MircoV Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Hello folks, It looks like more, and more microstockers and ex-microstockers are joining Alamy. There is the gossip going on that Alamy is doing very well while micros are giving contributors less and less revenue. Next to that many microstockers feel screwed by the agencies like SS, IS. The results is that we are getting more and more escapers and protesters coming from the country of Microstock. Will the Alamy Island be large enough for all those newcomers? What you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Yarvin Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 I myself see this as a good sign. I suspect that Alamy can easily handle the large collection and its management can understand the reasons why those people are coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulw Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Places tongue firmly in cheek and says – It just means that down the line Alamy will get a really good offer for the company that they can’t refuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 I myself see this as a good sign. I suspect that Alamy can easily handle the large collection and its management can understand the reasons why those people are coming. Isn't "large" collection a bit understated, Brian. How about humongous, gargantuan, ginormous, monstrous etc.? I don't mean to sound self-righteous, but I don't have a lot of sympathy for photographers who embraced microstock en masse. You could say it was inevitable, but you have to ask the question, why was it obvious to some and not to others that microstock was a disaster waiting to happen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan_Andison Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Hello folks, It looks like more, and more microstockers and ex-microstockers are joining Alamy. There is the gossip going on that Alamy is doing very well while micros are giving contributors less and less revenue. Next to that many microstockers feel screwed by the agencies like SS, IS. The results is that we are getting more and more escapers and protesters coming from the country of Microstock. Will the Alamy Island be large enough for all those newcomers?. What you think? Some but not all. My Micro inc is still over 10x that of Alamy so I guess it depends on your content and is increasing on avg, 10-20% p/month. So, it'll be a while before I pack up my micro bags to move here exclusively. BUT, don't read that as Alamy is not as good, they're just a different market selling (more often than not) a different and unique product that can't be had elsewhere. Remember, agencies are not football teams, you are allowed to follow more than one. Edited quote content to match OP edit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Brooks Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Don’t listen to gossipers, or complainers. They will lead you astray. They are like vampires sucking your blood. One microstock company is adding 3,200,000 new images per month, so it looks to me as if their photographers are not going anywhere. Yes that figure is correct 3 million 200 thousand images per month. The best thing we can do is to not compete on numbers, but to compete on image quality Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan_Andison Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Don’t listen to gossipers, or complainers. They will lead you astray. They are like vampires sucking your blood. One microstock company is adding 3,200,000 new images per month, so it looks to me as if their photographers are not going anywhere. Yes that figure is correct 3 million 200 thousand images per month. The best thing we can do is to not compete on numbers, but to compete on image quality Yeah, sometimes it's best to be open and make decisions based on your own findings rather than reacting to others (including myself). Before discounting anything, try it and see if the work you produce fits the market you're playing in and if it works great, if not.... get out and do/try something else! There was a point in time, about 18 months ago, that I nearly listened to a particular group of people and I'm so glad I didn't. I decided to ignore the proclaimed truth and follow my heart and gut instincts..... that decision paid off and allowed me to go full time photographer. Keep pushing, keep believing, don't be afraid to try something new and don't go flogging a dead horse..... unless someone offers you a lot of money for it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christian58 Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Lots of gossip actually. I have just passed the 1-million mark of downloads and can not see any down trend in micro what so ever, contrary some are just getting better. As is Alamy with all the editorial downloads. Todays micro isn't what it used to be. Today some of the major ones can meet any brief and any traditional agency with just as many credit-sales as any other agency. All I know is that buyers/punter hold very tight in their purse and needless to say thats the way its going to be. Consequently I think like Alamy here, its a must for the trad-agencies to adjust themselves to something in between micro/macro or else they are going to find it very hard to be in business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan_Andison Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Last month was a little quieter here but overall, I'd say they've improved quite a bit over the last 4 months or so. Long may it continue! Might not be as much as some others but they seem to be moving in the right direction! