Photaki and APERTURA School of Photography have joined forces to create the first edition of Microstock Point. The aim of the conference was to teach photographers what they need to know in order to sell their images on microstock websites. From taking the photos to uploading and properly keywording images, all basic knowledge was covered. Please read full article here:

Microstock Point, Malaga 2013: Conclusions

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Press release, May 14th 2013 - Follow the journey!

Can you learn how to make it in stock photography in 100 days? Photography student Simon Bergström challenge the image industry together with Mostphotos to find out if it is possible to learn how to make sales in stock photography. The journey can be followed through the rebellious blog project “100 days to make it in stock photography” and the aim with the project is to inspire photographers, on all levels, how to best sell their work and to give valuable sneak peaks into the big stock photography industry.

This is the first blog of its kind in photography, much in line with Mostphotos mission to make it easy for anyone to start selling images. The collaboration with the photography student Simon
Bergström from Berghs School of Communication has already started and the blog will be launched the 20th of May.

Simon Bergström 100dayblog.mostphotos.com

Mostphotos support Simon by setting up appointments with professional photographers in the stock industry and arrange photo-shoots in line with requested image categories. The blog is going to be a transparent and authentic journey based on Simon Bergström’s experiences during the limited time of 100 days. For anyone interested in photography it is a rare chance to follow a realtime story on how to learn selling images like a pro. Simon is passionate about his work and sees this challenge as a great opportunity to reach out with his photography.

The story behind Mostphotos

In 2007, photographer Arian Bahrami founded Mostphotos with the vision to create a totally different stock image bank with global reach but local focus. He was a member of several international stock image sites and he found it intriguing that all of them rejected his image based on the same argument – they already had enough images of churches! However, no one had an
image of this particular church, which clearly could have commercial appeal to local customers. A few months later Mostphotos was born, based on the belief that anyone can make great images and that local content will appeal to local customers. Today Mostphotos has more then 40 000 contributors and approximately 4 million images for sale.

The blog is launched 20th of May on: 100dayblog.mostphotos.com. For more information about the blog or Mostphotos, please contact: Lena Telander, lena.telander@mostphotos.com, +46 (0)739383786

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 appeared first on Stock Photography News.

Bruce Livingstone Set to Keynote Global Microstock Expo Where Top Contributors Expand Their Business Revenues and Knowledge

Tickets Now on Sale for 2013 Conference in Berlin, Expanded to Include Video and Illustration Tracks

20 % DISCOUNT COUPON MSP2013

BERLIN, Germany: April 23, 2013— Tickets are now available for Microstock Expo 2013, with expanded tracks focused on video and illustration as well as photos, powerful masterclasses and abundant networking opportunities with industry leaders, vendors and service providers. The weekend kicks off with a special keynote by industry pioneer Bruce Livingstone, founder of iStockphoto and CEO of  the newly minted stock cooperative, Stocksy. In addition, there will be plenty of  opportunity to produce your own high-end stock photos and footage in fully produced shoots with models, sets and stylists. Microstock Expo will also soon solicit nominations for the first ever MEXPO awards, recognizing both the serious and hilarious in the microstock world.
As the microstock industry enters its second decade, several seismic shifts are happening in the art and business of stock, with very recent industry developments  such as Shutterstock’s new Offset collection, and unprecedented changes in the exclusivity landscape. The most serious professional stock contributors attend Microstock Expo to connect with peers, discuss trends, negotiate with top vendors and fresh startups, and investigate time-saving, creativity-boosting workflow techniques.

The Microstock Expo is the brainchild of longtime microstock insiders and analysts, Amos Struck and Lee Torrens. Thanks to sponsorship by Shutterstock, Depositphotos and ProImageExperts, the Expo returns to Berlin, Germany on November 16 and 17, at the andel’s hotel, with an optional PhotoWalk on November 15. Hundreds of professional microstock artists and agency leaders in video, photo and illustration from across the globe will make connections, add revenue streams to their businesses and discuss key ways the microstock industry can continue to evolve.

Early bird ticketsare €249 + 19% VAT, until June 1st, when they increase to €299.
The andel’s hotel offers a rate of €99, including breakfast and in-room Internet.
Lunches are included with the conference passes. The schedule, speakers and sessions will be regularly updated on MicrostockExpo.com as November draws closer.

Why Attend?
“At the last Expo, I physically distributed my portfolio to seven new agencies, increasing my revenue practically overnight, deepened relationships with great global stock contributors and key vendors, and found more service vendor partnerships that streamlined my workflow and saved me money,” said Andres Rodriguez, one of the world’s top-selling microstock contributors. “Microstock Expo is enjoyable and engaging, and in my opinion, a powerful investment if you are truly committed to the business of microstock.”
This intimate program is an elite mastermind opportunity for the most serious contributors in the space, allowing attendees the rare opportunity to make meaningful impressions and connections with other compelling artists and the most influential industry agencies.

