Alamy Blog - We want your suggestions

[John Mitchell]

1 hour ago, meanderingemu said:

 

 

the three images only also doesn't allow Alamy to validate that applicant understand unpublished rules, such as limit of number of similar images.

 

As I remember, it was ten images when I started submitting in 2007. That seemed like a rational number. I could never figure out why it was lowered it to three images, which, as you say, doesn't seem like enough to get an idea of a contributor's skill level, etc.

[geogphotos]

Blog posts I am looking forward to:

 

Why we restored non exclusive commission to 50%

 

Our new improved infringement management scheme goes live

 

How we are rewarding our best performing contributors

[Colin Woods]

2 hours ago, John Mitchell said:

I could never figure out why it was lowered it to three images, which, as you say, doesn't seem like enough to get an idea of a contributor's skill level, etc.

 

I think it was to open the floodgates to get the numbers of contributors and hence images up, so as to compete with big micro players in terms of numbers.

[Colin Woods]

2 hours ago, geogphotos said:

Blog posts I am looking forward to:

 

I would add

 

How licensing images at eleven cents helps our business model and motivates our contributors

 

How you can claim Personal Use and get a full resolution file

[Colblimp]

Not at all interested in blog posts.  However, Ian's suggestion about finding out more about the Live News Desk appeals, as does Ian's suggestion about Alamy engaging meaningfully with its contributors. 

 

As for blog posts about photographic technique , LR, PS and the like - just no!  This is a forum for photographers contributing to a professional news/stock agency, if they don't know the basics, they really shouldn't be here!

[meanderingemu]

On 22/04/2021 at 10:09, Alamy said:

 

 

P.s Here are some of our recent posts in case you fancy a read:

 

• Captions and Tags: How and Why?
• Top locations you should visit and photograph post-Covid
• How to photograph: Food
• 25 of the most awesome golden hour images you’ll ever see
• An ethereal look at double exposure
• 11 graphic designers and illustrators you should know about
• Behind the lens with Stefan Rousseau
• 3 affordable alternatives to Photoshop

 

 

Maybe a blog about what is the purpose of the blog.   

 

I look at the second one.  There is no explanation why from a Stock Agency i should go to these places?  If there is a demand for Drone shot of Barcelona, why was this not already identified in "what should I shoot" ?   the places listed also all seem well represented already, what are the things the clients are looking for from there?

 

Ethereal look at Double exposure?  What is the demand?  How many double exposure do you license in a year?

 

 

[John Mitchell]

6 hours ago, Colin Woods said:

 

I think it was to open the floodgates to get the numbers of contributors and hence images up, so as to compete with big micro players in terms of numbers.

 

You're probably right. It's all about numbers these days.

[John Mitchell]

1 hour ago, meanderingemu said:

 

 

Maybe a blog about what is the purpose of the blog.   

 

I look at the second one.  There is no explanation why from a Stock Agency i should go to these places?  If there is a demand for Drone shot of Barcelona, why was this not already identified in "what should I shoot" ?   the places listed also all seem well represented already, what are the things the clients are looking for from there?

 

Ethereal look at Double exposure?  What is the demand?  How many double exposure do you license in a year?

 

 

 

I just searched my port using the term "ethereal" and nothing came up. Does this mean I've missed the boat?😲

 

 

[Steve F]

Hi Alamy,

Thanks for asking for blog topics. First of all, I have to admit that I almost never look at the blog apart from when I get a direct email about a post. So apologies if you've already done a blog on a suggested topic!

 

As several other contributors have mentioned, there's a lot of beginners on Alamy asking the same questions over and over. The recent captions and tags blog post is great. So can you expand the text in:

https://www.alamy.com/contributor/how-to-sell-images/captions-and-keywords-for-images/?section=8

 

OR, how about providing a link on this page to the relevant blog post? I understand that you don't want to put off new contributors with loads of text in the How to Sell Pictures section of the website, so how about providing links to a series of blog posts with additional advice for beginners?

