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Messages - kmlPhoto
26
« on: August 25, 2015, 13:37 »
This is going to sound really newbish. I track my Sales on iStock and the partner program sites, but I cant figure out how to see my sales on Getty Images. I know I am selling there because I keep getting payouts (separate from iStock payouts), but I have no idea how to drill into the details. Thanks in advance for your help.
27
« on: July 22, 2015, 14:13 »
Any SS issue I have with noise where the pic looks good, I just reduce by 5-10% and resub. It usually works. If they hit you on lighting and I feel good about the exposure , I generally increase exposure by a quarter stop. This is purely a numbers game the more higher quality images you can get out the better off you will be. I set up macros to do the canned adjustments quickly so I don't waste too much time There is an old book out there "Taking Stock" by Rob Sylvan. The chapter on handling rejections is worth the price of the book. Might keep you out of therapy  Good Luck
28
« on: July 20, 2015, 12:46 »
Don't forget that our ports have such statistically insignificant counts against the entire inventory that it is difficult to make statistical predictions. The sample space is too small. I think fresh, season appropriate content is important for driving sales. I read that the typical stock image has a 23 month lifespan with a peak in sales around 6 months in. If this is right what we are making today is a function of what we did 7-8 months ago.
29
« on: July 20, 2015, 12:39 »
It is hard to accept some rejections. I try to just keep going. When you factor your total image earnings for that batch against the damage to your health and creativity it really isn't worth it. My wife always tells me just keep shooting.... Good Luck! BTW, it is a great shot!
31
« on: May 26, 2015, 12:40 »
All of this is good info. In skimming quickly through the responses I didn't see anything about video. If I missed it I apologize. I would say that as you start shooting again, don't underestimate the value of shooting video. The video market is growing and is not nearly as saturated. I had the good fortune to see Gavin Hoey speak in NYC last year. He mentioned that video is now over half of his business. The other thing I would mention is that it is very easy to expect next year's income to be better than this years as your online port grows and you have more to offer. Do not underestimate how quickly this business changes. I liken it to the IT world. In 2000, I could get $900 for a static HTML home page for someones website, $500 per page after that. Now you can get a whole site with hosting for $90/yr. Things commoditize quickly, and nothing is commoditizing faster than microstock. I love this business and love waking up and checking my overnight sales, but I am prepared for a time when I will abandon this model in search of greener pastures as it will no longer make sense. There is still money on the table, but the writing is on the wall.
32
« on: May 15, 2015, 14:06 »
You may not have an image of brake discs hanging on your wall. But I'm pretty sure many Mountain Bikers have prints of mechanical parts of bicycles hanging on their walls.
If one of the characteristics of art is to convey emotions/feelings among others things couldn't/shouldn't images of disk brakes be considered art too? After all the emotion of a MTBiker looking at a good photo of a disc brake is as genuine as someone looking to a Picasso.
When I was a kid in the 70s, I used to cut out pictures of my favorite fish from Field and Stream to hang on the walls, it was art to me then. I think history is full of examples of artists that over time came to be appreciated for creating something amazing and timeless. Should by chance years after my death one of my brake disc images make it into an art auction, so be it. 
33
« on: May 15, 2015, 12:58 »
I understand how it is easy to feel otherwise, but microstock is not photography/art. It is simply a business that sells images at the highest possible profit for a given company. This was really hard for me to come to terms with. It is also why my best, most artistic images never go up on a microstock site with the occasional exception of P5 and FAA because I set me price for them. The big 4 and most others have sadly become simply distribution channels for images that are pumped out in our spare time in the hope that they might have a chance of selling (over and over again over years). I am all for making high commissions and selling lots of high quality work I am proud of, but microstock for me is what it is, just a way to make a few bucks in your spare time, I could never consider it a distribution channel for my "good stuff" because my good stuff is too important to me to become a commodity.
Should also point out that IMO my art somehow becomes less than art when I am influenced by it's commercial viability. I don't have a framed picture of new brake disks in my living room, but sadly it is one of my best sellers.
34
« on: May 12, 2015, 13:04 »
Has anyone read Rob Sylvan's book "Taking Stock"? Rob was a reviewer at IS and has some great insight into rejections and ways to mitigate them. I think we all have felt the sting of a summary rejection of an entire batch. More often than not, I have gotten them all approved just by intermixing them in with other submissions...I consider it the cost of doing business in a commodity environment.
35
« on: May 11, 2015, 12:23 »
When you think about slumps, it is helpful to remember that is takes a lot of effort to build a port that will be popular year round. I have noticed some gaping holes in the desirability of my port as the earth travels round the sun. One of the finer points of microstock (that I have not mastered at all) is shoot a port that sells well 12 months a year. Period over period analysis is also sketchy because of the changing trends and demands. Some of my best sellers last April were turkeys this April. Another issue I have struggled with is how to take my best sellers and freshen up the concept so that I keep getting good returns on my initial investment. Microstock is like any other commodity business, the levers we have to pull to make any real difference are sparse.
36
« on: March 10, 2015, 14:49 »
This would be great news if they had 83 contributors.
...and we were all one of the 83 I actually see this as the main issue at least for my grumpiness. Too many contributors just exacerbates an already painful commodity model. Only way to beat it is to get and stay better.
37
« on: March 05, 2015, 15:19 »
... I don't see any agency owing us anything. ...
I don't think anyone claimed contributors were "owed" or entitled, but partnerships - especially those that last over time - are built on mutual interests, equity, honesty and transparency.
The notion of what the market will bear is rather empty unless you talk about over what period of time. You can temporarily hose your buyers, your workers or your suppliers, and that will often work for a while, especially when economic conditions aren't good for those putting up with the poor treatment.
I cant really disagree with anything you said. That is why I mentioned that it may not make sense to continue in microstock. The only thing I would point out is that this industry has converted to a full on commodity model. I am not happy about this, but don't have any doubt that this has happened. As in any commodity based business relationships and loyalty become less important as it is basically a race to the bottom on price because there are so many suppliers providing nearly identical content. This can be somewhat mitigated by staying ahead on the quality and creative side, but it is an uphill battle.
38
« on: March 05, 2015, 10:05 »
Up until its recent price dip, I have made more on SS as an investor than as a contributor. We work in a free market economy. If we want to work with SS our only control over what we make is volume and quality of submissions. They have a right to make money and spend it any way they like. they can pay as much or a little to us as the market will bear. There may come a time when it just doesn't work to be a stock contributor with SS or any other agency there are other options for making a living in the imaging space, we are all creative people, we will find them. I don't see any agency owing us anything. Just a thought from someone who has spent way too much time in the business world and not enough time behind a camera.
39
« on: February 26, 2015, 14:12 »
I have been submitting for about four years now, but devote so little time to the process, I consider myself a student. I was thinking about some of my older submissions that never sold once and wondering if it makes sense to delete them. In other words does it help my sales to have a higher percentage of popular images or a higher image count
Thanks in advance!
Kyle
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