Passing the Stock Photo Exam

So, you have already registered and are eager to start your way of earning money through microstocks. However, most stock agencies also require passing an exam to check your qualifications. Moreover, the entrance exam at the stock agency must be taken at the agencies that are priorities for microstockers in terms of earning – Shutterstock, iStock, and 123RF.

What is the Microstock Exam

Some microstock platforms, such as Fotolia or BigStockPhoto require you to take a brief theoretical test. While the stock agency websites provide the information needed to pass the exam, it wouldn’t hurt to get a little insight on how to select works for the exam at the stock agency. This knowledge will be useful later when working with stock agencies.

The main problem for a beginning microstocker is selecting exam works for the stock agency. Many photographers and illustrators, when starting to select works and reviewing their existing portfolio, suddenly realize that they don’t have that many quality works that meet the requirements of stock agencies for the exam, or even none at all… But this is, in principle, a standard mismatch in approaches to work quality.

For photographers or illustrators, the main criterion for assessing work quality is its high artistic level, as well as uniqueness and an original perspective in execution. Microstocks, as platforms for selling photographs and illustrations, assess work quality based on commercial value and technical excellence. Keep this in mind to avoid future disappointments and frustrations.

Essentially, online stock agencies are not art galleries. Stock photo agencies function as commercial agents, focusing on sales volumes and understanding market demand.

Therefore, large microstocks select what sells well, on which one can earn in the long term. Do not forget about this.

I would like to make a small clarification… Undoubtedly, commercial stock photographs and illustrations should be created at a decent artistic level. A hallmark of professionalism is the combination of commercial success and high artistic qualities of work.

However, it should be noted that if the work is executed with technical flaws or is commercially unpromising, the stock agency will simply disregard it. Keep this in mind when preparing your work for stock agencies.

Initially, illustrators often find it easier to pass stock agency exams. This is because a significant portion of the requirements placed on photographs is lifted. Additionally, in the illustration segment, there is a lower level of competition and a higher demand for illustrations (in relation to photographs).

If you have both photography and illustration skills, consider including more illustrations in your exam batch submissions. However, this approach doesn’t apply to veteran microstock agencies like the iStockPhoto agency.

iStock requires separate exams for photographers and illustrators, each involving the submission of three works, ensuring a fair evaluation process.

Below I will give you the key principles to consider when preparing works for stock agency exams.

Here, in my opinion, are the types of works that should not be shown to stock agency inspectors during the exam:

1. Photographs or illustrations that contain objects of someone else’s copyright. This includes photographs of other artist’s works, some famous modern architectural structures, registered logos and trademarks, items of recognizable design, vehicle numbers, and names. By the way, pay attention to the fact that stock agency inspectors are very attentive to such details and may often notice subtleties that you did not.
2. Photographs and illustrations featuring recognizable faces or other body parts by which a person can identify themselves (tattoos, piercings, etc.) unless you have a signed Release with that person; they will not pass the exam either. A Release (model release) is a one-page contract between the photographer and the model, bearing their signatures, as well as the witness’s signature. The Release serves as proof of the model’s consent to the sale of photographs and illustrations using the model’s face and other body parts.
3. Technically substandard photographs and illustrations. First and foremost, this includes photographs with a high level of noise, out-of-focus images, and the presence of chromatic aberrations or artifacts due to high JPEG compression. Additionally, poor lighting, low contrast, and other gross exposure and composition errors fall into this category.
4. Do not send photographs taken with the camera’s built-in flash “head-on.” With rare exceptions, this does not justify itself and will not add to your professionalism in the eyes of inspectors.
5. Avoid including a large number of similar images (for example, from one photo set) in your exam selection. It is better to send as many diverse works as possible.
6. Do not overdo it with image processing in graphic editors. Be careful with increasing brightness, contrast, and saturation. These enhancements often lead to increased noise in the image.
7. Do not send images that have been enlarged beyond their original size. Some stock agencies (for example, Shutterstock) allow slight upscaling (upsizing), but not more than 5%. Most stock agencies do not allow such actions.
8. It also makes no sense to send thematically irrelevant images for the exam. Many stock agencies are increasingly raising the requirements for work themes, as the image databases at stock agencies continuously expand, resulting in an oversupply of similar works in certain thematic categories, which also sell well. Therefore, try not to send for the exam photographs and illustrations that almost every beginner photographer has or that are present in every illustrator’s portfolio. Namely: photographs of flowers, pets, body parts, airplane wings from a window seat, all sorts of suns, smileys, etc. 🙂 Think carefully about who and why would want to purchase one of your works. Attention! Do not forget that increased requirements for themes are established during the exam.
9. If you delve into the realm of illustrations, some microstocks (for example, microstock iStockPhoto) do not accept works created through tracing photographs unless they are your photos. If you’ve taken on this thankless task, at least ensure that the illustration has an artistic appearance and does not reveal the method of its creation. However, it is better and safer to draw the illustration “from scratch”.
10. Photographs and illustrations of an overtly sexual nature will be rejected. Erotica is permissible, but for such photographs, stock agencies usually strongly request that along with the model release, a copy of the model’s passport is also provided. Photographs of minors with erotic or sexual content are forbidden without exception. Such matters will result in expulsion from stock agencies without further questions, and in many civilized countries, there is a corresponding article in the criminal code for this. Don’t play with fire!
11. And, as a standard rule, do not submit works that contain scenes of violence and cruelty.