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christian58 Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Last month was a little quieter here but overall, I'd say they've improved quite a bit over the last 4 months or so. Long may it continue! Might not be as much as some others but they seem to be moving in the right direction! Hi Duncan! long time no speak. Been on holiday? I agree but the trad-agencies, all of them still have some way to go. Its still lots of fumbling around in the dark how to tackle the industry, business-plan, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan_Andison Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Last month was a little quieter here but overall, I'd say they've improved quite a bit over the last 4 months or so. Long may it continue! Might not be as much as some others but they seem to be moving in the right direction! Hi Duncan! long time no speak. Been on holiday? I agree but the trad-agencies, all of them still have some way to go. Its still lots of fumbling around in the dark how to tackle the industry, business-plan, etc. Yeah, trip to Scotland again.....nearly defrosted now :-). I've been spending time learning about colour grading in FCPx, using Motion5 and Nodes2. More or less up to speed now (still plenty to learn though) so this year will be a year for Footage for me as well as maintaining momentum with stills etc! Been busy then?!?.... The sale of CI has saved me the job of joining G, new contract arrived the other day! Things changing fast at the moment but I guess that's just the way it is..... some things will never change Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Clemson Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 One thing which puzzles me, Alamy's technical different requirements differ in some respects to microstock - not least in that Alamy requires unsharpened images whereas most microstock agencies are very keen on images being sharp (though not oversharpened). Are are the multitudes of incomers re-processing all their original files to meet Alamy's requirements or just mass importing their existing portfolios as they stand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 One thing which puzzles me, Alamy's technical different requirements differ in some respects to microstock - not least in that Alamy requires unsharpened images whereas most microstock agencies are very keen on images being sharp (though not oversharpened). Are are the multitudes of incomers re-processing all their original files to meet Alamy's requirements or just mass importing their existing portfolios as they stand? I don't think that Alamy has any issue with a little sharpening of RAW images. Over-sharpening is what they don't want. However, Alamy has never been clear about this. Out-of-the-camera JPEGS are of course already sharpened somewhat. My guess is that the multitudes are just importing their images as is and that most are JPEG shooters. But what do I know. Not much when it comes to microstock.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexandre Fagundes Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 One thing which puzzles me, Alamy's technical different requirements differ in some respects to microstock - not least in that Alamy requires unsharpened images whereas most microstock agencies are very keen on images being sharp (though not oversharpened). Are are the multitudes of incomers re-processing all their original files to meet Alamy's requirements or just mass importing their existing portfolios as they stand? The technical requirements of Alamy are not different from the microstock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin P Wilson Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 One thing which puzzles me, Alamy's technical different requirements differ in some respects to microstock - not least in that Alamy requires unsharpened images whereas most microstock agencies are very keen on images being sharp (though not oversharpened). Are are the multitudes of incomers re-processing all their original files to meet Alamy's requirements or just mass importing their existing portfolios as they stand? I don't think that Alamy has any issue with a little sharpening of RAW images. Over-sharpening is what they don't want. However, Alamy has never been clear about this. Out-of-the-camera JPEGS are of course already sharpened somewhat. My guess is that the multitudes are just importing their images as is and that most are JPEG shooters. But what do I know. Not much when it comes to microstock.. I think Alamy's objection to sharpening is to discourage people trying to rescue essentially unsharp images which tends to lead to artifacts. As you say it is the evidence of oversharpening that is the problem. Anyway, if the original image is not sharp, in other words has a loss of detail, "sharpening" will not recover that detail. Sharpening is a misnomer, it only really gives an illusion of greater sharpness as it makes edges more defined but does not provide any greater fine detail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 One thing which puzzles me, Alamy's technical different requirements differ in some respects to microstock - not least in that Alamy requires unsharpened images whereas most microstock agencies are very keen on images being sharp (though not oversharpened). Are are the multitudes of incomers re-processing all their original files to meet Alamy's requirements or just mass importing their existing portfolios as they stand? Sorry but that's not the case. The same image will pass any and all micros plus Alamy without any change. Alamy allow capture