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Forum on its last legs?


geogphotos

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On 20/06/2022 at 20:10, geogphotos said:

Almost dead.......100,000 contributors say 'can't be bothered'.

 

Sad. But a reflection I feel of Alamy having lost its community. Maybe deliberate who knows. 

There's a fine line between being in a photography forum writing about photography and being a photographer and doing something with your photographs. I opted out of the forum (90% of my previous time) when I realised the more photos I take, the more I sell.

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3 hours ago, Steve Valentia said:

There's a fine line between being in a photography forum writing about photography and being a photographer and doing something with your photographs. I opted out of the forum (90% of my previous time) when I realised the more photos I take, the more I sell.

 

I get this, but I think that PA needs to figure out what it bought with Alamy.  There's a not so fine line between having one sale per month per 1,000 photos, and having sales fall off drastically or go to sub $5 ten times more than $$$.  If you're selling regularly, then that's the right decision for you.  

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I agree that the deletion of private messaging and the locking of threads that people are interested in such as other Alamy ventures seems short-sighted.

 

Personally, having joined Alamy as my first foray into stock photography in 2008, I learned so much from those in this forum and will always be grateful - and interested in even the inane comments ...

 

Interest in other stock photo forums also seems to be waning; I'd guess that falling stock photo income is something you can only discuss for so long before it gets you down and you click on something else. Nice weather and a gradual opening up of the world again might also account for lower interest but POD forums seem to be livelier than ever so I'd guess it has more to do with the state of the industry than anything else.

 

The social media piece is something that none of the agencies seems to have gotten right. I tried liking and retweeting Alamy's tweets and even commenting a few years back and they never returned the favor so I stopped. It was discouraging. Why they don't have a full time social media team of 20-somethings is beyond me. With 7,012 followers I have more than S - but at least unlike Alamy (with only 20K followers), they have followed me back and shared my work. But we can't talk about them, even to say good things here. 

 

I joined a POD group on twitter recently and with 5-10 minutes of interaction daily I get lots of RTs and likes - and I get sales. And on one POD site even discounted designer sales which they seek out, despite a steep 60% discount they still net me $$$ per sale. The most recent one a couple weeks ago was $176. And I have sales from their Google ads. 

 

It's a good place vent our frustrations, but it'd be nice to share more good news. 

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4 hours ago, Steve Valentia said:

There's a fine line between being in a photography forum writing about photography and being a photographer and doing something with your photographs. I opted out of the forum (90% of my previous time) when I realised the more photos I take, the more I sell.

 

 

Same here, more and more effort, and ever decreasing fees.  Never sold as many photos though - trouble is the income side of the graph especially with only 40% ( 24% on distro).

 

78278 images under my name so I don't think you can blame me for not taking photos 🤪

 

I have never understood this suggestion that there is some sort of tension between taking photos are commenting on a forum - there is plenty of time for both.  You do seem to be taking something of a superior stance - maybe why you are getting red down votes?

Edited by geogphotos
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8 minutes ago, geogphotos said:

 

 

Same here, more and more effort, and ever decreasing fees.  Never sold as many photos though - trouble is the income side of the graph especially with only 40% ( 24% on distro).

 

78278 images under my name so I don't think you can blame me for not taking photos 🤪

 

I have never understood this suggestion that there is some sort of tension between taking photos are commenting on a forum - there is plenty of time for both.  You do seem to be taking something of a superior stance - maybe why you are getting red down votes?

 

 .. or maybe (and possibly wisely) just not interested in gleaning the 'likes' ( by voicing a different opinion). There is something in the adage that you either accept something, and accept the consequences of that; change with it; or you move away to something else (eg another style/place/outlet) ... (now think I really should just 'shut up' 🥴)

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22 minutes ago, BidC said:

 

 .. or maybe (and possibly wisely) just not interested in gleaning the 'likes' ( by voicing a different opinion). There is something in the adage that you either accept something, and accept the consequences of that; change with it; or you move away to something else (eg another style/place/outlet) ... (now think I really should just 'shut up' 🥴)

 

 

I don't think many/any of us care less about gleaning 'likes'.  I certainly have never been accused of trying to court popularity by holding back on my true opinions.

 

😀

 

I started the thread because the forum seemed to be dying out. It looks as though the latest furore has brought some people back to it. Hopefully that will continue. ( not the furore!)

