MicrostockGroup Sponsors


Author Topic: Find the Vetta  (Read 11192 times)

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

« on: January 14, 2012, 00:58 »
0
It seems to me that acceptance into Istock's Vetta Collection seems to be closer to a random coin flip rather than a discerning critique of the quality of a photo. I've uploaded several to that queue in recent months, and haven't had much success. Let's see if I'm wrong: can you pick which of the photos below is the Vetta? Only one of them is.

 

 



« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2012, 01:08 »
0
Oooh...nice panorama of San Francisco from Treasure Island.  That's not an easy photo to make, because a hard wind is constantly blowing straight at the camera.

It has to be either the flower or the ocean rocks, because I'm a decent enough photographer to shoot those, but not the other three.   ;D

« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2012, 01:09 »
0
Wow, that's a beautiful pano.  

nruboc

« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2012, 01:54 »
0
Ah, great game, I like this one.... no cheating all. It's gotta be the pano, it's gotta be..whatta do I win?????

« Reply #4 on: January 14, 2012, 02:07 »
0
Wow, that's a beautiful pano.  

It really is beautiful. 

Camera shake from that spot is a given (and I was mistaken about the wind's direction...it comes directly from the right of "The City" through a narrow channel underneath the Golden Gate Bridge).  The wind never stops blowing.  And then there's the courage it takes to drive off the Treasure Island exit from the Bay Bridge just so you can get the shot.  Freaks me out just thinking about it.  Too many speeding cars and not enough lane...gotta slow down fast to make the curve onto the island.

« Reply #5 on: January 14, 2012, 02:09 »
0
Ah, great game, I like this one.... no cheating all. It's gotta be the pano, it's gotta be..whatta do I win?????

I'm not falling for the lack of watermark.  It can't be that easy...can it?

« Reply #6 on: January 14, 2012, 02:11 »
0
On to the next post...
« Last Edit: January 14, 2012, 02:16 by Karimala »

« Reply #7 on: January 14, 2012, 02:12 »
0
Oooh...nice panorama of San Francisco from Treasure Island.  That's not an easy photo to make, because a hard wind is constantly blowing straight at the camera.

It has to be either the flower or the ocean rocks, because I'm a decent enough photographer to shoot those, but not the other three.   ;D

You know your shooting locations! That was extremely tough, the wind was so strong you had to yell at the person next to you just to hear each other, and I was using my own body as a human windscreen because otherwise the whole camera and tripod would vibrate. Managed to pull it off though through 8 consecutive shots, and after meticulous stitching this one was accepted into the main collection, landed on page 16 for "San Francisco Skyline", and hasn't even been viewed since it's acceptance in July. So no, it's not the pano, but thanks for the comments!

« Reply #8 on: January 14, 2012, 02:20 »
0
Wow, that's a beautiful pano.  

It really is beautiful. 

Camera shake from that spot is a given (and I was mistaken about the wind's direction...it comes directly from the right of "The City" through a narrow channel underneath the Golden Gate Bridge).  The wind never stops blowing.  And then there's the courage it takes to drive off the Treasure Island exit from the Bay Bridge just so you can get the shot.  Freaks me out just thinking about it.  Too many speeding cars and not enough lane...gotta slow down fast to make the curve onto the island.

Hehe, you're spot on about everything! My human windshield strategy could only block about 60% of the wind, because it was coming nearly directly at the camera. Shot it with the Canon 100L macro and had to remove the lens hood because it was acting like a sail. And not being from San Francisco, I first drove through all of the restricted military roads on Treasure Island (and was chased by a truck) before finding this location. I should have asked some locals for advice.  :)

Lack of a watermark was just so I could show it in a larger size than the tiny istock panoramic thumbnail.

« Reply #9 on: January 14, 2012, 02:21 »
0
Wow, that's a beautiful pano.  

Thanks!

« Reply #10 on: January 14, 2012, 02:27 »
0
The top one, 'cos otherwise it would be rejected as over-filtered.

« Reply #11 on: January 14, 2012, 02:33 »
0
Oooh...nice panorama of San Francisco from Treasure Island.  That's not an easy photo to make, because a hard wind is constantly blowing straight at the camera.

It has to be either the flower or the ocean rocks, because I'm a decent enough photographer to shoot those, but not the other three.   ;D

You know your shooting locations! That was extremely tough, the wind was so strong you had to yell at the person next to you just to hear each other, and I was using my own body as a human windscreen because otherwise the whole camera and tripod would vibrate. Managed to pull it off though through 8 consecutive shots, and after meticulous stitching this one was accepted into the main collection, landed on page 16 for "San Francisco Skyline", and hasn't even been viewed since it's acceptance in July. So no, it's not the pano, but thanks for the comments!

