How to get accepted to an photobank

How to get accepted to an photobank (shutterstock example)

(Part III)

To start selling on shutterstock - you must pass an exam - from the 10 photos uploaded by you - at least 7 must be accepted. It will be an general exam - you could upload any type of your work (vector or raster images).

You should really prepare yourself for this exam, do not hurry. Do not select the 10 most sold photos from your portfolio on other pshoto stock and consider it a guarantee of passing. You have to understand what kind of requirements shutterstock has, for what reason rejects happen and what can be done to correct the situation.


The requirements and reasons for rejection:


Quality.
Shutterstock has usual requirements for quality but is very sensible to noisy pictures.

Key words.
This is the most difficult issue when dealing with Shutterstock, because many people write about the inadequacy of inspectors and often rejections for key words on absolutely inexplicable reasons.

Model Release.
No model release with the photo of people just like - and you'll fail without options. Do not forget about it.

All other requirements and the reasons for rejection consider a simple version of the subjective views of the inspector "I didn't like that" and that's all.


What can simplify your exam:

* It is better to reduce the size of the photo to the minimum, the income from it does not affect, but the chance of acceptance will be higher, because reducing the size for example from 8 megapixels to the minimum allowable 4 megapixels we thereby slightly improving the technical quality.

* It is desirable that all the work was most unlike each other, but focus more on that subject which you have the most turns.

* Make a photo more saturated and bright, but try to not lose quality. The usual stock photo - is light, bright, licked.

* Use the noise-reduction plug-in in Photoshop, but do not do a photo looks like some plastic stuff, just a bit remove a particularly noticeable noisy places.

* Use only the main keywords. Do not spam keywords in the examination papers.

* Do not forget to attach a model release for photos with people.


If you didn't pass the exam - you'll be given a month to realize typur mistakes and re-take the exam. Believe me, even proffesional photographers do not always pass the exam at first time (the reasons are quite understandable by the way - the pros believe that the pictures should be natural light and color, consider that some noise is a good thing). One of my friends photographers, two years ago, when he started work with photobanks, having a huge portfolio failed to pass the exam the first time. But do not be afraid, mostly statistics show that chances to pass from the first time are 75%, 20% from the second and to the third 5%.

Good Luck!

Shutterstock

Photobanks

Part II

Shutterstock

Previously we've talked about photobanks and photo stocks.

Let me remind what are they and why would anybode need them.

Photobank it's something like a database of  photos and vectors used by designers and various editors of newspapers, advertising agencies. They buy pictures and use them according to their needs. On the other hand we find those who are interested in selling all kinds of pictures and graphic works. They place them on microstock and describe using keywords to let the customers easily find images. Customers pay for the pictures, photobank takes the big part of that money, the rest, which is transferred to a bank account,  photographer gets.
And that's quite all.

Easy, yes?

Let's see.

Shutterstock PhotoBank

Shutterstock - probably the best microstock. Selling pictures is done by subscription, we get from 25 to 38 cents per download, depending on rank. But they just sell tons. In order to sign-up you need to present some kind of ID (your passport or driver license scan). Then you will need to pass an exam of 10 works, all ... whether 3D, photo, and a vector (in case of failure of the exam you are given a month to think about before the next attempt), for passing the exam is necessary to have 7 out of 10 works accepted.
Shutterstock will let you immediately  start getting decent money and will not to be disappointed, by contrast, would be motivated to do more and better. And then you begin to move on, adding to their income from shutterstock income from secondary photobanks.

Another difference from competitors - is the system of payments. If on the other photobanks we gained the minimum amount ordered and received, at the shutterstock payments occur once a month. Default minimum payout $ 100, but it can be changed to $ 75.



Search engine of  shutterstock is  built on the principle of two sorts - newest first  and popular. If you add work to the shutterstock's database  -  it first will  appear  in the newest and gradually will be pushed out by the newest submissions. But  time spent in this position can be vital to start selling and begin to increase in  popularity. As a result you will get more sales in the first few days, especially high in the sort of popularity and sales will work to continue. This algorithm is much simpler relevance of other photo banks.

Pros:

* Large Number of sales

* Quick check


Cons:
* When you sign up - you will need to prove your identity

* Requires a qualification of 10 works (to pass the exam you will need to have 7 out of 10 of your works approved


Later you'll be given some advices in order to make easier passing your  first exam at the shutterstock.

Photo stocks

Photo stocks - what can you do with them?

(Part I)

Photo stocks originated relatively recently (10-20 years). The first pictures on photobanks were more than sickening. But photo stocks  evolved... And now the work presented in the collection is already possible to watch without pain, often - with a slight interest, and sometimes - even with genuine pleasure.

What can you get on photo stocks for free?

* Some stocks offer video and / or pictures once a week / month for free download. Not much, of course, but at least something.

* When a designer happens to stuck from the abundance of work or runs out of any ideas, he goes to stocks for the inspiration.

What's the point?

The point is the price for the suff listed on photo stocks. Note that this butterfly will cost you about $ 10-20 in a good size and perfect quality. Profit to the author of approximately 20% of the photo. In this case you as a customer, get a stack of papers attesting to the fact that you can use the photo  legitimate, for example, to advertise fire extinguishers.

So what's the catch?

And the catch is that picture can be bought for ten times. Or a hundred times. Or even 10,000. Thus, the author has created it in two hours of good design can receive from it a salary of an average designer for a relatively long time.

Actually, this is the main drawback and all creative Banks (pictures, essays and other things) - there is no guarantee that all you've bought there will remain unique and inimitable (But you still can buy all the rights on the photo you need, which, for sure, will be more expensive).
But, of course, one can not compare the custom wiork with the stuff found on photo stocks.

So what do the designers, which perform individual orders, think about this?

Untalented and boring, but well-known photographers are really afraid that photo stocks will take away their jobs. Advanced photographers post on photo stocks their works. The talented and professional artists are staying calm - their pictures will always be in demand.

Everybody can paint!

What is really great about photobanks -  it's their internationalism. If you will ask one of members in the PM  "how did you've manage to do such a thing?" - you will probably will get an answer in some Zimbabwean dialect, wafted through the local analog of google translate.

By the way,  photobanks let schoolchildren sell their art too. If you are 18 or less, and  can do a little drawing  - get to drawing curves (not too very difficult), and earn money on chewing gum, cigarettes and cola.

Want to sell your art on stocks? Then you need to know the following:

* From the moment you'll sign up there - you will probably will have to wait your first check for about an half of year.

* If you take pictures of lions, dogs and flies, it is better to you not to register there -  you only will waste your time.

* Always keep track of the latest trends, masthead images, and with the tenacity of a donkey trying to do well and only better. Start hanging out in the discussion forums, buy textbooks, lessons and browse the  Internet  in search of something new.
 

Photobanks.

 

 

There are a big number of different photo stocks on the Internet.

But whether you are looking for photos (or other art) or want to sell them - you should know these two:

 

shutterstock.com    and    istockphoto.com

 

Later we will discuss them too.