Let’s discuss what should be included in your exam submission:

1. If you are an illustrator, your artistic works, assuming they are of decent quality, will be welcomed with open arms. You don’t necessarily have to be a world-class talent or be able to draw from birth. By the way, applied vector illustrations such as icons, ornaments, and silhouettes are highly sought after and sell well in stock agencies.
2. If you are a photographer who can shoot people and sign model releases, do not miss this opportunity. Photos of people are among the most in-demand themes in stock agencies. Group photos generate even greater demand and sales. A little tip — try to approach the choice of subject matter responsibly, as photos from the series “We’re Celebrating My Birthday with Friends” are unlikely to find fans among buyers and inspectors.
3. Still life photography. This is a lifesaver for many beginner microstock photographers. Almost everyone has some rare or just beautiful items at home. Try to use your artistic imagination to transform the very fact of their existence into good photographs for stock agencies. Even if your artistic imagination is taking a break today, there’s no need to despair. Photos of objects on a simple white background are also in demand. However, you’ll need to pay attention to lighting setup or subsequent editing in Photoshop to ensure the background looks light and clean.
4. Works on other sought-after themes. This can include: business, fashion, sports, food, holiday themes (New Year, Valentine’s Day, Independence Day, Christmas), unique antique objects, and conceptual images (illustrations for various emotions, processes, and phenomena).

So, as you can see, the list of what makes sense to send to stock agencies is somewhat shorter than the list of what should never be sent under any circumstances. Although, again, this is only at first glance, for someone with imagination, a creative approach, and a clear understanding of the needs of stock agencies, the volume of work will be limited only by their capacity and the number of hours in a day.

Let’s also consider some technical requirements for images to protect yourself from major mistakes when creating and processing images.

When preparing photographs, use only file formats that do not result in quality loss (TIFF, PSD) for saving intermediate versions. Repeated saving in JPEG format will lead to compression artifacts, which could be a reason for the rejection of the photograph by stock agencies. It’s best to save photographs in JPEG format just before submitting them to stock agencies, ensuring they are saved with maximum quality and minimum compression level.

It’s also important to focus correctly when shooting. Non-standard artistic techniques in this respect may lead to rejection by stock agencies with the justification “Image is not focused, improperly focused, or has the insufficient depth of field.” To clarify the main requirements of microstocks regarding focus, one could say: “Focus should be where buyers expect to see it.” This approach is understandable since buyers do not always have the opportunity to view the photograph at 100% size before purchase.

Small previews do not provide a clear picture of the sharpness of the photograph in a given area. Therefore, pay attention to the depth of field; sometimes, it makes sense to sacrifice a beautifully blurred background for increased depth of field in the main part of the image.

Thus, unless there is a strict necessity or a well-thought-out artistic intention, avoid shooting with the widest aperture.

Microstock Shutterstock has the highest demands for accurate focus and sufficient depth of field.

Consolidating all the aforementioned quality requirements for photographs, one important piece of advice can be derived. If your image has resolution headroom, try to reduce it to the minimum possible set by the microstock. This will help conceal any technical shortcomings of the photograph and will be quite relevant when selecting exam submissions.

The requirements for minimum image size differ among stock agencies. Usually, a minimum size of at least 4 megapixels is required.

When preparing vector illustrations, the illustrator should know that they need to be prepared in EPS format version 8. EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) is a universal vector format that allows files to be saved from various vector editors (Corel Draw, Adobe Illustrator). Saving in version 8 format is a requirement for most microstocks that sell vector works. This requirement enables them to achieve high compatibility and reduce the number of problems for buyers.

However, it should be mentioned that version 8 of the EPS format is based on the PostScript Level 2 standard, which, in turn, imposes certain limitations on the artistic tools that an illustrator can use in their work. For example, one will have to give up transparency, limiting oneself to only using gradient fills. Such is the price of universality. It is best to save EPS format from Adobe Illustrator.

Don’t forget to check for unclosed paths in the illustration, meaning all curves must be closed. This is a mandatory requirement for photo banks.

If you have any doubts about whether you have correctly prepared the vector format, it is better not to take risks and send a rasterized version of your illustration to the exam (this will not pass on the microstock iStockphoto). This way, you reduce the risk of rejection due to any shortcomings.

You can add the vector version of the illustration after passing the exam at the photo bank.

If you feel that you have prepared an exam set of images that meets all the criteria listed above, it is still best to double-check everything once again. Even better would be to try uploading these works to some free photo hosting and ask experienced photo stockers for advice.

When adding an image to a microstock, pay close attention to crafting its description. During the exam at the photo bank, it is better to skip some keywords than to write unnecessary information that is unrelated to the theme of the image. The description and title of the image should contain only the information that reflects the content of the shot.

Do not include the camera model, shooting location, or exposure settings there – you can also be rejected for this. So, don’t be surprised if you are rejected due to such circumstances. I warned you.

A fairly common situation is that you prepared and tried hard, but the microstock exam was not passed. Under no circumstances should you despair. Yes, you may indeed not be ready yet, but it is also quite possible that you simply encountered a photo bank inspector in a bad mood.

That happens too.

In case of failure with the exam, the most important thing in this situation is to suppress the voice of the offended and unrecognized artist within you, as it will lead to a dead end. If you have decided that becoming a microstocker and earning a decent income from photo banks through the sale of your works will be your goal at this stage, you need to resolutely and steadily move towards achieving this goal.

So, in case of rejection, just try to calmly build your portfolio and enhance your professionalism. And at some point, you will indeed pass the exam.

The photo banks are not going anywhere. Be assured of that. Just don’t give up!

Well, that’s everything I planned to write about exams at microstocks. Almost all the rules formulated in this note for preparing and selecting works when passing an exam at the photo bank can confidently be extrapolated to the standard preparation of images for photo banks in future work after passing registration and the exam.

Good luck!