Hello All!

I'm mostly coming from film, I've had a bit of training through the years. Really, really new to microstock.

Just received a denial from StockXpert, "We are very sorry but at the moment we are not looking for pictures like the ones you uploaded". I would appreciate some feedback either specifically about StockXpert or about these images in general as I strive to gain some insight.

http://a6.vox.com/6a0123ddbbc32f860c0123ddcf780e860d-pi [nofollow]
http://a6.vox.com/6a0123ddbbc32f860c01240b621cfe860e-pi [nofollow]
http://a7.vox.com/6a0123ddbbc32f860c01240b621d07860e-pi [nofollow]

Thanks!

I can't say exactly why SX rejected these particular images, but I have some ideas.  Most microstock images are used for illustration, and the reviewer may have looked at your images and not seen how they could be used.  I can see a few problems with the engine: first, it still has the railroad logo and engine number, which are verboten; second, the framing is so tight that it limits the ways it could be used; and third, it's overly bright.  Both the sky and the front of the engine are blown out, which most micros don't like, at least in my experience.

The other two may just be stuff they don't care about.  Flowers and plants, and by extension corn and grasses, are not big sellers unless they're absolutely outstanding.  Some agencies won't give them the server space, I suspect because so many people have access to them as subjects and submit them by the boxcar load.

Of course I could be wrong about all this.

The noise is definitely an issue. Be sure that your camera is set to the lowest ISO setting possible. Also, on the train, where you removed the name of the company between "Short line" and "Operations" is very noticeable. Try to make sure that the pattern matches the rest of the train after cloning.

Hope that helps!

Couple more things...

I should probably add the caveat, what a great way to improve my "stock" photography.

I'm not exclusive with StockXpert, I'm uploading to a number of agencies, but I just started this month.  I do understand their needs are rather fluid.

I'm finding it rather addictive.

Thanks again!

If you've been shooting images for some years I shouldn't have to tell you that it can be quite challenging taking photos against the sun.
I bet that if you shot the train from the other side of tracks it would have looked awesome but maybe the background could have been a problem - I don't know, but the train would have been illuminated nicely.

In the dark areas of the train (almost entire shadow side) you can see quite some noise.

There some "smudgy" spots like the number 0 in the big "604" on the side. All the letters have a black outline but the "0" looks kind of funny. I know it could be because it was like that but I see some of that smudging also on the carriage next to the wheels.

It does look a bit soft.

Furthermore you can see some slight color fringing on the handle on the roof at the front which is sticking into the sky.

Composition is not too great either. Find a more interesting angle or crop. Use the rule of thirds or show the entire engine.

The other two shots show way too much post processing errors. Way too much noise. Too much saturation. Not sharp. They all look really soft.

The plant pictures are great subjects to photograph but imagine what is it that your picture promotes?

When you compose the shot be sure that the designer can include some text in the image. In the shot with the corn crops (I'm terrible at determining plants...) move the camera up so you get a lot more sky! This gives the designer a lot of space for text etc.

You got the eye for the subjects, it's just a technical matter to get the shots right for stock!

Good luck!