LOL (just to let you know I am a big fan of him)

Nothing personal but a statement like that is the reason you'll never succeed in this business, or gain respect from the folk that do know what they're talking about.

1. They are microstock cheerleaders telling everyone how great this business is.
2. They still earn $0.25  at Shutterstock
3. They support Thinkstock.  And of course, they think $0.25 is ok! 
4. They do not yet qualify to be IS exclusive.  Even though it's only 250 images required.
5. They celebrate every single sale they make.
6. They make statistics with small numbers.

What else? Mmm... Ah!

7. They run a very expert blog about the microstock business.
8. They pimp their contributor referral links in all message bodies, as well as their very expert blog article links.
9. When you block them as time wasters on the MSG, they start scorning you in private in the Dreamstime comments.
10. You will find them as commenters on all successful blogs like Lee's and Ellen's. They spend more time babbling, blogging, foruming and commenting than shooting.

Quote from: Digital66 on March 02, 2010, 23:47

1. They are microstock cheerleaders telling everyone how great this business is.
2. They still earn $0.25  at Shutterstock
3. They support Thinkstock.  And of course, they think $0.25 is ok! 
4. They do not yet qualify to be IS exclusive.  Even though it's only 250 images required.
5. They celebrate every single sale they make.
6. They make statistics with small numbers.

What else? Mmm... Ah!

7. They run a very expert blog about the microstock business.
8. They pimp their contributor referral links in all message bodies, as well as their very expert blog article links.
9. When you block them as time wasters on the MSG, they start scorning you in private in the Dreamstime comments.
10. You will find them as commenters on all successful blogs like Lee's and Ellen's. They spend more time babbling, blogging, foruming and commenting than shooting.

EXPERT BLOG?? LOL thanks for that!

I have sent a message for DT because you have offended me, saying that I was a referral guy, and I repeat have 30$ from referrals, and 1300$ from sales!.. COME ON..!!

Regarding Lee, I was there since I started, he helped me a lot, he had a lot of good information there, so should you blame him NOW???..

Regarding Ellen, it was just the other day, I wanted the say thanks, thats it, what is the problem there?? I am not gaining anything, so whats up??

Now, please take a look at my IS account, do you think it is easy to have 300 photos online??.. Yeah I know they suck..! but IS accepted them, just like other agencies!..

for real what is your problem?

I feel like I am in 2002 again.

Does anyone ever "gain respect from the folk that do know what they're talking about"?  And who says they "know what they are talking about"?

FD-amateur, calling luissantos84 a moron is not going to help anything.

� Last Edit: Today at 10:37 by FD-amateur �

Thanks for editing that.

To luissantos84 and any other "newbies" getting discouraged by this thread.

I consider myself a newbie, just over a year in microstock and under 1,000 images, and yet I'm almost at the revenue level that macrosaur said he'd take me seriously.  You can gain, you can grow.  I started from scratch, but did my homework to figure out what sells, and I'm exceeding the goals I set for myself.  Don't worry about those who want to close the door on you.  Just prove yourself.  If you have the skills, a good work ethic, and the marketing know-how to figure out a niche you can fill, you'll succeed.

On the other hand, you'll notice I don't share links to my ports.  I agree with all the comments that say it's crazy to give your competition the bullet to put in your head.  I prefer to help by encouragement.

Quote from: Brandon Seidel on March 03, 2010, 10:44

FD-amateur, calling luissantos84 a moron is not going to help anything.

that's no big deal, I just want some respect because I have been working hard, couldn't be the best stock photos but I am doing my best, if stock agencies accepted them I guess I deserve a little of respect, but I am getting used to this fight, but like FD-amateur said this forum is to help, so from now on I won't fight!

It's pointless really.  It's just getting worse.  As profits drop, people are finding places to point the finger.  I am in no way a newbie, but I have never claimed to be a pro.  I also don't run around posting referral links on other people's sites.  I have my own sites, and I can do whatever I please with them.

Microstock was started for people like you, me, and everyone else for that matter.  I had film scans of stock photos that, like the ever famous "bitter" could not get them accepted at any big stock house.  Why? I either did not want to get that collection of 1000 images to start, or I simply was not in the crowd.  Or as the haters would say, �Your photos suck.�; but if you compare your images to their images you find the truth.   I enjoy photography.  And with microstock it's a hobby that more than pays for itself.

I submit stock photos when I feel like submitting stock photos.  I do not need someone clinging to the last hope of a dollar telling me what I can and can't do.  I also take a stand against the agencies when they feel like pulling a fast one on everyone.  That's more than most of the people bashing the newbies can say.

[The problem to me is the portfolio with more than 1000 unsellable images, not the ones with small sellable portfolio... Seriously

I agree.  What will choke microstock to death are the portfolios in which the contributor submits 100 shots from every photo shoot... models at slightly different angles... with the reasoning that "you just don't know what angle the buyer wants the model to be facing."

I'm also a microstock buyer, and it's a frustrating experience having to cull through so many nearly identical images to get to one I want.

Quote from: gbalex on March 03, 2010, 07:55

Here is another perspective. I do not have a problem helping new submitters. However I do have a problem helping and watching long standing submitters take advantage of and utilize the vulnerabilities, inexperience and naivete of new submitters for their own financial gain.  The fact that the process "sometimes" harms the newcomers as well as long time submitters makes ignoring the situation hard to swallow. 

If we do not discuss industry challenges, how can we as a group take steps to become part of the solution by promoting a culture of ethical accountability?

We can build an ethical micostock culture by improving our own overall personal performance and passing on that professional expertise to others in our field who we see are also putting in the effort it takes to succeed in this business.  That culture would enable an environment of sustainable development for all of us.

If we ignore those who with open eyes are willing to base their business plans on exploiting the vulnerabilities of the industry as well as exploiting the newest inexperience individuals entering into it, knowing full well that they will be harming the industry as a whole, we have only ourselves to blame as the situation continues to deteriorate.

I think I'm missing something you're trying to infer here, and it's not making sense to me.  Aside from silly referral pimping, how are contributors taking advantage of new contributors?  I want to point out the madness in your statement about giving our "expertise to others in our field who we see are also putting in the effort it takes to succeed in this business" but I sense your meaning is a bit incomplete.  Of all the people that I don't want to cultivate, it's those that are putting in the effort it takes to succeed (compete with me).

You are correct my post is incomplete because I do not want to mention specific names.   I guess where we differ is that if I see someone who will get there one way or another I do not have a problem helping them, within reason of course.  It is all relative. 

I am referring to the extremes in my post.

Now aren't you setting the bar a bit low. Isn't the final goal of any Photographer to have a one man show in a fancy Soho Photogrpahy Gallery selling a print for $5000 (with or without art groupies), or the cover of Vogue?

Its good to have aspirations, n'est pas

it depends, there's people on Getty making big bucks with just 2-300 photos.
others selling travel with 70.000 photos, but they all have two things in common :

1 - they did their homework and decided to go pro
2 - they're able to make profesional photos in good volumes with no questions asked.

Thanks for editing that.

It took 5 minutes since I had an electricity brownout. That was Dr. Jekyll.

Quote from: FD-amateur on March 03, 2010, 10:29

He is a fantastic photographer. I know his port by heart and I wish I could reach his level now and then. This place is to learn... not to fight.

Thanks I've never had a stalker before  

I'm actually trying to steal your concepts. 

From all sources?  Or just stills?

If you add up Stills, Video, AE projects, and 3D models (all things digital), I finally cracked $1000 in February.  I've been flirting with it for some time (in the mid $900's).  That is roughly tripling my digital income from Jan/Feb of last year after more than quadrupling my total online portfolio since last year.