sharpening as do the micros..... there's no requirement at the micros for images to be 'sharp'. As to the OP, it's wishfull thinking...a few people disgruntled on the MSG means...a few people, not a general movement... the poll speaks for itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christian58 Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 Ha! Geoff, you could say that again. The polls, almost all info gets warped at that place. You have about a hundred people, same people all the time who decides what's it to be and should you by any chance happen to speak well of the RM/RF agencies, you get a warning followed by a ban. Worse! should you mention you had a good month, Oh boy! then youre a lier, sick in the head and completely off your rockers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan_Andison Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 Ha! Geoff, you could say that again. The polls, almost all info gets warped at that place. You have about a hundred people, same people all the time who decides what's it to be and should you by any chance happen to speak well of the RM/RF agencies, you get a warning followed by a ban. Worse! should you mention you had a good month, Oh boy! then youre a lier, sick in the head and completely off your rockers. Really?!? I thought it was a rather balanced community...... *cough* not! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Clemson Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 Looks like it doesn't matter much what the present Alamy community may think about the 'other side of the door', to quote the OP. Alamy have opened a thread on the MSG site, inviting and welcoming microstockers to join Alamy, assuring them that the upload and keywording process, which has put off some from joining, will soon be much improved. Looks like much change is afoot, like it or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 Looks like it doesn't matter much what the present Alamy community may think about the 'other side of the door', to quote the OP. Alamy have opened a thread on the MSG site, inviting and welcoming microstockers to join Alamy, assuring them that the upload and keywording process, which has put off some from joining, will soon be much improved. Looks like much change is afoot, like it or not. I wonder if they will be hiring greeters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MircoV Posted March 8, 2016 Author Share Posted March 8, 2016 Yes i saw it also. Also i saw that Alamy climbed up the sales report poll ranking to the second place just behind SS. I remember when i read somewhere that James said "We can cannibalize microstock". Something to this direction seems to happen. Many Microstock agencies are loosing in my opinion their faces while Alamy is in my opinion creating a good relation with contributors. Mirco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Clemson Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 Alamy is a much more pleasant agency to work with than the majority of the microstock agencies, much more personal - as indeed some of the microstock agencies were in their infancy. Whether good relations with contributors can be maintained in the face of massive growth of both contributor numbers and the number of images is, at the very least, debatable. I worry that Alamy wil become just another microstock agency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 Alamy is a much more pleasant agency to work with than the majority of the microstock agencies, much more personal - as indeed some of the microstock agencies were in their infancy. Whether good relations with contributors can be maintained in the face of massive growth of both contributor numbers and the number of images is, at the very least, debatable. I worry that Alamy wil become just another microstock agency. Alamy is by far the most agreeable agency that I've worked with, but I share your concerns. However, all one can do is go with the flow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MircoV Posted March 8, 2016 Author Share Posted March 8, 2016 Alamy is a much more pleasant agency to work with than the majority of the microstock agencies, much more personal - as indeed some of the microstock agencies were in their infancy. Whether good relations with contributors can be maintained in the face of massive growth of both contributor numbers and the number of images is, at the very least, debatable. I worry that Alamy wil become just another microstock agency. I understand your worries but i dont think it will happen totally. Yes for sure something is changing. Alamy will exist but off course changes will happen. BUT it would rather not happen that Alamy becomes a fully Microstock agency. One reason is that you can see that there is still large sales to be made. Other is that there is RM. An RM photo needs more administration from Alamy side. Doing all this adimistration for just 50 cents profit would not make sense. Also i see that Alamy is taking much worth that costumers dont need to buy credits or subscriptions. This is one of the main things to be microstock and allowing 50 cents prices. Also a Alamy RF is less restricted then a micro RF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan_Andison Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 My concern would be a large increase in volume of contributors without an equally large increase in volume of sales will end up with a reduced level of income per contributor as there will be more contributors battling over smaller pot of cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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