MicrostockGroup

Agency Based Discussion => Shutterstock.com => Topic started by: aly on January 13, 2013, 02:47

Title: Accepted at last
Post by: aly on January 13, 2013, 02:47
After 9 months of trying I have at last been accepted on SS and am so happy.
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: gostwyck on January 13, 2013, 03:00
Congratulations!
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: gillian vann on January 13, 2013, 05:26
congrats!

I suspect others might be a touch distracted by all the IS crap going on...
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: rubyroo on January 13, 2013, 05:30
Congratulations Aly!  I'm sure you'll quickly see the rewards for your long wait and effort.  :)
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: CD123 on January 13, 2013, 06:21
Congratulations! I know you will be happy there, they are a real pro site with lots of sales going round.
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: xerith on January 13, 2013, 08:14
congrats. I'm about to try soon as well. wish I can get in too. Btw, do share your first submission experiences as well in future... will be glad to learn from others who just got in. :)
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: Mantis on January 13, 2013, 09:30
Congrats. Enjoy the ride.
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: aly on January 13, 2013, 17:32
thanks everyone for good wishes. :)
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: tab62 on January 13, 2013, 23:50
congrats! Now start uploading like mad! 18 hour days, no dinner, no showers and before you know it you will be batting down $50 per day in this business  ;D

Tom
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: Microstock Posts on January 14, 2013, 01:17
I know the feeling I tried to get into ss several times (5 times I think). I decided on my last attempt that it would be my last attempt, so I was very happy to get the acceptance mail. Congratulations!
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: nicku on January 14, 2013, 02:26
After 9 months of trying I have at last been accepted on SS and am so happy.

Congrats..... SS is the best agency for doing business with....
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: DryAxE on January 14, 2013, 22:50
Congrats Aly!

I was trying for about three months and then i got accepted, also happy as hell.  ;D

As soon as i started uploading there was sales. Since im microstock contributor for less than 4 months and SS 1,5 month it is too soon to give any conclusions, but till now SS is 80% of my income and im with 9 agencies.
Title: Re: Accepted at last - trademarks etc in keywords
Post by: rjaxon on February 20, 2013, 04:53
Congratulations Aly. I just got accepted today !

It was my third attempt.  To be fair to SS, my first batch was crap - no argument.
My second attempt, however, I felt was at least technically almost perfect. I was very disappointed when this batch also got rejected. 
It took me a while to calmly and objectively review the reject reasons. I knew that a few had been rejected for trademarks and logos and for the life of me I knew that none of my images had logos in them (lions, crocodiles, apples all filling the frame). It took me a while to realise that I used possible trademarks in the keywords, e.g.. Johannesburg Zoo, Lesedi Cultural village etc.. Another issue was the fact that "holiday" doesn't seem to mean the same thing to SS reviewers (American?) as it does to us South Africans. We go on holiday to the beach (often). They go on vacation. "Holidays" seem to mean only public holidays and certain times of the year, I think.

I corrected all my keywords as above and got 8/10 accepted without changing anything else (those two are also crap).

I hope this helps someone out there who may not have to re-shoot new photos because their keywords are incorrect.
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: rubyroo on February 20, 2013, 05:15
@ rjaxon:

Congratulations and well done for figuring out the copyright issues were in the keywords.  It's a shame they don't have a specific rejection reason to tell you that, as it would have saved you a lot of time and concern.

I also get frustrated with the 'holiday' issue.  Here in the UK, a 'holiday' is a trip to somewhere for a break, as you say.  I've never heard a person who learned UK-English use the word 'vacation'.  Not once.  (Although the media here started using that horrible term 'staycation' last year - which made no sense at all... linguistic logic dictates that on these shores it should be a 'stoliday'!  LOL)

In keywording I use both 'holiday' and 'vacation' - given that much of the English-speaking world still speaks UK-English (as opposed to American-English).  Best to appeal to the whole audience, I think.
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: shiyali on February 20, 2013, 08:32
Congratulations! Well done! Getting into SS is tough these days. I was lucky to have signed up in the early days when you didn't have to submit 10 for approval. I might not even get in these days.
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: Microstock Posts on February 20, 2013, 10:25
@ rjaxon:

Congratulations and well done for figuring out the copyright issues were in the keywords.  It's a shame they don't have a specific rejection reason to tell you that, as it would have saved you a lot of time and concern.

