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Messages - Elenathewise

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851
LuckyOliver.com / Re: doubts about LO
« on: November 15, 2007, 18:09 »
My sales on LO is almost payout a month (was something like $96 for October). I am very impressed with the site design and sales rate for a new site like this, and, having met Bryan when he was in Toronto recently, with him as well:) Making sure that the site can handle traffic and search demands *before* trying to increase that traffic is something that any internet based business should do. It's common sense, but we have seen so many examples of the opposite:) Good luck Bryan with your upgrade - hope it goes smoothly.

852
Shutterstock.com / Re: Earnings per picture of portfolio
« on: November 12, 2007, 11:21 »
Mine's about 50c per images (on SS only) - for a good month. I always had a feeling that I should sell more there. One of the things realized lately that when their search engine removes plurals from the keywords, your image does not come up in searches when somebody searches for plurals. If you put only plurals in, then it comes up for both plurals and singles! I keyword my images once for all the agencies I upload to, so editing keywords for every files that gets uploaded on SS is not an option (with my workflow). So some files just don't show up depending on how the buyer is searching. Now, WHY would an agency limit their own sales that way? .... but again it's the same as with ridiculous rejections  - I can only shrug... their business, they run it the way they want to...

853
Dreamstime.com / Re: uploading raw in addition to jpeg
« on: November 09, 2007, 14:07 »
Yup I had several requests too, but agree with Leaf - not worth it.

854
iStockPhoto.com / Re: Referral earnings on Istock
« on: November 07, 2007, 20:47 »
thank you:) that sparkling canister is kinda cool:)

855
iStockPhoto.com / Referral earnings on Istock
« on: November 07, 2007, 18:25 »
I just looked at my profile page on Istock and saw that I have a whole bunch of referral earnings.... Are they included in the account total, anybody knows?

856
Shutterstock.com / Re: SS took 5 out 50
« on: November 07, 2007, 13:44 »

 So, if the reviewers are trained and supervised properly, the standard of acceptability is clear, then the result should almost always be the same. Point and shoot, cheap low end scanner, poorly exposed shot, it doesn't matter. The image either meets the standard (assuming there is a clearly defined one) or doesn't. This seems clear to me or was there some point I missed?


I can't agree more - it shouldn't be a rocket science, should it? Just define the standard, train reviewers, supervise them, maybe pay them a bit more so they won't be inclined to do something like - "I am behind in my quota, I'll look at the first 5 images and just reject the other ones - we get so many complaints about rejections anyway".... Oh, but that would require spending some extra efforts and money.... plus, they are making really good profits anyway, so why bother?
Sigh... a while ago on SS forum Laurin Rinder was saying the same thing - you have a chance to make micirostock into respectable and long-term profitable industry, do it right! ... But no - it seems they are more focused on making quick bucks than building a respectable business and retaining talent. But then, eventually, that talent is going to get pissed and go somewhere else... 
By the way - I never heard back from SS support. Surprise-surprise...


857
General Stock Discussion / Re: Current Review Times
« on: November 06, 2007, 11:23 »
I have a batch from October 24 still pending on Stockxpert. Couple of images have been reviewed, the rest is just sitting there.... Another batch from October 27 is also pending. This is weird - they used to review images within few hours of submission. Is it just me? I see some of the people report that review times are still 1-2 days?

For the rest of the sites review times are very reasonable, business as usual.

858
Yup I had that on SX too... same story - accepted everywhere else (and is quite a good seller). I understand why they want to be on a safe side - like "hmm I don't know if this identifiable or not, who knows, but to avoid even remote possibility for the lawsuit it's better to reject it... we have lots of other stuff to sell". With current practices especially in US where all this ridiculous lawsuits are happening all the time I'd probably do the same if I was the owner of the agency.
Not that I don't think it's a ridiculous nonsense. Next they will require releases for the clothes that models are wearing from the manufacturer. I mean, the pattern on the sweater or the hat can be identifiable right?:) Hmm, shouldn't have said that, don't want to give them ideas...:)
About street shots being "easy way" - can't agree. For the shot that I am talking about, had to spend an hour on the corner of the street waiting for the right light and right people to show up (let's post LO again cause I like Bryan:)):
http://www.luckyoliver.com/photo/4940814/business_people
This image has unmistakable "street feeling', something you can't really recreate with models. Not this kind of dynamics.

Now, can you even tell which city this was taken in? Now or 10 years ago? Can you really say for sure if it was you - yes this is me without a doubt?
I don't think so... But like I said before they are just being too cautious. Why not accept them as editorials tho?

859
Shutterstock.com / Re: SS took 5 out 50
« on: November 02, 2007, 10:36 »
Yes SS is a number one earner for me right now (well IS would have been better if not for their stupid upload limit).
Elena,

With your good sales record, can't you have IS accept more from you than the regular limit?  Even not being exclusive, it seems obvious that you could generate them more if you could upload more.

