How to become a Shutterstock Contributor on your first attempt

October 10, 2019

How to become a Shutterstock Contributor on your first attempt

Shutterstock is the place bloggers, independent businesses, large companies and advertisers go for high-quality, inspected stock photos. It's a bit like Flickr if every photo was under Creative Commons licence. In the same way that Displate or Etsy helps independent artists, Shutterstock helps photographers or videographers to make a buck from their best content. To become a Contributor, you must first be approved. I got through on my first try, so I want to help others do the same!

Once you've made a Contributor account, you must send over ten to fifteen of your best images for review by their team, using the Dashboard. All ten to fifteen must be approved to pass, or you will be required to wait a month to submit again. I was aware that many people were falling at the last hurdle (getting nine approved out of ten) and that I would really need to take my time on choosing perfect photos for my submissions and do my research.

It's worth saying that your submissions, if approved, will go live after the review process; so unless you delete them, they will be immediately available for download. (Don't worry though, you'll retain Copyright of your images).

Some possible reasons for rejection are FILE SIZE, FOCUS, EXPOSURE, PIXELATION/NOISE, COMPOSITION, DUPLICATION or VISIBLE BRANDING.

To start, make sure your short-listed photos are JPEGs over 4 Megapixels in size. If you're not sure, right-click the image > look on Photo 'Properties' > scroll down to 'Image' > multiply the Pixel numbers in the Width and Height columns. If the answer is over 4 million pixels, you're good.

The reviewers will test the quality of your photos when zoomed in so another thing you need to check for is adequate FOCUS. It is better to make sure that the image is sharp overall, although if there is intentional blurring, be sure the main focus is on the subject and not somewhere in the background.

It's a good idea to zoom in on your chosen photos yourself and see what's visible. If there is a lot of NOISE or PIXELATION, it's worth trying to edit it out or select another photo. Remember if you edit that the final product should be over 4 million pixels. I kept it simple and tried to choose photos that didn't need any editing, and I didn't compress any in order to avoid pixelation.

Especially for your initial submissions, it's a good idea to consider COMPOSITION. Make sure that the horizon, in a sea-scape for example, is straight and that the image is symmetrical. Try not to have anything blocking the main subject of the photo - while having a branch framing an image is a common trick in photography, try to refrain from sending one like this for your submission. If you're sending across flat-lays, remove any objects in the photo that may be distracting and spend time arranging the items.

An image can be rejected for SIMILAR CONTENT, although a photo of mine from Dubrovnik was accepted despite being one of the most photographed regions in the world. Basically, try to be original and do not directly copy anybody else's work.

VISIBLE BRANDING is perhaps the easiest one to avoid and one us bloggers may be used to. You can get creative with this.

I sent off ten initial images that I thought would (hopefully) pass the guidelines, and that I'd captured to the best of my ability. I was accepted less than 24 hours later. Here are my photos to inspire your own submissions, and if you like any of them, my Shutterstock link for download will be available below!