If your content was rejected with “Content does not meet our minimum quality standards,” it may be because of one of the following issues:
Poor Framing / Cropping
Content is framed or cropped in a way that doesn’t complement the subject matter. For example:
Slanted or tilted horizon line
Subject is cropped oddly (e.g., a person’s arm is cut off by the frame in an odd way, etc.)
Framing does not appear to be well thought out. Image has a snapshot aesthetic.
Visual Elements that Distract the Eye
Content looks unbalanced due to poor arrangement of the elements that make up the scene.
There are distracting elements entering the frame such as tree branches, poles, street signs, or wires.
Distracting elements are in front of or behind the main subject.
Unacceptable Composition Examples
Poor Framing & Crooked Horizon Line: The horizon line is crooked and the tree branches in the foreground are distracting.
Poor Cropping: The left edge of the bowl and top of the pet food is cut off by the frame and looks unintentional.
Poor Framing: The large hedge on the right is dark, distracting, and blocks the view of the cathedral.
Poor Cropping: The image has been cropped too tightly and the model is positioned too close to the right side of the frame.
Acceptable Composition
Photo of a bridge leading to the downtown of an international modern city in the fog morning by Xiaojiao Wang
Leading Lines: The photographer has used the bridge to lead the viewer’s eye to the city.
well-styled
No Distractions: This image is styled well, minimalistic, and uncluttered. The photographer has used a clean color palette and has removed unnecessary elements that could have been distracting. The table setting, teapot and flowers all complement the waffles and also lead your eyes to them. Be aware of every element that makes up a scene and remove objects which are not necessary.
Rule of Thirds: The horizon line has been placed in the bottom third of the frame and the main palm tree has been placed on the right third of the frame, making the image more interesting as well as leaving room for copy space on the left.
Cropping: Even though some of the cheese have been cropped out, this image is well composed and thought out. Using a narrow depth of field, the focus is on the the large wedge of brie (center) while the stilton and other cheeses are out of focus and partially cropped on the sides.
We Recommend
Know the basic rules of composition
Rule of Thirds
Leading Lines
Negative Space
Balance and Symmetry
Remove distracting elements. Every element that makes up an image or video should be there for a reason and should complement the subject.
Pay close attention to background and foreground elements when composing the shot
Spend time arranging/posing the objects
If an unwanted element is entering the frame, remove it before shooting or remove it in post-production (e.g., cropping, cloning, etc). Just make sure the edits are clean and unnoticeable. It is always best to compose the image correctly in-camera rather than relying on fixing it in a photo editing program.
Create compositions for sellability
Add negative space to allow room for copy (a.k.a copy space)
Shoot the same subject matter vertically and horizontally to give clients two options to choose from
If you don’t understand the reason for the rejection of your images or if you need additional clarification, you can always contact contributor support.