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Messages - Bud_um_tiss

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iStockPhoto.com / Re: 2nd Rejection Istockphoto Application

« on: July 22, 2013, 18:40 »

Lol shhhh. Let me bask in my artificial glory!

iStockPhoto.com / Re: 2nd Rejection Istockphoto Application

« on: July 09, 2013, 19:25 »

Hi all...you probably don‘t care but I wanted to say thank you to everyone...especially Sean and Michaeljay for your feedback. I've been accepted now! Which is wicked as it was mainly for the challenge I set myself. Have so far to go to become an expert photographer but really appreciate your critique as it has helped me a lot with my general photography. I‘m hoping I can post some more photos someday for possible feedback if that were ok? So many things I don't even think of but need to.

Andrew

iStockPhoto.com / Re: 2nd Rejection Istockphoto Application

« on: June 12, 2013, 16:53 »

RIght...ok I have played about with the image a bit and learnt how to do a nicer looking watermark...is this any better now? This is her looking up to the sky:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bud_um_tiss/9029347436/#

Any feedback would be much appreciated...

Thanks,

iStockPhoto.com / Re: 2nd Rejection Istockphoto Application

« on: June 11, 2013, 19:01 »

Quote from: MichaelJayFoto on June 11, 2013, 00:21

Quote from: Bud_um_tiss on June 10, 2013, 16:11
Thank you all for your advice. Regarding the downsizing...would this actually help the quality then for a lower size? I'd just do that via Photoshop? I am a bit of a newbie so please bear with me!!!

How about these two images...are these any better? The first one I am going for some sort of image along the lines of "hope"...shot against a red brick wall to give some texture but not detract from the model and I'm hoping it kind of adds to the atmosphere as it looks like it's shot in the street and she is looking into the sky, or just pondering her thoughts...or something...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bud_um_tiss/9010772442/#

Yes, I think the first image has a good chance to get accepted. It probably won't be a big seller but for the application it seems solid enough - there is a clear focus on the girl's eyes so you can see the single eyelashes, there is some copy space (where potential buyers could place their text message) on the right side and it's quite simple.

I just played around with the image for five minutes, a slight color correction and a Levels layer in photos to give it a bit more contrast and clarity. Have a look at the attached image with the comparison. As I said before, I'm not a photoshop guru but this is to give you an idea how I would process the image. There are lots of Photoshop tutorials available on Youtube for free that you can watch.

However, there is one technical problem with the image: If you look at the girl's hair close to her neck (more visible on the left side), it is almost pure black, you can't identify the single hair anymore as it becomes a wall of black color. This might be a reason for rejection, especially if you upload it after the application.

If you want to shoot people, I would recommend you check out the online stores to get a reflector - you will find some for $20 and it's the best investment you can make. You would have used it in this case to get more light on the girl's face, especially from the bottom left to light up the shadow areas.

The second image might work well on a clear background to show the long hair but I wouldn't use it for the application and I would re-shoot it in front of a white wall if possible.

Thanks for taking the time to do that! I think I need to learn how to get "the eye" to see things like how the white balance was off. I will get there!!! Would the shot have been better had I shot down on her and not shot from below?

iStockPhoto.com / Re: 2nd Rejection Istockphoto Application

« on: June 10, 2013, 16:11 »

Thank you all for your advice. Regarding the downsizing...would this actually help the quality then for a lower size? I'd just do that via Photoshop? I am a bit of a newbie so please bear with me!!!

How about these two images...are these any better? The first one I am going for some sort of image along the lines of "hope"...shot against a red brick wall to give some texture but not detract from the model and I'm hoping it kind of adds to the atmosphere as it looks like it's shot in the street and she is looking into the sky, or just pondering her thoughts...or something...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bud_um_tiss/9010772442/#

The second photo below was a bit more ordinary...shot purely to illustrate the sheer length of the girl's hair. So I have her facing away from me, in order to give full focus to her hair...I think the hair does clash a bit with the background though which could be a sticking point? Also her pose is very rigid but this is sort of what I was going for...I want the hair to draw the viewer's attention.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bud_um_tiss/9010770320/#

*prepares for the onslaught*

iStockPhoto.com / Re: 2nd Rejection Istockphoto Application

« on: June 08, 2013, 15:25 »

Ah thank you for the detailed critique!

