Stock photo tips

Tips for stock photography (out of my experience)

Quality – even if is a shitty photo the quality is important, must be a quality shit not a regular shit.

Composition / Idea – if your photo is more art than “buy me” is not good, they don’t accept images that don’t have potential to sell.

Noise – noise is a big NO, well it should be a big no for any wannabe photographer … if it has noise is trash.

JPEG artifacts – also a big NO.

Light - overexposure, lens flare or too much brightness is not acceptable also shadows that are not part of composition are a good reason to be rejected.

Ok, maybe the above are rules of common sense if you are a wannabe photographer and your photo will have good chances to be accepted. Next filter is what I like to call a commercial filter. Even if your friends are impressed by that particular photo and maybe you received some positive feedback from other photographers it doesn’t really matter. Your photo could win some photo contests and still not be good for stock photography. Why? Simple! It will not sell!!! Your photo is not what you can find on a flyer or website! Yeah, is true, art doesn’t sell! You must think commercial!

Some advices:
- Your photo must have a story behind, not just a snapshot, so that the web designer / print designer could find it useful.
- Can be used on multiple projects
- No logo or identifiable trademark
- Nudity is accepted with some rules regarding what is seen or not (no genitals, erotic pictures etc.)
- Pictures like autumn / winter landscapes or sunsets / sunrises are submitted in large numbers so your photo must stand out in order to be accepted.
- No recognizable faces unless you have written permission from those persons (even if is a big crowd and you can see clearly 20 faces you have to obtain permission from all 20 … yeah it is crap, I know).
- Landmarks only if they are different and not tourist-like photo (everybody has a picture with Eiffel tower that looks nice).
- Minimum 3MP at highest quality
- Minor Photoshop touch-ups can be accepted
- Good keywords and description.

Happy shooting everybody!

Keep you posted ;)