I am writing this for anyone who has heard about an iStock “minilypse”, and has no idea what it is…

What is an iStock Minlypse  you ask?! It is an amazingly rad 2-3 day event where 10-30 photographers (from around the world) who are contributors to iStockphoto meet up to do commercial photo shoots of a bunch of models and concepts. The person hosting the minilypse is a contributor themselves that decides to take on the challenge of putting it all together. Tickets to the event are usually low priced and affordable for photographers to keep the opportunity open up to more contributors and because they also need to pay for their own travel costs. The events are meant to share knowledge, create opportunity to shoot new concepts and people, learn, and to be social. We have all seen each others work on the website, and a minilypse is a great way to actually meet other contributors in person. Social parties at a minilypse can range from a simple social dinner to a full blown all nighter of crazy iStocker’s in a bar partying it up all night .

Stock photos from the event are usually put in a “light box” or collection of images on iStockphoto.com. For example, this is a light box of an event that Todd and I hosted called the SLC Minylypse 2009. Minlypse events are going on all the time, worldwide… to see if there is one in your area, check the  minilypse forums on iStockphoto. Photographers must be an approved contributor on iStockphoto to attend the events.

iStockphoto also runs events called an iStockalypse. An iStockalypse in an official iStockphoto event rather than a “minilypse” hosted by a contributor. The photo shoots are bigger, better and sell out within minutes of being announced.

Interested in selling stock? Click here! You better watch out though, iStockphoto is pretty addicting, haha.

SLC Minilypse time-lapse video on Youtube by Nicole Young

Oh la la’ lypse (iStockalypse) in France: