Richard Tadman

Thanks for that. I thought I'd tried that without success, but website and codes are not my strongpoint. I'll try again. Cheers

My current website has a small black Alamy logo that directs visitors to my Alamy portfolio if they click on it. I'm currently building a new website and can't find the link anywhere to install it on the new site. Can some kind person, please direct me to this. I'm sure it was far easier to find some years ago - or maybe it's advancing years? Many thanks.

FotoArtist - just to add a note of positivity, I would be reassured that the quality of your images are not a problem, but as many others have said the subject matter and quantity of similar images is likely to be the reason that your sales are not forthcoming. Good luck

Quite true. My point was that a potential client looking for a picture of a specific bird for example, is unlikely to be unduly influenced by the date it was taken and more so by the quality or suitability of the image for their purposes. I guess that the subject matter will determine how critical the 'date taken' is.

A large proportion of my images are from the world of nature, animals, birds and landscapes and I regularly upload images up to 10 years old. A bird on a branch for example is not time relevant. I'm not aware of these images having any less prominence in searches than more recent uploads and many older images still sell. However if you are submitting scenes of towns, roads or railways then the older images will presumably be apparent due to models of cars etc. I guess it depends on your portfolio and target market.

The first thing to do is to read the comprehensive guidance that Alamy provides. You can find all the information here: https://www.alamy.com/contributor/how-to-sell-images/best-place-to-sell-stock-images-photos/

Sorry to hear about your problem. I hope you are able to recover the data. Without wishing to add to your misfortune, could you tell me how you managed to delete them all, if only to educate me and any others who are unaware from falling foul of the same problem?

For really top quality Lab' prints that are professionally produced as opposed to mass processed I use Peak Images https://www.peak-imaging.com/ I find them excellent and generally very competitive. (no association)

To me this is very simple. An "exclusive" image is by legal definition an image that is inherently unique. The subject matter is irrelevant. It is no more complex than that. If I take photo of Blackpool Tower and it differs in any way, however slight from any other picture of Blackpool Tower - then it is unique. Following on from that, provided I only make this "unique" image available to Alamy (with the permissible personal sale exclusions) then that satisfies the requirement of being "exclusive to Alamy" If anyone interprets that differently - speak to my legal team.

I always understood that the issue of exclusivity related to a specific image that was only available on Alamy [personal sales excepted] and not offered for sale via any other outlet. How can any photographer ensure that a very similar image isn't available through another source?

Is it me? - or has this thread completely lost it's way - and the contributors drifted off into flights of fantasy??

Yes - that is normally the case with a going concern. My point was that it would be simpler for all parties concerned to accept or reject the new circumstances by their ongoing behaviour than for PA Media, Alamy and each contributor to separately have to renegotiate every individual contract. The unanswered question (without having trawled through the Alamy agreement) is how soon could P A Media amend the agreements by giving us notice, if they wished to?

Typically this would be handled by a novation of existing contracts from Alamy to PA Media group. The simplest way for this to occur would be for PA to write to existing contributors and tell them that they are taking over Alamy's contracts. That would then enable contributors to accept, again in its simplest form just by continuing to participate as before or alternatively not consenting in which case PA Media would presumably cancel all affected contracts. Common sense suggests that they are unlikely to buy a business and simultaneously, in the short term alienate all the contributors, so

I entirely agree with you. My point was that random speculation can be very destructive and the world & Alamy will move ahead irrespective of whether we like it or not. My plea was simply not to 'waste a good worry'!

May I respectfully suggest that this torrent of speculation and second-guessing about the sale of Alamy's business , although entirely understandable is in no way productive. Businesses grow, decline and merge and will continue to do so. We may all speculate about what it means for us as contributors in the future, but speculation is all it will be. It is human nature to vent and be pessimistic but it is also true that none of us (outside the inner conclave) know with any certainty what the future will bring. Economics tell us that the market cannot be wrong and equally despite our anguish

Surely the Alamy staff will be protected under the TUPE regulations? This is specifically designed to protect staff transferring from one company to another and securing their rights and maintaining their contact terms. https://www.tssa.org.uk/en/Your-union/your-workplace/employment-rights/tupe--a-guide-to-the-regulations.cfm

I take your point. It must be great to have a business model where we all do the leg work at no cost to Alamy or whoever and other than storage and hosting fees they incur no cost until they sell an image and then they pretty much clear 50% on the sale. Not only that but we have to bear the 90 days or more credit extended to these customers. The more I think about this the more inequitable it all appears. Mugs or what ?

You have a point although if the user wants a picture of Blackpool Tower for example, there are such a huge array that arguable any of several hundred might fit the bill and it's back to supply and demand, bearing in mind that if Alamy can't fit the bill, plenty of other agencies can and the devil takes the hindmost. For those who have unique & specific images the rules are somewhat different, but I hazard a guess that they are few and far between in the overall scheme of things. Not only that but Alamy publishing list prices would seem to preclude them from charging a premium for even Elv

Just to add a note of commercial realism to this debate:- Business of whatever kind requires a willing seller & a willing buyer who agree to trade at a mutually acceptable price. Alamy (now PA Media) owes me no favours and likewise I am in no way beholden to them. It's the law of supply and demand. Excess supply = lower prices. Shortage of supply = higher prices. It's not rocket science. If as we all seem to accept, the market in which we operate is saturated with huge quantities of similar images it is inevitable that market prices fall. The answer is to bale out or to submit onl

To me the concept of critical mass in a business sense is the size that a business needs to reach in order to efficiently and competitively compete in their chosen market. Also the size (mass) a company must sustain to maintain growth and efficiency and sustain sufficient working capital. I'm not sure how this relates to Alamy. It's a measure of the minimum amount needed to sustain a business or venture. I'm not familiar with a critical mass in excess of that, unless of course we are talking nuclear issues?

If I was PA, I would consider this a valuable source of intelligence regarding contributors - at least short-term

I'm sure you are right but there is always a danger to attribute the worst of motives if you are the target company. I'm neither optimistic nor pessimistic but ultimately the market will decide and that is seriously over-subscribed and rationalising the providers (including we contributors) cannot be discounted.

I think if I was PA Media and has just acquired a new business, I wouldn't be in any great rush to upset the contributors, so I wouldn't expect any early changes while they delve into understanding what they have acquired. Assuming they have bought it to generate an income stream (as opposed to removing a competitor -which would be a somewhat costly option ) I'd expect a period of grace before they make any rash decisions. There again, I know as much as anyone else - major players apart.

I think the only certainty from this announcement is that the Chairman and & CEO will depart. "Advisory" roles don't tend to last too long once the new team are established. I don't feel over-confident about the carefully worded "In the immediate term....." but time will tell. It's now PA Media's train-set and so they can do with it what they will but it will be a rare event indeed if changes aren't afoot before long.

My last three sales (all August 2019) in 3 months time or so, will net me a total of $6.09. One sale is for a print run of 500,000. Q: What is the difference between a stock photographer and a pizza? A: You can provide a meal for your family with a pizza. Richard