I became aware of stock photography around the same time I got my first DSLR camera in 2008. I signed up with istock first and was immediately frustrated by the review process. Looking back at my current portfolio on istock, I'm amazed they took anything. It's all crap.

I've made maybe $200 on microstock since 2008. My photos don't get approved and when they do, they don't sell.

I think my flickr page is the best example I have of what I'm capable of: https://www.flickr.com/photos/trevarthan

The top four photos are the sorts of things I like to shoot. Fountains, bridges, waterscapes, landscapes, landmarks, etc. I don't really like people, though my daughter is pretty cute. All four of these photos were rejected by shutterstock. istock only took the fireworks.

I've got excellent equipment. I spent years collecting it and I really enjoy using it. I can't blame these rejections on the equipment at this point. If anything, the number of rejects has increased as my equipment has improved. It's me.

I've skimmed a few stock photo books. Nothing jumped out at me that would help. I think I'm missing something. Maybe a lot of somethings.

I'd like some advice. No need to be gentle. I appreciate bluntness. What can I do to start getting photos accepted and start selling? What should I avoid? What should I change?

Thanks,

Jesse