Hi Perkmeup,

I once received a comment from an IS reviewer that may shed some light for you.  From what I gather, after Getty acquired IS, IS inherited Getty's structured keywords system.  The comment I received was that, having acquired this system they feel fewer extremely relevant keywords are preferred, as the system itself is designed guide buyers towards finding the right keywords to fit what they are looking for.

This may explain why keywords attached to similar images that have been in IS for a while are being rejected as irrelevant.  I feel your pain, I've been hounded by the irrelevant keyword rejection a bit myself.  

Hope this is helpful,
-Brett

Hi Brett

I am fairly new to microstock myself and also have never had any formal training in photography (but did take a lot of art classes in college). Have found that an eclectic approach works best. Check out my DT portfolio and you will see a variety of photos and graphics. Are there any other subjects besides landscapes that interest you?

Landscapes have always been my primary interest, but I have seen it said often enough that this niche is not a hot seller in the Microstock world.  I've identified a place in my garage in which I could build a small studio to do some isolation work--that seems to be very much in demand.  As Melastmohican surmised, I am doing this very very part time, so my portfolio is destined see slow growth, but the bright side is I'm not starving in a cardboard box waiting for the big sale.  

I think mostly I'm excited by the prospect of learning from this experience and seeing my skills behind the lens grow.  And if it ever generates some money, then so much the better!  And if not, I still enjoy photography as a hobby.

epantha, I enjoyed seeing your portfolio on Dreamstime; I see what you mean by having an eclectic collection!  

Hello,

I am very new to Microstock and am an amateur photographer with no formal training.  I have uploaded images to 4 of the "Big Six" agencies, and found an intriguing pattern.

At the embarrassing end of the spectrum, SS flat out denied all 20 of my initial photos.  DT and FT accepted 1/8 or so, and IS has accepted about 1/3 or 1/4 of initial contributions.

Does each agency specialize, or concentrate on certain subject matter.  Are some more all-inclusive than others?

Thanks.

-Brett