What Not to Submit

Above the Rest, Martin WorkmanWriting my last post on microstock reviewers I realized how many photo subjects are over represented. Take a look at this:

Undesirable photos in the reviewer’s account at Shutterstock I linked to in yesterday’s post:

  1. Photos of poor technical quality
  2. Multiple photos of one object in different colors
  3. Ugly naked people
  4. Photographer’s feet
  5. Single tree in a field
  6. Skyscrapers and tall buildings
  7. Money / cash
  8. Blurred tail lights
  9. USB plugs and computer equipment
  10. Old camera equipment
  11. Flowers

iStockphoto provide a list of least needed images. Here’s some of them:

  1. Your dog or cat
  2. Flowers
  3. Flags
  4. Feet
  5. Immediate environment – computer equipment
  6. Light blurs
  7. Brick Walls
  8. Fire
  9. Eyes
  10. Symbols
  11. Sunsets and clouds
  12. Forests
  13. Airplane wings
  14. Your shadow
  15. Backgrounds

Notice any common themes? Feet, flowers and computer equipment are all overdone and not desired.

Are you guilty of submitting photos of some of these subjects? I am!

So What’s Best to Submit?

Look at What Sells – take a look at the top selling images on each microstock website. If they’re selling well, they’re in demand. Start your research here:

Be Guided by Contests – Many microstock agencies run photo contests. Take the topics of their contests as hints about areas of their portfolio they’re looking to expand. If they want more photos of a particular topic, it’s because the topic is selling well but they could use some more images.

Aside from boring the reviewers and costing agencies the reviewer’s time, submitting these over-represented and “convenient” shots is not a good investment of your time. You’ll earn more money submitting well-taken shots of original subjects than gambling that some of your many easy-to-take shots will get through the reviewers.

Better quality and interesting shots will also get reviewed faster. Ever notices that your photos are not reviewed in order? Reviewers want to view appealing photos just like buyers.

Many microstock agencies say in their advice that a good stock photo is planned. This doesn’t mean you planned to take photos today and walked around your house shooting different objects. Do the research, find in-demand subjects or pick a specialty, and plan what the photos you’re going to shoot will look like.

The message coming through loud and clear is quality over quantity.



Posted August 16th, 2007 by Lee Torrens
Topics: , , , , , , ,

13 Comments »

john on 2007-08-17 10:52:18

how would you rank the big 5 or others in terms of difficulty of getting your images accepted?

 
Lee Torrens on 2007-08-17 12:24:02

Hi John,

They’re tough, at least for me. I imagine the experience of better photographers would be very different. Like all microstockers, I’m working to improve my photography and subsequently my acceptance rate.

The best resource to compare is this chart of acceptance rate averages.

Hope that helps.

- Lee

 
Zbynek Burival on 2008-02-11 18:18:36

Well, those most required pics are usually photos of ppl or other photos requiring some investments, profi lighting setup or studio etc. Please count how many times you must sell such picture for $0.25 or other “funny” payment to earn something. Most of these pics are for dumping prices which means someone shot them during advertisement photo session or contract and offered them as leftovers because they were already paid by another person. This is very unwise, dishonest and this is the true problem of “microstock killing photography” issue. If someone requires profi pictures, also should offer fair price. Microstock does not offer fair price for such pics so I do not offer them via microstock. Thats it.

 
Pixels Away on 2008-03-18 11:40:07

What Sells in Microstock? My Picture Bestsellers…

Probably, every microstock agency displays their most popular pictures – see e.g., iStockPhoto, Shutterstock, Fotolia, or Dreamstime. Their submission guidelines specify what to submit and what not to as discussed by Microstock Diaries….

 
Anonymous on 2008-03-29 20:18:19

Actually, some of the more downloaded shots(on BigStockPhoto) are of a lone tree, an eye, a rose, technology; etc. I don’t tend to have much faith in the “what not to submit” issue. Pictures of poor quality should not be submitted, though.

 
Steve on 2008-04-14 15:55:46

That’s so funny, I clicked the link to see the top sales on fotolia and there they are. A picture of money, a lone tree, a brick wall and a forest! I think you just have to have the worlds greatest ever brick wall photo :)

 
Jackson Wallace on 2008-05-16 06:06:09

I’ve tried two agencies. One is a microstock and has sold images for me, specialty images, and off of 5 sales, I’ve made a grand total of $4, which I don’t even to collect until my total reaches $100. I don’t even get to know where the imagery goes, though it is one use, as far as I know. This is iStockphoto, under Getty, and one of the most legitimate out there. I hate these people. They are destroying the careers of photographers. I spent a day taking these pictures, they were all from the same event, and some lazy designer gets to use them for essentially nothing. I was so appalled by this that I yanked most of my images, and went to another agency Photoshelter, which at least pays a decent amount, but doesn’t have the same draw. Bottom line is that as long as photographers from all over the world are willing to denigrate their work, then no one will get paid well. That said, you can get a few thousand downloads off of the right image, and therefore make 3-5k, so it can be done, but busting your butt across the spectrum in the hopes that one will hit in my mind is totally counterproductive. I’m better off making prints and selling them online or in person or cards. Anything pays better than these people. They pay $70 for a rights-unlimited deal. Some buyer can print a million posters from your image, and you make $70. They can go straight to h*ll and other photographers must treat them the same way if they ever hope to make any living off these guys. Then again, it is just a sideline, but it is no small amount of work, so no thanks.

 
lior iluz on 2008-08-26 08:25:46

actually, you have a mistake there… the list you linked saying it’s iStockphoto unwantet photos is actually a list of photos they DO want. therefor, there is no common themes between the shutterstock’s list and the istockphoto’s list.

thank you for this great article.

Lee Torrens on 2008-08-26 14:19:31

Yeah, the took the list of unwanted files off that page. :(

You’ll just have to trust my list.

-Lee

 
 
Lior Iluz on 2008-09-11 19:24:40

sure will… your site has been very helpful for me with improving my sales :)

 
microstockphoto on 2008-10-30 07:10:05

I totally agree with the “quality over quantity” approach.

But with the current trend in all microstock agencies (lower and lower prices + more and more pictures online) we are sometimes forced to pursue “quantity over quality” as a way to simply stay visible on micro stock photography sites, however absurd and sad.

 
ec on 2008-11-20 00:17:36 Subscribed to comments via email

i agree with lior that istock says one thing and show another. look at what is on their home page, a dog in black and white. been there for months. shutterstock is no better, check their all time best, and you see trees, and lots of silly girlie photos.
and zbynek is right about “shot during advertisement photo session or contract”, check out how many top sellers are using pseudonyms. if they are top sellers, why are they so afraid not to reveal their real names?

 
crazy utuber on 2008-11-20 00:36:58 Subscribed to comments via email

You forgot to add “same shots from the same session”. Both sites will penalize you for sending 2 shots of the same session, with a rejection saying, “send only one”. But if you search a certain keyword,
you see their top sellers with tons of the same session and even repetitions in just slightly different viewpoint. it really depends on whether they are exclusive or not. or if they know the reviewer.
Mind you, it’s not just Istock and Shutterstock. One of my favourite sites too is guilty of double standards. Zymmetrical will reject a shot saying , “the lighting limits the sales potential”, or “fringe”, “off colour”. Yet look at the image they have on front page, a guy in the wrong lighting, fringe tinged and in the most absurb color . So really, it all depends if you know the reviewers.

 
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