Quality Issue, weird dot in some pictures!

[leunculus]

Hello,

I am a new contributor trying to grow my portfolio on adobe. 

For the last couple weeks I learned a lot about stock photography and pretty much adjusted my whole style of making photos and post production. 

Still just a few of my pictures passe the quality check and I noticed a dot on some of my pictures.

Does anybody know from what this artefact is coming from?

[ricky336 · Accepted solution]

Yes,

It's dust on your sensor, which appears as a 'dust spot' in the photo. This is very common. It can be cloned out in post-processing. 

How to Spot Dust on Your DSLR Sensor (photographylife.com)

[leunculus]

Thanks, I will try ro fix it in post-production and hope I can still use them for stock.

[ricky336]

Make sure the cloning is clean, and that there are no other quality issues! (Exposure, focus, white balance, etc.)

[RALPH_L · Accepted solution]

You can also clean your sensor. Youtube has several videos on the subject. You can also have it cleaned at most camera stores.

[leunculus]

First I want to see how much they are taking for this in a camera store but thank you very much I may try it if its to expensive.

[Abambo]

That shouldn't cost a fortune. And it is worth, except if the spots are oil droplets, then it can become nasty.

[George_F · Accepted solution]

Aside from the dust spots, I saw a few technical issues worth mentioning.

IMG_1108 has noticeable noise when viewed at 100% view, and the foreground appeared soft.  It's been my experience the silhouette look of the foreground is considered a technical flaw even though it's intentional on your part.

IMG_0956 There was less noise, but still some visible between 100% and 200%.  The city buildings weren't completely silhouetted but I still think they are too dark and lacking detail.  It may be possible to recover some detail the buildings, but my quick attempts didn't turn out well and had a strong blue color cast.

Don't sweat the rejections, we've all had our fair share.  I always treat them as a learning opportunity to better evaluate my photos for the next submissions.  If you include exif data like camera settings etc, we may be able to offer more specific advice.

[Jill_C · Accepted solution]

If the dot is in the same spot on all images, it's most likely on the sensor, which will need to be cleaned. Many people prefer to have it cleaned by a professional, since an inexperienced user could scratch and ruin the sensor. It could also be a lens spot. I always keep a lens cloth in my pocket and wipe the lens frequently, particularly when shooting outdoors.