MicrostockGroup

Agency Based Discussion => Shutterstock.com => Topic started by: Uncle Pete on March 02, 2015, 11:26

Title: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Uncle Pete on March 02, 2015, 11:26
SHUTTERSTOCK STATS:
49,916,034 royalty-free stock images = 83,966 to go.

This week, it clicks over to 50 Million

(http://s5.postimg.org/88y58xnqb/popcorn.gif)
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: sharpshot on March 02, 2015, 11:31
How long will alamy be able to claim they are the worlds largest stock photo collection?
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on March 02, 2015, 11:55
The front page that I see says "Over 40 Million Stock Photos, Vectors, Videos, and Music Tracks" - meaning they are counting everything in the total.

I'm sure images are the biggest chunk numerically, followed by illustrations, I would guess. Given their collection size, I don't know that the counts matter much any more though.

Quality of what you offer, coverage of styles and subjects, amount of new content on a regular basis and quality of search results would seem to be the big areas where bragging rights matter.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Shelma1 on March 02, 2015, 11:59
It's a P.R. opportunity. I expect a press release as soon as they hit 50 mil.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: etudiante_rapide on March 02, 2015, 12:30
I don't know that the counts matter much any more though.

Quality of what you offer, coverage of styles and subjects, amount of new content on a regular basis and quality of search results would seem to be the big areas where bragging rights matter.

+10. with what has been happening at ss lately, it looks more like istock . time to wake up ss
and get back on track. sales is the only thing that matters to us, and surely clients feel the same.
size only matters to the other web big business.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: marthamarks on March 02, 2015, 16:28
Gotta say this, folks: so far in 2015, my sales at SS have been noticeably higher than at any time previously. (Except one month last year when 6 ELs came through in one day, but that was an aberration.)

This year, I'm seeing more high-value SODs than before and no drop-off in subs. My port hasn't grown much since last fall, so new uploads are not a factor.

At this point, I'm quite happy with SS. The total number of images in their collection doesn't seem to be hurting me at all. Maybe it's just that I operate in a niche?
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Uncle Pete on March 03, 2015, 11:32
Yes I'm sure that press release, will happen. Someone will have to stay late, unless the rate of reviews picks up. I'm calculating 5PM Eastern Time, but it could be sooner or later, that's just a rough figure at 2000 reviews per hour. Let me put it another way. It's already written, just waiting for the image count to click over.  :)

The numbers at this point, don't hurt me much. When it went from 5 to 10 million, people started to see a change, and now 40 million to 50 million, we're already buried and submerged in a flood of new images.

The choices are far greater than the demand for any popular subject or concept. That dilution and piece of the pie is getting sliced thinner and thinner.
 

It's a P.R. opportunity. I expect a press release as soon as they hit 50 mil.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Semmick Photo on March 03, 2015, 11:38
Yesterday when keywording images I was pleasantly surprised that again I am the only one with images of a subject that had 0 results. Now I am not expecting to get rich, but if a buyer ever need that image, I am the only one who has it, OUT OF 50 MILLION IMAGES ! Yay.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: roede-orm on March 03, 2015, 16:16
Yesterday when keywording images I was pleasantly surprised that again I am the only one with images of a subject that had 0 results. Now I am not expecting to get rich, but if a buyer ever need that image, I am the only one who has it, OUT OF 50 MILLION IMAGES ! Yay.
The problem is, nobody knows this strange insect that you've photographed, except you  8) 8) ;D
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: dpimborough on March 03, 2015, 16:21
Yesterday when keywording images I was pleasantly surprised that again I am the only one with images of a subject that had 0 results. Now I am not expecting to get rich, but if a buyer ever need that image, I am the only one who has it, OUT OF 50 MILLION IMAGES ! Yay.

I have lots of images which no one else has done though sometimes its like pissing in a dark suit you get a warm feeling but no one notices :D


Any way Alamy has over 55 million ;)
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: KnowYourOnions on March 03, 2015, 16:25
4.20pm EST
SHUTTERSTOCK STATS: 49,999,888 royalty-free stock images

I reckon Wed morning press release is coming out.  8)
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: etudiante_rapide on March 03, 2015, 16:47

I have lots of images which no one else has done though sometimes its like pissing in a dark suit you get a warm feeling but no one notices :D


 ;D ;D ;D

try pissing in the dark against the wind,
at least you get to feel the warm spray hit ...
better still, get someone to shout "garde l'eau! ( watch out  the water!)"
and you won't feel so alone  ;D
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Uncle Pete on March 03, 2015, 17:01
Recon you are correct.

Just Happened:  SHUTTERSTOCK STATS:
50,006,521 royalty-free stock images

3:58PM CST or about 5PM NY time

(http://s5.postimg.org/kbnjotvmr/fireworks_animation_100.gif)


4.20pm EST
SHUTTERSTOCK STATS: 49,999,888 royalty-free stock images

I reckon Wed morning press release is coming out.  8)
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: KnowYourOnions on March 03, 2015, 17:11
Recon you are correct.

Just Happened:  SHUTTERSTOCK STATS:
50,006,521 royalty-free stock images

3:58PM CST or about 5PM NY time

([url]http://s5.postimg.org/kbnjotvmr/fireworks_animation_100.gif[/url])


4.20pm EST
SHUTTERSTOCK STATS: 49,999,888 royalty-free stock images

I reckon Wed morning press release is coming out.  8)



Thanks...
My Heart Collection is reaching 300 soon.  ;)
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: marthamarks on March 03, 2015, 18:10

I have lots of images which no one else has done though sometimes its like pissing in a dark suit you get a warm feeling but no one notices :D


 ;D ;D ;D

try pissing in the dark against the wind,
at least you get to feel the warm spray hit ...
better still, get someone to shout "garde l'eau! ( watch out  the water!)"
and you won't feel so alone  ;D

This whole thing about pissing into the wind is such a guy thing. Those of us of the female persuasion just don't have that problem.

Yet another clear proof of superiority??? ::)
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: LesPalenik on March 03, 2015, 20:52
Searching the SS database by those keywords didn't result in any matches, so this cenceptual category might be a promising niche.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Uncle Pete on March 03, 2015, 22:45
Maybe you haven't been camping in the rough like ladies I know. Buy I expect women are smart enough to test the wind direction first, unlike some other people.  :)

pissing in the wind
betting on a losing friend
making the same mistakes
we swore we'd never make again

pissing in the wind
and it's blowing on all our friends
we're gonna sit and grin
and tell our grandchildren
about the time I called this guy
it was four in the morning
to teach me the words
to the song I was humming
he just laughed and said that
the old grey cat is sneaking down the hall
and all he wants to know is
who in . is paying for this call...




I have lots of images which no one else has done though sometimes its like pissing in a dark suit you get a warm feeling but no one notices :D


 ;D ;D ;D

try pissing in the dark against the wind,
at least you get to feel the warm spray hit ...
better still, get someone to shout "garde l'eau! ( watch out  the water!)"
and you won't feel so alone  ;D

This whole thing about pissing into the wind is such a guy thing. Those of us of the female persuasion just don't have that problem.

Yet another clear proof of superiority??? ::)
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: etudiante_rapide on March 03, 2015, 22:46

I have lots of images which no one else has done though sometimes its like pissing in a dark suit you get a warm feeling but no one notices :D


 ;D ;D ;D

try pissing in the dark against the wind,
at least you get to feel the warm spray hit ...
better still, get someone to shout "garde l'eau! ( watch out  the water!)"
and you won't feel so alone  ;D

This whole thing about pissing into the wind is such a guy thing. Those of us of the female persuasion just don't have that problem.

Yet another clear proof of superiority??? ::)

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D that's true, guys concede on both counts...
pissing and making babies

good call :)

although i know some gals who prefer standing up when nature calls.
better back to topic before it gets too wet and hairy here  :o
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: marthamarks on March 03, 2015, 22:56

although i know some gals who prefer standing up when nature calls.
better back to topic before it gets too wet and hairy here  :o

FWIW… not many gals of my acquaintance stand up when nature calls. Not even when camping out in the woods.

But yes, you're right. Back on topic, guys. :-*
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: ferdinand on March 04, 2015, 01:28
maybe - the owner of 50 millionth file will get an award - one million dollar
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: andy_arden on March 04, 2015, 02:32
yeah..a nice prize would be a week without stupid rejections
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: dpimborough on March 04, 2015, 03:05

I have lots of images which no one else has done though sometimes its like pissing in a dark suit you get a warm feeling but no one notices :D


 ;D ;D ;D

try pissing in the dark against the wind,
at least you get to feel the warm spray hit ...
better still, get someone to shout "garde l'eau! ( watch out  the water!)"
and you won't feel so alone  ;D

This whole thing about pissing into the wind is such a guy thing. Those of us of the female persuasion just don't have that problem.

Yet another clear proof of superiority??? ::)

Never heard of the "she-wee" then?  ;D
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: KnowYourOnions on March 04, 2015, 04:43
Sorry guys, I am obsessed with these numbers now....

SHUTTERSTOCK STATS: 50,035,379 royalty-free stock images
so if I do this math right, 35378 images approved in less than 12 hours!
WOW!
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Hobostocker on March 04, 2015, 05:22
yeah yeah but the point is : more images doesn't mean more sales !

they can bring in 200 millions images if that matter and it won't change anything, there's only one way to grow their business and it's called customer acquisition.

and since the market is pretty stable the only way to acquire new buyers is grabbing market share from their competitors, IS in particular.

but how and why we should be concerned about this ? what we're witnessing is the cheapest player in the market growing and growing on the shoulders of underpaid stockers .. while many of us will agree that SS is one of the few agencies that is still delivering and that is still loyal to their mission the drawback is that they're pushing the whole market into a price-war to the bottom that will finally kill any incentive for pro photographer to join this business as oversupply will make sure that even big portfolios will be unable to produce decent returns unless you're in the top-10 best sellers or you're a photo factory and we could debate this factor as well since Yuri moved to greener pastures and he was both a top seller and a photo factory ... if even Yuri can't make profits, who will ?

which is the same scenario facing musicians on iTunes or Beatport, and writers on Amazon, and what about stock video, stock audio, android/ios apps, journalists, and much more  ?

i mean i see horrible things even in the freelancer sites if that matters, buyers asking for a logo and designers offering custom products for a pittance, buyers asking custom softwares and expecting to get away with 500$ or less ...

the biggest and most devastiting consequence of digital and the internet is that it made everything a buyer's market and while everybody want to play and see and watch nobody seems to be wanting to pay enough or even to pay at all.

the respect and the value for photography and photographers has never been as low as today, our work is basically seen as worthless and we're seen as disposable unless the same image is printed and framed into an art gallery with a 5000$ price tag.

photography for the masses has been a total disaster, ironically even for camera makers as nikon and canon now are struggling to sell their DSLRs and their pocket cameras.

Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Justanotherphotographer on March 04, 2015, 09:06
was there a thread somewhere with the size of the SS library on certain dates? I would like to work out how much the library is increasing in percentage terms and how much this is going up i.e. whether the rate of increase is also accelerating or not. I am hoping that it will get so big in absolute terms eventually that the percentage increase per period of time will start to stabilise or decrease eventually.
Title: Shutterstock SS Milestones
Post by: Uncle Pete on March 04, 2015, 11:07
Shutterstock Milestones:
September 21, 2006 - Shutterstock surpasses one million stock photos
Feb. 20th, 2009 -Shutterstock reaches 6 million photos, (5 million 2.5 years)
February 14, 2010 - Shutterstock reaches 10 million Photos (4 million 12 months)
June 19, 2012 - Shutterstock reaches 20m stock Images (10 Million 28 months)
October 30, 2013 - Shutterstock reaches 30 million images (10 million 15 months)
Aug. 4, 2014 - Shutterstock celebrates 40 million images in it's collection. (10 million 10 months)
December 31, 2014 - 46.8 million images in the collection. (1 million new files per month)
March 3, 2015 - 50 Million Image mark is reached (10 million in 7 months for those watching)

At the same rate, September 2015 60 Million Images will be available

SS Members by registration year rounded.
2005 - 4300
2006 - 3900 = 8200
2007 - 3800 = 12,000
2008 - 5500 = 17,500
2009 - 7200 = 24,700
2010 - 5000 = 30,700

(I collected this from press releases, wayback on the web and other sources. There is no claim that it's 100% accurate. But it roughly an indication of the milestones and growth of Shutterstock) Also I will be one of the first to argue that registered members is to be taken with a grain of salt. Some never pass the test, and some contribute nothing. Others have stopped uploading and moved on to other interests, but left their ports working.

The number of active, working photographers is unknown. Adding an average of 4000 a year, it could be 50,000 people who opened an account.

60 million by September 2015? that's 10 million new images in seven months. It took six years to do that in the opening days. Small wonder that sales and percentages are down. Competition multiplies at enormous numbers, even with strict reviews and rejections.


It's not a flood of new images, it's a tsunami!
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: stockmarketer on March 04, 2015, 11:58
was there a thread somewhere with the size of the SS library on certain dates? I would like to work out how much the library is increasing in percentage terms and how much this is going up i.e. whether the rate of increase is also accelerating or not. I am hoping that it will get so big in absolute terms eventually that the percentage increase per period of time will start to stabilise or decrease eventually.


This is the best we can hope for at this point...

With so many images available at SS and other agencies, the newbies & non-serious-uploaders  (who must be at least 50% of all contributors, right?) will try ms for a while and eventually see that the return is not worth the investment.  When this becomes a money-losing proposition for them (if it's not already) they will realize they're insane for keeping at this and drop out.

The agencies must fear the reverse of this happening.  Their veterans, who produce most of the quality work, could soon start deciding that the return on investment is no longer there, and they'll give up.  If the upload flow of good quality, high commercial value imagery significantly slows, then the stuff that's selling will start looking old very quickly and buyers will be next out the door.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Uncle Pete on March 04, 2015, 12:10
Excellent analysis. Possibly both could happen at the same time or already are?  (http://s5.postimg.org/w8zoupq3n/cool_up.gif)



This is the best we can hope for at this point...

With so many images available at SS and other agencies, the newbies & non-serious-uploaders  (who must be at least 50% of all contributors, right?) will try ms for a while and eventually see that the return is not worth the investment.  When this becomes a money-losing proposition for them (if it's not already) they will realize they're insane for keeping at this and drop out.

The agencies must fear the reverse of this happening.  Their veterans, who produce most of the quality work, could soon start deciding that the return on investment is no longer there, and they'll give up.  If the upload flow of good quality, high commercial value imagery significantly slows, then the stuff that's selling will start looking old very quickly and buyers will be next out the door.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Hobostocker on March 05, 2015, 02:58
This is the best we can hope for at this point...

With so many images available at SS and other agencies, the newbies & non-serious-uploaders  (who must be at least 50% of all contributors, right?) will try ms for a while and eventually see that the return is not worth the investment.  When this becomes a money-losing proposition for them (if it's not already) they will realize they're insane for keeping at this and drop out.

The agencies must fear the reverse of this happening.  Their veterans, who produce most of the quality work, could soon start deciding that the return on investment is no longer there, and they'll give up.  If the upload flow of good quality, high commercial value imagery significantly slows, then the stuff that's selling will start looking old very quickly and buyers will be next out the door.

newbies will upload 2-300 images at most and then give up quickly after they realize they made barely 10 bucks.

SS could counterbalance this giving priority to new submissions but still the "shelf life" of new images would not last long.

Pros on the other side will focus even more on their specific niche and eventually cut production costs to the bone with the result that most of their portfolios will be made of "low hanging fruits" as there's no incentive to make anything espensive or even remotely innovative.

in conclusion, buyers will get exactly what they're paying for, while for anything else (RM, assignments, etc) the difference in pricing will be huge !

moral of the story : it will still be a buyer's market and there's nothing pointing us in any other direction at the moment, only the sudden implosion of Getty could shake up the market but the consequences are hard to predict, first of all where the rich getty clients will move on ?
Title: Re: Shutterstock SS Milestones 60 million images
Post by: FlowerPower on August 12, 2015, 09:36
Shutterstock Milestones:
September 21, 2006 - Shutterstock surpasses one million stock photos
Feb. 20th, 2009 -Shutterstock reaches 6 million photos, (5 million 2.5 years)
February 14, 2010 - Shutterstock reaches 10 million Photos (4 million 12 months)
June 19, 2012 - Shutterstock reaches 20m stock Images (10 Million 28 months)
October 30, 2013 - Shutterstock reaches 30 million images (10 million 15 months)
Aug. 4, 2014 - Shutterstock celebrates 40 million images in it's collection. (10 million 10 months)
December 31, 2014 - 46.8 million images in the collection. (1 million new files per month)
March 3, 2015 - 50 Million Image mark is reached (10 million in 7 months for those watching)

At the same rate, September 2015 60 Million Images will be available

SS Members by registration year rounded.
2005 - 4300
2006 - 3900 = 8200
2007 - 3800 = 12,000
2008 - 5500 = 17,500
2009 - 7200 = 24,700
2010 - 5000 = 30,700

(I collected this from press releases, wayback on the web and other sources. There is no claim that it's 100% accurate. But it roughly an indication of the milestones and growth of Shutterstock) Also I will be one of the first to argue that registered members is to be taken with a grain of salt. Some never pass the test, and some contribute nothing. Others have stopped uploading and moved on to other interests, but left their ports working.

The number of active, working photographers is unknown. Adding an average of 4000 a year, it could be 50,000 people who opened an account.

60 million by September 2015? that's 10 million new images in seven months. It took six years to do that in the opening days. Small wonder that sales and percentages are down. Competition multiplies at enormous numbers, even with strict reviews and rejections.


It's not a flood of new images, it's a tsunami!


Since pete isn't here to keep this updated. He was off by one month, means new photos are being added faster then in March. 5 months 9 days to add what was 6 years. 62,000 new photos a day.

August 12, 2015 SHUTTERSTOCK STATS: 60,005,768 royalty-free stock images / 445,148 new stock images added this week

More pictures, more competition, less money.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: cobalt on August 12, 2015, 11:48
nearly half a million a week. Crazy numbers. Which is why the pros are all pushing more into macro or niche agencies or adding exclusive images to the agencies that allow that for better visibilty.

Even more depressing to have files rejected in such a flood. They probably donīt bother to train image editors for consistency. Too many files, who cares what makes it through? Individual files mean nothing.

Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: PixelBytes on August 12, 2015, 12:26
nearly half a million a week. Crazy numbers. Which is why the pros are all pushing more into macro or niche agencies or adding exclusive images to the agencies that allow that for better visibilty.

Even more depressing to have files rejected in such a flood. They probably donīt bother to train image editors for consistency. Too many files, who cares what makes it through? Individual files mean nothing.

I agree.  The only thing that will impress their remaining shareholders is numbers of images.  They don't give a thought to image quality or uniqueness.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Rose Tinted Glasses on August 12, 2015, 15:36
nearly half a million a week. Crazy numbers. Which is why the pros are all pushing more into macro or niche agencies or adding exclusive images to the agencies that allow that for better visibilty.

Even more depressing to have files rejected in such a flood. They probably donīt bother to train image editors for consistency. Too many files, who cares what makes it through? Individual files mean nothing.

Interesting comment...

I have suggested for years that the "pros" would start to see what microstock is which is very short sighted. I also predicted that the "pros" would revert to their old ways and would eventually put a reversal of fortune back into the macros.

And I also question your observation about training image editors... since when has any microstock agency had image editors? Never. As far as I can see they only have inspectors. The total lack of abandon for editing any image is interestingly starting to be the downfall of microstock, as I predicted long ago.

It's a simple case of buyers getting tired of wading through endless amounts of mediocrity just to save a few bucks to find the perfect image. Time is money from a buyers point of view, and if your time is apent sifting through lots of unedited images, then naturally buyers will go to the source of quality and edited images.

This is not to say there is not quality on the micros, but the ratio of quality usable stock images to mediocre unusable stock images is increasing to the point that the microstock agencies are looking like a source for mediocrity and the buyers are shifting.

Give a person enough rope and they will hang themselves.





Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: cobalt on August 12, 2015, 17:54
The macros have millions and millions of files as well. I donīt think the situation is that much better. Maybe a certain amateur quality will not make it there, but the flood is the flood.

And yet on all agencies, micro and macro there is so much content missing. Especially localized and more personal content. Smartphonestock etc...

But unless agencies invite the crowd to curate the content like on pininterrest, nobody will ever find it. All the agencies donīt have enough editing power to sort what is coming in.

The crowd and community have that, but nobody is harvesting their talents in a professional way.

Editors have to be paid, wether they are employees or freelance crowd sourced workers. Editing costs a lot of time, and nobody will do a professional job just for fun.

ETA: upload limits or limits tied into portfolio sales success are a much better instrument to regulate incoming content than random rejections or even special editing. If it doesnīt sell, you wonīt get many slots, if your customers like your work and it sells, who cares if it is overexposed.

But with upload limits, you can avoid the random - letīs empty my whole card - uploading without punishing the productive artists.

However, if number of files is given a financial weight in the company balance, then they all want to boast the largest numbers.

What would impress me, would be number of public galleries that you can browse as a customer to look at prefiltered content.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Rose Tinted Glasses on August 13, 2015, 10:43
I think you kind of missed my point, which was simply that yes many "pros" are reverting to their old ways of more or less giving up on microstock and going back to macro and the total lack of editing on any microstock site.

My point was not about the crowd, the community, or smartphones of which you seem very fond of. I was referring to the real working world of buyers.

As per upload limits, Getty Images has none, but they edit, so if you get 10% in you are doing well, and it can also take weeks to get in image accepted, not the usual 5 minutes on every micro site.

It's actually very funny and sad at the same time, I remember reading on this very MSG about a photographer that bought a new camera and because of his camera his approval ratings soared. Did his/her skills suddenly get better? I very much doubt it.

My bet is on the for future of success is agencies that edit. I honestly think the micros have far too much crap to quality ratio. If you have 50 million images it means nothing if 30 million of them are completely sub par.

Quality over quantity is a concept that most microstock agencies have yet to grasp.


Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: sharpshot on August 13, 2015, 13:03
Alamy don't edit and have over 60 million images and my sales are increasing.  I think the search takes care of a lot of the rubbish and I'm shocked how much my worst stuff sells on some sites.  Alamy and SS wouldn't have such a huge collection if it wasn't working for them.  I think its obvious that some buyers like edited collections but others want to see as much as possible, there's room for both types of stock sites.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: cobalt on August 13, 2015, 13:40


My point was not about the crowd, the community, or smartphones of which you seem very fond of. I was referring to the real working world of buyers.



