Slow forum

[Betty LaRue]

I initially put this in what I quickly decided was the wrong forum, so moved it.

I remember when I joined Alamy, back when license prices were good, there was always lively threads & topics about camera systems, lenses, software, computers & such. Someone seemed to be always buying or trying out something new in the shops.

Have you noticed since our earnings have tanked, there isn’t much of that activity now? Yes, when a computer ages out & a photographer is forced to buy a new one because of ever-changing processing demands, and a few newer folk getting into stock and wanting to know a rather inexpensive camera or system that Alamy will accept images from, those discussions are minimal in comparison of yesteryear.

What we earn these days just doesn’t justify larger expenditures. Not unless one already has enough money without stock earnings & are a hobbyist who do it for fun & something to fill up hours & have a bit of expendable money.

i’m straddling the middle. I can get by without the earnings but I definitely make use of the bits I earn. I’m in the middle of that & a hobbyist. I do find, though, that with the tiddler prices we are getting now, my interest is waning. So money does matter. As far as shops… along with it not making sense to invest in gear, sales at shops have dwindled, and many went out of business. Although I believe phone photography has caused a hit on the shops, maybe the biggest hit.

 

How is it affecting your interest in stock photography? Is the income important to your way of living? Do you do it to get yourself off your duff & be engaged in something? Do you do it mainly for the pride & personal satisfaction of doing something well & because you just love taking pictures?

Interested in your thoughts.

I have always enjoyed taking pictures, but find these days I enjoy painting more. The older generations of stock photographers who were there when it meant something are aging out, or will in the next 10-15 years. What changes in photo offerings will that bring? IA? Nothing real anymore?

[John Mitchell]

The extra income, such as it is, comes in handy. Consequently, I'll continue to upload suitable images now and then. However, my interest in stock photography is definitely waning. Perhaps this is a good thing because I'm spending more time on exploring other photographic interests. I figure that at 75 it's time to stop fretting about passing QC and start having some fun with photography again. ☺️

[geogphotos]

Although we are not supposed to acknowledge it there are other agencies. It may be that exploring other markets might revive interest and generate income.

 

I DO NOT mean microstock.

Edited May 18 by geogphotos

[Tony ALS]

1 hour ago, geogphotos said:

Although we are not supposed to acknowledge it there are other agencies. It may be that exploring other markets might revive interest and generate income.

I only submit to Alamy but the pathetic results I have been getting recently and poor tech which never seems to get resolved have driven me to the point where submitting elsewhere has to be a serious consideration.

I am not exclusive to Alamy so I can. It means more effort though with no guarantee that it will be worth it.

As Betty has said, these forums have become very quiet compared to when I joined, only 4 years ago.

I have noticed there are far fewer contributors joining in on here, a reflection perhaps of a gradual drifting away from Alamy.

 

[StokeCreative]

 

I've been quiet on here lately as I've somewhat lost my mojo, even with the forums. Thankfully Alamy is just pin money to me, but it keeps me making photographs, an activity  I enjoy. I also really enjoy using Photoshop. (is that weird?)

 

My sales tanked last month and very slow this month (and mostly $ with a couple of $$). Usually all it takes is a few $$ sales to motivate me to either edit/upload and/or keyword. But at  the moment I have 150 photos on Alamy I can't be bothered to keyword, quite a lot ready to upload, and 1000s that could be edited and submitted.

 

However I still get a thrill when an image is used (thrill is a bit strong maybe!) so I keep going

I enjoy the banter on here, and all the advice given so I will persist.....

 

Hugh

 

(Sertraline is an anti-depressant which I thought was apt 😂)

 

[Allan Bell]

I posted a new thread some time ago, not so long, about this and got a few replies but Alamy took it down.

 

I had not made it clear that I was talking about Alamy forums. My Bad.

 

Allan

 

[Sally Robertson]

I first joined Alamy in early 2020 but left in mid 2021 with the commission change. From September last year I decided to give it another go, but I can tell morale is down from what it was when I first joined and the forum does feel less vibrant with less enthusiasm for discussing cameras, lenses, software etc.