Microstock Expo features:

• Unique presentations from top authorities on increasing revenue and improving skills,
• Educational panel presentations from the best experts in the microstock marketplace,
• Masterclasses and portfolio reviews from luminaries in video, photo and illustration,
• A dynamic exhibit hall with some of the top vendors and service providers in our space.
• MEXPO Awards in 10 categories ranging from the serious to hilarious in stock, 
• Plenty of time to make friends, reconnect with old ones and plan your professional future.

For questions about the conference, please visit http://microstockexpo.com

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Get Perfect Effects 4 Premium and Perfect B&W Premium for only $99.95 ($100.00 savings)
For 2 days only, you can get the best photographic effects software – Perfect Effects 4 Premium Edition and the all-new Perfect B&W Premium Edition for stunning black and white effects - Sale Dates: March 6th to March 8th.

Create your masterpiece in minutes with a huge library of effects and creative tools in both of these powerful new products. Achieve classic black and white looks with full control of shadow, hightling, and selective color, and create a unique look of your own with professionally-created photographic effects, glows, textures, and borders. With the ability to stack, combine and blend effects, and paint in effects to specific areas, your creative options are endless.

Order now for only $99.95 – that’s 50% off! As with all onOne products, you’ll get a 30-day moneyback guarantee, world class technical support, and free online training including Live webinars and videos to get you up and running fast!

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Integration Brings Over 150,000 New Users, Millions of Images, and 17 Languages to Pond5’s Marketplace for Media Makers

BROOKLYN, NY, March 5th, 2013. Pond5 Inc. and Pixmac s.r.o. announced today that they have reached a definitive agreement under which Pond5 will acquire the assets of Pixmac, a leading stock imagery network based in the Czech Republic. With millions of stock photos and illustrations distributed in 17 languages and in multiple currencies, the acquisition of Pixmac accelerates Pond5’s strategy to offer a global marketplace where media makers can connect with fellow artists, sell their stock media while earning industry-leading payouts, and license content from the world’s most comprehensive selection of creative elements for use in their own productions.

With the integration of Pixmac, Pond5’s vast selection of stock video footage, audio, images, 3D models, and motion graphics templates will be available globally across the Pixmac network of more than 20 domains, via a multi- language, multi-currency platform. The aggregate traffic across the network will more than double Pond5’s current traffic base. The Pixmac network of local managers and reviewers will also be joining Pond5, further broadening Pond5‘s reach and bringing industry expertise from key global markets in Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
“The Pixmac team has built something truly impressive, and we are very excited to be working with them to continue to build out the world’s most vibrant marketplace for media makers,” said Tom Bennett, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pond5. “The talent, technology, and community they bring will be a fantastic addition to Pond5 and a big win for our artists and our buyers.” “We are proud of what we have achieved so far, and we are excited to see what the integration has in store for our contributors,” said Vita Valka, co- founder and Chief Executive Officer, Pixmac. “Pond5 has challenged the microstock industry by letting artists price their own content and by providing them the best royalties. They’re the most artist-friendly marketplace around, and that’s the exact model that’s going to win in the long-run. We’re thrilled to be joining forces. ” Over 6,000 Pixmac photographers and illustrators are expected to join Pond5, bringing with them millions of images which will be available via the Pond5 website. Pixmac artists will get a substantial raise to match their Pond5 counterparts, and will earn 50% royalties on all sales.

About Pond5

Pond5 is the world’s most vibrant marketplace for media makers, offering the web’s largest collection of royalty-free stock video footage, as well as millions of stock photos, illustrations, music tracks, sound effects, Adobe After Effects project templates, and 3D models. Disrupting the traditional stock agency model with an open, dynamic marketplace, Pond5 invites media makers from all over the world to submit their own content and set their own prices, earning 50% on each sale – significantly higher than traditional players. Submissions are curated by the Pond5 team, and made available for immediate preview, purchase and download. All content is licensed under a simple royalty-free license that provides customers lifetime, worldwide usage rights across all media. Pond5 was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, USA with offices in Geneva, Switzerland and Prague, Czech Republic. For more information, visit http://www.pond5.com.

About Pixmac

Pixmac is a global provider of stock imagery, offering millions of stock photographs and illustrations in 17 languages and multiple currencies. Based in the Czech Republic, the site was launched in 2008 and is currently home to an artist community of over 6,000 photographers and illustrators worldwide. Some key Pixmac domains include:

• http://www.pixmac.com
• http://www.pixmac.at
• http://www.pixmac.com.br
• http://www.pixmac.cz
• http://www.pixmac.de
• http://www.pixmac.es
• http://www.pixmac.fi
• http://www.pixmac.fr
• http://www.pixmac.hu
• http://www.pixmac.in
• http://www.pixmac.nl
• http://www.pixmac.pl
• http://www.pixmac.ru
• http://www.pixmac.sk

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Shutterstock’s Global Design Trends 2013 Infographic

Looking for additional insight? Here are ten more amazing insights http://www.shutterstock.com/blog/2013/02/infographic-shutterstocks-global-design-trends-2013/

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We’ve received this interesting 2013 microstock pricing analysis by Photaki Team.

