Great Escape Publishing

Posted March 28th, 2016 by Bonnie Caton & filed under Travel Photography.

Everyone who uploads images to stock agencies gets rejections from time to time. It’s just part of the game. When you’re starting out, it can be discouraging. But really, it’s no big deal.

Here’s what an actual rejection from Shutterstock looks like:

See? It’s not so bad. They were even nice enough to include a reason.

Here’s what to do if you get a rejection:

Don’t take it personally. No one is saying that your photo isn’t good. They’re just telling you why they don’t think they can sell it on their site.
See it as a learning tool. Check the reason why your photo was rejected, then go back and look at your photo to try to see the issue. Make sure you view your photo at 100%.
Decide whether or not you can fix it.
Fix and resubmit… or move on. If you can fix the issue, great. Resubmit the image with the fix. If not, no sweat. Just move on to the next batch.

Getting rejections from stock agencies can help your photography improve immensely. You’ll start to shoot cleaner. And you’ll be more aware of what’s going on in your camera and in your shots.

But rejections DO take up your precious time. And it’s better in the end if you can avoid them as much as possible.

Remember to always inspect your photos at 100% in the computer before submitting them to agencies.

Editor’s Note: Learn more about getting started selling your photos online in stock agencies – no matter how much or little photography experience you have – in the Breakfast Stock Club e-newsletter. It’s once a week, and it’s free to join, here.