 

For me personally I truly love photography so I will be continuing to do it regardless including uploading here. I've had personal and health challenges in my life in recent years and photography has and continues to be a therapeutic activity that I also see as a way to make some income. As license fees fall uploading a lot more images, as high quality as possible with potential sales relevance, seems to be the only way to go. I was able to buy into a new camera system after I inherited some money, so that has also given me a boost to keep going. So I remain interested in gear even though I am not in a position to keep purchasing more, and stock certainly isn't a source of income for such purchases at present! But almost everyday I watch a photography-related video, whether on landscape, wildlife, street photography etc, gear, post processing, even videos about stock photography itself. I'm a naturally enthusiastic person so I am going to keep doing my best and see how it goes.

 

I appreciate the sertraline Hugh, which does seem apt 😂 I find coffee helps me so I thought I would offer a cup with a cheery monkey on top, though I'm not quite sure if the monkey is smiling or looking a bit worried 🤔

 

[MDM]

 

 

11 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

I remember when I joined Alamy, back when license prices were good, there was always lively threads & topics about camera systems, lenses, software, computers & such. Someone seemed to be always buying or trying out something new in the shops.

 

Although I believe phone photography has caused a hit on the shops, maybe the biggest hit.

How is it affecting your interest in stock photography? Is the income important to your way of living? Do you do it to get yourself off your duff & be engaged in something? Do you do it mainly for the pride & personal satisfaction of doing something well & because you just love taking pictures?

Interested in your thoughts.

I

 

It's saying something that the most interesting thread on the forum right now is about how slow (putting it kindly) the forum has become. It has the atmosphere of an old folks home where all the residents know each other. Nothing wrong with getting old I guess - it's better than not getting old at all - ok that's old in itself.

 

Yes injection of new life is needed. In the meantime until that arrives or the forum paramedics come to provide life support, I have to say I am still very inspired with imagmaking (that includes video). If I was relying on stock photography for inspiration I would probably roll over and wait for the last breath. I'll continue to upload stock but I am not going to place any reliance on it for income or for any kick out of making a sale. Thankfully I am inspired by life itself and I love nothing more than getting out in nature, making images regardless of whether they will ever sell or not. I don't know what my life would have been like or would be like without my imagemaking. 

 

Technology - to do what I do with video in particular, I have had to stay knowledgeable about what's happening at the forefront of technology which is always interesting to me - extremely boring or beyond comprehension to others I know. The point Betty makes about phone photography is very fundamental. Whenever I go out to tourist locations, it is now becoming rare to see anyone with a "proper" camera. Almost everyone is using smartphones. The recent iPhones are so advanced that a lot of enthusiasts and even some professionals are using them in one way or another. Are we looking at the ultimate demise of photography as we currently know it? If nobody is buying entry level cameras and prosumer cameras are taking a huge hit in terms of sales, where does that leave professional level cameras? But that said, someone must be buying camera gear besides me - Nikon apparently turned a huge profit in the last couple of years on the back of the release of some really excellent cameras having made some very grave losses in previous years. 

 

What does the future hold? Will the forum die? Who knows? Me I'm going to try to keep on making images until I am no longer able to do so. 

 

 

Edited May 18 by MDM

[NYCat]

I'm not taking wildlife trips anymore so until or unless I get excited about taking photos in NYC I won't be doing as much anymore. My sales this month are non-existent after having two months of more sales than usual and I don't "need" the money so I'm not so invested in making income here. I enjoy the Forum more than anything else about Alamy these days.

 

Paulette

[Michael Ventura]

Betty, I think your premise or thesis is correct.  There was a time when stock photography was a really big part of my income, I started submitting to agencies in the early 1980s.  Back then, $150 was a low value sale.  I would definitely take trips with stock as a major reason for going.  A combination of age and the very low expectations of any reasonable returns on investment, has put a big damper on shooting photos for stock.  I don't travel with stock in mind so much anymore.  I do feel very fortunate to still have a healthy amount of commissioned work from four regional magazines in the DC area.  They keep me very busy and I earn a decent living from that work.  I am not a photo gear head.  I am not all that interested in new equipment but do have to replace items, that wear out,  each year... such as an occasional lens or lighting.  My lighting takes a beating and has to get repaired or replaced the most.