I mean the crowd of everyone, including the millions of buyers and designers . The micros don't have this separation of producers on the one side and the companies on the other .

Buyers are also producers and are also editors that sort content for their own uses into various galleries and lightboxes. If you harvest this talent, similar to what pininterest does, you'll be able tosubdivide the content for easy access for the customers.

Istock used to have a really useful public lightbox system an das a buyer I would bookmark the galleries on certain themes of active "Collectors"

So i know it works, and the collections people created where amazing.

The macros don't have as much useful content as they claim, they have millions of old legacy files or from collections they bought. People with brick telephones etc...

If you want the latest, most modern content, it will often be first on the micros, because they can upload in realtime and content can reach the customer in 24 hours instead of two months.

It is also more international, especially if you are looking for specialized local content that the macro producers wouldn't even know about. Which is why the agencies are all trying to create a loyal following of smartphone producers, who can produce even faster, than the normal stock crowd and smartphones reach even more local regions.

What is missing is a much better sorting system and personally I believe you need to crowdsource the editing to fix the system.

Macro is a very slow world. Slow to bring content to market slow until the customers buy slow for them to pay and maybe another two months until the money reaches you.

Very difficult to spot sales trends, because you get no sales data for months you have to produce blindly.

If you do stock fulltime, I think you need a mix of both, the micros give you the latest trends and you can use that for macro production.

Anyway, we will see what happens, what adobe comes up with, how SS reacts and if getty will ever have a new CEO and how he or she then decides to lead the company.


Our industry is never boring.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: YadaYadaYada on August 18, 2015, 17:42
nearly half a million a week. Crazy numbers. Which is why the pros are all pushing more into macro or niche agencies or adding exclusive images to the agencies that allow that for better visibilty.

Even more depressing to have files rejected in such a flood. They probably donīt bother to train image editors for consistency. Too many files, who cares what makes it through? Individual files mean nothing.

I agree.  The only thing that will impress their remaining shareholders is numbers of images.  They don't give a thought to image quality or uniqueness.

I agree with both. If they didn't care about us before, they will care less now. Rejected files mean nothing.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: etudiante_rapide on August 19, 2015, 14:36
The only thing that will impress their remaining shareholders is numbers of images.  They don't give a thought to image quality or uniqueness.

+100 again. like those rental properties filling up their bldgs with full tenancy but none of those those left due to complaints of no repairs,etc.
the new buyer is clueless and think "waaaa, full tenancy." when they buy it, they find lots of unfinished repairs and ceilings caving in after they change ownership.

same thing here, as shareholders will be even happier to know monthly income has fallen alot... and still falling. they will not be the ones holding the bag, as these shareholders will be gone soon.
Title: millions and millions and millions stock images on Shutterstock 110 Million
Post by: YadaYadaYada on December 08, 2016, 10:51
Alamy don't edit and have over 60 million images and my sales are increasing.  I think the search takes care of a lot of the rubbish and I'm shocked how much my worst stuff sells on some sites.  Alamy and SS wouldn't have such a huge collection if it wasn't working for them.  I think its obvious that some buyers like edited collections but others want to see as much as possible, there's room for both types of stock sites.

Quietly passed another mark first week of December 2016

112,510,262 royalty-free stock images / 1,215,732 new stock images added this week

Both sides are right. Some buyers want more choices, some want quality choices. Some want low prices and will look for value, others are willing to pay good price for better photos.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Josephine on December 08, 2016, 12:06
who on earth shall read through all these long long long scientific analyses about the marketing strategies of SS?

This is a guys talk, like talking about football. Guys, cut it short!!
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: jonbull on December 08, 2016, 12:08
1.200.000 images of salad
2.700.000 of christmas

what surprises me is that people are still uploading images of salad or christmas...and thy still accept everything.
in my opinion there are so many niche that still needs images cause if we analyze the photos 95% are copy of copy and similar subject.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: sharpshot on December 08, 2016, 12:17
1.200.000 images of salad
2.700.000 of christmas

what surprises me is that people are still uploading images of salad or christmas...and thy still accept everything.
in my opinion there are so many niche that still needs images cause if we analyze the photos 95% are copy of copy and similar subject.
Can't find one of Santa eating salad but maybe that's a bit too niche :)
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Gannet77 on December 08, 2016, 12:29


1.200.000 images of salad
2.700.000 of christmas

what surprises me is that people are still uploading images of salad or christmas...and thy still accept everything.
in my opinion there are so many niche that still needs images cause if we analyze the photos 95% are copy of copy and similar subject.

Can't find one of Santa eating salad but maybe that's a bit too niche :)


iStock has one...

http://www.istockphoto.com/gb/photo/santa-claus-holding-bowl-with-salad-gm154375930-21728484 (http://www.istockphoto.com/gb/photo/santa-claus-holding-bowl-with-salad-gm154375930-21728484)

Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Stockmaan on December 08, 2016, 13:45
LOL  ;D
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: YadaYadaYada on December 08, 2016, 15:56
1.200.000 images of salad
2.700.000 of christmas

what surprises me is that people are still uploading images of salad or christmas...and thy still accept everything.
in my opinion there are so many niche that still needs images cause if we analyze the photos 95% are copy of copy and similar subject.
Can't find one of Santa eating salad but maybe that's a bit too niche :)

Did you search for Santa laughing alone with salad? Perfect stock cliche girl with a fork looking way to happy. Oh wait, I found one. This is a spot that needs to be filled, right now!

(https://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/1483019/345348581/stock-photo-man-with-a-santa-hat-preparing-salad-for-his-family-s-christmas-dinner-345348581.jpg)
or
(https://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/174604/115703191/stock-photo-cheerful-funny-xmas-girl-playing-with-salad-isolated-on-white-fish-eye-lens-shot-115703191.jpg)

I'm not doing it, please use this idea for free.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: YadaYadaYada on December 08, 2016, 16:08
who on earth shall read through all these long long long scientific analyses about the marketing strategies of SS?

This is a guys talk, like talking about football. Guys, cut it short!!

Short version.
March 2015 50 million
Sept 2016 100 million
Dec 2016 110 million
Dec 2017 150 million

Does that scare you? It should.

How do you compete with that many pictures of the same most popular best sellers. Maybe an ostrich view is better, then complain how sales are down because the agency is favoring other people or pushing low earners to the front. Problem is, we are now producing a commodity that's available in over supply, fixed demand. Competition is willing to produce in high number for less pay and driving us out of business and the market.

Better to find unique content or different place to sell.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: tess on December 09, 2016, 03:45
1.200.000 images of salad
2.700.000 of christmas

what surprises me is that people are still uploading images of salad or christmas...and thy still accept everything.
in my opinion there are so many niche that still needs images cause if we analyze the photos 95% are copy of copy and similar subject.

The thing is the trending aesthetic keeps changing, both with food photography, lifestyle shots, graphic design etc. I’m personally more in favour of automatically deleting files that haven’t sold in 5 or more years or something along the lines. Most of the uploaded stuff never sells. I’m also for stricter limits on uploading huge batches of similar graphics/shots.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: 50% on December 09, 2016, 07:48
1.200.000 images of salad
2.700.000 of christmas

what surprises me is that people are still uploading images of salad or christmas...and thy still accept everything.
in my opinion there are so many niche that still needs images cause if we analyze the photos 95% are copy of copy and similar subject.

The thing is the trending aesthetic keeps changing, both with food photography, lifestyle shots, graphic design etc. I’m personally more in favour of automatically deleting files that haven’t sold in 5 or more years or something along the lines. Most of the uploaded stuff never sells. I’m also for stricter limits on uploading huge batches of similar graphics/shots.
this is all correct BUT aesthetics doesn't change that fast we are talking about 50 million more pictures in less than two years! The sheer amount of pictures will bury you there is simply no way to build a sustainable business with these kind of figures it's like selling sand grain in the desert!
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: cathyslife on December 09, 2016, 09:24
The thing is the trending aesthetic keeps changing, both with food photography, lifestyle shots, graphic design etc. I’m personally more in favour of automatically deleting files that haven’t sold in 5 or more years or something along the lines. Most of the uploaded stuff never sells. I’m also for stricter limits on uploading huge batches of similar graphics/shots.

I more or less agree with you, but remember that fads and trends re-cycle...what's old is sometimes new again.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: etudiante_rapide on December 09, 2016, 10:15
The thing is the trending aesthetic keeps changing, both with food photography, lifestyle shots, graphic design etc. I’m personally more in favour of automatically deleting files that haven’t sold in 5 or more years or something along the lines. Most of the uploaded stuff never sells. I’m also for stricter limits on uploading huge batches of similar graphics/shots.

I more or less agree with you, but remember that fads and trends re-cycle...what's old is sometimes new again.

yes, agree with both. but consider that ss sellers are consistent from day 1,
it is most likely that non-sellers will continue to stay invisible if not selling after 5 years.
it would make sense to delete them, re-process and submit as new ... with better keywords of course.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: YadaYadaYada on December 09, 2016, 10:41
1.200.000 images of salad
2.700.000 of christmas

what surprises me is that people are still uploading images of salad or christmas...and thy still accept everything.
in my opinion there are so many niche that still needs images cause if we analyze the photos 95% are copy of copy and similar subject.

The thing is the trending aesthetic keeps changing, both with food photography, lifestyle shots, graphic design etc. I’m personally more in favour of automatically deleting files that haven’t sold in 5 or more years or something along the lines. Most of the uploaded stuff never sells. I’m also for stricter limits on uploading huge batches of similar graphics/shots.
this is all correct BUT aesthetics doesn't change that fast we are talking about 50 million more pictures in less than two years! The sheer amount of pictures will bury you there is simply no way to build a sustainable business with these kind of figures it's like selling sand grain in the desert!

That's what I was getting at. If people want something to feel bad about and misery, you just hit the bottom line in this unsustainable business from our side.

At least trending aesthetic is something that works for us and new files. Also explains why many old files go dead after years. Besides, better production, higher standards, better equipment and lighting.

It doesn't take deep statistical analysis to see that in a year there will be 50 million new competing images. In 2015 there were that many total images. Of course our sales and slice of the pie will be down.

This isn't just happening at SS, remember iStock dropped their standards and has been adding almost anything we upload. Adobe is taking it's bite and gaining customers from the other two. When Adobe goes up the buyers have to come from someplace, this is not an endless demand, with no limit to how many buyers.

