I’ve submitted many photos to microstock sites (sites that sell stock photos) and have had many rejections. All my rejected photos are perfectly good – even excellent. However, the microstock sites have their specific criteria, and they are very, very picky. Rejections are either for the noise of various kinds or content.
I’ve developed a technique that works to clean up the photos for submission that I will share with you in an upcoming post. As for the content, now that’s a different story, and you have to learn what these sites want before shooting and uploading. The microstock sites themselves will have content guides to help you.
With all the difficulty and prospects of rejection, why bother with microstock sites?
Because with a little effort, you can make money.
There’s only one microstock site that I have found to pay the most for me.
iStockphoto. I’m making around $100 per month on this site. They are extremely picky and reject a lot, but since getting bought by Getty Images, they are the best around.
For a complete list of microstock sites and how to sell on them, go to either the microstock insider or microstock diaries.
If you’re curious, the top selling guy in microstock is Yuri Arcurs. He has teams of people working for him, though, so don’t be discouraged if you are just starting out.
Sell even one photo on a microstock site, and it will make your day. Sell enough to finance your photography, buy some gear, pay for your travel, and it will more than put a smile on your face!
Negative Moments 