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Messages - Uncle Pete
Pages: 1 ... 181 182 183 184 185 [186]
4626
« on: November 10, 2017, 13:34 »
Just curious--if you are NOT exclusive to anyone, do people here upload the same images to more than one site, say the same image of a dog and tree to istock, SS, AND adobe? Is there a reason NOT to do that?
Aside from personal choice, and positive or negative expectations with individual agencies, different images sell better or worse at different places. I sell more illustrations on AdobeStock, more Editorial on SS (only because they take them) and a different mix on iStock. An illustration with 50 DLs on FT has one on SS. A photo for Fall this year was rejected by FT, sold first day on SS. One shot with 232 DLs in six years on SS has no sales on FT in two years. Many best sellers are the same on all three, to different levels. Since I only supply the top three, I'll add why. If I support the price cutters and sites that are a waste of my time, my opinion, then I'm competing for price, against myself. That doesn't make much sense to cut my own profits by selling on the cheap sites. If someone submits to 20 or more sites, that's not an issue any longer. Now you are working on exposure and volume, not value. My time is worth more to me than some cheap commission from some sketchy business of questionable standards. I don't do much video, that's a whole different question. Select the best places that pay best and get downloads. Everyone needs to decide on their own, how to work their business. I choose to not sell out or support the bottom feeders. I don't need their money that much. Others may have more desperate needs and will scuffle for nickles and dimes from places that are not easy to trust, with undisclosed partner sites. I want to know who's selling my work! (and that every sale is at a standard price and reported)
4627
« on: November 10, 2017, 12:54 »
Everything is absolutely normal right now, DLs come, they go, one day slow the next I get 15 ODs.
4628
« on: November 01, 2017, 12:06 »
  Actually my Oct. was pretty good, but that was a bunch of ODs and SOD on SS. While IS wiped thousands of my files in the new improved ESP version, because they were competing editorial with Getty. AdobeStock is climbing and steady. (or actually stock.adobe.com)
4629
« on: October 31, 2017, 15:27 »
If you shoot any of these, this is your competition! (yes I do too)
Nov. 2014
Spring Flowers (1,482,072) 3.3% of all images on {5,631,770}
Business Man (1,084,214) 2.2% rounded {4,573,065 }
Business Woman (926,779) 2.2% rounded {3,083,062}
Business Group (371,890) {6,255,551}
Fall Colors (362,980) {1,329,626}
Cute Dog (214,806) {842,561}
Global Network (178,142) {732,280}
Cute Cat (165,338) {651,570}
Waterfall (127,789) {519,654}
Sliced Vegetables Isolated On White (97,868) {268,863}
Glass Of Beer (66,748) {240,308}
Beautiful Woman Jumping (51,016) {114,379}
Business Handshake (48,349) {182,808}
Operator With Headset (36,440) {102,329}
New for 2017 -
VR {61,922}
Multi Cultural {75,226}
Organic Texture {1,261,386}
Cityscape {2,230,367}
45 million stock images Nov. 19, 2014 (first number)
160 million stock images Oct. 28, 2017 {2nd number}
4630
« on: October 31, 2017, 15:21 »
Found them on a backup drive. Unofficial numbers but best I could find by my own research, wayback and announcements.
Shutterstock Milestones:
September 21, 2006 - Shutterstock surpasses one million stock photos
February 20, 2009 -Shutterstock reaches 6 million photos, (5 million 2.5 years)
February 14, 2010 - Shutterstock reaches 10 million Photos (4 million 12 months)
June 19, 2012 - Shutterstock reaches 20 million stock Images (10 Million 28 months)
October 30, 2013 - Shutterstock reaches 30 million images (10 million 15 months)
August 4, 2014 - Shutterstock celebrates 40 million images in it's collection. (10 million 10 months)
December 31, 2014 - 46.8 million images in the collection. (1 million new files per month)
March 3, 2015 - 50 Million Image mark is reached (10 million in 7 months for those watching)
August 12, 2015 - 60 Million Images (10 million in 160 days. 62,500 new files a day)
December 15, 2015 - 70 Million Images (four months)
March 26, 2016 - 80 Million
June 16, 2016 - 90 Million (10 million under three months)
Sept 8, 2016 - 100 Million
February 2017 - 110 Million
October 28, 2017 160 Million (50 million in under 8 months)
It took about 12 years to reach the first 50 million, 1 1/2 years for the next 50 million and one year for the next 50 million.
4631
« on: October 30, 2017, 15:22 »
Out of the way but huge number of visitors many of whom can afford very expensive equipment
Right and how much demand is there for Easter Island photos? Over covered. 63 Sq Miles but over 800 statues? Galapagos, how much demand? Yet 26,000 images. Someplace really out of the way and obscure, may draw a better income, from far fewer files and can be found closer to home. I think that was the point? I just found one that has, zero returns for a search. I'm going to upload as soon as I find a suitable version.
