Side question. Do Alamy ever change the licence type attached to an image ?  Do the photographers have complete control ? If we set the use to RM and specify editorial use only can we be certain that this will stick ? If an image is specifies as RM is there any danger of it being switched ?

There is no current way of specifying 'editorial use only' other than by setting many restrictions for commercial use - though as has been pointed out in this and other threads, and the Alamy forum, just saying that there are people without MRs or property without PRs is enough.
But not supplying MRs (there isn't currently any way of supplying an MR for editorial use only, and no current need for one) or PRs, and marking your image as such means that if an agency switched an image to RF, they'd carry the can.
BTW, when uploading to Alamy, it clearly warns that you can't change from L to RF or vice versa after an image is on sale (you'd have to go through their support system).

Thanks ShadySue.

Quote from: ShadySue on August 21, 2010, 06:34

if an agency switched an image to RF, they'd carry the can.

Expanding the terms of my question slightly, is there any possibility or history of that happening, Alamy or any other site deciding to switch an image from RM to RF without consulting the photographer or rights owner ?

Once an image has been in Micro or RF, no it can never be sold as RM. Rights-managed-RM simply means there are rights involved, copy, worldrights, etc, to basically ensure the same pic isnt sold to two compeeting concepts ( within same branch),  this is why big AD-agencies, etc, always buy RM for their clients. This is why an RM picture is often much more expensive.

Its estimated that if a client buy an RM pic  for say 500 bucks,  all the rights involved mounts up to 400 bucks and the actual picture only a 100 bucks.
The RM industry is the Traditional way of selling pictures and is mostly associated with professional photographers, at least they are the prefered contributors.

Thanks Lagereek. But you answered to a different question

Here it is again ..... is there any possibility or history of .. Alamy or any other site deciding to switch an image from RM to RF without consulting the photographer or rights owner ?

Obviously that could be even before it has ever sold.

Dont think so,  they would have to consult the photographer in question because once its been in RF, it can never go back to RM.

Just started at Alamy.  I am curious about what is popular at Alamy and also if contemporary personality/celebrity shots have a place on Alamy or if there is another on-line stock site micro- or macro- that would be good for that content.  I have also been approved for the reportage/archival path as well. I shoot many assignments each year for magazines or promotion with reality tv stars, musicians, business people and have freedom to release for editorial usage after publication.  Didn't see a category that seemed obvious or natural on Alamy site for this type of image.  I know that Corbis handles this type of stuff regularly, but I have regular stock agency already.  Not sure I'm ready to make wholesale switch. 

For those who are active in micros as well as Alamy, any thoughts about which type of imagery you submit to IS/SS/DT etc rather than on Alamy or vice versa?

I don't really set 'editorial' for alamy, i think you just need to set no model release and no property release for it.

I don't think an agency will change the license without informing you.

RM to RF is possible, but if an image had been sold as RF, it seems violating the RM license, unless you know who download it and tracked down how it had been used.

Side question. Do Alamy ever change the licence type attached to an image ?  Do the photographers have complete control ? If we set the use to RM and specify editorial use only can we be certain that this will stick ? If an image is specifies as RM is there any danger of it being switched ?

hi all.
Just want to share that i begun on Alamy last week and i was confused about the lack of activity (sales) but today i found i had a sale for 152$ (91,2 royalty) HEY if that�s how it goes, i can wait a week between sales!!!

You're either very, very good or very, very lucky. Could even be both. Alamy is not a big volume seller, sales often take months to report. It took about a year before I got my first sale, now I usually get one or two a month, often for not much more than a couple of dozen dollars commission.

In answer to an earlier question, Alamy decided to switch most of my files from RM to TL a couple of years ago, I don't know why. Unreleased files (editorial) now default to TL.

I signed up for Alamy a little over a week ago but didn't get to upload anything until last Sunday. I read through the Alamy forum threads there and it seems wait times for the "Awaiting QC" step is usually 1 to 2 days. But it's been a little over 5 days now. Is this what everyone else is experiencing?

This is my first very small batch to Alamy to test the waters. These images were my better sellers in the past.

I signed up for Alamy a little over a week ago but didn't get to upload anything until last Sunday. I read through the Alamy forum threads there and it seems wait times for the "Awaiting QC" step is usually 1 to 2 days. But it's been a little over 5 days now. Is this what everyone else is experiencing?

This is my first very small batch to Alamy to test the waters. These images were my better sellers in the past.

it takes longer when you are new or if you have a high failure rate, when you have a reputation for minimal failures it is usually under 24 hours (but I dont know how submissions this takes sorry).

Good info to know. I will wait a little while longer. Thanks.
On a side note: I never though Right-Managed would be a direction I would go in but something in the back of my mind always had me not putting some of my favorite images up on the Micro sites because I believed those pictures were worth much more than a few dollars.

Good info to know. I will a little while longer. Thanks.
On a side note: I never though Right-Managed would be a direction I would go in but something in the back of my mind always had me not putting some of my favorite images up on the Micro sites because I believed those pictures were worth much more than a few dollars.

I always wanted to do Editorial/RM, but had to earn the equipment on iStock before I could afford/justify the gear! But gosh, Alamy's such a slow waiting game - to get sales and then to get paid after you get the sales.

The top two pieces of advice I'd give to someone entering stock:

1) Focus on quality images in well-targeted areas - at the expense of volume, if necessary.
Expect a strong port of 100 or less to at least equal earnings of an average one of thousand+....

2) If your subject matter and technique fit, focus on macro over micro. And keep the two portfolios completely separate.

One of the thinks I've always hated about Micro is that I have to apply noise reduction to get nearly anything through the inspection process. I hate it because I know there is more detail in my photos than what I'm supplying. I can't always shoot at ISO 100 to get the right exposure. I don't mind taking out the color noise but to get rid of the ISO grain all together for Micro... I hate it.

So, with that said do have to make everything look like plastic for Alamy too? Do skys have to be completely grain free for Alamy?

honestly you sould try to be always at 100.. you can believe or not but I have never reduce noise in my pictures, got a few at on 200, 400 and some 800.. and were approved! (not talking about Alamy but all other stock agency)

you can always have a tripod around

That's just been my experience mostly with Istock. So it's all I know. (The other Micro sites have been recent additions to the list I submit to.) 
I've submitted photos in the past (to test the waters) in which I had the right exposure, removed the color noise in the RAW converter, did minimal (if any) processing, saved the JPG at level 12 in Photoshop and they'd still send it back for artifacts and noise. I'd take it and run it through some noise reduction and it would get accepted. To me, it looked like I was removing detail. So irritating.

What about Alamy? Anyone?