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Author Topic: Stocksy - where are they?  (Read 48378 times)

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ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #125 on: September 19, 2013, 06:49 »
0
Honestly, if you can't see the Stocksy aesthetic I think you might be wasting your time even thinking of applying to be a contributor there. Stocksy obviously require photographers that shoot - in volume and quality - a style that fits effortlessly into their collection. If you're struggling to distinguish the kind of images they need it's unlikely you'll be the right match for them.

Having looked at Scotland and butterfly, the mystery is more about what they reject.


« Reply #126 on: September 19, 2013, 06:49 »
0
Ron, forgive me if I'm wrong - but I think you're the only person to have said that Stocksy shooters 'have a better vision' and that Stocksy have only one style. Personally, I think you're misguided on both counts...

« Reply #127 on: September 19, 2013, 06:58 »
+3
Shady, most Micro agencies cherry-pick images from thousands of photographers. Stocksy seem to work in a very different way. They cherry-pick the photographer and then work with them to build a portfolio for Stocksy. It's just a different way of curating a collection. These are my own observations, of course, and not Stocksy policy!

Ron

« Reply #128 on: September 19, 2013, 08:07 »
0
Ron, forgive me if I'm wrong - but I think you're the only person to have said that Stocksy shooters 'have a better vision' and that Stocksy have only one style. Personally, I think you're misguided on both counts...
I never said both quotes. I said it seems stocksy shooters have better vision, coz I dont see what is so obvious to them, and I said Stocksy has many styles, thats why its confusing what they want, but to you the style is all clear. 

« Reply #129 on: September 19, 2013, 08:36 »
+1
Good, Ron. It would be usefull if those people who had a clear understanding educated the rest of us. If they are stocksy contributors they could even show us examples and tell us why the images qualify.

« Reply #130 on: September 19, 2013, 09:16 »
+2
Good, Ron. It would be usefull if those people who had a clear understanding educated the rest of us. If they are stocksy contributors they could even show us examples and tell us why the images qualify.


Not falling into that trap again.

Examples:
Front curated page: www.stocksy.com
Facebook timeline with spotlighted images: https://www.facebook.com/stocksyunited
Weekly favorites from FB timeline post: http://www.stocksy.com/stock-photos?g=2678

« Reply #131 on: September 19, 2013, 09:43 »
0
That helped, there are actually many good and different photos among those pictures. The concept is a bit clearer now, than it was when I did the butterfly search.

jen

« Reply #132 on: September 19, 2013, 09:52 »
+1
You can see some of the content in my "stocksy" folder here: http://www.jensstolt.dk/stocksy.htm

The images are selected because they are MAYBE pictures, Maybe a bit different, maybe a bit artistic, maybe, maybe.

Please comment!

Jens, do you think these are your best ever images?  If not, don't submit them. 

IMHO you should submit what you consider to be your absolute best work, whether or not it fits into what you believe to be the Stocksy aesthetic.  I can't explain the technical requirements they are looking for because I do not know them, but I think it's a mistake to try to find a "Stocksy look".  You have your own style, so show them that.   

« Reply #133 on: September 19, 2013, 10:04 »
0
Jen, nice that someone adress my problems.

Those are not my best images. They would look completely different and would not at all fit in.
Because I have been Shutterstockified over the years and kept there in a vice grip.
But I can do other things with a camera than photograph critters on white. And I would like to, a coop is a nice thing.

« Last Edit: September 19, 2013, 10:08 by JPSDK »

« Reply #134 on: September 19, 2013, 12:27 »
+1
This is a very interesting thread so I looked up some entries on Stocksy - I searched through animals looking for hummingbirds. I couldn't find any way of making the search specific so I looked through all the animals! There were mostly domestic, farm and zoo animals with not a whole lot of wildlife. I found an image mis-labelled Whooping Crane which was in fact a greater egret in its nesting plumage, only found two hummingbirds, neither of them was remarkable. In fact the second had some very annoying large brilliant red blobs in the background which completely detracted from the bird.

Of course, this kind of image probably doesn't sell well anyway - after all you aren't going to advertise toothpaste with a snarling jaguar (although that might be interesting) but still there seems to be the potential for the same problems other stock sites have - inaccurate keywords, odd taste in picking the pictures and an unhelpful search engine.


« Reply #135 on: September 19, 2013, 12:34 »
+1
This is a very interesting thread so I looked up some entries on Stocksy - I searched through animals looking for hummingbirds. I couldn't find any way of making the search specific so I looked through all the animals!


Did you try searching on "hummingbird"?

http://www.stocksy.com/stock-photos?s=hummingbird&t=Hummingbird+Stock+Photos

« Reply #136 on: September 19, 2013, 14:14 »
0
Just two more hummingbird images, neither one remarkable.

 ???

« Reply #137 on: September 19, 2013, 14:17 »
+4
You know what? If I were a buyer looking for Hummingbird images....I don't think Stocksy would be the first port of call..