We're selling a commodity, most of the time, not art. Buyers have 1000s of choices and more every day. Competition is doubled from two years ago. How should we expect to have growing sales and income with that? But people blame the agency, not the source of the problem. Competition and over supply.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: etudiante_rapide on December 09, 2016, 12:46
We're selling a commodity, most of the time, not art. Buyers have 1000s of choices and more every day. Competition is doubled from two years ago. How should we expect to have growing sales and income with that? But people blame the agency, not the source of the problem. Competition and over supply.

definitely  over supply. ..
and individually, even more for those who cannibalize their own port by uploading them to 20 agencies thinking it will increase their cumulative earnings. i doubt that.
for this, you see our peers here saying xxx went up 50%, ss went down 50%,etc..
it still ends up killing your own port at the agency which sells best for you.

i also believe those sites which were in the big 4 and mid tier that are still single digit
should just give up. in business, it is said 5-6 yrs to turn , i think most of the agencies to the right
have been with us at least 10 years now.  pack it in.

the only way to cut it in an over-supplied industry like micro is to be niche...
like stocksy, offset, ...
we all know it's futile to try to be another ss.

hopefully, adobe will do something difference, instead of trying to replace istock as
the main challenger for the pie, as you call it.

contributors don't need another ss; they need another agency that will sell
something other than tomato,etc.. on white, or business ppl in suits with white teeth.
Title: Re: Shutterstock SS Milestones 60 million images
Post by: Uncle Pete on October 10, 2017, 12:28
Shutterstock Milestones:

September 21, 2006 - Shutterstock surpasses one million stock photos
Feb. 20th, 2009 -Shutterstock reaches 6 million photos, (5 million 2.5 years)
February 14, 2010 - Shutterstock reaches 10 million Photos (4 million 12 months)
June 19, 2012 - Shutterstock reaches 20m stock Images (10 Million 28 months)
October 30, 2013 - Shutterstock reaches 30 million images (10 million 15 months)
Aug. 4, 2014 - Shutterstock celebrates 40 million images in it's collection. (10 million 10 months)
December 31, 2014 - 46.8 million images in the collection. (1 million new files per month)
March 3, 2015 - 50 Million Image mark is reached (10 million in 7 months for those watching)

At the same rate, September 2015 60 Million Images will be available

SS Members by registration year rounded.
2005 - 4300
2006 - 3900 = 8200
2007 - 3800 = 12,000
2008 - 5500 = 17,500
2009 - 7200 = 24,700
2010 - 5000 = 30,700

(I collected this from press releases, wayback on the web and other sources. There is no claim that it's 100% accurate. But it roughly an indication of the milestones and growth of Shutterstock) Also I will be one of the first to argue that registered members is to be taken with a grain of salt. Some never pass the test, and some contribute nothing. Others have stopped uploading and moved on to other interests, but left their ports working.

The number of active, working photographers is unknown. Adding an average of 4000 a year, it could be 50,000 people who opened an account.

60 million by September 2015? that's 10 million new images in seven months. It took six years to do that in the opening days. Small wonder that sales and percentages are down. Competition multiplies at enormous numbers, even with strict reviews and rejections.


It's not a flood of new images, it's a tsunami!


Since pete isn't here to keep this updated. He was off by one month, means new photos are being added faster then in March. 5 months 9 days to add what was 6 years. 62,000 new photos a day.

August 12, 2015 SHUTTERSTOCK STATS: 60,005,768 royalty-free stock images / 445,148 new stock images added this week

More pictures, more competition, less money.


Oh good my favorite Subject

Founded in 2003
September 21, 2006 - Shutterstock surpasses one million stock photos

157,044,919 royalty-free stock images / 1,207,143 new stock images added this week


Adding more new photos a week, than they did in the first three years. We wonder why sales are down?

17,000+ artists with over 1,000 images.
2068 accounts with over 10,000 images each (same as the entire collection in 2012)

nature   24,747,730
objects   20,961,491
parks-outdoor   14,101,183
food-and-drink   18,635,876

That's your competition!
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Pauws99 on October 10, 2017, 12:40
Actually I wonder why I sell as much as I do which is not a lot....then I do a search......I reckon 80%  at least of whats on sale is almost unsellable.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on October 10, 2017, 13:45
To add a little more to the stats for the incredible inflating stock collection, look at the images added per year (October to October)

2016 - 2017  53,136,429
2015 - 2016  38,587,590
2014 - 2015  22,068,430
2013 - 2014  13,795,139

I'm not sure that there's any real value in it (given some of the stuff they've added that I cannot believe will ever sell even once), but they went from 100m to 150m images/vectors in the last year. You have to wonder how long they can keep up a 50% growth rate with a collection this big...
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Pauws99 on October 10, 2017, 14:12
To add a little more to the stats for the incredible inflating stock collection, look at the images added per year (October to October)

2016 - 2017  53,136,429
2015 - 2016  38,587,590
2014 - 2015  22,068,430
2013 - 2014  13,795,139

I'm not sure that there's any real value in it (given some of the stuff they've added that I cannot believe will ever sell even once), but they went from 100m to 150m images/vectors in the last year. You have to wonder how long they can keep up a 50% growth rate with a collection this big...
Think the current growth rate is down to more like a measly 35-40%. I suspect the monthly number of images is close to topping out at a sluggish 1.5m a week ;-).
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 150 Million!
Post by: Uncle Pete on October 10, 2017, 15:13
To add a little more to the stats for the incredible inflating stock collection, look at the images added per year (October to October)

2016 - 2017  53,136,429
2015 - 2016  38,587,590
2014 - 2015  22,068,430
2013 - 2014  13,795,139

I'm not sure that there's any real value in it (given some of the stuff they've added that I cannot believe will ever sell even once), but they went from 100m to 150m images/vectors in the last year. You have to wonder how long they can keep up a 50% growth rate with a collection this big...
Think the current growth rate is down to more like a measly 35-40%. I suspect the monthly number of images is close to topping out at a sluggish 1.5m a week ;-).

Yes to both. There's a percentage math problem entering in. Lets say the peak has been reached and 1.5 a week is the limit to submitting, review and placement. (it's not, but hypothetically) Then the rate of growth will slow, stated as a percentage. In fact as the collection grows, the rate of growth will essentially start to slow, even though it hasn't.

That's where percentage is a flawed measure. If some small agency suddenly added 1.5 million a week, their rate of growth, percentage, would be enormous. For SS adding 3 miilon would be less.

Same problem for SS earnings growth, eventually the annual gross is so high, that growth percentage appears to be slowing, when the actually dollar income is still growing at a high rate.

As someone pointed out, for us to compete with the new competition, new images, we'd have to be submitting tens of thousands of new images a month, not hundreds. That's how the market has changed in ten years.

I know I make fun of this, but it's honest. Sliced Vegetable Stock Photos, Illustrations, and Vector Art (813,790)  Why would anyone shoot or draw another sliced vegetable and then expect it to make sales?
What makes the newest image better than the other 800,000 already on the site. Even if half are useless and won't ever sell, that's still 400,000 of the same general subject?

Speaking of 400,000 images... Sliced Tomato Stock Photos, Illustrations, and Vector Art (404,583) are buyers so needy that we must make more sliced tomatoes for them?

Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Pauws99 on October 10, 2017, 15:57
At some point exponential growth will come to a halt often spectacularly as investors have often found. I think we are seeing the first signs of this.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 150 Million!
Post by: Quasarphoto on October 10, 2017, 16:52
To add a little more to the stats for the incredible inflating stock collection, look at the images added per year (October to October)

2016 - 2017  53,136,429
2015 - 2016  38,587,590
2014 - 2015  22,068,430
2013 - 2014  13,795,139

I'm not sure that there's any real value in it (given some of the stuff they've added that I cannot believe will ever sell even once), but they went from 100m to 150m images/vectors in the last year. You have to wonder how long they can keep up a 50% growth rate with a collection this big...
Think the current growth rate is down to more like a measly 35-40%. I suspect the monthly number of images is close to topping out at a sluggish 1.5m a week ;-).

Yes to both. There's a percentage math problem entering in. Lets say the peak has been reached and 1.5 a week is the limit to submitting, review and placement. (it's not, but hypothetically) Then the rate of growth will slow, stated as a percentage. In fact as the collection grows, the rate of growth will essentially start to slow, even though it hasn't.

That's where percentage is a flawed measure. If some small agency suddenly added 1.5 million a week, their rate of growth, percentage, would be enormous. For SS adding 3 miilon would be less.

Same problem for SS earnings growth, eventually the annual gross is so high, that growth percentage appears to be slowing, when the actually dollar income is still growing at a high rate.

As someone pointed out, for us to compete with the new competition, new images, we'd have to be submitting tens of thousands of new images a month, not hundreds. That's how the market has changed in ten years.

I know I make fun of this, but it's honest. Sliced Vegetable Stock Photos, Illustrations, and Vector Art (813,790)  Why would anyone shoot or draw another sliced vegetable and then expect it to make sales?
What makes the newest image better than the other 800,000 already on the site. Even if half are useless and won't ever sell, that's still 400,000 of the same general subject?

Speaking of 400,000 images... Sliced Tomato Stock Photos, Illustrations, and Vector Art (404,583) are buyers so needy that we must make more sliced tomatoes for them?

Shutterstock is not as comprehensive as I thought. As you say sliced veggies are overflowing and fake happy successful business people as well. I shoot travel and I am surprised how little is out there actually beside some extremely popular places flooded with tourists. People buy the cameras, lights then have no clue what to shoot. Hiring good looking models is hard and expensive in the 'western' world. So what's left, sliced fruits and veggies, nuts and bolts, sunsets. Cats and dogs.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 150 Million!
Post by: Pauws99 on October 11, 2017, 00:28
To add a little more to the stats for the incredible inflating stock collection, look at the images added per year (October to October)

2016 - 2017  53,136,429
2015 - 2016  38,587,590
2014 - 2015  22,068,430
2013 - 2014  13,795,139

I'm not sure that there's any real value in it (given some of the stuff they've added that I cannot believe will ever sell even once), but they went from 100m to 150m images/vectors in the last year. You have to wonder how long they can keep up a 50% growth rate with a collection this big...
Think the current growth rate is down to more like a measly 35-40%. I suspect the monthly number of images is close to topping out at a sluggish 1.5m a week ;-).

Yes to both. There's a percentage math problem entering in. Lets say the peak has been reached and 1.5 a week is the limit to submitting, review and placement. (it's not, but hypothetically) Then the rate of growth will slow, stated as a percentage. In fact as the collection grows, the rate of growth will essentially start to slow, even though it hasn't.

That's where percentage is a flawed measure. If some small agency suddenly added 1.5 million a week, their rate of growth, percentage, would be enormous. For SS adding 3 miilon would be less.

Same problem for SS earnings growth, eventually the annual gross is so high, that growth percentage appears to be slowing, when the actually dollar income is still growing at a high rate.

As someone pointed out, for us to compete with the new competition, new images, we'd have to be submitting tens of thousands of new images a month, not hundreds. That's how the market has changed in ten years.

I know I make fun of this, but it's honest. Sliced Vegetable Stock Photos, Illustrations, and Vector Art (813,790)  Why would anyone shoot or draw another sliced vegetable and then expect it to make sales?
What makes the newest image better than the other 800,000 already on the site. Even if half are useless and won't ever sell, that's still 400,000 of the same general subject?

Speaking of 400,000 images... Sliced Tomato Stock Photos, Illustrations, and Vector Art (404,583) are buyers so needy that we must make more sliced tomatoes for them?

