John Mitchell

I get you, but I think you might have lucked out last summer. Check this out.

I'm a bit hesitant to broach this subject. However, it's something that intrigues me. How prevalent is copycatting on Alamy, and how ethical is it? By "copycatting" I don't mean looking at other contributors' images in order to get ideas. Most of us do that now and then, and it strikes me as being perfectly legit. We learn a lot from each other, and I'm all for sharing knowledge and expertise. Rather I'm thinking about situations where contributors go out of their way to create (or try to) almost exactly the same image as someone else. In the past, I've seen what I believe was evidence of intentional copycatting, not by regular forum contributors of course: we're all too upstanding for that. 😏

You would have needed AC in Montreal this year. Friends there say that it has been really hot. Vancouver is normally very comfortable in the summer, with average temps in the 70's F. However, people still leave their cars idling with the AC on, usually while they play with their electronic devices. I guess it's all relative.

The context thing can be confusing. For instance, I thought that including people in a street mural image would give enough context. However, I had one with two people walking by a mural painted on the side of a building removed from the database not long ago due to lack of context.

It does indeed. Thanks again. Always impressed by your botanical knowledge.

That's a good philosophy alright, especially for Alamy. However, there is some room for "beauty" here. The Personal Use licensing option, for all its shortcomings, has helped matters a bit in that department. Then there are occasional calendar sales and the like.

"Name the Clematis" sounds like a good name for a new TV game show. You might have a winner on your hands there. 🤩 There is a bewildering number of clematises, and new varieties are being cultivated all the time, it seems. I just include the colour(s) -- e.g. purple clematis. That said, if John R. doesn't know, then nobody does. I have no idea what this one is (don't mean to steal the show, you were first, Matt).

I like your Stockimo images. Making sales must be very difficult with everyone now snapping away with their smartphones. I'm so out of it, I don't even own one.

Be glad you don't have a dog or cat. I'm fortunate enough to have been out of the rental market for a long time, which is a good thing since it's brutal in Vancouver. I had no idea that landlords don't like renting to seniors. You would think that older tenants would be preferable since they tend to be quieter and more responsible than students. I do know, however, that landlords in Vancouver now tend to prefer short-term tenants so they can put the rent up often (i.e. when they leave).

Yes, we're all slaves to our computer screens now. Taking pictures has become almost a luxury. That said, you're probably going to need to upload a lot more images before sales start coming along. Buena suerte.

I'm a generalist by nature. I did have something of a photographic niche at one time, but my collection is now a hodgepodge. However, my niche images continue to be my most dependable sellers. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. For instance, I know that I'd make a terrible sports photographer as I barely know one end of a football (the American kind) from the other, and I duck if I see a basketball coming my way.

Perhaps adding more info to some of your captions would help. For instance, I would have captioned T9D9YN something like this: Courtyard of the Palace of Quetzalpapalotl at the pre-Columbian ruins of Teotihuacan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site near Mexico City P.S. I just had another look at some of your other Mex City images, and the captions look good.

Landscapes and other "pure" nature images probably do better (unfortunately) at some of those other places. However, if you can link your nature images (via captions and keywords) to topics in the news like climate change and other environmental concerns, then they might do better here.

Very pleasing, well-composed images. However, I'd consider adding more editorial style images. They are still the ones that do the best on Alamy. Also, as someone mentioned in another thread, it's not a good idea to crop too tightly. Editors often like to have some space to play with. Good luck.

That sounds like a good strategy. It pays to shoot subjects that you understand and which have meaning for you. I come from backgrounds in education and freelance writing, which I think has helped me a lot on Alamy given that it is primarily an editorial agency.