[shutterstock]

Why going exclusive with another agency is a bad idea:

1) You will be just another exclusive among hundreds vying for the same resources from one company. You can't go to another company to complain- you are stuck with a single channel.

2) Competition is good for the industry and YOU! Let's say you don't like the way they are treating a certain rule/idea/etc. You have nowhere to go! At least you can use your vote by concentrating your efforts on another agency until the other one gets back in line. Why give up your voting power? In fact, these other agencies don't even let you talk about other stock agencies on their forums. You give up a lot to go exclusive.

3) Why sell your photos in one place for just a 10% increase at that one agency? Tons of photographers are telling me every day that they make more with ShutterStock than anywhere else! Why not make cash here, AND everywhere else?

4) Staying with ShutterStock means being part of something new and changing. We consider all of your suggestions - and implement them back into the system as quickly as we can. What happened when we weren't processing photos fast enough? We hired a night reviewer who worked on Christmas Eve! What other agency will review your photos on a major holiday?

5) I don't like exclusivity -- and i don’t plan to lock anybody into ShutterStock. I think you guys should sell your photos everywhere and make as much money as possible! Besides - the model we have here is just one model... Your photos may do well here some parts of the year, and better in other places other parts of the year.

6) Other places may try to convince you that going exclusive is a good business idea. It is exactly the opposite! If you aren't convinced of that, go back to (1) and do not proceed until you agree. ;)

7) Our traffic is increasing. Sales are increasing. If you don’t believe me, check out our Alexa Graph. If that doesn’t convince you to stay here – what will?

7) Finally, I would hate to see any of you go!

Would welcome any feedback you guys have.

Jon Oringer, Founder and CEO
ShutterStock, Inc.

[LizV]

Thought I'd answer first before all the big "money makers" had a shot at it!

I am not a major contributor or a big money maker .. YET .. but I love this site because it has afforded me the opportunity to learn from the best of them and watch a truly professional organization come to fruition. I am given the same fair shake as everyone else, regardless of how new I am at this or how challenged I am by some pretty cheap camera equipment.

The inspectors might be happy to know that my new camera will be here in a few days and they can finally put their motion sickness medication away!

Thanks to Jon and his wonderful staff for creating this site and for having the patience to tolerate those of us who are beginners and for personally giving me the confidence and motivation to keep at it.

Anyone who wants to leave to join an 'exclusive' agency doesn't see the big picture. Realizing this may make some kind of financial sense to some, I do wish anyone who makes the choice, the best of luck in your pursuits.

Liz

[rkasprzak]

Really have to agree with both prior posts. I do have some photos listed with a couple of other agencies but find Shutterstock to be so far superior to the others that I rarely submit to the other agencies. Although some of them do pay substantially more their volume is so low that actual income is very low compared to Shutterstock. Rejection rate also is much higher on some of these other sites and they are all much more difficult to upload to. I can upload five or six times as many photos at Shutterstock in the same time it takes to upload one or two files to these other sites.

[sudhi]

Well, as a beginner or shall i say an ameture the first thing one looks for is an easy submission process, which is great over here. I have scored through other sites but have not found any matching shutterstock.
I'm sure exclusivity will add its own complexity to this existing process, so keep it this way guys, its great!!

sudhi

[andresr]

I couldn't agree more with Jon. I believe going exclusive is a bad idea. I upload photos to that specific agency and even if they quadruplicate the money for going exclusive, I would get 60% of what I get from shutterstock.

Also photographers have to consider that this agency is younger and it's growing VERY fast! as someone said in a different thread .... if all agencies were to go exclusive I would leave my photos here at shutterstock because:

1) more money
2) Quick changes to suggested improvements
3) incredibly easy and fast upload process
4) Friendliness from Admins

And the list goes on and on but I believe thats enough for now :)

Andres

[MIGRAINE]

I just started posting here and I know exclusivity is no good. I work in the television commercial production business and as a photojournalist and I know a photographer needs all the options possible.
I belong to two sites one is more of a online art gallery, that's fine, but sales are a joke. I've posted here less than a week and I've hade six downloads. No matter your business NEVER sign exclusive deals.
One suggestion for SHUTTERSTOCK, I have quite a few photojournalistic images I'd like to sell. Being news shots I don't have model releases for commercial sales, hard to get with the subject in a squad car on a drug bust. If there was a section of the site where buyers who need shots for editorial use could go, we could post shots with recognizeable faces without a model release. This would be great especially for shots like Michael Jackson going to court. I have some great ones of Mr. Jackson and his family in a shouting match with the local police.
All in all SHUTTERSTOCK is a top notch site. [/u][/b]

