robnunnphoto.com

The train rolls on as I try, in my amateur way, with a budget camera, to build up a portfolio on the micro-stock photography site, BigStockPhoto.

Lets look at my submissions, what got in and some of what didn't, to see what we can learn for next time.





What Got In

Rural Wooden Five Bar Gate Against Blue Sky



Front Head-on View Of World War Two Pill Box Bunker



Victorian Fort Brockhurst View Along Frozen Moat To Keep




Some Of What Didn't Get In

World War Two Concrete Bunker Pill Box On Green Grass. Reason: Poor composition/Cropped subject: Chopping off part of subject makes photo harder to use generally :-) thanks



This was taken at the same time as the other composition, but I guess I did chop off the shadows, and there's lots of distractions (lamp posts) in the background.

Tall Mobile Cell Phone Mast Against Blue Sky. Reason: Exposure problem: Image is too dark or too light, not properly exposed. You may be able to try using 'Levels' control in Photoshop to fix depending on how bad the issue is. Thanks.



Fair enough, the ground is pretty dark.

Exterior Of Industrial Unit Warehouse. Reason: Hard shadows: Caused by on-camera flash. Try not to use flash, use more fill light instead. Flash often creates hard ugly shadows, thanks :-)



Er... it would taking a pretty huge flash to cause those shadows, but I know where they're coming from.

Decaying Industrial Unit Warehouse Exterior Wall Reason: Low interest subject: Probably little demand/selling potential for this image. Try for more marketable shots. thanks..



OK, point taken.

Wooden Pontoon Jetty With Small Boats And Blue Sky. Reason: Blurry: Image is not very crisp or is blurred when viewed at full size.



Damn! I knew this one would get rejected - I focused too close, causing the middle and background to blur. I didn't check my LCD screen closely enough. Bah!

Speed Limit Warning Sign 5 Five Mph On Gate. Reason: Snapshot composition: This image is more of a snapshot than a marketable stock image. Overall problems can include poor lighting, poor composition, non-interesting subject matter, etc.



I'm wondering if that would have been accepted if the Sun had been shining directly on the sign and gate?

End Of Cycle Track Sign In Countryside. Reason: Snapshot composition: This image is more of a snapshot than a marketable stock image. Overall problems can include poor lighting, poor composition, non-interesting subject matter, etc.



Fair do's.

So some more valuable lesson in the world of BigStockPhoto submissions. It's easy to get started, so why not visit their site and sign up?

Me? It's been really cloudy and grey for the last few days, with not much hope of it getting Sunnier. I'm going to trawl through my back catalog to put some older shots in the submission queue, then I'm going to spend a few hours studying the best selling images and come up with a list of photographs I'm going to try and take over the next few weeks.

Thanks for reading, I hope this post has been helpful,

Cheers, Rob.