Hmmmm. If you have somewhere unique, why would you send them to somewhere like SS where the few buyers would almost certainly pay subs prices for them?
Well, true, except travel, buy expensive gear, hire models, have studios, buy props, pay for all kinds of expensive equipment and then upload to Microstock. I think maybe it's lost the way I wrote that but Easter Island, Galapagos, and many other exotic or far away places are not that unique in the world of Microstock, so it could be a bad investment to go, just for travel photos to sell as stock. That's the point, where the whole thread people have been pointing out that travel isn't such a good area. I'll add that finding places that aren't covered, like right around the corner or within a road trip there and back, in the same day, might be a better idea. My no hits for the search I already have photos, it's not exotic or extreme, just that there are no photos on SS for that search. I'll hope to have the only one and someday, someone will say, I need a picture of... and I'm making that sub sale, for something I already took in 2007 on a family vacation. I should include another area that people should be advised "don't quit your day job" is news and sports. Since I work media all Summer, on and off, for hire for news sources, websites and some for stock, I can say for a fact, it doesn't cover my equipment or travel expenses.  
4632
« on: October 30, 2017, 14:59 »
Out of the way but huge number of visitors many of whom can afford very expensive equipment
Right and how much demand is there for Easter Island photos? Over covered. 63 Sq Miles but over 800 statues? Galapagos, how much demand? Yet 26,000 images. Someplace really out of the way and obscure, may draw a better income, from far fewer files and can be found closer to home. I think that was the point? I just found one that has, zero returns for a search. I'm going to upload as soon as I find a suitable version.
4633
« on: October 30, 2017, 12:54 »
^ I am far from a travel photography but I should imagine that Travel is one of the most competitive fields of them all. There must be hundreds of thousands of amateurs and whatnots with a dslr or a compact running around on hollidays taking pictures.
A friend of my son went to south-america Machu-pichu and all that and came back with thousands of shots. He pulled over some shots on a CD and sold the lot to a huge PR agency!...must have been over 100 pics and sold it all for $100. He was only too pleased to get his name as a byeline.
Some wanabees are even getting into my own highly niched market which for many years I thought was totally impossible.
It's the least competitive field. I wouldn't call travel photographer who went to few obvious places or all-inclusive resorts. Even in USA there are plenty of uncharted places. Look : Machu Pichu 15,000 potos, Slab City: 100 photos.
Galapagos Islands Stock Photos, Illustrations, and Vector Art (21,240) Galapagos Stock Photos, Illustrations, and Vector Art (26,559) Easter Island Stock Photos, Illustrations, and Vector Art (12,902) Hebrides Stock Photos, Illustrations, and Vector Art (6,871) Some pretty out of the way places, I wouldn't pay to go to any of them in hopes of making money, and the point about demand for lesser known is a good one. But if someone needs a shot and there are only 100, the chances are better to make a sale with a well produced work. Skara Brae Stock Photos, Illustrations, and Vector Art (103)
4634
« on: October 30, 2017, 12:41 »
Similars don't matter unless they mess up the search.
That's the way I see it. Only makes the agency look bad, doesn't hurt me any. I doubt that it makes these people more money, just makes them work much harder for what little they will get. Diminishing returns...
4635
« on: October 30, 2017, 12:37 »
Oh, these internet times are so sweet
Watching people without basic education in economy talking about macroeconomics and monetary policies. Because they read something on the internet written by another moron like them. You guys just make me laugh.
I guess in these sweet internet times, everyone became expert in everything.
Does anyone really understand economics? I'll give you one of my favourite quotes from an economist.
"The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable." John Kenneth Galbraith.
Yes, it's like sports betting on the "trends" which are just a collection of after the fact data and have almost no effect on the future of a game. I always thought VooDoo and economics predictions had something in common?  Honestly some principles of economics do hold true, just that there are so many variables and unpredictable facets that a clear look into the future is uncertain.
4636
« on: October 30, 2017, 12:32 »
Just made a revised release, added the dates to the release for photographer, model and witness, to coincide with the original which only had one date on the entire form (rejected yesterday) New form was accepted. Files are on sale. Might not be as complicated as some are making it. If there are no complications and it's the truth, add the dates.
