Author Topic: 500 px. Now has distributors to sell images (Read 33156 times)

amabu · « **Reply #25 on:** November 11, 2015, 03:49 »

Quote from: Anyka on November 11, 2015, 03:25

I have been thinking of joining for a long time ... 500px is different from the usual microstock agencies, so I don't think "dumping" my whole portfolio would be a good move - or if I did, I don't think it would sell very well?
What kind of selection should I submit? Only artsy stuff? Everything except "isolated on white" ? Any other limitations?

Very good questions

Ignatus · « **Reply #26 on:** November 11, 2015, 05:13 »

Quote from: Anyka on November 11, 2015, 03:25

I have been thinking of joining for a long time ... 500px is different from the usual microstock agencies, so I don't think "dumping" my whole portfolio would be a good move - or if I did, I don't think it would sell very well?
What kind of selection should I submit? Only artsy stuff? Everything except "isolated on white" ? Any other limitations?

Yes I don't think that "isolated on white" and old-school businessman stock works well... I don't think that the key word is "artsy", I think it is more "authentic" (yes, buzzword...). And I think one should remember that originally 500px was not a stock agency, it's was (and still is) a social media, with followers, likes etc. I don't know if it matters anymore for the market (for example if the "likes" are still factored in the search results etc.). But in doubt I prefer to maintain a well curated galery on 500px (and not to put my entire stock portfolio).

noodle · « **Reply #27 on:** November 11, 2015, 07:21 »

Quote from: Ignatus on November 11, 2015, 05:13

Quote from: Anyka on November 11, 2015, 03:25
I have been thinking of joining for a long time ... 500px is different from the usual microstock agencies, so I don't think "dumping" my whole portfolio would be a good move - or if I did, I don't think it would sell very well?
What kind of selection should I submit? Only artsy stuff? Everything except "isolated on white" ? Any other limitations?

Yes I don't think that "isolated on white" and old-school businessman stock works well... I don't think that the key word is "artsy", I think it is more "authentic" (yes, buzzword...). And I think one should remember that originally 500px was not a stock agency, it's was (and still is) a social media, with followers, likes etc. I don't know if it matters anymore for the market (for example if the "likes" are still factored in the search results etc.). But in doubt I prefer to maintain a well curated galery on 500px (and not to put my entire stock portfolio).

Thx for your response

I have seen others post stocky images there, but i wouldnt think this would be the place a lot of ad agencies would turn to for images

Mantis · « **Reply #28 on:** November 11, 2015, 08:10 »

Is the work automatically enrolled in prime or is it somehow specially selected? I am contemplating trying them for a second time since they offer an opt out and are working on a better watermark.

Microstockphoto · « **Reply #29 on:** November 11, 2015, 09:38 »

It is a very manual process, upload watermarked preview, upload unwatermarked full res, submit full res (about 4-10 clicks), no batch submission possible

Nikovsk · « **Reply #30 on:** November 11, 2015, 09:42 »

Never got a sale, and many bestsellers were rejected...

I guess my niche is not well received there.

Dumc · « **Reply #31 on:** November 11, 2015, 10:10 »

How can be something, that isn't reviewed, rejected?

Microstockphoto · « **Reply #32 on:** November 11, 2015, 10:27 »

Images for Prime are being reviewed

cobalt · « **Reply #33 on:** November 11, 2015, 10:39 »

Quote from: Microstockphoto on November 11, 2015, 09:38

It is a very manual process, upload watermarked preview, upload unwatermarked full res, submit full res (about 4-10 clicks), no batch submission possible

I´ll wait until they get this sorted out. You need professional tools as a producer.

Microstockphoto · « **Reply #34 on:** November 11, 2015, 10:53 »

I am all in for less competition

Dumc · « **Reply #35 on:** November 11, 2015, 10:59 »

Quote from: Microstockphoto on November 11, 2015, 10:27

Images for Prime are being reviewed

Images that aren't in prime collection are still avaliable at core collection and therefore avaliable for sale. So this "they rejected my best selling images" is just bull-crap. They weren't rejected, they just weren't accepted at prime. Notice the difference?

stockastic · « **Reply #36 on:** November 11, 2015, 11:03 »

Quote from: Microstockphoto on November 11, 2015, 03:17

Why the hostility towards a company offering truly high royalties and not even a micro stock agency, they make me more in one sale than some smaller micros in a year

Just based on past experience with other agencies. I'm watching 500px, if it's a fair deal AND remains a fair deal, I might try it. But I'm really not interested in spending a lot of time uploading, keywording and whatever, and then have a wonderful 'partner program' announced a month later, that makes me feel like I've been played - once again. So we'll see.

wordplanet · « **Reply #37 on:** November 11, 2015, 11:05 »

Actually, images are either accepted or rejected into the Marketplace (i.e. 500px Prime) and can end up in either the Core or the Prime Collection - I don't know how they decide between the two. I've had two images rejected and they are still in my 500px portfolio but not available for sale even in the Core Collection. All the rest are in the Marketplace and they seem to make a decision very quickly.