Edited by geogphotos
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I'm still new to Alamy, but I've always liked the Forum, I've learned a lot during these years, I see that the photographers who join the alamy are no longer interested in the forums.
What I like is that in the Forum we get together to talk about what we like... Photographing! That's the most important thing, people get together to talk about what they like, regardless of whether it's about cameras, lenses, technical terms or even doubts we have about Alamy.
I like the Forum, I will always be here, I don't help much but the important thing is to be where we like to be and with colleagues who like the same as us. Photograph!
sorry for my english (translator's fault)

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On 21/06/2022 at 00:14, Betty LaRue said:

    Sim, o fórum caiu. Costumava haver uma discussão animada sobre novos equipamentos... quem pode comprar novos equipamentos com nossa renda baixa? Tudo em torno de desinteresse em todas as frentes, ao que parece. Sobre tudo o que falamos aqui é sobre o que foi vendido por amendoim, ou para anunciar a rara venda decente. Há mais ação nos tópicos Coisas boas e Coisas ruins.

    De minha parte, tenho observado um ninho de águia careca que tem uma sala de bate-papo animada e divertida, onde estou há vários meses. Eu aprendi muito sobre águias e como os pais criam seus filhotes. Claro, estou profundamente interessado na natureza.

    Perdemos alguns membros vitais que eram valorizados. Alguns ainda podem estar contribuindo, mas não estão mais no fórum. Praticamente paramos de ensinar novatos, algo que costumávamos fazer muito. Como em... por que gastar horas fazendo algo que Alamy deveria estar fazendo, enquanto recebemos menos? Além da parte de “ensinar concorrentes”. Eu pulo um pouco, mas nada como eu costumava fazer.
A emoção saiu de casa, junto com Elvis.

    Eu não fiz um upload desde a minha cirurgia. Isso é 5 meses. Eu continuo dizendo a mim mesma para fazer isso, mas não posso pagar gasolina para correr tirando fotos. Quantas fotos de flores e plantas por aqui posso tirar? Especialmente quando não pude plantar enquanto estou curando? Interesse zero aí. 💤

It would make a good topic...buying equipment with our low income... in my case (brazil) new cameras cost up to 8 thousand dollars.
Base salary 600 US/month
Camera : Sony Alpha a7S III Mirrorless 4K Full-Frame Camera (Body)

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28 minutes ago, geogphotos said:

 

 

I don't think many/any of us care less about gleaning 'likes'.  I certainly have never been accused of trying to court popularity by holding back on my true opinions.

 

😀

 

I started the thread because the forum seemed to be dying out. It looks as though the latest furore has brought some people back to it. Hopefully that will continue. ( not the furore!)

 

You're too kind ... 🥴 But 'furore' ... me .... (? 😎🤦‍♀️)

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2 hours ago, geogphotos said:

 

I have never understood this suggestion that there is some sort of tension between taking photos are commenting on a forum - there is plenty of time for both.  You do seem to be taking something of a superior stance - maybe why you are getting red down votes?

 

Time is factor in my life. I also play the saxophone, write books, teach photography and do my own laundry, shopping and cooking. I'm not sure why I'm getting red down votes, but there's another reason to spend less time in a forum. ;)

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15 hours ago, Steve Valentia said:

 

Time is factor in my life. I also play the saxophone, write books, teach photography and do my own laundry, shopping and cooking. I'm not sure why I'm getting red down votes, but there's another reason to spend less time in a forum. ;)

 

In my past experience the forum can be quite 'clique-y', and often a bit negative particularly towards newcomers.  I've crawled out the woodwork briefly, but usually just 'loiter' as a guest from time to time. I do occasionally learn something :) 

 

You sound as though you have a very full, enjoyable and active life !

Edited by BidC
spelling .... :0)
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39 minutes ago, BidC said:

 

In my past experience the forum can be quite 'clicky', and often a bit negative particularly towards newcomers.  I've crawled out the woodwork briefly, but usually just 'loiter' as a guest from time to time. I do occasionally learn something :) 

 

You sound as though you have a very full, enjoyable and active life !

 

Thanks. I joined Alamy in 2004, and there has, for me, always been individuals who spoil the forum and tend to treat it as their own personal domain. It's not surprising though (having also worked as a psychologist for 25 years), to realise that they also fail to recognise themselves as barriers to others remaining in the forum.

