Author Topic: worth signing up? (Read 9691 times)

rossco · « **on:** January 09, 2007, 20:45 »

Hi Everyone,

First post on here. been playing with Microstock for around 8 months now and have been exclusive to DT. Have recently ended my exclusive contract and looking at signing up with other sites. Would signing up with SS be worth it with my current style of portfolio below? I have 132 images online with DT and only 82 sales since i have been there and 1 payment.

http://www.dreamstime.com/rossco_info

cheers,

Rossco

dbvirago · « **Reply #1 on:** January 09, 2007, 21:00 »

Don't expect them to take everything - especially the flowers. But you have some pretty good variety, and I think you'll make some sales there. I do about the same DT and SS money wise. Go for it

berryspun · « **Reply #2 on:** January 09, 2007, 21:30 »

Hi Rossco and welcome!

Definitely go for it! Agree with dbvirago about the flowers. For the 1st ten submissions, avoid them, plus the sepia tones and the B&W. Submit variety. Watch out for the noise. If you have not done so yet, spend some time in the critique forum to be familiar with the site expectation, you can even register and put a few of your pictures (with a 100% size crop) for some feedback from other photographers before submitting the 1st 10. Some do that so that they don't have to wait for a whole month before submitting again.

I joined DT last February, 2 weeks after SS, uploaded the same pictures. Without having models in my portfolio (by choice), I earn more than 4x more at SS than at DT.

Have fun and good luck!

Lizard · « **Reply #3 on:** January 09, 2007, 22:07 »

Quote from: berryspun on January 09, 2007, 21:30

Hi Rossco and welcome!

Definitely go for it! Agree with dbvirago about the flowers. For the 1st ten submissions, avoid them, plus the sepia tones and the B&W. Submit variety. Watch out for the noise. If you have not done so yet, spend some time in the critique forum to be familiar with the site expectation, you can even register and put a few of your pictures (with a 100% size crop) for some feedback from other photographers before submitting the 1st 10. Some do that so that they don't have to wait for a whole month before submitting again.

I joined DT last February, 2 weeks after SS, uploaded the same pictures. Without having models in my portfolio (by choice), I earn more than 4x more at SS than at DT.

Have fun and good luck!

I agree , I earn there about 2 times more than at all other sites together with exact same number of files submitted to all of them except to IS because of their number limit.

MiguelAngelo · « **Reply #4 on:** January 10, 2007, 04:05 »

Quote from: berryspun on January 09, 2007, 21:30

I joined DT last February, 2 weeks after SS, uploaded the same pictures. Without having models in my portfolio (by choice), I earn more than 4x more at SS than at DT.

In My case I earn about 10x more in SS than DT. Maybe I'm doing something wrong in DT.
Also consider IS my best earner.

rossco · « **Reply #5 on:** January 10, 2007, 06:45 »

thanks guys for the quick responses. will see how i go.

cheers,

Rossco

leaf · « **Reply #6 on:** January 10, 2007, 06:55 »

good luck and make sure you have NO noise.

a.k.a.-tom · « **Reply #7 on:** January 10, 2007, 15:25 »

SS is my 'volume' site. My 'fast food micro' site. I don't make a lot of $ per pic, but I sell a lot of them (multiple pix almost daily) . I would venture to say that is true of most of the folks here.

I agree with the flower advice above unless you have something really unique out there in the garden... flowers are ...well, everyone has them.

I'd stay away from them on the first shot, that is, when you apply. On the other hand, once you are on SS, if you have the time to load 'em, load 'em. What's the worst, they say 'no thanks'.
Be prepared to be rejected by SS, seems EVERYONE has to submit more than once... took me a few times to get on. It's no big deal. SS is worth the time invested.

t_rust · « **Reply #8 on:** January 10, 2007, 16:21 »

It is a must ;-)
For most SS makes up for 30-60% of all micro income.

I was rejected the first time as well. And it was 3 months wait for re-applying at that time. Think now it's 4 weeks?!