4637
« on: October 30, 2017, 12:29 »
Shutterstock Milestones:
September 21, 2006 - Shutterstock surpasses one million stock photos
Feb. 20th, 2009 -Shutterstock reaches 6 million photos, (5 million 2.5 years)
February 14, 2010 - Shutterstock reaches 10 million Photos (4 million 12 months)
June 19, 2012 - Shutterstock reaches 20m stock Images (10 Million 28 months)
October 30, 2013 - Shutterstock reaches 30 million images (10 million 15 months)
Aug. 4, 2014 - Shutterstock celebrates 40 million images in it's collection. (10 million 10 months)
December 31, 2014 - 46.8 million images in the collection. (1 million new files per month)
March 3, 2015 - 50 Million Image mark is reached (10 million in 7 months for those watching)
At the same rate, September 2015 60 Million Images will be available
SS Members by registration year rounded.
2005 - 4300
2006 - 3900 = 8200
2007 - 3800 = 12,000
2008 - 5500 = 17,500
2009 - 7200 = 24,700
2010 - 5000 = 30,700
(I collected this from press releases, wayback on the web and other sources. There is no claim that it's 100% accurate. But it roughly an indication of the milestones and growth of Shutterstock) Also I will be one of the first to argue that registered members is to be taken with a grain of salt. Some never pass the test, and some contribute nothing. Others have stopped uploading and moved on to other interests, but left their ports working.
The number of active, working photographers is unknown. Adding an average of 4000 a year, it could be 50,000 people who opened an account.
60 million by September 2015? that's 10 million new images in seven months. It took six years to do that in the opening days. Small wonder that sales and percentages are down. Competition multiplies at enormous numbers, even with strict reviews and rejections.
It's not a flood of new images, it's a tsunami!
Adding to the list, maybe when it snows I'll make another timeline? Oct. 28th, 2017 surpassed 160 million images. (trick or treat?)  160,279,451 royalty-free stock images / 1,294,753 new stock images added this week
4638
« on: October 30, 2017, 12:22 »
No, they're giving away some stolen files for free. The OP is correct. I just downloaded one of my own files from there. Scumbags.
File the useless toothless guard dog DMCA complaint. They should remove the files. Too bad there's no legal penalty for "borrowing" our files, intentionally or not. The site is advertising for SS as a partner, the free shouldn't be yours or any of us, but some old PD files. Note that most of the search results point to Shutterstock and the pop up 10% discount ad is for Shutterstock. Click bait site.
4639
« on: October 18, 2017, 22:08 »
Desintegrator, It's quite simple to connect Fotolia and AdobeStock accounts and you can still continue uploading to Fotolia. You will just upload to one site and your work will show up on both. The Fotolia site functions well and I too prefer using it.
Yes, they are one in the same, not different. I prefer to upload through Adobe and edit later, look at stats on FT. Adobe has a much better interface for uploading, but as far as I can see, no way to alter or edit after upload and acceptance. FT allows that, and has better earnings reporting. But back at the question, they are synced and identical, one shows the gallery to buyers, same as the other.
4640
« on: October 18, 2017, 22:03 »
Downloaded the app and uploaded a phone photo today. I'll see how that works. The app is Contributor by Getty Images not anything iStock, but I used my standard iStock login and password. Easy upload, needs title and some keywords, which there's a helper. More than anything, I care about sales, $$$, not apps or uploads or anything else.
4641
« on: October 11, 2017, 16:51 »
Today = 157,249,430. That's quite a few.
If you were just starting out, would you?
Yes I would, but I'd have different expectations based on current events and the whole Microstock market. Many of us started out thinking that we could build a portfolio and reach a level of sustainable income. Instead of growth, we started to see an earnings wall and then the agencies started to cut things, like referrals. iStock changed commissions, lower of course. Fotolia dropped some achievement levels, percentages and returns. SS has held steady for almost everything, adding some ways to sell, but revised the EL values. Adobe has actually increased stability and set some standards in spite of FTs unpredictable changes. BS went from 50c DLs when independent to 25c when sold. The little places struggle, but somehow stay in business. Doesn't that say something about how much they make off our work and how little is shared? Example 129 people ranked DT at an average of 5.9, which could mean $25 a month. That x 129 = $3,225 or at 80%, their take, $12,900 from those same people. Is that enough for the office, website, servers, staff? Adobe, who's selling a service made us an average (roughly) of $200 for 106 people, $21,200 or their take = $84,800! Thanks going to pay some bills. I wouldn't have predicted that we would be getting 15-20% at almost all the functional agencies and less from some that barely sell anything at all. EVen if a small one promises 50%, what's 50% of nothing?  At some point exponential growth will come to a halt often spectacularly as investors have often found. I think we are seeing the first signs of this.
I believe 50% annual exponential growth will continue for the next five years. In 2022 top agencies will have a billion plus images. Best to adjust business plans and expectations accordingly.
