Leaving Alamy

[Nigel Roberson]

I have been a contributor since 2004. Back in the days when we had to submit our test photographs on a CD and how we worried about the upsizing we had to do form our 12 and 14 MP cameras.

I have less than a thousand images on here but sold a few broadly in keeping with the expected ratio of sales per 100 images. It was never a money making enterprise, I knew that from the start and I would have kept adding a few when time permitted. In early May I saw 2 images had sold so I opened the dashboard to see more info. FFS, my income from each image was less than 1 cent so the reality was zero. In the past ive fumed a bit at the low income after Alamy gives discount etc but ZERO. Thats not acceptable and is taking the pi**.

Ide rather give away my images myself than be part of this corruption, so today is my last day on Alamy. I wont be missed by contributors or Alamy come to that. In the early days there were some good sales and because the standards were so high I felt part of something well organised and with integrity.

You all have the chance of being ripped off by the Alamy scam, dont let them do to you what they did to me.

ZERO is not acceptable.

Edited June 16, 2023 by Nigel Roberson

[Robert M Estall]

Yours is a very good and diverse collection of images, even if a bit short in the numbers. Of course you are right to be outraged at those pitiful "sales" What on earth Alamy is up to I don't know, but walking away in a temper probably won't make you feel much better. Alan Capel likely shares your despair. Best wishes!

[Mr Standfast]

Hello Nigel,

 

Sorry to see you're so p***ed with Alamy prices. They are often shocking.

 

I don't think Alamy is a scam, just a business that is accomodating a long term and frustrating fall in image prices, coupled with an economy crippled by a pandemic and hopeless mis-management. For sure it is run by greedy capitalists who think a 60/40 split is fair, but that's no more a scam than many other commercial arrangements.

 

I've had a cheeky look at your pictures. They are fine; just not enough of them.  A larger portfolio would have collected more sales and with that a greater variation of fees which would have put todays p***s taking experience in context.  I am not suggesting that you should go off and upload another X thousand images, that would just be rude, just observing the downsides of a small portfolio.  My collection is mostly things I've seen when wondering with a camera, there's nothing special, very few images are actually great, each picture is just an honest document.  I generate enough modest fees each month to consistently clear the $50 threshold, it pays for a holiday each year and the occasional lens, the only difference between you and me is volume of images.

 

To my mind individual fees are irrelevent, it is their aggregated sum that I attach worth to. To be honest I wish it were higher, but it is what it is.

 

I have only tried to offer some clarity, if I were to offer any advice, well it would be to just leave your pictures where they are and see what happens in the future.

 

Take care.

 

Cheers.

 

🦔

 

 

Edited June 16, 2023 by Mr Standfast
tidy up

[Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg]

x

Edited June 18, 2023 by Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg
duplicated

[Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg]

6 hours ago, Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg said:

Nigel's Gone

by bloody me, not ChatGPT

 

Nigel's gone across the bog,
'ere he disappeared in fog,

bound for yon distant sea,

his compensations were too wee,

aye we've lost another lad,

this stock trade he left so mad

 🍀__ 🍀__ 🍀

 

Edited June 18, 2023 by Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg
aye Nigel twas mad not sad

[Ed Rooney]

 

Good luck with whatever direction you take next, Nigel. 

[andremichel]

Some beautiful images. 

[Phil]

Let me guess...  

 

Haven't opted out of Novel Use and/or Distribution to China?

 

 

Edited June 21 by Phil
add

[Rebecca Ore]

His images have been removed, so he's gone.

[Wahavi]

Just one word. After I opted out of Novel Use and China (and some other distributors) I no longer have had those low fees...

[Dani Como]

On 16/06/2023 at 10:13, Nigel Roberson said:

I have been a contributor since 2004. Back in the days when we had to submit our test photographs on a CD and how we worried about the upsizing we had to do form our 12 and 14 MP cameras.