So does "no" mean your pano is in the Vetta collection or not?

« Reply #12 on: January 14, 2012, 02:46 »
0
Hold on...I have a tendency to read things backwards. 

Are all of these photos yours? 

« Reply #13 on: January 14, 2012, 03:07 »
0
Hold on...I have a tendency to read things backwards. 

Are all of these photos yours? 

They are. And the pano is not in the Vetta collection.

« Reply #14 on: January 14, 2012, 03:31 »
0
my guess is the river shot

« Reply #15 on: January 14, 2012, 04:14 »
0
my guess is building - top left.

« Reply #16 on: January 14, 2012, 04:56 »
0
Hold on...I have a tendency to read things backwards.  

Are all of these photos yours?  

They are. And the pano is not in the Vetta collection.

Okay...then I'm narrowing my choice down to the rocky ocean shot.  Left corner could benefit from an extra exposure or two...and lately missing a piece or two seems to be the acceptable norm for IS.  
« Last Edit: January 14, 2012, 05:26 by Karimala »

rubyroo

« Reply #17 on: January 14, 2012, 05:32 »
0
I would have guessed the top building or the pano to start with.

But now I'm thinking it must be the one I would least expect it to be, so I'm going to guess it's the flower.

« Reply #18 on: January 14, 2012, 05:34 »
0
My bet is the buiding.
Although they are all very nice shots, I don't think any are Vetta worthy.

« Reply #19 on: January 14, 2012, 05:40 »
0
Dumb question...how do you find Vetta photos?  Since I'm not exclusive, I haven't bothered to pay attention.  Just been doing my own thing.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #20 on: January 14, 2012, 07:21 »
0
I would have guessed the top building or the pano to start with.
Yup, me too.
Looking at what's coming in to Vetta, clearly being in the 'in' crowd is more important than anything else.
Unless flared, overfiltered, or the colour's off, I can seldom see the difference between Vettas and lots of non-Vettas in the collection.
« Last Edit: January 14, 2012, 11:17 by ShadySue »

« Reply #21 on: January 14, 2012, 21:28 »
0
The answer is... the fall river. Qwerty was the only one who got it. Interesting that most people either said the building or the pano. Those are the two that I thought had the strongest case especially when compared to the competition. I wouldn't have even much cared if all of them had been shot down, but the logical side of me struggles with the fact that the river was deemed worth 10x more than the others. Frankly, it's the most easily reproducible of the bunch (save for maybe the flower) - just a quick grab shot while on a hike in the Smokies. Not that I'm complaining though. Of this group, the only one that has sold so far is the Vetta. And I have no doubt that that is because it gets shoved in front of a bunch of eyes.

It might not be so bad that we contributors are confused by the seeming randomness of it all, but I shudder to think how many buyers see things like that, throw up their hands, and head for the next site. There is certainly a segment of the market that's willing to pay for quality, but when the 'quality' merchandise is as hit or miss as it is, the brand suffers.

« Reply #22 on: January 15, 2012, 01:49 »
0
I just submitted this to Vetta, it got an initial 5 but still didn't make it :( I don't know what the secret is, but I can't seem to get any more in there.


« Reply #23 on: January 15, 2012, 02:50 »
0
Do I win a prize ???

« Reply #24 on: January 15, 2012, 02:58 »
0
I have a small handful of Vetta's & I can't seem to get anything else in either.

I believe the secret is the difficulty and/or rarity of the image.
Unique location, or unique content or fantastical composting.
In my mind, these are what they want now.


 

Related Topics

  Subject / Started by Replies Last post
12 Replies
8246 Views
Last post July 03, 2009, 11:01
by willie
Vetta

Started by SNP « 1 2 3 4  All » iStockPhoto.com

79 Replies
27424 Views
Last post September 18, 2009, 06:30
by Adeptris
19 Replies
9437 Views
Last post August 17, 2010, 01:08
by lagereek
2 Replies
5440 Views
Last post May 11, 2011, 12:32
by GrantP
12 Replies
5660 Views
Last post July 05, 2011, 14:45
by Shank_ali

Sponsors

Mega Bundle of 5,900+ Professional Lightroom Presets

Microstock Poll Results

Sponsors