buyers will look elsewhere), you'll find some success but Pond5 has to market more and get the word out to buyers what an impressive library they have. Hopefully that'll happen with their recent partnerships.
307
« on: July 08, 2014, 18:24 »
Buenos das, dc2013! Let me start by saying I've been to Argentina. What a gorgeous canvas you have for your camera!
I agree totally with those that have contributed to your topic. It took me a number of years to realize that my portfolio very much adapts well to specific agencies.
Like you, SS is on the top but unlike many contributors, DP is a not-too-distant second when it comes to total sales per month. And as well, DP often sells images that have never seen the light of day with other agencies. For me, DT is a floater. No sales for a week and then suddenly a cluster within a few days. 123RF is dead in the water. But I don't blame the agency. It again comes down to an agency's principle pool of buyers and what they're after. I've just started with IStock and hope that my body of work bodes well with the agency.
308
« on: May 29, 2014, 12:13 »
I know we all have our "reviewer" stories. I thought I'd share my most recent one with you....
I've tried and failed a number of times to get on with IS. My last attempt included three images that have been with SS for approximately 18 months. Collectively they've sold 517 times and earned me $417.40 with SS alone. I've sold the same three images many times with other agencies but SS is by far my most successful agency.....
Those three images were rejected by IS because: "We feel your images are not up to IStock standards...."
Really? They're obviously up to everybody else's standards including, most importantly, the buyers' standards.
It's another example of the reviewer crap shoot. Did they base their opinion on the current submission or on past failed attempts? And most importantly, is this an agency that I want to be judged by?
309
« on: May 28, 2014, 10:30 »
I'm going to take the high road on this issue even though, like so many others, the vast majority of my submissions have been rejected for many months now.
I wonder if SS is looking at the BIG picture and seeing a troublesome trend taking shape that if not already hurting us all, will chip away more and more down the road.
I'm referring to the "freebies". Images that are offered by other agencies and on-line sites like free images dot com and freeimages dot co. The free pile is growing and while most of those images maybe average snapshots, SS may be recognizing that they have to do everything they can to distinguish their stock from the snapshot pile or loose market share.
If that's the case, it's a bold move. Like so many of you, I've done everything I can to improve my technical skills. Tripod. Using the 10x extender to check focus etc. And yet the vast majority are still rejected - yet doing well with other agencies.
310
« on: May 15, 2014, 07:51 »
Ditto here. Buyers bailed end of March and haven't returned. At least reflective in terms of my personal sales. The slack appears to have been taken up by DT.
311
« on: May 15, 2014, 07:45 »
For the record, in a recent email exchange with SS, they recommend whenever possible, a lower ISO.
312
« on: April 13, 2014, 07:10 »
My SS and P5 statistics would be comparable but I make about 25% more with P5 because of the 50% commission and the ability to set my own price.
313
« on: April 10, 2014, 16:48 »
I agree with Embermike's comments. In my case when 123rf dropped me to a lower ranking I stopped uploading after seeing sub sales were earning $0.25 when that same image was earning $0.30 and more with other agencies. There's a standard I set: Nothing less than $0.30 a sale otherwise I'm walking.
I also think when an agency accepts my image they're telling me: "We think we can sell your image".....123rf seems to put the onus on the contributor: "You're not selling as well as you used to so we're going to punish you further."
314
« on: March 30, 2014, 13:22 »
....and $0.35 for a level 3 TIFF?
315
« on: March 27, 2014, 10:09 »
Extremely slow this month - fewest sales of the four agencies I submit to. On the flip side - just about everything submitted has been accepted. Still my favorite site for overall image assessment and contributor ergonomics.
316
« on: March 19, 2014, 14:40 »
DP has worked in collusion with third party agencies without the consent of the contributors. Stockshop is one example. I've contacted DP and told them to remove my images.
I'm wondering if anyone has tried contacting Stockshop and told them if they were willing to work directly with you (circumventing DP), they would have permission to keep your images with their agency.
If Stockshop agreed, would that not be a quick and easy way of adding an agency to your portfolio? Albeit a very low earner but at least earning the industry standard with each image sold
317
« on: February 18, 2014, 15:58 »
It might help if you told us what kind of images you specialize in....My experience has taught me that my particular subject matter fits better with some agencies than with others. DP and SS are my best sellers. DT and especially 123rf, aren't. DT however always seems to come through with credit sales in the $2-$5 range so one DT sale is equivalent to 6 or more DP sales. And on the flip side, DP always seems to sell images that otherwise languish untouched by other agencies. It takes time to explore various agencies and discover which ones best suite your portfolio and which ones don't.
318
« on: February 07, 2014, 17:59 »
Rinderart. This is a post about erroneous clips/images found in places they don't belong. Not about whether you like or dislike an agency.
Pond5 is not alone. Most agencies don't police their image/clip placements very well. When a prospective buyer uses the keywords "man" and "shack" they should not have to wade through two men shaking hands, a man eating prawns and a man walking his dog through a grocery store in the first eight clips. Period.
If I type in the keyword "cow", do I really want to see a cowgirl? If I type in the keyword "barn", do I really want to see a Barn Owl?
319
« on: February 06, 2014, 21:43 »
I recently submitted a 30 second clip of an abandoned, empty and derelict shack. It was accepted and after a few days I thought I'd check with Pond5 to see where it was placed. Initially I used the simple search word "shack" and "best match" and couldn't find it. Undaunted, I tried "man" and "shack" since I locked off the shot and walked into the shack - using me as the model is relatively inexpensive and adds a bit more interest to the setup. Still no luck! When I look at Pond5's offerings using the search terms "man" and "shack" and see this at the top of the first page, I've got to wonder what my chances are of selling anything with Pond5. https://www.pond5.com/stock-footage/30408580/raw-footage-two-men-shacking-hands-full-hd-1920x1080.html
320
« on: January 27, 2014, 21:31 »
Back to the bad old days -only 7 out of 127 accepted today and all out of focus!!
The reason why I'll never submit more than three with the SS. Too much time wasted. I've had better luck the past few submissions and was hoping that the SS was off its high horse but you're proof the SS is still out of focus.
321
« on: January 21, 2014, 20:56 »
This must be one of the longest running posts this site has ever experienced which goes to show just how dominant the SS is.
I wish I could manipulate SS sales. More sales than anywhere else but almost all $0.30 and always the same old pix selling over and over again. Meanwhile every second sale this month (literally) with DT is $2.00 or more. DP always sells well but unlike SS its pix that I haven't sold anywhere else. Images that I had totally forgotten until they show up in the DP sold column.
322
« on: January 08, 2014, 21:05 »
You don't think.....no, not SS. They wouldn't go on a three month rejection spree just to fill their classroom @ $30 a month.
323
« on: January 08, 2014, 20:16 »
Let's face it....we're all pions in the eyes of these agencies. They couldn't care less if we pull our images when a thousand others are lined up to take our place. Meanwhile, we do all the grunt work. Equipment, travel, time invested, uploading, keywording and so on. Wouldn't it be nice if an agency showed their appreciation for our partnership? How about a minor raise or a free course to improve our skills as contributors? Of course I'm opting out of SS's photo course. I'm a contributor not a customer.
324
« on: January 07, 2014, 15:34 »
But don't you find it easier when you press the repeat three times its a lot easier? My complaint is with 123rf. Why do I have to activate a code a second time to see my earnings? Is their site that insecure that you have to match a second code to see your earnings?
325
« on: January 03, 2014, 15:08 »
I guess I'm in the minority here but DP has been good to me and grows in earnings the more I contribute. No one ever includes their specialty when complaining about an agency's lackluster performance making it difficult to understand why you're doing poorly and I'm finding success. My portfolio is a potpourri of subject matter - from landscape to industry and everything inbetween. What I like most about DP is that they sell images that stagnate untouched by others. About 5% of my portfolio sells daily with SS while the rest rarely sell. SS is my best earner but that would change if I didn't have that 5% buyers gravitate to. DP meanwhile sells daily and always something different that hasn't sold before. I have about 2000 images with DP. About 500 with SS.
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