Getting stock photos directly from artist

[newimage]

Do any of you ever buy directly from the artist rather than going through a microstock agency?

I'm playing around with setting up a private stock site to license my photos through but I'm curious how much time I should bother investing in it.
All together I have licensed around 20,000 images over the last couple years through microstock sites. Starting off I would have only a couple thousand images available and be adding anywhere from 200-500 images a month (most of my work is people shots). I'm not thinking "get rich quick" .. I have a full time photography studio and this would simply be an additional source of income for it.

Just curious what your opinions are on this ... good idea or waste of time?
I'm wanting to collect as many ideas/opinions on this subject as I can so any feedback you guys have would be appreciated.

I do have a working demo online if anyone wants a look .. I just didn't want to post the link and it look like I was just here pimping out my site.

[DesignerRicky]

I would say purchasing digital art is lazy
To feel good as a designer and 100% satisfied with every piece of work you produce,
You should validly have your own work. Therefore digital photos,
drawing etc, should be yours. Some people do not have these skills i understand.
But its a personal feeling.

[corneo]

I would rather buy from an artist than a company. There's a better chance of getting the shot I want with a simple request, than to deal with large company b.s.

I don't have the time to setup equipment, get lighting, find models. If you have this equipment ready to go, then make a few bucks on the thing you enjoy.

[3ncryptabl3_lick]

People rarely buy direct from the artist as it's not that practical. Besides there aren't than many out there to begin with. When someone needs a stock image, they go to the stock houses.

It's far easier for a photographer to release images to the stock houses as it is more profitable to get connected to a higher profile stock photography site than it is to set themselves up with their own site and shopping cart etc... Plus, a single photographer will never be able to encompass the entire stock genre to such depth as to cover as many genres as a stock photo site would. So even browsing, as a shopper, a photographer sites for stock images, it will likely not provide exactly what a user is looking for. A stock site will likely have the same genre times 100 all from different photographers using different color palettes, shooting styles etc...

[Natural Elements]

Yes buying from stock images is more simple, I've got an account with www.istockphoto.com they are very reasonable for 35mm photos or digital, now if you need something very High tech super duper pro you can use www.comstock.com