I have less than a thousand images on here but sold a few broadly in keeping with the expected ratio of sales per 100 images. It was never a money making enterprise, I knew that from the start and I would have kept adding a few when time permitted. In early May I saw 2 images had sold so I opened the dashboard to see more info. FFS, my income from each image was less than 1 cent so the reality was zero. In the past ive fumed a bit at the low income after Alamy gives discount etc but ZERO. Thats not acceptable and is taking the pi**.

Ide rather give away my images myself than be part of this corruption, so today is my last day on Alamy. I wont be missed by contributors or Alamy come to that. In the early days there were some good sales and because the standards were so high I felt part of something well organised and with integrity.

You all have the chance of being ripped off by the Alamy scam, dont let them do to you what they did to me.

ZERO is not acceptable.

 

On 16/06/2023 at 11:37, Mr Standfast said:

Hello Nigel,

 

Sorry to see you're so p***ed with Alamy prices. They are often shocking.

 

I don't think Alamy is a scam, just a business that is accomodating a long term and frustrating fall in image prices, coupled with an economy crippled by a pandemic and hopeless mis-management. For sure it is run by greedy capitalists who think a 60/40 split is fair, but that's no more a scam than many other commercial arrangements.

 

I've had a cheeky look at your pictures. They are fine; just not enough of them.  A larger portfolio would have collected more sales and with that a greater variation of fees which would have put todays p***s taking experience in context.  I am not suggesting that you should go off and upload another X thousand images, that would just be rude, just observing the downsides of a small portfolio.  My collection is mostly things I've seen when wondering with a camera, there's nothing special, very few images are actually great, each picture is just an honest document.  I generate enough modest fees each month to consistently clear the $50 threshold, it pays for a holiday each year and the occasional lens, the only difference between you and me is volume of images.

 

To my mind individual fees are irrelevent, it is their aggregated sum that I attach worth to. To be honest I wish it were higher, but it is what it is.

 

I have only tried to offer some clarity, if I were to offer any advice, well it would be to just leave your pictures where they are and see what happens in the future.

 

Take care.

 

Cheers.

 

🦔

 

 

 

40% could be good, because Alamy finds clients and get the payments. But this year I get only 20% because of my low earning in 2023. But last year was the best year for me, talking about sales volume: 17 sales.

The problem was... the average price of the images sold by Alamy, not me/mine.

If Alamy sold my images from $50 to $200 instead of $0,5 to $1, it's obvious that the income would and will be higher!

This year the prices seem to be better, but that 20% is ridicolous.

Edited July 13 by Dani Como

[Jay D]

3 hours ago, Dani Como said:

 

40% could be good, because Alamy finds clients and get the payments. But this year I only get 20% because of my low earning. But 2023 was the best year about sales volume for me: 17 sales. The problem was... the medium price of the images sold, not me. If Alamy sold my images from $50 to $200 instead of $0,5 to $1, it's obvious that the income would and will be low!

This year the prices seem to be better, but that 20% is ridicolous.

100% agree...the low level threshold is a total motivational killer. 

Edited July 12 by Jay D

[Julie Edwards]

People seem to blame Alamy.
It's not (only) Alamy. 
It's market rate for single images.
Its market rate due to supply and demand.
Its economics forced upon the market by the "ease" at which  images can created & supplied.

I only look at my  monthly income because I measure my costs monthly.

Granted, this works less for those with smaller portfolios, those that cant stack em high.

My gut feeling is that it is only worth it for those with a low overhead creating a lot of images....

[ChrisR Photo]

On 27/06/2024 at 14:27, Wahavi said:

Just one word. After I opted out of Novel Use and China (and some other distributors) I no longer have had those low fees...

 

I opted out of the Novel use when it was made available and although some sales are relatively low at times, they are not as bad as Nigel mentioned. 

 

Some people may blame Alamy of which might be partly true, however, there are certain large competitors who've in the past, have been selling bulk images to the media at a loss just to squeeze out the competition! It's ruthless business which only results in a race to the bottom of which we're all seeing the brunt of it with really low fees these days! That and technology plus the market being saturated haven't helped either of course.