The prices of the images on microstock agencies vary depending on the price of the images, the license, the quantity, the credit package and of course depending on the agent.
There are lots of things to take into account when weighing the cost of an image, that’s why it’s almost impossible to know the exact price and be totally objective, but we looked for the best prices to try and show where should we sell our images, or buy them. Where to buy?
A lot of times we don’t really know how much would an image costs in a single purchase, given that many agencies don’t require a minimum amount to buy, different purchase plans.

It’s impossible to measure this because of what we said, but we can get other conclusions as well, that will give us an idea of how much would prices vary on agencies and what they offer:

• If we want to make a small purchase, with little credits, the best options are Photaki, Dreamstime, Crestock and Stockfresh.
• The agencies that increase the least their prices depending on the size of the image are: Photaki, Canstockphotos, Photodune and Depositphotos.
• The agencies that have more variety on the photo size are: Shutterstock, Depositphoto, Photaki and Crestock.
• The only companies that have XXSmall photos (500x400px) are: Photaki, Shutterstock and Photodune.
• Shutterstock is one of the most expensive agencies if we want to buy a single image, since you must buy a minimum off 39€ for a pack of credits, no matter the size of the photo.
• The agency that lets you buy the smallest credit pack is BigStockPhoto (6) and the one biggest credit pack, Depositphotos (50). For the price of those 6 credits (10€) we can buy 10 in Photaki, Stockfresh or Crestock.
• The agencies with the cheapest cfredit are Dreamstime, Crestock, Stockfresh and Photaki. (Depositphoto has the credit at 1$, but you must buy 50)

Microstock Prices 2013 – Click to Zoom Out

To sum things up: Analyzing the best microstock sites and comparing prices we notice that the oldest microstock pages have the highest prices (Fotolia, Istock y Shutter). The mid-sized ones claim their market share with competitive prices, making them better every day. Photaki and Dreamstime have the most economic prices for a medium sized demand of content and  Depositphotos if the quantity is  high.

P.S.: I’ve received some criticisms about the accuracy of this comparison. I invite to add your comment to this post if you’d like to suggest corrections.

@peter_hamza  Stockfresh founder: “On SF min purchase is $4.99 or $2.50 with instant DL, vectors are $10, we start with 1:1 credit ratio unlike most others” / “Pixel sizes vs size categories are also wrong in some cases and I’m not sure where you’ve seen those istock prices ”… full discussion at https://twitter.com/peter_hamza/status/304198842742607872

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Image Source, the world’s leading independent premium stock photography agency, has re-launched the IMSO resource blog in its latest move to support professional photographers.

London (PRWEB) February 06, 2013 – Premium stock photography agency Image Source has re-launched its photographer resource blog, IMSO (http://www.imagesource.com/blog/), as part of its continued commitment to support photographers. Since early 2011 IMSO has provided industry trending information for photographers and image buyers. Following increasing popularity and success, Image Source took the decision to re-launch IMSO as a dedicated professional photographer resource featuring photography trends, tips, reviews and interviews with leading industry figures.

Four months on from their merger with Cultura Creative, Image Source has continued to honour its commitment to support photographers at a time when royalty rates are falling across the industry. In this latest move to assist photographers, Image Source has re-launched IMSO as a resource blog to offer direction and insight based on the latest industry trends. By providing these detailed insights, Image Source is helping photographers to shoot content that accurately reflects what is being demanded by image buyers.
As well as helping photographers with knowing what to shoot, IMSO offers a chance for photographers to share their experiences, to learn and to contribute to a knowledge base designed specifically to help premium stock photographers.
Indeed a recent interview with Alys Tomlinson provided useful insight into shooting education photography.
However, IMSO is not just about Image Source’s own professional photographers; it also caters for the wider photography community. Through exhibition reviews, tips and interviews, IMSO seeks to help amateurs, enthusiasts and other professionals, whether or not they work with Image Source.
“The idea is to provide support to the wider industry which is largely feeling the strains of falling royalty rates and increasingly unfavourable terms. IMSO seeks to help photographers, new and old, to work within the changing industry, to choose the right content to shoot and to share ideas and experiences”, said Anthony Harris, Image Source’s Chief Operating Officer.