Regards,
Thorsten

rossco · « **Reply #9 on:** January 10, 2007, 16:35 »

Defiantly will organize my first batch to upload. Have to wait a month apparently before uploading due to my exclusive agreement with dreamstime, even though it took a two emails to support before i was taken off the first being about a month ago. thanks for all the advice.

cheers,

Rossco

rossco · « **Reply #10 on:** January 30, 2007, 19:46 »

Well continuing on from my OP, I think it has definitely been worth signing up with SS. I Got accepted on shutterstock & istock first go. bit lucky i think

. I have to thank Fintastique for his PM words of advice, I would have given u a referral mate but it was to late.

I have 45 images online already approved at SS, * fast reviewing. They have already made more in one week than i have at DT for the whole month. I have passed 100 downloads already. My biggest selling image has already out earned more than my biggest selling image at DT.

I have my quota waiting to be apporved on iStock been waiting for a week, which sounds about normal. I am not a fan of the keywording and disambiguation. But if stuff sells there then i suppose its worth it.

cheers,

Rossco

Peiling · « **Reply #11 on:** January 31, 2007, 05:41 »

Definitely

Shutterstock is a must. I only joined in nov 06. Took me 6 months to get 100 downloads at istock and 1 month at Shutterstock to get 100. istock and Shuttershock combine give me about 80-90% of my stock income.

a.k.a.-tom · « **Reply #12 on:** January 31, 2007, 21:29 »

Since my comment on January 10th, my SS sales have just exploded!! Why? I have no clue... I've sold more on SS this month than all the other 8 sites I'm on combined!! Right now, I'm loving SS!!

fintastique · « **Reply #13 on:** February 01, 2007, 05:02 »

My only moan about SS is their stats hard to keep track of what is actually selling it would be nice to arrange your portfolio in order of DLs not popularity with numbers underneath.

Great sales at SS as well.

a.k.a.-tom · « **Reply #14 on:** February 01, 2007, 07:27 »

Yeah, fintastique, I second that.... I'd also like to see 'views'..... I don't understand the 'Popularity' category. It doesn't seem to be related to DL's as I have pix on the first page that have never sold and sellers on the following pages. ?? -tom

Edit: I take that back, I just checked again, everything on the first page "popularity" has sold, but not in order of date of sale or quantity of DL's...
I"d still like to see a 'viewed' category. Or even a total views on the portfolio. If there is a way to do this on SS, please enlighten me.

GeoPappas · « **Reply #15 on:** February 01, 2007, 07:38 »

Quote from: fintastique on February 01, 2007, 05:02

My only moan about SS is their stats hard to keep track of what is actually selling it would be nice to arrange your portfolio in order of DLs not popularity with numbers underneath.

I'm not sure if I understand your request, but try this:

http://submit.shutterstock.com/stats_media.mhtml?site=photo_subscription

CJPhoto · « **Reply #16 on:** February 01, 2007, 08:04 »

Quote from: tgt on February 01, 2007, 07:27

Edit: I take that back, I just checked again, everything on the first page "popularity" has sold, but not in order of date of sale or quantity of DL's...

Popularity is DL/time on site multiplied by a random number (they do make an adjustment to elimiate the new photo effect).

w7lwi · « **Reply #17 on:** February 01, 2007, 16:27 »

On the SS home page, just below the performance stats there's a little button marked "details." Click on that. When the stats page comes up, click on the "By Subscription Download" tab. That will show each of the images that have been downloaded and the number of times it was sold. Easy way to see what's sold and how many times.

GeoPappas · « **Reply #18 on:** February 01, 2007, 17:46 »

Quote from: w7lwi on February 01, 2007, 16:27

On the SS home page, just below the performance stats there's a little button marked "details." Click on that. When the stats page comes up, click on the "By Subscription Download" tab. That will show each of the images that have been downloaded and the number of times it was sold. Easy way to see what's sold and how many times.

I didn't say it so eloquently, but that was the link that I displayed above...

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Author Topic: worth signing up? (Read 9691 times)

rossco

dbvirago

berryspun

Lizard

MiguelAngelo

rossco

leaf

a.k.a.-tom

t_rust

rossco

rossco

Peiling

a.k.a.-tom

fintastique

a.k.a.-tom

GeoPappas

CJPhoto

w7lwi

GeoPappas

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