Micro stock - a good thing?
Discussion
UKBob's experiences with a few micro stock sites have got me thinking about it, but I'm not sure I think it's a good idea.
I've always been one to put a reasonable price on my time and efforts, and always expect to pay a reasonable price when I purchase anything, and I don't think micro stock fits into this. It seems that you make very small returns based on the investment in time/equipment required, which to me just doesn't feel right.
It seems to me that the upsurge in micro stock sites are going to appeal more to the point and shoot brigade who take huge numbers of mostly average photos, and hope for a few $ each month, rather than the people who spend a lot of time, effort and money in making the photos that they sell to make their living.
I know we've got at least one big fan of microstock here (step forward Rob
), and a few pros - what are your views? Is this the future, or is the customer base of mictostock small enough not to affect the more traditional forms of selling your images?
I've always been one to put a reasonable price on my time and efforts, and always expect to pay a reasonable price when I purchase anything, and I don't think micro stock fits into this. It seems that you make very small returns based on the investment in time/equipment required, which to me just doesn't feel right.
It seems to me that the upsurge in micro stock sites are going to appeal more to the point and shoot brigade who take huge numbers of mostly average photos, and hope for a few $ each month, rather than the people who spend a lot of time, effort and money in making the photos that they sell to make their living.
I know we've got at least one big fan of microstock here (step forward Rob
), and a few pros - what are your views? Is this the future, or is the customer base of mictostock small enough not to affect the more traditional forms of selling your images?as a pro at the moment it is killing the industry. i get pissed off with clients calling me up for a quote and then next time i see them and enquire about the job thay said they bought from stock for a dollar or so. yet still charge their clients almost the same as my quote.
luckily most of "my" clients have gone full circle, bought from stock then shot digitally themselves and finally returned to using a professional photographer, as they have just not been happy with either the quality or lack of exact suitability. however i know many fellow photographers that have gone under because of this and i feel sorry for them.
i am wondering however if there is going to be more of a swing towards macro sites (a far superior quality image that is reflected in its price i.e alamy etc) as more and more pro photographers get worried about loosing out to micro sites when they realise that they are not earning as much as they thought they would.
lets face it if a designer is prepared to wade through hours of crap on micro stock sites to find a suitable image and save a few quid then they dont value their own work. however with a macro site the acceptance of images are much stricter so professionals are still going to be pretty safe from the happy snappers.
luckily most of "my" clients have gone full circle, bought from stock then shot digitally themselves and finally returned to using a professional photographer, as they have just not been happy with either the quality or lack of exact suitability. however i know many fellow photographers that have gone under because of this and i feel sorry for them.
i am wondering however if there is going to be more of a swing towards macro sites (a far superior quality image that is reflected in its price i.e alamy etc) as more and more pro photographers get worried about loosing out to micro sites when they realise that they are not earning as much as they thought they would.
lets face it if a designer is prepared to wade through hours of crap on micro stock sites to find a suitable image and save a few quid then they dont value their own work. however with a macro site the acceptance of images are much stricter so professionals are still going to be pretty safe from the happy snappers.
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