So you don't reckon it's worth submitting the original boat photo due to it being so similar to the rejected version?

The footpath sign is drab but I shot it as my attempt at a "stock" shot...I hadn't even realised it was out of focus! You have a much sharper eye than me!

The old guy with the ear defenders...I do have a corrected version here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bud_um_tiss/8871235247/#in/photostream/

Do you think that would be acceptable, because I think the exposure is now corrected?
I have a bit of hope in this one because I know it would be very difficult to use post application, but I think it's one of my better examples of a potential product shot and the image is pretty clean I think?

General Stock Discussion / Re: Can I do microstock? Should I?

« on: June 07, 2013, 21:48 »

Out of interest how many photos do you guys end up having on each stock site?

iStockPhoto.com / Re: 2nd Rejection Istockphoto Application

« on: June 07, 2013, 21:44 »

Thanks for taking the time to post!

Surely though if they really didn't like the boater one, they would have rejected it for other reasons than processing?

Also I wasn't entirely sure what they're looking for...ie do they want a stock photo for a sample or do they want to see an interesting photo which is technically sound? I didn't think they necessarily were looking for a sellable stock photo for the samples? But then I don't really know which is why your feedback is so useful to me!

iStockPhoto.com / 2nd Rejection Istockphoto Application

« on: June 07, 2013, 17:38 »

Hi All,

I'm a fairly new hobbyist to photography...been shooting with Point and Shoots for years but recently bought me a D3100 SLR:) Loving it and decided to try and get accepted at Istockphoto (using the best from all my photos so at this stage is really mainly those shot with my Panasonic TZ8 not the SLR).

I have had 2 photos out of 3 accepted...one of a landscape and one of a squirrel.

Keep getting a third rejected. First rejection was for poor lighting on a daisy shot. I understand that.

Second rejection was for too much processing yet...I barely did anything to it apart from crop the right hand side and make it a touch warmer. The image did half in size though (as in MB) as it was a JPEG so that could be it. They have said:

"""""
Plaza de Espana with rowing boat.jpg

View
Status: Rejected
Admin Note:
This image appears to be over-filtered/over-processed which has affected the image quality. This may include Photoshop filters & effects (over-sharpening, excessive adjustments to levels, curves, contrast, hues, gaussian blurs, saturation, added textures, noise reduction...) or other manipulations. We feel the image would have more value to designers with minimal or no post processing effects so that the designers could add their own post-processing effects. Some images can benefit from minor touch-ups to grab the viewer?s attention and there is no definitive line to what editing makes or breaks a great image but the end result should be a single image that can still be molded into a design. Inspectors judge images based on quality, composition and usability. If you require further explanation regarding this rejection, please submit a ticket to Scout (http://www.istockphoto.com/contact_ticket.php)

For more information about iStock Standards, please visit:
http://www.istockphoto.com/tutorial_1.0_account.php \n\n

"""

My question is, is it realyl worth uploading the original because it is so similar to the version they have already rejected:

Original: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bud_um_tiss/8982074262/#in/photostream/

Rejected Version: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bud_um_tiss/8982074116/#in/photostream/

Alternatively should I just upload a fresh photo from one of the below:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bud_um_tiss/8982074572/#
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bud_um_tiss/8982073924/#in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bud_um_tiss/8982073752/#in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bud_um_tiss/8982073548/#in/photostream/

Or do you think none of these are good enough and I need to take new photos? I probably wouldn't even be that bothered if it wasn't for the fact they have accepted 2 out of 3 which I was pretty chuffed about!!! If it helps, I don't think model/property releases matter for the application stage so I think they just purely go by how good the shot is. I feel my third shot should include a person as neither of my accepted two do.

Also apologies for the crude watermarks...never done one before and I was originall trying to post on Istockphoto forums until I realised I'm not able to until I pass:( Not gonna lie I've only joined up on this site today with this in mind, but to be honest I'm hoping this could be a great place to learn new skills and get to know people into photography.

Anyway, would appreciate any feedback. Be as harsh as possible please!!! if I get rejected again it'll be a month wait (I think?). At the moment I have 6 days left of my posy 7 day wait!

Thanks,

Andrew

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