9. Signing up !
9.1. Making an account
Signing up itself is easy at all sites. Because they aim towards a broad public, they try to keep the initial procedure as simple as possible. Only if you have no notions of English, things can be complex.
During registration you sometimes need to provide personal information. I remember shutterstock asking for a copy of my passport for instance. I assume that this information is handled in confidence, although you'll never know for sure.
8.2. Getting approved
As easy as signing up was, as difficult can it be to get approved at some sites.
After the registration you need to upload a first batch. By means of this batch your account will be approved or not.
Especially Shutterstock has a very though selection lately. Somewhere I read that only 1 out of 10 new photographers are allowed.
Shutterstock seems to be allergic for noise and artifacts, I guess 90% of the initial rejections are because of this. Thus make sure your first batch certainly doesn't contain any noise.
Downsizing makes noise less visible. The minimum format at shutterstock is 4MP ... ...
The main reasons for rejections at iStockphoto seems to be trademark / copyright issues and the "This photo is not suited for stockfotography"-reason. Make sure that there are no visible trademarks in your photos and that the photos are ´typical´ stockphotos.
On the other sites it should not be that difficult to get approved.
If your are not approved you can upload another batch, although sometimes you have to wait a certain time. (30 days at shutterstock for instance) But it's always better to get approved from the first time. Therefore make sure that the first batch contains your best pictures.
Again : Therefore make sure that the first batch contains your best pictures.
And for those not reading well : Therefore make sure that the first batch contains your best pictures.
Why do I tell this 3 times ? Because very often new submitters don't send in their very best images. Remember the quote : "I'm not gonna sell my best pics for $0.20 a piece"
Afterwards they are surprised they were rejected. Keep in mind that such an initial batch is being examined much more carefully than the normal submissions. So make sure you DO send in your best pics.
You can delete any image in your portfolio at anytime ... ... Also your very best ...
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