 

I do miss the spark that was once on this forum and I especially miss the Good Thing and Bad Thing threads. 

 

Anyone just now getting into stock is going to find it a losing proposition.  The low fees have made a joke of this profession, vocation or hobby.  A.I. is probably the death knell to stock photography.  Sure, there are types of photography that A.I. can't replace but it will take a huge cut out of traditional photography.

[Harry Harrison]

Hopefully the 'Action points' made in the Alamy Blog 6 months ago will come to fruition and reinvigorate us all.

 

https://www.alamy.com/blog/2023-alamy-contributor-survey-results

[Betty LaRue]

42 minutes ago, Michael Ventura said:

 

I do miss the spark that was once on this forum and I especially miss the Good Thing and Bad Thing threads. 

Yes, I think it was a huge mistake to take down those threads because they brought humanity to Alamy, a feeling of family, that extended to enthusiasm for photography which ultimately, was good for Alamy.

Part of the excuse was it took time better spent elsewhere to monitor those threads. That in itself is rather scary considering each day it took me a minute or two to read new posts. Is Alamy operating that close to the bone? Acrimonious posts were few and very far between, & those could be easily removed without losing the thread.

Rather like throwing the baby out with the bath water.

Good point, Michael Ventura, because I am just now realizing how much vitality left with those threads.

[Sally Robertson]

3 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said:

Yes, I think it was a huge mistake to take down those threads because they brought humanity to Alamy, a feeling of family, that extended to enthusiasm for photography which ultimately, was good for Alamy.

Part of the excuse was it took time better spent elsewhere to monitor those threads. That in itself is rather scary considering each day it took me a minute or two to read new posts. Is Alamy operating that close to the bone? Acrimonious posts were few and very far between, & those could be easily removed without losing the thread.

Rather like throwing the baby out with the bath water.

Good point, Michael Ventura, because I am just now realizing how much vitality left with those threads.

 

I agree with you entirely Betty and Michael. I think removing those threads took life out of the forum and left a kind of empty, oppressive feeling. It added vibrancy to the community and for those not wanting to read non-photography topics they didn't have to read those threads (which did include some photography topics some of the time). But for those who enjoyed them they added a feeling of community, connection and sharing which fed back into other photography discussions. As you say, if posts became acrimonious they could be removed without taking away the whole thread. I felt those threads helped build community which is, after all, what a community is about. We are not just automatons with cameras but human beings wanting to connect. In this world, more than ever, we need connection and humanity, qualities that also feed into making good photographic images.

[Betty LaRue]

1 hour ago, Harry Harrison said:

Hopefully the 'Action points' made in the Alamy Blog 6 months ago will come to fruition and reinvigorate us all.

 

https://www.alamy.com/blog/2023-alamy-contributor-survey-results

I want some of what you’re having! 😁

[Mr Standfast]

1 hour ago, Harry Harrison said:

Hopefully the 'Action points' made in the Alamy Blog 6 months ago will come to fruition and reinvigorate us all.

 

https://www.alamy.com/blog/2023-alamy-contributor-survey-results

 

 

Good point.

I'm looking forwards to these points:

 

• Contributor Help Pages: These are currently being redeveloped by our Marketing Team so that answers to your questions are more easily found. The pages should go live very soon.
• Portfolio Pages: Our Product Team is already working on how we can improve the functionality, reliability, and ‘look’ of the portfolio pages so that they’re easier for you to share on your own networks.
• Professional Masterclass Talks: Throughout 2024, we’re looking to invite specialist speakers on areas such as keywording and copyright, so that you can be better informed and apply ‘best practice’ to your content.

 

Especially the portfolio page. Gosh I'm excited.

 

Insert smiley emoji here.

 

🦔

[Betty LaRue]

Nothing here, moved it
 

Hilarious, I started this thread in the wrong forum & immediately moved it. The wrong one saying “nothing here” has 66 views.

People, thanks for my chuckles. I needed some! Y’all are great!

[StokeCreative]

4 hours ago, Sally Robertson said:

I first joined Alamy in early 2020 but left in mid 2021 with the commission change. From September last year I decided to give it another go, but I can tell morale is down from what it was when I first joined and the forum does feel less vibrant with less enthusiasm for discussing cameras, lenses, software etc.