Shutterstock is not as comprehensive as I thought. As you say sliced veggies are overflowing and fake happy successful business people as well. I shoot travel and I am surprised how little is out there actually beside some extremely popular places flooded with tourists. People buy the cameras, lights then have no clue what to shoot. Hiring good looking models is hard and expensive in the 'western' world. So what's left, sliced fruits and veggies, nuts and bolts, sunsets. Cats and dogs.
Even very popular places walk round the corner from the usual spots walk round the corner and you will often  find a rarely taken perspective.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 150 Million!
Post by: Quasarphoto on October 11, 2017, 08:24
To add a little more to the stats for the incredible inflating stock collection, look at the images added per year (October to October)

2016 - 2017  53,136,429
2015 - 2016  38,587,590
2014 - 2015  22,068,430
2013 - 2014  13,795,139

I'm not sure that there's any real value in it (given some of the stuff they've added that I cannot believe will ever sell even once), but they went from 100m to 150m images/vectors in the last year. You have to wonder how long they can keep up a 50% growth rate with a collection this big...
Think the current growth rate is down to more like a measly 35-40%. I suspect the monthly number of images is close to topping out at a sluggish 1.5m a week ;-).

Yes to both. There's a percentage math problem entering in. Lets say the peak has been reached and 1.5 a week is the limit to submitting, review and placement. (it's not, but hypothetically) Then the rate of growth will slow, stated as a percentage. In fact as the collection grows, the rate of growth will essentially start to slow, even though it hasn't.

That's where percentage is a flawed measure. If some small agency suddenly added 1.5 million a week, their rate of growth, percentage, would be enormous. For SS adding 3 miilon would be less.

Same problem for SS earnings growth, eventually the annual gross is so high, that growth percentage appears to be slowing, when the actually dollar income is still growing at a high rate.

As someone pointed out, for us to compete with the new competition, new images, we'd have to be submitting tens of thousands of new images a month, not hundreds. That's how the market has changed in ten years.

I know I make fun of this, but it's honest. Sliced Vegetable Stock Photos, Illustrations, and Vector Art (813,790)  Why would anyone shoot or draw another sliced vegetable and then expect it to make sales?
What makes the newest image better than the other 800,000 already on the site. Even if half are useless and won't ever sell, that's still 400,000 of the same general subject?

Speaking of 400,000 images... Sliced Tomato Stock Photos, Illustrations, and Vector Art (404,583) are buyers so needy that we must make more sliced tomatoes for them?

Shutterstock is not as comprehensive as I thought. As you say sliced veggies are overflowing and fake happy successful business people as well. I shoot travel and I am surprised how little is out there actually beside some extremely popular places flooded with tourists. People buy the cameras, lights then have no clue what to shoot. Hiring good looking models is hard and expensive in the 'western' world. So what's left, sliced fruits and veggies, nuts and bolts, sunsets. Cats and dogs.
Even very popular places walk round the corner from the usual spots walk round the corner and you will often  find a rarely taken perspective.
Absolutely, no doubt there, I do it often. Even a new camera and editing adds a new look to old places. I was rather referring to available content, adding photos of new places less photographed, which is quite true for example in the case of South America.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: trek on October 11, 2017, 08:49
At some point exponential growth will come to a halt often spectacularly as investors have often found. I think we are seeing the first signs of this.

I believe 50% annual exponential growth will continue for the next five years.  In 2022 top agencies will have a billion plus images.  Best to adjust business plans and expectations accordingly. 
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: BikeTourist on October 11, 2017, 14:39
Today = 157,249,430. That's quite a few.

If you were just starting out, would you?
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Uncle Pete on October 11, 2017, 16:51
Today = 157,249,430. That's quite a few.

If you were just starting out, would you?

Yes I would, but I'd have different expectations based on current events and the whole Microstock market. Many of us started out thinking that we could build a portfolio and reach a level of sustainable income. Instead of growth, we started to see an earnings wall and then the agencies started to cut things, like referrals. iStock changed commissions, lower of course. Fotolia dropped some achievement levels, percentages and returns. SS has held steady for almost everything, adding some ways to sell, but revised the EL values. Adobe has actually increased stability and set some standards in spite of FTs unpredictable changes. BS went from 50c DLs when independent to 25c when sold.

The little places struggle, but somehow stay in business. Doesn't that say something about how much they make off our work and how little is shared? Example 129 people ranked DT at an average of 5.9, which could mean $25 a month. That x 129 = $3,225 or at 80%, their take, $12,900 from those same people. Is that enough for the office, website, servers, staff?

Adobe, who's selling a service made us an average (roughly) of $200 for 106 people, $21,200 or their take = $84,800! Thanks going to pay some bills.

I wouldn't have predicted that we would be getting 15-20% at almost all the functional agencies and less from some that barely sell anything at all. EVen if a small one promises 50%, what's 50% of nothing? :)

At some point exponential growth will come to a halt often spectacularly as investors have often found. I think we are seeing the first signs of this.

I believe 50% annual exponential growth will continue for the next five years.  In 2022 top agencies will have a billion plus images.  Best to adjust business plans and expectations accordingly.

I'd agree with pauws that there's an end, especially to 50% growth. It's like a Ponzi scheme. Eventually it starts to collapse and the pyramid only has a few at the peak, supported by the many people on the bottom.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: cthoman on October 11, 2017, 22:39
Welcome back. :D
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: rinderart on October 11, 2017, 23:32
+1 Pete. BS was a great Little site with great people who owned it. Tim and dawn. They cared about us. and I think the last site that did. I worked for them when I started and got to learn how to properly review images.And your post is spot on.I really wish I had the Chutzpah to post what I really think But I would be thrown off every site if I did. it's getting sadder every day.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Pauws99 on October 12, 2017, 00:45
At some point exponential growth will come to a halt often spectacularly as investors have often found. I think we are seeing the first signs of this.

I believe 50% annual exponential growth will continue for the next five years.  In 2022 top agencies will have a billion plus images.  Best to adjust business plans and expectations accordingly.
Its a matter of opinion of course but currently 157m images 1,145,643 new images added this week. To achieve 50% growth they would need more like 1.5m images this week (and more next and so on) Thats quite a gap.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: trek on October 12, 2017, 07:35
At some point exponential growth will come to a halt often spectacularly as investors have often found. I think we are seeing the first signs of this.

I believe 50% annual exponential growth will continue for the next five years.  In 2022 top agencies will have a billion plus images.  Best to adjust business plans and expectations accordingly.
Its a matter of opinion of course but currently 157m images 1,145,643 new images added this week. To achieve 50% growth they would need more like 1.5m images this week (and more next and so on) Thats quite a gap.

My math was: 157 million images x1.5 x1.5 x1.5 x1.5 x1.5 = 1192 million images in 2022.  I hope the billion plus images agency totals do not happen but I think it will. 
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Pauws99 on October 12, 2017, 09:05
At some point exponential growth will come to a halt often spectacularly as investors have often found. I think we are seeing the first signs of this.

I believe 50% annual exponential growth will continue for the next five years.  In 2022 top agencies will have a billion plus images.  Best to adjust business plans and expectations accordingly.
Its a matter of opinion of course but currently 157m images 1,145,643 new images added this week. To achieve 50% growth they would need more like 1.5m images this week (and more next and so on) Thats quite a gap.

My math was: 157 million images x1.5 x1.5 x1.5 x1.5 x1.5 = 1192 million images in 2022.  I hope the billion plus images agency totals do not happen but I think it will.
Correct maths but I don't think  x1.5 will be achieved more like 1.3x1.3x1.2x1.2x1.1 would be my guess.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: YadaYadaYada on October 12, 2017, 09:31
At some point exponential growth will come to a halt often spectacularly as investors have often found. I think we are seeing the first signs of this.

I believe 50% annual exponential growth will continue for the next five years.  In 2022 top agencies will have a billion plus images.  Best to adjust business plans and expectations accordingly.
Its a matter of opinion of course but currently 157m images 1,145,643 new images added this week. To achieve 50% growth they would need more like 1.5m images this week (and more next and so on) Thats quite a gap.

My math was: 157 million images x1.5 x1.5 x1.5 x1.5 x1.5 = 1192 million images in 2022.  I hope the billion plus images agency totals do not happen but I think it will.
Correct maths but I don't think  x1.5 will be achieved more like 1.3x1.3x1.2x1.2x1.1 would be my guess.

None of the above.  :) Just like we found out that there isn't a one to one relationship for our uploads, meaning we could double or triple our collections in a year, and income stayed pretty much stable, or slight growth. The prediction of endless submissions to SS is flawed. Artists are going to become dissatisfied, stop producing, some will leave. New people who think this is a good way to make extra money are finding it's too much work especially considering the raised levels of competition now.

Just like we hit the wall, so will new submissions. It could be at 1.5 million new images a week. We can keep watching, but it's not exponential, the growth is a curve and will eventually go flat. Much like most of us have found for earnings. Watch all the people complaining about last year, past year and this year. I don't happen to be one who's dropping, just leveling at this point. If I upload 200 new files this week, I don't know that it will make a small increase or any difference at all?

The more people see that their are treading water and financially sinking, the less new material that will be produced and submitted. I'm only talking about SS and library growth, since that was the subject. I really think the limits for new files are being pushed right now. Wait 6 months and lets see.

End of March will there be 2 million files a week added or 1.5 million or the 1.2 million we see now? That will tell.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Pauws99 on October 12, 2017, 10:06
At some point exponential growth will come to a halt often spectacularly as investors have often found. I think we are seeing the first signs of this.

I believe 50% annual exponential growth will continue for the next five years.  In 2022 top agencies will have a billion plus images.  Best to adjust business plans and expectations accordingly.
Its a matter of opinion of course but currently 157m images 1,145,643 new images added this week. To achieve 50% growth they would need more like 1.5m images this week (and more next and so on) Thats quite a gap.

My math was: 157 million images x1.5 x1.5 x1.5 x1.5 x1.5 = 1192 million images in 2022.  I hope the billion plus images agency totals do not happen but I think it will.
Correct maths but I don't think  x1.5 will be achieved more like 1.3x1.3x1.2x1.2x1.1 would be my guess.

None of the above.  :) Just like we found out that there isn't a one to one relationship for our uploads, meaning we could double or triple our collections in a year, and income stayed pretty much stable, or slight growth. The prediction of endless submissions to SS is flawed. Artists are going to become dissatisfied, stop producing, some will leave. New people who think this is a good way to make extra money are finding it's too much work especially considering the raised levels of competition now.

Just like we hit the wall, so will new submissions. It could be at 1.5 million new images a week. We can keep watching, but it's not exponential, the growth is a curve and will eventually go flat. Much like most of us have found for earnings. Watch all the people complaining about last year, past year and this year. I don't happen to be one who's dropping, just leveling at this point. If I upload 200 new files this week, I don't know that it will make a small increase or any difference at all?

The more people see that their are treading water and financially sinking, the less new material that will be produced and submitted. I'm only talking about SS and library growth, since that was the subject. I really think the limits for new files are being pushed right now. Wait 6 months and lets see.