[mikeledray]

I couldnt agree more!
exclusivity is for the birds!
Here's My Story.
It all started one balmy september day in 1957 when I was born. The wind was blowing the leaves were turning colors,.hey thats too far back sorry lets move forward 47 years or so..................I started with ShutterStock on Nov. 11th 2004. As of this writing i have 631 accecpted photos on line here at SS. I have had sales since Nov 11 to this moment Dec. 28 2004 of, 600 of my images sold, 300 of my referal photographers sold (of which I make .03 cents per image) for a grand total of $129.00!
On the other sites that I am on I have made as of this writing $1.30, $20.90, $48.00, $6.00,
I have been on all 5 sites for about the same amount of time with the Same Photos as on SS. As a matter of fact I pretty much have quite uploading my images on the other sites (because of lack of sales) and gone with a self imposed semi exclusivity with SS.
I am no math expert but Id say I a have more options of making money here than the other sites.
of course I will keep the pics on those sites in hopes of rogue sales and perhaps upload one or two when i am totally bored with their One at a time upload process (that sucks if you ask me)
All I can say is LONG LIVE SHUTTERSTOCK as a matter of fact it is the first link on My web site

www.michaelledray.com

check out my shutter stock site at http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery.mhtml?id=426
any questions? feel free to e mail me at mikeledray@yahoo.com
and Good luck with your sales
mike

[TravelLight]

Have to agree with all of the above. Sales on this site are WAY ahead of the others, and the amount of work involved in uploading to several sites, for the small amount of extra money earned, hardly seems worth it. The best reason for uploading to more than one site, is that not everyone will want to spend $120 for a month's photos, so it could be a good way to get those customers who just want one or two, BUT now Jon is planning to sell our stuff as singles through other business partners, it may be that we will get the best of both both worlds here. Just think of that, one easy upload and your stuff is available through several sites! What could be better? We are looking forward to hearing more details!
Colin & Linda

[shutterstock]

[mshake5918]

I found this site first from a simple post in a photo forum about making money with your photos. I checked it out and signed up. I wasnt expecting a whole lot from it but wanted to try it and see how things went. I found the sign up and upload process very easy and got started right away. I had good sales right off the bat and kept uploading all along. I then decided to try two other stock photo sites not long after I joined ShutterStock. What a difference, first off ,had to be aproved to upload which took a good week at each one. After I was approved the upload process was a joke. One site had just one photo at a time for uploading and the other a maximum of 5 at a time. Then the waiting process all over again for approvals of those photos, a good week to ten days at least and then after all the work of uploading and typing in the descriptions and keywords getting more then half rejected. Watching the sales of those photos that did get approved is like watching paint dry. Im at almost $80.00 at ShutterStock in less then 2 months and now make on average about 2 to 2.50 a day here and at the other two sites combined so far I have a grand total of $5.00.

I think I will stay here and concentrate my efforts with this site from now on. Its so much easier here and the results are so much nicer. Great job Jon and the gang and the news of the co-branding is awesome!

Nice side benifit from doing stock photgraphy is that you have something to shoot and I am learning more and more all the time not only with my photography skills but also with my photoshop skills.

Looking forward to a long and prosperous future here with ShutterStock!

[LizV]

Probably a dumb question, but what does co-branding mean?

Liz

[shutterstock]

[mikeledray]

Jon
Thank you for being you. I know that sounds corney but, I am quite impressed by what you have created (ss and the others)
Im looking forward to co branding and am hooked with SS as my favorite Stock site Ever
mike
www.michaelledray.com
and

http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery.mhtml?id=426

[LizV]

Thanks for the explanation, Jon. Sounds like an exciting new venture for all of us!

Liz

[jsnover]

I suppose that exclusive deals might make sense for some people in some circumstances, but for me, at the moment, I cannot see any benefit in it. I have my work on four sites, three of which are doing well and I can't see how I'd benefit in any way, let alone financially, by becoming exclusive to one site.

Shutterstock sales for me have been good, and I've been very impressed at the continuing stream of improvements to the site. Of course, there are always more things on the wish list :)

It sounds a bit like the old story of "when I was young I had to walk 20 miles to school barefoot, in the snow,..." but at the end of October when I first uploaded files here, there was no FTP support - so much has happened in the last couple of months.

I do like the idea of being able to let the marketplace keep everyone improving steadily. I think all of the sites are better because they know there are others out there in the same business.

Here's to good business in 2005 for all of us!