 

For me personally I truly love photography so I will be continuing to do it regardless including uploading here. I've had personal and health challenges in my life in recent years and photography has and continues to be a therapeutic activity that I also see as a way to make some income. As license fees fall uploading a lot more images, as high quality as possible with potential sales relevance, seems to be the only way to go. I was able to buy into a new camera system after I inherited some money, so that has also given me a boost to keep going. So I remain interested in gear even though I am not in a position to keep purchasing more, and stock certainly isn't a source of income for such purchases at present! But almost everyday I watch a photography-related video, whether on landscape, wildlife, street photography etc, gear, post processing, even videos about stock photography itself. I'm a naturally enthusiastic person so I am going to keep doing my best and see how it goes.

 

I appreciate the sertraline Hugh, which does seem apt 😂 I find coffee helps me so I thought I would offer a cup with a cheery monkey on top, though I'm not quite sure if the monkey is smiling or looking a bit worried 🤔

 

 

You have a good attitude Sally; despite the Sertraline I'm generally quite a happy chap (especially since retiring, moving house and buying a campervan!)

 

I need to upload less and better quality and also perhaps think more about what sells (although what I sell is all over the place thematically)

 

cheers

 

HUGH

 

 

[Harry Harrison]

1 hour ago, Mr Standfast said:

Especially the portfolio page. Gosh I'm excited.

"Throughout 2024" has got off to a slow start.

[StokeCreative]

4 hours ago, MDM said:

 

 

 

It's saying something that the most interesting thread on the forum right now is about how slow (putting it kindly) the forum has become. It has the atmosphere of an old folks home where all the residents know each other. Nothing wrong with getting old I guess - it's better than not getting old at all - ok that's old in itself.

 

Yes injection of new life is needed. In the meantime until that arrives or the forum paramedics come to provide life support, I have to say I am still very inspired with imagmaking (that includes video). If I was relying on stock photography for inspiration I would probably roll over and wait for the last breath. I'll continue to upload stock but I am not going to place any reliance on it for income or for any kick out of making a sale. Thankfully I am inspired by life itself and I love nothing more than getting out in nature, making images regardless of whether they will ever sell or not. I don't know what my life would have been like or would be like without my imagemaking. 

 

Technology - to do what I do with video in particular, I have had to stay knowledgeable about what's happening at the forefront of technology which is always interesting to me - extremely boring or beyond comprehension to others I know. The point Betty makes about phone photography is very fundamental. Whenever I go out to tourist locations, it is now becoming rare to see anyone with a "proper" camera. Almost everyone is using smartphones. The recent iPhones are so advanced that a lot of enthusiasts and even some professionals are using them in one way or another. Are we looking at the ultimate demise of photography as we currently know it? If nobody is buying entry level cameras and prosumer cameras are taking a huge hit in terms of sales, where does that leave professional level cameras? But that said, someone must be buying camera gear besides me - Nikon apparently turned a huge profit in the last couple of years on the back of the release of some really excellent cameras having made some very grave losses in previous years. 

 

What does the future hold? Will the forum die? Who knows? Me I'm going to try to keep on making images until I am no longer able to do so. 

 

 

 

Amen!

 

[Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg]

some thoughts:

 

I keep wanting to call a stock photography "bottom"

how many improved years or months after a lowest

year or month -- net $$ -- are required;

more accurately it would be a JIG Bottom as others

will track a great variety of yearly-monthly zigzags...

 

Personally, all encompassing AI-processing-keywording

program can't come soon enough -- I would easily pay

$100 monthly & would be willing to assist it with, say,

place names, attraction names, to help it further tag...

can one ever hope AI can tell difference between

customer & employee, teenager & young adult...?

 

Hoping both my stock photo $$ sources stick with it, same split;

(not Split, one place I'll see)

Looking forward to visiting many new Mediterranean

ports in month+ thanks to specific "travel budget generating"
Wall Street short term investments made last month, thank you

META & COST...