 

 

Other than that, how about a blog post on:

• Composition. Rule of thirds, subject in centre, elements distracting from the main subject, out of focus elements in the front leading the viewer's eye to the main subject, use of selective focus. When to break composition rules and and thinking out of the box.
• Using light. Natural light, artifical light (use of flash). Good lighting of the subject can make or break a photo. Shooting a portrait, halo with sun behind, avoiding shooting in direct sunshine which puts unavoidable shadows on the subject's face etc.
• Viewpoints. How can you photograph a subject in a different way to make it more interesting? Maybe a bog standard horizontal point and shoot including all of the main subject is just boring. How about looking down on, getting down low and looking up, closeups showing a particular detail of the main subject, skewed angle etc.
• Macro photography.
• Alamy's clients. Where and how do some of Alamy's pictures get used.

Steve

 

 

[Colblimp]

39 minutes ago, Steve F said:

Other than that, how about a blog post on:

• Composition. Rule of thirds, subject in centre, elements distracting from the main subject, out of focus elements in the front leading the viewer's eye to the main subject, use of selective focus. When to break composition rules and and thinking out of the box.
• Using light. Natural light, artifical light (use of flash). Good lighting of the subject can make or break a photo. Shooting a portrait, halo with sun behind, avoiding shooting in direct sunshine which puts unavoidable shadows on the subject's face etc.
• Viewpoints. How can you photograph a subject in a different way to make it more interesting? Maybe a bog standard horizontal point and shoot including all of the main subject is just boring. How about looking down on, getting down low and looking up, closeups showing a particular detail of the main subject, skewed angle etc.
• Macro photography.

Steve

But contributors should know all this if they're trying to sell pictures, no?  If photographers need to know all that, they should maybe take a course or become familiar with photography before they submit here?

[Steve F]

15 minutes ago, Colblimp said:

But contributors should know all this if they're trying to sell pictures, no?  If photographers need to know all that, they should maybe take a course or become familiar with photography before they submit here?

 

Well yes, it would be nice if that's the case. But unfortunately it isn't. And I can't see that becoming reality unless Alamy significantly tightens up their entry requirements. I'd hope that blog posts on these subjects would be wide ranging enough that beginners and experts could find something new to learn.

Edited April 24, 2021 by Steve F

[Colblimp]

13 minutes ago, Steve F said:

 

Well yes, it would be nice if that's the case. But unfortunately it isn't. And I can't see that becoming reality unless Alamy significantly tightens up their entry requirements. I'd hope that blog posts on these subjects would be wide ranging enough that beginners and experts could find something new to learn.

I still maintain beginners have no business submitting to Alamy.  Learn the craft, then start attempting to earn money.  I was 23 years shooting before I turned pro, now it seems all one has to do is buy a beginners camera and that's it - you're a pro...

[Steve F]

10 minutes ago, Colblimp said:

I still maintain beginners have no business submitting to Alamy.  Learn the craft, then start attempting to earn money.  I was 23 years shooting before I turned pro, now it seems all one has to do is buy a beginners camera and that's it - you're a pro...

 

Despite the fact that I spend a lot of time helping out beginners, I would actually prefer if people were more experienced before submitting on Alamy. I just like helping people though. We'll see how long my patience lasts for answering the same questions over and over. Copy and paste seems to be the way to go!

 

It's a whole other discussion but I think that more clients may be attracted to Alamy if the overall quality of the library is higher. So you can achieve that by really tightening the entry requirements - which I would like to happen, but I can't see Alamy doing that. Alternative is to improve beginners as fast as possible to reduce the number of poor images in the catalogue. Maybe that's providing more competition for myself, but as I said, there's a whole other discussion to be had there!

 

And Alamy markets itself as accepting any images as long as they meet the technical requirements. Which is great and I applaud that. I'm sure they sell lots of images that may have been rejected at other agencies. Unfortunately, it doesn't weed out badly composed, poorly lit subjects and all the rest of it....

Edited April 24, 2021 by Steve F

[Radim]

Hi

 

I fully agree with the meandering he said
"Maybe a blog about what is the purpose of the blog"

 

First, the authors (or rather the leaders) of the blog should clarify what the blog should be used for.