Regards,
Adelaide

Hmm, not sure... I am a couple of days away from reaching a diamond rating on IS, maybe I should contanct them and ask for more limit... doubt it would work tho:) They seem to be pretty fixed on exclusivity.

860
Shutterstock.com / Re: SS took 5 out 50
« on: November 02, 2007, 10:27 »
I have a suspicion that they are still accepting a fair amount of P&S shots of the pets and other stuff like that. And hey, people have taken amazing photos with P&S.
But the problem is they can't tell a difference between the work of a professional photographer and some amateur enthusiast with P&S. And you know what, for their purposes it doesn't matter.  They sell tons of pics to a very wide audience - people buying images range from kids doing school projects and stay home moms that download images for their scrapbooks to big companies that use these images for advertising. And everything in between. So they are told - "we have to be more strict on quality!" - and they just start rejecting more images, good or bad. That's all:) Like I said before microstock has it's advantages but we can't expect them to be something they are not.

861
Shutterstock.com / Re: SS took 5 out 50
« on: November 01, 2007, 23:09 »
Thank you guys for your kind words. Not that I was fishing, but it sure does make me feel better:)
I hope support will get back to me on this too, but my hopes are not too high. And come to think of it, these images are already selling very well on other sites. So no biggie.
But this incident has started me thinking. Which expectations are reasonable for microstock, and which are not. When I started doing this 2 years ago, I thought the industry will mature and grow together with me and my improving skill.... :) I think now it is not true. Microstock will remain microstock, it will not turn into Getty or Corbis. It has it's own place and it's advantages and it's flaws. And I will stay with it - for some stuff that I do. But I think I am "outgrowing" it... let's see what the professional world have to offer:)

862
Adobe Stock / Re: FT rank
« on: November 01, 2007, 18:42 »
Mine's 13... which looks about right. The one for 7 days seems a bit off (I don't think it changed from what it was before when the ranking wasn't working)

863
Shutterstock.com / Re: SS took 5 out 50
« on: November 01, 2007, 18:00 »
Ok fixed those links for fotolia and shutterstock. Seems to work now.

The question is - will there ever be consistency. This industry is based on "crowdsourcing", most of contributors are amateurs who are happy to make a few bucks from their hobbies - and don't take me wrong, some of them are really good.
But to consistently grow your portfolio and produce sellable quality images all the time requires different kind of effort - those of us who do that know what I am talking about.
I guess the frustration comes from expecting professional attitude in the world of non-professionals. If you sell you images for 30 cents a piece, and reviewers are paid peanuts for their job, what one to expect... just thinking aloud here:)

About conspiracy theory of one angry reviewer who makes our lives difficult everywhere - hehe, I have to admit I had that thought too - there is definitely some kind of a pattern. And you know what, I wouldn't be suprised if it was true - not hard to imagine.

By the way, great place this site - I love it. Glad I found it:)

864
Shutterstock.com / Re: SS took 5 out 50
« on: November 01, 2007, 17:25 »
No I didn't delete my portfolio... yet:)  I'll try to fix that link.
About batches - my previous submission which I think was 42 files was 100% accepted.
That's what bugs me most.
No consistency at all. I mean, there is nothing new here, but I had hopes it would improve over time, as the industry matures. I guess not just yet...

865
Shutterstock.com / SS took 5 out 50
« on: November 01, 2007, 15:36 »
Before you tell me I deserve it, please take a look at my portfolio first:)

By hard work and reinvesting most of my money into professional equipment I made it into the top 20 best selling photogs across the microstock industry. On some agencies, top 10.

SS took 5 out of 50 submitted images a couple of days ago. That's 10% approval. I never ever had such low acceptance rate. I never complain when i get rejections - those rejections earn me good money somewhere else. But please not 10%!!! Reasons? None of them make sense to me at all. "Out of focus" for perfectly focused images, "limited value", "similar submissions" for images that are not similar... stuff like that.

Yes SS is a number one earner for me right now (well IS would have been better if not for their stupid upload limit). But - I also want to enjoy doing business with agencies. And if they don't take something, it has to make at least a little sense. A few more rejections like this, and I'll go exclusive with IS. Can use that bigger upload limit, you know...

Sigh.... soo frustrating.

I emailed Jon, got a reply that he "agrees with some of the rejections" since their quality standards increased... and that support should contact me on this issue.
I don't know what quality standards they have - my stuff passed every macro-mid-micro initial submission that I ever bothered to try (didn't try Getty but will once i get 12 mp D300).
So, why isn't it good for shutterstock?

Ok venting here did help a bit... please don't be mean, just having a low moment and looking for some sympathy:)

866
New Sites - General / Travelingstock
« on: October 23, 2007, 23:02 »
Anyone heard of Travelingstock.com? Any experiences with that site? Just found it accidentally while browsing the web...