Edited by Steve Valentia
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15 minutes ago, Steve Valentia said:

 

Thanks. I joined Alamy in 2004, and there has, for me, always been individuals who spoil the forum and tend to run it as their own person domain. It's not surprising though (having also worked as a psychologist for 25 years), to realise that they also fail to recognise themselves as barriers to others remaining in the forum.

 

Some people who tend toward the cranky side tend to be the old school photographers who do have a lot of information to give.  

 

Bluntly, PA wants to transform Alamy, at least in part, into an advertising stock agency.   One either can adapt to that or not.   We have a few photographers in the group who have experience with doing this -- those are the people who could be helpful now.

 

 

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19 minutes ago, Rebecca Ore said:

 

Some people who tend toward the cranky side tend to be the old school photographers who do have a lot of information to give.  

 

Bluntly, PA wants to transform Alamy, at least in part, into an advertising stock agency.   One either can adapt to that or not.   We have a few photographers in the group who have experience with doing this -- those are the people who could be helpful now.

 

 

 

I was thinking - from the various sales  and fees posted on the forum - and from my experience this year - that they were looking more to make it a sgo-to source for cheap pix for the UK editorial market. My UK editorial sales this year (of US subjects) have all been <$5 gross. Given how much the UK tabloids reportedly pay paparazzi, you'd think they could afford to pay the rest of us a tad more.  

 

Thankfully I've had a handful of US editorial sales in the $69-89 range. US newspapers and magazines don't really make that much more than the UK media does (some I'm sure make a lot less) so what really accounts for the huge difference in prices?  Is the sales team in Brooklyn that much better than the one in London? I don't think so. 

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2 minutes ago, Phil Robinson said:

I don't come here much any more. It's too depressing.
Just popped in to give one piece of advice:
If you set the Alamy shortcut on your computers to your My Alamy page, not the home page. it saves a lot of time and migraines.

 

You’re right. I’ve done that for years, thus seldom ever saw the contributor image of the day posted on the home page, unless someone mentioned it and I went to see it.

For some reason, when I type in “I’ve”, spellcheck or predictive text substitutes “investor”. Can I gripe about that? :D

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general comment about the forum

...i can understand that Alamy would not want us to post defamatory comments about Alamy or about other stock agencies but...

 

what's the logic  behind telling us not to post about other forums ?

 

swopping notes about other forums is not a lot different from swopping notes about equipment.. is it ?

 

So i'm looking round for other forums just like everyone else i guess... this place does get a bit like 'Airstrip One'  at times,

...y'know, The Thought Police and Big Brother.

 

 GD

 

 

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I can set up a forum on my Wordpress site if one is wanted - that was not my intention when starting this thread.

 

I have no idea why Alamy has removed posts mentioning other forums. Seems way over the top to me. It is not as though they seem to value this one much nowadays so why do they care?

Edited by geogphotos
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On 20/06/2022 at 20:10, geogphotos said:

Almost dead.......100,000 contributors say 'can't be bothered'.

 

Sad. But a reflection I feel of Alamy having lost its community. Maybe deliberate who knows. 

I think Alamy may have lost it's community as it no longer feels like the Alamy of old anymore. As a contributor I no longer feel that valued. I could be wrong but the warm fuzzy family feeling of the Alamy community including their staff, feedback and comments appears to have long gone since the takeover. I now feel a bit like a supermarket supplier ...

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On 24/06/2022 at 07:36, Ed Rooney said:

 

Hmmm.

 

Alamy? Are you going to fix this tech error? 

Am I right in thinking that Alamy just took off for the weekend and has left the mess till they get back on Monday?

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On 23/06/2022 at 11:35, Rebecca Ore said:

 

Some people who tend toward the cranky side tend to be the old school photographers who do have a lot of information to give.  

 

Bluntly, PA wants to transform Alamy, at least in part, into an advertising stock agency.   One either can adapt to that or not.   We have a few photographers in the group who have experience with doing this -- those are the people who could be helpful now.

 

 

 

Interesting observations. The forum might just need some new legs. They won't be mine as I have no interest in slick advertising images. But that's OK. I'm happy to hobble off on my old legs. 🦿🦿

 

 

 

 

Edited by John Mitchell
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