Edited May 18 by Jeffrey Isaac Greenberg

[Rebecca Ore]

Finished the rough draft of a novel and am revising it.  If my once and hopefully future agent markets it for me, I'll try a screenplay while I'm waiting to see if she succeeds and so I'll have something else in the pipeline.  I've told my agent about having photo work up here and some other photos that might be useful as the basis for a cover.   Camera will stay in the drawer for a while, for now.   I cancelled my Adobe Photography package and downloaded Sony's own programs and refreshed DxO programs, but didn't upgrade.   I'll add more photos eventually, until I'm up to 1100 to 1200, then let things ride until I see what happens to the writing.

 

It's one of those "look at the balance sheet including cost of gear" things.   As a writing computer, this machine could see me out.   I'm using LibreOffice.    As a photo processing computer, I'm probably three years or less from needing a new machine.   I made $1200 from putting together a story collection (and those stories had already made me money) and since at least one of my Harper Collins novels earned out its advance and then some, an advance on the new book, if it sells, should be in the $20K to $50K range.   Hours wise, the novel was much more work time than the photography, but required less expensive gear.  I'm not sure $20K net in stock photos, however, wouldn't be similar time spent.  If I can't sell the book, then the photos did better by $50 paid out so far since I rejoined.

 

If I were just doing photography for fun, and if film and chemistry were available, I'd go back to medium format (Minolta Autocord, Hassalblad C/M with its own holy trinity of lenses.  And a flatbed scanner like whatever I used for last month's Monochrome entries.   And there are other forums for analog cameras.  If I had the money, which depends on selling the novel.   We shall see. 

 

 

[Ed Rooney]

 

Slow Forum? You want to see slow? Watch me walk down to Liverpool One any morning.

 

Seriously, folks -- I think I will reintroduce what we had in our Good News/Bad News posts but tie it more into pics and stock. Stay tuned. 

[John Mitchell]

1 hour ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

Slow Forum? You want to see slow? Watch me walk down to Liverpool One any morning.

 

Seriously, folks -- I think I will reintroduce what we had in our Good News/Bad News posts but tie it more into pics and stock. Stay tuned. 

 

Hopefully more good news than bad news, but you can't have one without the other. 🙃

[DDoug]

I joined Alamy in 2014 and left with the contract change a few years ago. The change in royalty structure was disappointing, but my main reason for leaving had to do with liability/indemnity. This change seemed to be widespread, not particular to Alamy. The only other outfit I deal with is the NYC-based video library. To their customers they say, “...we will defend, indemnify and hold you harmless from any actual or threatened third party lawsuit, claim, or legal proceeding...” When I asked them about their contributors in this regard, they said by email what amounted to, “Yer on yer own, Buster.”

 

Over the past year I’ve been tentatively adding images to Alamy again, shying away from any that might present a liability issue. The recent thread about the problem with BILD made me question whether even some of the images I thought were innocuous enough should be removed. Unless the “Editorial Only” designation would actually have meaning, then there’s no point in submitting anything but bugs and flowers. Which amounts to not much point, period.

Edited May 19 by DDoug

[Ric Holland]

Good on Betty for bringing this up. Personally I have no answers but have some observations. 

 

There are over 12,000 members of this forum. However, only a few handfuls (amounting to maybe only 12 contributors) post regularly. This must say something. 

 

The handfuls that do post often can make the forum look elitist, or a clique closed to outsiders. I, myself, have started four threads in the past 6 months and 3 attracted no response. The most recent, a link to an article regarding stock photographers threatened by AI, received views but no responses. A few days after my post, someone else posted the exact same link and the thread it turned quite lively. Why was that contributor’s thread populated and mine disregarded for comment? I don’t know but it doesn’t make me feel good.

 

The Alamo forum in past times was lively and interesting. It’s tailed off now, for a number of reasons including: there are many other online and offline distractions which people may find more stimulating, or the forum doesn’t look inviting; possibly the headings for some people will not be obvious or right for them therefore they won’t be sure where to start a thread or which thread to contribute to. Also some active photographers have dropped out for reasons of their own. I see them online elsewhere though.

 

Looking at Microstockgroup or dpreview forums and channels on YouTube there’s plenty of interest in equipment and in stock photography.

 

I could go on but in order to liven up the Alamy forum I’ve created a new thread re a desired item. It’ll appear somewhere here soon.