The original version of IMSO, which launched in April 2011, targeted wider creative industries including art, design and fashion. It began refocusing on photography in May 2012 and by November 2012 traffic had increased by over 500%. Image Source remains fully committed to raising the level of professional premium stock photography. With new features already in the pipeline, IMSO is well placed to become a central community in the professional stock photography industry.

About Image Source

Image Source is the world’s leading producer of premium royalty free stock imagery, motion and Cross-Media content. Headquartered in London, UK, with a regional office in New York, the company also supplies imagery through over 200 partners worldwide. This strong international sales network enabled the company to win the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2005. Image Source is currently the only platform in the industry able to showcase matched still images and motion clips displayed side-by-side for any given keyword search result, enabling creative art buyers to fulfil an integrated multimedia campaign brief in one simple purchase path. Search for royalty free high quality stock photos, images, video, footage, clips and Cross-Media content 24/7 at http://www.imagesource.com/.

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Depositphotos breaks a new record: another million files were added to the agency’s library in less than two months.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, January 31, 2013 – Depositphotos, the fastest-growing microstock agency in the world, increased its library by another million files. The agency’s library recently passed the 12 million milestone high-quality stock photographs, vector images and videos sold under a royalty-free license. The agency’s library increased by 140% during the calendar year 2012.

With the clients’ convenience as a major priority, Depositphotos’ team is currently working on merging buyers’ and contributors’ accounts, which will give the users an opportunity to make the most of the Depositphotos website.

“We do understand that the growing library will attract more and more prospective buyers to the agency. Therefore, we are redoubling our efforts to make it possible for our customers to make use of all the website’s features in the simplest way,” says Depositphotos’ Chief Operating Officer, Igor Kaliuzhnyi.

About Depositphotos Inc.

Depositphotos is the fastest-growing microstock agency in the world. Currently, it offers over 12 million stock photographs, vector images, and videos sold under royalty-free licenses. Depositphotos’ library is increased daily by thousands of files, carefully screened and selected by moderators. The company is headquartered in Florida, USA, and has business offices in Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Ukraine and Russia.

For more information, please visit http://depositphotos.com/, and follow Depositphotos on Facebook or @Depositphotos on Twitter.

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BROOKLYN, New York (January 29, 2013) – Pond5, the world’s most vibrant marketplace for media makers, announced today its public release of the new version “v2” of its website. The site offers a dramatically improved experience for both customers and contributors, giving filmmakers, photographers, musicians, 3D artists, and all kinds of media makers a place to connect with fellow artists, sell their stock media, and purchase high-quality content for their productions.

Artists on Pond5 contribute to a vast, rapidly-growing repository of creative elements, which now features more than 1.5 million video clips – the largest selection of royalty-free stock footage on the web – and more than 10 million stock photos, illustrations, audio files, 3D models, and motion graphics templates ­- all available for instant download.

New features implemented on the site include:

• Larger, higher quality thumbnails and previews. The media is front and center, loading quickly and in high resolution.  Video and audio plays back directly from search results, and watermarked previews are freely downloadable for use in mockups, rough cuts, and testing.
• Advanced Search. Media makers can quickly find what they’re looking for with granular filters for media type, resolution, duration, price, aspect ratio, etc.
• Infinite Scroll. Instead of flipping page-by-page through search results and waiting for pageloads, users are now presented with a continuously loading page of content, making the search process fast and seamless – an industry first.
• Collections. Media makers can now collect, organize and share their favorite media easily and quickly using the new Collections feature.
• Drag and Drop. In another first, users can now add content to their carts or collections using an intuitive drag and drop interface.
• Customized Artist Profiles. Contributors on Pond5 can promote their portfolios and build their brand more effectively with the ability to visually customize their artist pages.

“We’re focused on creating the fastest, most artist-friendly platform for media makers around the world to exchange creative elements, connect with other creators, and get inspired,” says Tom Bennett, co-founder and CEO. “These latest features are a big step in that direction.”

Content from Pond5 has been used in virtually every type of media project and by virtually every type of media maker, with a diverse array of more than 100,000 customers including major Hollywood studios, television networks, book and magazine publishers, video game makers, bloggers, and a long list of of others.

To sign up to Pond5, visit http://www.pond5.com.

About Pond5 Inc.

Pond5 is the world’s most vibrant marketplace for media makers, offering the web’s largest collection of royalty-free video footage, as well as millions of stock photos, illustrations, music tracks, sound effects, Adobe After Effects project templates, and 3D models. Disrupting the traditional stock agency model with an open, dynamic marketplace, Pond5 invites media makers from all over the world to submit their own content and set their own prices, earning 50% on each sale – significantly higher than traditional players.  Submissions are curated by the Pond5 team, and made available for immediate preview, purchase and download.  All content is licensed under a simple royalty-free license that provides customers lifetime, worldwide usage rights across all media. Visit Pond5 at http://www.pond5.com.

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