End of March will there be 2 million files a week added or 1.5 million or the 1.2 million we see now? That will tell.
Thats basically what I'm saying %age growth will tail off from here I think so in 5-6 years time I expect it will become linear but I doubt it will stop. In the past though it WAS exponential I don't expect that it will continue...same with sales.
Title: Re: Shutterstock SS Milestones
Post by: Uncle Pete on October 30, 2017, 12:29
Shutterstock Milestones:
September 21, 2006 - Shutterstock surpasses one million stock photos
Feb. 20th, 2009 -Shutterstock reaches 6 million photos, (5 million 2.5 years)
February 14, 2010 - Shutterstock reaches 10 million Photos (4 million 12 months)
June 19, 2012 - Shutterstock reaches 20m stock Images (10 Million 28 months)
October 30, 2013 - Shutterstock reaches 30 million images (10 million 15 months)
Aug. 4, 2014 - Shutterstock celebrates 40 million images in it's collection. (10 million 10 months)
December 31, 2014 - 46.8 million images in the collection. (1 million new files per month)
March 3, 2015 - 50 Million Image mark is reached (10 million in 7 months for those watching)

At the same rate, September 2015 60 Million Images will be available

SS Members by registration year rounded.
2005 - 4300
2006 - 3900 = 8200
2007 - 3800 = 12,000
2008 - 5500 = 17,500
2009 - 7200 = 24,700
2010 - 5000 = 30,700

(I collected this from press releases, wayback on the web and other sources. There is no claim that it's 100% accurate. But it roughly an indication of the milestones and growth of Shutterstock) Also I will be one of the first to argue that registered members is to be taken with a grain of salt. Some never pass the test, and some contribute nothing. Others have stopped uploading and moved on to other interests, but left their ports working.

The number of active, working photographers is unknown. Adding an average of 4000 a year, it could be 50,000 people who opened an account.

60 million by September 2015? that's 10 million new images in seven months. It took six years to do that in the opening days. Small wonder that sales and percentages are down. Competition multiplies at enormous numbers, even with strict reviews and rejections.


It's not a flood of new images, it's a tsunami!


Adding to the list, maybe when it snows I'll make another timeline?

Oct. 28th, 2017 surpassed 160 million images. (trick or treat?) (https://s5.postimg.org/9f257qc13/witch.gif)

160,279,451 royalty-free stock images / 1,294,753 new stock images added this week
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Pauws99 on October 31, 2017, 06:46
Running at a not too shabby 42% but at least its slowing a little it seems
Title: Re: millions and millions of stock images on Shutterstock 160 Million!
Post by: Uncle Pete on October 31, 2017, 15:21
Found them on a backup drive. Unofficial numbers but best I could find by my own research, wayback and announcements.

Shutterstock Milestones:
September 21, 2006 - Shutterstock surpasses one million stock photos
February 20, 2009 -Shutterstock reaches 6 million photos, (5 million 2.5 years)
February 14, 2010 - Shutterstock reaches 10 million Photos (4 million 12 months)
June 19, 2012 - Shutterstock reaches 20 million stock Images (10 Million 28 months)
October 30, 2013 - Shutterstock reaches 30 million images (10 million 15 months)
August 4, 2014 - Shutterstock celebrates 40 million images in it's collection. (10 million 10 months)
December 31, 2014 - 46.8 million images in the collection. (1 million new files per month)
March 3, 2015 - 50 Million Image mark is reached (10 million in 7 months for those watching)
August 12, 2015 - 60 Million Images (10 million in 160 days. 62,500 new files a day)
December 15, 2015 - 70 Million Images (four months)
March 26, 2016 - 80 Million
June 16, 2016 - 90 Million (10 million under three months)
Sept 8, 2016 - 100 Million
February 2017 - 110 Million
October 28, 2017 – 160 Million (50 million in under 8 months)

It took about 12 years to reach the first 50 million, 1 1/2 years for the next 50 million and one year for the next 50 million.
Title: Milestones December 2017 170 million images
Post by: Uncle Pete on December 28, 2017, 10:39
Part one, I don't know if I'll keep this data, so I wanted to post it maybe a last time.

SS Members by registration year rounded
2004 - 2000
2005 - 4300
2006 - 3900 = 9000
2007 - 3800 = 13,000
2008 - 5500 = 19,000
2009 - 7200 = 27,000
2010 - 6000 = 33,000
2011 - 6000 = 39,000
2012 - 10000 = 49,000
2013 - 11000 = 60,000
2014 - 14000 = 74,000
2015 - 26000 = 100,000
2016 - 64000 = 165,000

-=-=-

Year   Cont YR   < 0 Img      Cont % < 0   Cont T      < 0      Cont % < 0

2004    1,950       1,030       52.82%    1,950       1,030       52.82%
2005    15,426       4,725       30.63%    17,376       5,755       33.12%
2006    26,349       3,676       13.95%    43,725       9,431       21.57%
2007    36,631       3,939       10.75%    80,356       13,370       16.64%
2008    48,267       5,767       11.95%    128,623    19,137       14.88%
2009    70,125       7,866       11.22%    198,748    27,003       13.59%
2010    58,454       6,324       10.82%    257,202    33,327       12.96%
2011    66,479       6,026       9.06%       323,681    39,353       12.16%
2012    154,082    9,661       6.27%       477,763    49,014       10.26%
2013    205,951    10,990       5.34%       683,714    60,004       8.78%
2014    228,906    14,050       6.14%       912,620    74,053       8.11%
2015    343,461    26,455       7.7%       1,256,081    100,508    8.00%
2016    422,950    64,440       15.24%    1,679,031    164,949    9.82%

I'm not sure the number of contributors makes a difference any longer. The number is so large, people come and go. I'll try to stick with images from now on.
Title: Milestones End of year Shutterstock 2017
Post by: Uncle Pete on December 28, 2017, 11:14
Shutterstock Milestones:

September 21, 2006 - Shutterstock surpasses one million stock photos
February 20, 2009 -Shutterstock reaches 6 million photos, (5 million 2.5 years)
February 14, 2010 - Shutterstock reaches 10 million Photos (4 million 12 months)
June 19, 2012 - Shutterstock reaches 20 million stock Images (10 Million 28 months)
October 30, 2013 - Shutterstock reaches 30 million images (10 million 15 months)
August 4, 2014 - Shutterstock celebrates 40 million images in it's collection. (10 million 10 months)
December 31, 2014 - 46.8 million images in the collection. (1 million new files per month)
March 3, 2015 - 50 Million Image mark is reached (10 million in 7 months for those watching)
August 12, 2015 - 60 Million Images (10 million in 160 days. 62,500 new files a day)
December 15, 2015 - 70 Million Images (four months)
March 26, 2016 - 80 Million
June 16, 2016 - 90 Million (10 million under three months)
Sept 8, 2016 - 100 Million
February 2017 - 110 Million
October 28, 2017 – 160 Million
December 29, 2017 - 170 Million (10 million new two months)

December end of year 2017 - 17743 members with over 1000 images, two with 1 million, 120 others have over 100,000 in their account.
427 new members with over 1,000 files. Is the attraction and influx of new contributors finally slowing down? One new vector account 144,300 added in 2017. I count 14-15, mostly vector accounts, with over 100K images, who joined in 2016, the same as 2015.

Note: It took 7 years for SS to reach 10 million files, most (9 million) added in the 3 1/2 years, between 2006 and 2010. Back before 2010, one of us could upload a new file and probably get a download within days. People with subscriptions were getting their share and stockpiling useful images. Jon started in 2003 with 30,000 photos.

Will the flood of new images and now videos, ever slow down? First it was just photos, that got over saturated, then the vector artists were making the best return, that's been flooded, now we are into video... you can still upload and sell HD, but 4K is the "thing".

What's next?
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Justanotherphotographer on December 28, 2017, 11:39
By my figures I think increase in images was slowing by percentage from the site opening until 2011 (the lowest increase/ year being something like 26-27%)
It has been increasing since then (up until 2016 anyway, the last time I ran the figures). 2016 saw a 75% increase in library size.

Most importantly % increase in payouts has been increasing at a slower rate than number of images since 2012ish, meaning RPI on average is way down. The difference in rates has also been getting worse.

I mapped my personal RPI against their payout per image and the graphs mirrored each other exactly (I make more per image than their average but the shape was the same when the figures are mapped on separate y axis). It was eerie actually how close the fit was.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: derek on December 28, 2017, 13:34
Almost 200 million files, hahaha!!  I cant believe it and people are STILL uploading?? Ok so most of it nowadays is crappy images but still. Cant believe it? to upload any further there must be the biggest waste of time in the game!
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Uncle Pete on April 17, 2018, 08:20
Just for the record, April 17th 2017 - 190,062,118 royalty-free stock images / 1,441,895 new this week, clicking over to 180 million didn't even make me look. That's how many are added and burying individuals like us.

Shutterstock Milestones:

September 21, 2006 - Shutterstock surpasses one million stock photos
February 20, 2009 -Shutterstock reaches 6 million photos, (5 million 2.5 years)
February 14, 2010 - Shutterstock reaches 10 million Photos (4 million 12 months)
June 19, 2012 - Shutterstock reaches 20 million stock Images (10 Million 28 months)
October 30, 2013 - Shutterstock reaches 30 million images (10 million 15 months)
August 4, 2014 - Shutterstock celebrates 40 million images in it's collection. (10 million 10 months)
December 31, 2014 - 46.8 million images in the collection. (1 million new files per month)
March 3, 2015 - 50 Million Image mark is reached (10 million in 7 months for those watching)
August 12, 2015 - 60 Million Images (10 million in 160 days. 62,500 new files a day)
December 15, 2015 - 70 Million Images (four months)
March 26, 2016 - 80 Million
June 16, 2016 - 90 Million (10 million under three months)
Sept 8, 2016 - 100 Million
February 2017 - 110 Million
October 28, 2017 – 160 Million
December 29, 2017 - 170 Million (10 million new two months)
April 16, 2018 - 190 Million (20 million new in 3.5 months)

Look back at 2012, that was the total on the site = 20 million, now we have competition adding that many in under four months! Doesn't matter that standards are down, or popular isn't anything that resembles what we'd think meant popular. The numbers are enough to kill any solid returns like we used to have.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: increasingdifficulty on April 17, 2018, 08:31
...and yet you all keep posting that Shutterstock is where it's at, bringing in 100 million more images. Oh, how ironic.  ;D
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Uncle Pete on April 17, 2018, 08:49
...and yet you all keep posting that Shutterstock is where it's at, bringing in 100 million more images. Oh, how ironic.  ;D

SS is where it's at for my Microstock income, making the best money for me, (others may have different results) just that some wonder why their sales have dropped. Also it's just a matter of record not a personal anything. "Hey look, 200,000 new photos a day" and people wonder why the servers are slow, especially for video uploads. And wonder why it takes 72 hours for something to get populated across all the servers in the world. The numbers are the answer to many of the questions and also the frivolous claims.

Maybe I'm pointing out the obvious? But like I've said before, it's just a record. Anyone can make anything they want for all these numbers. My take is, the new files are burying all of us. I'm not going into why my sales have been flat, or maybe I could call that steady as a more positive way to say the same? I know people personally that have much better photos, video, illustrations and materials than I do, more than I do, and they have dropped in half.

Yes of course I like ShutterStock, I earn the most from them in spite of the adverse growth and increased competition. Everyone else needs to decide for themselves. I think many have different and better answers than what I do. Fine with me... Do your own thing.

Nothing at all is ironic about noting milestones or warning new people that they need to find something else to do. Microstock is not easy money like some others seem to claim. It's hard work for the small number that succeed, and it's difficult, no make that harder than ever, at this point to make any sustainable returns for ones work. Nothing is ironic about the fact that SS is my best earning site. How about you?

Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: increasingdifficulty on April 17, 2018, 08:52
Adobe and DT completely gone, dead as doornails.... Its basically all about SS.
Weather good or bad todays micro is all about SS.

to upload any further there must be the biggest waste of time in the game!

Makes you think.  ;) :o ::)
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Uncle Pete on April 17, 2018, 09:30
Adobe and DT completely gone, dead as doornails.... Its basically all about SS.
Weather good or bad todays micro is all about SS.

to upload any further there must be the biggest waste of time in the game!

Makes you think.  ;) :o ::)

Makes me think what? Derek waffles and waves as much as a leaf in a thunderstorm. One day he hates SS, they ruined stock, the next it's "all about SS".  ;D

I think it's up to anyone involved in this business to make their own decisions. A fairly good number have left, or at best stopped adding new but left files in place earning.  Others have found better outlets for their work, that bring in better returns and income. Some work Alamy and detest Microstock, while others are IS exclusives. It's all individual and any answer here becomes lost and irrelevant, because there are no easy, universal answers. That would make it all so easy, wouldn't it?  8) The future of Microstock is bleak at best for the individual artist. Nearly insurmountable odds against success for anyone new.

Send me a link, I'd like to see what you do? My "stuff" is public and without any difficulty you can find me on Google Images, Shutterstock, Getty, Adobe, Alamy, or all kinds of easy to find resources. Honestly asking, what do you shoot and where do you concentrate your efforts? What's your plan or advise for the future? Mine is unchanged after the last five years.

Adapt, adjust, measure the needs of the people who pay for photos, and produce things they can use. Find subjects and styles that are needed and not available in sufficient quality and quantity. This will work for Microstock for someone who wants to fight the river of new competition and swim upstream. There is no easy in Microstock.

If you want the don't side, don't give away anything, don't work for exposure, don't waste time on social media being discovered, don't shoot what's already been done, avoid "most popular" and over produced everywhere ideas or subjects.

Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: BalkanskiMacak on April 17, 2018, 09:42
...and yet you all keep posting that Shutterstock is where it's at, bringing in 100 million more images. Oh, how ironic.  ;D

Well, despite all of this, there are plenty of cases where we are 5 or 6 having a picture on the same subject. It's usually pretty specific topics, but it still works in terms of income.

SS, and microstock in general, are no different from other internet businesses. It is a huge world, so you have the choice between two strategies: either producing huge to flood the market, but with the impossibility to work correctly (like for instance on keywording), or to be on niche markets where there is little offer and a reasonnable demand, but where you gonna have to get the most appropriate offer possible (not necessarily about quality, but in terms of accurateness).

That's actually a big part of the long tail strategy. Once you find the niche you can fill, a big part of the strategy is done. The most difficult remains, being able to develop your business and to innovate once you saturate this little market, but that's another story...

In the meantime, regarding precisely SS, they are far from being my friends, but I just check three indicators: the overall income, the RPI, and, less important, the RPD. In any case, all of the three are the highest of all the platforms (even though sometimes competing with IS). So, in the end, I don't care if there are 200 million or 200 pictures on SS, it still works and gives me time and finance to think to other strategies.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Pauws99 on April 17, 2018, 09:47
...and yet you all keep posting that Shutterstock is where it's at, bringing in 100 million more images. Oh, how ironic.  ;D

Well, despite all of this, there are plenty of cases where we are 5 or 6 having a picture on the same subject. It's usually pretty specific topics, but it still works in terms of income.

SS, and microstock in general, are no different from other internet businesses. It is a huge world, so you have the choice between two strategies: either producing huge to flood the market, but with the impossibility to work correctly (like for instance on keywording), or to be on niche markets where there is little offer and a reasonnable demand, but where you gonna have to get the most appropriate offer possible (not necessarily about quality, but in terms of accurateness).

That's actually a big part of the long tail strategy. Once you find the niche you can fill, a big part of the strategy is done. The most difficult remains, being able to develop your business and to innovate once you saturate this little market, but that's another story...

In the meantime, regarding precisely SS, they are far from being my friends, but I just check three indicators: the overall income, the RPI, and, less important, the RPD. In any case, all of the three are the highest of all the platforms (even though sometimes competing with IS). So, in the end, I don't care if there are 200 million or 200 pictures on SS, it still works and gives me time and finance to think to other strategies.
Good answer....;-).
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: rinderart on April 18, 2018, 13:15
Very Good smart answer.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Uncle Pete on April 19, 2018, 14:45
...and yet you all keep posting that Shutterstock is where it's at, bringing in 100 million more images. Oh, how ironic.  ;D

Well, despite all of this, there are plenty of cases where we are 5 or 6 having a picture on the same subject. It's usually pretty specific topics, but it still works in terms of income.

SS, and microstock in general, are no different from other internet businesses. It is a huge world, so you have the choice between two strategies: either producing huge to flood the market, but with the impossibility to work correctly (like for instance on keywording), or to be on niche markets where there is little offer and a reasonnable demand, but where you gonna have to get the most appropriate offer possible (not necessarily about quality, but in terms of accurateness).

That's actually a big part of the long tail strategy. Once you find the niche you can fill, a big part of the strategy is done. The most difficult remains, being able to develop your business and to innovate once you saturate this little market, but that's another story...

In the meantime, regarding precisely SS, they are far from being my friends, but I just check three indicators: the overall income, the RPI, and, less important, the RPD. In any case, all of the three are the highest of all the platforms (even though sometimes competing with IS). So, in the end, I don't care if there are 200 million or 200 pictures on SS, it still works and gives me time and finance to think to other strategies.

Long Tail Strategy, didn't work for these guys?
(https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.dqGoFp8AYuQ-gdMdDCyDpgHaCa&pid=Api)

But yes that's what I've been trying to point out, adapt, adjust, go for something other than the mass of similar to what's already been done. Find a specialty and hammer it! Find subjects that aren't well covered. Any one of us will get more downloads with one of 100 photos than one of 40,000 of any subject. Having one best photo in the 100 will make more than the lost best 10 in the 40,000 slices of common over produced images.

There are 62 pages of jelly donut images. Even if someone had the best darn jelly doughnut ever photographed, 42 pages, and uploaded it today, if your photo isn't on the first few pages, or doesn't get placement and downloads from the new image boost, it's going to move back into the pack and say good-bye to the work and time spent on taking the photo.

If you shot an Alexandertorte you would be one of one. Extreme, sure, but what about Apple Strudel? 10,379 Apple Strudel = really don't bother! How about Danish Kringles, there are only 13 on all of ShutterStock. Just on a whim I picked pastry, because of the cheesecake idea, and in probably 5 minutes found two that someone could procure and photograph and make more money, than being buried on page 30 of any group.

It doesn't take hours or genius to find areas that have a need to be filled. Personally I think it's much smarter than repeating the same shots that are already made and over shot and expecting that somehow, the new versions, of an old subject, will magically get better downloads.

ps don't bother with triple cheeseburger, it's an interesting idea, I've had some shots for years, no market. I think one download and when I found the use it was some article about Big Mac's. Someone brilliant uploaded about 300 of the same illustration with a flag from every country in the world. Oh wow, spam, triple cheeseburger illustrations, the torture has no bounds.  ;D

I'm happy that Most Popular on SS isn't best selling. The lazy people who just copy ideas and make more of anything that ever had hope, will just make more copies and kill the entire subject, concept or specific item.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Mcrstckfllw on April 20, 2018, 03:49
Hey, uncle Pete, With all due respect, how sure are you to say that "Most Popular on SS isn't best selling"?

Noted there are quite a number of contributors who copied not just the ideas but to simply imitate the popular images like a total copycat and spam them on SS. My images had been copied every now and then but they don't get to be popular.

I like to point out that the reason why images get to be the cream of the crop is not happened by pure luck. Truth is, the more popular your image is, the more it sells. When an image is listed on the 1st page, it will sell better than the one which is listed on the 10 page. why? It's a simple logic. Plus I have my images listed from the first page to the tenth page so i can compare the number each image brings.

"Get a slimmer body without doing exercise nor no diet in just 3 days by taking xxx supplement" Will anyone buy into the idea? You'd be surprised or shouldn't be too surprise that there are people who will and still buy into that. If they believe that's the solution to their problem, they will also believe that success in microstock is to be the copycat as they are and to spam SS with their mediocre counterfeit images. Just be lazy and reaping rewards? Thanks...but no thanks!
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Uncle Pete on April 20, 2018, 11:37
Hey, uncle Pete, With all due respect, how sure are you to say that "Most Popular on SS isn't best selling"?

Noted there are quite a number of contributors who copied not just the ideas but to simply imitate the popular images like a total copycat and spam them on SS. My images had been copied every now and then but they don't get to be popular.

I like to point out that the reason why images get to be the cream of the crop is not happened by pure luck. Truth is, the more popular your image is, the more it sells. When an image is listed on the 1st page, it will sell better than the one which is listed on the 10 page. why? It's a simple logic. Plus I have my images listed from the first page to the tenth page so i can compare the number each image brings.

"Get a slimmer body without doing exercise nor no diet in just 3 days by taking xxx supplement" Will anyone buy into the idea? You'd be surprised or shouldn't be too surprise that there are people who will and still buy into that. If they believe that's the solution to their problem, they will also believe that success in microstock is to be the copycat as they are and to spam SS with their mediocre counterfeit images. Just be lazy and reaping rewards? Thanks...but no thanks!

My personal view of Most Popular or whatever it's called this week  :) is the first in the search are "selected suggestions". Things have been that way for quite some time. Old most popular, hypothetically in 2011, was most downloads over time the image was on the system. Reality is more complicated, but that's a nice basic viewpoint of the way it was. So if someone uploaded a picture of a kitten in 2004 and it's sold, over and over, for years, it would have been on the first pages, based on # of downloads.

Second, old days and still now, a new image got featured presentation, because if they didn't, it's no use uploading something new, with no views, no sales and it would just, at best, start in the middle, languish without any change, and slowly slide backwards into oblivion. There was always a "honeymoon" for new and there still is. If you know a particular subject, of your own, that has good sales, and you check from week to week, you'll find your page one images will sometimes be down the page or second page?  >:( Because new images have been uploaded and they are featured. Look a week later or maybe two and if those new images (by keywords) haven't been selling, they will be sliding down the pages. Your best materials will be back on top again.

Not that viewing my own collection is a critical observation, but when I look at my "Most Popular" (not logged in and sometimes on the road, so IP address doesn't say - Hey Pete's looking at his own stuff) I see new images on the first page, I see unsold images on the first page, I see some of my best sellers on the first two pages. If it was what any kid in grade school would say is Most Popular, it would be best selling at the very least?

So that's why my opinion is, that Most Popular since about 2011 has been, Suggested Images that SS wants buyers to see or buy, mixed with best selling, most viewed, newest, and who knows what else?

As far as copying, yeah, what's the difference, anyone can go to any site that isn't manipulating the results and see best selling images, right on top. IS used to show how many sales! Most of us know by now what kind of materials sell best. My only suggestion is, expanding from best selling subjects to best selling ideas and concepts. Or best selling lighting and composition. But if shooting sliced vegetable, or the same two burgers from 50 angles, is the answer to making money for someone who just copies what's most produced, they are going to fail and then blame the system or some conspiracy.

