Shutterstock Photographer Forum :: View topic

Forgiss · Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2005 3:57 am

Hello all!

I am quite new to the whole stock photography business, although I have worked in commissioned photography for almost 8 years now.

There are so many questions in my mind about what to shoot, what works, and what doesn't. There are tips and tricks and advice for and from everybody (found a page called '63 tips for shooting stock') It is all relative and I am still not sure what sells, what doesn't sell, and why not...

So I thought it might be a good Idea to find out if there are any helpfull features we could ask the Gents and Ladies at SS to develop for us...

Here are my list:

1 - clearer descriptions on why a photo was rejected
2 - Top 50 Downloads - How many times have they been downloaded
3 - Shortage of Photos on the following keywords - List
4 - Don't try and upload another shot like this - List
5 - Where am I in the review queue
6 - Other members stats - Photos up, how many downloaded, etc
7 - Stats on all my own photos, what has been downloade and what not

I think this is all information that allready exists somewhere. Maybe I am losing the point of the whole thing but many of these would be very motivating and instructional for me, as well as get rid of the enormous ammount of similiar questions in the forum about ratios, delays in reviews, how you doing in downloads lately, etc...

I believe we are all here to make money, at the end of the day, and streamlining the process might have a positive effect on the business :D

Sean

StuartE · Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2005 5:44 am

Forgiss · Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2005 5:59 am

ok, I was just looking at your gallery (the little beetle is giving advice everywhere in the forums, so I wanted to see what's up there!)

Your points are all good ones, though I am not suer why anybody would want to keep to themselves their download amounts?!

But you did answer one of my questions: The top 50: so 6+ downloads a week is top 50 region (for a specific image), I thought it would be closer to about 6+ per day!

I am trying to spread my uploads to try and guage what is "good stock" and what is not.

I shot a a fountain at night for a comission which was used by the client (released to me) but uploading to SS had it thrown out as noise/focus/grain, etc, which I just don't get: it was a long exposure but the statues in the fountain was sharp (with water movement), ISO 100, Good light (i thought), 6mp image. I want to go and re-shoot to improve, but don't know what to change?

I appreciate the fact that 6 guys (and gals) need to check +/- 7,000 images per week and can't go into detail, but wish I had just a "little" bit more info to go on!

Thanx for the Replies though!

Sword Serenity · Joined: 18 Jan 2005 Posts: 237 Location: Cairns, Australia

Forgiss · Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2005 2:16 am

I get quite a few "too many in library, check needs list" replies but apparently the needs list is not updated anymore?

HOw do you go about this then? or is the list updated every now and again?

Do you think we can ask the SS team to put a date on the "Needs list" so that we know hoe dated the list is (Because of the notice, on the page, I completely ignored it!)

fncdigital · Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2005 10:04 am

a lot of times that reason is used when you upload multiples of same shot or scene as well.

Forgiss · Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2005 10:13 am

Hey FNC!

Working on a sunday?

I have noticed that when I submit varried angles of the same subject, that this happens. I now try and restrict my uploads to a horizontal and a vertical as far as possible, unless I really don't know which is better and then I would add a third image.

Same question remains though: how dated is the needs list? I was on my way to do a few shots of the "car wash" yesterday morning, but you allready have 60-70 images in there since the list was put up. I think I can still do some pretty neat work though, but it would be helpfull if I know the list is not 6 months old!