geogphotos Posted November 14 Share Posted November 14 (edited) I saw a pile of Hogarth originals at auction and photographed them while I was viewing. I wish I'd bought them but chickened out when it got towards £150. Anyway, that is my loss because they are worth loads more than that. Loser's remorse I suppose. I processed the photos in all innocence to submit as Archive. Then decided to have a look what is already on Alamy. This is just one example: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/The-Enraged-Musician-Hogarth.html?sortBy=relevant Shouldn't there be some sort of control or limit on this sort of image? Perhaps a check box: 'Is this image already available on Alamy?' 'If yes, is yours image significantly better?' Look at any artwork available in the public domain and you are likely to find many multiples ( often many many many many etc etc). And yes, now that I have done the work, I will upload mine to contribute to the mess. 😀 Edited November 14 by geogphotos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiskerke Posted November 14 Share Posted November 14 3 hours ago, geogphotos said: Shouldn't there be some sort of control or limit on this sort of image? Perhaps a check box: 'Is this image already available on Alamy?' 'If yes, is yours image significantly better?' The right question probably is: If yes, is your rank significantly better? wim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geogphotos Posted November 14 Author Share Posted November 14 2 hours ago, wiskerke said: The right question probably is: If yes, is your rank significantly better? wim Good point, then there is the hope that a potential buyer uses the Newest filter. 😀 I've also noticed that a very good photographer who used to be active on forums as an Alamy contributor is now, seemingly, concentrating solely on Public Domain art images. Possibly using his higher rank to get ahead of others? He has at least resumed contributing after a gap of some 12 years. I have nothing at all against any of this ( with some provisos such as, for example, whether the sources approve - museums and galleries that release images to the public but do not intend those images to be used for commercial purposes). I'm just pointing out the ridiculous level of duplication when there is no regulation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiskerke Posted November 14 Share Posted November 14 1 minute ago, geogphotos said: Good point, then there is the hope that a potential buyer uses the Newest filter. 😀 I've also noticed that a very good photographer who used to be active on forums as an Alamy contributor is now, seemingly, concentrating solely on Public Domain art images. Possibly using his higher rank to get ahead of others? He has at least resumed contributing after a gap of some 12 years. I have nothing at all against any of this ( with some provisos such as, for example, whether the sources approve - museums and galleries that release images to the public but do not intend those images to be used for commercial purposes). I'm just pointing out the ridiculous level of duplication when there is no regulation. Agree. Some filter for quality would be useful. Using the size filter @70MB only 3 of your musicians remain. 8 are model released. 😂 Not a whole lot of searches this rolling year (0). More for Gin Lane (9). Maybe when there's a change on busking licenses, or a crackdown on busking in general. Or when some composer or violinist goes to court. wim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ognyan Yosifov Posted November 14 Share Posted November 14 (edited) What I can see at first glance is that the top-positioned first picture is a very good one with nice contrast, and it looks "very clean" compared to most of the rest. And since there is only one page of results, if I was a buyer, it would be a very easy choice to stroll through the page and pick the best. It'd be a different story if I was looking for "London", even though I've noticed that after the 30th page of results, the quality goes dramatically downward (yeah, I've gone that far for the sake of research)... Edited November 14 by Ognyan Yosifov Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geogphotos Posted November 14 Author Share Posted November 14 1 hour ago, Ognyan Yosifov said: What I can see at first glance is that the top-positioned first picture is a very good one with nice contrast, and it looks "very clean" compared to most of the rest. And since there is only one page of results, if I were a buyer, it would be a very easy choice to stroll through the page and pick the best. It'd be a different story if I were looking for "London", even though I've noticed that after the 30th page of results, the quality goes dramatically downward (yeah, I've gone that far for the sake of research)... The one you chose is not by Hogarth! It is engraved in his style by somebody called Stalker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ognyan Yosifov Posted November 14 Share Posted November 14 32 minutes ago, geogphotos said: The one you chose is not by Hogarth! It is engraved in his style by somebody called Stalker. I haven't checked for details, as I'm not buying. My point is that with not that many options within the search, it doesn't