Reciprocity Images

Re: Distribution OUT: Bosnia-Herzegovina* Bulgaria* Czech Republic* Hungary* Macedonia* Slovakia* Slovenia* Yugoslavia (assuming this includes Serbia-Montenegro and Kosovo?)* - Estonia Latvia Lithuania Turkey *Note: AFIAK these are PROFIMEDIA countries. The worst distributor out there; I wish Alamy would drop them completely and I would consider keeping a few of those countries.

Am extremely lucky to have had one of the same (Mine sold via Vida Press to http://reisile.postimees.ee/). With the distributor commission, it ranks amoung my lowest (NET) value sales here (though a few to Italy actually have it beat!). Alamy's answer would be that these terribly low value distributor sales "[...] are customers we wouldn’t normally reach as it’s a sale through our Distribution scheme." However, in my case, the image was promptly copied to two additional websites, so for the price I am not sure the additional exposure is worth it. It may be worth taking note, and opting out of distribution to relevant territories when the time comes (in April). HOWEVER, my highest sale on Alamy also came from another territory where we are used to seeing these incredibly poor fees, so I am somewhat reluctant to do so. Unfortunately when you opt in to the distributor scheme, you are stuck taking the disappointing sales along with the... occasionally slightly better ones. -Jason

Absolutely NOT personal use... edit: Price calculator gives € 385.00 for use as described for a single image (Internal poster/decor).

Thanks for reporting and especially for taking the time to look up the lowly photographer's name, I wouldn't have found it otherwise! -Jason

Meant to add: Above post is referring to sales listed as “United Kingdom ; Usage: Editorial ; Media: Newspaper” Sales listed as “United Kingdom ; Usage: Editorial ; Media: Editorial website” don’t seem to be affected by NP scheme; they are painfully low across the board (with one or two exceptions) all the way back to 2010.

I had been previously opted OUT until Jul 7 last year when I opted in as a test. I decided I would give it one year to gauge results... So it's now just about one week short of a year opted-in: 07/07/2016-YTD (Opted in) : 8 sales, avg. ≈ $13 Three years previous July 2013-July 2016 (Opted Out): 2-3 sales/year Highest $123, lowest $39 2015-2016 avg. ≈ $68 2014-2015 avg. ≈ $57 2013-2014 avg. ≈ $68 So in summary, newspaper scheme means: >volume, but <prices. Each of the three previous years (opted out), volume was lower, but I netted roughly the same (or more) $ from just one or two newspaper sales, as I did from my six newspaper scheme sales in the last twelve months... In my case, volume does not make up for lower prices, and newspaper sales are not a very large part of my bottom line in either case. YMMV. Conclusion: Will be opting OUT again. -Jason Edit: Updated numbers. Two more (very low) newspaper scheme sales just dropped in.

Bill them what you feel is fair. If there was no pricing discussion beforehand and they have already used the image, they are basically at your mercy... IMO $600 would be at the rather low end of the spectrum for front cover use, obviously depending on distribution, but this could be quite higher. -Jason

07/04/16 - In Paris, The Lost Generation’s Lost Bookstore http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/04/in-paris-the-lost-generation-s-lost-bookstore.html Shakespeare and Company bookstore, Paris, France Image ID: EJHR0A Contributor: Garden Photo World Young woman sitting in a book stone in front of shelves full of old books. Shakespeare & Company, Paris, France. Image ID: BKEYG3 Contributor: Jason Langley (My image was zoomed last month, license showed up today)

If you look around online you can find some RAW samples taken with these cameras. I have played around with some of these files, and while they are fairly decent considering, depending on your needs and skill level you may have some problems getting consistently clean and sharp files. Noise becomes an issue already at relatively low ISO. Also, if you plan to correct for the rather heavy lens distortion, you will lose additional resolution. Still, I would imagine a decent percentage of shots would be 'usable' especially when taken in good light and sized down to Alamy's 17MB minimum (or even 24MB). I did some research a few months back and concluded that while prices have gone down and quality has definitely gone up with each iteration, I wasn't convinced that it was quite good enough for my interests- maybe next round? Still, they offer something unique and at a relatively low entry price, they are definitely capable of making images that stand out. There are a handful of images already on Alamy from the Phantom 4, as well as the similar GoPros, so it is possible to pass QC with one. -Jason

Not specifically, but generally, these kinds of images are made using: a. ND filter? b. multiple exposures as flattened layers? c. both (a) & ( b ) d. neither (a) nor ( b ) but: _____ Just hazarding a guess (perhaps Amril will share his technique), but shooting at dusk, you would most likely not need an ND filter to get a long enough exposure for the light trails (though it's certainly an option if you want to increase them, or if the exposure is too short otherwise). Don't see any reason for multiple exposures in this case. My guess: just a well composed, well shot, but more or less straightforward image. =) -Jason

NUJ urges all photographer members to activate Alamy's opt-out clause: https://www.nuj.org.uk/news/photographers-urged-to-activate-alamys-opt-out-clause/

Just had to chime in and echo what others have said (dustydingo said it right): Your images are different because they are likely a step above what many contributors are submitting, especially 99% of those who are just starting out. You are starting on the right foot– Just take on board some of the advice others have offered (many more well-shot images, maybe pull some more detail out of the shadows, etc.) and you will be on the right track. In addition (contrary?) to what others have said regarding specific locations/subject: I would also note that it's often the exceptionally captured generic shots which bring sales that come in way above the general editorial travel market. Example: Very nicely shot, plenty of COPYSPACE! (I'd still lift the shadows a touch) A few more: F0JN0K: great image (vertical is always a plus), copyspace F08YEW, F0APN9, EYHWYC etc: well-shot skylines are ALWAYS in demand. G3H8E3: stunning pic, vertical, copyspace, etc. These are the types of images I would focus on based on your portfolio. If you are able to shoot the kind of images the commercial market demands, do that, and forget about what other editorial shooters are producing. Take a look rather than at alamy, but perhaps some of the more commercially-oriented (or premium travel photography) competitors and see what other kinds of images are out there. You obviously have the technical base to build on in order to produce images that will appeal to a smaller, but richer market. Good luck! -Jason

Thanks for reporting. Oddly, this was previously reported way back in 2013, and the article seems to be unchanged– Only the date has been updated. -Jason

Definitely agree with this. They are very flat- Need a simple levels adjustment to bring out highlights and contrast. Here's one picked at random that I think would have potential: A quick 'auto-levels' in Photoshop makes a very big difference. Working from RAW will undoubtedly be better. -Jason

On a roll this month, Stefano! =)