Since 2006 I've been collecting a tons of microstock photos rejections. This is a “fake” Top Seven of microstock rejection reasons, hope funny, just a pretext to show a list of some interesting or peculiar or common refusals. As we've already said, sometimes a rejection make you say “why, why!?”, sometimes you can learn and try to improve your stock photography style.
1. Dreamstime – back to the roots
“Image is not RF stock oriented or its sales potential is too low at this stage. Please note that Stock photography is a commercial type of imagery, so, snapshots are not Stock. There are several vital requirements that an image must meet in order to be stock oriented. An image must serve a purpose, must have a concept, must have a good technical execution in terms of composition, exposure, light setting, optical performance. Creativity is a keyword for a successful stock image, as well. It is also very important to understand that Art and Stock are two fundamentally different categories of imagery, that only meet when an artwork can adapt to a wide range of commercial usage” |
2. Fotolia – legendary aesthetic quality
One of the most disheartening comment 😉 “Fotolia – Photograph Declined – Quality of the photograph |
3. Shutterstock – focus on focus
“Not Approved: |
4. iStockphoto – moment's aberration
“The file has unacceptable levels of chromatic aberration, also referred to as ‘purple fringing” |
5. BigStockPhoto – let the client crop
“Poor composition/Cropped subject: Chopping off part of subject makes photo harder to use generally 🙂 thanks” |
6. Veer – What are you shooting!?
“The subject matter is not suitable for Veer Marketplace” |
7. Panthermedia – You are late
“Unfortunately, we have too many similar images of this kind and therefore have to reject it. Please see our list of required images and less required images” |
A lesson of basic stock photo life:
Your focus is not my focus
Purple rain, purple rain…
When details are not important
Don't loose your time with this snapshot stuff
Why are you sending us this overabundant category without a stunning image?
13 Comments
Hehe… Great post. It sure can be disheartening, those rejections on perfectly good images…. Reviewing remains subjective, but sometimes necessary 🙂
Hi Hugo, yes, at the beginning the rejections could be disheartening… then they push you to produce better images. The subjectivity is in the game, I like also to mention that my Stockxpert's best seller was rejected by the other big ones 😉
Thanks for your comment,
roberto
"I like also to mention that my Stockxpert's best seller was rejected by the other big ones" – isn't that always the case? Quite ironic, and a prime example of the unavoidable subjectivity of review processes… 🙂
Your focus is not my focus! My favorite! 🙂
I think all of those reasons are good reasons to reject an image.
Yes Giò, you're right… It's just a funny way to talk about rejections. Cheers!
Very interesting! But, did you try to propose them again after some time?
You can have some surprises…
Ciao 🙂 Cris
Ciao, Cris… yes, I did, with good surprises: for example, my shutterstock's bes seller with 100+ downloads was rejected at the initial test 😉
I forgot one thing: I have more or less the same picture of the bicicles in Milan… I can try to propose it to see how it goes!!! I'm joking, of course.
waiting for yours, mine is online at
http://www.shutterstock.com/results.mhtml#photo_i…
and "Recommended" at Panthermedia… subjectivity 🙂
An additional reason of rejection from Istock:
We found this file over filtered from its original appearance/quality.
Thanks to Natalia Macheda for the mentions on http://microstocker.blogspot.com/