Selling yourself short !!

Just read an interesting article
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141024173847-245968790-attention-pond5-artists-you-re-selling-yourselves-short

I also believe the video stock footage is going the same way as stock photography...the stock photography market has been decimated by hobby photographers selling at rediculous low prices and making a few $ on the side. Even as a hobbist (and there are some very creative and talented ones) value yourself with pride and charge the correct rate for the time you put into your work, overheads and equipment. This will help the whole industry because all you are doing is undercutting each other and no one wins.

The market is shifting as we speak with istock only paying $8 for 4k footage...what a joke and an insult to all videographers.

I am surprise to hear all the time: Customers want this cheap, so we offer them cheap. Let's think about it, After they offer them cheap, it is not enough, so you offer them free, so customers visit website and drive traffic. Can you survive as agency and artists?? Will camera company give us free equipment, car company give us free car rental? No!

I do not give away clips for free also not sell cheap. I would like to have a healthy environment so every one can have a piece of cake, instead of cake disappear forever.

Hi patuwe97...you have some wonderful footage and great to see you are selling at a realistic price for your time and effort. If you don't mind me asking, how many clips would you say you need to make it a regular steady income and do you just use Pond5 ?

PM me please if you like? I don't talk to robot!

I am not talking about myself, but the industry on the way to collapse.

The author of that personal article deleted his sound files, if he ever had any here. This is an issue that is as old as P5 itself. You can look into the micro-cosmos of P5 or look at the macro-cosmos of all agencies and reach your decision. Then you have the country factor. In some countries $1 American Dollar is a lot of money so for them earning a few dollars is a lot of money. This is a never ending issue.

The people who shoot and think $1 is a lot of money can they really afford a decent camera and produce high quality 4K footage ?
I'm basing the findings on the median of quality footage (removing the very low and the very high prices) and saw how the photo stock libraries slipped into a spiral of lower pricing game , e.g. I believe Getty also panicked and starting buying up all the micro stock libraries, Istock, Image Bank, Jupiter, Stockport, etc so they could at least try and keep a foothold on pricing as the dominant player.
Pond5 is a great for professionals where you set your own prices, but I have a feeling that this may change if they offer an alternative selling model and start to be squeezed even more by the hobbyist! The only options I see for full time professionals are Getty (not istock) and pond5 as long as they don't change their business model.

A lot of stock photography buyers are using robots to troll all social media sites for images that they need in real time! When they find something they want they make a ridiculous offer and the owner is flattered that someone would want their image for an advertisement. The advertiser's are looking for fresh images from real people amateur and professional. As a retired art director I would buy stock photography and video at fare market prices. Now its like fast food! Buy it cheap and and use it in national ad's. They reduce the costs of doing business to their clients. Art is disposable...

Arkstudios, you don't sell anything? I see your portfolio is empty.

Also your original post isn't correct:
"The market is shifting as we speak with istock only paying $8 for 4k footage...what a joke and an insult to all videographers."

They pay the artist $8 for a 1080 or 4k video but they charge as much as any other site. That is the true insult.

arkstudio

This topic is well discussed before many times. I suggest you set your own price and happy with it and firm with that for at least one or two years. You may raise price but not lower. Full-Time is no no when you have a job or a studio. Use your studio produce some quality footage and photo is very good along with your own commercial photography shooting. Stock photography hey days is gone, still you can make some decent money by selling both V and P stocks.

Every business has to change their business model in the quick digital world, every second is different. Too quick to catch up anyway. We should not compare ourselves with amateur, but do your own job. There are third world countries's artists are willing to earn one dollar, but they can't do as good as you in England. You can't stop them by selling cheap, only P5 has the power.

Subscription has no future for us artists, I will not go suicide with them.

Alamy is another canal for you, and they are in London.

Yes sorry if you thought it misleading and agree a real insult! I am basing it on what they pay videographers...still only $8 for HD and 4K !!!
And yes I have no footage or images uploaded as I decided years ago not to step into stock photography. I could see the market changing and could not do it full time as was busy shooting commercial/advertising work.
I am now considering putting all my effort in the stock video business but trying to find out as much info as possible and to see if it is still worth it. I personally know of professional photographer who went into stock photography and then realised it was alot of effort for little reward. I hope video does not go the same way.