Stock photography confusion

[markbernard]

I tried to get accepted at iStockPhoto and got rejected. I thought the photos I submitted were pretty good. Can anyone give me some comments on the photos I submitted? I am not sure what to do.

Thanks.


Falcon by markbernard1234, on Flickr

Photo school exercise by markbernard1234, on Flickr

Trillium in May by markbernard1234, on Flickr

[Izzy]

Hate to be the one to tell you they just don't hit the mark. Maybe if you submit them to the crit section you will find out why. Here is not the place for crit so I won't.

[markbernard]

Ok. Thanks for telling me. I just wanted a more general critisism. In the crit section it says to only ask specifics. At this point I guess I am still too much of a beginner because I don't know what is wrong so I would have to ask each question individually on each photo and that can take a long time. Not that I don't have the time but it is frustrating to wait.

[Izzy]

Originally Posted by markbernard

Ok. Thanks for telling me. I just wanted a more general critisism. In the crit section it says to only ask specifics. At this point I guess I am still too much of a beginner because I don't know what is wrong so I would have to ask each question individually on each photo and that can take a long time. Not that I don't have the time but it is frustrating to wait.

We all get better as we go. I look back at last years work and wonder why I ever showed them to anyone and I have been shooting for many years. You can post in crit and ask people what they would have done differently with the photos. This has yielded tons of info for me that makes my photography better in general. Sometimes I don't agree with them but that is just tough on my part. Either way I learn more and get even better.

[RichardTaylor]

Try some of the critique forums on Flickr, as well as those here.

[John Hendry]

Have a look on the site you are submiting to do they match up?

I have some images as stock no sales so far.

All the best

[gturner]

have a look at the quality that is accepted and compare it. There is a heap of good stuff out there!

[SwissJon]

Ouch.. 85% fees.. I really wouldn't bother with these guys..

[i speak in math]

Originally Posted by markbernard

Falcon by markbernard1234, on Flickr

Its a picture of a falcon, and not a particularly good one. His head is too far to the side. There is a hint of wings but they are cut off awkwardly. He's kind of leaning to the side and looking at something over there. Makes me want to see whatever it is instead of looking at the falcon. There's a group of people behind it so its clearly taken at some kind of zoo or animal show.

Why would I buy this? What is its intended use? Who is your target consumer?

Originally Posted by markbernard

Photo school exercise by markbernard1234, on Flickr

Its some imperfect oranges with a flower on some wrinkled blown out fabric. Lazily composed; one orange is awkwardly cut off of the frame. What is the subject here? The flower? The oranges?

Why would I buy this? What is its intended use? Who is your target consumer?

Originally Posted by markbernard

Trillium in May by markbernard1234, on Flickr

Dead branches with a flower awkwardly in the corner? Is the flower the subject? Why does it take up so little of the frame? Why is it cut off?

Why would I buy this? What is its intended use? Who is your target consumer?

These are the questions you should be asking yourself when you take or submit an image for stock photography. If you don't have that thought out, then no one is going to buy them. Anyone can take a snap shot of some dead branches.

Originally Posted by Izzy

We all get better as we go. I look back at last years work and wonder why I ever showed them to anyone and I have been shooting for many years. You can post in crit and ask people what they would have done differently with the photos. This has yielded tons of info for me that makes my photography better in general. Sometimes I don't agree with them but that is just tough on my part. Either way I learn more and get even better.

Absolutely...I look back at my first year of photos and wonder why I was so happy with them. I am definitely my worst critic. Your first 10,000 photos will be your worst. You will improve as you practice. You get better and better as you shoot, critic and learn.

[SwissJon]

I speak maths is bang on..

The point is.. Your camera can shoot perfectly exposed, perfectly focussed picturs 90% of the time in automatic mode, even in the hands of a complete novice, so the only thing you, the photographer has left is the composition.. It's MUCH more important.. Anything that makes your photograph different from the other 100,000 perfectly exposed perfectly focussed photos they see daily. Composition, composition, composition..