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Microstock Photography Forum - General => General Stock Discussion => Topic started by: tab62 on December 16, 2012, 11:43

Title: iStock Submission- Keywords
Post by: tab62 on December 16, 2012, 11:43
Hi MSG Folks,

First of all, thank you very much for your comments on my images the last few days! I have narrowed it do to the three that I will submit soon.

Now I wanted to get some feedback back on the key wording for my images- is iStock harsh on keywords? Should my submission pics be very conservative with less than 10 key words? Also I believe I don't have to submit a model release on the images (even if they are people) until I pass the test? Am I correct on this assumption?

Thanks

Tom
Title: Re: iStock Submission- Keywords
Post by: ShadySue on December 16, 2012, 11:53
As far as I know, you don't have to submit MRs with your initial submission, because if you get in, these have to be resubmitted for consideration for the collection. It's not automatic that your submission images will be accepted for the collection.
Unless things have changed, you don't have to keyword your initial submission either. However, once accepted, you can get images rejected on keywords. I wouldn't get hung up on any specific number of keywords, it just depends on the image. I have a few with only two or three other than the generics, and a few I was pushed to keep under 50. Don't spam 'facts', and make sure any conceptual keywords are really relevant to your image. Don't list a colour because a tiny incidental thing is that colour.
If they (PLEASE) revive BM2, spam will get penalised, though there was a theory that sometimes good keywords also got knocked down by the system, depending on which got searched.

iStock has a controlled vocabulary, which is IMO generally a blessing (a view not always shared) and sometimes a curse.

Here are two iStock articles about keywording:

http://www.istockphoto.com/article_view.php?ID=227 (http://www.istockphoto.com/article_view.php?ID=227) Keywording manual

International keywording: http://www.istockphoto.com/article_view.php?ID=217 (http://www.istockphoto.com/article_view.php?ID=217)
Title: Re: iStock Submission- Keywords
Post by: RacePhoto on December 16, 2012, 11:56
As many ACCURATE keywords as it takes. Kind of like, how long do you cook a fish? Until it's done. They will reject a photo for marginal words or unrelated, so just start out and include everything that's featured in the photo. I personally don't include things like blade of grass, twig, shoe (because someone is wearing one) and eyelet, because the shoe has them.

I think that major elements are what the buyers want and as much as people here complain about flawed searches, there's a tendency for the same people to muddle up their own images with frivolous keywords.


Hi MSG Folks,

First of all, thank you very much for your comments on my images the last few days! I have narrowed it do to the three that I will submit soon.

Now I wanted to get some feedback back on the key wording for my images- is iStock harsh on keywords? Should my submission pics be very conservative with less than 10 key words? Also I believe I don't have to submit a model release on the images (even if they are people) until I pass the test? Am I correct on this assumption?

Thanks

Tom