This isn't art, but there is a need for being different and creative, otherwise, why would any buyer think my photos standout? I mean anyone can bake a cheesecake or pick one up and style it, and have a slew of great cheesecake shots. Are they going to sell vs the existing 13,877 Cherry Cheesecake stock photos? Even if they are spectacular and the best darn photo on ShutterStock, first page, most sold? What's the demand and how many different versions can how many buyers need.

That's where our slice of the pie keeps getting smaller and smaller, because there are more and more of every best selling item and a limited number of buyers for those same items. Adding more of something common, is like throwing a pebble into the ocean.

Here's an all time favorite and I'd bet the number, if you check next month, will be ever growing. 308,390 Sliced Vegetables Isolated On White But heck, why fight the masses and the trends, I shouldn't care if the competition keeps shooting stillborn images or wastes their time, day after day, making photos that will rarely get any traction or sales. I should just shut up and say, "yeah that's the answer, keep repeating the same subjects that are dead and hope for better results".  ;D

Nope I don't see that Popular is actually popular, I think it's just Shutterstock Suggests...
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: pics2 on April 20, 2018, 14:49
Interesting read, thanks Uncle Pete. Unfortunately, it's a pure speculation, so not of any value.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Uncle Pete on April 20, 2018, 15:39
Interesting read, thanks Uncle Pete. Unfortunately, it's a pure speculation, so not of any value.

Yes it is speculation, no argument. However, the speculation is based on observations that my best sellers are not first and new files, plus some that have never sold are also on the first page of popular. That leads me to some self evident, simple conclusions.

I'd like the alternative views to what I wrote if you have something to add. That would be interesting. Or point out where my reasoning is wrong? Look at your own collection and most popular, what do you see that's not as I wrote?
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: pics2 on April 20, 2018, 16:08
Interesting read, thanks Uncle Pete. Unfortunately, it's a pure speculation, so not of any value.

Yes it is speculation, no argument. However, the speculation is based on observations that my best sellers are not first and new files, plus some that have never sold are also on the first page of popular. That leads me to some self evident, simple conclusions.

I'd like the alternative views to what I wrote if you have something to add. That would be interesting. Or point out where my reasoning is wrong? Look at your own collection and most popular, what do you see that's not as I wrote?
I have almost the same experiences and conclusions based on my portfolio (more than 10 years of microstock work). What I'm optimistic about is that they will be giving up on favoring the bestsellers that are too old, because it's just a nonsense that 10-15 years old pictures are kept on the front page, when there is a flood of new images everyday. Maybe when shareholders hear about that or something. It will change for better, I'm sure.
What I wanted to say earlier is that I would prefer to hear opinions of some insiders that work on these algorithms.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Uncle Pete on April 20, 2018, 16:47
Interesting read, thanks Uncle Pete. Unfortunately, it's a pure speculation, so not of any value.

Yes it is speculation, no argument. However, the speculation is based on observations that my best sellers are not first and new files, plus some that have never sold are also on the first page of popular. That leads me to some self evident, simple conclusions.

I'd like the alternative views to what I wrote if you have something to add. That would be interesting. Or point out where my reasoning is wrong? Look at your own collection and most popular, what do you see that's not as I wrote?
I have almost the same experiences and conclusions based on my portfolio (more than 10 years of microstock work). What I'm optimistic about is that they will be giving up on favoring the bestsellers that are too old, because it's just a nonsense that 10-15 years old pictures are kept on the front page, when there is a flood of new images everyday. Maybe when shareholders hear about that or something. It will change for better, I'm sure.
What I wanted to say earlier is that I would prefer to hear opinions of some insiders that work on these algorithms.

Ah yes, now I understand and I agree. I have never heard anything from anyone at any agency about the secret algorithms they use to make "popular". I'm sure there's some top secret NDA connected.

April 26th before the market opens, SSTK will release the first quarter reports.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: Pauws99 on April 21, 2018, 01:16
The only thing I can ever recall said directly by SS was that they constantly tweak their algorithms and test the sales of the new trial one against the old if the new one increases revenue they use it if not they revert to the old...thats what I would expect to happen. From my own experience and comments I see evidence of that....any change could well hit or benefit some individuals hard. In the long run good well key worded images will beat trying to "play" the algorithm even if you could I think.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: JET LI on April 21, 2018, 14:33

[/quote]

I'd agree with pauws that there's an end, especially to 50% growth. It's like a Ponzi scheme. Eventually it starts to collapse and the pyramid only has a few at the peak, supported by the many people on the bottom.
[/quote]


This makes perfect sense to me.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: angelawaye on April 22, 2018, 08:56
Only old material sells for me and positioned well. I really regret not working harder in the beginning to get more photos up. I did the "dribble" technique of uploading. Around 2016 things really decreased.

It has taught me a valuable lesson.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: BalkanskiMacak on April 22, 2018, 10:54
About the algorithm, the attitude of SS isn't completely stupid.

If we take the issue from their point of view, they need to give incentives to everybody. Buyers want good content, if possible various, in order not to look too ridiculous.

To satisfy this demand, SS will need suppliers: experimented ones whose pictures are solid values, that have been generating good revenues for a lot of time. But these photographers need incentives to publish new content, and new challengers need as well to get their chances, in order to motivate them to increase their supply.

Therefore, SS needs to constantly adjust two parameters, that we could call interestingness and freshness, that are very often contradictory. If you favour interestingness, new contents won't have their chance to generate revenue, as old pictures with proven records will take it all. If you favour freshness, you are not sure of the quality.

From what I have observed over the past months, SS has constantly played on this, and I'm not sure they will stop, as they constantly need to incentive both the old and new content.

I have to admit it's a pretty unpleasant feeling when I see my daily revenue decreasing by 60% in less than a week, but it's still a situation that is preferable to many other platforms. IS, in comparison, is overly focusing on interestingness. If you get lucky, one or two photos will get a few sales after their upload, and these few pictures, basically, will make most of the revenue. It's cool when it's working, but it's definitely less stable than SS.

Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: jonbull on April 22, 2018, 11:05
Only old material sells for me and positioned well. I really regret not working harder in the beginning to get more photos up. I did the "dribble" technique of uploading. Around 2016 things really decreased.

It has taught me a valuable lesson.


i agree. is not that i don't sell, actually this year i'm growing, but only old files sells. everything new, especially this year got buried under tw days.
and it will be worst thann this. thousand of people ready to join the wagon to arn 2 dollar a day.
isotck contrario seems to sell only new files, so my hope is esp, actually at one point going exclusive
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: jonbull on April 22, 2018, 11:06
About the algorithm, the attitude of SS isn't completely stupid.

If we take the issue from their point of view, they need to give incentives to everybody. Buyers want good content, if possible various, in order not to look too ridiculous.

To satisfy this demand, SS will need suppliers: experimented ones whose pictures are solid values, that have been generating good revenues for a lot of time. But these photographers need incentives to publish new content, and new challengers need as well to get their chances, in order to motivate them to increase their supply.

Therefore, SS needs to constantly adjust two parameters, that we could call interestingness and freshness, that are very often contradictory. If you favour interestingness, new contents won't have their chance to generate revenue, as old pictures with proven records will take it all. If you favour freshness, you are not sure of the quality.

From what I have observed over the past months, SS has constantly played on this, and I'm not sure they will stop, as they constantly need to incentive both the old and new content.

I have to admit it's a pretty unpleasant feeling when I see my daily revenue decreasing by 60% in less than a week, but it's still a situation that is preferable to many other platforms. IS, in comparison, is overly focusing on interestingness. If you get lucky, one or two photos will get a few sales after their upload, and these few pictures, basically, will make most of the revenue. It's cool when it's working, but it's definitely less stable than SS.

ss need to clean database of poor shots and bad keyword. is not possible keep on like this.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: BalkanskiMacak on April 24, 2018, 05:14
About the algorithm, the attitude of SS isn't completely stupid.

If we take the issue from their point of view, they need to give incentives to everybody. Buyers want good content, if possible various, in order not to look too ridiculous.

To satisfy this demand, SS will need suppliers: experimented ones whose pictures are solid values, that have been generating good revenues for a lot of time. But these photographers need incentives to publish new content, and new challengers need as well to get their chances, in order to motivate them to increase their supply.

Therefore, SS needs to constantly adjust two parameters, that we could call interestingness and freshness, that are very often contradictory. If you favour interestingness, new contents won't have their chance to generate revenue, as old pictures with proven records will take it all. If you favour freshness, you are not sure of the quality.

From what I have observed over the past months, SS has constantly played on this, and I'm not sure they will stop, as they constantly need to incentive both the old and new content.

I have to admit it's a pretty unpleasant feeling when I see my daily revenue decreasing by 60% in less than a week, but it's still a situation that is preferable to many other platforms. IS, in comparison, is overly focusing on interestingness. If you get lucky, one or two photos will get a few sales after their upload, and these few pictures, basically, will make most of the revenue. It's cool when it's working, but it's definitely less stable than SS.

ss need to clean database of poor shots and bad keyword. is not possible keep on like this.

Seen from SS point of view, I would bet it's mainly a question of Server costs. Apart from this, as long as their algorithm is able to find the best matching pictures, having too many pictures isn't such a big deal, given that they are additional potential supply for clients.

Then, from a contributor point of view, SS focusing on quality could be a good thing... only if two conditions are met:
-the royalties increase, because quality takes time, especially in editing, and therefore costs money to produce
-they hire competent, and well trained people, to reviez the work, to avoid having frivolous rejection reasons, like mistaking a bird as dust, or requesting a model release for a picture of an animal.

Will Shutterstock evolve in this direction? I heavily doubt...
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: rinderart on April 29, 2018, 20:14
I agree.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: akaza on June 02, 2018, 07:40
(https://i.imgur.com/GXH9vDu.jpg)
198,594,376 images already, just a couple days to hit 200 million... TWO HUNDRED MILLION
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: YadaYadaYada on June 11, 2018, 21:20
Why your sales have capped, gone flat, no growth. What did you expect endless new sales, endless competition growing, new uploads way past the buyers needs.

200,436,643 royalty-free stock images now. That's the cap, the limit and the end.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: rinderart on June 13, 2018, 00:07
And, they could easily dump 100 million of crap. but that would be completely cost prohibitive.So. the fat lady has sung her song and here we are.I would pay to hear why they wanted to kill the site.
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: derek on June 13, 2018, 00:29
And, they could easily dump 100 million of crap. but that would be completely cost prohibitive.So. the fat lady has sung her song and here we are.I would pay to hear why they wanted to kill the site.

Bleed it dry and cram the last drop of blood out of the business!  they have made their money and now its time to just take the lolly and run. Screw customers and some 50K members!
Hahaha!  glad this site only represent 15% of my income!
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: dpimborough on June 13, 2018, 03:04
(https://i.imgur.com/GXH9vDu.jpg)
198,594,376 images already, just a couple days to hit 200 million... TWO HUNDRED MILLION

Onwards to 300 million see you in 6 months  ;D
Title: Re: fifty million stock images on Shutterstock 50 Million!
Post by: YadaYadaYada on June 15, 2018, 09:02
And, they could easily dump 100 million of crap. but that would be completely cost prohibitive.So. the fat lady has sung her song and here we are.I would pay to hear why they wanted to kill the site.

Best you have posted in years. Why would SS intentionally kill a good site by lowering standards?