Working in stock can be a tricky business. You need to be simultaneously original and almost overwhelmingly versatile and well-rounded, not lingering too long on any given subject. When you do happen to stumble upon that perfect shot, or as close to perfect as you can get, the temptation creeps in to linger on that theme or idea to the point of repetition. However, this neither benefits the Shutterstock library, nor your own portfolio.

As you know, our main goal is to provide images to buyers that will sell or promote a product, service, or concept. A photo of a family standing in front of a house has appeal, and would probably sell. This, however, does not mean that you should submit a dozen shots of the same family standing in the same spot of lawn in front of the same house. Aside from the fact that this batch would be rejected, you‘re essentially cannibalizing your own earnings potential. You want your photos to work together and earn you money, not compete against one other.

The better way to approach this concept as a photographer would be to get the best possible shot of the family, then take separate shots, perhaps of just the couple, or just the children, etc. Experiment with different distances and angles. Or better yet, conclude the shoot and drive to the nearest fitness spa or nature park for an entirely new and different concept.

Redundancy is one of your worst enemies in the world of stock imagery. If you feel you‘ve mastered business-related images, try nature. If you‘re a pro at shooting food, try health and fitness. It is important to keep your shooting style fresh.

In many cases, you are welcome to submit similar images, they simply should not resemble carbon copies of each other. In other words, the theme or idea can be similar, even the same, but the submitted images should not be.

Pardon the cliché, but you must be a jack of all trades. If you focus too much on any one theme, element, idea or concept, you‘re only hurting yourself. If you‘re already relatively competent at the art of stock photography (and if you‘re a Shutterstock submitter, you probably are), there are four things you must do:

1. Continue to refine your craft. Whether you‘re a seasoned professional or a budding amateur, there is no ceiling when it comes to just how good of a photographer you can be. You can and will only get better with nonstop practice.

2. Diversify.

3. Diversify.

4. Diversify.

One more idea to keep in mind: Do not resubmit the same image to your portfolio thinking that this will increase your overall downloads. Seeding your own portfolio with the same images, over and over and over again, will only force us to close your account.

As simple as the advice may sound to not submit too many shots of the same subject, it is still worthwhile to hear every now and then. Cropping an image differently from its twin or brightening its tone is not going to fool a reviewer and will only frustrate customers. Focus on producing quality images, experiment and try new things, keep uploading, and the rejection reason of Similar Submissions will never be one you need to worry about.

Good Luck!

Past Rejection Reasons:
Color Profiles in Vectors
Why Was My Image Rejected for Keywords?
Why Photos Get Rejected for Poor Lighting