stockphotospot.com?

[wesd]

Has anyone used these guys? What are people's exeriances with them?
Wes

 

[wesd]

bump

 

[darich]

I've never used them but all the images are royalty free and looks like a micro-site.
Basically you sell an image for a few pence, or a few cents and the purchaser can use it worldwide on billboards and you won't receive a penny more.

 

[neea]

This kinda thing would be great for people who want their work shown world wide. Even though you don't make any money from it.
Err. I think I'm starting to get all the threads mixed up in my mind.
I spend too much time here.

 

[darich]

This kinda thing would be great for people who want their work shown world wide. Even though you don't make any money from it.
Err. I think I'm starting to get all the threads mixed up in my mind.
I spend too much time here.

If your aim was to show your images worldwide then you wouldn't use this site. You'd use flickr, myspace, bebo or any of the countless other places that allow image hosting.
The site in question is a microstock site where photographers practically give their work away rather than sell it.

my advice would be look for a rights managed agency or library - that way you retain control of your image.

 

[zedin]

Darich..
While what you said is somewhat true microstock sites are not bad for those photos of yours that really are not 'stand alone' or what not. Most companies will go with microstock site for general photos to use. If they are willing to pay a real stock company most likely they will just get a photographer to shoot exactly what they want. Also.. if you practiced taking a bunch of pictures of toothpicks in a light tent and have some nice ones but nothing that really 'means' anything and will just sit on your hard drive why not submit it to the microstock site and see if it sells. I am not saying send in your masterpieces to these places (which unfortunately some do) but if it is just sitting on your computer and won't ever go anywhere why not submit it? Someone might want it for a brochure or minor image. True you won't make much but more then it will sitting on your machine.

 

[darich]

Darich..
While what you said is somewhat true microstock sites are not bad for those photos of yours that really are not 'stand alone' or what not. Most companies will go with microstock site for general photos to use. If they are willing to pay a real stock company most likely they will just get a photographer to shoot exactly what they want. Also.. if you practiced taking a bunch of pictures of toothpicks in a light tent and have some nice ones but nothing that really 'means' anything and will just sit on your hard drive why not submit it to the microstock site and see if it sells. I am not saying send in your masterpieces to these places (which unfortunately some do) but if it is just sitting on your computer and won't ever go anywhere why not submit it? Someone might want it for a brochure or minor image. True you won't make much but more then it will sitting on your machine.

You have a point and I've considered this a few times. When i go out for a day's shooting I'll end up with 200 images and I'll maybe only print or publish half a dozen on my website.

However, therein lies the problem.

Let's say you have your 20images of toothpicks and you upload 15 average ones to a microstock site. Then a few weeks later you're contacted by a company looking for toothpick images. So you hand over the best one and receive a decent payment. Great.

But then what happens, is that the company who paid you well, finds you are selling very similar images for a few pence. They'll not be happy, and possibly write to you saying that you're breaking the rights of use agreement by selling the image they bought. I know you'll argue it's a different image. In reality you're right - it may be a different f stop and another shutter release, but to 99% of people it's the same image.

I also know that if you sell your toothpick image to company 1 for a calendar and company 2 comes looking you cannot sell that image or any of the very similar ones to anyone else for a calendar. Again, rights of use etc.

And that's the problem with microstock sites and royalty free - you have no idea where or when or how often your images will be used. So any images that are similar or possibly even of the same subject cannot be sold anywhere else once you sell them royalty free.

And considering the poor rates of pay, sometimes around $0.20, or about 10p to me, I'd rather not sell it to retain control and the possibility of a REAL sale later on. And i often think, if it's good enough to sell then why not retain the rights???

 

[theRossatron]

If you use Shutterstock, I think you only sell a single use license and you still own the rights to the image.

 

[darich]

If you use Shutterstock, I think you only sell a single use license and you still own the rights to the image.

this is a microsite too.
You get a few cents per image downloaded and have no idea where or how often that image is used.
Yes you retain copyright but by uploading to their site you are giving permission for your images to be used royalty free.

Yes you "own" the copyright but you have no control over the "rights of use".

You also don't receive any credit for any of your images appearing anywhere. All that for $0.25. (or 12p to us brits!)

 

[Alex_B]

i would not use a microsite... or nanosite

I do not need the few pence, and I see no reason to sell images which are only worth a few pence. I mean, you have to sell hundreds of pics then to get a decent pizza, thousands to get a decent wine...

.. i prefer to have the chance to really sell some of my work for real money. and if it is not worth it, well then it will stay on my harddrive only



but that is just my personal preference. ..

 

[darich]

i would not use a microsite... or nanosite

I do not need the few pence, and I see no reason to sell images which are only worth a few pence. I mean, you have to sell hundreds of pics then to get a decent pizza, thousands to get a decent wine...

.. i prefer to have the chance to really sell some of my work for real money. and if it is not worth it, well then it will stay on my harddrive only



but that is just my personal preference. ..

My sentiments exactly.
If it's good enough to sell why sell for a few pence and not £100???