867
StockXpert.com / Re: what happenned ?
« on: October 23, 2007, 13:51 »
Steve - thank you for replying, finally a real person from SX I can talk to:)
 I do understand the necessity of being strict with regards to model and property releases, however, people (reviewers) need to be instructed properly. Something generic like row of generic chairs in the generic public place should not require property release. Or we are going to end up requiring releases for the clothing that models wear, or furniture around them, or objects they are holding, to the point of being totally paranoid and ridiculous.
Regarding rejected images - if I leave them in queue (don't delete them) - how can I request for a second opinion? Emailing support doesn't seem to work, I tried that a few times. I understand there could be differences in perception for certain images, but quality wise I can guarantee practically 100% that my images comply with the requirements. Of course there could be mistakes, we are all human beings, but when 47 images out of batch of 50 get rejected, it is very strange to say the least. These are the same images that are accepted on all other agencies I am working with, some of them with very strict criteria, and are selling very well, as most of my fairly recent stuff. So, I am not sure what's going on and how to sort this out. If there is a way at least to request a second opinion could you please let me know how to do it.
Thank you,
Elena.

868
SnapVillage.com / Re: First sale...
« on: October 23, 2007, 13:30 »
Just one subscription sale (in october).

869
StockXpert.com / Re: what happenned ?
« on: October 23, 2007, 11:22 »
Can someone comment on what is happening with stockxpert reviews? It used to be the best site for review times, I'd upload a batch and it would be reviewed within hours.... Now whole bunch of my images are just sitting there, i think it's the second week now.
Plus, some rejections just don't make sense whatsoever - I have had files rejected for "out of focus" when the image is clearly focused sharply and properly (believe me I know what I am talking about). Or, for need of property release for an image depicting row of chairs in the most generic hospital waiting room. I emailed support several times on this issuesbut never got a reply! Mind you my portfolio is over 4000 images there and my images are selling quite well - but I am getting more and more frustrated with the site and customer service.

870
SnapVillage.com / Re: First sale...
« on: October 23, 2007, 11:06 »
I had 16 sales in September and 27 sales in October so far... I do think they'll pull their act together eventually, but oh boy did I have my share of dealing with their glitches!!! However before we complain too much let's remember they are still in "beta". Hopefully version 1.0 will be free of all those annoying bugs.

872
Off Topic / Re: Alamy Online Uploads
« on: September 20, 2007, 12:03 »


Total sales five photos  ;D from an entirely RM portfolio of about 2,600

If the photo is of a popular subject I usually send to the micros.  If in doubt search the Alamy site. As remember as a Newbie your Alamy index will be low so your photos will go to the back and their is only one search criteria no searching by contributor, age, Dls etc.

Hmm, why do you bother submitting there then? You know what one can make on SS for example with a good portfolio of that size... and sometimes things that you don't think would be popular do really well on micros - just because there is less competition. Maybe I am missing something but submitting there doesn't seem like a good deal at all.

873
iStockPhoto.com / Re: Down, down, down
« on: September 19, 2007, 10:02 »
I think Istock started on downward spiral since it's been bought by Getty. The flexibility and the edge of a small independent company is gone, and don't expect it to be back. But at the same time they dodn't seem to capitalize on being a part of a big company. I think right now they have the worst of both worlds! Funny, eh... At some time this year their search mechanism was awful, and that of course reflected on sales. It picked up a bit recently tho, but upload limits are killing me - they are way less than I am producing per month. And yes they are exactly like old communist regime, just like every big corporation out there. I work for one, and I used to live in SU, similarities are amazing:)

874
Adobe Stock / Re: Fotolia rejection
« on: August 21, 2007, 11:03 »
Yup seeing weird rejections with Fotolia too... they must have hired someone (or several of them) with little experience... yet (hope this will improve soon).
Had an image of Notre Dame de Paris cathedral (daylight, fragment, garden view) rejected for "no property release"! Duuudes... check out when it was built.... Having said that it happens with every agency once in a while. They hire someone new, they decide to change their standards and some reviewers would take it wrong (like noise issues with Shutterstock a while ago when they were mistaking pixels on their monitors for noise:))
It's kinda disappointing that they sent you this standard general reply meaning basically "bugger off". But again they are not the only ones to do it. Some agencies don't reply at all - i guess they get way too many notes of the kind, and most of them don't make much sense. So, when some real problem comes up they just ignore it like the rest.
My advice would be - sit on those images for a month, then look at them again. If you still think - wow these are nice, they should have been accepted - then resubmit.

875
went to crestock and looked at that image - wow AWESOME SHOT!!!:)
as to spending money - microstock market is still growing, I bet this is a sound investment for the future. Maybe he won't be able to recover that in a month, but in a year - sure why not. Several top sellers from that photoshoot on several popular agencies would do it.
I never worked with traditional stock agencies like Getty and such and once in a while I am wondering if it's worth my time trying them out. When I see shots like this on microstock  it makes me think - probably not...

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