matter what the contributor's rank is. And you could be the "winner" with a well-presented image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Robinson Posted November 14 Share Posted November 14 Slightly reluctant to point this out, but if you go to the bother of taking your own original photos, it's really not a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geogphotos Posted November 14 Author Share Posted November 14 (edited) 26 minutes ago, Phil Robinson said: Slightly reluctant to point this out, but if you go to the bother of taking your own original photos, it's really not a problem. Have a look at the little number underneath my name Phil. I see some very successful Alamy contributors ( Ian Dagnall included) turning to Public Domain so there must be something it in for them ( and Alamy clients). Edited November 14 by geogphotos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geogphotos Posted November 14 Author Share Posted November 14 27 minutes ago, Ognyan Yosifov said: I haven't checked for details, as I'm not buying. My point is that with not that many options within the search, it doesn't matter what the contributor's rank is. And you could be the "winner" with a well-presented image. The point I am making is about duplication rather than search position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Robinson Posted November 14 Share Posted November 14 2 minutes ago, geogphotos said: Have a look at the little blue number underneath my name Phil. I see some very successful Alamy contributors now turning to Public Domain so there must be something it it. The little blue number under my name reflects unique images that are all my copyright. If you are happy to spend time processing and posting thousands of images that can be obtained from endless other sources, that is your choice. It's the little black numbers that appear in the sales report that matter to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ognyan Yosifov Posted November 14 Share Posted November 14 3 minutes ago, geogphotos said: The point I am making is about duplication rather than search position. I'd duplicate it if it is a better and legitimate version Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geogphotos Posted November 14 Author Share Posted November 14 (edited) 2 minutes ago, Ognyan Yosifov said: I'd duplicate it if it is a better and legitimate version I sent mine in because I could and I had already done the work! But referring to Phil's comment I did actually photograph the originals and did the post-processing and metadata. Edited November 14 by geogphotos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ognyan Yosifov Posted November 14 Share Posted November 14 Just now, geogphotos said: I sent mine in because I could! Exactly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geogphotos Posted November 14 Author Share Posted November 14 (edited) 41 minutes ago, Ognyan Yosifov said: Exactly! All of us can submit Van Gogh's pictures, or those of Dorothea Lange, Ansel Adams, millions and millions of pics from museums, art galleries, Wikipedia, Creative Commons. The same happens at other stock agencies but with Alamy there is no editing, no control, no regulation so massive duplication. I suppose the only limit is self-regulation when it seems not worth the effort, but the effort is minimal when the images can be obtained so easily and are ready to go. These are observations ; not complaints. Edited November 14 by geogphotos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ognyan Yosifov Posted November 14 Share Posted November 14 8 minutes ago, geogphotos said: All of us can submit Van Gogh's pictures, or those of Dorothea Lange, Ansel Adams, millions and millions of pics from museums, art galleries, Wikipedia, Creative Commons. The same happens at other stock agencies but with Alamy there is no editing, no control, no regulation so massive duplication. I suppose the only limit is self-regulation when it seems not worth the effort, but the effort is minimal when the images can be obtained so easily and are ready to go. These are observations ; not complaints. I don't think I'm the right person to take a side on this. I'm just an ordinary guy with a full-time job who likes to wander around with a camera. I follow your work quite closely, as I do for a few more contributors here, and I can only admire your attitude and efforts. In the end, it is all about fun... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geogphotos Posted November 14 Author Share Posted November 14 27 minutes ago, Ognyan Yosifov said: I don't think I'm the right person to take a side on this. I'm just an ordinary guy with a full-time job who likes to wander around with a camera. I follow your work quite closely, as I do for a few more contributors here, and I can only admire your attitude and efforts. In the end, it is all about fun... Thank you for your kind words. Most of the time it's fun. But ...well... you know 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ognyan Yosifov Posted November 14 Share Posted November 14 2 minutes ago, geogphotos said: Thank you for your kind words. Most of the time it's fun. But ...well... you know Yes, I know 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now