Author Topic: Shutterstuck rejection - little confused and could use some advice (Read 3890 times)

oliverjw · « **on:** January 28, 2013, 12:55 »

Okay - this is my first post here and I am hoping that you guys can help me out.

I have been accepted by IS, DT, and alamy but had recently applied to shutterstock when I realized the potential for a 2:1 earnings ratio when compared to IS (according to the poll results).

I uploaded 10 images that had been accepted elsewhere and was quite suprised to get a pretty bad rejection (of 10 images submitted, 4 were accepted, 4 rejected for focus, 1 for poor lighting, and 1 for trademark). I guess I suspected different results given that all of the rejected files had been accepted and have sold on other sites. I understand that SS is different and - as I am learning - maybe more selective than IS. However, I am a bit lost and was wondering if anyone could provide some feedback if possible.

The rejected files are located here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/txw84wrvxxwdm4l/hhZxUsJC-y/SS%20Rejection and are organized by their rejection reason.

Really any help at all would be wonderful. I am just more confused than anything else and as always - looking to be better at this side of the business.

Thanks in advance for any comments. Reading through the forums has been quite helpful and I am thankful that there is a resource like this one.

Poncke · « **Reply #1 on:** January 28, 2013, 12:59 »

I agree with lighting and trademark. You shot against the sun and there is a massive flare in the frame. Globes are protected. Cant judge on focus, need 100% crop or original file to comment on that.

oliverjw · « **Reply #2 on:** January 28, 2013, 13:51 »

Sorry about that - I should have thought about that. I uploaded 2x 1:1 samples per image.

Thanks for the help!

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #3 on:** January 28, 2013, 14:17 »

You absolutely can shoot against the sun and get it accepted but not with 3/4 of the image underexposed - SS doesn't much like heavy shadows and so landscapes in contrasty light can be hard to get accepted. I'd stay away from those in the application although you can take another run at it once you're accepted.

The mass of similar looking rocky landscapes with somewhat dull light and not all that sharp focus is not going to fly at SS. I think the best of that group is the one with the river around the central rock (although it looks as though there's some color banding in the sky top left)

I'd skip that dark beach with the dark rocks and dark building - it's not great stock and there's CA around the contrasty edges.

Give them some subject variety, good focus, simple lighting, good colors, something indoors - not just landscapes if you can manage it. Good luck

JPSDK · « **Reply #4 on:** January 28, 2013, 14:48 »

OK my take:
Focus. It is a bit illogical which crop comes from which.

neither buildings or grand canyons are well exposed, there is heavy noise and lack of details/ resolution.'

cityscape. There is a haze over it and the sky is lost. Shutter does not want fancy lighting and haze, they want clear well resolved subjects.

maps are drawn by someone and copyrighted. Also globes.

heywoody · « **Reply #5 on:** January 28, 2013, 15:21 »

I just had a look at your IS port - I'm assuming there can't be much technically wrong if accepted there and you have a lot of stronger candidates than those posted here - I'm not much of a judge but perhaps the one of the medical equipment, the guitar making, the foot on the tack, shoe shine, perhaps one of the dogs, the split canyon, the underground lake....

bobkeenan · « **Reply #6 on:** January 29, 2013, 21:08 »

A few thoughts. Don't feel bad about SS rejections now or in the future. They just happen no matter how nice your photos are. For your qualification photos don't submit anything fancy. No shallow DOF's, no sun or light reflection. Don't do anything that comes close to having any copyright issues like the globe. Then look at each image at 100%, the whole image. There can be no noise. And the main subject has to be totally in focus. In fact for your qual shots try only submitting images that are only above f8.

I picked out some of my favorites and got rejected. I then looked at my top sellers and only picked the ones that matched what I said above and got in.

Oh.... and you can do everything right and still get a reviewer who is having a bad day.... and oops you are rejected.

Good luck and keep plugging away.

oliverjw · « **Reply #7 on:** January 30, 2013, 09:18 »

Sorry everyone for not responding sooner to my own post - full time job has been keeping me busy with 13-14 hour days since I made that post.

First and foremost - thank you everyone for taking the time to comment on my application and photos. It has been really helpful and I have been going back through and looking at SS again to try and determine what images I should submit.

That being said - a quick search of SS landscapes shows me that I might not be in the same realm as the SS photographers. In comparison - I do tend to underexpose my images which I artistically prefer as I think it creates drama - but is indeed not what stock agencies are looking for nor what they tend to accept. I am in the process of re-evaluating this aspect of my photography and will try to make the necessary adjustments to lighten up my photo's as I am taking the picture.

Additionally, I will go back through and evaluate my images with stricter standards at 1:1 and try to submit only images that meet the highest standards. Unfortunately I tend to get attached to my images which seems to cause "defect blindness" - usually because I know what I had to go through to get those images.

I did have one question that I have not been easily able to find the answer too - and that is whether or not your "acceptances" on your SS application can be carried over to your next application or whether they require you to submit 10 wholly different images.

Again, thanks for all of your comments. You guys have been extremely helpful with your comments, opinions, and evaluations.

Poncke · « **Reply #8 on:** January 30, 2013, 12:18 »

First thing you need to learn is to diversify yourself and start to think with a business mind. If you want to sell YOUR images, with YOUR style, then stock might be a hard nut to swallow. You need to create stock images, images that people want to buy for their projects. Stock images are a certain type of images. Not meaning not creative, just meaning not too artistic, or not what you like, but images with a commercial value, often very bright, clean, colorful stuff. So if you want to sell images for stock, start shooting for that purpose. Ask yourself, what can this image be used for? Think ads, billboards, magazines, commercial marketing. You can still shoot what you like next to shooting stock, but it might not be for stock, but for an art gallery. Try FAA, you can sell your arty stuff their and their is no review process.

So just get two hats, the stock shooter and the you shooter. And you will become a better photographer as stock demands a high quality image which will benefit your artistic side.

Its all good.