 

Sometimes it seems to me that the authors of the blog write about things that look creatively nice (sunsets over world monuments, etc.), but honestly how many of us can afford to go around the world monuments. Most contributors take pictures of things around them. The city where they live, what they eat, how I travel, animals, plants, the nearby landscape and local monuments in the region. Sometimes someone goes on a photographic trip somewhere. Unfortunately, the prices that are constantly falling are not very accommodating to these travelers.

Even the information about the double exposure is not something for me that would somehow inspire me on my way. How many sales per year were made?

 

It would also be worth thinking about information for graphic artists and illustrators. Most contributors are photographers. Stokimo is also being addressed elsewhere.

What I find beneficial are the things that affect us every day

- headlines and tags
- how to take pictures of food
- how to take pictures of anything
- advice on what works and what doesn't, legal things

 

Many subjective proposals have already been submitted by geogphotos, for example, and it seems that they still do not respond to them

Maybe it would be worthwhile for the authors to descend from artistic heights and approach the ordinary workers of everyday life with advice. We are the vast majority of contributors.

 

In conclusion, I would like to say that the previous layout was friendlier and clearer for me. Now it looks like the Alamy blog is another creative agency

 

I apologize for my googlish

 

Radim

[sb photos]

7 hours ago, meanderingemu said:

I look at the second one.  There is no explanation why from a Stock Agency i should go to these places?  If there is a demand for Drone shot of Barcelona, why was this not already identified in "what should I shoot" ?   the places listed also all seem well represented already, what are the things the clients are looking for from there?

 

I feel the same over Picture Needs. I occasionally glance through them, but would only likely respond if on my travels I was to pass the required subject. This is due to previously having noted a subject a short drive away, but didn't want to waste my time as it was already well covered. Unless the picture requirement gave a specific brief that I could meet, I would most likely have been wasting my time, and I suspect my reaction is common amongst contributors.

 

If Picture Needs were to be incorporated into the blog the potential clients specific needs should be shown otherwise it may waste everyones time. A weekly blog Picture Need request likely wouldn't be suitable if a fast response was required, but how many contributors read the Picture Needs every day?

Edited April 24, 2021 by sb photos

[sb photos]

19 hours ago, Joseph Clemson said:

 

Definitely a plus one on some kind of simple written test to check new contributors have at least studied the topics in the blogs on the contributor home page before they are let loose on the system. It's clear from what I have seen and read in the forums that many new entrants just dive in, espcially if they have some microstock experience, and fail to appreciate the different ways of Alamy. The way QC operates is the most obvious example which constantly trips up newbies.  I would also think it good if the number of test images was to be more than three, to demonstrate that the photographer can maintain some kind of consistency.

 

I agree 3 test images is likely insufficient.

[spacecadet]

20 hours ago, Colin Woods said:

They have really lowered the acceptance criteria. When I joined you had to submit (I think) 20 images for inspection.

Then that number was reduced soon after. I was failed merely for submitting more than 3 in 2006.

Edited April 24, 2021 by spacecadet

[Travelshots]

General impression  is that people on this forum have little interest in a blog.  There are more than enough  photographers here and  encouraging new contributors  just dilutes our earnings even more. It may sound bit harsh but its true. My sales used to be fabulous but now they are pitiful. 

[Gorilla Dave]

I’ve been aware of the blog but not paid a lot of attention -  when I have, it has sometimes seemed a bit superficial – so for me, perhaps a bit more research and a bit more detail in the blog pieces would be good.

One comment in this thread suggested more insight into how the Live News Desk operates.  I’m not part of the Live News but I can understand that comment. 

I would like to be able to get more ‘inside the head’ of picture researchers and picture buyers.  We know they’re looking for ‘lively, vibrant, blah blah blah’; but some specific examples of things that they have really made a picture work for them; or things they see a lot of on Alamy but would never use (and why …), to give contributors an insight into how picture buyers are thinking.

So a well-researched and detailed piece along the lines of “a day in the life of a picture buyer” would be great!

Also - some contributors, as well as being involved in photography in either a small way or big way; are also writers. 
Alamy might consider commissioning image contributors to be blog contributors, with Alamy retaining editorial control of any written pieces.

A single link on Contributor Dashboard to something like ‘Contributor Knowledge Base’ would be a good idea.