« Reply #138 on: September 19, 2013, 14:26 »
0
Can't argue with that!

« Reply #139 on: September 20, 2013, 06:56 »
+1
I really don't understand all this hate. Stocksy is a great place for photographers and images, a place where both receive the attention they deserve. For a collection this young Stocksy can offer a lot of choice. Do you think that buyers will be happy to browse 10,000 images of butterflies to find what they want? Who has the time nowadays.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #140 on: September 20, 2013, 08:34 »
+1
I really don't understand all this hate. Stocksy is a great place for photographers and images, a place where both receive the attention they deserve. For a collection this young Stocksy can offer a lot of choice. Do you think that buyers will be happy to browse 10,000 images of butterflies to find what they want? Who has the time nowadays.
Who's hating? There's a lot of incomprehension, that's different altogether.

If a buyer has a specific need for their butterfly pic, they can add more keywords, e.g. the actual species, the colour, with a person, isolated, with a flower, whatever. But for sure, a specialist won't go to Stocksy, and that's what potential contributors need to keep in mind.

EmberMike

« Reply #141 on: September 20, 2013, 08:41 »
0
...Bruce himself advertised stocksy as the "new hope" for the community. After all that happened this year and the last years with istock thousands of people are ready to support an artist friendly plattform.

Did Bruce really say that? Can you point me to where it was said?


jen

« Reply #142 on: September 20, 2013, 11:39 »
+6
I really don't understand all this hate.
Who's hating? There's a lot of incomprehension, that's different altogether.

Well, there's the comments about how the images are "the worst miscoloured amateurish snapshots I have seen in a long time", "flat and washed-out", or your sarcasm about the Chosen Few and repeatedly pointing out that you find the results for "Scotland" not up to standards. 

It's not all that productive IMHO. 

Ron

« Reply #143 on: September 20, 2013, 11:47 »
0
...Bruce himself advertised stocksy as the "new hope" for the community. After all that happened this year and the last years with istock thousands of people are ready to support an artist friendly plattform.


Did Bruce really say that? Can you point me to where it was said?


http://www.photoggin.com/blog/stocksy-an-overview-of-the-buzz/

Quote
The blog post URL calls it a new hope.


http://blog.stocksy.com/blog/2013/3/21/stocksy-a-new-hope

Its a dead link now.

http://web.archive.org/web/20130403162540/http://blog.stocksy.com/blog/2013/3/21/stocksy-a-new-hope
« Last Edit: September 20, 2013, 11:51 by Ron »

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #144 on: September 20, 2013, 11:56 »
0
I really don't understand all this hate.
Who's hating? There's a lot of incomprehension, that's different altogether.

Well, there's the comments about how the images are "the worst miscoloured amateurish snapshots I have seen in a long time", "flat and washed-out", or your sarcasm about the Chosen Few and repeatedly pointing out that you find the results for "Scotland" not up to standards. 

It's not all that productive IMHO.
Show me where I said anything was 'not up to standards'.
In any case, nothing you quote counts as 'hate'.
I am totally neutral to Stocksy, which admittedly is below how I felt about it when it was announced.

« Reply #145 on: September 20, 2013, 12:11 »
+1
It was me who said it. And Ill stand by my words. Many of the butterfly pictures on Stocksy  are " the worst miscoloured snapshots I have seen in a long time".

They are. But that is not the point.

The point is if they are sellable, and they might be.
The customers might what that kind of images.
Or other pictures like them, and that is not hatred, it is curiosity when I ask why and what.
"Are the customers stupid, is it the emperors new clothes or is there something with art and vision I have not understood?"
Can someone explain? Does stocksy target a certain group of customers who cannot see the difference, or do not care about the difference because they want something else.
And if so. What is Stocksy selling then??



ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #146 on: September 20, 2013, 12:14 »
0
or your sarcasm about the Chosen Few  ...
From above (not my words), " They cherry-pick the photographer and then work with them to build a portfolio for Stocksy."

« Reply #147 on: September 20, 2013, 13:23 »
+13
I have a folder on my harddisk called "Stocksy", I thought I would prepare an application, since I like the concept.

But. I have a problem.
The problem is that I dont know what pictures to put into it.
I really dont. I took a look on Stocksy 5 min ago, and it was still the same: I cannot see any style, or any trend that makes an image qualify.
What I do see is images that break rules. No respect for the golden section, no respect for white balance and no respect for exposure.
So I ask myself, do they want pictures that break rules? Like cut in halves people standing in awkward positions in the middle of the frame?
Then I check my area of expertise: pictures of butterflies. And the search of "butterflies" brings foreward the worst miscoloured amateurish snapshots I have seen in a long time.

It leaves me bewildered and worried.
Can that kind of pictures sell? Is it art on a level I do not comprehend?

