It has been a few months now since I became a photography contributor for Shutterstock.com and I have learned quite a bit.
My mindset in joining the online stock photography provider was to see how my photos measure up to Shutterstock's standards. It was also a way for me to look at the works of others to hopefully improve my own photos.
Submitting your photos to Shutterstock is fairly easy: visit their website, create a profile, upload a few of your sample photos, and then wait for their feedback.
Photo review teams
As a photography enthusiast, it is a good feeling to see that some of my photos have been "accepted" after undergoing a review process. According to Shutterstock, they have review teams who will take a look at the submitted photos. Shutterstock says these teams are all well-versed on "technical and metadata standards as well as compliance policies."
The review will also point out the reason or reasons why your photo was rejected.
Having my photos accepted is more than enough reward, although of course, the ultimate goal is to sell these photos to those who might find them useful.
Basic lessons
So here are five basic lessons I learned so far on Shutterstock:
1.) Keep your photos sharp and in focus. This is the first lesson to learn. A photo that is not sharp (when viewed in its actual size) tends to be "rejected." So the goal was to make sure my subject or subjects are always sharp and in focus.
2.) Use a lot of keywords. When I submitted my first photos, I was asked to write a few keywords to hopefully make it easier for prospective buyers to search my photos. The lesson here is you have to spend a bit of time using a lot of relevant keywords for your photos. The keywords will help your prospective buyer find your photos much easier.
3.) Build your portfolio. For me, building a portfolio on Shutterstock is another adventure. Many online forums on stock photo selling will tell you that there really is no "magic number" when it comes to how many photos you should submit to be able to earn. Some would say it's quality over quantity, while others would say the more photos you submit, the better your chances are. One good tip is to submit more diverse photos. This will hopefully increase your chances of selling to prospective clients.
4.) Be patient and never stop learning from others. As an amateur photographer, I still have a lot to learn, especially from those who have been into photography longer than I have been. If I have the time, I always make it a point to continue reading and looking at the work of others to hopefully inspire me to do better.
5.) Manage your expectations. Since the essence of selling your stock photos online is to earn, you will have to manage your expectations particularly if you have just started building your portfolio. As an amateur, I cannot really expect that much when it comes to earnings from my online portfolio. My mindset is just enjoy the experience and learn as much as I can.
Here are some Shutterstock photos I would like to share with you:
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