I hope they are successful. I really like the look of the site and the feel of the collection.

Nikovsk · « **Reply #38 on:** November 11, 2015, 11:09 »

Quote from: Dumc on November 11, 2015, 10:59

Quote from: Microstockphoto on November 11, 2015, 10:27
Images for Prime are being reviewed

Images that aren't in prime collection are still avaliable at core collection and therefore avaliable for sale. So this "they rejected my best selling images" is just bull-crap. They weren't rejected, they just weren't accepted at prime. Notice the difference?

All images are reviewed, you only get email when an image is rejected.
Get your facts straight.

nuno · « **Reply #39 on:** November 11, 2015, 11:33 »

The process is a bit confusing admittedly especially coming from a traditional stock photo agency perspective.

All photos are reviewed by a human for quality, legal and aesthetic issues. During that review the editor is able to "curate" the photo into the Prime Collection.

Prior to that happening, since we're a photo community site first, the photo is visible and searchable on the site immediately on upload with a "Request for License" button and the photo is listed as "Core Collection" pricing simply because we don't want to bait and switch a buyer with a higher price or downgrade the price on a photo after it's been reviewed - we'd rather raise prices upon review. As soon as we receive that request (we hold the buyers money in escrow to make sure it's a legit sale) we quickly review the photo (usually within an hour or two) and make the photo available to the buyer if everything is legit (quality, releases etc.) . If the photo is curated up the original buyer pays the Core price but subsequent buyers find the photo in the Prime Collection.

The same process happens for photos that aren't submitted to the marketplace (and where the photographer has enabled "requests" for their work - you can disable this). However, these are often longer turnarounds since we need to get the photographer's permission to license the photo and ask for releases, non-watermarked versions, etc.

Again, admittedly complex compared to traditional stock photo agencies, however, buyers can filter for "immediately available photos" but quite a few have liked being able to request photos that no other buyer has had an opportunity to purchase (especially if marked exclusive to 500px) so we'll work on developing this process so it's smoother and faster for everyone.

ETA: And yes, we'll only notify you via email if we need you to fix something upon review or if we're unable to license the photo. For editorial photos we ask for no filtering or post-processing with the exception of black and white and contrast/exposure adjustments which is pretty standard for news/journalism purposes.

cobalt · « **Reply #40 on:** November 11, 2015, 11:49 »

It sounds really complicated. So I guess the community side is far more important than being an agency?

I will eventually try it, but it sounds like the focus of 500pix is clearly more focused on the community experience and not becoming the first place a customer goes to when looking for modern stock photography. More like a niche place they check out if they can´t find what they are looking for at the traditional macros. Similar to what other niche agencies are doing.

Maybe I am wrong, but this is the vibe I get. No professional producer upload tools translates to low agency priority for me.

I wish 500pix well, but at this point it doesn´t sound like it will become what I am looking for

I need a place that is fully committed to being an agency and wants to offer the customer a full high quality solution. Ideally making them want to buy only there. Guess, in the end I will have to try selling direct or via a photoshelter account. But it is much harder to go it alone than to work with a passionate community of peers.

Well, we will see.

nuno · « **Reply #41 on:** November 11, 2015, 11:57 »

Buyers are always looking for an alternative and we've been fielding licensing requests since 500px first launched 6 years ago so we've now productized it and have seen some great traction (really happy a few photographers here are feeling that too). 500px is a community and it's one of the selling points to buyers. If they're looking for millions of $1 photos we're not a good fit for them. Because of the massive community and the effort on growing that, our organic reach and exposure is actually significantly larger than some of our stock photo competitors. So it's a value we can't ignore.