I'd agree with pauws that there's an end, especially to 50% growth. It's like a Ponzi scheme. Eventually it starts to collapse and the pyramid only has a few at the peak, supported by the many people on the bottom.
4642
« on: October 10, 2017, 15:13 »
To add a little more to the stats for the incredible inflating stock collection, look at the images added per year (October to October)
2016 - 2017 53,136,429
2015 - 2016 38,587,590
2014 - 2015 22,068,430
2013 - 2014 13,795,139
I'm not sure that there's any real value in it (given some of the stuff they've added that I cannot believe will ever sell even once), but they went from 100m to 150m images/vectors in the last year. You have to wonder how long they can keep up a 50% growth rate with a collection this big...
Think the current growth rate is down to more like a measly 35-40%. I suspect the monthly number of images is close to topping out at a sluggish 1.5m a week ;-).
Yes to both. There's a percentage math problem entering in. Lets say the peak has been reached and 1.5 a week is the limit to submitting, review and placement. (it's not, but hypothetically) Then the rate of growth will slow, stated as a percentage. In fact as the collection grows, the rate of growth will essentially start to slow, even though it hasn't. That's where percentage is a flawed measure. If some small agency suddenly added 1.5 million a week, their rate of growth, percentage, would be enormous. For SS adding 3 miilon would be less. Same problem for SS earnings growth, eventually the annual gross is so high, that growth percentage appears to be slowing, when the actually dollar income is still growing at a high rate. As someone pointed out, for us to compete with the new competition, new images, we'd have to be submitting tens of thousands of new images a month, not hundreds. That's how the market has changed in ten years. I know I make fun of this, but it's honest. Sliced Vegetable Stock Photos, Illustrations, and Vector Art (813,790) Why would anyone shoot or draw another sliced vegetable and then expect it to make sales? What makes the newest image better than the other 800,000 already on the site. Even if half are useless and won't ever sell, that's still 400,000 of the same general subject? Speaking of 400,000 images... Sliced Tomato Stock Photos, Illustrations, and Vector Art (404,583) are buyers so needy that we must make more sliced tomatoes for them?
4643
« on: October 10, 2017, 12:28 »
Shutterstock Milestones:
September 21, 2006 - Shutterstock surpasses one million stock photos
Feb. 20th, 2009 -Shutterstock reaches 6 million photos, (5 million 2.5 years)
February 14, 2010 - Shutterstock reaches 10 million Photos (4 million 12 months)
June 19, 2012 - Shutterstock reaches 20m stock Images (10 Million 28 months)
October 30, 2013 - Shutterstock reaches 30 million images (10 million 15 months)
Aug. 4, 2014 - Shutterstock celebrates 40 million images in it's collection. (10 million 10 months)
December 31, 2014 - 46.8 million images in the collection. (1 million new files per month)
March 3, 2015 - 50 Million Image mark is reached (10 million in 7 months for those watching)
At the same rate, September 2015 60 Million Images will be available
SS Members by registration year rounded.
2005 - 4300
2006 - 3900 = 8200
2007 - 3800 = 12,000
2008 - 5500 = 17,500
2009 - 7200 = 24,700
2010 - 5000 = 30,700
(I collected this from press releases, wayback on the web and other sources. There is no claim that it's 100% accurate. But it roughly an indication of the milestones and growth of Shutterstock) Also I will be one of the first to argue that registered members is to be taken with a grain of salt. Some never pass the test, and some contribute nothing. Others have stopped uploading and moved on to other interests, but left their ports working.
The number of active, working photographers is unknown. Adding an average of 4000 a year, it could be 50,000 people who opened an account.
60 million by September 2015? that's 10 million new images in seven months. It took six years to do that in the opening days. Small wonder that sales and percentages are down. Competition multiplies at enormous numbers, even with strict reviews and rejections.
It's not a flood of new images, it's a tsunami!
Since pete isn't here to keep this updated. He was off by one month, means new photos are being added faster then in March. 5 months 9 days to add what was 6 years. 62,000 new photos a day.
August 12, 2015 SHUTTERSTOCK STATS: 60,005,768 royalty-free stock images / 445,148 new stock images added this week
More pictures, more competition, less money.
Oh good my favorite Subject Founded in 2003 September 21, 2006 - Shutterstock surpasses one million stock photos157,044,919 royalty-free stock images / 1,207,143 new stock images added this week
Adding more new photos a week, than they did in the first three years. We wonder why sales are down? 17,000+ artists with over 1,000 images. 2068 accounts with over 10,000 images each (same as the entire collection in 2012) nature 24,747,730 objects 20,961,491 parks-outdoor 14,101,183 food-and-drink 18,635,876 That's your competition!
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