i have my tax form on file and am requesting (converting credits) for the 1st time.  it tells me i need to upload my ID in my contributor parameters when i navigate there i see my alias and my Social Security number entered and browse to upload my JPG license.  When i hit save it says gives me an error saying my SS# is invalid.
hmmmm...no
its the correct SS number and the same one i used on my tax form which is on file. 

QuoteI can really be stubborn. They're gonna have so much more work because of that.

thats an interesting point

i get mass rejections and then resubmit with minor adjustments and usually have success.  i think SS problem is huge inconsistencies with their reviewers.  it is a pain in the ass; doing double the work to get an image through.   what irks me most is i have several images that i've been persistent about getting in my port so i kept submitting until they were accepted and they happen to be my best sellers.  soooo what.  would be nice to think the reviewers had a better eye then me, just a beginner but apparently in all cases they dont.

my july sales appear to be on the weak side so far.  but im just rolling with it, as im thinking many business are slow in the peak summer months due to vacations.   

maybe this is frowned upon but whenever i get a batch that gets rejected across the board and i get that feeling that the reviewer just went through without fair consideration, i simply resubmit them all.  most of the time they get through the second time around 
funny thing is, ive found batches that get rejected on friday will usually make the cut if i resubmit them and they get re-reviewed earlier in the week. 

i was just accepted as a contributor to IS...
im beginning to see they are quite a bit more sticky over there when it comes to Model Releases.  My standard releases that i use at the other agencies dont fly over at IS cuz they cover a blanket period of time.  Jeeez, so seriously, how annoying to have to submit a new MR for every shoot.  hardly seems worth the trouble for the few bucks i'll make on an image.  How do ya'll manage this?

ok, thanks.. no problem,i got the time

hi, i took the test and submitted the manditory images for initial review almost 2 weeks ago to istock.  just how long does this process take? i havent received any confirmation email and it says my images are still out for review and i'll be notified. jeeeeeeeeeeeeez!

thanks...thats very helpful insight

hey all..
im a contributor at several sites.. SS, DT, Fotolia, DP, 123rf, canstock
im fairly new and im just building my portfolio..my of my sales are on SS. i see steady, daily sales there.

however my biggest portfolio is on DT..228 and building.   im wondering why the same portfolio brings such varying results from site to site.  im have to assume it has to do with image placement in their search engines..
I'd like to boost my sales at DT since i like they're payout the best and have been advised that acceptance/rejection ratio plays a big role in image search placement.. well this month my im at 87percent acceptance over last month, which was 45percent. but so far my sales are down..not up.  any thoughts?

good luck with that..
keep us updated on how thats going

Hey Elena that is fantastic and your portfolio is beautiful..
wondering, if you dont mind my asking, how do your sales on your personal website compare to the microstock sites?

haha ohhhhboy

I tried to sign up as a contributor at IS yesterday but i got a message saying something about new contributors are disable at the present time.
is this a momentary glitch or are they not accepting new aps?

looks like a broadwalk on the beach..yes?

QuoteMacs are supposed to be better than PCs, out of the box

the 24" imac from a few years ago is notorious for brightness issues; and i dont mean backlighting/dimming.  the magenta is obvious on my laptops..not on the spyder calibrated mac though.  im reading reports all over the net that spyder doesnt work well with these glossy monitors.  i think the magenta comes from the colors cast in my house;  lots of burgandy and warm browns.   I thought AWB would compensate for it. but apparently not.

QuoteI will just add that in addition to Shutterstock's search engine bias toward newer images, their subscription model results in customers checking the newest images through the queue often to try and fill their 25 images a day quota.

this makes a lot of sense

QuoteIf you uploaded the same photos to all three sites you might experience what I have:

    * Shutterstock - gives you lots of downloads
    * Dreamstime - wont satisfy you like SS (a moderate number of downloads)
    * Fotolia - wont satisfy you at all

interesting and im curious to read others' experiences too.

wonder if going exclusive is a better option.  Although i havent gotten around to applying at iS.  i should

Im fairly new to stock photography and im trying to determine (besides trying to take terrific stock type photos) what makes a portfolio successful.
I have such a varied success from site to site. 

Ive been on DT about 7 months.  142 approved and 28 sales. 
Fotolio about 6 months.  115 approved and only 9 sales!
SS.  3 WEEKS.  59 approved and 51 sales.  51 is whopping for me lol. 

so all three sites are in the Big 4.  Im thinking possibly something in the algorithm vs my portfolio could be the key.  I think i've gotten better at understanding what works and thats working in my favor at SS.  Also wondering if over at Fotolia and DT i should go back and delete some of my older images that arent sellers and maybe arent up to par.
Can anyone shed some light on this for me?

i actually went out an bought the spyder 3 pro yesterday but using it on my glossy imac monitor seems to be an issue.. also luminance in the 24in imac ( 3years old) is ridiculously high. 

thanks marc..
im having hellva time understanding monitor calibration.
wondering if these shots, particularly the muffin shot, appears on the bright side..dark side or middle of the road

Hi guys, these two shots were rejected for poor lighting/possible white balance.
im new to studio lighting..and actually they look pretty good to me and my untrained eye.
can you tell me what i should be looking at that im missing..
thanks

WOW! Fabulous!  congrats...
im new and am trying to break $10 lol (seriously)
i'd love to see your portfolio..if you'd link me that would be great!

Quote..I forgot to mention. Get as many images on as you can now, because as well as new images getting more exposure, new photographers do too. I had so many sales in my first few months from a handful of images, including my first EL from any site.

this is very interesting to learn..
in less then a week of my acceptance into shutterstock, ive seen sales everyday.. which for me is not what im used to at DT and Fotolia.  im lucky if i get a sale a week elsewhere (with about only 100 images online)

I cant seem to upload using FTP client at shutterstock.  (i use it elsewhere without a problem).
I notice firefox doesnt give me an option to save my password there.  could this be the problem?