Shutterstock Photographer Forum :: View topic - You Be The Judge: Warning Image heavy thread.

fncdigital · Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2005 9:58 am

Is shutterstock turning down quality images that would help add to the variety of the site, or do I need to get back to my cold pizza?

*EDIT* These are not my photos...they are debated rejects.

You be the judge:

Each image posted will be followed up by a 100% section of the image.

We try to be fair and balanced (hopefully better than what Fox News Claims to be) so if any wrong doings have been done, any one think we have turned down variety for SS and are losing out and think the quality of these are up to par, speak out.

ragnarawk · Joined: 21 Feb 2005 Posts: 247 Location: Toronto

Geez Dewayne.... Did Pete Bax hack into your account or something?

I don't know. From what I see, and this is certainly not a professional opinion, the pictures seem clear enough and I'm sure someone would buy them (though the subjects seem a little mundane compared to what I've seen in the rest of your folio). Why they were rejected (I'm assuming they were)? Well, I don't know. I just got a whole batch of photos that I was pretty happy with rejected, so maybe SS is starting to demand more quality, now that it's gotten consistently large amounts of photos to sift through.

EDIT: I think I misread your post at first... After rereading it, though, I think I get the point. I wouldn't have accepted these photos if I was a reviewer (but that's not to say that I wouldn't have taken them, amateur that I am), for a few reasons, but I don't wanna get into that.

fncdigital · Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2005 12:01 pm

I was about to say....I edited the post to clarify that they are not mine. ;)

There is excessive noise / bad edits on many, wash out, loss of details in whits in others, and some over sharpening issues (whether done post picture or a camera setting)

ragnarawk · Joined: 21 Feb 2005 Posts: 247 Location: Toronto

Heheh... My face is red, for sure. I missed that edit. But really, I don't blame the reviewers for rejecting the ones I had rejected. Focus was the big problem, so I just have to work on composition and being pickier.

rodehi · Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2005 12:23 pm

Regardless of the obvious messiness and noise,the composition is awful on most of them,even if they were perfectly clean I only see one decent shot and one borderline.......JMO....Ron

FredS · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 298 Location: Toronto, Canada

How people can submit this kind of picture?
The first thing to do when you take a picture of an object, be sure than this one is clean!

Baaaaaaaaa.... Amazing! Good luck reviewer to go throught this kind of picture... I understand now why it take so long to review our pictures!!!

My 2c, Frederic

LizV · Joined: 07 Nov 2004 Posts: 290 Location: New York

So this is what all the fuss is about. If this is the so-called "new policy" than I am glad that Shutterstock has raised the bar and rejected these photos.

Just off the top of my head; they are filled with noise, poorly composed and over-filtered. The creative one, is amateurish at best (although a valiant effort), compared to what is out there. The only one with potential is against a wrinkled fabric background.

That said, I'm not an expert either. I don't think you have to be to see the reasons why these were rejected. Anyone doing stock even for a few months, is at least aware of the minimum standards.

In my opinion, the rules haven't changed. Shutterstock gave us all a learning curve in the beginning and they gave themselves one too. Now, through rejections, practice and persistence on everyone's part, not to mention the stiff competition in the stock industry, it is time that everyone who was just learning to step up their game. Like starting any new job, they allow you just so long to learn and make "beginner" mistakes, but after a while, if you don't pull it together, you don't last too long.

The main thing is not to get discouraged and keep trying to improve. It doesn't make sense to stagnate and expect the standards to be lowered to suit one's abilities. That would not be fair to those who continually make an effort to improve through hard work, studying, taking courses or whatever means suits them.

Looks like these images are getting the attention they so sorely needed.

MHD · Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2005 4:49 pm

yes.. some one went nuts with sharpening...

the only one that I would have to think twice about is the second ticket one... it not that bad....
the first one is poorly isolated (seriosly!)

The others... well they are just a little dull...

dkgilbey · Joined: 08 Jan 2005 Posts: 730 Location: Hampshire - UK

Are these 'the' photos that sparked a hundred threads?

fncdigital · Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2005 6:23 pm

some of many

ragnarawk · Joined: 21 Feb 2005 Posts: 247 Location: Toronto

Hahah... I thought Pete did a little better than that. But who knows?

I honestly don't think I'd choose any one of them. Put simply, I was more turned off by the composition of the shots. And the second one ... I think the focus is on the wrong part of the subject (plus it's grimy, and has scratches and junk). You figure if they're going to do anything in Photoshop, they'd first think twice about sharpening, and then use the clone tool a little more responsibly.

Anyway, I agree with what LizV said - learning curve and all that...

ragnarawk · Joined: 21 Feb 2005 Posts: 247 Location: Toronto

Actually, I think these probably are Pete's ... Again, I missed Dewayne's post. But also, after having perused his gallery, the same hand and the same heart came up, as well as similar clock set-ups.

I wonder if he's still a happy man on the telephone?

Erin · Admin Joined: 03 Mar 2005 Posts: 431

These are bad ... and I've seen much worse too!

Keep your images clean - keep designers happy :)

mtu1969 · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Posts: 87 Location: Munich (Germany)

I agree.

I am always get angry about such pics if I see them, because I (not only I others too) always work hard in post production to get my pics clean attractive.
While the shot I always make anything clean of dust and so on. If I use my hands in a pic - I at least wash them or look if I have no injury which is seen, sometimes I also shave the hairs just for the photo to be able for a better isolation to white.

I hope for the designers that no more pics be approved which are in such manner. As a designer I would complain if I download a pic which I have to clean up first.

theodor38 · Joined: 09 Nov 2004 Posts: 96

i dont think these images are well editted... it could have been done much better with a little more time.. the dirt on the digital clock is awefull.. and composition is very important in any type of photography and the glass shots are not in a very good composition.. it is always good to hear what others might say and try to improve.. i used to thnk i was the god of all photogrpahers and i slowly accepted the fact that i sucked and now after trying really hard i now am the god of all photographers... see.. it all turned out nicely...