 

 

 

[Jill Morgan]

10 hours ago, Colblimp said:

But contributors should know all this if they're trying to sell pictures, no?  If photographers need to know all that, they should maybe take a course or become familiar with photography before they submit here?

 

The fact is, if Alamy is going to accept photographers with just a low example of work, then they know they are going to get a lot of inexperienced people that have nice gear.  If they are going to accept green photographers, then they should do their best to make sure their work is up to snuff as the entire Alamy port (good and bad) reflects on Alamy and all its' contributors.

 

There are so many other blogs out there, and videos on YouTube telling people all the money they can make with their images.  And many are silly enough to believe it. So as much as we would like to see people wait, they don't. Alamy accepts them so they might as well offer as much help as possible.  Blogs really do seem to be for the more inexperienced shooters anyway.

[Colblimp]

1 hour ago, Jill Morgan said:

 

The fact is, if Alamy is going to accept photographers with just a low example of work, then they know they are going to get a lot of inexperienced people that have nice gear.  If they are going to accept green photographers, then they should do their best to make sure their work is up to snuff as the entire Alamy port (good and bad) reflects on Alamy and all its' contributors.

 

There are so many other blogs out there, and videos on YouTube telling people all the money they can make with their images.  And many are silly enough to believe it. So as much as we would like to see people wait, they don't. Alamy accepts them so they might as well offer as much help as possible.  Blogs really do seem to be for the more inexperienced shooters anyway.

I completely disagree with the idea of Alamy helping contributors with the basics of photography.  It's a kick in the teeth to photographers who have spent years learning the craft on film, later on digital and who were patient before starting to monetise photography.

[MDM]

43 minutes ago, Colblimp said:

I completely disagree with the idea of Alamy helping contributors with the basics of photography.  It's a kick in the teeth to photographers who have spent years learning the craft on film, later on digital and who were patient before starting to monetise photography.

I totally agree. Imagine a music stock site where you try to submit just after you buy your first guitar, keyboard or whatever and need help learning the instrument or how to read music. Photography is no different. It is a highly skilled craft. 

[MDM]

I'm not sure about suggestions on what to produce for the blog but I have a few comments on the existing blog and how I think it could be improved in general.

 

1. How about carefully proofreading the blog posts before they go live for grammatical errors? Some read like essays written by someone with no training in writing articles. I realise that the style is intended to be informal and friendly but bad grammar doesn’t give a good impression. Eats shoots and leaves.

 

2. My impression is that many of the posts seem to have been produced just for the sake of writing a blog post. As an example, the 3 affordable alternatives to Photoshop post is effectively pointless in my opinion, as it barely skims the surface in terms of what is available. It is certainly unlikely to be of any practical use to anyone looking for an alternative, such as Ed Rooney in a very recent forum post. In other words, if you are going to go to the trouble of producing an article like this, make it really useful and make it the 10 affordable alternatives to Photoshop. Admittedly it would be a lot of work but there is little value in a half-baked approach. As it stands, there are far better articles out there on the subject of Photoshop alternatives on the camera magazine websites.

 

3. Keep the articles up to date, take down outdated posts and make the dates a lot more visible.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 25, 2021 by MDM

[wiskerke]

49 minutes ago, MDM said:

Eats shoots and leaves.

 

As a non-native speaker I had to look this up. Hilarious!

It's a book btw. And this is what one of it's critics had to say: In a 2004 review, Louis Menand of The New Yorker pointed out several dozen punctuation errors in the book, including one in the dedication, and wrote that "an Englishwoman lecturing Americans on semicolons is a little like an American lecturing the French on sauces. Some of Truss's departures from punctuation norms are just British laxness. Oh boy. (via)

 

wim

[MDM]

25 minutes ago, wiskerke said:

 

As a non-native speaker I had to look this up. Hilarious!

It's a book btw. And this is what one of it's critics had to say: In a 2004 review, Louis Menand of The New Yorker pointed out several dozen punctuation errors in the book, including one in the dedication, and wrote that "an Englishwoman lecturing Americans on semicolons is a little like an American lecturing the French on sauces. Some of Truss's departures from punctuation norms are just British laxness. Oh boy. (via)

 

wim

 

it is well worth reading.