Hi StockRiot,
Thanks for checking in with photographers...
Here are some of the things I look for.
Sales and income is key. However, as new site, you won't be able to offer that right away. In the past I've worked with new sites on occasion, and many of them haven't sold even one image. Most of those I will drop. I don't take my images down, I just stop uploading and being active. I know other folks will go and pull their images down.
That doesn't mean that I won't support a new site. I have a few sites I actively upload to that really don't sell much or any. Since you are new, you would likely fall into that category. So, since you aren't ShutterStock or DreamsTime or IStock, here are the sorts of things that make me stick with a less productive site.
1. Do they seem like they MIGHT make it big. The interface is important and I look to see if they are advertising. So, are the representing my photos in a professional manner. I think Lucky Oliver is a great example of this. I have sold very few images through LO...but they seem to be aggressive and they seem like they might crack it. So I stick with them.
2. Is it easy to upload (FTP is a must) and easy to submit. I have a couple sites that I upload my keyworded images with other IPTC info in place and I'm done.
They stick them in categories and sell them. They don't always sell many...but it doesn't matter because they are SO easy to upload to that I can make a few bucks here and there and be fine. The submission process elsewhere is daunting...particularly when you spread your images among 20 or more sites, like I do. I don't want to add more work. So keep the submission process very, very easy and fast.
3. Do I like them.
This may sound a little odd in the impersonal world of crowd sourcing...but there are a few sites out there with my images simply because they respond to the occasional email, they are friendly in their communications and they seem like good people that I want to help. I figure if I'm going to put my work out there to help me and to help someone else make money...I might as well like that someone else.
4. They promote me. One site I can think of has featured me as a photographer several times. A couple others often have one of my images on their home page. How can I refuse? It's good Internet PR for me even if the images don't sell well there. As part of my overall presence online, it's great.
So those are my four criteria for the smaller sites. The big 5 or 10 or however you count sites get most of us because they consistently deliver sales. Since you're new, that will be harder for a while.
I dropped by your site. I like the interface.
It's cool and professional. Maybe slightly conservative given the name...but that's a business decision. It looks like you're in picture acquisition mode. I went to "people" and found only about 40 images. For someone like me, getting in on the ground floor can be attractive. I have several hundred people shots that already sell well. It really becomes a cost (in time) vs. benefit equation. If you make it easy to upload and submit. I'm there...and I suspect a lot of others will be, too.
I hope that helps...
I'd love to hear from you.
Cheers,
Scott
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