MicrostockGroup

Reasonable if you give them and extra check for noise.

I tried this before and was not successful.

i was thinking more of the opposite. is your chance worse because you have 10 IS images.
i noticed SS asked which other sites you 're a member of

i am thinking that you stand a better chance if you say NONE.
just thinking that perharps being rejected 8 times like roadrunner 
 has anything to do with you already being well published with the other 5 of the Big 6.
numero uno may not want that sort of inexclusiveness

just a thought here, and i do not doubt that any of you are lesser photographers , or peasant like roadrunner calls it 


maybe you're just * up   to the top gun the wrong way PERHARPS

I would say that with SS you need to make sure your first 10 are VERY STOCK WORTHY images.  No real estate or landscapes snapshot looking images.  The first time I submitted at SS I uploaded all the wrong images.  I got in the second time and now have a 85% approval rate.  On the first 10 I think they are expecting to see the best you have to offer.  If they see a group of 10 just so-so images you get rejected every time even if the images are technically superior.  I guess they figure that if you're not submitting worthy stock for the first 10 then they don't need you.

I stopped using any noise reduction all together because I did a look back and it seemed to hurt more than it helps.  I use Neat Image almost daily for other stuff so I do like it but I think it's not so hot for stock.  One thing I have learned is this.  If you're having to do a lot of post processing you're chances of acceptance at SS and IS are greatly diminished.  I used to spend hours editing photos making them look great to me.  However what I like to hang on thw=e wall and what they want for stock are completely different. Since then I realized that it's a huge waste of time to spend hours post processing a not so good image for stock.  The bottom line for the top 4 anyway is to shoot with near perfect focus and exposure.  If you're not getting that out of camera then you need to figure out why.  Fix it and watch you're acceptance rate rise quickly.  I say this from recent experience.  IS changed my whole approach to post processing and it seems to be working.  I was one to slam IS for being to critical.  After calming down and taking a serious look I realized that it was me and not them.

Bottom line is this.  Take a long hard look at your work.  Then take it to the next level for stock.  What works for portraits and weddings won't work at all for stock.  I've been taking pictures for over 30 years and getting into stock has been a whole new learning experience for me to say the least.   

A total rethink on overall content is what got me in. The images that I submitted were carefully thought out technically of course, but in reality they really were just about on a similar level technically with previous submissions. I also broadened the range - some illustration work, holidays photos that popped, some isolated objects. It got me past the 6 out of 7 malady that many suffer, and now my acceptance rate runs about 90%.

I have the sneaking suspicion that if the reviewer is easily bored by the content, they are more quick to mark things off.

Rethink that content, even f it means shooting specifically for the application process. A well thought out apple in the hand is worth much more plain old birds in the bushes.

Right now my small portfolio of 57 has 160 DLs I think since Mar 29. In the next month I will work on getting the number of images up. Have been a little short on stock shooting time the past few weeks.

Thanks for all answers guys. 

This is my 3:rd time so I´ve been through a lot of what you describe above.  if I look back a long long time, lets say 2 month:), I´d laugh at what I submitted.  I´ve been learning so much since first SS submission.

When it comes to equipment I´ve found out that my favorite lens Nikkor 80-200 2,8 is not sharp, The AF locks about 14mm in front of the subject, at 200mm, shot from 2m distance.  And it cant be set in the house D300. If anyone succed let me know.

I´m also afraid my sensor is faulty, cause I saw some picture Rinder posted at SS with white crap around the edges.

My monitor is to cheap, to be able to see noise.


And so on...... But it´s fun/....... on the edge to possession.

Try resizing to the min 4 mega pixels

IS and SS have totally different standards by my opinion. So, I am not sure if this is going to be good solution. Let's leave the technical quality aside...The most important thing on SS is good, clear concept. O IS looks like the most important thing is technical quality. So, make images with instantly recognized concept, make them noise free and with good lighting and warm colors, downsize them to 4Mpix, and cross your fingers. Leave some nice note to reviewer, it doesn't hurt and ALWAYS post your images in their forum before submitting and correct them as many times as needed. After first acceptance everything goes smooth and much easier

I had problems with missing tiny area's of isolations, that you could hardly see ay 100%, so I tried a few, and now I have a good rate of acceptance for isolated shots on IS, this is my workflow, it is quite easy and quick, try it on a couple of shots!

http://www.adeptris.co.uk/PS2Tutorial/tabid/136/Default.aspx

David

I told you my experience, my first and only one try at shutterstock has been horrible, 0 out of 10, but i have any noise rejection, I use filter on phshp and resized to the minimun acceptable size at ss that is 1800x2400.
But as i read on this topic, the commercial value and great light in your pics is extremely important, that my problem in all archives i submitted.

Poor lightning and composition these are the clues, us¡ng the filter and resizing no porblem at all with noise.

Best regards

Magnum:
1. Don't you ever give up
2. Delete those 2 extra images and live only 10 because they will reject all again. You can read that you HAVE to upload 10 and only 10 images
3. Strong, instantly recognized concept
4. Good lighting, good composition and no noise

and you will pass. I passed third time

Magnum, it is about image quality. You just haven't been there yet. Once you get accepted you'll see the difference yourself, between your first photos and the ones that got you accepted, and they will all be your own photos. 

Look at what stock is and what's up in the top photos. Don't copy, just get a feel for what they want.

Submit a variety of photos, not all the same type. That means try some food, close cropped, an isolation or two, something that can be used by a designer, with some white space up top, but not too much.

By all means reduce to the minimum size, which will reduce the noise without using noise reduction.

Not an absolute but if you have soft focus, make it to the rear of the subject, not in front. More preferable for approval submissions, have the image sharp front to back.

Once approved you can upload the ones that you first submitted and some will be accepted.

Think stock content, with an eye on best quality, sharpness, variety... no noise! You're in.

Good Luck, you'll get in soon.