I also get frustrated with the 'holiday' issue.  Here in the UK, a 'holiday' is a trip to somewhere for a break, as you say.  I've never heard a person who learned UK-English use the word 'vacation'.  Not once.  (Although the media here started using that horrible term 'staycation' last year - which made no sense at all... linguistic logic dictates that on these shores it should be a 'stoliday'!  LOL)

In keywording I use both 'holiday' and 'vacation' - given that much of the English-speaking world still speaks UK-English (as opposed to American-English).  Best to appeal to the whole audience, I think.

I just use the word vacation now and I write dates the American way. I've been Americanized by microstock (largely ss). I even think they're the greatest nation on earth, oh wait a minute, they haven't quite got me on that one yet. :)

Congrats rjaxon, smart of you to figure out it was a keyword issue.
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: rubyroo on February 20, 2013, 10:56
Really?  I'm amazed.  You're the first I've ever heard of.

Don't forget who you are now ;)
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: rjaxon on February 20, 2013, 14:38
One little correction to my post.

The "holiday/vacation" issue didn't effect the keywords it was rejected because of the my category selection. I was not allowed to categorise a - beautiful ;) - image of a beach umbrella overlooking the blue waves as a 'holiday'. I now realise that that's because, in their eyes, it doesn't have anything to do with Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving etc.

Strange. When I think of a holiday I only think of beaches :)
Title: Re: Accepted at last - trademarks etc in keywords
Post by: gnirtS on February 20, 2013, 15:28
They go on vacation. "Holidays" seem to mean only public holidays and certain times of the year, I think.

This one drives me nuts too.  "holidays" is used pretty much everywhere in the world, only the US has a different meaning and different word (Vacation).

From a buyer point of view if they're not american and they want a picture of a family on a beach they're likely to search on "family beach holiday" or similar yet we're not allowed to tag it as such.
Title: Re: Accepted at last - trademarks etc in keywords
Post by: ShadySue on February 20, 2013, 15:36
They go on vacation. "Holidays" seem to mean only public holidays and certain times of the year, I think.

This one drives me nuts too.  "holidays" is used pretty much everywhere in the world, only the US has a different meaning and different word (Vacation).

Not to mention, we think of a resort as being a town where people go on holiday, like Blackpool or Magalluf, but a resort to Americans is a big hotel with a lot of facilities.
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: Microstock Posts on February 20, 2013, 16:46
Really?  I'm amazed.  You're the first I've ever heard of.

Don't forget who you are now ;)

Vacation only in keywords, I still use holiday in real life, but not in keywords. However the date thing is really good and I use it now both written and spoken. February 20, 2013. There are some more Americanisms I use too, I just choose what I like and feel comfortable with.
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: ruzgar344 on March 05, 2013, 13:55
I've tried 5 times and they did not accept me. 10 days ago submitted 10 and past Sunday I've received an email saying that 10/10 are accepted and I am a SS photographer now :) Second amazing thing is:
2 days passed from getting accepted and today I have signed in for uploading some files and I saw that 2 of 10 accepted files sold :) SS is really lovely!
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: ruxpriencdiam on March 05, 2013, 14:42
Yeah and we drive on a Parkway and park in a Driveway.

EDIT:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiday)
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: micro-retouch on March 08, 2013, 17:28
After 9 months of trying I have at last been accepted on SS and am so happy.

Grats :) Wish you lots of money earned! :)
Title: Re: Accepted at last
Post by: 08stock08 on March 09, 2013, 13:44
Sometimes things test your nerves. SS is one of those things. The key is, never give up. Congratulations!!!