JPSDK, you are a true master of butterfly photography, there is no doubt about it + you are an expert in that field. But I would say your style is rather encyclopedic, perfect for example for handbooks or encyclopedias. Stocksy's vision is probably different. They might not be able to compete with such pictures with microstock sites.

I don't know the minds of Stocksy curators, I suck at explaining styles and I am not qualified to critique your pictures, so I will tell you a story instead:

There was an accomplished classical musician who wanted to play in a Canadian jazz band. He said: "Your band seems like a cool place to be, I really would like to play with you guys. I just have a small problem with that... hmmm... jazz music. I really don't feel it, and for the life of me I cannot understand why you guys play like this. I am very good technically, I play the flute for the Copenhagen Philharmonic. I listened to your music and I found that a few of your tracks kind of suck... there's no harmony in that. But I really would love to join you, please tell me how I should play, give me a hint..."

What I wanted to say with this allegory is that if you take jazz or blues etc. musicians, most of them probably didn't become jazz/blues musicians because they had thoroughly read book definitions of jazz / blues
but because they just heard a few such pieces and thought: "Wow, this style is kind of cool, I can also play like this".


Back to Stocksy, I would say that as everywhere else, there is the Mainstream and the Fringes. It is the job of the applicant to recognize what the mainstream is and how wide the fringes are. If an applicant hasn't figured it out he would probably take too much of curators' time. It's basically the same as at many microstock sites, just the level of difficulty is a bit higher.

Greetings
« Last Edit: September 20, 2013, 13:27 by Snufkin »

« Reply #148 on: September 20, 2013, 16:28 »
+2
I have a folder on my harddisk called "Stocksy", I thought I would prepare an application, since I like the concept.

But. I have a problem.
The problem is that I dont know what pictures to put into it.
I really dont. I took a look on Stocksy 5 min ago, and it was still the same: I cannot see any style, or any trend that makes an image qualify.
What I do see is images that break rules. No respect for the golden section, no respect for white balance and no respect for exposure.
So I ask myself, do they want pictures that break rules? Like cut in halves people standing in awkward positions in the middle of the frame?
Then I check my area of expertise: pictures of butterflies. And the search of "butterflies" brings foreward the worst miscoloured amateurish snapshots I have seen in a long time.

It leaves me bewildered and worried.
Can that kind of pictures sell? Is it art on a level I do not comprehend?

JPSDK, you are a true master of butterfly photography, there is no doubt about it + you are an expert in that field. But I would say your style is rather encyclopedic, perfect for example for handbooks or encyclopedias. Stocksy's vision is probably different. They might not be able to compete with such pictures with microstock sites.

I don't know the minds of Stocksy curators, I suck at explaining styles and I am not qualified to critique your pictures, so I will tell you a story instead:

There was an accomplished classical musician who wanted to play in a Canadian jazz band. He said: "Your band seems like a cool place to be, I really would like to play with you guys. I just have a small problem with that... hmmm... jazz music. I really don't feel it, and for the life of me I cannot understand why you guys play like this. I am very good technically, I play the flute for the Copenhagen Philharmonic. I listened to your music and I found that a few of your tracks kind of suck... there's no harmony in that. But I really would love to join you, please tell me how I should play, give me a hint..."

What I wanted to say with this allegory is that if you take jazz or blues etc. musicians, most of them probably didn't become jazz/blues musicians because they had thoroughly read book definitions of jazz / blues
but because they just heard a few such pieces and thought: "Wow, this style is kind of cool, I can also play like this".


Back to Stocksy, I would say that as everywhere else, there is the Mainstream and the Fringes. It is the job of the applicant to recognize what the mainstream is and how wide the fringes are. If an applicant hasn't figured it out he would probably take too much of curators' time. It's basically the same as at many microstock sites, just the level of difficulty is a bit higher.

Greetings

Very good explanation .. another example .. not saying anyone is anything.. just giving an example from an experience in my life.

I was once in a Lindy Hop dancing club.  We were all beginners but had a basic grasp of how to do things and were starting to feel like we had some control.  There was an extremely experienced classical dancer who had won many prizes for ballroom dancing (waltz, foxtrot etc).  When he came and did Lindy Hop with us one day he looked extremely awkward and strange.  He was doing the correct steps but looked like he had a broomstick tied to his back. As far as dancing in general was concerned he was far better than anyone in the room, but when it came to Lindy Hop... I think he maybe had the most to learn of anyone .. and he was so good and what he did already I'm not sure he would be able to make the switch.

« Reply #149 on: September 20, 2013, 21:47 »
+5
snufkin... a good explanation, and nicely put. Thanks.
The music allegory is very applicable, I dont understand music either, since im a mechanical nerdish guy, and I would probably dance the Lindy Hop with a broomstick tied to my back.

The lesson to be learnt here is that you can be so microstockified in a mainstream way, that you have a hard time getting ouf of it again.
Or worse, that you believe its the only and right way.
Ok guys, thanks, time to think and observe.


 

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