So not microstock by any means. What this means as a producer is a lower volume of sales but at a much higher royalty/price point so you don't need to sell as much. We're definitely carving out some niches and I've always maintained that there's a market for everything. Personally I have some photos at 500px and some with other agencies. I've just figured out where each type of photo sells the best. It's not about exclusivity but picking the best vendor for each type of product I have on offer.

cobalt · « **Reply #42 on:** November 11, 2015, 12:00 »

I am not looking for a microstock approach. I am looking for a high quality approach with the clear intention of being the first place they use. Lots of companies don´t care about the price, they care about quality and ethical standards, because they also use that in their advertising. But they still need a huge variety of styles and subject matters to cover their needs. I don´t mind waiting for sales, because the prices are higher.

Basically a community driven macrostock agency.

I will still try to see if there is a niche in 500pix that might work for me. But I am looking for a base home for my work and it seems that what I am looking for doesn´t exist at the moment.

But it´s my problem and nobody else´s.

nuno · « **Reply #43 on:** November 11, 2015, 12:06 »

Totally understand. I hope we can make something work too

I'm a fan of your work.

cobalt · « **Reply #44 on:** November 11, 2015, 12:14 »

We´ll find something!

Ignatus · « **Reply #45 on:** November 11, 2015, 12:41 »

Nuno, maybe you can answer this question:
Are the pulse, the number of likes, favorites of the images etc. are taken into account in the search ranking for the market? It was cleary the case at the beginning (it was a marketing argument) but it less obvious today.
I like the fact that the community side matters for the market side, it is a specificity of 500px. Most pro microstocker will not share my opinion I think. I guess it is a question of position for 500px.

Microstockphoto · « **Reply #46 on:** November 11, 2015, 12:47 »

Dumc, i dont recall saying anything about rejecting best sellers

amabu · « **Reply #47 on:** November 11, 2015, 12:48 »

Quote from: nuno on November 11, 2015, 11:57

Personally I have some photos at 500px and some with other agencies. I've just figured out where each type of photo sells the best.

Nuno, can you give us an insiders view of what type of image sells best on 500px?

Is it "authentic stock" or "fine art"?
Are isolations a no-go?
Since you do have an app: Do mobile images sell?

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #48 on:** November 11, 2015, 13:04 »

Quote from: cobalt on November 11, 2015, 11:49

It sounds really complicated. ...

I'm very new at 500px (last week!) so there are probably a number of things I don't understand, but I have found it to be pretty simple to upload work - and everything is marked for Marketplace sales. I didn't realize that things could be rejected for Core (but that's good to know) and I upload once, request a watermark, request Marketplace, pick from a stored release if that's appropriate, set a Category and I'm done.

I do have all my IPTC data in the files - it's all read. I sometimes have fixed keywords (I have a few images that have Getty CV-style keywords like Nautical Vessel that I change to boat or ship) and sometimes accepted one of 500px suggested keywords where appropriate. There are a few images where I've had to remove keywords - the maximum is 30 - but each removal is one click.

By far the most time consuming thing has been trying to decide what's suitable to upload - and none of my images on white is an easy part

I would like a few more portfolio tools - a way to see a list of images in Prime for example. I'd love a daily digest of the like/favorite e-mails (which I turned off as it's a bit too much). I feel a bit at sea with some of the social aspects of the site - what's the difference between liking and favoriting, for example? I've been doing both on things I like just in case

I'm participating in the watermarking interviews because I am concerned about having rudimentary theft protection. Given the state of agencies right now, and my recent departure from Canva, I wanted to find a new approach to try and 500px is my pick. Too soon to say how it will be as an agency.

stockastic · « **Reply #49 on:** November 11, 2015, 13:09 »

Quote from: cobalt on November 11, 2015, 11:49

It sounds really complicated.

I'd say that's an understatement. Just for starters - is there a single, clear, comprehensive document on the site, explaining all this and giving the big picture?

It actually sounds like 500px might be an opportunity for me, but anytime there's 'curation' there's inevitably a certain style and look that's desired. The problem for a lot of us is that getting anything up there takes a serious amount of time and effort vs. a completely unknown probability of being 'curated' let alone making a sale, and we've all been down that road before. Is there an audition process i.e. submitting a portfolio link to at least get a reaction?

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Author Topic: 500 px. Now has distributors to sell images (Read 33156 times)

amabu

Ignatus

noodle

Mantis

Microstockphoto

Nikovsk

Dumc

Microstockphoto

cobalt

Microstockphoto

Dumc

stockastic

wordplanet

Nikovsk

nuno

cobalt

nuno

cobalt

nuno

cobalt

Ignatus

Microstockphoto

amabu

Jo Ann Snover

stockastic

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